"The values of diversity and inclusion are central to the culture of the NBA, WNBA, and our other leagues and will remain core to our business and our workplace," the email said.
Other American sports organizations have taken steps to distance themselves from DEI.
MLB has removed "diversity" references from its careers page entirely.
The General Services Administration announced changes in February to the Federal Acquisition Regulations meant to align with the president's executive order aimed at restoring merito and ending discrimination in the public and private sectors. The move reverses previous Biden administration executive orders that made it mandatory to consider DEI when reviewing contract proposals.
Under Trump, language associated with DEI principles was also ordered removed from any federal acquisition, contracting, grant or financial assistance procedures.
After the New York Yankees set an MLB record with 18 home runs in their first four games, several of which were hit with torpedo bats, one pitcher wants to level the playing field.
"Let them use whatever bat they want. Let’s just allow pitchers to use whatever hitters have in the on deck circle," Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Matt Strahm posted on X this week. "And not check us like we are criminals every time we walk on or off the field. I’m just a pitcher but I’m assuming better grip helps ya swing harder…"
Umpires check pitchers before they enter games and between innings for substances. The inspections have led to several ejections, and, in turn, 10-game suspensions. "Spider Tack" became a popular fad, but pitchers have often used a combination of their own sweat and rosin to create stickiness.
Strahm added that "some of that stuff was a bit much," but added, "just whatever a hitter can use to grip a bat better we can use too."
The torpedo bats have a barrel in a different location. Instead of being at the end of the bat, the barrel is closer to the handle, which gives the bat a bowling pin shape. Some players make contact with the ball more on the label instead of the traditional barrel of the bat. The torpedo bats move the barrel to the label, so when they make contact they barrel up the baseball more.
The uniquely shaped bats dominated conversation among players and fans this weekend after the Yankees’ offensive eruption.
"I think it’s terrible," Brewers relief ace Trevor Megill told the New York Post of the bats, which are legal. "We’ll see what the data says. I’ve never seen anything like it before. I feel like it’s something used in slo-pitch softball. It’s genius: Put the mass all in one spot. It might be bush [league]. It might not be. But it’s the Yankees, so they’ll let it slide."
The Yankees are not the only team using the bats. The MLB social media account posted a brief explainer to X about the torpedo bat and highlighted four players from four teams who use them — Francisco Lindor, Yandy Diaz, Anthony Volpe and Ryan Jeffers.
Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz decided to try a torpedo bat in the Reds’ game Monday against the Texas Rangers after watching the Yankees' offensive onslaught. He went 4-for-5 with two home runs, a double and seven RBIs in the Reds’ 14-3 win over the Rangers.
MLB Rule 3.02 states, "The bat shall be a smooth, round stick not more than 2.61 inches in diameter at the thickest part and not more than 42 inches in length. The bat shall be one piece of solid wood." The rule also says "experimental" bats can’t be used "until the manufacturer has secured approval from Major League Baseball of his design and methods of manufacture."
Fox News' Ryan Canfield contributed to this report.
The NFL could soon launch a professional women's flag football league.
The new league would likely aim to support the sport's long-term growth, and it could also be backed by some high-profile investors. Tennis icon Serena Williams and her husband and tech entrepreneur Alexis Ohanian, via their 776 investment firm, are in talks with the NFL about the venture, Bloomberg reported on Wednesday, citing sources.
The NFL is reportedly weighing at least 10 proposals, including TKO Group Holdings, former Milwaukee Bucks co-owner Marc Lasry's Avenue Capital Group and partners Ice Cube and Jeff Kwatinetz.
TKO is a conglomerate created by Endeavor, which resulted from the 2023 merger between WWE and UFC.
The Michael Strahan-backed media company SMAC Entertainment, as well as Connect Ventures, have also submitted pitches to the league, per Bloomberg. Connect Ventures was formed via a partnership between talent and sports agency Creative Artists Agency (CAA) and venture firm New Enterprise Associates.
The NFL has long supported the growth and momentum of flag football, particularly youth participation in the sport. The league's NFL Flag initiative has provided funding for the sport for several years.
Flag football is expected to be featured in the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. However, it remains unclear whether active NFL players will be permitted to participate in the Games.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell addressed the attention flag football is receiving at this week's annual meetings in Florida.
"It’s clear there’s a lot of interest in a pro flag league," Goodell said during a press conference. Goodell also confirmed the league has received proposals from potential investors.
Goodell also discussed pro flag football during February's Super Bowl in New Orleans.
None of the potential interested parties immediately responded to Fox News Digital's request for comment. Information regarding the required amount for an investment in the potential new league was not made available.
Flag football is considered a global sport and is played in approximately 100 countries.
There are 14 U.S. states that have sanctioned women's flag football at the high school level, making it a varsity sport. A limited number of colleges have official women's flag football teams.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced on Wednesday a pause and an ongoing review of federal funding to Maine after the state refused to provide equal opportunities to women and girls in educational programs.
