Former NFL linebacker Bill Bergey has died, his son announced on Christmas Day. He was 79.
Bergey, who played for the Philadelphia Eagles from 1974-1980, had been battling cancer for the past few years. His son, Jake Bergey, said his father was an "out right great person."
The South Dayton, New York, native's professional football career began in the late 1960s when he played for the Cincinnati Bengals.
"After a long hard 3 year battle, Dad lost his fight with Cancer. The best father, friend, grand father, football player and out right great person in this world. I will truly miss him. Love you dad," Jake wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Bergey recorded nearly 1,200 tackles during his standout tenure with the Eagles. He earned Pro Bowl honors four times during his time in Philly. Bergey received the first Pro Bowl nod of his career in 1969 when he was with the Bengals.
The former linebacker was inducted into the Eagles Hall of Fame in 1988. He received another honor in 2011 when he became a member of the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame.
In 2023, Bergey shared some details about his relationship with Buffalo Bills legend Jim Kelly. The former Bills quarterback battled jaw cancer and became one of Bergey's trusted confidants.
"He has kind of been my inspiration," Bergey told the Eagles official team website last year. "He keeps me on the up and up. ‘Just remember,’ he would say, 'You're a football player, you're tough, and you can beat this. You can handle this.'"
Bergey played college football at Arkansas State. After he retired from the NFL, Bergey spent several years contributing to the Eagles' pregame and postgame coverage.
The clashing NFL game, a matchup between Kansas City Chiefs and the Houston Texans, began at 1 p.m. ET and averaged 15.5 million viewers on NBC.
The NFL and college football clashed again later in the afternoon, as Clemson-Texas was on at 4 p.m. ET while the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens game began shortly after, at 4:30 p.m. ET.
The Steelers-Ravens matchup averaged 15.4 million viewers on FOX, while Clemson-Texas drew 8.6 million viewers on TNT.
When the NFL wasn’t competing with the College Football Playoffs, the ratings were way up for the other two games.
Indiana-Notre Dame, the first game of the new 12-team format, aired on Friday night, and averaged 13.4 million viewers on ABC/ESPN.
The lone game on Saturday that wasn’t competing with the NFL did well, as Tennessee and Ohio State averaged 14.3 million viewers on ABC/ESPN.
The overall average of 10.6 million viewers for the first round of the College Football Playoffs was higher than all but four college games this season.
College football and the NFL will clash again on Saturday, as the NFL has three games throughout the day against a slate of bowl games.
The Los Angeles Chargers and New England Patriots play at 1 p.m. ET, the Denver Broncos and Cincinnati Bengals play at 4:30 p.m. ET, and the Arizona Cardinals and Los Angeles Rams play at 8:10 p.m. ET.
One of the notable bowl games on Saturday is No. 18 ranked Iowa State playing No. 13 ranked Miami in the Pop-Tarts Bowl at 3:30 p.m. ET.
Another big game is No. 23 ranked Colorado playing No. 17 ranked BYU in the Alamo Bowl at 7:30 p.m. ET, where top draft prospects Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter are expected to play.
The NFL is giving fans a present on Christmas, with two high-profile matchups between AFC contenders with a lot of playoff implications.
The Kansas City Chiefs and Pittsburgh Steelers play at 1 p.m. ET, and the Baltimore Ravens and Houston Texans play at 4:30 p.m. ET, with both games streaming exclusively on Netflix.
After many had streaming issues during the Jake Paul-Mike Tyson fight in November, Netflix is under a lot of pressure to ensure their viewers don’t have any issues watching the games.
One Netflix subscriber even filed a lawsuit against Netflix for "breach of contract" because of constant glitches during the fight, per TMZ.
This will be the first time an NFL game has been streamed exclusively on Netflix, and no matter how the viewing experience is for fans on Wednesday, it won’t be the last game they see on the streaming service.
The NFL and Netflix announced in May that they agreed to a three-year deal where the streaming service will broadcast at least one Christmas Day game over the life of the deal.
Brandon Riegg, Netflix's vice president of nonfiction series and sports, said the company learned from what went wrong in the Tyson-Paul fight.
"The sheer tonnage of people that came to watch was incredible. And for all the testing that the engineering team had done ahead of that, and I think they’re the best in the business, the only way to test something of that magnitude is to have something of that magnitude," Riegg said.
"We never want to have technical issues or a disappointing experience for our members. There was a subset of people that were watching that struggled with that and we acknowledge that. The good news is they stress-tested the system to such a degree that there’s a lot of these fixes and improvements that they realized that they could make, and they’re applying all that stuff."
Netflix’s first test will be a showdown between the Chiefs (14-1) and Steelers (10-5).
The Chiefs have already secured their ninth consecutive AFC West title and are now playing for the No. 1 seed in the AFC, which would grant them the all-important bye week.
If the Chiefs were to win on Wednesday, they would have the No. 1 seed locked up before Week 18, giving head coach Andy Reid a chance to rest his starters during the final week of the regular season.
The Chiefs are coming off a 27-19 win over the Texans on Saturday, where quarterback Patrick Mahomes played well. The star quarterback threw for 260 yards and a touchdown, while rushing for 33 yards and a touchdown despite playing through an ankle sprain.
The Steelers, on the other hand, are coming off a tough 34-17 loss against their arch-rival Ravens on Saturday.
It looked like the Steelers were going to have a chance to come back after safety Minkah Fitzpatrick intercepted Lamar Jackson down 24-17 in the fourth quarter.
However, Ravens' cornerback Marlon Humphrey thwarted any chance of a Steelers' comeback with a Pick Six off Russell Wilson on the ensuing drive, putting the Ravens up 31-17 and effectively sealing the win.
The Steelers’ defense had a tough time handling running back Derrick Henry, who ran the ball 24 times for 162 yards in the win for Baltimore.
For the Steelers, their game against the Chiefs is crucial to winning the AFC North. Pittsburgh has already clinched a playoff spot, but their loss on Saturday was a big blow to their chances of winning the division, as the Ravens are also 10-5.
Some good news for the Steelers is that wide receiver George Pickens has a "real chance" to play against the Chiefs, coach Mike Tomlin said on Sunday.
Pickens has missed the last three games, and he's been sorely missed. In the three games without Pickens, the Steelers are averaging just 248.3 yards per game, almost 77 yards less than their season average of 324.9.
As big a blow as the loss was for the Steelers on Saturday, the Ravens win over Pittsburgh was just as big a boost for them.
The Ravens played well on Saturday, outgaining the Steelers 418-315 in terms of yards, with 220 of those yards coming on the ground.
Jackson threw three touchdowns in the win, and will have a chance to make his MVP case with the whole world watching on Wednesday.
The Ravens quarterback is having another fantastic year, as Jackson and Bills’ quarterback Josh Allen are considered the two favorites for the award.
A win for the Ravens on Christmas would go a long way in their race against the Steelers for the AFC North crown.
The Ravens (10-5) are taking on the Texans (9-6) in the second part of the NFL's Christmas doubleheader on Netflix.
They are taking on a Texans team that just lost to the Chiefs. In addition to the loss, the Texans also lost second-year wide receiver Tank Dell for the season after he suffered a gruesome leg injury while catching a touchdown in the loss.
The Texans also lost wide receiver Stefon Diggs for the season after the star receiver tore his ACL, leaving what was once a strong wide receiving corps now thin.
A win over the Ravens on Christmas for the Texans would not only clinch them a playoff spot, but also the AFC South title and a home playoff game.
The Texans-Ravens matchup will also come with a special halftime performance by Beyoncé.
All four of the teams playing on Wednesday are playing their third game in 11 days.
With so many playoff implications, and a big halftime performance, Netflix will be under a lot of pressure from NFL fans and the "BeyHive" to make sure things go off without a hitch.
Fox News' Jackson Thompson and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
The holiday season for NFL players means focusing on finishing the regular season strong with only a couple of weeks left on the schedule.
For some, it’s the race to the playoffs. For others, it’s putting good reps on tape and hoping the season ends on a high note.
But what’s not lost for these athletes, though, is holiday spirit as evident by four NFL stars – Tee Higgins (Cincinnati Bengals), James Conner (Arizona Cardinals), Pat Surtain II (Denver Broncos) and Jayden Daniels (Washington Commanders) – helping Raising Cane’s give away bikes to children this past week in their respective communities.
In speaking with each star last week, Fox News Digital asked them to go into the memory bank to find their favorite Christmas memories.
For Daniels, the Offensive Rookie of the Year frontrunner, he couldn’t just pick one because of how much spending time with family means to him.
