Luke Donald will captain Europe in the 2025 Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black in New York, Ryder Cup Europe have announced.
Donald has been reappointed after masterminding a commanding win in Rome earlier this year, after which Europe’s players immediately urged him to break with recent tradition and remain in charge for a second consecutive contest.
The 45-year-old becomes Europe’s first repeat captain since Bernard Gallacher performed the role in 1991, 1993 and 1995 and will bid to become only the second captain after Tony Jacklin in 1985 and 1987 to win home and away.
“I’m delighted and honoured to have been given the chance to lead Team Europe in the Ryder Cup once again,” said Donald, who was initially appointed for the 2023 edition after Henrik Stenson was sacked for joining LIV Golf.
“Great opportunities don’t come along very often in life and I’m a great believer that when they do, you need to grab them with both hands. This is one of these moments.
“I’ve been fortunate as a player to have had many amazing times in the Ryder Cup over the years and so to add being a winning captain to that, to form bonds with the 12 players like we did in Italy and to get the result we did, was very special indeed.
“The Ryder Cup means so much to me, so to be captain again and have the chance to create more history by becoming only the second European captain to win back-to-back is exciting.
“There is no question that being a captain away from home is a tough task. But I have never shied away from challenges throughout my career and it is precisely the kind of thing that motivates me.
“I can’t wait to get another 12-strong team to Bethpage in 2025.”
While Jacklin and Gallacher led the side on multiple occasions, it had been common practice since 1997 for the captain to only get one bite of the cherry, even if they spearheaded record victories.
However, Donald’s players made it clear they wanted the former world number one to break the mould as they chanted “Two more years” while he gave a television interview following the five-point victory in Rome.
“I think everyone sitting here would be very happy to have him again,” Rory McIlroy said in the winning team’s press conference.
Tommy Fleetwood, who secured the winning point, added: “Luke is amazing, we are all so proud of him.
“From when this whole process started, he’s been so, so good. The way he’s been this week has been phenomenal. We just look at Luke on another level. He’s been amazing and I’m so happy that we could all get it done for him.”
Donald said in the immediate aftermath of Europe’s win that he would consider remaining as captain, although he was well aware that the last away victory was the ‘Miracle at Medinah” in 2012.
“Maybe I go out leaving a legacy as a winning Ryder Cup captain and not risk that,” Donald, who won the opening singles match in Europe’s comeback in 2012, said.
“Obviously going over there in New York, which would be a real cauldron, those fans are extremely passionate. It would be a really, really tough environment. If I was to do this job, and I was to go over there and win, that would be some accomplishment.”
On December 2, fans of boxing will witness the return of former Wray and Nephew Contender Champion and Junior North American Boxing Federation (NABF) Middleweight Champion, Kemahl 'Hitman' Russell (15-1, 11KO’s), as he steps into the ring against the formidable Mexican Middleweight Champion, Rafael 'El Iraki' Ortiz (16-5-1, 9KO’s).
The highly anticipated eight-round showdown will unfold at the Pickering Casino Resort Arena in the Greater Toronto area, marking Russell's third fight since his remarkable comeback after a five-year hiatus.
Following an intense eight-week training camp, Russell exudes confidence as he gears up for the challenge presented by Ortiz. Acknowledging his opponent's prowess, Russell anticipates a dominant performance, stating, “My performance will remain the same as my last fight. I feel sharp and strong, all that rust from my absence is finally gone. I’m ready for war on Saturday.”
Expressing optimism about the upcoming bout, Russell added, “Camp has been solid, there are a few hiccups here and there, but I make the most of my situation as I always do. I will be entertaining and electrifying. I expect to get this guy outta there by the third round.”
Promoter Tyler Buxton holds Russell in high regard, stating, “I expect Kemahl to showcase all of his skills and abilities in this fight. Ortiz is Kemahl’s toughest opponent since his return. Ortiz upset Omar Chavez last year and isn’t scared of a tough test.”
The upcoming fight marks Russell's third under the United Boxing Promotions banner this year. His victories in April against Marcos Cornejo and September against Juan Raygosa, both by TKO, showcased his return to top form.
The decision to base his training camps in Toronto aligns with his new promotional stable, emphasizing top-notch facilities and strong connections within the Jamaican community.
Russell’s chief cornerman, Ryan “RG” Grant, expressed satisfaction with the Hitman’s progress, stating, "Simple, Kemahl has been out here, camp just keeps getting better and better. We are both excited about this fight coming and looking forward to making some big moves in the new year after we take care of business Saturday night.”
Promoter Tyler Buxton explained the strategic decision behind hosting Russell’s training camps in Toronto, emphasizing its role in Russell’s continued success and marketability. Buxton added, “Kemahl’s quickly becoming a fan favorite here in Ontario. We have a large Jamaican following for our roster with the likes of Ricard “Big12” Brown, Shakeel Phinn, and Joshua Frazer. Kemahl is great with the fans after the events, taking photos and saying hi. He could be a main event very soon.”
