6:45 AM ET You’d forgive the San Francisco 49ers for thinking 2020 just wasn’t meant to be their year. After losing to the Chiefs in Super Bowl LIV in February, the 4-4 Niners have dealt with a catastrophic flurry of injuries that have served to compromise their chances of competing in the NFC this season.
8:51 AM GMT New Zealand loose forward Akira Ioane was on the brink of walking away from professional rugby last year until his father, former Samoa international Eddie, gave him a metaphorical “boot up the bum” and asked him if he would rather work a 9-5 job. “I came to, and said ‘no’,” said Ioane,
6:00 AM ET EAGAN, Minn. — When Minnesota Vikings coach Mike Zimmer used to be asked about his preference for a run-heavy offense, he would redirect and talk about wanting a balanced attack. Days after Dalvin Cook posted 226 yards from scrimmage, including 163 yards rushing, and four touchdowns in a 28-22 win over the
8:02 AM ET Editor’s note: Erling Haaland and Borussia Dortmund face eight-time defending Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich on Saturday (12:30 p.m. ET, stream LIVE on ESPN+) ERLING HAALAND WAS EVERYWHERE. Each time Norway played the ball upfield against Honduras at last year’s U20 World Cup, Haaland floated away from the defense effortlessly, the ball landing
7:34 PM ET David Shaw walks into the hospital room and takes a seat next to the bed. He does this nearly every day, right around lunchtime. He looks at his younger brother, Eric, tubes snaking across his arms, machines beeping and whirring. Eric does not look like Eric anymore, his skin darkened, scars deepened,
7:14 AM ET “This was definitely not how this was supposed to go down.” The greatest American racer of his generation is on the phone. Jimmie Johnson is driving home from the racetrack and he is 100 percent correct. This is not how this was supposed to go down. Not this week. Not this year.
7:00 AM ET Back in July, I wrote a piece about the intersection between sports, hygiene and COVID-19. Much of it remains relevant, such as how frequent testing, face coverings and deep cleaning of high-trafficked areas can reduce the risk of infection. Some of it is very “writing about COVID-19 a few months into the
3:21 AM ET Manoj BhagavatulaESPN Less than a month after joining Roger Federer as the second man with 20 Grand Slam singles titles, Rafael Nadal now accompanies the Swiss in another exclusive club. Nadal’s Paris Masters opening-match win over compatriot Feliciano Lopez makes him the fourth man in the Open Era (since 1968) with at
6:21 AM ET SANTA CLARA, Calif. — As text messages, phone calls and FaceTime requests lit up his phone into the wee hours of Oct. 18, San Francisco 49ers cornerback Jason Verrett sat back and let the weight of his journey wash over him. After a series of devastating injuries, including a right Achilles tear
6:29 AM ET GREEN BAY, Wis. — By early September of 2016, exactly 17 games had come and gone since Davante Adams‘ last 100-yard day — just the second of his career. Fans had grown impatient. One longtime NFL scout believed they were justified. 2 Related “You keep trotting #17 out there and throwing to