"Pretty much all of them," he said, laughing. "Being around my family, enjoying the holidays. I’d probably say when I was younger growing up and being able to wake up on Christmas, open presents and watch Kobe Bryant play basketball. Those are my favorite memories."
Surtain grew up with a father playing in the NFL, so he understands well how time together on the holidays with family is precious.
"This probably going to sound a little cliché, but my favorite moments are just spending time with family at the end of the day," he explained. "Presents mean a lot, but that’s something that’s going to be here and there. Spending time, spending cherished moments with family means a lot, especially during the holiday.
"I always remember having a big family gathering back then. Great food on the counter, playing great Christmas activities, playing different games and stuff. I always would remember and share those special memories that are in a special place in my heart. I think sharing those memories with my family is always going to be beautiful."
Conner also enjoyed every ounce of time he got to spend with family, especially when it came to a cherished Christmas tradition.
"I remember putting my tree up as a young kid at the house," he said. "We had a little small five-foot tree. Putting it up, just got you in the Christmas spirit early."
And perhaps some of us know what it’s like to be curious in the middle of the night, seeing if there are presents around the tree.
That was Higgins, who immediately knew his favorite Christmas memory, even if it came with some parental discipline.
"I remember one time waking up in the middle of the night, and my dad had got me this dirt bike," Higgins started. "It’s sitting in the living room. I woke up in the middle of the night, my parents are asleep. I go in there and I crank the dirt bike, and everybody in the house woke up. I ended getting a whooping very quick."
Don’t worry, Higgins was able to use his new dirt bike the next day.
The common theme at the end of the day here is quality time with family and making memories that will last a lifetime.
It is a short week for some NFL teams looking to make their final push toward the postseason.
The Kansas City Chiefs, Pittsburgh Steelers, Houston Texans and Baltimore Ravens all play on Christmas Day, with the Seattle Seahawks and Chicago Bears playing on Thursday night.
Week 15 saw the standings for the playoffs get a bit tighter. The sixth and seventh seeds in the AFC still need to be determined, while the Green Bay Packers clinched a playoff berth in the NFC with the Washington Commanders hoping they could close things out and clinch a wild-card spot as well. The NFC South and West divisions still need to be determined as well.
The Bills are still the top team in the NFL, and two wins coupled with two Chiefs losses in the final two weeks of the season would give them home field advantage in the playoffs.
Read below to see how the rest of the power rankings shake out after Week 15.
The Bills didn’t play great against the Patriots on Sunday but still managed to find a way to win. Their regular season is going great, but this team will be judged solely on what happens in the postseason, so that’s all that matters now.
Last week: 1
Jared Goff in the cold was a nightmare waiting to happen, yet he might have turned in his most impressive performance of the season. Goff is on the outside looking in, but he most definitely deserves to be probably third in the MVP rankings behind Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson. This team’s offense is too scary.
Last week: 4
Kansas City is one win away from securing home-field advantage in the playoffs after another one-possession win, albeit one that felt a bit more comfortable than their other squeakers this year. By all accounts, the Chiefs look like they're peaking late just in time again after walking on water all year.
Last week: 3
Sam Darnold is over his brief slump and Justin Jefferson is looking like his OPOY self. They wrap up their season against the Packers and Lions, so we’ll see where they truly stand. They are riding high after a huge win in a swamp in Seattle.
Last week: 5
The Eagles were one late DeVonta Smith catch away from sealing the game despite quarterback Jalen Hurts leaving the game in the first quarter with a concussion. Instead, the Eagles couldn’t put the game away and became the second team to lose a game despite their defense forcing five turnovers. The Eagles' 20-game winning streak was snapped with the loss, and their hopes of getting the 1 seed in the NFC is now highly unlikely. The biggest story for the rest of the regular season in Philadelphia is the health of Hurts.
Last week: 2
Lamar Jackson remains in the NFL MVP conversation. The two-time MVP threw three touchdowns in the 34-17 victory over the Steelers to help Baltimore clinch a playoff berth. The Ravens now turn their focus to the Houston Texans for a Christmas Day game.
Last week: 7
Their defense posted the first shutout in the entire NFL on Monday night. It’s not their fault they play in a stacked division, but Sunday afternoon in Minnesota could prove just where this team stands among their peers.
Last week: 6
Despite turning the ball over five times, the Washington Commanders still managed to win. Quarterback Jayden Daniels overcame two interceptions, including one late in the fourth quarter, and threw five touchdowns in the team’s comeback win. If the Commanders win next week, they will have secured a playoff spot in head coach Dan Quinn’s first season with the team. With the unexpected success the Commanders have had this season, Quinn is a front-runner for Coach of the Year and Daniels is the front-runner for Offensive Rookie of the Year.
Last week: 10
The Steelers seem to be feeling the impact of not having wide receiver George Pickens. Pittsburgh’s offense has averaged less than 250 total yards during Pickens’ three-game absence. While Pickens is not the sole reason the Steelers' offense has struggled recently, his eventual return to the lineup could provide a boost.
Last week: 8
Jim Harbaugh and Justin Herbert needed a statement win, and they got it with an explosive performance against Denver. It's not the big-fish win the Chargers were looking for against the Chiefs, but it's a good step for their confidence as they prepare for the playoffs as underdogs.
Last week: 13
The Texans will have to turn around in a short week and go up against the Ravens. Losing Tank Dell isn’t going to help matters.
Last week: 9
It wasn’t pretty in East Rutherford for Matthew Stafford & Co., but a win is a win for these Rams as they pushed their win streak to four games. It was a crucial win as they moved into first place in the NFC West with two weeks to play. With the Cardinals and Seahawks, the teams right below them in the division, coming to town in Weeks 17 and 18, respectively, the Rams control their own destiny moving forward.
Last week: 14
Denver fans will have to sweat a little bit this Christmas after the Broncos blew a shot to clinch a playoff spot, as their highly respected defense crumbled in Los Angeles. Now, the Broncos have to beat the Bengals to avoid a massive collapse.
Last week: 11
That was a terribly costly loss at Dallas that knocked them from atop the NFC South.
Last week: 12
Another week, another tough opponent for Seattle as they fell to the Vikings, 27-24, at home in a critical loss with the Rams overtaking them for the top of the division. But with a beatable Bears team upcoming on Thursday night, a win could put Seattle in a great position heading into Week 18, when a meeting with the Rams could determine who takes the divisional crown.
Last week: 15
The Michael Penix Jr. era has begun in earnest, and it only took one week to put the Falcons atop their division.
Last week: 19
The Bengals got off to a slow start this season, but Joe Burrow has gone on to put together an MVP-caliber season. Cincinnati secured its seventh win of the season this past week. The Bengals host the Denver Broncos this Saturday and will have to secure a victory if they want to keep their playoff hopes alive.
Last week: 18
The Dolphins played with more heart on Sunday against the 49ers than they had arguably all season, and it kept their very slim playoff hopes alive. Mike McDaniel might be coaching for his job, so it’s a good sign that the players rallied behind him for a win over a talented 49ers team.
Last week: 20
The Cowboys were officially eliminated from playoff contention before their game against the Buccaneers began, but that didn’t stop them from putting together a win. Cooper Rush had another efficient game, finding wide receiver CeeDee Lamb early and often. The defense forced two clutch turnovers late to help seal the game. The question for the Cowboys is does this late-season surge mean head coach Mike McCarthy is going to keep his job for another season?
Last week: 22
The 49ers were already eliminated from playoff contention, but they fell for the second straight week, this time to a Dolphins team gunning for a spot in the AFC playoff race. San Francisco will finish their season against the Lions on Monday night, followed by the Cardinals in Week 18.
Last week: 17
Jonathan Gannon’s group knew just how badly they needed to win on Sunday in Carolina against a beatable Panthers squad. But Bryce Young and the Panthers pulled out the upset. At 7-8 on the year, the Cardinals are officially eliminated from playoff contention, though they can play spoiler in Week 17 by defeating the Rams.
Last week: 16
The Colts’ win over the Titans keeps them in the race for the playoffs. Though chances are slim, it will be interesting to see if they can produce two wins to keep some faith.
Last week: 21
They eliminated Arizona but hurt their draft slot. It's been that kind of year.
Last week: 26
Nobody expected a win against Detroit, but they had the home-field advantage with the cold weather and couldn’t do much. It’s now a nine-game losing streak for a team that looked like they were making noise. And just when it looked like they were getting out of the funk, although Keenan Allen and DJ Moore are putting up numbers, they aren’t putting themselves in positions to succeed.