The state has refused to comply with President Donald Trump's February executive order to ban trans athletes from girls and women's sports, prompting immense federal pressure. Trump initially vowed to cut federal funding to the state if it refused to comply with the order during a Feb. 20 speech.
USDA secretary Brooks Rollins said the state must agree to protect female athletes from trans inclusion before funding is restored.
"In order to continue to receive taxpayer dollars from USDA, the state of Maine must demonstrate compliance with Title IX which protects female student athletes from having to compete with or against or having to appear unclothed before males," Rollins wrote in a letter to the state.
"In addition, USDA has launched a full review of grants awarded by the Biden Administration to the Maine Department of Education. Many of these grants appear to be wasteful, redundant, or otherwise against the priorities of the Trump Administration. USDA will not stand for the Biden Administration’s bloated bureaucracy and will instead focus on a Department that is farmer-first and without a leftist social agenda."
Maine GOP state Rep. Laurel Libby was one of the key figures in bringing attention to the state's trans inclusion issue, when she made a social media post identifying a transgender track and field athlete at Greely High School had taken first place at a Maine girls pole vault competition after competing as a boy just one year earlier.
Libby's revelation of the trans athlete ignited national conversation and coverage of the state's policy on trans inclusion. Libby was censured by the Maine House Democrat majority for her post on the premise that she identified a minor, but she has since filed a lawsuit to have the censure lifted.
"Governor Janet Mills and Maine Democrats have chosen to dig their heels in and embrace radical left-wing ideology over the safety and rights of Maine women and girls. Despite repeated warnings from President Trump, Maine Democrats continued to defy federal law, forcing Maine girls to unfairly compete against biological males," Libby told Fox News Digital on Wednesday.
"As a result, Maine's Democrat majority has poised Maine students to lose hundreds of millions in federal funding, starting with our USDA funding, instead of championing Maine girls by adhering to federal law. I continue to stand firmly with Maine girls and President Trump in the pursuit of sanity and fairness. I implore Maine Democrats to abandon this incredibly harmful and radical gender ideology for the sake of our students."
More potential sanctions could be coming to the state in the next week.
The U.S. Department of Education sent a letter to the Maine Department of Education (MDOE) on Monday advising a final deadline of April 11 to address the issue or risk a second referral to the Department of Justice. The Department of Health and Human Services already referred Maine to the DOJ last week.
Wednesday's announcement is not the first funding freeze USDA announced regarding Maine.
The department paused funding to the University of Maine System (UMS), a network of eight public universities in the state, on March 11 while it conducted a review of the system's compliance with Title IX.
Funding was restored to UMS just days later and the USDA announced the system was in full compliance.
But the major issue involving trans athlete inclusion in Maine is at the high school level. In addition to the incident involving the pole vaulter at Greely High School, other instances have impacted multiple girls across the state who have had to compete with and share locker rooms with biological males.
Maine teen Cassidy Carlisle previously told Fox News Digital about how she had to share a locker room with a trans student while in middle school, then had to compete with another trans athlete in Nordic skiing last year.
"The defeat that comes with that in that moment is heartbreaking," Carlisle said. "I'm just in shock in a way. I didn't believe it. … I didn't think it was happening to me."
"I stayed silent for a while," Carlisle said. "It's very hard to speak up if you don't have a platform to do it on. … Backlash is a huge thing. I'm a high school student. No high school student wants to be hurt or yelled at or said mean comments by people. And the reality of it, with the state that I live in, that could very much happen."
A survey by the American Parents Coalition found that out of about 600 registered Maine voters, 63% said school sports participation should be based on biological sex, and 66% agreed it’s "only fair to restrict women’s sports to biological women."
The poll also found that 60% of residents would support a ballot measure limiting participationinwomen’s and girls sports tobiological females. This included 64% of independents and 66% of parents with kids under age 18.
The New York Mets won’t tolerate players not giving 100% on the field.
Mark Vientos, the Mets’ budding star third baseman, was publicly called out by his manager after not running hard during a ground ball to third base on Tuesday.
During the Mets’ loss to the Marlins, Vientos was jogging to first base when Miami’s Graham Pauley fumbled the ball. Vientos noticed and kicked it into another gear, but it was all for naught as Pauley threw him out on what should’ve been an error.
Vientos told reporters on Wednesday that he wasn’t just reprimanded by his manager, Carlos Mendoza, but also team captain Francisco Lindor and first base coach Antoan Richardson after the game for not running hard on the groundout.
"It’s unacceptable," he told reporters. "It won’t happen again."
Vientos admitted that he wasn’t trying to run his hardest when he saw the ball chop down to third base.
"I hit it to third base and kind of started jogging out of the box, coasting," Vientos explained. "Then, I heard the crowd giving a reaction like he dropped it, but at that point, it was too late. I should have been sprinting from the [start], right when he hit it."