As the final week of preparation unfolds, Russell remains focused on fine-tuning his skills and refining his strategy. Addressing adjustments to training in a new location and with new personnel, Russell cryptically stated, “I’m more comfortable being uncomfortable. My adjustment has been good, and I feel like I’m in the right place at the right time, with the right people.”
Russell's upcoming bout against Ortiz, officially promoted by United Promotions, promises to be a thrilling clash, with the added excitement of fellow Jamaican heavyweight Ricardo ‘Big 12’ Brown (9-0, 9 KO’s) taking on Josef ‘The Gladiator’ Darmos (14-6-3, 10KO’s) in a bid for title contention and a perfect knockout streak. Boxing enthusiasts can anticipate a night of high-caliber action at the Pickering Casino Resort Arena.
A “quite dire” weather forecast is owner Michael Buckley’s biggest concern ahead of Constitution Hill’s return in the BetMGM Fighting Fifth Hurdle at Newcastle on Saturday.
The pre-eminent star of National Hunt racing was a brilliant winner of the Gosforth Park showpiece last season, before going on to land the Christmas Hurdle at Kempton, the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham and the Aintree Hurdle to extend his faultless record to seven.
With Constitution Hill’s top-class stablemate Shishkin also set to make the trip to the north east for the Rehearsal Chase, a fantastic afternoon’s sport is in store. But the prospect of plummeting temperatures is a major worry for all those involved.
“I’m told the forecast is actually quite dire – Nicky told me this morning he’d had a phone call and they were saying temperatures might get down to minus 8C or 10, with only minus 1C in the day. If that happens I think any racing on Saturday might be in a bit of trouble,” Buckley told Sky Sports Racing.
“Newcastle last year was such a thrilling day and the crowd were so nice there. I’d never been to Newcastle before and I was looking forward to it, so I hope it all happens (again).”
Should Newcastle’s fixture fall to the cold snap, Constitution Hill looks set to head straight to the Christmas Hurdle at Kempton on Boxing Day due to a lack of alternatives in the meantime.
Buckley added: “I think it’s going to be pretty tough for Nicky, because both horses (Constitution Hill and Shishkin) are going there and if everything goes well with them the idea was that they would both go to Kempton.
“There’s two things – there’s nothing suitable between now and then and there isn’t any time. It’s only three weeks from Saturday until Boxing Day.”
Constitution Hill will be extremely shorts odds to dispatch of a maximum of four rivals if the Fighting Fifth does go ahead, which Buckley admits does heighten the pre-race nerves.
He said: “Having a 6-1 on favourite is a different sort of pressure, but I’m looking forward to it.
“I had a coffee with William Haggas last week and he said ‘I feel for you, because you have these very good horses and they come along so infrequently for any of us, but there’s a different pressure’.
“He said going for the Queen Anne at 1-6 (with Baaeed) was one of the most pressurised things he’s ever felt, which is silly really, but all you do is think about what can go wrong rather than what can go right.
“It is a privilege to be given a horse like this. You can buy lots of horses, but it’s a gift if you get something that is so exceptional and it’s a joy and a thrill and the worrying bits are just part of life – I’d rather have those worries than not have the horse, anyway.”
Not only does Constitution Hill possess brilliant ability, but much is also made about his apparently bombproof temperament.
“He’s very chilled until the business moments arrive. He’s pretty exuberant when he sees a hurdle, certainly if there’s another horse around, but he is just what he is – he keeps his energy at a low level until he has to use it,” Buckley continued.
“It’s a bit terrifying at times, the way he takes off, but I think he just likes to show off. He likes to take off outside the wings and I just hope he doesn’t lose his ability to measure the hurdles properly!
“People seem to love him, so I hope he does his stuff and runs somewhere like he did last season.”
Exeter rugby director Rob Baxter has urged football’s law-makers to be careful after they agreed that sin-bins should be trialled at higher levels of the sport.
The International Football Association Board (IFAB) has supported the move following a successful implementation in the grassroots game.
Temporary dismissals of players for offences such as dissent and specific tactical fouls were backed by IFAB at its annual business meeting.
Sin-bins have been used in rugby for more than 20 years, and they were introduced across all levels of grassroots football from the 2019-20 season in an attempt to improve levels of respect and fair play in the game.
“I will be honest with you, I am very surprised football are doing it,” said Baxter, who is one of the English game’s most respected voices.
“I was a bit surprised when football went to VAR, and I am not sure how much they realised they were letting the genie out of the bottle.
“We are meddlers in sport, and rugby is the worst of the lot. We have actually realised we want less TMO (television match official) intervention, the international game is saying we need less TMO intervention.
“All the commentators and ex-professional footballers are saying we need way less VAR interference, and if it does happen it has to happen quickly and the crowd need to know what it is about because it is just causing mayhem in big games.
