Ice hockey's NHL clubs are worth $2.43bn on average as the season starts, 16% more than a year ago. The Islanders agreed to sell 15% of theirs at a $3bn value.

The rest of the day

29 more stories on this beat.

Each with its own sources. None of these is a link to the story above.

1. 02

   Braves win the first game against the Phillies

   The Atlanta Braves beat the Philadelphia Phillies 5-3 on Tuesday, in the first game of a best-of-three baseball playoff series. [18] Austin Riley hit a three-run home run in the eighth inning off Jhoan Duran, the Phillies' best relief pitcher. [18] Manager Don Mattingly had sent Duran in during the seventh, an inning he had not pitched all season. [19] Since this three-game round began in 2022, 15 of the 16 teams that won the first game have won the series. [20]

   15 of 16

   first-game winners who won the series

   Why it matters — Phillies relief pitchers gave up runs at the worst rate in the major leagues in September. [18] It is the third playoff opener in a row in which they lost a lead from the seventh inning on. [21]

2. 03

   Yankees beat the Red Sox 9-0 without Judge

   The New York Yankees beat the Boston Red Sox 9-0 in the first game of their playoff series on Tuesday night. [16] Their star hitter Aaron Judge missed it with a calf injury. [16] Ben Rice hit two home runs, one with all the bases full, and drove in six runs. [16] Pitcher Cam Schlittler struck out 10 and threw 117 pitches, the most by a Yankees playoff starter since 2012. [16] Rice and Schlittler both grew up among Red Sox fans in Massachusetts. [16]

   Why it matters — Boston now need two wins in a row. The only team to do that in this round was last year's Yankees, against Boston. [20]

3. 04

   White Sox win a playoff game two years after 121 defeats

   The Chicago White Sox beat the Houston Astros 6-3 on Tuesday for their first playoff win since 2021. [22] Two years ago they lost 121 games, the most by a major league team since 1899. [22] They are the first club ever to reach the playoffs straight after two seasons of 100 or more defeats. [22] Houston got in with 81 wins and 81 defeats, and 34,011 fans came to a ground that holds 40,963. [22]

   Why it matters — Part of the turnaround was Munetaka Murakami, a Japanese star the White Sox signed for two years and $34m, who hit a rookie record 20 home runs before June. [8] Game 2 is in Houston on Wednesday. [22]

4. 05

   FIFA tells a US court UEFA is spreading false claims

   FIFA, which runs world football, told a court in Florida that UEFA, which runs European football, is waging a 'misinformation campaign' against its president, Gianni Infantino. [12] UEFA had asked the court for FIFA documents for a possible criminal complaint in Switzerland. [23] The fight is over a scrapped plan to sell 20% of FIFA's World Cup business for $4.2bn. [12] UEFA says that valued the business too low, at $20bn. FIFA says $20bn was only the shares, and the whole business was worth over $30bn. [23]

   Why it matters — FIFA also asked the judge not to let UEFA sway its election. [24] Infantino stands for a fourth term in March, and challengers have until 18 November to enter. [25]

5. 06

   UEFA's president calls FIFA's emperor naked

   Aleksander Ceferin, UEFA's president, told European club bosses in Copenhagen on Tuesday that 'the emperor is naked', borrowing the old fairy tale. [26] He said selling part of football's future does not become 'development' because someone calls it that. [26] Nasser Al-Khelaifi, who runs Paris Saint-Germain and Europe's club association, said he has 'zero interest' in running against Infantino. [27] Ceferin has ruled himself out as well. [27]

   Why it matters — UEFA wants Infantino gone, but seven weeks before the deadline it still has no candidate to stand against him. [27]

6. 07

   Turkey arrests the head of its referees

   Turkish police arrested Ferhat Gundogdu, head of the body that runs the country's football referees, with his deputy and five other people. [13] Turkey's justice minister said the case is about interference in how referees are graded, picked for matches and tested on the rules. [13] Police searched homes and offices. [13] Last November the Turkish Football Federation suspended 149 referees and assistants after finding that hundreds of officials had betting accounts. [13]

   Why it matters — The body under investigation is the one that decides which referee gets which match and who is promoted. The minister did not link the case to last year's betting scandal. [13]

7. 08

   US regulator checks betting apps' sign-up cash

   The US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), which oversees prediction markets, is checking the rewards those apps offer new users, Front Office Sports, a sports-business site, reported. [9] Prediction markets let people put money on yes-or-no questions, such as who wins a game. [11] The CFTC is looking at offers that promise cash in a new account for signing up and trading. [9] Kalshi, Polymarket and Novig all offer rewards like these, and some action is expected this week. [9]