Vientos blossomed for the Mets last season, having a breakout year with a .266/.322/.516 slash line, 27 homers and 71 RBI over 111 regular-season games.
He got hot in the postseason as well, going 18 for 55 with five homers and 14 RBI in the Mets’ run to the NLCS.
It’s been a slow start to the 2025 campaign for the 25-year-old, as he has just two hits over 19 at-bats in five games.
Women's fencer Stephanie Turner took her mask off and got a knee in front of her transgender opponent.
Ahead of a bout at the Cherry Blossom Open in Maryland over the weekend, Turner, 31, made the decision not to compete against trans athlete Redmond Sullivan. And Turner also wanted to make sure her refusal was caught on video for the world to see.
Turner came to the decision the night before the event when she checked the competition pools and saw that she would be competing against Redmond, whom she had read about in an article last year.
"I saw that I was going to be in a pool with Redmond, and from there I said, ‘OK, let’s do it. I'm going to take the knee,'" Turner told Fox News Digital.
Turner went through all her warm-ups that day and went on to fence in four bouts before her matchup with the trans athlete. When it came, she was "nervous and shaky," but was sure about her decision.
"I knew what I had to do because USA Fencing had not been listening to women's objections regarding [its gender eligibility policy]," Turner said.
"I took a knee immediately at that point. Redmond was under the impression that I was going to start fencing. So when I took the knee, I looked at the ref and I said, ‘I’m sorry, I cannot do this. I am a woman, and this is a man, and this is a women's tournament. And I will not fence this individual.'
"Redmond didn't hear me, and he comes up to me, and he thinks that I may be hurt, or he doesn't understand what's happening. He asks, ‘Are you OK?’ And I said, ‘I’m sorry. I have much love and respect for you, but I will not fence you."
And right after that, Turner's punishment by USA Fencing commenced.
"Redmond says to me, ‘Well you know, there is a member on the board of directors here who supports me, and there is a policy that acknowledges me as a woman, so I am allowed to fence, and you will get blackcarded,’ and I said, 'I know," Turner said.
Minutes later, the referees dealt Turner a black card, which represents the most severe penalty, leading to expulsion from the tournament or event for serious rule infractions or unsportsmanlike behavior.
Turner said she was then escorted to the bout committee where she had to explain what she did. She says the members then handed her a copy of the association's transgender policy and made her sign a document acknowledging the black card. Turner said she signed the document under objection.
Then, Turner was escorted out of the venue, she said.
USA Fencing provided a statement to Fox News Digital addressing the incident.
"USA Fencing enacted our current transgender and non-binary athlete policy in 2023. The policy was designed to expand access to the sport of fencing and create inclusive, safe spaces. The policy is based on the principle that everyone should have the ability to participate in sports and was based upon the research available of the day," the statement read.
"We respect the viewpoints on all sides and encourage our members to continue sharing them with us as the matter evolves. It's important for the fencing community to engage in this dialogue, but we expect this conversation to be conducted respectfully, whether at our tournaments or in online spaces. The way to progress is by respectful discussion based in evidence."
A USA Fencing spokesperson also told Fox News Digital that Turner was not penalized for her stance against trans inclusion, but simply for refusing to fence.
"In the case of Stephanie Turner, her disqualification was not related to any personal statement but was merely the direct result of her decision to decline to fence an eligible opponent, which the FIE rules clearly prohibit," the spokesperson said.
"According to the FIE (International Fencing Federation) Technical Rules, specifically Article t.113, a fencer is not permitted to refuse to fence another properly entered fencer for any reason. Under these rules, such a refusal results in disqualification and the corresponding sanctions. This policy exists to maintain fair competition standards and preserve the sport’s integrity."
Turner said she has not heard anything back from the organization since the incident.
It was an incident she had actively tried to avoid at prior events. Turner said she previously refused to enter multiple past fencing events that included other transgender fencers that she knew about. It's an issue that she made an effort to stay on top of for her own awareness and safety.
"In previous years when I had known about transgender fencers being present, I just wouldn't register, but for this one, Redmond must have signed up after me," Turner said.
"I was like, ‘You know what, I’m just going to give it to God. If this person shows up to my event and is on my script, then I would take a knee, and that would be God's will.'"
It was not a decision she came to lightly, however.
Redmond paid close attention to the "protect women's sports" movement that has emerged in recent years, and the backlash and harassment faced by the women who took part in it. She recalled the story of Riley Gaines being held hostage and assaulted at San Francisco State University in April 2023.
The idea of the backlash haunted Turner, but wasn't enough to stop her from taking the knee.
"It will probably, at least for a moment, destroy my life. I don't think that it's going to be easy for me from now on going to fencing tournaments. I don't think it's going to be easy for me at practice," Turner said. "It's very hard for me to do this."