“Once you start the process it is very hard to stop tinkering with it. They are tinkering with it all the time.
“One of the things that football has always had as its strength is that everyone can explain the rules within five minutes to your average new supporter and they will get it.
“My advice to football would be just be careful. Do you think you genuinely need it to improve player behaviour?
“Or do penalties, free-kicks and yellow cards as they stand, which can escalate to reds for a double yellow, have they got the sanctions already within their game to control player behaviour and they just haven’t been using them?
“That is what I see in football. They have got the sanctions available in their game, so use them. For player abuse you only need to do it in one or two games and things change very quickly.
“Introducing yellow cards and removing players from the pitch is something I would be very careful of.”
Baxter warned against the danger of quick fixes, and believes rugby has had its share of problems in this area.
“We have been guilty of starting processes without thinking about the repercussions,” he added. “We think they are quick-fixed, and actually are they?
“The big debate on the football radio this morning was to get rid of VAR completely because they don’t want two-minute stoppages while someone decides if it was a handball or not.
“We brought that into rugby and realise we’ve pushed it to the Nth degree. You have got to be careful with the card thing.
“When you start to say that taking players off the pitch is your way of controlling player behaviour, you’ve got to be careful about when you want to limit it.
“We brought it in the right way because it was for repeat infringements on the whole. It was something that was required in rugby to stop repeat, repeat, repeats in a cynical way.
“We’ve gone through the period of realising that taking players off the pitch at every available opportunity is not necessarily the way to create a good game.”
Will Zalatoris will join Tiger Woods in returning to action in the Hero World Challenge after suffering what he describes as “a golfer’s worst nightmare”.
Zalatoris moved to the top of the FedEx Cup standings with his first PGA Tour title in the FedEx St Jude Championship last August, only to injure his back midway through the following week’s BMW Championship.
The 27-year-old did not play again for the rest of the year and, after completing seven tournaments at the start of 2023, suffered a more severe setback ahead of the Masters.
“It’s been an interesting seven months,” Zalatoris said. “Kind of a golfer’s worst nightmare is feeling your back giving out on the driving range at Augusta 30 minutes before your tee time.
“When I go from ramping up to Augusta, hurt my back on Thursday and then Saturday I’m already having surgery, it’s a big swing of emotions. I think the first five, six weeks was probably the hardest.
“It’s been a patience game. It’s been a grind. I had a lot of really good advice from guys that have had to go through the same thing and all of them said take your time, no one’s ever come back from an injury taking too long.
“I really started hitting balls probably a couple of months ago. Each week has just progressively gotten a little bit better. I was on a pretty strict ball count, strict amount of time of how much I could practice.
“I know way more about anatomy now than I think I ever really wanted to, but I feel really good right now.”
Zalatoris used his enforced time off to return to college and work towards completing his degree at Wake Forest, which he left during his senior year to turn professional, and also enjoyed a bucket-list trip to Wimbledon with his wife Caitlin.
When he was finally cleared to practice, Zalatoris was wary of making any changes to his distinctive swing, but knew it was necessary to relieve the strain on his back.
“I’ve always been very hyperdynamic, my left foot’s off the ground like JT (Justin Thomas),” Zalatoris added.
“The reality is that actually put a lot of stress on my back, and I had a bunch of side bend and maybe my posture wasn’t perfect, but in my three years on Tour, my worst strokes-gained approach was second.
“The last thing I wanted to do was change anything. (But) the surgery that I had actually was a huge benefit in the sense that really thin, wiry people, they don’t have a lot of room in their back typically.
“I had had some stuff that had popped up, your body tries to heal it, which ends up putting in less space. So clearing all that stuff out, I’m probably one of the only people that’s gone through back surgery and has actually had better range of motion.
“It was the stability coming back that was really the hard part.”
Sam Thomas bids to become just the third man to have both ridden and trained the winner of the Coral Gold Cup when he saddles Stolen Silver and Our Power in the Newbury feature on Saturday.
The late Andy Turnell and Paul Nicholls are the only others to have achieved such a feat, and Thomas is halfway to completing the accomplishment, having steered the Nicholls-trained Denman to the first of two famous victories in the race his during his Cheltenham Gold Cup-winning season.
Denman shouldered top-weight when delivering his astonishing display in 2007 – and while Stolen Silver has not got as much of a burden to carry, the eight-year-old has only Ahoy Senor above him in the handicap following a victorious comeback at Chepstow.
That was the first time Stolen Silver had competed over three miles and Thomas is hoping there could be more to come over staying distances.
“The style he won in at Chepstow was really pleasing, he jumped brilliantly, relaxed, and saw the trip out well,” said Thomas.
“I think he hopefully still has more to offer over that distance, which is exciting.
“Obviously, you don’t quite know sometimes until you run these horses over the extreme trips. However, I do feel he is a much more relaxed horse this season at home, and I think that’s a sign of him telling me he wants to step up in trip.
