The NBA tells its betting partners to stop selling bets on one player's first basket, the opening tip and stacked unders by one player

The rest of the day

41 more stories on this beat.

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

1. 02

   College sport sues Ohio's governor

   The NCAA, which runs US college sport, sued Ohio's governor, Mike DeWine, in a federal court on Friday. [11][12] On Tuesday DeWine had ordered that Ohio colleges may let athletes from the high school class of 2022 play a fifth season. [12][14] The NCAA's new rule gives players five years to play five seasons, but it chose to leave that class out. [14] Hundreds of players have sued it since. [14] The NCAA says the order breaks the US Constitution. [13]

   Why it matters — The NCAA argues one state cannot hand its own colleges an edge over everyone else's. [11] Ohio's top court is also looking at the order, and wants both sides' arguments by Monday. [12]

2. 03

   A judge puts Texas Tech's quarterback back

   Thomas Castellanos, a quarterback at Texas Tech, can play again after a judge granted him an injunction, a court order, against the NCAA. [15] He had first won a temporary order letting him play a fifth season. [15] A judge in Kentucky then cancelled that order, and he missed a game. [15] He is free to play Arizona State on Saturday. [15]

   Why it matters — Judges, not the sport, have now decided three times whether he may play this season. [15] The Ohio fight above turns on the same five-season rule.

3. 04

   A South African rugby player dies before a match

   Hyron Andrews, a 31-year-old forward for the Lions of Johannesburg, died at his team's hotel in France on Friday. [16][17] South Africa's rugby union said he died after a fall. [16][17] The Lions were due to play La Rochelle in the Champions Cup, Europe's top club competition, on Saturday. [17] Andrews played 45 games for Sale Sharks in England before joining the Lions this season. [18] He leaves a wife and two young sons. [17][18]

   Why it matters — The Lions said they will still play the match, in his honour. [17] Gloucester's game held a silence for him, and more tributes are planned. [47]

4. 05

   Real Madrid demand Spain's league chief quit

   Real Madrid demanded on Friday that Javier Tebas resign as president of La Liga, Spain's top football league, and as vice-president of Spain's football federation. [19][20] Tebas had written that the club's TV channel and management use propaganda methods like those of Joseph Goebbels, the Nazi propaganda minister. [19][21] Tebas said he meant the methods, not the ideology. [19] The club called the comparison 'morally repugnant'. [20][21] In September Real had already called for a new league president. [19]

   Why it matters — The row began over Real's complaints about referees, which Tebas called a smokescreen. [19] Real say his conduct shows a lack of neutrality that should rule him out of both jobs. [20]

5. 06

   FIFA's council turns on the peace prize

   At a meeting in Zurich on Thursday, members of FIFA's council told its president, Gianni Infantino, to scrap his peace prize or keep politicians out of it, the Guardian reports. [22] FIFA, which runs world football, gave the first prize to US President Donald Trump last December. [22][23] The council handed the prize to a FIFA committee to decide its future. [23] The committee reports before the next meeting, in Doha on 16 December. [22]

   Why it matters — FIFA's own rules ban political interference in football, one of several reasons members objected to honouring Trump. [22] Infantino is seeking a fourth term as president in March. [23]

6. 07

   Canada end England's 41-match run

   Canada beat England 24-21 in women's rugby union in Toronto on Friday, with a late try by Shoshanah Seumanutafa. [25] England had gone 41 matches unbeaten. [25][24] They had not lost since the 2022 World Cup final, against New Zealand. [25] Canada had already drawn 26-26 with England in Exeter in September. [25] The 18,621 fans were a record for a women's match on its own in North America. [25]

   Why it matters — Canada were beaten by England at last year's World Cup and spent 2026 preparing for this, their scrum-half Olivia Apps said. [24] The teams meet again in Ottawa on 23 October. [25]

7. 08

   Samoa beat France 78-4 at the World Cup

   Samoa beat France 78-4 at the men's Rugby League World Cup in Parramatta, Australia, on Friday, scoring 14 tries. [26] Four years ago they won 62-4. [26] All but one of Samoa's squad play in the NRL, Australia's top league, while most of France's play in Super League, the English and French one. [26] France's coach, Laurent Frayssinous, blamed that gap. [26] On Thursday Super League missed the NRL's deadline to agree a partnership. [27]