For Turner, one of the sacrifices she is most concerned about is impeding the friendships she has with people in the LGBT community, who she said don't currently know about her stance on the issue.
As a lifelong Democrat, Turner insists she never opposed LGBTQ people. But the issue of trans inclusion of women's sports has driven her away from supporting the party, and she now identifies as a "new Republican conservative."
"I voted red down the ticket this year," Turner said. "It was like waking up to the lies of the mainstream media… Just to watch so many of my friends have this glassy-eyed look while just defending this policy because their brains can not manage the possibility that their party or their position has been wrong on this, and perhaps this isn't a civil rights movement, and they have been misled."
Turner added that she fully supports President Donald Trump cutting funding to states that allow trans athletes to compete in women's and girls sports.
"Something needs to be done, and there are activists who have embedded themselves in authoritative positions in sports bodies."
Earlier this week, Cleveland Browns co-owner Jimmy Haslam all but admitted regret in acquiring Watson and then inking him to a fully-guaranteed $230 million deal.
"We took a big swing and miss with Deshaun. We thought we had the quarterback. We didn’t, and we gave up a lot of draft picks to get him. So we’ve got to dig ourselves out of that hole," he told reporters from the annual league meeting in Palm Beach, Florida. "Listen, I’ve said this I think numerous times, Deshaun Watson was an entire organization decision, and it ends with (co-owner) Dee (Haslam) and I, so hold us accountable."
Well, shortly after those harsh comments, Watson took to Instagram to show off the work he's been putting in his Achilles rehab.
In the social media post, Watson shared 20 photos of his rehab, mostly in the gym working out shirtless in the Browns' facility.
"maybe, if I weren’t built for this, I’d let it phase me .." Watson wrote.
Watson was suspended to begin his tenure in Cleveland and only appeared in six games in 2022. The following season, he was held to just six games again. He then only played seven games in 2024 after he suffered a ruptured Achilles during a home game. He ruptured the Achilles again earlier this year.
In his final season with the Texans in 2020, he led the NFL in passing yards. But since then, he's yet to throw for 1,200 in any season. He didn't play in 2021.
The Browns have re-worked Watson’s contract twice since December with void years being added through 2030 to give them some financial flexibility to spread out dead money on the contract instead of taking a massive hit in one season. Watson is slated to be a free agent after the 2026 season.
All signs point to Cam Ward going first overall to the Tennessee Titans, but Shedeur Sanders will likely be available to the Browns with the second pick. However, they haven't exactly showed their hand at all, considering Abdul Carter and Travis Hunter will also likely be on the board.
"I think the message is if the right person’s there, we’re going to take him," Haslam said recently. "If not, we’ll figure it out for a year or two until we get the right person. There’s good football players in this draft, and we’ve got to make sure we get the right ones for us."
Fox News' Ryan Gaydos and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
"The Raiders Family mourns the passing of John Vella, a standout on the dominant Raider offensive lines of the 1970s and a starter on Oakland’s Super Bowl XI Championship team," the statement read. "Vella originally joined the Raiders as a second-round draft selection in 1972 out of USC, where he earned consensus All-American honors as a tackle in 1971.
"A versatile performer and a ferocious competitor, Vella played both guard and tackle, seeing action in 84 games with 48 starts in eight seasons with Silver and Black. He finished his career with Minnesota in 1980. The prayers of the entire Raider Nation are with the Vella family at this time."
Vella’s Raiders defeated the New England Patriots and Pittsburgh Steelers in the 1976 AFC playoffs before the team dominated the Minnesota Vikings in Super Bowl XI, 32-14.
He played on the same offensive line as Art Shell and Gene Upshaw. Each were tasked with stopping the pass rushers trying to get at Ken Stabler. Wide receivers Fred Biletnikoff and Cliff Branch were the main targets on those Raiders teams.
After his playing days were over, he returned to the Oakland area to start a business. John Vella’s Raider Locker Room sold Raiders memorabilia and gear.
A 16-year-old track athlete was killed during a championship meet Wednesday morning in Texas by a member of another team, officials said.
Frisco Police confirmed the student-athlete died "despite lifesaving measures." The suspect, 17-year-old Karmelo Anthony, has been charged with first-degree murder.
A student from Frisco Memorial was the victim, according to local reports. Frisco Memorial Principal Brook Fesco wrote in an email obtained by Fox News Digital that Austin Metcalf, a junior at the school, had died Wednesday.
The incident occurred at about 10 a.m. at Kuykendall Stadium at the University Interscholasic League's District 11-5A championship meet. Anthony attends Frisco Centennial, roughly 7 miles away from Frisco Memorial.
According to the Frisco Independent School District, the meet was suspended shortly after the incident. The ISD added that the stadium "was immediately secured, and students were released and sent back to their home campus on FISD buses with expediency."
In her email, Fesco said the school "will acknowledge Austin’s death during 2nd period and will offer support throughout the day," adding counselors would be available.