“I have no reason to believe he won’t get three-mile-two, it’s a flat track, they go a good gallop there and you need to stay very well. If he’s ever going to stay that trip, then it will be at a track like Newbury.”
Joining Stolen Silver in the same ownership of Walters Plant Hire and Potter Group is Our Power, who won back-to-back staying handicaps at Ascot and Kempton last season before finishing the campaign well held in the Grand National.
He returned at Newbury for a sighter of the course over hurdles, and Thomas hopes that early outing over the smaller obstacles will put his charge spot-on for a bold bid.
He continued: “Our Power had a good spin over hurdles to give him a good blow out. We would have loved to have run over fences, but we didn’t want to risk him winning again and ruining his chances of having a nice weight in the Coral Gold Cup. Hopefully he is still off a workable mark.
“He’s a very laid-back character and doesn’t give much away at home, but he’s come out of the race nicely and it gave us a bit of time to kick on and give him some more work. Hopefully it has blown away the cobwebs.”
Jason Kidd claimed Luka Doncic is "taken for granted" before he walked out of his press conference following the Dallas Mavericks' win over the Houston Rockets.
The Mavericks, whose owner Mark Cuban is reportedly close to selling a major stake in the franchise, beat the Rockets 121-115 on Tuesday to prevent Houston from advancing in the NBA's in-season tournament.
Doncic, who played just three days after sustaining a thumb sprain, had 41 points, nine rebounds and nine assists, playing a key role at both ends of the court.
"Sometimes we take him for granted, and we shouldn't," said Kidd. "He's about winning, too. It just happens that he's a walking triple-double.
"Tonight, he had some great looks, but I think he's not looked upon, or you guys haven't really talked about his defense. He's competing defensively. He's taking the challenge.
"But again, when you're that good, someone has to pick at something. Unfortunately, you guys don't see the game totally all the time but he's competing defensively.
"For him to get on the floor, it just shows that he's all about winning, too."
Defiance was a theme of Kidd's post-game news conference, as the coach lashed out at reporters for being overly critical of the time it has taken Kyrie Irving and Doncic to form a formidable partnership.
"Maybe it's the things that you guys thought should have happened day one. It takes time – failing is alright, it's not a bad thing to fail for a pro athlete, as you can learn and get better from it," he said.
"Those two are the best in the world and we feel very comfortable with those two having the ball. Sometimes it goes in, sometimes it doesn't – and we learn from it.
"Write some positive s***. It's alright to write positive stuff, people will read positive s***. You don't have to be negative, the world's already negative enough. Let's see some positive stuff on positive people who are doing their job on a nightly basis."
Irving finished with 27 points, with 22 of those coming in the second half.
"Yeah, he can go off [at] anytime," Doncic said of Irving.
"There were a couple of insane layups, which isn't insane for us because we see it all the time. But his play has been amazing, and his leadership has been amazing. We are just happy to have him on our team."
Nicky Henderson has confirmed Shishkin will join esteemed stablemate Constitution Hill on the trip to Newcastle to contest Saturday’s BetMGM Rehearsal Chase.
With the multiple Grade One winner having refused to start in last weekend’s 1965 Chase at Ascot, the Seven Barrows handler admitted to being in a quandary as to what to do with his star chaser as he looks to get his season back on track ahead of a planned tilt at the King George VI Chase on Boxing Day.
With alternative options limited, Henderson revealed on Sunday that Shishkin could make a swift reappearance in the north east, with Constitution Hill already making the long journey from Lambourn to Gosforth Park as he looks to secure back-to-back victories in the Fighting Fifth Hurdle.
And while a lofty rating of 173 means Shishkin will have to carry 12 stone and concede upwards of 21lb to each of his rivals in Saturday’s finale, he has been given the go ahead to take his chance.
In a statement posted on X, formerly Twitter, Henderson said: “Just to keep everybody informed, Shishkin will run in the Rehearsal Chase on Saturday.
“Everything is fine with him, and he’ll travel up to Newcastle on Friday with Constitution Hill.”
Trans player Noa-Lynn van Leuven says darts has given her something to live for following her transition.
The 27-year-old joined the Women’s Series in 2022 after transitioning the year before and she created history by becoming the first trans woman to play in a televised darts tournament in July when she played in the Women’s Masters in Blackpool.
The Dutchwoman believes she would no longer be alive if she had not transitioned but is now able to live out her dream.
“I think if I didn’t have the transition, I wouldn’t be here anymore,” she told the PA news agency. “The last two years before I transitioned were terrible for me, I was depressed, I wasn’t having fun in life.
“I didn’t have anything to live for, I wasn’t in a good space. Then I realised I am trans, I should do something with that or I am not going to make anything out of my life.
“I went to the doctor and then went into the programme.
“Since the transition it has been three or four years until I started playing darts again. I was playing darts for nine years and I was missing something in life and then I started playing darts again, I missed the game, I missed the people within darts.
