Sports, Entertainment, & Culture

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👋 Good morning! Welcome back. Stat du jour: Only three players in MLB history have homered on the first and last pitch their team saw in a game. Two of them did it in the last week: Pete Crow-Armstrong (Monday) and Randy Arozarena (Saturday). In today's edition: Back to campus, another NBA team sale, Wyndham wins in St. Louis, Coco crowned in Cincy, Premier League kicks off, Spider-Man catch, and more. Yahoo Sports AM is written by Kendall Baker and Jeff Tracy. Let's sports...

🚨 ICYMI HEADLINES 🎾 US Open headlines: World No. 1 Jannik Sinner withdrew from the season's final Grand Slam due to the knee injury that's kept him out since winning Wimbledon; Carlos Alcaraz and Serena Williams are teaming up in mixed doubles. ⚾️ 9 in a row: The Phillies (73-58) are on some kind of roll, winning their ninth straight game on Sunday despite trailing the Cardinals, 4-0, with two outs in the bottom of the ninth. The hero? Who else but Kyle Schwarber, who crushed a walk-off bomb for his MLB-leading 39th homer. 🏀 Veterans on the move: Klay Thompson is signing a two-year, $13 million deal with the Heat after agreeing to a buyout with the Mavericks; DeMar DeRozan is signing a one-year deal with the Nuggets for $3.9 million, the veteran minimum. 🏎️ Norris wins again: McLaren's Lando Norris won Sunday's Dutch Grand Prix, giving the reigning F1 champion back-to-back victories. Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli finished second to maintain a sizable lead atop the standings. 🤖 Score one for the robots: A two-legged machine finished the 100-meter race in 9.39 seconds at the World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing, besting Usain Bolt's world record of 9.58 seconds set in 2009.

🎓 COLLEGE SPORTS CHAOS BACK TO CAMPUS: FROM THE NFL TO LSU Dae'Quan Wright warms up prior to Saturday's preseason game. (Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty Images) College sports had another first last week: An NFL player entered the NCAA transfer portal. Four days later, that player is on track to land at LSU. Driving the news: The Browns waived rookie Dae'Quan Wright on Sunday. If he clears waivers, the former Ole Miss tight end has an agreement in place to reunite with Lane Kiffin and play for the Tigers this season, per ESPN's Adam Schefter. Wright spent four years in college before entering the 2026 NFL Draft. He went undrafted, signed with the Eagles and later landed in Browns training camp. Now, thanks to the chaos engulfing college sports, he could become the first player to suit up for an NFL team and then return to NCAA football. How is this possible? Wright is part of a group of players who sued the NCAA in Louisiana seeking a fifth year of eligibility after the association adopted a new five-year, age-based eligibility policy in June. The players argue that while they're ineligible under the old rules, they would be eligible under the new ones, and shouldn't be punished simply because the change came after their college careers ended. A Louisiana judge agreed, granting the players a fifth season and opening a special week-long transfer portal for them that opened on Thursday. Crucially for Wright, the judge also barred the NCAA from enforcing its longtime ban on players returning to college after signing professional contracts. Wright during an Ole Miss game last fall. (Justin Ford/Getty Images) The backdrop: The lawsuit's lead plaintiff is former LSU edge rusher (and current Tampa Bay Buccaneer) Jack Pyburn, while Wright is one of three former Ole Miss players in the suit who played for Kiffin. In other words, this wasn't random: The lawsuit was an orchestrated effort out of Baton Rouge to bring players like Pyburn and Wright back to campus — and LSU isn't the only school engaging in this. The eligibility madness isn't limited to football, either. Similar lawsuits are unfolding in college basketball, where schools are fighting to gain eligibility for players seeking fifth seasons or attempting to return after going pro. Ross Dellenger, Yahoo Sports: Schools across the country — the same schools that create these eligibility rules that the NCAA is tasked with enforcing — are fighting against those very rules as a way to gain a competitive advantage. Economists will tell you that this is just how a competitive market works: Schools, now paying millions directly to their athletes, are under more financial pressure than ever to win in a competitive market where court rulings have crippled any logical rules enforcement. Much of this is driven by coaches who don't trust that coaches at other schools aren't planning on improving their roster by skirting the rules. As one person put it, "We'll do it before they do." It's another bizarre chapter in major college sports' evolution from amateurism to professionalism — the latest indicator that, perhaps, congressional legislation and/or a collective bargaining agreement is necessary to have regulation. What to watch: The college football season kicks off in less than two weeks, while NFL teams must trim their rosters to 53 players by Aug. 30 — potentially sending another wave of recently cut players searching for a way back to campus. "I need to figure this s*** out," one power conference GM told Yahoo Sports. "It's such a wild time."

🤝 TEAM SALES FIRST A TRICKLE, THEN A FLOOD We can't promise that another professional sports team won't have sold by the time you finish this sentence. Or this one. After the reported sale of the Timberwolves on Friday, the fourth control sale of a "Big Four" franchise this year, all bets are off. Hardwood hustle: The flood of investment money seeking sports ownership has been a boon to minority stake sales, as majority owners can access liquidity without relinquishing their teams. But control sales remain relatively infrequent… except in the NBA, where recent sales are piling up in comparison to peers. NBA: Rockets (2017), Nets (2019), Jazz (2020), Suns (2023), Bucks (2023), Hornets (2023), Mavericks (2023), Timberwolves (2025), Celtics (2025), Lakers (2025), Trail Blazers (2025), Lakers (2026), Timberwolves (2026) NHL: Hurricanes (2018), Coyotes (2019), Penguins (2021), Senators (2023), Lightning (2024), Mammoth (2024), Predators (2025), Penguins (2025) MLB: Marlins (2017), Royals (2019), Mets (2020), Orioles (2024), Rays (2025), Padres (2026) NFL: Panthers (2018), Broncos (2022), Commanders (2023), Seahawks (2026) Trickle, then a flood: Of all 31 control sales in these leagues over the past decade, 23 have come in the last five years, including 16 in the last three years and nine in the last 12 months alone. Sales occur for myriad reasons, from estate matters and planning (Blazers, Seahawks, Padres), to the completion of an investment cycle (Penguins), to extraneous circumstances (Lakers). Uniting most of the exits, though, has been the availability of attractive offers, many of them multiplying the seller's previous entry price. This is an excerpt from today’s Yahoo Sports Biz.