"As a parent, your guidance and support will be important in helping your child process grief. Talking about this together, face-to-face, will give you a chance to discuss how your family understands and copes with loss. You may also want to discuss with your child how to be a supportive friend to classmates," Fesco wrote. "This loss might remind your student of past losses as well. The most important thing you can do is provide your child a chance to be heard and to express their feelings."
"The Frisco Police Department grieves with all those affected by this devastating loss and extends its deepest condolences to the victim’s family, students, and staff who are experiencing unimaginable pain," the department said in a statement. "The department is collaborating with the Frisco Independent School District and will continue to provide any support they need during this incredibly difficult time."
Metcalf, who also played football at the school, participated in both the boys shot put and discus events earlier in the day, with threw distances of 39 feet, 9¾ inches and 86 feet, 4 inches, respectively.
Anthony ran the boys' 100-meter dash in 12.38 seconds and was scheduled to compete in the long jump.
UNDER THE MICROSCOPE – Amid Maine's dispute with President Donald Trump's executive order concerning the participation of transgender athletes in women's and girls' sports, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) referred the states "noncompliance" with Title IX rules to the Justice Department for enforcement. Continue reading …
THERE'S AN EXPLANATION – Maine school officials offered an explanation for its "noncompliance with Title IX" as the Trump administration referred the state to the Justice Department following the state's refusal to bar transgender athletes from women's and girls' sports. Continue reading …
PLACING BLAME – RepublicanRep. Laurel Libby pointed the finger at Maine Gov. Janet Mills and the state's Democratic lawmakers after the Trump admin referred Maine's ‘noncompliance with Title IX’ to the Justice Department.Continue reading …
TAKING A STAND – In a statement obtained by Fox News Digital, Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, said a state law that permits biological males to compete with biological females contradicts the "spirit and intent of Title IX." Continue reading …
FINAL WARNING – The U.S. Department of Education issued a letter to the Maine Department of Education which advised a final deadline of April 11 to address the issue or risk a second referral to the Justice Department. " Continue reading …
WHITE HOUSE VISIT – The Eagles accepted an invitation to the White House to celebrate their Super Bowl win over the Chiefs. Eagles owner Jerrery Lurie described the upcoming visit as a "time-honored tradition" and made it clear that acceptance of the invitation was not politically motivated.Continue reading …
'FOOTBALL TYPE OF PLAY’ – Chiefs star tight end Travis Kelce addressed the health and safety concerns surrounding the tush push amid talks to potentially outlaw the play.Continue reading …
COLLEGE BASKETBALL CROWN – Cincinnati notched a decisive win over DePaul in the first round of the College Basketball Crown, while UCF pulled away from Oregon State. The Bearcats and Knights will go head-to-head on Thursday. Continue reading …
FROM FOX SPORTS – In an exclusive interview, FOX Sports learned how Vincent Jordan singing "LeBron, LeBron, LeBron James" over and over again in a rhythm and blues style, became a TikTok sensation. Continue reading …
FROM OUTKICK – The controversial tush push is safe, at least for now. NFL owners agreed to table a vote on a proposal to ban the short-yardage play from the league. Continue reading …
WATCH NOW – FOX Sports' "The Facility" reacts to reports that the Dallas Cowboys have offered Micah Parsons the largest non-QB deal in NFL history. Watch here …
British tennis player Francesca Jones was taken off the court in a wheelchair on Tuesday after she collapsed on the ground mid-match at the Copa Colsanitas tournament in Colombia.
The terrifying scene unfolded in the third set of her Round of 32 match. Jones, 24, was preparing to serve against her opponent, Julia Riera of Argentina, when she appeared to lose her balance and stumble after tossing the ball in the air.
Jones fell onto the ground, where she stayed as officials ran to her aide.
It wasn’t immediately clear what caused the sudden collapse, but Riera and medical staff picked Jones up and placed her into a wheelchair. Jones was forced to retire from the tournament, and later took to Instagram to explain the cause of Tuesday’s scene.
"After winning the event in Brazil on Sunday, our total trip took over 24 [hours], with minimal rest and recovery from a long week. Bogota is renowned for its altitude, and often takes a few days to adapt. Unfortunately upon our arrival Monday afternoon we were unable to practice due to rain and this meant that aside from my low-level pre match warm up, my first exposure to the limited oxygen levels at a high intensity was my match," she explained in a post to her Instagram Stories on Wednesday.
"As the match went on, I worked hard to give myself the opportunity to stay competitive while trying to get used to the conditions but progressively struggled; blurry vision eventually leading to collapsing, with no cramp having occurred."
Jones went on to explain that testing showed that her heart "worked a little too hard." She noted that there were no long-term issues as a result of the incident.
"Bogota is one of my favorite events of the year and I hope to reconnect in 2026 under different circumstances. After a few days rest, I will continue to build on the improvements made to date this season. Thank you for the messages and concern," she concluded.
