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Over the next three months, the nominating and voting process for the Best Fan Ever will unfold across the country.(Photo: Illustration by USA TODAY Sports) Tim McKernan wore nothing but a hat, boots and a painted orange barrel suspended around his waist in winning a $10 bet with his brother. McKernan wagered he could appear on national TV while at a Denver Broncos game in 1977. So began a string…

Media playback is not supported on this device French pole vaulter booed on podium Pole vault silver medallist Renaud Lavillenie was booed by the Rio crowd for a second time in 24 hours – with Olympics chief Thomas Bach calling his treatment “shocking”. The Frenchman, 29, was in tears as he was barracked on the podium on Tuesday. On Monday he was booed by the partisan home crowd before his…

Pop-out player This is What’s Trending Today. On August 16, 1954, Sports Illustrated published its first-ever magazine. The new publication led with an article called the “The Golden Age is Now.” Sixty-two years later, Sports Illustrated is one of the most famous sports publications in the world. And, now it has published perhaps its most golden magazine cover yet. The cover photo of the August 22 edition of the magazine…

Media playback is not supported on this device Kenny equals Hoy with sixth gold Jason Kenny equalled Sir Chris Hoy’s British record of six Olympic gold medals on a sensational night in Rio. The 28-year-old won a dramatic keirin, that twice had to be restarted because of infringements, to add to his team sprint and individual sprint victories. Kenny has won seven medals in total – his one silver coming…

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Sweden’s sound strategy paid off again, and it’s headed to the Olympics gold medal game in women’s soccer for the first time ever. After holding host Brazil to a 0-0 draw, Sweden won in penalties 4-3, with Lisa Dahlkvist scoring the decisive penalty for the second straight game. Sweden ousted the USA in shocking fashion in the quarterfinals, winning by that same score in the penalty round. The…

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British Cycling’s head coach has hit back at other nations who have questioned Team GB’s dominance in the velodrome, accusing them of simply not being good enough. Iain Dyer, who leads the Olympic track coaches, was responding to criticisms from former gold medal winners who have lost out to British riders this week. “It’s a shame,” he said. “I can only point to the fact you can look at athletes…

While competing in the first round of his favored event, the men’s 200-meter, Usain Bolt looked as relaxed as ever. While Bolt was kicking out of the blocks, as is his preference in this race, he took it easy down the stretch. Real easy. The Jamaican sprinting star broke away from the pack fairly quickly before looking to his left and right before steadying his pace to his version of…

For approximately ten days every four years swimmers are given a global audience. US swimmers in particular tend to shine in the Olympics’ spotlight. This year alone, US swimmers garnered a whopping 16 gold medals, with 33 medals overall—to put that in perspective, Australia won the second-most gold medals, three, with a medal count of 10 overall. The indomitable Katie Ledecky. The barrier-breaking Simone Manuel. The history-making Michael Phelps. These…

i Michelle Kasold of the U.S. leaves the pitch as Germany’s players celebrate their win in a women’s quarterfinal field hockey match at the Rio 2016 Summer Olympics. Manan Vatsyayana/AFP/Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Manan Vatsyayana/AFP/Getty Images Michelle Kasold of the U.S. leaves the pitch as Germany’s players celebrate their win in a women’s quarterfinal field hockey match at the Rio 2016 Summer Olympics. Manan Vatsyayana/AFP/Getty Images They came…

Media playback is not supported on this device ‘This whole thing is a joke’ – disqualified Burnell Great Britain’s Jack Burnell says his disqualification from the men’s 10km open water swim was “a joke”, as Dutchman Ferry Weertman took gold. There was plenty of confusion after a dramatic finish, with Greece’s Spiros Gianniotis initially given the win before being downgraded to silver. Burnell’s disqualification was for two yellow cards –…

Things just keep going from bad to worse for the Los Angeles Angels . Monday night they lost their 11th consecutive game, this one to the Seattle Mariners (SEA 3, LAA 2), giving them a 49-69 record for the season. Never before has a Mike Scioscia team been this bad. The Angels are 20 games under. 500 for the first time in Mike Scioscia’s 17-year tenure as manager. — Bill…

For a town that’s as American as apple pie, add this to your bucket list: A visit to Cooperstown, New York, a picturesque spot just west of Albany where—rumor has it—baseball was invented. It’s also the one place you can walk through town carrying a baseball bat, wearing a team jersey or hat and instantly strike up conversations with fellow fans—without thinking anything about it. And, despite the fact that…

For approximately ten days every four years swimmers are given a global audience. US swimmers in particular tend to shine in the Olympics’ spotlight. This year alone, US swimmers garnered a whopping 16 gold medals, with 33 medals overall—to put that in perspective, Australia won the second-most gold medals, three, with a medal count of 10 overall. The indomitable Katie Ledecky. The barrier-breaking Simone Manuel. The history-making Michael Phelps. These…

To save articles or get newsletters, alerts or recommendations – all free. Don’t have an account yet?Create an account » Subscribed through iTunes and need an NYTimes.com account?Learn more » Need to connect your Home Delivery subscription to NYTimes.com?Link your subscription »

To save articles or get newsletters, alerts or recommendations – all free. Don’t have an account yet?Create an account » Subscribed through iTunes and need an NYTimes.com account?Learn more » Need to connect your Home Delivery subscription to NYTimes.com?Link your subscription »

Correction appended An Olympian’s calendar is no doubt a packed one – but that didn’t stop Michael Phelps, Katie Ledecky and Simone Biles from taking time out to pose together for Sports Illustrated. The three legendary gold medal winners converged Sunday night for SI – which today celebrates its 62-year anniversary – in Rio. Between them, the three sporting superstars have achieved a total of twelve gold, two silver and…