🇺🇸 SNAPSHOTS PHOTOS ACROSS AMERICA "Good game." (Mary DeCicco/MLB Photos via Getty Images) Williamsport, Pennsylvania — The Braves beat the Brewers, 4-2, in Sunday's Little League Classic, which ended on a beautiful double play and, more importantly, with a handshake line to honor their hosts. Who's got next? The Cubs and Blue Jays have already been tabbed to play in next year's Little League Classic, the 10th annual edition of one of MLB's best new traditions. (James Gilbert/PGA Tour via Getty Images) St. Louis, Missouri — Wyndham Clark held on to win the BMW Championship on Sunday for his third victory of the season, tied for the most on Tour. And with that, the 30-man PGA Tour Championship is set. Team USA taking shape: Clark's victory vaulted him into one of the six automatic spots on the U.S. Presidents Cup team for next month's competition. He'll be joined by Scottie Scheffler, Cameron Young, Sam Burns, Russell Henley and Collin Morikawa, plus six picks still to come from captain Brandt Snedeker. (Dylan Buell/Getty Images) Cincinnati, Ohio — Coco Gauff dominated Jessica Pegula on Sunday to capture her second Cincinnati Open crown, joining Serena Williams and Victoria Azarenka as the only women with two titles in the event. On the men's side: Arthur Fils beat Frances Tiafoe to win his first Masters 1000 title. With the win, the 22-year-old moves up to a career-best No. 11 in the world rankings. Kirkwood speeds past the U.S. Capitol. (Roberto Schmidt/AFP via Getty Images) Washington, D.C. — Kyle Kirkwood won Sunday's Freedom 250 Grand Prix, an elaborate 250-mile spectacle that saw IndyCar drivers race around the National Mall to celebrate America's 250th birthday. Chasing the champ: Kirkwood took a big chunk out of Álex Palou's lead atop the standings, but he's still a distant second behind the four-time IndyCar champion (2021, 2023, 2024, 2025) with three races left in the season.

💯 STAT SHEET BIG NUMBERS Nobel Mendy celebrates Hull City's second goal in front of an elated home crowd. (George Wood/Getty Images) ⚽️ 52 years   Newly-promoted Hull City — the last team to earn promotion to the Premier League this season — opened their campaign with a stunner as they took down Manchester United, 2-0, for their first league win over the Red Devils since 1974.   Scoreboard: The Tigers' shutout was one of six during opening weekend, alongside Brighton over Aston Villa (4-0), Arsenal over Coventry (3-0), Brentford over Spurs (3-0), Everton over Palace (2-0) and Leeds over Forest (1-0). Elsewhere: Man City beat Bournemouth (2-1), Ipswich Town beat Sunderland (2-1) and Liverpool salvaged a draw against Newcastle (2-2).   🏈 5.0 YPC   Four-time Pro Bowler Nick Chubb is retiring at age 30, walking away from the NFL as one of the most efficient rushers the league has ever seen. His career mark of 5.0 yards per carry is tied with Gale Sayers and Barry Sanders for the third-best among running backs (min. 900 attempts), trailing only Jim Brown (5.2) and Jamaal Charles (5.4).   Career cut short: Chubb was a wrecking ball for the Browns until he suffered a devastating knee injury in 2023 followed by a broken foot in 2024. Now, rather than push his luck, he's confidently calling it quits. "I say this to all my brothers still on the field, still in the heat of it: There's a life waiting for you after football, too. And health is the real wealth." DeGrom acknowledges the crowd after his 2,000th strikeout. (Ron Jenkins/Getty Images) ⚾️ 2,000 strikeouts   Jacob deGrom notched his 2,000th career strikeout on Friday — in his 1,661st career inning. That's the second-fastest any pitcher has ever reached the milestone, trailing only Chris Sale (1,626 innings).   2K strikeout club: The Rangers ace is the 94th pitcher in MLB history with at least 2,000 strikeouts, and the ninth active player after Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer, Sale, Gerrit Cole, Kevin Gausman, Yu Darvish, Sonny Gray and Aaron Nola. Next up is likely Zack Wheeler (1,964 K), who could reach the mark by season's end.   🏀 7 of 8   The WNBA postseason field is nearly set after the Dream (24-13), Fever (25-14), Liberty (23-15) and Mystics (22-15) all clinched their spots over the weekend. Those four join the Lynx (31-7), Valkyries (25-11) and Aces (26-13) to account for seven of the eight playoff spots.   Eighth coming soon: The Wings (22-16) can clinch the final spot as soon as tomorrow considering their only competition is the Fire (15-22). The remaining six teams have already been eliminated with a month left in the regular season.

📺 VIEWING GUIDE WATCHLIST: MONDAY, AUG. 24 Kayla McBride hits the "Night Night" celebration during Minnesota's win over Golden State last week. (Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) 🏀 Valkyries at Lynx   The WNBA's top two teams meet for the second time in a week (8pm ET, USA), as first-place Minnesota (31-7) — seeking its seventh straight win — hosts second-place Golden State (25-11). The Valkyries are 0-3 against the Lynx this season, and 25-8 against everyone else.   Not slowing down: Rookie phenom Olivia Miles' outstanding numbers have only gotten better as of late. During Minnesota's six-game winning streak, the MVP contender is averaging 21.0 points, 3.7 rebounds and 8.2 assists, while shooting a scorching 46% from long range.   More to watch: ⚾️ MLB: Rays at Tigers (6:40pm, FS1) … Tampa Bay's Drew Rasmussen (13-5, 3.01 ERA, 0.95 WHIP) has quietly been one of the AL's best pitchers this year. ⚽️ Premier League: Fulham vs. Chelsea (3pm, USA) … The West London derby closes out Week 1. 🚴 Vuelta a España: Stage 3 (8:45am, NBCSN) … The peloton travels 104 miles through France as the race makes its way to Spain. 🎾 U.S. Open: Qualifying (11am, ESPN2) … Players battle for the final 16 spots in the men's and women's singles draws.