Jones was born with a rare genetic condition called Ectrodactyly Ectodermal Dysplasia, a condition that causes the hands and feet to develop abnormally. She has seven toes and is missing a finger on each hand.
Despite the odds stacked against her, Jones has seen great success on the tennis court and has spoken openly about her journey. She is currently ranked No. 129 on the WTA and has won eight ITF singles titles.
The San Diego Padres signed star outfielder Jackson Merrill to a nine-year contract extension Wednesday reportedly worth $135 million.
Merrill, 21, last year finished second in the National League Rookie of the Year race and ninth in the NL MVP race and was named to the NL All-Star team.
Merrill’s nine-year contract runs from 2026-2034. He gets salaries of $1 million in 2026, $6 million in 2027, $8 million in 2028, $10 million in 2029 and $20 million annually from 2030-34, according to The Associated Press.
San Diego has a $21 million option for 2034 that will become a player option at the same salary if he finishes among the top five in MVP voting in any season from 2026-34, the AP reported.
Merrill would have been eligible for arbitration after the 2026 season and for free agency after the 2029 World Series.
In addition to the salary, Merrill will get a hotel suite on team road trips.
Last season, Merrill played in 156 games and hit .292 with 24 home runs, 90 RBIs and 16 stolen bases while playing strong defense in center field. In seven postseason games, Merrill hit .250 with one home run and five RBIs.
Merrill began his 2025 campaign swinging a hot bat and has hit .400 with one home run and six RBIs, helping to power the Padres to a 6-0 start.
With the contract extension for Merrill, the Padres have their center fielder and right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr. signed through 2034.
The Padres will look to continue their strong start when they go for a three-game sweep of the Cleveland Guardians Wednesday at 4:10 p.m. ET.
Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant may not have physically had a gun in his hand, but a gun-related gesture on the court has led to an NBA investigation, according to ESPN.
During the Grizzlies’ game against the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday night, Morant was seen making a gun gesture toward the Warriors’ bench.
The act saw Stephen Curry and Draymond Green, two Golden State stars, visibly upset on the hardwood, with the latter trying to plead to the referee that something should be done to discipline Morant.
That wasn’t the only gun-related gesture on the night, as Buddy Hield of the Warriors was also seen doing the same during the clip of Morant that went viral.
Morant re-posted a photo from an X account, which showed that moment.
League officials will look into both Morant and Hield after the Tuesday night game and "talk to involved parties as soon as Wednesday," ESPN reported.
Morant’s history with gun-related suspensions made the gesture blow up across the basketball world.
He was suspended for eight games in March 2023 after brandishing a handgun on social media at the strip club Shotgun Willie’s outside of Denver.
Then, Morant was docked the first 25 games of the 2023-24 season after he flashed a handgun again on a social media live video.
"Ja Morant’s decision to once again wield a firearm on social media is alarming and disconcerting given his similar conduct in March for which he was already suspended eight games," NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said at the time of his second suspension.
"The potential for other young people to emulate Ja’s conduct is particularly concerning. Under these circumstances, we believe a suspension of 25 games is appropriate and makes clear that engaging in reckless and irresponsible behavior with guns will not be tolerated.
"For Ja, basketball needs to take a back seat at this time. Prior to his return to play, he will be required to formulate and fulfill a program with the league that directly addresses the circumstances that led him to repeat this destructive behavior."
Morant commented at the time, saying that he realized "how much hurt I’ve caused."
"I want to apologize to the NBA, the Grizzlies, my teammates and the city of Memphis. To Adam Silver, Zach Kleiman and Robert Pera – who gave me the opportunity to be a professional athlete and have supported me – I'm sorry for the harm I've done. To the kids who look up to me, I'm sorry for failing you as a role model. I promise I'm going to be better. To all of my sponsors, I'm going to be a better representation of our brands. And to all of my fans, I'm going to make it up to you, I promise."
The 25-year-old point guard has played in 46 games this season, where he’s averaging 22.7 points, 7.4 assists, 4.2 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game, while shooting 45.4% from the field.
The Grizzlies sit sixth in Western Conference standings with a 44-32 record in what is a heated race toward the postseason.
The Boston Red Sox have locked up somebody they hope to be a franchise cornerstone.
Kristian Campbell, one of their top prospects who made the big league club out of spring training, has signed an extension that could keep him with the club for the next 10 seasons.
The two sides agreed to an eight-year extension worth $60 million, ESPN reported. The team said the deal comes with club options for both the 2033 and 2034 seasons.
Since Campbell was called up for opening day, he was under team control through 2030 — he'd make the league minimum for his first three seasons before arbitration kicks in.
Instead, the Sox and Campbell have decided to forgo all of that and be locked down for at least the next eight years.