“It is a dream to come true, the years before I transitioned I didn’t even have any dreams. I wasn’t happy.
“Now I am happy again and I have so much to live for. I really love darts, I love playing it, I love meeting new people and travelling and that is all possible because of darts.”
Her journey has not been entirely smooth, though, as she revealed she receives animosity from other players, who she believes want her banned.
“It’s been coming from some players, male players, female players but I think a lot of them are getting educated so that makes it easier for me,” Van Leuven, who has passed stringent transitioning tests, added.
“Most of the time it is behind my back, I have heard from a few friends that players have gone up to them and said we need to get her banned, this isn’t OK.
“But also more terrible things. It sucks but I try not to let it get too much into my head. It is very hard, it has been tough for the last two years. There are a few trans players but I guess I am the only one who can throw really good darts, so they want to get rid of me. What’s the easiest way to get rid of? To get me banned so they don’t have to play me.”
Van Leuven was speaking to mark this year’s Rainbow Laces campaign, with the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) supporting the movement by adopting the colours of the trans flag for the PDC logo on-stage at last weekend’s Players Championship.
She added: “A lot of the players are getting educated so that makes it easier for me. The PDC are really helping in educating people.”
The Milwaukee Bucks got big performances from their two brightest stars in a 131-124 win over the Miami Heat on Tuesday to clinch a quarterfinal spot in the In-Season Tournament.
Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 33 points and Damian Lillard added 32 to help the Bucks win East Group B with a 4-0 record.
Milwaukee will host wild-card New York on either Dec. 4 or 5, with East Group C winner Boston going to Group A winner Indiana for the other quarterfinal before the Final Four in Las Vegas.
Miami, which was without second-leading scorer Jimmy Butler, dropped its second straight following a 9-1 stretch.
Bam Adebayo scored 31 points and Kyle Lowry had 21, including a 3-pointer with 3:25 remaining to put the Heat up 118-115.
The Bucks, though, finished on a 16-6 run, going 5 for 6 from the field and 5 for 5 from the line. Lillard made two free throws with 63 seconds to play to help put it out of reach.
Milwaukee lost forward Pat Connaughton to a sprained right ankle in the second quarter.
Kings rally past Warriors to advance
Malik Monk sank a fadeaway with 7 seconds remaining and the Sacramento Kings rallied from 11 down in the fourth quarter for a 124-123 win over the Golden State Warriors.
De’Aaron Fox scored 29 points and Monk and Kevin Huerter each added 21 for the Kings, who won their group with a 4-0 record and will host New Orleans next week in the quarterfinals.
Sacramento needed a win or a loss by 11 points or fewer to advance but erased a 21-point deficit to win for the seventh time in nine games.
Stephen Curry and Andrew Wiggins led the Warriors with 29 points apiece, but Golden State dropped to 2-8 in its last 10 games.
Timberwolves star Edwards injured in win
Rudy Gobert had 17 points, 16 rebounds and four blocks as the Minnesota Timberwolves overcame an injury to star guard Anthony Edwards in a 106-103 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder in the In-Season Tournament.
Edwards had 12 of his 21 points in the third quarter before landing hard on his right side during a dunk attempt and leaving with a bruised right hip.
Coach Chris Finch had no more details on the injury or whether Edwards would miss time.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with 32 points on 13-of-22 shooting but his 37-foot try at the buzzer, his only 3-point attempt of the night, was well off the mark.
Reserve Troy Brown Jr. scored 17 points and Naz Reid added 15 for Minnesota, which improved the West’s best record to 12-4.
Andy Murray inspired Great Britain to Davis Cup victory for the first time in 79 years on this day in 2015 after success in the final against Belgium.
Britain had last got their hands on the trophy in 1936, when Fred Perry and Bunny Austin helped defeat Australia.
When Murray completed a straight-sets win against David Goffin in Ghent to clinch it, he completed one of the most impressive feats of his career.
The Scot’s 6-3 7-5 6-3 triumph against the Belgian number one at the Flanders Expo was his 11th win in the competition that season.
Murray spearheaded the victory and claimed 11 of the 12 points which Britain needed for the title, eight in singles and three in doubles with brother Jamie. The only player not a member of the Murray family to contribute was James Ward.
Three other players have won 11 rubbers in a season since the current Davis Cup format was introduced in 1981, but Murray became the first to do so all in live rubbers and remain unbeaten.
On their way to victory, Britain defeated the United States 3-2 in Glasgow, France 3-1 in London and Australia 3-2 in the semi-finals in Glasgow before Murray sealed a 3-1 success against Belgium.
Murray said: “I probably haven’t been as emotional as that after a match that I’ve won.
“I’ve been pretty upset having lost matches before. But I’d say that’s probably the most emotional I’ve been after a win.
“It’s incredible that we managed to win this competition. I didn’t know that would ever be possible.”
Filip Forsberg scored just 14 seconds into overtime to lift the Nashville Predators to their sixth consecutive win, 3-2 over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday.
