Last updated: August 7, 2026, 2:08 PM ET

General Sports Briefing

WNBA

Chelsea Gray hit two buzzer-beating 3-pointers to lift the Las Vegas Aces past the Indiana Fever on Thursday night, the first forcing overtime and the second securing the victory after Caitlin Clark's late miscues. Two men were escorted from their courtside seats at Gainbridge Fieldhouse during the third quarter of the matchup. Clark already owns the most 20-point, 10-assist games in WNBA history, yet her game remains a work in progress entering Year. The Fever guard said Thursday that individuals should "speak when you feel like you want to speak" as she navigates life as a 24-year-old. Sophie Cunningham wants the focus to return to basketball after her comments on transgender athletes sparked heated national debate and social media backlash. Caitlin Clark, Paige Bueckers, Angel Reese and Aliyah Boston headline Team USA's long-awaited youth movement for the FIBA World Cup next month. Seven teams look like WNBA playoff locks while six clubs battle for the No. 8 seed, including the Mystics, Sparks, Mercury and Sky. Minnesota and Indiana rank 1-2 in the latest power rankings after an offensive showcase, with Las Vegas rounding out the top three. The Cleveland Sirens unveiled their new logo and branding for the expansion team that will join the WNBA in 2028.

NFL Training Camps & Contracts

Brock Purdy shows off focus while Baker Mayfield feels the heat in the latest news and intel from NFL training camps across the league. Jahmyr Gibbs' new $67.5M extension is the latest in a flurry of deals shaping the 2026 preseason, and Seth Walder stacked the 10 most notable moves. Eric Karabell's annual "Do Not Draft" list identifies a Giants trio that is overvalued in fantasy drafts this summer. The No. 1 pick in the 2027 NFL draft could be a quarterback such as Dante Moore or Arch Manning, or a defender like Dylan Stewart or Jeremiah Smith. Offensive lineman Cole Hutson has returned to Texas after minicamp tryouts with the Browns and Cowboys, regaining a fifth year of eligibility.

MLB Trade Deadline Fallout

The Tigers chose the Dodgers over other suitors for Tarik Skubal, the sport's top pitcher, after asking for final offers on Saturday afternoon. MLB insiders weigh in on the biggest blockbusters and which teams had the best deadline, with one exec saying "I'm glad we're not in the NL." Every club's playoff hopes have risen or fallen since the deadline, with roster completeness assessed for all 30 teams. Pete Crow-Armstrong is the new NL MVP odds leader while Shohei Ohtani leads the AL race, with Cy Young and Rookie of the Year odds also updated. The fantasy fallout from key deals can be tracked after Monday's trade deadline. The Cubs, Orioles, Red Sox, Mets and Phillies all made major moves in a wild conclusion to trade season.

College Football

Ohio State starts the 2026 season as No. 1 in the AFCA Coaches Poll, with Oregon second as the Big Ten tries to extend its run of national champions to four. Bill Connelly picked the best games of the season based on combined SP+ ratings and projected scoring margins under eight points. Steve Belichick is on medical leave and out indefinitely as North Carolina's defensive coordinator, his father Bill announced Thursday. New Purdue AD Tommy McClelland took a dig at champion Indiana, apparently forgetting the Hoosiers won the CFP national championship in January. Texas moves into the top five of the Way-Too-Early Top 25 while North Carolina falls out for UCLA, with key nonconference games circled on the calendar. Every Big Ten team's ceiling and floor ranges from winning the national title to missing the tournament entirely across all 18 programs. Lane Kiffin fuels fans' ire as college football's most hated villain, but is he the best pot-stirrer of all time? Every Power 4 fanbase has someone it loves to hate, with the stories behind the fury detailed for each program. The toughest and easiest schedule stretches are broken down for teams facing the biggest challenges in 2026. Oklahoma surges into the top 10 of the updated 2027 class rankings as summer recruiting winds down, with Alabama and UNC entering the top. Quarterbacks like Arch Manning and Dante Moore headline the 40 most important players for the 2026 season, starting with CFP-hopeful QBs. Thirty-one teams have the players and schedules to reach the playoff in 2026. Marcus Freeman wants Notre Dame focused on the opener, not the CFP, after missing the playoff at the end of last season. An Akron season-ticket holder will design the opening drive in a unique raffle, working directly with the head coach. Stephen Daley practiced in a limited role for Indiana as he ramps up from a season-ending knee injury suffered in December.