Campbell has made an awesome first impression in the early going. The 22-year-old infielder is 6-for-16 (.375) with a home run. He played at all three levels of minor league ball last season and raked everywhere he went. He hasn't even yet played a home game at Fenway Park, but that will come on Friday.
Understandably so, Campbell is the sixth-ranked prospect in the sport — all while another Sox prized phenom in outfielder Roman Anthony ranks second behind Roki Sasaki. Marcelo Mayer, a shortstop, is 11th. Anthony and Mayer both currently sit in Triple-A.
Campbell was not all that highly touted when he was drafted out of Georgia Tech in 2023, as he wasn't drafted until the fourth round. But hitting .330 with a .997 OPS in your first full season in the minors will bring you up faster than expected.
The last Red Sox player to win the Rookie of the Year was Dustin Pedroia in 2007 — he won the MVP the following season. Nomar Garciaparra, Fred Lynn, and Carlton Fisk also earned the award with Boston, with Lynn also winning the MVP in that same 1975 season.
A decision regarding NFL players' participation in the Olympic Games in 2028 could come in the next couple of months, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said Tuesday.
Speaking at the NFL’s annual spring meeting Tuesday, Goodell said interest in competing in the Summer Olympics has been a hot topic in the league, adding a resolution on the issue could come soon.
"Well, I’ve heard directly from a lot of players who want to participate and represent their country, whether it’s the United States or a country that they came from," he said. "I think that's something that we'll continue to discuss with, not just the union, but also the clubs. I think both of those are things that we'll probably resolve sometime in the next 60 days."
Flag football will debut as an Olympic sport in Los Angeles in 2028. Interest from NFL players was almost immediate after first being announced in 2023. Since then, interest in the sport has picked up across the country, with both a women’s and men’s tournament to be played at the Games.
"I do think the Olympics [are] a critical moment for us in the flag development on a global basis," Goodell added Tuesday.
"Listen, the Olympics are the pinnacle of international sport, and for us to be able to participate in that — to have both men’s and women’s flag teams participating from around the world — is a significant moment for us."
The 2028 Games will include four other new sports — baseball/softball, cricket, lacrosse and squash.
The East and West Coasts are home to the most popular baseball teams when it comes to Major League Baseball ticket sales. According to StubHub, it's the reigning champs, the Dodgers, with the highest number of tickets sold. The Red Sox are number 2, and their long-time division rivals, the Yankees, last season's American League champions, are number 3.
As for the team with the biggest growth, it's the A's, whose ticket sales on StubHub multiplied 12 times from the same time last year. StubHub spokesperson Adam Budelli says the A's move from Oakland to a temporary home in the Sacramento area may have something to do with the increase in demand. "It's going to be a very unique opportunity for a Major League fan base to be able to see their home team play in a much smaller, obviously a Triple-A stadium for an entire season. So you're going from the Oakland Coliseum, one of the traditionally larger baseball ballparks there was, now, down to roughly about 14,000 tickets per game," Budelli says.
The Mets, who made it to the National League Championship Series in 2024, saw their ticket sales triple. "Their offseason driven by the excitement of signing Juan Soto from their crosstown rivals. And since that, we actually saw, the first 24 hours since the Juan Soto signing, that announcement was made, we saw a jump of six-and-a-half times overall sales," Budelli says.
When it comes to overall demand, it's not just coming from North America. Outside of the U.S. and Canada, buyers in Japan, the UK and Australia are one, two and three when it comes to number of Major League Baseball tickets purchased on StubHub.
The NFL decided to table a vote that would outlaw the tush push until May during the owners’ meetings on Tuesday.
Players and coaches alike have weighed in on the play, from health concerns to the competitive advantage it has given the Philadelphia Eagles because of their unparalleled success with it.
Kansas City Chiefs’ tight end Travis Kelce has a reminder for those who want the play banned due to health and safety concerns.
"Like I understand the whole if you want to say it’s not safe, football isn’t a safe game to play. So I know we’re trying to make it safer or whatever, like it is what it is," Kelce said during a recent episode of "New Heights."
"I think it’s a football type of play, it’s a toughness play that you need to be in sync with the guys next to you and the guys around you and that’s on both sides of the ball. I don’t think we need to be banning this."
Former Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce, who ran the tush push with Jalen Hurts and Co., does not believe the play leads to an increase in injury.
"For me personally, I never felt like there’s that much more of a risk of injuring somebody on the play and I don’t think there’s any statistics to back that up. So anybody saying that it’s going to lead to more injuries is pure conjecture, not rooted in fact. I think the only argument I see for potentially banning it is, is there a competitive advantage?" Jason said.
"Like the play sucks to run. But it sucks because of like an exertion, like an energy level, it takes so much to try and get a yard. It’s not a high-impact collision. There’s not, for the most part, people don’t even get rolled up on because you’re keeping your feet moving. It’s not going to be a play, in my opinion, where you’re going to see this huge increase in chance of risk of injury. I don’t think it’s really that dangerous from a health perspective."