🏀 LET'S PLAY TRIVIA TIME (Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images) 18 years ago today, the "Redeem Team" won gold at the Beijing Olympics, restoring order to the basketball world after Team USA's disappointing bronze in 2004. Question: Which country did the U.S. beat in that gold medal game? Answer at the bottom.

🎥 HIGHLIGHT REEL CATCH OF THE YEAR?! (Washington Nationals) Nationals center fielder Jacob Young climbed the wall like Spider-Man on Sunday in Miami to make one of the best catches you'll ever see.

Trivia answer: Spain

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👋 Good morning! Today's GeoSports is live, with questions written by yours truly. Tap in and see how you score. In today's edition: The Brewers' recipe for success, Angel Reese's historic night, mixed doubles takes center stage, Yahoo Fantasy introduces a new position, a bearish bet on baseball, Robot Olympics, and more. Yahoo Sports AM is written by Kendall Baker and Jeff Tracy. Let's sports...

🚨 ICYMI HEADLINES 🏀 Angel's historic night: Angel Reese grabbed 26 rebounds in Atlanta's win over the Sparks, breaking Chamique Holdsclaw's record of 24 for the most in a single WNBA game. With the performance, Reese also broke A'ja Wilson’s record for most rebounds in a season (458 and counting). 🏈 Watson named QB1: Deshaun Watson has won the starting job in Cleveland over Shedeur Sanders, the team announced Monday. After multiple Achilles injuries, he's now in line to start his first game since 2024. ⚾️ 3 HR for Big Dumper: Cal Raleigh had by far the best game of his disappointing season on Monday, posting the first three-homer game of his career in the Mariners' win over the Phillies. He now has 17 HR and a .618 OPS on the year after posting 60 HR and a .948 OPS last year. 🚲 Vuelta halted for hail: Stage 3 of the Vuelta a España was abandoned due to a dangerous hailstorm with just a few kilometers left on Monday. The season's final grand tour resumes today with Tadej Pogačar (who else?) leading the way. ⛳️ Bryson's cryptic message: Is Bryson DeChambeau's run with LIV Golf over? That seems like a distinct possibility after the breakaway tour's biggest name shared a series of photos from LIV Golf events on Instagram with the caption, "It was a good run."

⚾️ SMALL BALL, BABY THE BEST TEAM IN BASEBALL DOESN'T HIT HOME RUNS (John Fisher/Getty Images) Last season, the Brewers won a franchise-record 97 games. This season, they're on pace to eclipse 100 wins as they hurtle toward their fourth straight division crown. How does a small-market club keep doing this? What's their recipe for success? Small ball, baby: Milwaukee (81-50) has the best record in baseball despite ranking dead last in home runs (120). Instead of slugging long balls, they manufacture runs in a way that would make Billy Beane proud: they get on base. The Brewers have the second-best OBP in the majors (.337), powered by the second-best walk rate (10.7%) and third-best batting average (.254). And once they get on base the fun really begins, as they also rank third in stolen bases (129) and sacrifice bunts (30). The combination of smart baseball and just enough slugging (they're top five in doubles) has yielded a team with MLB's best run differential (+161). Pitching helps, too: NL Cy Young frontrunner Jacob Misiorowski (13-5, 1.68 ERA) gets the headlines, and deservedly so, but the rotation would fall apart behind him if not for the excellence of Logan Henderson (8-2, 2.60 ERA) and Kyle Harrison (10-3, 2.84 ERA). And in the latter half of games, the Brewers hand the reins over to MLB's third-best bullpen (3.33 ERA). What they're saying: "I don't think we've played great," manager Pat Murphy said last week despite mountains of evidence to the contrary. "We haven't really jelled. We haven't really come together." And yet here they are with MLB's best record even as some of their clubhouse leaders have had down years. "Maybe that's the secret," he added. "Maybe this team still plays well enough to be close when they're not at their best." Will it translate in October? Small ball-reliant teams can thrive over the course of 162 games, but they tend to struggle in the playoffs, just as the Brewers have in the past three years (two wild card exits, one NLCS sweep). Could this be the year Milwaukee bucks that trend? Or will power hitters rule the postseason* once again? *Teams that out-homer their opponents have gone 53-13 (.803) across the last two postseasons, and each of the last six World Series champions ranked in the top four in home runs during the regular season.

🎾 US OPEN MIXED DOUBLES TAKES CENTER STAGE Novak Djokovic and Aryna Sabalenka. (Ben Whitley/PA Images via Getty Images) A reimagined mixed doubles event has transformed the week before the US Open main draw from an overlooked sideshow into a must-see event. Shlomo Sprung, Yahoo Sports: Across the tennis world, mixed doubles had been considered an afterthought. For years, the US Open had placed it in the third week of the tournament, overshadowed by men's and women's singles while the sport's best players are either still participating in singles or moving on to the next tournament. In 2025, the United States Tennis Association made a scheduling change that singlehandedly revived the competition. In an effort for the US Open to legitimize what it calls Fan Week, the qualifying week before the main singles and doubles draws begin with free admission for spectators, the USTA moved mixed doubles to the last full week in August, when top players were more available, and gave the winning team $1 million. The plan was a spectacular success. The tournament drove 78,000 fans to the Open grounds and sold out the nearly 24,000-seat Arthur Ashe Stadium on both nights, which meant millions in added revenue from concession and merchandise sales. More than 2 million fans visited the Open's mobile app and website, and its YouTube channel set a single-day record with 12.8 million views, the USTA said. "We wanted to give [mixed doubles] the spotlight it deserved," Brendan McIntyre, the US Open's head of communications and content, told Yahoo Sports. "The players also embraced it, and the star power in the field was evidence of that. There was never a doubt that we would be bringing it back for this year." Star-studded bracket: This year's tournament, which began with Monday's qualifiers, features seven of the top 10 ranked women in the world and six of the top 10 men. Notable pairings include: Serena Williams and Carlos Alcaraz: The GOAT continues her comeback tour alongside the young Spaniard, who's back from an injury. Aryna Sabalenka and Novak Djokovic: The two-time defending singles champ teams up with the legendary 24-time grand slam champion. Jessica Pegula and Taylor Fritz: This all-American pair is poised to be fan favorites. And both are in good form. Elina Svitolina and Gael Monfils: Husband and wife will compete together as Monfils plays in his final grand slam before his retirement after this season.