Combat Sports

Conor McGregor reiterated his desire to return to fighting after undergoing surgery on the knee injury suffered during his UFC comeback. Joshua Van and Alexandre Pantoja will headline UFC 331 in a flyweight title rematch in September, officials announced Thursday. Brock Lesnar, a 10-time WWE world champ and former UFC heavyweight champion, said his match at WWE Summer Slam was his last and that he's retiring from combat sports. William Zepeda climbed the lightweight rankings after dominating Lamont Roach to capture the WBC title, while Dalton Smith shook up the junior welterweight division. Claressa Shields says a fight with Lauren Price is now likely to take place in 2027, according to the pound-for-pound star.

Tennis

Cameron Norrie saved a match point in a superb fightback to beat world No. 7 Alex de Minaur at the Canadian Open. Norrie earlier progressed to the last 32 with a straight-set win over Ignacio Buse. Coco Gauff criticized the WTA gene test for creating "animosity towards the trans community" while supporting "fairness in women's sports." Carlos Alcaraz's wrist injury has kept him out for 114 days and counting, with BBC Sport analyzing why wrist injuries are so difficult to manage. Alex Eala is preparing for the US Open back on the hard courts that produced many of the biggest moments of her career.

Cricket

Jos Buttler became T20 cricket's all-time leading run-scorer in a nine-wicket win for Manchester Super Giants over Welsh Fire in The Hundred. A conversation with England batting coach Marcus Trescothick helped Buttler rediscover the form that took him past the all-time T20 run-scoring record. BBC Sport explores how Buttler became the highest run-getter in men's T20 cricket. London Spirit became the first side eliminated from the men's Hundred after a six-wicket defeat by MI London at Lord's. Brendon McCullum backs Harry Brook as a future Test captain but says Joe Root will do an "amazing job" in his second stint. Hampshire and England fast bowler John Turner has retired from cricket at 25 after more than a year out injured. Phil Salt says he would like The Hundred to be a week longer after his side played three matches in five days. Sophia Dunkley helped Trent Rockets beat Birmingham Phoenix while Orla Prendergast took four wickets in Welsh Fire's victory. Surrey beat Kent by 95 runs in the One-Day Cup to go level with the Foxes at the top of the table. Can you guess The Hundred cricket star No. 18? Try today's player in as few attempts as possible. Try guessing The Hundred cricket star No. 17 in the latest edition of the quiz.

Golf

LIV Golf has secured funding from an outside investor that will keep the circuit alive beyond this season, according to league CEO Scott O'Neil. LIV Golf secured a deal with an unnamed lead investor for 2027 after the withdrawal of Saudi Arabian financial backing earlier this year. Robert MacIntyre, Patrick Reed, Francesco Molinari and Sepp Straka will play the Irish Open at Trump International in Doonbeg from Sept. 9-13. Players on the FedEx Cup bubble from Jackson Koivun to Brooks Koepka need a strong Wyndham Championship to make the top.

Soccer

Vitor Matos insists Swansea City can operate with three senior strikers in 2026-27 after the signing of Ross Stewart. Chief executive Tom Gorringe says Swansea are now on track to compete for a return to the Premier League. Derry City chairman Philip O'Doherty said it was "time to make a change" following the departure of manager Tiernan Lynch in "pretty much a snap decision." The 2026-27 Irish League season will start on time after proposals were overwhelmingly passed at an Extraordinary General Meeting. Can anyone stop Larne in the Irish Premiership this season after a summer of transfers, preparation and uncertainty? BBC Sport NI agreed a new three-year broadcast deal with the Irish FA and NIFL to continue free-to-air coverage of international and domestic football.

