General Sports 24-Hour Briefing
×Last updated: October 22, 2026, 10:40 PM ET
WNBA
The Dream beat the Valkyries espn.com by 26 points to take a 2-1 lead in the WNBA Finals. Former UConn players Gabby Williams, Tiffany Hayes, Kiah Stokes and Kaitlyn Chen are helping fuel espn.com Golden State's run to the title series. Enes Kanter Freedom was denied entry espn.com to Game 3 after refusing a private suite arranged by the Dream. ESPN also ranked the league's greatest players espn.com across its 30-season history, while a separate panel weighed the snubs espn.com and underrated stars.
College Football
Week 8 could bring more chaos espn.com to the SEC after two decades of order, as upsets pile up across the conference. Last week's Bottom 10 espn.com featured several top programs, from Texas to Georgia. Utah senior defensive tackle Jamal Wallace is under investigation espn.com for an alleged rape. At Texas, Steve Sarkisian and Arch Manning face a make-or-break stretch espn.com, while former Maryland coach Mike Locksley says he is at peace espn.com after his firing and is open to NFL or college coordinator jobs.
College Basketball
Bilas named his top players espn.com to watch as the season approaches, and early recruiting rankings put Houston and UConn espn.com at the top of the 2027-28 freshman class. Villanova will leave the Big 5 espn.com series at the end of the season. Hall of Fame coach Bob Huggins revealed a progressive cognitive condition espn.com. Self said Kansas fans crossed the line espn.com with profanity aimed at former Jayhawk Flory Bidunga.
NBA
Golden State rookie Yaxel Lendeborg said he lost all respect espn.com for Luka Doncic after a testy matchup.
Formula 1
Max Verstappen criticised the bumps bbc.co.uk on the Austin track ahead of this weekend's United States Grand Prix. Kimi Antonelli says he will just have fun bbc.co.uk as he chases the title. Lewis Hamilton urged a humble approach bbc.co.uk to the African Grand Prix amid human rights concerns. Briton Freddie Slater will drive for Audi bbc.co.uk in first practice in Mexico City.
NASCAR
Carson Hocevar is rubbing rivals the wrong way espn.com as the series' newest bad boy.
Cricket
Harry Brook hit 202 bbc.co.uk for England, the first double century by an England batter in a one-day international, but Sri Lanka chased down 430 to win. Brook's innings cemented his status bbc.co.uk as the world's best all-format batter. James Anderson may have counties interested bbc.co.uk in his services after leaving Lancashire. Australia face mounting problems bbc.co.uk after being beaten by South Africa by an innings and 31 runs.
Rugby Union
Wales' Welsh Rugby Union lost £18m bbc.co.uk and says four regions are unsustainable. Former Scotland and Harlequins player Tim Visser goes on trial bbc.co.uk charged with rape. Northampton back George Hendy is determined bbc.co.uk to force his way into the England squad. Felix Balshaw, son of 2003 World Cup winner Iain, plays for France bbc.co.uk. Top clubs are embracing data bbc.co.uk to guide recruitment decisions. Ireland's Neve Jones wins her 50th cap bbc.co.uk as Stacey Flood and Dorothy Wall return. Wales' Alex Callender targets a 50th cap bbc.co.uk in the WXV Global Series. A 17-year-old French amateur player died after an on-field injury bbc.co.uk. England's travel schedule before their Rugby League World Cup defeat left them exhausted bbc.co.uk, according to Brian McDermott, who also urged the Super League bbc.co.uk to accept NRL investment.
Football
Man United endured a rough night espn.com in the Champions League. Swansea winger Ronald faces up to two months out bbc.co.uk with injury.
Gymnastics
Great Britain's Joe Fraser won bronze bbc.co.uk in the all-around final at the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships.
Boxing and MMA
Joe Cordina agreed terms bbc.co.uk to fight Manny Pacquiao, on the Fury-Joshua card in Cardiff. Alexander Volkanovski says retirement espn.com and fighting at 40 do not scare him, and ESPN previewed UFC 333 espn.com with predictions for both championship fights.
Cycling and Athletics
The 2027 Tour de France route was revealed bbc.co.uk in Paris, with UK stages detailed. Ruti Aga received a six-year ban bbc.co.uk after a fake prescription from a family member. Henri Schoeman spoke out bbc.co.uk about a decade of abuse following his viral win over the Brownlees.
Other Sports
Alicia Dudeney won an epic match bbc.co.uk at the Wrexham Open. Titans defensive tackle Jordan Elliott was released bbc.co.uk after pulling a gun in a car park. Phil Vickery moved from bbc.co.uk World Cup winner to bodybuilder at. A Spanish eco cricket ground aims to host bbc.co.uk Test matches. ESPN's Pardon the Interruption espn.com turned.
Coming Up
The Dream and Valkyries continue their WNBA Finals espn.com with the series tied at one game apiece after the Dream's lead. Antonelli races in Austin bbc.co.uk this weekend, and Volkanovski and Evloev meet at UFC 333 espn.com.