🏈 NEW FEATURE OFFENSE COMES TO YAHOO FANTASY Our 29 Days of Fantasy is still going strong, and we just dropped one of the biggest new features yet: an entirely new roster position. Introducing Team Offense: Defenses have been a standard part of fantasy leagues for decades; now, offenses are joining the fray. The position was introduced as a default roster spot when we launched College Fantasy Football last month, and now it's an option in our NFL game, too. How it works: For leagues that choose to include this roster spot, full team offenses will be a draftable position, earning (or losing) points in seven different ways: TD scored: +3 First 300 yards of offense: +1.5 Every 50 additional yards: +0.25 FG made: +1 Turnover: -2 Win: +1 Loss: -1 Pro tip: Based on last season's stats, offenses score appreciably more fantasy points than defense/special teams (the top D/ST would not have cracked the top 10 OFF), so you should target the position accordingly in your draft, writes Yahoo Sports' Hayden Winks. Not sure who to take? Here are Hayden's top 10 fantasy offenses entering the season: (Yahoo Sports) The NFL regular season kicks off two weeks from tomorrow. Create or join a Yahoo Fantasy Football league today!

📉 JOCK STOCKS A BEARISH BET ON BASEBALL Sports team valuations are rising at a breakneck pace, but at least some investors are betting they'll head in the other direction. A Brave trade: Investors are shorting Atlanta Braves stock in record numbers. The company's short interest, the percentage of shares available for trading that have been sold short, is sitting just off the highest levels seen in its trading history, as highlighted last week by Bloomberg. As of July 31, short interest was 6.59% of the float. For context, the median short interest of S&P 500 stocks was 3.0% this spring. Shorting activity has increased sharply in the spring and summer against the backdrop of an ongoing MLB labor dispute and a challenging local media environment. Heavy lies the crown: As one of the few publicly traded major American sports teams — and the only MLB team — the Braves could serve as a proxy for pessimistic views on the league or the broader sports ecosystem. The former is more likely given current circumstances, with the prospect of a lockout looming large. An outcome favorable to ownership, however, could send shares higher. No rally caps needed: Though short interest may be on the rise, it has done little to slow the momentum of Braves shares, which have risen steadily in recent months in reaction to surging investment interest in the sports world. The stock is up over 33% in 2026. This story first appeared in Yahoo Sports Biz, our new sports business newsletter authored by Dylan Dittrich. Join 300,000+ subscribers and get it in your inbox.

🤖 MEANWHILE, IN CHINA IN PHOTOS: ROBOT OLYMPICS (Pedro Pardo/AFP via Getty Images) The second annual World Humanoid Robot Games are underway in Beijing, where over 600 teams — and 2,000 robots — from 16 countries are competing in the five-day event at the National Speed Skating Oval, built for the 2022 Winter Olympics. (Pedro Pardo/AFP via Getty Images) Rise of the machines: The robots, which in some cases are fully autonomous (i.e. required no remote control), are competing in 51 different events ranging from sports like soccer, kickboxing, running and table tennis to non-athletic endeavors such as household chores and hotel services. (Pedro Pardo/AFP via Getty Images) Run, robot, run: The biggest headline so far is that a robot ran the 100m dash in 9.39 seconds, faster than Usain Bolt's world record from 2009 (9.58). But perhaps the bigger headline should be that the fastest 100m time last year was 21.5 seconds, illustrating how rapidly these machines are improving. (Pedro Pardo/AFP via Getty Images) Made in China: The government-backed Games remain part of a larger initiative in China, where the country is investing heavily in robotics and artificial intelligence. To wit, the World Robot Conference is also currently underway in Beijing.

📺 VIEWING GUIDE WATCHLIST: TUESDAY, AUG. 25 (Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) ⚾️ Dodgers at Braves   Atlanta hosts tonight's battle of first-place teams (7:15pm ET, TBS), as Tyler Glasnow (3-0, 2.72 ERA) takes the mound for the Dodgers and Bryce Elder (8-7, 3.92 ERA) gets the start for the Braves.   Hot and cold: The Dodgers (80-51) have put their post-deadline swoon behind them, winning six straight to increase their division lead over the Padres to 9.5 games. The Braves (76-55), on the other hand, have lost seven of 10, and their lead over the surging Phillies is down to just 3.5 games.   🎾 US Open, Mixed Doubles   The star-studded event kicks off in earnest today (10am, ESPN2) in Flushing Meadows, where some of the top names in the sport will compete for a $1 million grand prize.   Legends in primetime: Later on this evening, Roger Federer returns to the court for an exhibition match (8pm, ESPN2) alongside fellow US Open champions Andy Roddick, Andre Agassi and John McEnroe.   More to watch: 🏀 WNBA: Fire at Wings (8pm, NBA) … Dallas (22-16) clinches the final playoff spot with a win. ⚽️ Leagues Cup: Chicago Fire vs. Monterrey (8:30pm, Apple); Real Salt Lake vs. León (10:30pm, Apple) … Quarterfinals. 🚴 Vuelta a España: Stage 4 (8:45am, Peacock) … Riders travel 65 miles through the mountains of Andorra.

🌍 LET'S PLAY GEOSPORTS GeoSports is back in Yahoo Sports AM, and I'll be writing the questions every Tuesday. How to play: You'll be asked five trivia questions that combine sports with geography (like the question pictured above). Tap where it happened! The closer you are, the more points you get.

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👋 Good morning! Happy Hump Day. In today's edition: New alarming CTE study, conferences ban pro players, match play returns to PGA Tour, stadiums getting smaller and more premium, old man on campus, and more. Yahoo Sports AM is written by Kendall Baker and Jeff Tracy. Let's sports...