Last week: 24
The Jets couldn’t back up their offensive explosion in Week 15 and instead scored only 9 points against the Los Angeles Rams. The team seems to be coming apart at the seams, especially with star receiver Garrett Wilson taking some of his gripes public. This season can’t end soon enough for New York.
Last week: 25
They've been limping along without their starting quarterback, and now Alvin Kamara is missing games, so they've really got no shot to compete.
Last week: 23
The Patriots currently have the second pick in the NFL Draft based on their record and the tie-breaking procedures. You could make the case that the race for the top pick in the draft is just as exciting as the race for the playoffs, and the Pats are right in the thick of it for the former, but definitely not the latter.
Last week: 28
The Titans have to go back to the drawing board and invest in some defense. A 24-point second quarter is unacceptable at this point of the season. The offseason can’t come soon enough.
Last week: 30
The Raiders got their third win and may have paid the price with a massive drop in draft positioning. Only time will tell how important or detrimental their win against Jacksonville will be for their future.
Last week: 31
Dorian Thompson-Robison failed to provide a spark for the Cleveland Browns offense. The second-year quarterback threw two more interceptions in a lopsided loss to the Bengals. The Browns will likely attempt to find a solution at the quarterback position in the offseason.
Last week: 27
The Jaguars’ loss helped their own draft position. It’s been a rough year for Jacksonville, and it’s just getting tougher.
Last week: 29
The Giants control their own destiny. Normally, when you say a team controls their own destiny, you are referring to a team’s playoff chances, but for the Giants, they control their own destiny regarding the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft. With the Giants' 10th consecutive loss on Sunday, a new franchise record, and the Raiders winning, the Giants are in sole possession of the No. 1 pick. The only fear for Giants fans is if the Eagles rest their starters in Week 18, potentially leaving the door open for a win that would ruin their pick.
Last week: 32
The Fox News Digital Sports NFL power rankings were compiled by the Fox News Digital Sports staff and the OutKick.com staff.
Kelce said on his latest episode of his podcast that while he "enjoyed" the movie, he "didn't feel ‘Christmas’ at all during the movie."
His brother, Jason, agreed, saying there was "zero Christmas spirit or anything resembling that."
Jason actually took it a step further.
"'Love Actually' might be the worst Christmas movie I've ever seen," he said. "I don't even know that it's up for debate."
The film follows different couples in the weeks leading up to the holiday in London, so by default, it could be labeled as a Christmas movie, but the brothers disagree. They both feel the same about "Die Hard" as well.
Perhaps Travis' girlfriend, Taylor Swift, doesn't love what her boyfriend said about the film though — back in 2014, she raved about the movie.
"If you look around, love actually is all around," she said at the time, according to Page Six.
Jason's wife, Kylie, hopped on the pod and dropped that it was "one of [her] favorite movies, period." So, it seems like both Kelce couples may be having some heated discussions during the holiday.
Jerry Jones is one of the most high profile and outspoken NFL team owners. The 82-year-old billionaire rarely shies away from sharing his thoughts on a variety of subjects, especially when it comes to topics related to professional football.
Earlier this year, the league announced that it reached a three-year deal with Netflix. The agreement gave the streaming giant the rights to the 2024 Christmas Day doubleheader. The game will be available exclusively to Netflix subscribers at no extra cost.
While Christmas falls on a Wednesday this year, Jones hopes games will continue to be scheduled on an annual basis, no matter which day of the week the holiday happens to fall on.
"Christmas Day is Christmas Day, and it doesn’t wait around for what day it’s on. We want to be there on Christmas Day," Jones said during his latest appearance on Dallas radio station 105.3 The Fan.
"I would think the future is whatever day it’s on, we’re going to be there on Christmas."
Christmas falls on a Thursday in 2025. The NFL schedule makers will likely be prepared for that, considering the league already holds games on Thursday nights throughout the regular season. However, 2029 could present some challenges as the holiday falls on a Tuesday.
The Pittsburgh Steelers host the reigning back-to-back champion Kansas City Chiefs in the first of the two holiday games. The Baltimore Ravens and Houston Texans also go head-to-head in the special holiday set of games. All four of those teams played their Week 16 games on Saturday to accommodate for competing on a Wednesday.
Music superstar and Houston native Beyoncé is expected to perform at halftime of the Texans-Ravens game at NRG Stadium.
The league has scheduled games on Christmas Day for the past few years. But for decades, the NBA traditionally dominated the holiday by scheduling several games throughout Christmas Day. While the NBA still schedules some of its marquee teams on the holiday, those games now have to compete with the NFL.
Netflix also bought the rights to stream at least one holiday game in 2025 and 2026, according to the terms of the multiyear deal with the league.
"Last year, we decided to take a big bet on live – tapping into massive fandoms across comedy, reality TV, sports and more," Netflix Chief Content Officer Bela Bajaria said in a news release in May shortly after the Christmas Day package of games was announced.
"There are no live annual events, sports or otherwise, that compare with the audiences NFL football attracts. We’re so excited that the NFL’s Christmas Day games will be only on Netflix."
But Netflix is hosting the special Christmas Day games under some pressure after many of its subscribers faced issues with the live stream feed during the recent fight between Jake Paul and Mike Tyson.
The original 12 college football playoff team rosters were worth more than most other teams across the country. Media and technology company On3 estimates the 12 rosters combined made up around $150 million.
"What's happened over the years is more and more money has come into these universities," Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., said.
Tuberville, who is also a former college football coach, has legislation that aims to address what some argue is an unlevel playing field.
"The problem was, in 2021 the Supreme Court says, ‘OK, we see this lawsuit, and we agree with the athletes. They need to be able to make money off of name, image and likeness,’" Tuberville said. "It has gone downhill from there. And there were no rules put into it. It was just wild, wild West."
Schools where football players are earning large amounts of NIL money appear to be successful on the field. Most teams that qualified for the college football playoffs also had some of the highest valued rosters.
"There is a class within the class of schools across the country that have the best infrastructure, the best systems, the best fundraising, the best corporate deals involved," said Rob Sine, CEO of Blueprint Sports, an agency that oversees several collectives or donor groups across the country. "They would build a collective, and they would pool a bunch of really wealthy people together and build a budget and help support their coach for the sport they like the most."
Schools that took early advantage of forming collectives and those with an already large booster system were able to get ahead.
"Football really is the only sport that makes big money in intercollegiate athletics. Basketball's next, maybe a little baseball," Auburn men’s basketball coach Bruce Pearl said. "The vast majority of the NIL money is and will be going to the sports that are making the money. And as a result, our Olympic sports are absolutely in jeopardy."
The 2024 season featured even higher stakes with the first extended playoff season. A 13-member college football playoff selection committee ranks the top 25 teams. Twelve schools received playoff spots, but not all were among the top 12 ranked teams. The group granted automatic spots to the five conference championship game winners, which held the highest ranking, among the nine major conferences. Those included the Atlantic Coast Conference, the Big 10, the Big 12 and the Southeastern Conference from the Power Four. Group of Five conferences were also eligible. Those include the American Athletic Conference, Conference USA, Mid-American Conference, Mountain West Conference and the Sun Belt Conference.
Power Four conference schools traditionally have larger revenue budgets and television viewership than other college athletic programs. A team from each of the Power Four conferences earned a playoff spot. Boise State of the Mountain West was the only team to qualify among the 62 schools across the Group of Five conferences. The team also has the highest valued roster in NIL money than any of the other 62 schools.
"Different programs that have risen up and have gone out there and made a big impact," Sine said. "Right now, money is driving college athletics and schools are looking for, ‘Where can I have the best opportunity to grow.’"
In the 2024 season, several teams changed conferences for access to more money and stronger competition. Southern Methodist University moved from the American to the ACC and ended up losing to Clemson in the conference championship game. Clemson has the most NIL money among ACC teams. Despite being ranked 16th, the team earned a playoff bid by winning the ACC championship game. The Tigers eventually lost in the first round of the playoffs to Texas. SMU also made the playoff bracket but lost in the first round to Penn State.
"It's about opportunity. And you're also starting to see there's a lot of conversation about what could be a Super League or two. And you're starting to see a lot of jockeying happening for, ‘Hey, I want to be there,’" Sine said.
Oklahoma and Texas moved to the SEC. Texas lost the championship game to Georgia but will play Big 12 champion Arizona State in the second round of the playoffs. SEC teams had some of the highest valued rosters. Georgia was among the teams with the most NIL money overall. Texas holds the most expensive roster and is also estimated to have one of the best recruiting classes for the 2025-2026 season.
