SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Before Marcus Freeman could savor what Notre Dame football had just done, he was forced to look ahead to where the Irish were headed.It was an only-in-college-football moment, where the head coach of a blue-blood program is presented a game ball by two bowl officials who had nothing to do with Notre Dame’s 27-17 victory over Indiana in the first on-campus game of the College Football Playoff era. Freeman obliged, accepting an invitation from two Sugar Bowl officials, which probably could have waited until Notre Dame had processed its performance on Friday night. It’s not like…
Author: usaeverydaylife
Oleksandr Usyk defeated Tyson Fury to retain his unified heavyweight world titles with another pulsating points victory in their rematch in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.Usyk first beat Fury in May to become boxing’s first four-belt heavyweight champion and he again prevailed by finishing 116-112 ahead on all three judges’ scorecards.The win extends Usyk’s professional record to 23 victories with zero defeats and he could now face Daniel Dubois in an attempt to reclaim the IBF title he was stripped of earlier this year.Fury, on the other hand, is left at something of a crossroads and his promoter, Frank Warren, said after…
SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Thirteen hours before the first college football game of its kind, with snow lacquering everything and bitter cold keeping it there, the cars and trucks lined Angela Boulevard. Predawn arrivals seeking prime tailgating locations when the Notre Dame Stadium lots opened at 8 a.m. Hundreds of them, according to one attendant on duty. And, well, what would a historical moment for this sport be without a little embellishment?On Friday night, the new 12-team College Football Playoff opened with its most alluring feature: a postseason game hosted on campus. Indiana visiting Notre Dame for a first-round matchup.…
Billions of dollars can buy a lot of things. It can help revive a football program and get your alma mater into a bigger conference. It can buy a private jet. But it can’t clear more space at a tiny regional airport.SMU donor Bill Armstrong’s last name is on the team’s indoor practice facility. His plane, which included two-time U.S. Open champion golfer Bryson DeChambeau and former Mustangs star running back Craig James, left Dallas around 6:30 a.m. CT for State College, Pa. But upon arrival, it was diverted to Williamsport, as were some other SMU private planes. The airport…
Elon Musk walks on Capitol Hill on the day of a meeting with Senate Republican Leader-elect John Thune (R-SD), in Washington, U.S. December 5, 2024. Benoit Tessier | ReutersHouse Democrats Jim McGovern of Massachusetts and Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut say their Republican colleagues in Congress caved to the demands of Elon Musk, sinking a bipartisan government funding bill that would have regulated U.S. investments in China.Congress passed a separate stopgap funding bill over the weekend, averting a government shutdown.In a series of posts on X, McGovern said more could have been accomplished. The scrapped provision “would have made it easier to…
In 1982, George Halas reached into Chicago Bears history to find a head coach and hired Mike Ditka.In 2025, the team Halas founded needs to consider its history again.There are candidates with no ties to the Bears who deserve consideration.Foremost among them is Mike Vrabel, who never should have been fired by the Tennessee Titans and can win Super Bowls — plural — in the right situation. If Ben Johnson of the Detroit Lions is as dazzling as a head coach as he is as an offensive coordinator, he will transform an organization. His defensive counterpart in Detroit, Aaron Glenn,…
ORLANDO, Fla. — Well, the glass-one-quarter-full perspective on the Bronny James Show this weekend is to say it could have been worse. But it certainly could have been better.The NBA G League Winter Showcase came to Orlando, Fla., this weekend, and with the Los Angeles Lakers’ decision to assign James for this event, he immediately became the star attraction, with both games nationally televised.This was a 20-year-old rookie playing his third month of professional basketball, and I’ve certainly seen more tragic performances from young prospects learning the hard way at this level. But on a court mostly filled with players…
BUFFALO, N.Y. — Matt Murray looked up to the scoreboard above him, counted down the seconds as they disappeared and finally pumped his fist.It had been 638 days since Murray last felt the feeling washing over him.Bilateral hip surgery forced the Toronto Maple Leafs goalie out of the entire 2023-24 season, the final of a four-year contract. There was no guarantee the oft-injured Murray would play in the NHL again. A one-year contract offered him a lifeline to continue grinding far out of the spotlight in the AHL, with only one goal.And over a year and a half later, Murray…
Muriel Furrer and her father Reto always had the same tradition. On the startline of each race, they would find each other through the crowd, pack down their middle three fingers, and outstretch their thumbs and pinkies.“Hang loose”, they called it, their moment of calm before the peloton’s chaos. At the same time, Muriel knew her mother, Christine, would be praying for her safety.Reto and Christine had followed their 18-year-old daughter’s cycling career across Europe. Part of the Swiss Cycling Under-19 team, she won a road national junior title in 2022, and a medal in this year’s Mountain Biking European…
What’s at the top of your favorite NHL team’s holiday wish list?Is it a trade to fill a need? Or a star player to find his game? Or, the classic: health in the new year?The Athletic asked its NHL staff for one last-minute gift idea per team. Here’s what they said.Trevor Zegras looking like his old self: It’s ridiculous to think we’re talking about an inventive 23-year-old playmaker whose star should still be on the rise. Zegras has run into tough luck on the injury front, as he’s recovering from knee surgery after a 2023-24 season wrecked by groin issues…