🚨 ICYMI HEADLINES 🎓 Big Ten, SEC ban pros: In the midst of college sports' eligibility crisis, the Big Ten and SEC have both approved bans on former professional athletes who want to return to play in college. Which, I don't know, seems pretty obvious? The ACC and Big 12 are considering the same ban. 🏀 The field is set: The Wings beat the Fire on Tuesday to clinch the WNBA's eighth and final playoff spot. While the field is set, seeding is still very much up for grabs, with second-place Golden State (26-11) and eighth-place Dallas (23-16) separated by just four games. ⚾️ 9 in a row: The last-place Royals (59-74) won their ninth straight game on Tuesday, becoming the first AL team since the 1910 White Sox to win that many consecutive games after entering said streak at least 24 games under .500. 🏈 49ers owner arrested: Jed York, the principal owner of the 49ers, was arrested on Sunday in Ohio after responding to a fictitious prostitution ad posted online by the police. York was charged with a pair of misdemeanors and sentenced to two days in jail. ⚾️ NCAA approves ABS: The automated ball-strike system has been approved for all divisions of college baseball. The ruling gives teams the option, when available, to implement a system to challenge balls and strikes like the one now seen in MLB.

🧠 BRAIN DISEASE STUDY: AT LEAST 25% OF NFL PLAYERS HAD CTE (Amber Matsumoto/Yahoo Sports) A new study of NFL players who had played in at least one game and died between 2016-2021 showed at least 25% of them had chronic traumatic encephalopathy, the degenerative brain disease known as CTE. What they're saying: "We've known that this disease process can be caused by, in part, repeated traumatic brain injury. But we didn't know how common it was," said Dr. Daniel Daneshvar of Mass General Brigham, the lead author of the study. The study used brain samples from the UNITE Brain Bank at Boston University, where the brains of more than 330 players who died from 2008-2021 have been donated. Researchers tested the brains of 235 of the 878 players who died from 2016-2021 for CTE and found the disease in 215 of them. Of note: The authors of the study, published Tuesday in The British Medical Journal, said the 25% estimate is likely low, as it doesn't account for deceased players whose brains were not tested. Jori Epstein, Yahoo Sports: The NFL has tweaked rules in recent decades in hopes of reducing the frequency and severity of concussions and associated traumatic brain injuries. Helmet regulations have advanced, including the increasing popularity of the league's Guardian Cap. Concussion protocols have become stricter and more formalized. The most dangerous phase of the game for head injuries — the NFL kickoff, where high-speed collisions unfolded often — has been overhauled. Still, the football ecosystem seems to tacitly acknowledge head injuries will not be eliminated from the sport anytime soon. Instead, the league, union and researchers wonder how to treat the conditions that result from this inherent risk. NFLPA executive director JC Tretter and NFLPA medical director Dr. Thom Mayer met with the lead author of the study published Tuesday, a union source told Yahoo Sports. The union will hold a call with medical experts in the coming weeks to answer player questions and create a forum for discussion. The league said it will continue to consider in-game safety strategies. The last word: "Many of the symptoms associated with CTE are treatable with the right care," Dr. Daneshvar advised in an email to players. "While we don't have a cure yet, we have seen improvements in players who receive care from doctors specializing in neurodegenerative disease and who know how to treat athletes. No one should walk away thinking there's nothing they can do."

⛳️ COMING SOON MATCH PLAY RETURNS TO THE PGA TOUR Tommy Fleetwood hoists the FedEx Cup trophy after winning last year's Tour Championship. (Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images) On the eve of the season finale at East Lake Golf Club, the PGA Tour has announced plans for a radical reinvention of its playoff system: match play is coming back. How it works: Starting in 2028 — which is also the first year the tour will split into its dual-track Championship and Challenger Series — the PGA Tour will replace the current three-round stroke-play playoffs with two weeks of match play to determine that year's champion. This will mark the first time match play has taken place on the PGA Tour since 2023. Series Finale: The final 72-hole stroke-play event of the season will feature the top 90 players on the season-long points list. When the event ends, the No. 1 player will be crowned regular-season champion and the top 32 will advance to the Tour Championship. Tour Championship, Week 1: The field of 32 will be split into eight groups of four, similar to the World Cup. Group members will square off in a round-robin of 1v1 matches, with the top two per group advancing to Week 2. Tour Championship, Week 2: The 16 remaining players compete in a bracket-style match play event, culminating in the final 1v1 match on Sunday afternoon for the title of Tour Champion. How about the venues? Unlike the current Tour Championship, which has been held at East Lake outside Atlanta since 2004, the new format will take place at "rotating, prestigious venues." That change is made possible because the new format is about player vs. player instead of player vs. course, as explained in this excellent infographic video. Big picture: This new playoff model is part of new PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp's plan to make the season more comprehensible to fans and more competitive for players. The current format allows top players to ease their way through the first few rounds or even skip them entirely, while the new one will more closely mirror an actual playoff.

💯 STAT SHEET BIG NUMBERS (Ethan Palowitz/Yahoo Sports) 🏈 413 touches   Those considering drafting Christian McCaffrey for their fantasy team, beware: He had an NFL-high 413 touches last season, which has historically spelled disaster for running backs in the subsequent season. As you can see above, just one RB in the past decade posted a top-10 fantasy season a year after leading the league in touches (Ezekiel Elliott in 2019).   Wild stat: Over the last 11 seasons, the first RB selected in the NFL Draft has outscored the previous season's fantasy RB1 nine times, notes Yahoo Sports' Joel Smyth. In other words, history says you should take Jeremiyah Love over McCaffrey in your upcoming draft.   ⚾️ 30 saves   Aroldis Chapman keeps racking up milestones, notching his 30th save of the season on Monday to become just the fourth pitcher in MLB history with 10 such seasons. The others are Hall of Famers Mariano Rivera (15), Trevor Hoffman (14) and Lee Smith (10).   Speaking of milestones: The hard-throwing lefty, enjoying another excellent year in Boston (1.81 ERA), is just three saves shy of becoming the ninth pitcher ever with 400 career saves. (Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images) ⚽️ $3.35 million   The "Hand of God" ball that Diego Maradona infamously netted during the 1986 World Cup quarterfinals has sold for $3.35 million at auction. That's well short of its estimated $10 million price tag, though still above the bidding levels reached in two prior auction attempts in the early 2020s, when the ball failed to meet its reserve.*   Booming market: Ambitious estimate aside, this is another multimillion-dollar sale in a market where those are suddenly commonplace. Put together Maradona's jersey ($3.35M), armband ($512k) and the ball ($9.3M) from the game and you have over $13 million in memorabilia.   🏀 2,899 threes   Klay Thompson, officially introduced by the Heat on Tuesday, is sitting on 2,899 career 3-pointers, just 75 shy of passing Ray Allen for the third-most all-time. And given he hit 202 triples last season in Dallas even in a supporting role, it's safe to assume the 36-year-old — who called his upcoming campaign "a redemption season" — will catch Allen.   How high can he climb? Third place is likely Thompson's ceiling considering the only other players ahead of him are James Harden (3,390) and Steph Curry (4,248), who are both still active and playing at a pretty high level. *A reserve price is set by the consignor (seller) of an item at auction. If bidding doesn't reach that reserve price, which is often known only to the consignor and the auction house, the item does not sell and the consignor retains it.