   Why it matters — NRL players who choose to play for Samoa or Tonga have made the World Cup more open. [27] Without a deal with the NRL, Super League's clubs fall further behind. [27][26]

8. 09

   Australia's women start with 40-0

   Australia, the women's rugby league world champions, beat Samoa 40-0 in their first World Cup match, in Sydney. [28] Jocelyn Kelleher kicked six of seven goals on her debut at stand-off. [28] It was Samoa's first women's World Cup match since 2008. [28][26] The game came after the men's match, and a number of fans did not stay for it. [26] Australia's coach, Jess Skinner, asked crowds to stay for the women. [26]

   Why it matters — Australia are chasing a fourth title in a row, and play England in Perth next. [26]

9. 10

   The NBA squeezes Seattle's bidders

   NBA commissioner Adam Silver told owners last month that a Seattle team is no longer certain, ESPN reports. [32] He also raised Mexico City, where one group has offered to build a team and an arena district. [32] The NBA wants to add teams in Las Vegas and Seattle. [33] Las Vegas bids run to $12bn-13bn with an arena, Forbes reports. [33] Seattle's two bidders, including Samantha Holloway, who owns its ice hockey team, offer much less. [32][33]

   Why it matters — New teams' fees are paid out to the 30 existing owners, and ESPN says raising the price is Silver's job. [34][32] Seattle has had no team since the SuperSonics moved to Oklahoma City in 2008. [32]

10. 11

    NBA teams worth $6.1bn on average

    Forbes estimates the average NBA team is now worth $6.1bn, up 14% in a year and 147% since 2021. [34] The Golden State Warriors are top for a fifth year, at $13.5bn, and the New York Knicks second at $12.6bn. [34] Every team is worth at least $4bn. [34] The average team now sells for 13.1 times its yearly revenue, up from 8.6 four years ago. [34] Two clubs, the Lakers and the Timberwolves, agreed new sales in August. [34]

    Why it matters — So team prices are rising faster than the money teams take in. [34] The Lakers' two sales have also pushed up what the NBA asks for new teams. [33]

11. 12

    EuroLeague sets a $9bn target

    EuroLeague, Europe's top club basketball league, set out a ten-year plan on Friday to grow its value to 7.98bn euros, about $9bn. [35] Its 13 owner clubs all approved it, less than two weeks after rejecting an NBA offer. [35] It plans up to 24 teams, adding them in 2027 and 2031, and says it holds 15 binding offers to join. [35] Only 40% of its clubs now pay their way, it says. [35]

    Why it matters — The NBA and FIBA, world basketball's governing body, still plan a rival league in Europe. [35] Fees from new clubs, 1.2bn euros, are a big part of what EuroLeague says it will share out. [35]

12. 13

    A WNBA star warns about prediction apps

    Nneka Ogwumike, an 11-time WNBA All-Star, said prediction markets are 'not a safe place for athletes', at a Fortune conference on Tuesday. [6] Prediction markets are apps such as Kalshi and Polymarket that sell bets as financial contracts, which lets them avoid many gambling rules. [6] Their combined trading hit a record $22.2bn last week. [6] In a 2025 NCAA study, more than half of top-level men's college basketball players reported abuse online over how they played. [6] 46% said bettors sent the most threatening messages. [6]

    Why it matters — The NBA's new rules add a hotline and a message filter for players, but cannot reach these apps. [1][3] Ogwumike says the abuse can affect how players perform. [6]

13. 14

    Kalshi's tribal deal hits a leadership fight

    Kalshi has signed deals with five Native American tribes in a month to run betting apps under their names, for a share of fees. [8] One is the Alabama-Quassarte Tribal Town in Oklahoma, which has fewer than 500 members. [8] Samuel Marshall Jr, who says he leads it, told Front Office Sports he never approved the deal. [8] Kalshi says it holds a signed agreement approved by the tribe's lawyer. [8] The consultant who arranged the deal says a rival, Wilson Yargee, is the rightful leader. [8]

    Why it matters — Tribes are split: 145 of them asked the US Supreme Court to take up the fight over sports contracts, and some have sued Kalshi. [8] Kalshi's chief executive says tribal self-rule means different tribes will make different choices. [8]