"We were late to the party and compensating our student athletes properly. We're there now. It's just that we've got to sort of find a way to make it work for everybody," Pearl said. "I think we need some federal assistance so that each state is not doing their own thing, and we won't have a true NCAA champion."
Oregon won the Big Ten Championship game and went undefeated for the season. The Ducks were originally part of the Pac-12, which broke apart with teams joining the ACC, the Big 10 and the Big 12. Oregon will face another member of the Big Ten in the second round of the playoffs, the Ohio State Buckeyes. While Oregon has a better record, Ohio State topped the Big Ten in NIL money.
Arizona State is another former member of the Pac-12. It switched to the Big 12 for the 2024-2025 season. The Sun Devils won the Big 12 Championship game and received an automatic bid to the playoffs. However, their roster was not the most expensive in the conference. Colorado players received the most money. Quarterback Shedeur Sanders is also estimated to be the highest-paid NIL athlete in the country. He is the son of Colorado head coach and former dual NFL-MLB athlete Deion Sanders.
"There has been an elite crop of athletes since day one. They have always risen to the top and have always made the most money because they bring a lot more star power than necessarily the rest of the team does, or they spent a long time building their brand," Sine said.
Blueprint Sports oversees Colorado’s 5430 Alliance collective. While the team did not earn a playoff spot, high-caliber players are on the roster, including Sanders, who is projected to be a first-round draft pick. Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter also earned recognition and millions in NIL for playing nearly every snap for the team as a wide receiver on offense and cornerback on defense.
"There are the star-studded athletes that have agencies working behind them to do the big deals with them. There are the up-and-coming athletes, and then there are the athletes that are just, you know, happy to be making anything from an NIL standpoint," Sine said.
Collectives have helped some of the playoff schools sign major deals. Ohio State’s 1870 Society has a partnership with supermarket chain Giant Eagle. Nike co-founder Phil Knight launched Oregon’s Division Street Collective. Tennessee quarterback Nico lamaleava landed an $8 million deal from the Spyre Sports collective before ever signing with the Volunteers.
"I think that where the red flag is popping up is there's a lot of money being paid to high school seniors that are coming into college athletics that have never played a down or a minute of college sports before, and you have no idea what you're going to get," Sine said.
The Texas One Fund combined five separate NIL entities and is thought to be the wealthiest in the nation. It has provided quarterback Quinn Ewers with a private jet and every scholarship offensive lineman with $50,000 annually.
"What we want to do is just try to make sure that everybody has that opportunity to get whatever they can get. But when you take money, you've got to sign a contract, and then you've got to be committed to that contract," Tuberville said. "I know for a fact that some universities, they bring Lamborghinis and Corvettes and put [them] out in front of their office building when they bring these recruits in. It is totally changed. It's big money. It's minor league sports, what it is now."
The NIL market is expected to be worth around $1.7 Billion in the 2024-2025 season according to Opendorse. $1.1 billion of that is going to college football. Men’s basketball players earned around $389 million. Women’s basketball players received around $75 million. Olympic athletes have generated around $134 million dollars.
The money making began back in July 2021, when the Supreme Court ruled the NCAA could not prevent student athletes from profiting by their name, image and likeness. Since the decision, the legal fights have continued between the NCAA and state legislatures.
"It's been really interesting to watch the competitive balance between the states," Rob Sine said, CEO of Blueprint Sports. "Tennessee is more aggressive, Florida wants to get more aggressive, and then Texas wants to get more aggressive. More state laws are passed and repealed and then passed again."
Blueprint Sports oversees several high-profile collectives across the country. Boosters, individual donors and businesses often choose to fund collectives which then pay athletes for appearances or endorsements. The groups are estimated to control around 80% of the NIL Market.
"The schools are already spread so thin. So, for a professional services unit, they're happy to know that, hey, we'll put staff on campus, that will represent them and the student athletes," Sine said. "The collective as a marketing agency, we’ll handle all the operations, we’ll provide that third party arm for athletic departments where we can do negotiations with agents, we can do negotiations with athletes we can handle if an athlete enters the transfer portal, terminating the contract, or things like that."
Blueprint Sports oversees collectives from across the country, including NC State’s One Pack NIL, Colorado’s 5430 Alliance, Pennsylvania’s Happy Valley United and Arkansas’ Arkansas Edge.
"Pennsylvania has different rules than Arkansas does or than North Carolina does," Sine said. "The NCAA guidelines are there to be exactly what is, set guidelines. Then you have to follow the state law in certain areas."
The first guidance from the NCAA in 2021 aligned with the Supreme Court decision. Athletes could be paid if state law allowed. The rules did attempt to prevent schools from using NIL money to recruit athletes.
"It was a lot easier," Sen. Tommy Tuberville R-Ala. said referencing how NIL laws have changed the recruiting process in recent years. "There's really no recruiting now. It's buying. It's totally different."
Before Tuberville was elected to the senate, he coached at Ole Miss, Auburn, Texas Tech and Cincinnati. He has since co-sponsored NIL legislation alongside Sen. Joe Manchin I-W.V. He plans to reintroduce or modify the Protecting Athletes, Schools and Sports Act (PASS Act) alongside a democrat in the next congress.
"In football and basketball, it's whoever's got the most money," Tuberville said.
California signed the first state NIL law in 2019. Several others began to follow suit. Eventually, legislatures began passing laws to circumvent NCAA guidance, to allow NIL money to be used for recruiting.
"Over the years, the money's gotten higher and higher and the student athletes are going, wait a minute, you know, why don't we get some of that money? Why don't we share in the revenue?" Tuberville said.
Tuberville says collectives have too much influence and that legislation like the PASS Act would help level the playing field. But collectives disagree.
"I don't think the federal government is the way to do it. I think it creates a whole lot more complications," Sine said. "I've watched those hearings before and there's not a lot of direction and bright ideas coming out of it. There's been a lot of drafts of bills. I think it'll be hard for them to get anything passed."
Not all university officials believe the federal government should stay out of the NIL debate.
"This is a free market economy. We live in the greatest country in the world. And I think it's great that our student athletes are now finally being able to be compensated for what they're worth But we need national standards in college sports. Every coach needs to know that when that ball gets tipped off, we're all playing by the same rules. And right now, we're not," Auburn Men’s Basketball Coach Bruce Pearl said.
Initial laws in Alabama and South Carolina reflected NCAA guidance that prevented using NIL money for recruitment. Other states began to pass laws that strayed from that guidance and allowed loopholes for third party donors to promise money for potential student athletes. That prompted the NCAA to shift its stance. In 2022, the Division 1 Board of Directors clarified that schools could request donors to provide funds for collectives, as long as those were not directed to a specific sport or athlete.
"Back in the day it was about graduation rates, or it was about, can you help me get to the NBA? Are we going to win championships? What's the culture of the program like? Those things were more important to parents," Pearl said. "Now it's become way more transactional. What is my market value? How much will I get if I go to that school? And of course, everybody's playing with a different budget right now. And that's what makes it somewhat unfair."
The updated NCAA guidance prompted Alabama and South Carolina to repeal initial NIL laws. Both states determined that other schools had more opportunities to recruit better players.
"It did give us a little bit more freedom," Pearl sad. "We'd like for conferences and the people that are guiding our programs to be able to be empowered. Right now, everything goes to the courts. They lose every lawsuit."
Texas passed its legislation in 2023, which strayed from NCAA guidance in allowing donations for specific sports. The law also permits perks and benefits for fans who donate to NIL collectives. A clause also made it illegal for the NCAA to punish a school for taking full advantage of NIL.
"A lot of people began to find a gray area. And so, donors or other organizations around the country were looking at this going, okay, well we're going to raise, instead of $100,000, we're going to raise $2 million or we're going to raise $20 million and we're going to really begin to build this and create a very competitive advantage because nobody's telling us we can't," Sine said.
New transfer portal rules have increased competition to find better players and pay out more money. A couple of months before the Supreme Court issued its NIL decision, the NCAA updated its transfer portal policy, allowing Division I athletes a on-time opportunity to transfer and compete immediately.
Originally, an athlete could transfer schools, but needed to sit out a year before playing, unless granted a waiver by the NCAA. In 2024, the association updated its guidance to allow for unlimited transfers as long as the athletes met certain academic eligibility requirements.
"Marshall University's football team, almost every one of them transferred. They had to drop out of a bowl game," Tuberville said. "Their coach left and they followed them."
Marshall was set to face Army in the Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl. Instead, dozens of Marshall athletes entered the transfer portal. Army will now face Louisiana Tech instead.
"I understand families being in a situation where they may never make more money than they're making right now. And so that's what they're being guided by. We're teaching kids to flee, not fight."