🏗️ FIXER UPPERS BIGGER AND BETTER IS NO MORE (Ishika Samant/Getty Images) As the US Open welcomes hundreds of thousands of people for Fan Week, they'll notice that Arthur Ashe Stadium has a new look after extensive renovations. But if fans around the world look closely, they'll see that what happened at Ashe is happening just about everywhere. Down to the court and upmarket: Arthur Ashe, the US Open's crown jewel, is in the midst of $800 million worth of renovations, the results of which will be visible at this year's tournament. The stadium's total capacity has not changed materially, but the reallocation of that capacity is significant. The courtside-level bowl has been expanded from 3,000 to 5,000 seats, and there are now two dedicated luxury suite levels. Much of this new capacity was created by a reduction in the loge level, which lost 3,500 seats. In simpler terms, cheaper seats were removed to make way for premium and hospitality offerings, which generate higher revenue. Global phenomenon: Frustration with the increasingly costly US Open is inescapable, but the adjustments to Ashe are merely one example of a far more common trend across professional sports. In fact, that Ashe's capacity remained stable perhaps positions it among the friendlier updates. The broader trend is for stadiums to get smaller and more premium. NFL: The new Highmark Stadium (Bills) seats approximately 9,600 fewer people than Ralph Wilson, and ticket prices are reportedly up 88% over last year. MLB: Recent renovations to Citi Field (Mets) and Progressive Field (Guardians) have shifted seating allocations to more premium options. NBA/NHL: The upcoming transformation of Capital One Arena (Wizards, Capitals) will roughly double the percentage of capacity allocated to premium seating to ~40%. Soccer: Manchester United controversially relocated long-time season ticket holders to clear space for new hospitality seating. Optimize and ostracize? The quest to optimize seating allocations and maximize per-seat revenue yield is generally not lost on fans. It adds another arrow to the fan-frustration quiver in a revenue-crazed professional sports industry. This is an excerpt from today's edition of Yahoo Sports Biz. To read the full story, and get the inside scoop on all things sports business, sign up here.

🇨🇴 MEANWHILE, IN COLOMBIA IN PHOTOS: SOCCER FESTIVAL (Diego Cuevas/Getty Images) The annual Botas, Ruana y Sombrero Festival took place last week in Jenesano, Colombia, as the four-day event brought together residents from different towns for a soccer tournament in which participants wear boots, traditional ruana (woolen poncho) and hats. (Diego Cuevas/Getty Images) There are separate men's and women's tournaments, and people of all ages are welcome to participate. The festival also includes other cultural expressions of the region like its music and food. (Diego Cuevas/Getty Images) A player takes a swig of Guarapo, a traditional beverage made from fresh-squeezed sugarcane juice mixed with ice and lime. (Diego Cuevas/Getty Images) Either this guy is making a highlight-worthy save, or the soccer rules at this festival are more lenient than we're used to.

📺 VIEWING GUIDE WATCHLIST: WEDNESDAY, AUG. 26 Married couple Monfils and Svitolina are in the semis tonight. (Brad Penner/USTA via Getty Images) 🎾 US Open, Mixed Doubles   Elina Svitolina and Gaël Monfils face Belinda Bencic and Flavio Cobolli in tonight's first semifinal (7pm ET, ESPN2), followed by Karolína Muchová and Jakub Menšík vs. Mirra Andreeva and Andrey Rublev in the second. Then the winners square off in the $1 million championship (9pm, ESPN).   Abbreviated format: The only way they can squeeze this tournament into two days is with quicker contests. All matches before the final are best-of-three sets to four games, with no-ad scoring (i.e. just one deciding point at deuce) and a 10-point tiebreak used in lieu of a deciding third set. The final is the same, but with sets to six games instead of four.   More to watch: ⚾️ MLB: Astros at Yankees (7:05pm, Prime) … Houston (66-66) is in a tight race for both the AL West and third wild card, while New York (74-57) sits comfortably in the first wild card spot. ⚾️ LLWS: Nicaragua vs Curaçao (1 pm, ESPN); Nevada vs Iowa (3pm, ESPN) … Winners book their spots in the International and U.S. Championships. ⚽️ Leagues Cup: Austin FC vs. Toluca (8:30pm, Apple/FS1); Columbus Crew vs. Club América (10:45pm, Apple/FS1) … Quarterfinals. 🚴 Vuelta a España: Stage 5 (8:45am, Peacock) … Five stages in, the Vuelta has finally reached Spain.

🎾 LET'S PLAY TRIVIA TIME (Caleb Bowlin/Getty Images) Roger Federer, who returned to Flushing Meadows on Tuesday for a special exhibition, is one of three men in the Open Era to win five US Open singles titles. Question: Who are the other two? Hint: Same country. Answer at the bottom.

🏈 RISK OR RUST OLD MAN ON CAMPUS (Justin Buzzard) Justin Buzzard, a 47-year-old pastor, husband and father of three, has made the football team at San Jose City College. Buzzard played growing up, but thought an injury had ended his career in the 1990s; now, he's back in game shape and ready to contribute as a defensive end. What he's saying: "Risk or rust," said Buzzard, spreading his message as he's taken on this new chapter in his life. "You're either risking or you're rusting as a man. Take risks. Don't rust."

