World Sports

Amid the acres of coverage about England’s win over South Africa in the rugby autumn test last weekend, there was no mention at all of the player appearing on the international stage for the 115th time, becoming England’s most-capped player in the process. How to explain this editorial oversight, especially as the player scored the opening try in the game that made her a record-breaker? Unless of course the pronoun…

12:44 AM ET Facebook Twitter Pinterest Email print comment FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Neither the New England Patriots nor Rob Gronkowski offered an update on the tight end’s status Monday, after he absorbed a crunching hit that knocked him out of Sunday night’s loss to the Seattle Seahawks for five plays. But ESPN’s Adam Schefter has been told the injury is “not overly serious” and that Gronkowski does not have a…

Alex Gallardo/AP The Cleveland Cavaliers are the new highest-paid sports team in the world, with players making an average of $8.7 million during the 2016-17 season. This is according to the annual “Global Sports Salaries Survey,” published by Sporting Intelligence. The study looks at the first-team pay for 333 teams across seven different sports in 17 different leagues around the world. Thanks to smaller rosters and television revenue that is skyrocketing,…

Alabama Crimson Tide is the only constant in our current college football world. Michigan Wolverines , Clemson Tigers and Washington Huskies all suffered their first loss of the season on the same day (a historic day of losing for top teams) and now only the Tide, No. 1 in the newest college football rankings from the coaches, and Western Michigan Broncos remain unbeaten. It’s a shakeup to what was viewed…

Feb. 1, 2015, Seattle vs. New England, 26 seconds left: At the New England 1, Russell Wilson, down four points, throws for Ricardo Lockette at the goal line; New England defensive back Malcolm Butler is there. Interception. One of the best Super Bowls ever is over. Patriots win 28-24. Nov. 13, 2016, Seattle vs. New England, 14 second left: At the Seattle 1, Tom Brady, down seven points, throws for…

What’s the story? John McEnroe had established himself as the finest tennis player in the world between 1981 and 1984, winning seven grand slams and taking the sport to new heights with his wonderful dexterity and swashbuckling style.  But after losing in the US Open final in 1985 and suffering with personal issues off the court, McEnroe took a six-month break from tennis in 1986. He returned later that year,…

Dez Bryant played in Sunday’s game against the Pittsburgh Steelers with an extremely heavy heart. Just one day prior, Bryant learned that his father had passed away. Bryant was not only on the field for the Cowboys, but he played a huge role in Dallas’ win. He caught six passes for 116 yards, including a 50-yard touchdown pass from Dak Prescott. After the score, Bryant pointed to the sky and went…

Blake Griffin (32) reacts after a foul is called while attempting a shot during the third quarter against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Staples Center.(Photo: Kelvin Kuo, USA TODAY Sports) For this week’s power rankings, we start off by breaking down the top-five most thrilling games from the past week of the NBA season (Nov. 6 through Nov. 12). Then we rank all 30 teams at this point in the season. 1….

Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans sat during the playing of the national anthem before the Buccaneers’ win over the Bears on Sunday to protest Donald Trump’s victory in Tuesday’s presidential election. “If this happens, then America’s not right right now,” Evans told reporters postgame. “I said this a long time ago. When he ran, I thought it was a joke, and the joke continues. I’m not a political person that much,…

Justin Simmons produced a 126-inch broad jump and 40-inch vertical at the 2016 NFL draft. The analysis of such numbers tends to be overblown, but teams will tell you that they matter. And lest you doubt it, look no further than Simmons’s incredible play to help Denver swipe a win in New Orleans on Sunday. Seconds after Drew Brees threw a brilliant touchdown pass in traffic to Brandin…

Gregg Popovich began with an apology. “I don’t think my voice is that important,” replied the San Antonio Spurs coach when asked his views on the US election. But then, over the course of six impassioned minutes, one of the greatest coaches in the NBA history sank the verbal equivalent of multiple three-pointers from mid-court. “I’m sick to my stomach,” he sighed, his voice now quivering with anger and a…

“Fondue, you’re a half-orc too,” says Jeff Davis to Dan Harmon on the animated, live improvisational Dungeons & Dragons show “Harmonquest.” “We’re like buddies from Brooklyn,” says Harmon, whose character name is Fondue Zoobag, a half-orc ranger. “It’s like ‘Entourage,” says guest star Paul F. Tompkins. His character name is Teflonto. And so on. Yes, the experience of playing D&D invites silly, non-stop banter. Thankfully, shows like “Harmonquest,” which debuted this summer,…

Joey Logano won the drama-filled Can-Am 500 Chase elimination race at Phoenix International Raceway on Sunday, keeping his 2016 Sprint Cup title hopes alive. Logano held off a bevy of challengers on second green-white-checkered overtime finish to win the race at PIR in his No. 22 Team Penske Ford. Kyle Busch finished second to secure the only other available berth in the Championship 4 group that will race for the…

There was no shortage of star power on display Sunday in Pittsburgh. And the fans came out in record numbers to see the 7-1 Dallas Cowboys take on the Steelers at Heinz Field. The crowd of 67,737 was the largest in Pittsburgh history to watch an NFL game. With Cowboys rookies Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott on one side and Ben Roethlisberger and Antonio Brown on the other, the draw…

NEW YORK — A five-round battle that was later awarded ‘Fight of the Night’ at UFC 205 still had a slightly disappointing ending after Tyron Woodley and Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson was declared a majority draw. One judge gave Woodley the fight 48-47, but the other two judges scored it 47-47, which means the fight was a draw. Woodley retains his welterweight title, but obviously he doesn’t get any real resolution with…

NEW YORK — Conor McGregor made history on Saturday night when he became the first simultaneous two-division champion in UFC history by knocking out Eddie Alvarez in the second round of their fight at UFC 205. All week long, leading up to the historic event at Madison Square Garden, McGregor had been asked numerous times about a huge announcement that he had teased, but he failed to address in his…

NEW YORK – UFC 205 will be remembered mostly for what happened in the cage. Conor McGregor made history with a brilliant performance against Eddie Alvarez, winning the lightweight title with a second-round knockout before a sold-out crowd at Madison Square Garden. That made McGregor, who entered the bout holding the featherweight title, the first man in UFC history to hold two belts simultaneously. But it should be remembered for…

When you get right down to it, sports is pretty terrific. OK, maybe that isn’t much of a bombshell to drop here, in the middle of reams of pages of sports stories. If you’ve come this far in the section, or on our website, it probably is because you already think sports is pretty terrific. But here’s the thing: We can do better. Sports can do better. Every once in…