UNLV Quarterback Matthew Sluka announced in September he would enter the transfer portal for a second time in his college career. Sluka’s agent said a $100,000 NIL payment was never fulfilled after he agreed to transfer to UNLV.
"Graduation rates have been destroyed because the combination of NIL and the transfer portal working together, these guys are free agents," Pearl sad. "In some cases the money can be significant."
State laws also differ on who can represent student athletes. In 2019, the Uniform Law Commission recommended states adopt the Uniform Athletes Agents Act. It allowed student athletes to hire agents with the intent of protecting them from unfair practices. At least 39 states have adopted the law but it has no mention of NIL. Some legislatures have added agent clauses to state laws.
"Players have agents, they have lawyers, they have accountants. That's what we fought against for many, many years. Don't sign with agents. Keep them out of your life. But college football, college sports have grown."
The NCAA will now allow universities to pay players directly, in addition to what they are already receiving through scholarships and third-party payments. Each school has a cap of up to $20.5 million across all sports. Schools are already directing most of that to football programs.
"We're going to lose a lot of football programs, basketball programs and women's sports if we don't come up with some kind of solution. The NCAA has got to work with us," Tuberville said. "There's really not a lot of answers when you got so many hands in the pie and everybody wants it their way."
The New Jersey Devils have owned their Hudson River rivals this year, and they had another W to celebrate outside of their 5-0 win over the New York Rangers.
Over five years ago, the Devils and Rangers, respectively, had the first and second overall picks of the NHL Draft, and the selections were simple.
Jack Hughes and Kaapo Kakko were long assumed to be the first and second picks that year, and that's exactly what happened.
However, that night during a Rangers draft party at Madison Square Garden, Ranger fans applauded the Devils selecting Hughes — whether it was because they preferred Kakko, or they were torn between the two players and didn't want to be torn between the two is up for discussion.
Well, the two players have had very opposite tenures with their respective teams. Hughes has become a Calder Trophy candidate, while Kakko not only didn't live up to the hype, but the Rangers also traded him earlier this month to the Seattle Kraken.
The two foes met in Newark on Monday, and it was the Rangers' first game against New Jersey since trading Kakko, and the Devils, and their fans had a field day.
On the scoreboard, the Devils played a video of one of the aforementioned Kakko celebrations by Rangers fans, and the camera immediately panned to Hughes, who couldn't help but laugh.
To add insult to injury, Hughes scored twice in the Devils' 5-0 victory. After the win, the Devils posted a video of that same video but photoshopped an "L' on MSG's scoreboard.
It's been a disappointing season for the Rangers, who after being Stanley Cup contenders last year may just miss out on the playoffs. Meanwhile, New Jersey can make a serious run for the Cup this year with Hughes leading the charge.
The Devils' 49 points this season are tied for the second-most in the league. The Devils beat the Rangers in the 2023 Playoffs, as well.
The National Lacrosse League has launched an investigation after a jarring scene broke out following a recent Halifax Thunderbirds game.
A video circulated online showing professional lacrosse player Tyson Bell engaged in a physical altercation with fans following Saturday's game against the Colorado Mammoth. At one point during the fight, Bell appeared to utilize his lacrosse stick.
The NLL acknowledged it was aware of what transpired after this past weekend's game.
"The National Lacrosse League is aware of an alleged incident between a player and spectator(s) following the Halifax at the Colorado game on December 21st," the NLL said in a statement released on Dec. 22. "The League will provide an update after it has completed its investigation."
The video shared to social media appeared to show Bell "attacking the fans with his fist before swinging his stick at them," per TMZ Sports.
Fans did appear to direct insults at the athletes as they made their way to the locker room. Bell's teammates eventually intervened and held him back in an attempt to deescalate the situation.
Colorado defeated Halifax on Saturday. Colorado forward Will Malcolm led the team with 10 points and seven goals in the 9-14 victory. Meanwhile, Bell did not record a goal during the game.
Other details surrounding the incident were not immediately known.
The Thunderbirds host the Albany FireWolves on Dec. 28 at Scotiabank Centre.
Colorado football two-way star Travis Hunter won the coveted Heisman Trophy on Dec. 14.
But the ensuing days have been riddled with controversy as the star college football player's relationship with his fiancée Leanna Lenee was placed under the microscope. Some fans took aim at Lenee over her behavior in videos which circulated online.
Hunter's teammate, Sheduer Sanders, has since decided to address the controversy. The Buffaloes quarterback suggested that critics should stop weighing in on the wide receiver and defensive back's personal life.
"All y'all athletes, entertainers, artist etc. if y'all genuine trying to holla at Trav y'all know how to get in touch with him or someone around," Sanders wrote on X, on Sunday. "At this point y'all just posting for the algorithm trying to look cool."
At least one social media video appeared to show Lenee remaining in her seat moments after Hunter was named the 2024 Heisman recipient. NFL icon and Colorado head coach Deion Sanders then appeared to prompt Lenee to stand up. Lenee did eventually briefly embrace Hunter before quickly sitting back down amid the audience's standing ovation.
Hunter and Lenee's engagement was pubically confirmed earlier this year.
Other video footage appeared to show Lenee remaining seated while Hunter greeted and posed for photos with fans at an event in New York City the day after the Heisman ceremony. Some fans attempted to analyze Lenee's demeanor during her time at the event and even suggested she was irritated.
Hunter addressed the situation during a Twitch live stream, saying his fiancée cried herself to sleep and consumed alcohol due to the backlash.
"You know the hurt when you just cry yourself to sleep," Hunter said, before adding that he didn't want Lenee to "go to sleep sad" after drinking.
"I know what I got. I know my girl. My girl's been with me for five years," Hunter said. "Y'all are just now starting to talk about me and just now starting to be with me. Come on, man."
Last week, Lenee took to TikTok to address the criticism.
"People are saying that I’m like, ‘What am I supposed to do? Just sit here?’ " she said on Dec. 16 in response to a clip. "That’s not what I said, first of all."
On Monday, TMZ reported that Hunter decided to deactivate his Instagram account. Hunter has yet to pubically reveal any details on his decision.
Hunter is projected to be one of the first players selected in the 2025 NFL Draft. But, he is still expected to play in the Alamo Bowl game against BYU.
Caitlin Clark was named AP's Female Athlete of the Year without much competition, but one person who received votes was the cause for much controversy over the summer.
A group of 74 sports journalists from The Associated Press and its members voted on the award. Clark received 35 votes, Olympic gymnast Simone Biles was second with 25.
But Olympic gold medalist boxer Imane Khelif was third, getting four votes.
Khelif qualified for the Paris Olympics, but Khelif's gender was called into question following a disqualification from the 2023 championships before a gold medal bout over gender eligibility issues.
One boxer, Angela Carini, forfeited her bout against Khelif in Paris, saying "one punch hurt too much."
Khelif won gold in Paris and wasn't the only boxer to win a women's gold who has been disqualified for failing gender eligibility tests. Taiwan's Lin Yu-ting also won gold in another women's weight class in Paris, prompting similar outrage.
The International Olympics Committee (IOC) defended Khelif and Yu-ting's inclusion in the women's events until the very end.
"These two athletes were the victims of a sudden and arbitrary decision by the IBA. Towards the end of the IBA World Championships in 2023, they were suddenly disqualified without any due process," the IOC said during the games.
Khelif later won gold. Khelif did not lose a single round on any scoreboards in Paris.
After Carini won her eighth women's Italian title earlier this month, she claimed the victory was her "revenge."
Khelif was the most Googled athlete of the year, largely in part due to the controversy.
Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter are doing something some players who are NFL Draft bound won’t do: Play in their school’s bowl game.
Because they are playing against BYU in the Alamo Bowl on Dec. 28, Sanders and Hunter both have historic disability insurance policies in the event either of them gets seriously injured during the game.
"We have a multitude of players that are draftable, that they received a draft grade. They’ve disability (insurance) all season long. We want to make sure that if something were to happen, they would cover it," head coach Deion Sanders said in a press conference Monday.
"We happen to have two players that are probably going to be the first two picks of the NFL Draft. I think we all know who those two are, and they have received, I think, the highest number of coverage that has ever been covered in college football. It far exceeds anyone that has ever played this game of college football. So, we’re happy and excited," Sanders continued.
Colorado’s athletic director Rick George confirmed Sanders’ statement that the policies are the highest ever in college football history.
George said multiple times that it was Sanders’ idea for the additional insurance claims to be taken out for Shedeur Sanders and Hunter.
