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🚨 Headlines
🏈 49ers 20, Panthers 9: The Niners struggled early but ultimately got all the offense they needed from Christian McCaffrey, who had a big night (31 touches, 142 yards, TD) in his first game against his former team.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement⚽️ San Diego advances: Top-seeded San Diego beat Minnesota, 1-0, to advance to the MLS Western Conference Finals, where Vancouver awaits. Heck of a season for the first-year expansion team.
🏀 Billups pleads not guilty: Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups pleaded not guilty to the various charges stemming from his FBI arrest for illegal gambling. The Hall of Famer remains on unpaid, indefinite leave amid the ongoing investigation.
🏈 Burrow's back: Bengals QB Joe Burrow is expected to return on Thanksgiving night against the Ravens for his first game back since suffering a turf toe injury in Week 2.
🏀 AP polls: Purdue remains the top-ranked men's team in the latest AP poll ahead of Arizona and Houston. UConn was a near unanimous pick atop the women's poll ahead of South Carolina and UCLA.
🏀 The NBA's missing stars crisis
NBA stars have missed an alarming number of games in recent years, but nothing compares to the carnage we've witnessed so far this season.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementWild stat: Entering play last Friday, 21 of the league's 45 "star players" were injured. That group — defined as those who've been named to either an All-Star or All-NBA team in the last three seasons — has already missed over 200 games, doubling the total we saw at the same point two years ago, notes Yahoo Sports' Tom Haberstroh.
Who's missing? The self-explanatory yet nebulous term "star player" undersells just how much talent has been stuck on the bench through the season's first month.
LeBron James (sciatica) missed the first 14 games before his debut last week, Anthony Davis (calf) has missed the last 14 games, Kawhi Leonard (ankle) just returned after missing 10 games, Joel Embiid (knee) has missed the last 10 games, Giannis Antetokounmpo (abductor) has missed the last four games, Victor Wembanyama (calf) has missed the last three.
Jayson Tatum, Damian Lillard and Tyrese Haliburton (all Achilles) are expected to miss most if not all of this season, Kyrie Irving (ACL) is out until at least January, Jalen Williams (wrist) has yet to make his season debut for the Thunder… and the list goes on and on.
What's causing this? While not definitive, two factors appear to be fueling this surge in injuries: (1) increased specialization in youth sports and (2) a league obsessed with playing at a breakneck pace.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementSpecialization: Young players hoping to get a leg up on the competition begin focusing solely on basketball too early, putting undue wear and tear on their underdeveloped bodies. Kids who play year-round between the ages of 7 and 19 could participate in more than 1,000 games, according to estimates. For reference, that's roughly the same number of games that 37-year-old Kevin Love has played in his NBA career.
Pace: NBA teams are averaging 100.4 possessions per 48 minutes this season, which is the fastest pace since the 1980s. Players are literally running faster (4.43 mph on average) and farther (34.2 miles per game, combined for both teams) than has ever been tracked, and the condensed schedule from the NBA Cup isn't helping with recovery.
What they're saying: "The most important point of all of this is the pace and space and how much more mileage players are covering," said Warriors coach Steve Kerr, who added that he doesn't think players get enough rest anymore. So should the NBA cut back the number of games? "I mean, the tricky part is everyone would have to agree to take less revenue," says Kerr. "Come on, that's not happening. We know that."
What to watch: In response to this "missing stars" epidemic, the NBA has launched a biomechanics assessment program with the goal of reducing injuries moving forward. 500 players have already undergone some level of testing, with more to come as the season progresses.
⚽️ Exclusive: America's Got (Soccer) Talent
Kings League, the seven-a-side soccer competition created by FC Barcelona legend Gerard Piqué, is giving three Americans the opportunity of a lifetime.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAmerica's Got (Soccer) Talent: Launching today, the #KingsTeamUSA campaign is a nationwide talent search open to anyone. To enter, simply post a video of your best skills on Instagram or TikTok using the hashtag by Dec. 3. The top 20 clips will be reviewed on a livestream the next day, where three winners will be selected.
The prize? Those winners will join Team USA at the 2026 Kings World Cup Nations this January in São Paulo, Brazil, playing alongside USMNT star Weston McKennie and popular Twitch streamers, Jynxzi and Castro1021.
Teams in the creator-fueled tournament are led by global soccer icons like Neymar (Brazil), Robert Lewandowski (Poland), Wesley Sneijder (Netherlands) and James Rodríguez (Colombia).
Last year's debut event in Turin, Italy, drew over 100 million live viewers. Team USA, led by Castro1021, reached the quarterfinals before losing to Morocco in a penalty shootout.
How to enter: The submission window opens today. Post your video using #KingsTeamUSA for a shot at representing your country.
🏈 End of an era? UCLA plots Rose Bowl exit
UCLA played its final home game of the season on Saturday — a blowout loss to Washington that may have also been the Bruins' Rose Bowl swan song.
End of an era? UCLA has played their home games at Pasadena's iconic cathedral since 1982, and according to their lease they're supposed to stay there until at least 2044. But school leaders have been secretly plotting an early exit, with plans to shift to SoFi Stadium next year — the modern, NFL-grade venue that's much closer to campus (12 miles vs. 26) and offers better financial upside with its volume of luxury suites and premium seating.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementNot going down without a fight: The City of Pasadena and the Rose Bowl sued UCLA last month for the potential move, arguing it could cost the city and its residents more than $1 billion in damages. But a Los Angeles County judge denied the bid to block the move.