Trivia answer: Pete Sampras and Jimmy Connors

[phkrause]

👋 Good morning! There's a new UConn women's basketball docuseries on Apple TV, and a new Vince Young documentary on Netflix. Highly recommend both. In today's edition: LIV Golf timeline, NFL axes the Pro Bowl, Behind the Lens with Getty Images, fantasy football punishments, Champions League draw, the US Open's $23 pour, and more. Yahoo Sports AM is written by Kendall Baker and Jeff Tracy. Let's sports...

🚨 ICYMI HEADLINES 🏈 NFL axes Pro Bowl: The NFL is pulling the plug on the Pro Bowl amid declining interest. Instead, the league will simply name a Pro Bowl team — consisting of 88 players — and invite them to Los Angeles for an in-person celebration in February, presumably during Super Bowl week. 🏀 Historic viewership: Sunday's Fever-Sky matchup drew 3.3 million viewers on NBC and Peacock, making it the most-watched WNBA regular-season game since the league's inaugural weekend in 1997. 🎾 Doubles champs: Karolína Muchová and Jakub Menšík won the US Open's unique mixed doubles tournament on Wednesday, taking home a $1 million grand prize (or $500,000 each). Not bad for two days' work. 💵 Battles of the Busses: Jeanie Buss has petitioned a Los Angeles Superior Court to block her five siblings from selling the family's 17.8% stake in the Lakers. Meanwhile, two of those siblings, Joey and Jesse, acquired 5% of the Padres. ⚾️ Ohtani nears return: Shohei Ohtani will throw a bullpen session tomorrow and, if all goes well, could start on Sunday against the Tigers, according to Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. The two-way star hasn't pitched since July 3 due to knee and biceps injuries.

⛳️ MONEY GAME SPLITTING THE FAIRWAY: HOW LIV FRACTURED GOLF (Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images) As the curtain closed on LIV Golf Indianapolis this past weekend, it may have ended not just the season but — at minimum — version 1.0 of the upstart golf league, which plans to lay off the majority of its staff amid an uncertain future. Whether LIV ultimately lives on or not, the disruption it unleashed forever changed golf.   The build-up (2020-21)   Rumblings of an upstart PGA Tour challenger materialized in the early 2020s, a startling reality that the Tour met swiftly with both repudiation (for competitors) and retention efforts (for players). January 2020: The World Golf Group, believed to be financed by Saudi backers, announces plans for the Premier Golf League. PGA commissioner Jay Monahan warns that aligning with PGL could lead to PGA ineligibility. April 2021: PGA unveils the Player Impact Program, which will reward the top 10 "needle-moving" players with a $40 million bonus pool. October 2021: LIV Golf Investments is officially announced, with Greg Norman named CEO. November 2021: The PGA reveals significant increases in player pay for the upcoming season. The launch (2022)   LIV played its first events in mid 2022. With those events came the first defections, many of them high-profile, thoroughly unsettling a golf establishment religious in its traditions. February 2022: It's revealed that Phil Mickelson is involved with LIV Golf, and he extolls the newfound leverage over the PGA Tour to Alan Shipnuck. March 2022: LIV announces inaugural eight-event, $255 million series for 2022 beginning in London in June. May 2022: PGA Tour denies players' release request to play in LIV events. Dustin Johnson, Sergio Garcia, and Louis Oosthuizen are among the players revealed as participants in the first event. June 2022: Charl Schwartzel wins LIV Golf London, the competition's first event. Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka are among the stars to join in the following weeks. August 2022: 11 LIV Players file an antitrust suit against the PGA Tour. The PGA Tour announces the addition of new Elevated Events, increased purses, and commitments from top players to play 20 events. October 2022: The PGA Tour files a lawsuit against Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) and its governor. (Matthew Lewis/Getty Images) The negotiations (2023-24)   The opposing parties soon began a negotiating dance, exploring the terms of a possible merger while also navigating their own independent business aspirations. June 2023: The PGA Tour, PIF and DP World Tour announce a "framework agreement" to form a new entity and end litigation. December 2023: Parties move to extend the December 31 deadline for their merger. Jon Rahm joins LIV. January 2024: The PGA Tour announces a $3 billion investment deal with Strategic Sports Group. The deal will give players up to $1.5 billion in equity in a new commercial entity, PGA Tour Enterprises. March 2024: A PGA Tour delegation that includes Tiger Woods meets with LIV officials in the Bahamas for "constructive" talks. A false new dawn (2025)   2025 brought new blood into LIV leadership, but the weight of past investment began to catch up with the upstart league, and cracks emerged. January 2025: Scott O'Neil replaces Greg Norman as CEO of LIV Golf. The competition signs a multi-year media rights agreement with Fox Sports. February 2025: Adam Scott, Jay Monahan, Tiger Woods and Yasir Al-Rumayyan join President Trump at the White House for merger talks, briefly increasing prospects of reunification. October 2025: Financial disclosures show that LIV's international division lost $590 million in 2024, bringing three-year losses to $1.4 billion. The company had reportedly received $4 billion in equity injections through the end of 2024. December 2025: Koepka leaves LIV, citing "personal reasons." The beginning of the end of LIV 1.0 (2026)   Speculation about the loss of ongoing funding soon became reality, as LIV scrambled to court prospective investors and forge a path toward the end of this season and the beginning of a new one. January 2026: Koepka rejoins the PGA Tour through the Returning Member Program, which applies to four elite players. April 2026: PIF releases its new 2026-2030 investment strategy, which appears to deemphasize sports relative to the prior cycle. An emergency meeting is called at LIV's Mexico event amid (later confirmed) speculation that PIF is pulling funding. August 2026: LIV announces that it has secured a new lead investor to fund the upcoming season in a structure that will make its players the majority equity holders. LIV's Team Championship event is canceled, and the purse for LIV Golf Indianapolis is halved. Looking ahead: LIV's new structure could reportedly require reduced purses, a bankruptcy filing and restructured player contracts, raising questions about the league's viability, whether its players want to stick around and what their potential path back to the PGA Tour might look like. This story first appeared in Yahoo Sports Biz, our new sports business newsletter. Sign up here to begin receiving it every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