Both Shedeur Sanders and Hunter are projected to go in the top five of the 2025 NFL Draft.
Hunter, the prolific two-way star, beat out Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty to win the Heisman Trophy after one of the most incredible years in college football history.
As a wide receiver, Hunter had 92 catches for 1,152 yards and 14 total touchdowns. Hunter won the Biletnikoff Award as the nation’s top wide receiver.
Hunter also won the Bednarik Award as the nation’s best defensive player, becoming the first player ever to win both the Bednarik and Biletnikoff.
As a cornerback, Hunter had 31 tackles, 11 pass deflections and four interceptions, anchoring Colorado’s defense.
As for Sanders, the Colorado quarterback has completed 69.3% of his passes while throwing for 3,926 yards with 35 touchdowns and eight interceptions.
The star quarterback helped lead Colorado to a 9-3 record this season, a big improvement after finishing 4-8 last season.
Sanders won the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, which is given to the nation’s top quarterback who best exemplifies character, scholastic and athletic achievement.
Sanders also was named the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year.
Sanders and Miami quarterback Cam Ward are expected to be the first two quarterbacks taken off the board in April.
As of the end of Week 16 in the NFL, the New York Giants currently hold the No. 1 pick in next April’s draft and are in prime position to draft one of Colorado’s stars.
The Pittsburgh Steelers have gotten the short end of the stick when it comes to the funky NFL schedule.
At one time, the NFL avoided Christmas games — and now, they can't get enough of them, scheduling two this year despite the day falling on a Wednesday.
That is prompting some oddities in the NFL schedule, with the Steelers one of four teams who played last Saturday and are now playing on Wednesday. What ever happened to "any given Sunday?"
Anyway, the rest is equivalent to that of teams who play on Thursday following a Sunday game, but with the Saturday contest, it all comes out to three games in 11 days for the Steelers, and former quarterback Ben Roethlisberger isn't happy about it.
"It's miserable. It's a shame that the league does this. It just shows that it's all about money and this is a way that they can, you know, make more money and figure this thing out, because it's not fair for the players," Roethlisberger said recently. "You wanna talk about injuries and making the game safer, changing the kickoff rule and preventing guys on hip-drop tackles, and concussions, and this that and the other, and you're going to make guys play the most violent game in the world, arguably, three games in 11 days. I mean, there's no time for your body to get healthy and rest."
The comments echo Patrick Mahomes' sentiment on the grueling schedule.
"It’s not a good feeling," Mahomes told reporters a couple weeks ago. "You never want to play this amount of games in this short of time. It’s not great for your body. But, at the end of the day, it’s your job, your profession. You have to come to work and do it."
It will be the Chiefs and Steelers in a 1:00 p.m. showdown on Christmas.
Sports fans can breathe easy on Christmas Eve as there will only be one game played on Tuesday before a full buffet of games on Christmas Day.
College football aficionados will be happy to know there is one bowl game on the slate. The Hawaii Bowl between South Florida and San Jose State. The game will start at 8 p.m. ET.
The Bulls finished 6-6 on the season and earned a second straight bowl game under head coach Alex Golesh. They had the same record last season before entering and winning the Boca Raton Bowl over Syracuse, 45-0.
The Spartans finished the season 7-5 overall in Ken Niumatalolo’s first season at the helm. The team is on a three-bowl-game losing streak. They lost the Hawaii Bowl last season and the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl in 2022. The Spartans also lost the Arizona Bowl in 2020.
San Jose State hasn’t won a bowl game since the 2015 Cure Bowl under Ron Caragher.
Sports fans looking for some action should take it all in and be able to get some sleep before opening presents and starting Christmas Day at noon ET with NBA games.
The NFL also has games on Christmas Day for the second straight year – a two-game menu featuring the Kansas City Chiefs against the Pittsburgh Steelers at 1 p.m. ET and the Houston Texans hosting the Baltimore Ravens at 4:30 p.m. ET.
College football will return on Dec. 26 and the NHL will be back on Dec. 27.
Sophie Hediger, a Swiss snowboarder who represented the country in the 2022 Winter Olympics, died following an avalanche at a ski resort, officials said Tuesday. She was 26.
The incident occurred Monday at the Arosa resort in Switzerland, the country’s ski federation said in a statement.
"We are stunned and in our thoughts with Sophie's family, to whom we express our deepest condolences," Swiss-Ski CEO Walter Reusser said in a statement.
"With the tragic death of Sophie Hediger, a dark shadow has been placed over the Christmas days for the Swiss ski family. We are immeasurably sad. We will keep Sophie an honorable memory," he added.
Hediger was a participant in the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. She competed in snowboard cross and in the mixed team snowboard cross. She failed to qualify for the quarterfinals in the singles event and her team lost in the mixed event in the semifinals.
Hediger bounced back in 2023 when she won a gold medal in the FISU World University Games in Lake Placid, New York. She was one of three Swiss participants who won gold medals.
She then achieved two World Cup podium finishes, including a second-place finish in St. Mortiz in January.
Brown’s stance on raw milk appeared to break from that of President-elect Trump’s nominee for the top health job in the U.S., Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Both Brown and Kennedy supported Trump during the presidential election.
The former Pittsburgh Steelers player spoke at a rally for Trump in the days before Trump’s presidential election win over Vice President Kamala Harris. Kennedy dropped out of the race and backed Trump.
The president-elect named Kennedy his nominee for Health and Human Services secretary after the win. Kennedy has said in the past he only drinks raw milk and criticized agriculture departments for cracking down on the product.
But raw milk has been blamed for the spate of bird flu deaths among animals in the U.S. The U.S. Department of Agriculture issued an order earlier this month that all raw (unpasteurized) milk must be tested for bird flu.
Nearly 4.4% of U.S. adults report that they drink raw milk at least once each year. About 1% of adults say they consume raw milk each week, according to a 2022 FDA study.
Raw milk advocates say there are health benefits from it as well as an overall better taste.
NBA referee Jenna Schroeder had to correct a mistake in a bizarre situation during the Philadelphia 76ers’ game against the San Antonio Spurs on Monday night.
Early in the second quarter, 76ers center Andre Drummond was ejected for a foul on Spurs star Victor Wembanyama. However, video replay of the incident forced referees to overturn the ejection and call Drummond back into the game despite him already walking off the floor.
Schroeder was heard telling 76ers head coach Nick Nurse, "I f---ed up." Drummond was allowed back into the game.
WARNING: EXPLICIT LANGUAGE
Instead of Drummond receiving the technical foul, Wembanyama was hit with a technical foul for flopping. Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey shot the technical free throw but officials then rescinded the technical foul and took away a point.
Crew chief Curtis Blair said the review showed Drummond stepped on Wembanyama's foot and that it was ruled incidental contact.
The Spurs’ 7-footer said there shouldn’t have been a foul on the play.
"Just stepped on my foot and I fell," he said. "That’s it. I just got tripped. I didn’t mean to fall. I didn’t expect the foul to be called. I just fell."
Nurse also reacted to the incident.
"The whole thing was really strange," he said.
Sixers star Joel Embiid was also ejected from the game after receiving two unsportsmanlike conduct technical fouls. He was seen rushing Schroeder at one point and needed to be held back.
"Kamala is for they/them, Donald Trump is for you," the line echoed in the ears of millions of American parents and children. The ad often played during the commercial breaks of NFL, college football and MLB postseason games.
The phrase was launched by the Trump campaign in September. It was repeated in ads, not just for Trump, but candidates down-ballot on the Republican ticket. It has been hailed as the most effective campaign slogan of the entire 2024 cycle.
The ad presented imagery of transgender people in designer clothing, while highlighting Harris’ previous support for legislation that would allow trans athletes to compete against girls and women in sports.
The Trump transition team provided an exclusive statement to Fox News Digital, vowing to make good on its campaign stance on this issue.
"The Trump Administration will not be deterred by the Biden Administration’s dirty tricks. President Trump will use every lever of power to reverse the damage Joe Biden has done to our country and deliver on his promises to the American people, including protecting women and girls by keeping men out of women’s sports," Trump’s forthcoming press secretary Karoline Leavitt said.
Vice President Kamala Harris never addressed the issue head-on during her campaign. Democratic allies backpedaled on it. Then people went to the polls, and data suggests the issue mattered too much for one side to simply ignore.
A national exit poll conducted by the Concerned Women for America (CWA) legislative action committee found that 70% of moderate voters saw the issue of "Donald Trump’s opposition to transgender boys and men playing girls and women’s sports and of transgender boys and men using girls and women’s bathrooms," as important to them.
And 6% said it was the most important issue of all, while 44% said it was "very important."
