General Sports 24 Hours

Last updated: August 13, 2026, 12:39 PM ET

Golf

The 2026 FedEx St. Jude Championship opened at TPC Southwind with stunning shots from Thursday's first round. The playoffs begin in Memphis with spots in the Tour Championship on the line, and Rory McIlroy said he's confident he'll reach a compromise with the PGA Tour to fulfill his minimum of 15 events to maintain dual membership despite only 14 starts this season. Meanwhile, an amateur golfer admitted "stupidity" after faking a hole-in-one at a US tournament, saying he has "completely made a fool" of himself. The FedEx Cup playoffs continue with (https://headlinesbriefing.com/sports/espn-general/fedex-cup-playoffs-st-jude-championship-preview-04a513f7) over the next three weeks, starting with the St. Jude Championship.

Hockey

Four Canadian hockey stars remain suspended after their sexual assault acquittal, while a fifth has been reinstated, though an appeals board found that the whole group broke Hockey Canada's code of conduct.

UFC

At UFC 330 in Philadelphia, top storylines include Ian Machado Garry as a real threat to Islam Makhachev in the welterweight title fight. Makhachev says he "does not have much time" left in the UFC as he prepares to make the first defence of his title against Machado Garry on Saturday.

Cricket

In the first Test in Darwin, Bangladesh dominated Australia despite Steve Smith benefiting from an odd technology reprieve; the Tigers lead after day one. Australia collapsed in Bangladesh's dream start, with the scorecard showing Bangladesh posting. Moises Henriques says helping Portugal qualify for their first-ever men's T20 World Cup would be cricket "nirvana" at the twilight of his career, chasing that goal. Super League confirmed they have received an investment offer from the Australian Rugby League Commission. In The Hundred, Welsh Fire and MI London were eliminated after losing their final group matches; Welsh Fire failed to reach the knockouts. Players and fans reflect as Welsh Fire's men's and women's sides again miss the Eliminators despite a drastically improved season. Ellyse Perry hit a superb 62 not out to lead Birmingham Phoenix to a five-wicket victory over MI London in The Hundred. England have scrapped their midnight curfew seven months after introducing it; now only wins will repair reputational damage, says Stephan Shemilt about the grown adults. Afghanistan sealed a series victory over Ireland with a game to spare at Stormont thanks to their record tally in the one-day format.

Football (Soccer)

Swansea City suffered a heavy blow on the eve of the new Championship season as scans revealed centre-back Cameron Burgess has suffered a ruptured Achilles. Less than a month after Mayo's historic All-Ireland final win at Croke Park, the stadium turned to one of the oldest rivalries in English football as Man Utd beat Leeds in a summer friendly.

Baseball

ESPN MLB experts updated their top 50 to take stock of the best performances as the 2026 regular season winds down, with the MLB Rank in-season update ranking baseball's top 50 players.

Lacrosse

With the PLL playoffs approaching, Boston and Philly are finishing strong in the East. The PLL Power Rankings ahead of Week 13 show the Cannons or Waterdogs at No. 1.

NFL

Matt Bowen breaks down his favorite fantasy football draft targets from first-round superstars to late-round dart throws, listing 20 players to consider at all levels. Dan Orlovsky's annual QB trait rankings examine which NFL passers make the top 10 in seven different skills, including whether Josh Allen has the league's strongest arm and where Caleb Williams stands among improvisers. Under new OC Declan Doyle, Lamar Jackson has the opportunity to embrace a new vision as the "MVP adapter" adjusts to the Ravens' new offense. NFL training camp updates include Baker Mayfield shining as the Bucs handle the Jets. John Mateer of Oklahoma has turned heads with his massive arms, but has he gotten too big? The debate at Manning Camp investigates jacked college QBs from Dan Kendra to John Mateer.

NBA

The league has revealed the group stage schedule for the 2026 NBA Cup; here's everything you need to know about the fourth annual in-season tournament, including schedule, format, groups and more. Seth Trimble has committed to play for Louisville next season following the court ruling that gave Class of 2022 high schoolers a fifth season of college eligibility; he leaves UNC 'home' for the Cardinals. SEC 2026-27 projections include three possible champions and three teams that won't go dancing, with best and worst outcomes for every SEC team.

Tennis

Iga Swiatek will meet Elena Rybakina in the Canadian Open final after both battled through their semi-finals in three sets; Swiatek reaches her first final of her "toughest season" in Montreal. Rybakina came back from a set and a break down to beat Naomi Osaka in three sets in their Canadian Open quarter-final.

Gymnastics

British gymnast Ruby Evans speaks about how she copes with fame and followers ahead of the 2026 European Artistic Gymnastics Championships, saying she'd never watched the Olympics and focusing on training.

Rugby

Before their second Test against Australia, Eddie Jones reveals an interesting method he uses to coach Japan—watching videos of geese fly in formation. Jones turns to geese to inspire Japan.

Athletics

Great Britain's Matthew Hudson-Smith made history as the joint-most decorated man of all-time at European Championships by claiming 400m gold in Birmingham; Hudson-Smith wins historic 400m gold on home track. Keely Hodgkinson reached the women's 800m final at the European Championships moments after rival Audrey Werro suffered a dramatic fall that put her place in doubt; Hodgkinson into 800m final after dramatic Werro fall. The timetable and BBC coverage times for the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham from 10-16 August are available for day four.

Swimming

Great Britain's Angharad Evans won her first European Championship gold in the 100m breaststroke final in Paris; Evans wins European gold in 100m breaststroke.

Dressage

The Great Britain dressage team secured qualification for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles by winning silver at the FEI World Championships in Aachen, Germany; GB dressage team qualify for LA28 Olympics.

WNBA

Fever coach Stephanie White spoke out against her critics and received vocal support from Caitlin Clark and Sophie Cunningham after she was booed in Indiana before Tuesday's win over the Liberty; White rips critics, backed by Fever after fans boo. The time to nitpick every win and loss has arrived as some teams need a dramatic run to reach the playoffs; WNBA Power Rankings show time running out as teams jockey for playoff seeds.

Little League World Series

A Texas judge backed a decision to remove a Tulsa, Oklahoma, team from the Southwest Region and keep it from playing in Tuesday's title game for a spot in the Little League Baseball World Series; Tulsa kept from chance at LLBWS bid, judge rules. We have your one-stop shop for everything to know about the 2026 Little League World Series, including results, schedules and more.

College Football

Bill Connelly looks at what the SP+ projections and production numbers mean heading into the season, breaking down the final preseason SP+ rankings for 2026. With the 2026 season on the horizon, ESPN's preseason All-America team names the nation's best players at every position, the best of the best.

Quiz

Test your knowledge with the weekly sports quiz covering tattoos, transfers and photo finishes from the past seven days: weekly sports quiz. Also, can you guess The Hundred cricket star No 24? Try the Who am I? quiz.