   Why it matters — The CFTC warned the companies in August and is frustrated that many did not change. [9] Some politicians in both main US parties have been pushing it to act. [9]

8. 09

   The US Supreme Court may rule on betting apps

   The US Supreme Court may soon agree to hear cases about prediction markets such as Kalshi and Polymarket, Reuters reported on Tuesday. [10] The companies say they sell financial contracts that only the CFTC should oversee. [10] A group of states says sports contracts are gambling and fall under state betting laws. [10] Lower appeal courts have disagreed. [10] Last Thursday New York sued Polymarket, saying it takes bets without a licence. [11]

   Why it matters — If the court calls them gambling, the apps face different bans, taxes and licences state by state. [10] A source told Front Office Sports New York wants at least $4.6bn, though its court papers name no figure. [28]

9. 10

   Cleary will miss the Rugby League World Cup

   Nathan Cleary, the halfback who runs the attack for Penrith Panthers and Australia, broke and dislocated his left ankle in a tackle on Sunday. [15] It came in Penrith's play-off defeat by the Newcastle Knights in the NRL, Australia's top rugby league competition. [15] He was already playing with a broken bone in his right foot, and will have surgery on both feet. [15] Before the game Penrith had said the foot injury could get worse. [29]

   Why it matters — He misses the World Cup in Australia, which starts on 15 October with Australia against New Zealand. [15] He helped Australia win the last one, four years ago in Manchester. [15]

10. 11

    A club tackle costs a New Zealander his World Cup

    The NRL's disciplinary panel banned Newcastle's Phoenix Crossland for four matches on Tuesday for the tackle that broke Cleary's ankle. [30] It was a 'hip-drop', where the tackler drops his weight onto the runner's legs; the league outlawed it in 2020. [15] Crossland pleaded guilty and apologised, and said Cleary is his favourite player. [30] He misses Sunday's grand final, the NRL's title match, against the Sydney Roosters. [30]

    1 gameClub grand final

    ++

    3 gamesWorld Cup group games

    Why it matters — The same ban covers New Zealand's three World Cup group games, against Australia, the Cook Islands and Fiji. [30] He plays for his country again only if New Zealand reach the semi-finals. [30]

11. 12

    UEFA pays clubs €31.5m for lending players

    UEFA will pay €31.5m to clubs whose players took part in the 2024-25 Nations League, a competition between Europe's national teams. [31] The money goes to 611 clubs, some of them amateur. [31] RB Leipzig, of Germany, gets the most, about €353,000 for lending 16 players. [31] It is part of €104m set aside for clubs across two Nations Leagues and the qualifiers for Euro 2028. [31]

    Why it matters — The payment comes from a deal between UEFA and European Football Clubs, which speaks for more than 800 clubs. [31] The money is for releasing players, whom the clubs employ, to play for their countries. [31]

12. 13

    Oura's delay keeps sports stars waiting

    Oura, which makes rings that track sleep and heart rate, put off its $2.2bn share sale on Tuesday, blaming uncertain markets. [32] Its early backers include basketball's Shaquille O'Neal and Manu Ginobili, cyclist Lance Armstrong and a fund run by baseball's Los Angeles Dodgers. [32] Several of them put money in during 2018, when Oura was valued at $35.2m. [32] The sale would have valued it at about $15.6bn. [32]

    $35.2m2018 funding round

    ↓→

    $15.6bnDelayed share sale

    Why it matters — Athletes and team owners have been investing in fitness gadgets, a business close to their own. [32] Oura's chairman, David Shuman, is also one of the Islanders' new investors. [32]

13. 14

    LeBron's new club signs a big shirt deal

    The Philadelphia 76ers, an NBA basketball club, signed Bloom Energy, a company that makes fuel cells for electricity, as the sponsor on their shirts. [7] Neither side gave the price, but two people told Sportico it is the NBA's second-biggest shirt deal. [7] The Golden State Warriors have the biggest, worth more than $50m a year. [7] The 76ers added LeBron James and Jaylen Brown this summer. [7]

    Why it matters — Sportico says the deal gives Bloom wide exposure: the 76ers will play 34 games on national TV this season, the most the league allows. [7]