Michael McCarron scored twice in the first period and Juuse Saros stopped 29 shots for Nashville, which followed a four-game losing streak with wins in six straight.
Evgeni Malkin and Bryan Rust had goals for the Penguins, who dropped to 2-4-1 in their last seven.
Gustav Nyquist assisted on McCarron’s first goal to extend his point streak to nine games. He has two goals and nine assists during that stretch.
Pittsburgh went scoreless on both power-play opportunities and is 0 for 20 over the last eight games.
Wild stop slide in Hynes’ debut
Joel Eriksson Ek and Frederick Gaudreau scored first-period goals and the Minnesota Wild snapped a seven-game losing streak with a 3-1 victory over the St. Louis Blues in John Hynes’ debut as coach.
Matt Boldy added a goal in the third period and Filip Gustavsson stopped 23 shots for Minnesota, playing its first game under Hynes after the Wild fired Dean Evason on Monday.
Colton Parayko scored for the Blues, who dropped to 3-4-0 in their past seven games.
Devils score 3 in third period to rally past Islanders
Curtis Lazar scored with 23 seconds left to cap a three-goal third period and rally the New Jersey Devils to a 5-4 win over the New York Islanders.
New York took a 4-2 lead into the third period, but Jack Hughes scored at 5:08 and Nico Hischier netted the equaliser on a 4-on-3 power play with 8:50 remaining.
Michael McLeod and Dawson Mercer also scored for the Devils, who have won two straight after losing six of seven.
Mathew Barzal had a goal and two assists for the Islanders, who had a six-game point streak snapped (3-1-3).
Global revenues for women’s elite sport will top £1billion for the first time in 2024, finance company Deloitte predicts.
Rapidly increasing attendances and television viewing figures across different sports, coupled with more lucrative commercial and broadcast deals, sees Deloitte’s TMT Predictions report (technology, media and telecommunications) predict global revenues of 1.28billion US dollars (£1.03bn).
Commercial revenue contributes 55 per cent of that total, backed up by broadcast deals and matchday income.
Jennifer Haskel, insights lead for Deloitte’s Sports Business Group, said: “We wrote a prediction in 2021 and the revenues that were generated, from 2021 to now, is over 300 per cent higher. So you can see over the past few years there has been an incredible amount of growth.
“We’re seeing a lot of popularity in terms of viewership, attendances etc. That’s showing it’s also a great business decision to invest in and support women’s sport – that’s what I think that billion dollars shows.”
This summer’s FIFA Women’s World Cup final between Spain and England was watched by 75,784 in Sydney, with attendances at the tournament averaging nearly 31,000.
Over 86,000 watched hosts Australia beat India to win the women’s T20 Cricket World Cup in 2019 while last year’s Ashes drew significant crowds to English Test grounds including Lord’s and Trent Bridge.
Football’s Women’s Super League – which on Tuesday announced a new governing body also covering the Championship – has increasingly staged games at men’s Premier League grounds, with Arsenal hoping to sell out the Emirates Stadium next Sunday against Chelsea.
The NWSL and basketball’s WNBA have led the way in the United States, helping establish football with the largest share of Deloitte’s projection at 555m dollars (£436.7m) followed by basketball with 354m dollars (£278.5m). Tennis comes next with the WTA Tour competing on an equal footing to the men’s ATP Tour.
Haskel continued: “Because women’s sport is in this nascent phase, there’s this ‘test and learn’ culture where you can trial playing a certain amount of games at the main stadium or increasing and decreasing ticket prices – that matchday environment is only going to get better because the data will be there to show what fans want.
“Matchday and broadcast (income) are going to continue to grow but commercial is really that biggest lever for women’s sports right now.
“You’re starting to see women’s-only commercial deals, but also percentages of full club deals being attributed to the women’s team so that value is starting to become more apparent.
“It is a lower-cost entry point but there is potential for very high reward, as well as opportunities for different sponsors that could enter women’s sport because of the demographic or the marketing message.”
Commercial expansion is not without risk, as demonstrated by the controversial European Super League proposal in men’s football and the over-saturation of the global cricket calendar.
Women’s football finds itself at the other end of the process, with the Champions League qualifying structure coming under scrutiny after the likes of Manchester United, Arsenal, Juventus and Wolfsburg missed out.
Haskel said: “I think one of the benefits is women’s sport can learn from the mistakes of men’s sport but change paths and be a bit more agile because of how early on in the cycle they are.
“Every female sports organisation right now is looking at, what are the governance structures that need to be in place to make sure that as women’s sport continues to grow, it maintains financial sustainability.
“Maybe at first the structure was set up to mimic what the men’s side used to do but now women’s sport, as its own distinct product, can carve its own path and its own structure.”
Tahlia Richardson can now call herself a four-time National Senior Badminton Champion after once again claiming the Women’s Open title at the All Jamaica Badminton Championships at the YMCA Auditorium last weekend.