Cycling

Kimberley Le Court won stage six of the Tour de France Femmes in a sprint finish after a mechanical failure, while Marlen Reusser held the overall lead. Demi Vollering won stage five with a sprint victory over yellow jersey holder Reusser. Officials will check riders' clothing at the Tour de France Femmes to prevent attempts to make "aerodynamic gains" through bra padding.

Rugby

Scarlets managing director Jon Daniels dismissed an Ospreys merger and wants greater transparency from the Welsh Rugby Union as their future hangs in the balance. Former England prop Joe Marler will become BBC's first celebrity Gladiator, known as Mauler, when the fourth series airs in 2027. TV presenter Nick Knowles bought a stake in Championship side Cornish Pirates. Great Britain Sevens players have had to find alternative employment and teams to keep their passion alive since their contracts were stripped to part-time. St Helens will face Hull FC in Dublin as part of a Super League double-header next April, with Warrington taking on Wigan the day before. Wigan Warriors thrashed St Helens 44-6 in the opening Super Four game of the Women's Super League.

Hockey, Athletics & Other Sports

Hannah French paid tribute to the medical staff after recovering from injury in time to play in next month's women's Hockey World Cup. Eve Muirhead has come out of retirement, inspired by her role as Team GB's chef de mission at this year's Games after four years away. The European Athletics Championships will be held in Birmingham from Aug. 10-16 with full BBC coverage. London submitted its final bid to host the 2029 World Athletics Championships at the London Stadium, built for the 2012 Olympics. Gloucester sprinter James Arminio is racing for GB at the Under-20 World Championships just two years after first stepping on an athletics track. The British Grand Prix will remain on the MotoGP calendar until at least 2028 as Silverstone extends its partnership with Moto GP. The Preakness Stakes is moving to three weeks and a day after the Kentucky Derby and will be run on a Sunday for the first time. Lucas Jumalon, a 22-year-old poker pro from Spokane, Washington, beat Finland's Lauri Saaskilahti heads-up to win the 2026 WSOP main event and $10 million. Chad le Clos revealed his apartment was destroyed by a fatal fire in a "heartbreaking tragedy" — the night after he became the most decorated athlete in Commonwealth Games history. Jemima Lines became the first British woman selected for the America's Cup team in 90 years, hailing it a "pivotal moment." The planned NBA Europe league has the potential to take basketball in the UK to the "next level," says New York Knicks star OG Anunoby. Dick Vitale said his tests are "very good" after his fifth cancer diagnosis, making positive strides since April. Bianca Belair and Montez Ford welcomed their first child together, the WWE superstar couple who married in 2018. Spurs center Luke Kornet stopped in the rain to help a stranded motorist in San Antonio whose car broke down. A powerlifter disqualified after an alleged racially motivated act says she "does not feel safe" when competing, alleging black athletes are frequently booed.

The Ocho & Quirky Sports

The Ocho celebrates its 10th anniversary with 75 hours of the world's quirkiest, most unconventional and obscure sports. The tradition began as a "DodgeBall" joke and now features T. rex races, pumpkin tossing, death diving and sign spinning. Slippery Stairs is even harder and more painful than it looks, according to a firsthand account of the iconic Ocho event. Hundreds of competitors will take the turf at Emerald Downs for the T-Rex World Championships, honoring a tradition that began as a team-bonding experience. Diving chess, called "the strangest sport in the world," will be broadcast on The Ocho at 8 a.m. ET on Aug. 8.

Lacrosse

Four PLL games and one WLL contest are on the docket for Boston on Friday and Saturday for Throwback Weekend. The Waterdogs took the top spot in the PLL Power Rankings ahead of Week 12 with the playoffs quickly approaching.

Miscellaneous

Mrs. Met and Goldy headline the Mascot Hall of Fame Class of 2026, announced Friday morning on "Good Morning America" with five mascots on site. After firing him, the Vikings rehired Larry Fitzgerald as a ball boy and assigned him to the receivers, a move that shaped his Hall of Fame career. Mary Falconer is chasing a 2028 Olympic dream in bouldering after it helped her deal with the loss of her mother. How much attention have you paid to the past seven days in sports, including Beckham at the Commonwealth Games? Take the weekly quiz.