What they're saying: "I wish we knew whether or not this was the last time," Bruins fan Ross Niederhaus told the LA Times on Saturday as he set up the tailgate he's hosted since getting his driver's license in 2012. "Because if this was the last time for sure I could at least be saying my goodbyes. This is my favorite thing to do. My ashes are willed to be spread at the Rose Bowl."
Losing its heart and soul: While the Rose Bowl would still have plenty of other events like concerts and soccer games, without UCLA its football schedule could shrink to just the New Year's Day game and the "Turkey Tussle," an annual matchup between rival high school teams.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementWhat's next: UCLA is seeking arbitration to challenge the Rose Bowl's contractual claim that the school is wrongfully exploring options for a new home football venue. A hearing is scheduled for January 22.
⚾️ Hall of Fame: Who's on the ballot?
The ballot for the Baseball Hall of Fame's Class of 2026 is here, featuring 27 players who'll find out early next year if they did enough to earn membership to the hallowed grounds of Cooperstown.
Who's back? There are 15 holdovers from last year's Baseball Writers' Association of America ballot, which saw three players get inducted (Ichiro Suzuki, CC Sabathia, Billy Wagner) and 10 players fall off the ballot for failing to secure the requisite 5% of the vote. Of those 15 holdovers, Carlos Beltrán (70.3%) and Andruw Jones (66.2%) were the closest to earning the 75% needed for election. No one else topped 40%.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementManny Ramírez is the only player entering his 10th and final year on the ballot. After getting just 34.3% of the vote last year, the PED-tainted slugger's chances of making it to Cooperstown are looking slim.
Speaking of PED-tainted sluggers, Alex Rodriguez remains the biggest name on the ballot. Entering his fifth year, he has more time than Manny to drum up voter support, but he got just 37.1% last year after opening with 34.3% in 2021.
The newcomers: A dozen players are debuting on the ballot. All 12 ended their careers playing in empty ballparks during 2020's COVID-shortened campaign, as The Athletic's Tyler Kepner reminds us in his annual salute to the newcomers ($). This year's group, to put it kindly, isn't the strongest crop we've ever seen.
Cole Hamels is the best of the three pitchers, with 59 WAR, a 3.43 ERA and a World Series MVP to his name. Rick Porcello won a Cy Young, but also had a 4.40 ERA; Gio González had a 3.70 ERA and under 30 WAR.
Lifelong Brewer Ryan Braun was the best of the nine position players, but his use of PEDs all but disqualifies him. Shin-Soo Choo is the most accomplished Korean player in MLB history, Daniel Murphy will always have his record six-game postseason HR streak and Howie Kendrick will forever be a Nationals legend for his World Series-winning HR off the foul pole.
Edwin Encarnación's 424 home runs rank 54th all-time, Alex Gordon won eight Gold Gloves, Nick Markakis had the second-most hits of the 2010s, Matt Kemp won two Gold Gloves and two Silver Sluggers and Hunter Pence was a four-time All-Star with two World Series rings.
What's next: BBWAA voters (there are usually around 400 of them) have until Dec. 31 to cast their vote, and the results will be announced on Jan. 20. In the meantime, unofficial but renowned Hall of Fame tracker Ryan Thibodaux will be keeping tabs on all publicly-shared ballots.
📺 Watchlist: Monday, Nov. 25
🏀 NBA Cup, Group Stage
The final week of group stage play in the in-season tournament kicks off with a doubleheader on NBC. First up is Magic at 76ers (8pm ET), followed by Clippers at Lakers (11pm) in the first of four games this season between the Hollywood neighbors.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementWhere it stands: The 23 remaining group stage games will be played this week before the knockouts begin in December. The Raptors already clinched a spot in the quarterfinals, while the other seven spots (five group winners and two wild cards) are still up for grabs.
🏀 Players Era Festival
Day 2 of the stacked 18-team tournament features nine more games, headlined by No. 15 Iowa State vs. Creighton (2pm, truTV), No. 14 St. John's vs. Baylor (5pm, truTV), No. 3 Houston vs. No. 17 Tennessee (6pm, TNT), No. 7 Michigan vs. No. 21 Auburn (8:30pm, TNT) and No. 12 Gonzaga vs. Maryland (9:30pm, truTV).
More to watch:
🏒 NHL: Stars at Oilers (9pm, ESPN+) … Dallas (second in the Central) and Edmonton (sixth in the Pacific) face off in the only NHL game of the night.
🏈 NCAAF: Bowling Green at UMass (4:30pm, ESPNU) … Since moving to FBS in 2012, UMass has been by far the worst team in the country. Tonight is their last chance to avoid a winless season (0-11).
⚽️ Champions League: Ajax vs. Benfica (12:45pm, CBSSN); Chelsea vs. Barcelona (3pm, Paramount+); Man City vs. Leverkusen (3pm, Paramount+) … Three of nine games to kick off Matchday 5.
Today's full slate.
🏀 WNBA trivia
The Phoenix Mercury, one of the four original WNBA franchises still playing in the league, unveiled a rebrand ahead of their 30th season.
Question: Can you name the other three original WNBA teams that are still active?
Hint: One has relocated (twice).
Answer at the bottom.
📸 Photo finish
Words cannot possibly describe how peaceful this photo makes me feel.
Trivia answer: New York Liberty, Los Angeles Sparks, Las Vegas Aces (formerly the Utah Starzz and San Antonio Stars/Silver Stars)
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