📸 PHOTOGRAPHY BEHIND THE LENS (Donald Miralle/Getty Images) Each week in Yahoo Sports AM, we'll be going "Behind the Lens" with Getty Images to get the backstory on the best photographs in sports. This week's photo: A woman competes during the preliminary heats of the 2026 Super Girl Surf Festival, the world's largest women's surf and music festival. Photographer: Donald Miralle Location: Oceanside, California Date: August 22 📸 Behind the lens: Here's Donald… As a life-long surfer, I love the opportunity to shoot the "Sport of Kings," especially if it's in my own backyard. I saw the forecast called for epic weather and clean surf all weekend for the event, which is now in its 20th year. I have been a licensed and insured drone pilot since the inception of the first prosumer DJI drones circa 2010, back when they were pretty rudimentary and no one used them yet at sporting events. Now most photographers and videographers carry them as an essential part of their camera bag for good reason! In this particular shot, I saw how the light was cutting through the water, revealing the sand churning below, as well as the contrast of the breaking wave with the surfer wearing the red jersey. I captured this frame about 60 feet above the surfer to avoid distracting her with the drone props while still capturing a wider scene. I composed the surfer off-center in the frame using the rule of thirds, giving the photo room to breathe a little with the dynamic of her cutback and the wave. Since I was only shooting photos and not video, I really didn't have to fly very long to capture this, but just had to predict when her turn was going to happen on the wave as there's a long delay on triggering of the shutter for the drone, and you really only get one frame. Happy it all came together in the photo, and shows the beauty of the sport and our local break! Equipment and technique: Donald shot this with a DJI Mavic Pro, using a wide angle lens with an f/4 aperture and a shutter speed of 1/2500th of a second at a setting of ISO 100.

📚 GO DEEPER GOOD READS (Grant Thomas/Yahoo Sports) 🏈 Jeff Eisenberg: Lose your fantasy league, suffer the consequences: Inside the wild world of last-place punishments Last-place punishments have long been a fantasy football staple, providing incentive for bottom-dwelling managers to keep trying after they've already been eliminated from playoff contention. In recent years, leagues have become increasingly creative and ruthless with their punishments, making the battle to avoid last place as high stakes as the race to finish first. (Taylor Wilhelm/Yahoo Sports) 🥊 Elliot Worsell: What does boxing's world heavyweight title actually mean in 2026? In the old days, back when the meaning was clearer, the belts of boxers were pretty things coveted by all. Now, all we hear is that there are too many belts in boxing and that the proliferation of them has diluted what it means to be seen wearing one. There is even talk of boxing's belts being removed altogether. (Amy Monks/Yahoo Sports) 🏈 Ross Dellenger: SEC v. LSU? Lane Kiffin's brazen approach raises question of whether league would sue its own school A month ago, Lane Kiffin turned toward a reporter and agreed that LSU had, indeed, become the villain of college football. He is the central figure — the brash man who signed a $90 million contract, who unabashedly exploits loopholes, who left his former program for an archrival amid a postseason run, and who, one day, believes he'll be a hero. Why? Kiffin smiled. "You'll be a hero if you win."

📺 VIEWING GUIDE WATCHLIST: THURSDAY, AUG. 27 The clubhouse and 18th green at East Lake. (Ben Jared/PGA TOUR via Getty Images) ⛳️ Tour Championship   The top 30 golfers tee it up today (11am ET, ESPN; 1pm, Golf) at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta for the season finale, where a staggering $40 million purse, including a $10 million grand prize, is up for grabs.   Notable tee times: Three-time champion Rory McIlroy and three-time runner-up Xander Schauffele (12:54pm); defending champion Tommy Fleetwood and Ludvig Åberg (1:12pm); Wyndham Clark and Cameron Young (1:48pm); Scottie Scheffler and Matt Fitzpatrick (2pm).   🏈 NFL Preseason, Week 3   The final week of the preseason begins tonight with a four-game slate: Steelers at Bills (7pm, NFL); Patriots at Browns (8pm, Prime); 49ers at Raiders (8pm, ESPN+); Rams at Chargers (10pm, NFL).   Counting down the days: The NFL regular season kicks off in 13 days, with the Seahawks hosting the Patriots on Sept. 9 in a rematch of Super Bowl LX.   More to watch: ⚾️ LLWS: Iowa vs. Ohio (9am, ESPN); Nicaragua vs. Japan (9am, ESPN2) … Winners join Nevada and Curaçao in the U.S. and International Championship games. ⚾️ MLB: Dodgers at Braves (7:15pm, FS1) … Yoshinobu Yamamoto (12-7, 2.61 ERA) and Chris Sale (12-9, 2.20 ERA) square off in a battle of aces. 🏀 WNBA: Valkyries at Liberty (8pm, Prime) … Golden State's defense is in a league of its own, allowing just 76.3 ppg. Plus: ⛳️ LPGA: FM Championship at TPC Boston (9am, Golf); 🚲 Vuelta a España: Stage 6 (8:45am, Peacock); 🎾 US Open: Rising Stars Exhibitions (6pm, ESPN+)

⚽️ LET'S PLAY TRIVIA TIME The Champions League trophy ahead of today's draw. (Francesco Scaccianoce/UEFA via Getty Images) The 2026-27 Champions League field is officially set, and the draw to determine the League Phase fixtures will take place today. Question: Can you name the five clubs that have won at least five Champions League titles? Hint: Spain (2x), England, Italy, Germany. Answer at the bottom.

🍈 LIQUID GOLD THE US OPEN'S $23 POUR Fans of the US Open's famous novelty drink, the Honey Deuce, can rejoice, as the price of the drink was frozen at an ever-so-modest $23 this year. Yes, but: Despite the price freeze, the drink's price has still risen far more sharply than broader inflation and alcoholic-beverage-specific inflation since its introduction at $12 in 2007. No deterrent: The price has not hampered demand. The USTA sold 738,459 Honey Deuces (+32%) at last year's tournament, grossing over $17 million in revenue.

Trivia answer: Real Madrid (15 titles), AC Milan (7), Liverpool (6), Bayern Munich (6), Barcelona (5)