"The American people saw an administration committed to putting men in women’s private spaces, so this kind of leadership and promise hit straight to the hearts of voters. The conclusive election results, as well as exit polling, certainly affirms that," CWA legislative strategist Macy Petty told Fox News Digital.
Trump’s campaign seized on the issue in the homestretch of the election cycle. He boasted about his stance and his pledge to ban trans athletes in women’s sports at nearly every rally in the final month.
And in the background, a brewing cultural movement stirred in nearly every corner of the country, focused on this singular issue. It was fueled by women’s rights groups and young female athletes who felt as though they were being dismissed by an unfair system – a system most common in blue states.
The Independent Council on Women’s Sports (ICONS), which was founded in 2023, emerged as a leading advocacy group in the protection of women athletes from trans inclusion this year. It has spearheaded viral conversations on the issue, and has taken the lead in multiple lawsuits focused on the protection of women against trans athletes.
But many of these advocates wish it didn't have to be a political issue.
"This shouldn’t be a partisan issue – it’s a matter of truth, biology, and justice. Elected officials who abandon their responsibility to defend women and girls in athletics will face political consequences, as evidenced by last month’s election," ICONS co-founder Marshi Smith told Fox News Digital.
Still, for Trump and the Republican Party, it was a movement that provided a sudden surge in support among young college-educated women. Biden’s 35-point lead among young women over Trump in 2020 shrunk to a 24-point lead for Harris this year, per an NBC News exit poll.
It was an issue that helped re-shape the electorate.
Before and after the end of the election, multiple Democrat congressional representatives have spoken out against the party’s platform on trans-in-sports issues. Rep. Seth Moulton D-Mass., and Rep. Colin Allred D-Texas, are just two of the most prominent examples. Liberal media figures, including HBO’s Bill Maher, have preached backpedaling on the issue too.
Allred and Moulton previously endorsed legislation that would allow trans athletes to compete as women, including the Equality Act and Transgender Bill of Rights.
But then Allred ran his own TV ads dispelling his support for "boys in girls’ sports" after the Ted Cruz campaign used it as one of Allred’s weak points to defend Cruz’s Senate seat.
And Moulton repeatedly condemned Democrat support for trans inclusion after the election. His comments sparked a massive pro-trans rally outside his Salem office on Nov. 17.
Salem city councilman Kyle Davis was a key organizer for that rally.
Davis, a lifelong Democrat and LGBTQ activist, has vowed to help campaign against Moulton in the 2026 midterms. Davis will throw his support behind Massachusetts state Rep. Danny Cruz to primary Moulton in two years.
"I was incredibly disappointed," Davis told Fox News Digital.
"[We] were looking toward Seth Moulton and other Democrat figures to kind of reaffirm their support for us."
Davis, a member of the LGBTQ community, says the other Democrats he has associated with have no plans to tolerate the key figures in their party running away from their support for trans inclusion. That includes President Biden, whose Department of Education withdrew its support for a proposed rule change that would have outlawed states from banning trans athletes in girls’ sports on Dec. 20.
"I think it’s disgraceful," Davis said of Biden’s withdrawal of the proposed rule. "To see, not just our congressmen, but also our president on his way out ending in this rollback of trans rights is completely inexcusable and disgraceful."
Davis is confident, based on conversations with Democrats in his state, that large factions of voters in his party will continue to prioritize protecting trans rights, including trans inclusion in sports. He wants to see his party's future candidates publicly support transgenders, unlike Harris in 2024.
"We’re going to remain firm in what has always been core to the foundation of the Democratic Party, we stand up for marginalized groups, I don’t think that’s negotiable," Davis said.
The country, by state laws, is split right down the middle on the issue.
Currently, 25 states have laws in place to restrict or ban trans inclusion in girls’ and women’s sports, while the other 25 don't have any such laws, and some, like California, have laws in place to protect trans athletes.
But even the states with laws in place to restrict it have been under siege by Democratic-appointed federal judges.
Judges Landya McCafferty of New Hampshire and M. Hannah Lauck of Virginia, who were each appointed during the Obama administration, issued rulings this year that enabled biological males to play on high school girls' soccer and tennis teams. McCafferty issued an order that allowed two transgender athletes to compete in New Hampshire, while Lauck ruled that an 11-year-old transgender tennis player was allowed to compete against girls the same age in Virginia.
Many similar incidents have gone on to earn intense national attention in 2024.
Trump made one of his strongest pitches to women voters during a Fox News all-women town hall event with Harris Faulkner in October.
During that interview, Trump shifted the national spotlight onto a situation in northern California when he made reference to San Jose State volleyball player Blaire Fleming. Trump pointed out an incident where Fleming spiked the ball at an opposing player on San Diego State during a match on Oct. 10.
"I saw the slam, it was a slam. I never saw a ball hit so hard, hit the girl in the head," Trump said during the interview "But other people, even in volleyball, they’ve been permanently, I mean, they’ve been really hurt badly. Women playing men. But you don’t have to do the volleyball. We stop it. We stop it. We absolutely stop it. You can’t have it."
San Diego State shortly after put out a statement clarifying that Fleming’s spike did not strike its player in the head, but shoulder.
But the damage was done at that point. A controversy that had already garnered some national attention steamrolled into mainstream political discussion. San Jose State’s season became a regular talking point on national political talk shows and at Trump campaign rallies leading up to the election.
Spartans co-captain Brooke Slusser became involved in two lawsuits throughout the season over Fleming’s presence on the team. Slusser alleged that she had been made to share sleeping and changing spaces with Fleming in their first year as teammates together in 2023, but was never informed that Fleming is a biological male.
Slusser has told Fox News Digital that the entire experience involving Fleming was "traumatizing."
"This season has been so traumatizing that I don't even have a proudest moment," Slusser said.
And just days before the election, Slusser spoke out in favor of Trump’s proposed ban on trans athletes in women’s sports – the same ban he proposed after claiming Fleming "slammed" a young woman in the head with a volleyball.
"I think it's completely necessary," Slusser previously said of Trump's proposed ban. "I don't think this should have ever been allowed to be a thing and legal and allowed to happen. And I think so many people know it's not right and, for some reason, they still decide to support it, for whatever other reasons they have, and I think in the back of everyone's heads, you know it's not right. I mean, if you're having to hide something for so long just like SJSU did, you have to know it's not right."
Slusser, and many other young women who have been affected by this, laid the blame squarely on the shoulders of the party that allowed it to happen.
"There is more so one side of a political party that kind of agrees with what I'm doing compared to the other, but then there's still so many people on both sides of the political parties that agree with this," Slusser said. "It's engaged in politics, but it has nothing to do with politics at the end of the day. One side is fighting it, and the other side has decided not to."
Weeks before that, San Jose State’s scandal-ridden team was scheduled to make a road trip to the key battleground state for an Oct. 26 match at the University of Nevada, Reno. Nevada players were well aware of the situation involving their upcoming opponent. And those players wanted no part in the contest against Fleming, so much so that they pleaded with their athletic department to forfeit the match. Four other teams had forfeited vs. SJSU up to that point in the season.
But the university declined their players’ request, initially. The program put out a statement insisting it would play the match, but players wouldn't be punished for opting out. Then the players went public with their grievances over the disagreement, thrusting Nevada into its own controversy in the weeks leading up to the match. Tulsi Gabbard even made a trip to one of their games for a photo-op.
When Fox News Digital pressed Nevada about why it wouldn’t forfeit, it wasted no time throwing Democratic lawmakers responsible under the bus. A university spokesperson cited an amendment in the Nevada Constitution, which outlawed the canceling of an athletic event to avoid facing a transgender person. It was an amendment added in 2022 by state Democrats.
"As a state university, a forfeiture for reasons involving gender identity or expression could constitute per se discrimination and violate the Nevada Constitution," the university's statement said.
So instead, the university let the situation play out for weeks, while the people of Nevada watched. They watched the young women on the team agonize, publicly slamming the university and administrators while praising conservatives for pledging to fight back.
Nevada captain Sia Liilii took on the role of representing her teammates, just as Slusser had for hers, in speaking out against the protocols that were preventing the team from canceling the match.
In an op-ed by Liillii and teammate Sierra Bernard published on Fox News Digital, they too came out in support for Trump.
"President Trump has our back, and this election is more important than politics but about leaders who will be standing with women on and off the court, defending our right to compete safely and fairly," Liilii and Bernard wrote. "As proud female athletes, we will continue to fight for fairness on the court and in women’s sports. But it shouldn’t be a fight we have to take on alone."
