Sports

7:00 AM ET While the Yankees pull away from other American League powers, competition in the National League is starting to heat up 11 weeks into the season. The Braves are making a push for the Mets at the top of the NL East, while the Dodgers are barely holding onto the No. 1 spot

1:45 AM BST Rugby Australia chairman Hamish McLennan has doubled down on comments that his organisation could walk away from Super Rugby, saying it is a 50/50 call, while also describing the reaction stemming out of New Zealand as “hilarious”. McLennan dropped a huge bombshell last Thursday when he revealed that “all bets were off”

9:24 AM ET ATLANTA — Right now, there is an unmistakable buzz going on behind the scenes at the PFL. It’s a buzz that has nothing to do with the promotion’s most established, recognizable talent. It’s independent of anything to do with Kayla Harrison, Anthony Pettis, Rory MacDonald or fan favorite Clay Collard. And it

7:55 AM ET Artur Beterbiev’s demolition of Joe Smith Jr. on June 18 impressed most of our panelists on Saturday night. Now the unified light heavyweight champion sits comfortably at No. 7 in ESPN’s pound-for-pound rankings. Beterbiev (18-0, 18 KOs) is the only current champion with a perfect KO percentage. “He’s ‘The Terminator’. He showed

8:08 AM ET Four-time major champion Brooks Koepka is the latest golfer to defect from the PGA Tour to the LIV Golf Invitational Series, sources have confirmed to ESPN. Koepka, 32, is one of the highest-profile players to join the breakaway circuit, which is being funded by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund and is fronted

2:00 PM ET D’Arcy MaineESPN.com Four-time major champion Naomi Osaka announced the launch of her new media company on Tuesday. Called Hana Kuma, which translates to “flower bear” in Japanese, the company is a partnership with LeBron James‘ SpringHill Company and will produce documentaries as well as scripted and unscripted series. “What excites me is

7:00 AM ET The 2022 season is within sight, which means it’s time to put a bow on the annual crystal-balling exercise known as Future Power Rankings. The team list is here. If you’ve already digested top-25 rankings for quarterbacks, offenses and defenses, you have a decent idea of what will follow. The team rankings

8:00 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN The NBA Finals wrapped up only a few days ago, but The Association’s calendar stops for no one. This week, the next generation of players will be welcomed into the league when the Orlando Magic begin the 2022 NBA draft Thursday night at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center. From there, free agency

6:40 AM ET NFL Nation reporters With veteran participation often kept to a minimum during offseason practices in the NFL, it’s only natural for attention to turn to the new faces and the rookies in particular. Eight teams didn’t have a first-round pick in the 2022 NFL draft. For the 24 that did (obviously some

11:25 PM ET Game 1 of the 2022 Stanley Cup Final was a back-and-forth thriller, with the Colorado Avalanche winning a 4-3 contest in overtime over the Tampa Bay Lightning. Game 2 was … not nearly as thrilling, with the Avs jumping out to an early lead and then pouring it on en route to

12:24 PM ET Associated Press LAKE OZARK, Mo. — Former NASCAR driver and Fox Sports analyst Clint Bowyer struck and killed a pedestrian on a highway exit ramp in southwest Missouri earlier this month, police said. The crash occurred June 5 on a ramp off of U.S. 54 near Osage Beach, Missouri, according to a

3:30 AM ET Chelsea want Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski to replace Romelu Lukaku — ESPN’s Insider Notebook has the latest. PLUS: Why Barcelona missed out on signing Darwin Nunez to Liverpool. Jump to: Barcelona missed out on Darwin | FA stunned by Southgate backlash | Athletic target Pochettino Lukaku out, Lewandowski in? Chelsea head

7:00 AM ET While the Yankees continue to inch closer to 50 wins on the season thanks to their powerhouse offense, other teams have seen a change in momentum. The Dodgers are not only coming off a tough series sweep this past weekend but are now faced with playing the remainder of the season without

12:18 PM ET Former NFL defensive end and UFC heavyweight Greg Hardy has signed an agreement to bare-knuckle box. Hardy, 33, has signed a multifight deal with Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship, the promotion announced Wednesday. It is Hardy’s first move in combat sports since the UFC opted not to re-sign him after a three-year run.

7:43 AM ET BROOKLINE, Mass. — We interrupt the ongoing drama of who has left the PGA Tour — and who might still be going to the LIV Golf Invitational Series — for the 122nd U.S. Open, the third major championship of the season. With two golf worlds colliding at The Country Club this week,

7:38 AM ET Timothy Bradley Jr. Artur Beterbiev and Joe Smith Jr. meet on Saturday to unify three of the four major light heavyweight titles in the main event of a Top Rank card at the Hulu Theater inside Madison Square Garden in New York (ESPN/ESPN+, 10 p.m. ET, with prelims on ESPN+ at 6:30

7:51 AM ET Serena Williams strongly hinted at a return to tennis this month at Wimbledon in a social media post Tuesday. Williams, 40, hasn’t competed since injuring her right leg last year at Wimbledon and did not appear on the women’s singles entry list released last Friday by the grass-court Grand Slam. But Williams

8:00 AM ET SAN FRANCISCO — The highlights of the Stephen Curry 3-pointers, Robert Williams’ blocked shots and, now, Andrew Wiggins‘ dunks, continue to run as the premier moments in the 2022 NBA Finals. Celtics coach Ime Udoka keeps trying to tell everyone they’re missing the point. The Golden State Warriors are one win from

6:00 AM ET EAST LANSING, Mich. — After a practice this spring, Michigan State coach Mel Tucker sat in the lounge area of his office, which overlooks Spartan Stadium and the school’s athletic campus. Four months earlier, Tucker had agreed to a 10-year, $95 million contract with Michigan State. The deal made headlines around college

6:00 AM ET NFL NationESPN Mandatory three-day minicamp kicks off for 17 teams this week after 12 others held theirs last week. The Miami Dolphins had their session two weeks ago, and the Philadelphia Eagles and Cincinnati Bengals aren’t holding one this year. Many players have taken part in voluntary organized team activities, but the