Soccer’s 2026 World Cup in North America, already the largest and the longest in the tournament’s history because of an expansion of the field, is set to grow even more as FIFA leaders were poised to agree to a change in format that will add 24 more games. The change will result in a marathon … Read more
As you prepare to fill out your annual N.C.A.A. tournament bracket, grimly determined not to throw away your entry fee yet again, you might be tempted to seek help. There are plenty of articles, websites and message board posts out there that presume to offer the secret to making winning selections. Unfortunately, some of the … Read more
Care to see the full number written out? It’s 9,223,372,036,854,775,808. And if you need help with the commas, a quintillion equals a billion billion. But basketball games tend not to be true tossups. Accounting, then, for the fact that some matchups are easier to predict, the probability drops to one in the tens or hundreds … Read more
As Oats answered basketball questions, he was expansive and almost ebullient, describing the selflessness of his players — “All of our kids are high-character kids,” he said — and the importance of receiving contributions from the entire roster for his team to be at its best. His opening statement lasted four minutes. But as he … Read more
In his rookie season, when he started four of the Chiefs’ 14 games, he caught 26 passes for 446 yards. He emerged as a star the next season, and over his career he was chosen for the Pro Bowl three times and was a first-team All-Pro twice. He caught a total of 410 passes in … Read more
One of the premier soccer programs on British television was thrown into turmoil on Friday after the BBC suspended its host, the former English soccer star Gary Lineker, over comments he made criticizing the Conservative government’s plan to stop asylum seekers who arrive on boats across the English Channel. Mr. Lineker, a former captain of … Read more
After a six-year wait, the World Baseball Classic roared to life again this week, with group play starting in Japan and Taiwan. Some of the tournament’s favorites, like the United States, the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico, do not begin play until Saturday — their games are in Arizona and Florida — but the action … Read more
MIAMI — The Dominican Republic’s team in the 2023 World Baseball Classic is a veritable dream team of stars. Sandy Alcántara, 27, the 2022 National League Cy Young Award winner, will start against Venezuela on Saturday in the Dominicans’ opening game. Julio Rodríguez, 22, the 2022 American League Rookie of the Year, will be the … Read more
Corinne Diacre can take pride, really, in lasting this long. She was, eventually, dismissed from her post as coach of the French women’s team on Thursday. But her position had been untenable for the better part of a year, if not more. Senior players had complained about her methods, her managerial style, her selection choices, … Read more
The Israeli national baseball team was the darling of the 2017 World Baseball Classic. Israel won its first four games at that tournament, with three notable upsets, and advanced to the second round. A documentary detailed the players’ memorable journey and a stuffed mascot — the Mensch on a Bench — gained worldwide fame. That … Read more