14. 15

    Japan's league tries to keep its stars

    Japan's top baseball league, NPB, keeps losing its best players to America's MLB, and is looking for ways to stay strong, Front Office Sports reported. [8] A Japanese player needs nine years in NPB before he can leave freely. [8] Before that, his club must agree to 'post' him, and the American club pays it a fee. [8] The fee is 20% of the first $25m of his contract, 17.5% of the next $25m and 15% of the rest. [8]

    Why it matters — The Orix Buffaloes got more than $50m when Yoshinobu Yamamoto joined the Los Angeles Dodgers. [8] NPB still draws more than 25 million fans a year to its 12 clubs. [8]

15. 16

    South Africa beat Australia again

    South Africa beat Australia by 32 runs in Johannesburg on Sunday to win their three-match one-day cricket series with a game to spare. [33] Temba Bavuma scored 103 and David Miller 142, the best score of his career, in a total of 365 for nine. [33] Australia were all out for 333. [33] Miller wore his mother Jenny's name on his shirt, in a yearly match that raises money for breast cancer care. [34] It is South Africa's sixth series win in a row against Australia. [34]

    Why it matters — Australia's batters were beaten by spin bowling again, and they were without fast bowler Pat Cummins. [33] The last game is in Potchefstroom. [33]

16. 17

    Six one-day hundreds on a single day

    Six batters scored hundreds in one-day internationals on Sunday 27 September, the most ever on one day, ESPNcricinfo's statistics column said. [35] India's Virat Kohli and Shubman Gill, and Justin Greaves of the West Indies, all did it in one game in Thiruvananthapuram. [35] Bavuma and Miller did it in Johannesburg, and Tom Banton for England at The Oval. [35] The old record was five. [35]

    Why it matters — Three one-day games fell on the same Sunday. [35] On that day Somerset's Tom Abell also reached 307, the latest triple hundred ever made in an English season. [35]

17. 18

    South Africa will swap worn-out pitches

    Cricket South Africa will stage 78 days of international cricket this season, more than ever, and its busiest grounds are wearing out. [36] Its answer is an 'exchangeable pitch system': strips of pitch grown ready, which a ground can swap in and out. [36] Each ground grows them from its own soil and grass. [36] It is different from Australia's drop-in pitches, which are lifted out so other sports can use the stadium. [36]

    Why it matters — The same few grounds must carry a much busier season, and tired pitches can turn slow and uneven. [36]

18. 19

    An Se-young keeps her Asian title

    South Korea's An Se-young, the world and Olympic badminton champion, beat Japan's Akane Yamaguchi 21-17, 21-9 at the Asian Games on Tuesday. [37] She is the first woman to win the Asian Games singles twice in a row, and she did not lose a game all tournament. [37] Surfing gave out its first Asian Games medals, and Japan won both golds. [37] Kanoa Igarashi and Mirai Ikeda also won places at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. [37]

    Why it matters — North Korea will play Japan in the women's football final. [37] Weak ticket sales left the stadium in Shizuoka nearly empty for the semi-finals. [37]

19. 20

    Rain and wrong buses at the Asian Games

    Rain washed out Tuesday's cricket quarter-finals at the Asian Games in Japan. [37] Sri Lanka and Bangladesh went through to the semi-finals because they were ranked higher than Nepal and Malaysia. [37] Organisers apologised after Pakistan's volleyball team was driven to the wrong city for a match, which then started late. [38] South Korea's men's team also missed a practice after reaching the wrong venue. [38]

    Why it matters — Pakistan still won 3-0. [38] Transport problems have delayed events and upset athletes' preparation throughout the Games. [37]

20. 21

    Athletics ends with Japan's relay gold

    Athletics at the Asian Games ended on a rainy Tuesday with Japan winning the men's 4x400m relay in 3:00.75, ahead of Qatar and India. [39] India won the women's 4x400m relay. [39] Ernest John Obiena of the Philippines won the pole vault at 5.91 metres. [39] China topped the athletics medal table with 17 golds, Japan had 10 and Bahrain 9. [39]

    Why it matters — Obiena's own Asian record, 6.00 metres, is 30 centimetres short of Armand Duplantis's world record. [39]

21. 22

    A Thai sprinter goes under 20 seconds

    Puripol Boonson, 20, won the Asian Games 200 metres on Sunday in 19.88 seconds, two days after winning the 100m. [40] He is the first Thai sprinter to run 200m in under 20 seconds. [40] His time equals the Asian record set by China's Xie Zhenye seven years ago. [40] On the same day China's Yan Ziyi, 18, beat the Olympic javelin champion, Japan's Haruka Kitaguchi, with her first throw. [40]