The 22-year-old 2023 CAC Games bronze medallist took the title after a three-set win over Katherine Wynter.
Richardson won the first set 21-14 before Wynter rallied back to level proceedings at one set all with a 28-26 second set victory.
Richardson then locked in and was able to dominate the third and deciding set 28-10 to seal her fourth title.
Despite the win, Richardson expressed to Sportsmax.tv that she was not entirely pleased with her performance, specifically a shift in her usual play style in the second set.
“It’s two-fold for me. In one sense, I’m glad I was able to retain my title and win my fourth national championship. In another sense, I’m not entirely pleased with my performance,” she said.
“In the second set, I changed the game plan and was playing more passive which is not my playing style. In the third set I played my natural game which is more fast and attacking and was able to dominate,” Richardson added.
Richardson, who recently graduated from the University of the West Indies with BSc. in Human Resource Management while minoring in Psychology, went a bit into her preparation for the tournament, noting the process was slightly hampered by injury.
“I had a slight injury two weeks before that so it was about working through that and ensuring that I would be at my best for the tournament,” she said.
“Besides that, it was just about doing strength training and on-court training and ensuring consistency in both,” Richardson added.
She also went into difficulties endured while trying to balance a budding career in professional badminton with the pursuit of her college degree.
“It was about being disciplined and knowing what I want,” she said.
“It would sometimes be difficult especially when face to face school resumed because I would be gone for a tournament or a training camp once a month or once every other month. But once I managed my time and was consistent with that, I was all good to go,” she added.
Richardson also claimed top spot in mixed doubles and silver in women’s doubles.
Indianapolis star running back Jonathan Taylor is scheduled to undergo thumb surgery and is expected to miss multiple weeks, The Athletic reported Tuesday.
The Colts expect Taylor to miss two or three games, so they do not plan on placing the former All-Pro on injured reserve.
Taylor will have the operation on Wednesday.
The news of Taylor’s injury came as a surprise after he played throughout Sunday’s 27-20 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and carried the ball twice during the game’s final drive. He finished with 91 rushing yards and two touchdowns.
Taylor’s absence comes at a crucial time for the Colts, who have won three straight games and cling to play-off hopes in the AFC at 6-5.
The 2021 rushing champion missed the first four games of the season while recovering from an ankle injury suffered in 2022.
Zack Moss, who excelled in Taylor’s absence in September, is expected to start and see the lion’s share of work in the backfield.
A mid-season trade acquisition from the Buffalo Bills last year, Moss leads the Colts with 672 rushing yards this season and has six total touchdowns.
In seven games this year, Taylor has 551 yards from scrimmage and has found the end zone five times.
The Colts play road games against the Tennessee Titans and Cincinnati Bengals over the next two weeks before returning home to face the Pittsburgh Steelers on Dec. 17.
Parliament will be forced to consider whether to hold a debate on the proposed implementation of betting affordability checks after a petition opposing such measures passed 100,000 signatures.
Racing organisations and officials have expressed fears that the introduction of intrusive financial risk regulations could lead to punters switching to unlicensed bookmakers.
A group of industry leaders have warned that the new regulations could then cost the sport up to £250million over the next five years, threatening racecourses with closure and putting some of the 80,000-plus jobs associated with racing at risk.
The petition states: “We want the Government to abandon the planned implementation of affordability checks for some people who want to place a bet.
“We believe such checks – which could include assessing whether people are ‘at risk of harm’ based on their postcode or job title – are inappropriate and discriminatory.
“The proposed checks could see bettors having to prove they can afford their hobby if they sustain losses as low as £1.37 per day.
“We accept the need to help those with problem gambling but more intrusive checks triggered at a higher threshold risks bettors moving to the black market where there are no consumer protections or safer gambling tools.
“We are concerned there will also be a negative impact on British horseracing’s finances due to a reduction in betting turnover and resulting fall in Levy yield.”
Leading National Hunt trainer Nicky Henderson helped drive the push to reach 100,000 signatures.
In an open letter to Racing TV customers, he wrote: “In recent weeks, I have realised that this very much is my problem. If you are reading this, you are a racing fan, which means it’s your problem as well.
“I have spoken to one or two quite serious punters who are already being impacted by affordability checks and are furious that the gambling white paper is set to make it even harder for them.
“They are adamant they are not going to hand over their personal financial documents. I don’t blame them. Why should they or any punter, big or small, be told whether or not they can afford to have a bet?
“It is completely wrong in principle – and even if you don’t bet, it doesn’t mean this has nothing to do with you. Affordability checks are going to smash a hole in racing’s finances and do untold damage to British racing and rural communities.
“That’s why I’ve been urging people in Lambourn to sign the sport’s petition against affordability checks. This is a massive issue and we must do all we can to make a difference.”
Earlier this month, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport provided a detailed response to the setting up of the affordability checks petition.