Jason said that if the play does get banned, he expects the Eagles to still have a lot of success running a traditional quarterback sneak.
Travis questioned what other traditional football plays could be banned next if the tush push is deemed illegal.
"How far down the line does it go> Are players on the defense not allowed to hold guys up now to try and have somebody come in and get a strip? At what point are we just going to let football be football?" Travis said.
In May, the owners will reconvene and determine the fate of the tush push, and whether football will be football.
The Philadelphia Eagles accepted President Donald Trump’s invitation to the White House to celebrate their 2025 Super Bowl win over the Kansas City Chiefs despite rumors to the contrary.
Eagles team owner Jeffrey Lurie addressed the decision to go to the White House years after a feud between players and the president over national anthem protests led to Trump rescinding an invite.
"We just felt this is a time-honored tradition being invited by the White House," Lurie said Wednesday, via Pro Football Talk.
"So, there was no reticence whatsoever. To be celebrated at the White House is a good thing. There were special circumstances (in 2018) that were very different, and so this was kind of an obvious choice and look forward to it. …
"When you grow up, and you hear about, ‘Oh, the championship team got to go to the White House,’ that’s what this is. And, so, we didn’t have that opportunity and now we do. I think we’re all looking forward to it."
Lurie added that it was "totally optional" for the players to attend and that the acceptance of the invitation was in no way political.
"I'm really excited to go, yeah. What an honor. What an honor to be able to go to the White House. Teams that have been able to win championships have been doing that for a long time, and I'm really honored to go and really excited to go," he said, via OutKick.
Trump was in attendance to watch the Eagles dismantle the Chiefs, but he didn’t stay for the entire game.
The Los Angeles Dodgers and Ohio State Buckeyes are also scheduled to visit Trump.
Golf influencer Paige Spiranac showed off her workout gains in a social media post Wednesday, an effort she said she’s worked hard at the last few years.
Spiranac posted two photos of herself, comparing what she looked like when she first started her professional career versus what she looks like now.
"I went from having my back connect to my thighs to this," Spiranac wrote on X. "It’s not the biggest peach now but I’ve been working harder than I ever have in the gym and also with my diet. Heck yeah I’m going to show it off!
"I’m proud of my body and how hard I’ve been working to achieve my fitness goals."
Spiranac’s post was a response to a critic upset with how she presented herself in one of her videos in which she showed off her golf bag. But the golfer has been known to clap back at rude comments.
She’s routinely fired back at comments about her golf attire and the way she’s dressed. In an interview with Sports Illustrated in September 2023, she explained why she wears what she does.
"I was a gymnast before I switched into golf," the former All-Mountain West Conference golfer said. "I was so comfortable wearing spandex and very little of it because that's just what you wear when you're wearing a leotard and you're competing.
"When I switched into golf, we were struggling a little bit financially and so I didn't have the luxury to go out and buy a whole new golf-appropriate wardrobe. And so, I wore what was in my closet which was workout clothes. That's just how I learned to play the game."
In July 2023, she called out the "hypocrisy" of comments in a video showing two half-naked baseball players on the mound. She noted that the players weren’t getting negative comments about what they were doing.
"Interesting how different the reaction is online when men choose to show off their bodies," she wrote on X at the time. "Not one comment on this video calling them attention whores or sluts. Just a ton of women saying baseball is now their favorite sport but those same women harshly judge me. The hypocrisy lol."
Spiranac has more than 4 million followers on Instagram and another 1.6 million on TikTok.
LSU gymnastics star Olivia Dunne and Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes opened up a bit on their relationship in an interview published on Wednesday.
Skenes confirmed his relationship with Dunne after the LSU baseball star turned pro, and the Pirates selected him with the No. 1 pick. Since then, Dunne has been seen supporting the rising star pitcher through his journey in the minors and into the majors. She was by his side when he received the National League Rookie of the Year award as well.
However, Dunne revealed in an interview with GQ Magazine the relationship almost did not happen. She said Skenes did not follow her back on Instagram.
"He wouldn’t follow me back on Instagram," she said.
Dunne is more of a social media expert than Skenes. She has built up a following of more than 8 million followers on TikTok and over 5.3 million followers on Instagram. According to the profile, Skenes is not one for Instagram, and Dunne admitted that she even took over managing his accounts.
Skenes told GQ he rarely used Instagram at the time Dunne followed him.
"I was like, Who is this kid and why won’t he follow me back?" she told the magazine.
The pitcher said he knew who Dunne was at the time, while the gymnast did not really know who the baseball player was but wondered who was the "tall, mysterious man that never smiles."
The two explained that Skenes was more of a "reserved" man, and Dunne was more outgoing, but it didn’t put a halt on their pursuits of each other.
Two years later, Skenes is in the midst of his first full season in the majors with the Pirates while Dunne is wrapping up her collegiate gymnastics career at LSU.