    Why it matters — The world championships are in Beijing next year, and Puripol said he is aiming for more records. [40]

22. 23

    Clippers bosses say sorry, weeks late

    Trent Redden, standing in as the Los Angeles Clippers' president of basketball, apologised on Monday for the club's weeks of silence about its NBA penalties. [41] The league fined the Clippers $30m and took five first-round draft picks for arranging paid deals for star Kawhi Leonard with companies doing business with the team. [41] Owner Steve Ballmer is suspended for a year, and basketball chief Lawrence Frank for six months. [41]

    Why it matters — The NBA treated the deals as a way around its salary cap, the limit on what a club spends on players. [41] The club starts its season without Ballmer and Frank. [41]

23. 24

    A one-game ban for a punch

    South Carolina's Dylan Stewart, a star defensive player, was banned for one game by his college and the Southeastern Conference (SEC), its league, for punching an Alabama player in the helmet. [42] It happened in Saturday's 49-18 defeat, and Stewart also shouted at his coaches. [42] SEC commissioner Greg Sankey warned of harsher punishment next time. [42] Stewart misses Saturday's home game against Kentucky. [42]

    Why it matters — His coach, Shane Beamer, first suspended him with no end date; the league then set it at one game. [42]

24. 25

    The Olympic torch will visit all 50 US states

    The torch relay for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics will pass through all 50 US states, starting in Atlanta, the organisers, LA28, said on Tuesday. [43] Atlanta hosted the Games in 1996. [43] The route and the dates will be announced in 2027. [43] Coca-Cola, JPMorgan Chase, Allstate and Xfinity will be the relay's presenting sponsors. [43]

    Why it matters — Los Angeles will host the Olympics for a third time, and the Paralympics for the first. [43]

25. 26

    Munich will bid for the Olympics

    Germany's Olympic committee picked Munich on Saturday to bid for the Summer Games of 2036, 2040 or 2044. [44] Berlin pulled out two days before the vote. [44] Munich last hosted in 1972, when 11 Israeli team members were killed after being taken hostage. [44] Earlier German bids were voted down by local residents, who worried how big and expensive the Games would be. [44]

    Why it matters — More than 10 places have shown interest, among them India, Indonesia, Qatar's capital Doha and Saudi Arabia. [44] The IOC, which runs the Olympics, has set no date to decide. [44]

26. 27

    India gets cycling's world championships

    Pune, in India's Maharashtra state, will host cycling's road world championships in 2032, the UCI, cycling's governing body, said last Wednesday. [45] It is the first time they will be held in India. [45] Pune ran India's first multi-stage international road race in January. [45] The other bidders, Groningen and Drenthe in the Netherlands, were given 2034. [45]

    Why it matters — The UCI chose to award two championships at once, so neither bidder went away empty. [45]

27. 28

    England's coach worries about home-grown players

    Sarina Wiegman, England's women's coach, said the fall in young English players in the Women's Super League (WSL) worries her. [46] Home-grown players made up 45.9% of WSL matchday squads in 2023-24 and 34.2% so far this season, by the count of Opta, a sports data company. [46] London City Lionesses started one game with no English player at all. [46]

    Why it matters — Players aged 18 to 23 need real games to develop, Wiegman said. [46] She named two uncapped players for England's World Cup play-offs against Greece and left out Ella Toone and Chloe Kelly. [46]

28. 29

    Arsenal's shooting at a record low

    Arsenal's women have five points and two goals from their first four WSL games. [47] They have turned 2.5% of their shots into goals, the league's worst rate since Yeovil Town in 2017-18. [47] They lost 1-0 to Chelsea on Sunday and play the champions, Manchester City, next. [47] Midfielder Georgia Stanway said the team is not short of confidence. [47]

    Why it matters — They are already seven points behind City. [47]

29. 30

    A minister says City could be expelled

    Lisa Nandy, the UK's culture secretary, said on Tuesday that Manchester City could in principle be thrown out of the Premier League. [14] She said City are entitled to appeal and to a fair hearing. [14] An independent panel found City broke the league's money rules from 2009-10 to 2017-18, using sham commercial deals. [14] David Bernstein, a former City chairman, said the club's board should be suspended. [14]

    Why it matters — Nandy said the bigger question is clear rules, applied the same way to every club. [14]