Eventually, Nevada had to cancel the match on Oct. 25, just one day before it was scheduled to be played, and less than two weeks before the election. The university said it canceled because it wouldn’t have enough players to compete, which it claimed did not make it liable for violation under the Nevada constitution.
But Liiliii and her teammates, as well as Slusser, who had to continue playing with Fleming that season, were just getting started in their activism.
And they soon had support.
Slusser and Liilii were just a handful of women’s athletes to sign NIL endorsement deals with the startup athleticwear brand "XX-XY Athletics" in 2024.
The brand, founded just this March by 1986 U.S. women's gymnastics all-around national champion Jennifer Sey, merchandises athletic gear that promotes "standing up for the protection of women’s sports."
Sey told Fox News Digital that her business has hit seven figures in sales in under eight months. Sey has achieved this despite frequent backlash and harassment from critics, and even having her brand completely banned from TikTok in June.
"Woke capitalism has been rejected and normie capitalism is back – outstanding product and uplifting marketing, underpinned by financial discipline," Sey said.
And Sey is actively expanding the industry of athletic merchandise with anti-trans, pro-women messaging. Her company recently launched the first NIL program exclusively for female athletes who believe that women's sports are for women only.
The program, called "GXME CHXNGERs," has already signed seven college athletes: Heather Arnett (softball, Pittsburgh State University), Sara Casebolt (track, University of Idaho), Ainsley Erzen (soccer and track, University of Arkansas) and Emma Vorpagel (track, Northern Illinois University) joined the three volleyball athletes.
So now, an entire generation of young athletes, currently in college and college hopefuls, will have the opportunity to make NIL money from those same messages, if they choose to pursue it.
And as the culture movement grows, so too could the revenue.
The NCAA and even the International Olympics Committee (IOC) haven’t been able to appease women’s rights groups who want trans athlete bans. But one major women’s sports organization has proven it’s possible with almost no repercussions.
The LPGA issued a sweeping rule to ban post-puberty biological males from pro women's golf competition in the first week of December. It is a move that has been widely accepted by the general golf community.
Pro women's golfer Amy Olson even said in an interview with Fox News that women's golfers were "thrilled" about the rule change.
But the idea of such a ban caused legitimate fear for the backlash a year earlier for one major women’s golf tour owner.
Venture capitalist Stuart McKinnon purchased and took control of the NXXT Golf Tour in January 2023. Transgender golfer Hailey Davidson was already a participant of that tour when McKinnon bought it.
A year later, when considering whether to ban Davidson, McKinnon said he had to have a hard conversation with his family, warning them of any potential hateful backlash for it. McKinnon also sent out a poll to the tour’s players asking what they wanted. McKinnon said the poll had to be anonymous so players wouldn’t have to fear retaliation, but almost all the responses were "overwhelmingly" in favor of banning Davidson.
"I sat down with my family, I sat down with all of my daughters and said ‘We’re in this together or not. We potentially will get a lot of backlash, a lot of hatred, people will be against us for this,' and we decided we needed to do what we felt was the right thing, and we did it," McKinnon said during an ICONS X spaces on Dec. 5.
McKinnon pulled the trigger on banning Davidson. Then, he says the decision did not prompt the backlash he warned his daughters about.
"We didn't get sued yet, and we didn't get the negative backlash, it was minimal at best, our lawyers were astonished how much little backlash there was, and it was a lot of love and support," McKinnon said.
McKinnon’s ban of Davidson set a precedent that the rest of the LPGA chose to follow in December, one month after Trump’s election victory.
The Harris campaign and other Democrats attempted to dismiss the issue of trans athletes in sports as "remote." So too has the president of the NCAA, Charlie Baker, who has repeatedly pointed out that there are fewer than 10 transgender athletes in the NCAA, out of 510,000 in total.
But no matter how remote they claim the issue to be, it has happened enough times to resonate with a sizable number of Americans. Even if those Americans haven’t had to encounter it themselves.
Idaho Gov. Brad Little was one of many Republican governors to take direct action on the issue this year. In August, he passed an executive order to enforce the "Defending Women’s Sports Act" in his state, which required schools to take steps to prevent biological males from competing with girls.
Little previously told Fox News Digital that there wasn’t a single instance of trans inclusion that occurred in his state, which prompted this executive order. But that didn't stop the people of his state from supporting a ban anyway. Little also cited former college swimmer Riley Gaines as an influential figure in his decision to pass the order.
Still, Idaho could always fall victim to the ruling of a federal judge even with their ban in place, just as the schools in New Hampshire and Virginia have.
Idaho falls under the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, which is shared with California, Oregon and Washington.
"You always worry about it," Little said. "We are in the Ninth Circuit, Idaho is, which, there is a lot of judges out of California, but that's a problem that we meet with on all kinds of fronts."
California has become a national epicenter for the issue, not just with San Jose State, but several examples at the high school level.
Stone Ridge Christian High School's girls' volleyball team was scheduled to face San Francisco Waldorf in the Northern California Division 6 tournament but forfeited in an announcement just before the match over the presence of a trans athlete on the team. Gaines later held a ceremony with Stone Ridge Christian to celebrate their decision to forfeit.
A transgender volleyball player was booed and harassed at an Oct. 12 match between Notre Dame Belmont in Belmont, California, against Half Moon Bay High School, according to ABC 7. Half Moon Bay rostered the transgender athlete.
In response to complaints of boos and harassment, athletic director Steve Sell of Aragon High School in San Mateo, California, intervened. In his capacity as co-chair of the Peninsula Athletic League Athletic Directors, Sell informed Notre Dame that there could be consequences, according to ABC 7.
Martin Luther King High School in Riverside, California, is currently embroiled in one of the most contentious local controversies on the issue. A recent school board meeting by the Riverside Unified School District on Dec. 19 featured a parade of parents berating the board for allowing a trans athlete on the Martin Luther King girls' cross-country team. A lawsuit filed by two girls on the team allege that their T-shirts in protest of that player were compared to swastikas, simply because they say "Save Girls Sports."
And then, hundreds and hundreds of students at the high school began wearing the shirts every week, multiple sources told Fox News Digital. The school even revised its dress code to outlaw the shirts, and put students in detention for wearing them. But after so many of them began to wear the shirts, the school gave up on its efforts to continue enforcing the dress code.
And the shirts have since become a local social media phenomenon in the community, as multiple protesting parents were seen wearing them at the Dec. 19 meeting.
Dan Slavin, the father of one of the girls involved in the lawsuit, told Fox News Digital this issue may cause his family to take an active hand in campaigning in the 2026 California gubernatorial election.
"If nothing changes here in the next couple of years, it absolutely should be part of the next election," he said.
"I want to see policies change," Slavin added. "I keep saying the system is broken, and it's doing more harm than good. And I want to see people understand that and admit that. Sometimes, we make mistakes, and it's OK to admit that, but we need to make changes and get out of those mistakes we make."
And well beyond the borders of California, it's an issue that has garnered scrutiny on a global level, especially in 2024.
The United Nations released study findings saying that nearly 900 biological females have fallen short of the podium because they have been beaten out by transgender athletes.
The study, titled "Violence against women and girls in sports," said that more than 600 athletes did not medal in more than 400 competitions in 29 different sports, totaling over 890 medals, according to information obtained up to March 30.
"The replacement of the female sports category with a mixed-sex category has resulted in an increasing number of female athletes losing opportunities, including medals, when competing against males," the report said.
And with the next Olympics set to take place in the U.S. in 2028, the final year of Trump's second term, the world will look to see which athletes are allowed to compete in the women's category while on American soil.
And as much as states have tried to wield their autonomy on the issue in recent years, Trump's return could signal wider executive action on it, especially after a Biden administration that has made attempts to act on it as well.
On Jan. 20, 2021, just hours after President Biden assumed office, he issued an executive order on "Preventing and Combating Discrimination on the Basis of Gender Identity or Sexual Orientation."
This order included a section that read, "Children should be able to learn without worrying about whether they will be denied access to the restroom, the locker room, or school sports."
It was just the first in many steps taken by the Biden administration and Democratic lawmakers at the congressional and state level that enabled a sudden wave of trans athletes to compete as girls and women in the U.S. during the current president's term.
Since then, Biden has proposed the rule that would outlaw states banning trans athletes, a proposal his administration has since withdrawn, and issued a sweeping Title IX re-write in April. The Supreme Court struck down a Biden emergency request to enforce its policies in 10 states that were trying to contest it. And then Harris didn't give many answers on the subject during her campaign.
So now Trump is set to take office himself on Jan. 20 with a promise to keep from his famous campaign ad.