It stated: “The government recognises the enormous value of horseracing as both a spectator sport and through its economic contribution.
“The white paper’s estimate was that financial risk checks will reduce online horserace betting yield by 6% to 11%, which would in turn reduce racing’s income by £8.4 to £14.9 million per year (0.5% to 1% of its total income) through a reduction in levy, media rights and sponsorship returns.
“We are working with racing and refining that estimate. We have also commenced a review of the Horserace Betting Levy to ensure a suitable return to the sport for the future.
“The government and Gambling Commission are working with the industry and others to ensure the checks can be implemented in an effective but proportionate way.
“We are also exploring the role of pilots or phased implementation to help ensure this. The Gambling Commission will set out details on its plans in due course.”
The Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, the Honorable Olivia Grange, has announced that Jamaica has been elected to three important UNESCO committees, including the powerful World Heritage Committee which has the final say on whether a property is inscribed on the World Heritage List.
Minister Grange said it was “important that Jamaica is at the table helping to make the important decisions in the interest of the country and other Small Island Developing States. So, we take our election to these committees quite seriously and will work to amplify the voices and concerns of states like us.”
Jamaica was one of nine new members elected to the World Heritage Committee at the recent General Assembly of the States Parties to the World Heritage Convention in Paris, France.
Jamaica’s membership to the Committee will run until 2027. The country will be represented by Miss Debra Kay Palmer and Mrs Tracy Commock.
It is Jamaica’s second term on the World Heritage Committee, having served between 2013 and 2017 when the Blue and John Crow Mountains was inscribed on the World Heritage List. Jamaica is currently in the process of nominating Port Royal to the List. Jamaica also intends to nominate Seville Heritage Park to the List.
In the meantime, at the UNESCO General Conference, Jamaica was elected to four-year terms on the Intergovernmental Committee for Physical Education and Sport and the International Coordinating Council of the Man and the Biosphere Programme.
Detroit Pistons head coach Monty Williams hit out at his team's lack of fight and said they were failing to honour the franchise's jersey after they slipped to a 14th consecutive defeat on Monday.
The Pistons suffered another heavy loss at Little Caesars Arena as the Washington Wizards claimed a 126-107 win, Kyle Kuzma leading the way with 32 points and 12 rebounds.
While Washington ended their own nine-game losing streak, Detroit now have the worst record in the league after slipping to 2-15, losing three of their last four games by at least 19 points.
In a post-game media appearance lasting just one minute, Williams accused his team of failing to compete while acknowledging he is ultimately responsible for turning things around.
"That wasn't fight on the floor. That wasn't Pistons basketball by any stretch of the imagination," Williams said.
"That's what this is, we have to have people that honour the organisation and the jersey by competing at a high level every night. I'm not talking about execution, just competing. That wasn't it, and that's on me."
Asked what needs to improve as the Pistons prepare to face LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday, Williams added: "It's just a level of growing up on this team, maturity, understanding what game-plan discipline is. All the stuff we talk about all the time. It's enough talking."
Guard Cade Cunningham echoed his coach's thoughts, saying the team needed to improve physically.
"We all want to win really bad," Cunningham said. "Everybody's doing it out of the spirit of that; wanting to win, wanting to do what's best for the team.
"I think we need more aggressive mess-ups. Where we're struggling right now is slip-ups where we're not physical enough or not aggressive enough. That's what we need to lean towards instead of trying not to press.
"We play great stretches, and then we've had crazy bad stretches where we dig ourselves in too deep of a hole.
"That's it right there, it's just holding each other accountable and when we do feel it start to slip, having the mental stamina to stay together, stay connected."
Ronnie O’Sullivan reeled off six frames in a row to seal a 6-2 win over Anthony McGill in the first round of the UK Championship in York.
The seven-time champion at the Barbican was back in action after withdrawing from the Champion of Champions event in Bolton a fortnight ago, due to being “mentally drained and stressed”.
McGill took a 2-0 lead, thanks to a 116 break in the opening frame and a shock looked on the cards.
However, O’Sullivan took control, firing five half-centuries on his way to winning six frames in a row.
O’Sullivan, who won his first title in York 30 years ago to the day, told the BBC: “You just get to the point where you think, ‘I’ll just keep going as long as I can’.
“I was at 35 and I was probably done and dusted because that is what happens.
“But I just appreciate every moment now, it feels like I have got a second life. I am a born-again snooker player.”
“I do find the matches hard and long now. If I can win two or three matches in the tournament, you get used to it. I find it harder to concentrate and have the hunger.
“For me, playing in competitions, you have to dig deep and out-battling players, it is hard at my age.
“These tournaments create a bit of a buzz and feel it more.”
O’Sullivan will meet Robert Milkins or Thepchaiya Un-Nooh in the next round.
John Higgins also advanced through – beating Joe O’Connor 6-3 – with the highlight of his performance coming with an eighth-frame 122 clearance.
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