Sports

5:01 AM ET Former Formula One champion Jacques Villeneuve will join Netherlands based outfit Team Hezeberg in a bid for a spot on the Daytona 500 starting grid, NASCAR said on Wednesday. The 50-year-old Canadian, winner of the 1995 Indianapolis 500 and the 1997 F1 drivers crown, took part in preseason testing at the famed

8:00 AM ET JIMMY BUTLER INTERRUPTED his pregame warmup and made a beeline toward half court. There, Utah Jazz swingman Joe Ingles stood, watched and waited as the All-Star closed in. Butler’s mission: Peace. At this point, the quick wits, sharp tongues and competitive fires of both Butler and Ingles had been clashing for years,

8:36 PM ET ESPN News Services LAKE FOREST, Ill. — The Chicago Bears interviewed former Philadelphia Eagles coach Doug Pederson and Cleveland Browns executive Glenn Cook for their vacant coach and general manager jobs Wednesday. The positions opened Monday when the Bears fired former coach Matt Nagy and general manager Ryan Pace on the heels

7:00 AM ET ESPN staff The college football season finally concluded Monday night with the Georgia Bulldogs ending a 41-year national championship drought. Kirby Smart’s Bulldogs cleared the Alabama hurdle in the College Football Playoff title game, 33-18, and reclaimed their top spot in the final edition of this season’s power rankings. Georgia’s emphatic win

7:05 AM ET Editor’s note: With the No. 22 sweater rising to the rafters in Boston on Tuesday, Jan. 18, two Black NHL teammates reflect on Willie O’Ree’s lasting impact. In this game, there are a few honors that separate the memorable from the unforgettable. There’s the Stanley Cup; the ultimate recognition for a team.

7:00 AM ET The MLB lockout is nearly three weeks old, and it seems like not much has come out of the negotiations. So what exactly is going on between the owners and players? Are they moving any closer to a deal? And most importantly: When is it time to worry about the sport’s immediate

10:09 AM ET Associated Press CHARLOTTE, N.C. — NASCAR veteran Aric Almirola will retire from competition at the end of the 2022 season to spend more time with his young family. Almirola revealed his plans Monday to the employees at Stewart-Haas Racing at the same time Smithfield Foods announced its 11th season sponsoring the driver.

5:10 PM ET Despite the Premier League taking a break, the European soccer weekend was far from boring, with talking points galore from the FA Cup third round, German Bundesliga, Italian Serie A and Spanish LaLiga. There was good for Barcelona and Borussia Dortmund, bad for Newcastle and plain ugly for AS Roma. Here are

8:43 PM ET Associated Press ARCADIA, Calif. — Under the Stars won the $200,000 Santa Ynez Stakes by three-quarters of a length Saturday at Santa Anita. Trained by Bob Baffert and ridden by Flavien Prat, Under the Stars ran seven furlongs in 1:22.51. Sent off as the 4-5 favorite in a field of six 3-year-old

8:22 AM ET The first event on the PGA Tour schedule in 2022 is a small one. Only 38 players will tee it up at the Sentry Tournament of Champions. The reason? You have to win to get in. Only tournament champions from the previous 12 months are invited to the Plantation Course at Kapalua

5:05 PM GMT The 2025 Rugby League World Cup will take place in France, the French Rugby League federation confirmed on Friday. French prime minister Jean Castex will hold a full launch of the event on Jan. 11 in Paris. The tournament will be the 17th edition, and returns to France, where the first World

6:29 AM ET ESPN News Services A Czech tennis player has joined Novak Djokovic in immigration detention after having her visa canceled, authorities confirmed Friday. Renata Voracova was detained after being informed by Australian Border Force officials that she had to leave the country. Czech officials are seeking an explanation to the situation but said

7:46 AM ET Michael Rothstein Close ESPN Staff Writer Previously covered University of Michigan for ESPN.com and AnnArbor.com Also covered Notre Dame for Fort Wayne Journal Gazette Ben Baby Close ESPN Staff Writer ESPN Staff Writer Previously a college football writer for The Dallas Morning News University of North Texas graduate Predicting what could happen

12:44 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN NEW YORK — Despite helping his team engineer a remarkable comeback from 25 points down against the Boston Celtics at Madison Square Garden on Thursday night, star forward Julius Randle wasn’t happy. Midway through the fourth quarter, Randle made a layup and, as he ran back to the other end

7:49 AM ET Do you feel that? That, my friends, is the feeling of a brand new calendar year of MMA. A year in which anything seems possible. It’s time to dream big for 2022. We’ve got a fresh slate. The table is set for some incredible fights, breakthrough performances and stories that will go

4:40 PM ET Congratulations to all! We have reached the time of year when we watch the game in front of us with one eye and the scoreboard with the other. Sunday began with six of the NFL’s 14 playoff spots filled. Nine others had a chance to clinch one of the eight remaining spots.

4:20 PM ET Associated Press NEW YORK — The Belmont Stakes is moving to Fox Sports as part of an eight-year deal beginning in 2023. The deal announced Wednesday between Fox and the New York Racing Association includes NYRA Bets as the title sponsor of the third leg of horse racing’s Triple Crown series. NYRA

7:00 AM ET SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Every day, Marcus Freeman takes a moment to reflect on the opportunity he has to be Notre Dame‘s head coach. Six weeks ago, Freeman’s life forever changed. He spent the afternoon of Nov. 29 recruiting in Michigan as Notre Dame’s defensive coordinator. That night, news broke that Fighting

7:00 AM ET As the NHL’s 32 teams all work their way back from the holiday break — and various postponements due to COVID-19 — it’s time for another round of the power rankings. And this week, we’re also laying out the most pivotal situations for every club by identifying one big question for 2022.

7:00 AM ET $615 million. On three players. By two teams. In one day. It began at about 4 p.m. in Dallas on Nov. 28, when a Texas Rangers team coming off a 102-loss season agreed to terms on a seven-year, $175 million contract with Marcus Semien, a top-three finisher in MVP voting after two