14. 15

    Betting firms' election ads return

    A network of political groups paid by DraftKings, FanDuel, Fanatics and Bet365 has begun buying ads again before the US elections on 3 November, Sportico reports. [9] One of them, American Future PAC, has spent at least $30,000 on online ads in Alabama, Illinois, Georgia and Maryland since 6 October. [9] Its ads do not mention gambling. [9] The network has received almost $100m from betting firms in a year. [9]

    Why it matters — US states set the rules and taxes for online betting, which makes state elections a magnet for the firms, Sportico says. [9] The same firms fund groups on both sides, Democrat and Republican. [9]

15. 16

    Kalshi asks the US Supreme Court for time

    Kalshi has asked the US Supreme Court for a month's extension in its fight with states over sports bets, Semafor reports. [7] The question is whether states may treat Kalshi's sports contracts as gambling. [7] Federal appeals courts disagree: one sided with Kalshi, two with the states. [7] The court has until January to pick its cases for this term. [7] The gambling industry's trade group says sport is about 85% of Kalshi's trading. [7]

    Why it matters — Until the court decides, states do not know whether their gambling laws cover Kalshi's sports contracts. [7] Kalshi's lawyer called the request routine. [7]

16. 17

    Silver wants trackers in games

    NBA commissioner Adam Silver wants players to wear tracking devices during games, he told CNBC. [10] He said players already wear them 22 hours a day, except when they play. [10] The players' current contract with the league bans them in games. [10] The players' union, the group that bargains for them, worries teams could use the data in pay talks, and says players should own it. [10] Referees tested wrist devices this summer. [10]

    Why it matters — Silver said he understands players' worry that data showing them slowing down could be used against them in pay talks. [10] So who controls the data must be agreed before any device goes on court. [10]

17. 18

    Congo protests Rwanda's Formula One race

    Congo's foreign minister, Therese Kayikwamba Wagner, said on Thursday that a Formula One race in Rwanda would 'polish the image of an authoritarian leader'. [36] Rwanda announced this week that it will host a Grand Prix at a new track near Kigali in the early 2030s. [36] Congo, the US and UN experts accuse Rwanda of backing the M23 rebels in eastern Congo, while Rwanda says its forces are there to protect it from armed groups. [36] Congo backs South Africa's bid instead. [36]

    Why it matters — Human Rights Watch says Formula One never answered its questions about Rwanda. [37] South Africa's sports minister says his country will still get a race before 2030. [37]

18. 19

    Two more British world titles on the track

    Mark Stewart, 31, won the points race and Anna Morris, 31, the omnium at the track cycling world championships in Shanghai on Friday. [29] Both are British. [29] The omnium is four races, ending with a points race; Morris won it a day after winning the team pursuit. [29] Emma Finucane took silver in the sprint, behind China's Yuan Liying, 21. [29] It was Stewart's first world title. [29]

    Why it matters — The medals came days after British Cycling sent home one of its sprinters, Matt Richardson, from the same championships. [30]

19. 20

    British Cycling faces a 'toxic culture' claim

    A former British Cycling manager, Jack Lindsay, says it has a 'toxic culture' in its leadership. [30] He says his bullying complaint was partly upheld, but nobody apologised or told him of any action. [30] A survey reported by the Times found 31% of riders and staff had seen or met unacceptable behaviour. [30] British Cycling says it takes every complaint seriously. [30] UK Sport, which funds it, has given it 30m pounds for the 2028 Olympics. [30]

    Why it matters — Public money pays for the team, so the question is whether UK Sport checks how it is run. [30] UK Sport says its checks are much stronger than in 2017, when a review criticised the sport. [30]

20. 21

    Kartal reaches her biggest semi-final

    Sonay Kartal, a British tennis player, beat world No 6 Elina Svitolina 6-2 2-6 6-4 at the Wuhan Open in China on Friday. [31] It puts her in the semi-finals of a WTA 1000 event, the level just below the four Grand Slams, for the first time. [31] Kartal missed six months with a stress fracture in her back. [31] She has won six of eight matches since returning three weeks ago. [31]

    Why it matters — She used a protected ranking, kept for injured players, to enter top events straight away. [31] Only one British player before her, Johanna Konta, had reached this stage since the format began in 2009. [31]

21. 22

    Vinicius loses his appeal

    Spain's football federation rejected Real Madrid's appeal against a four-match ban for their forward Vinicius Jr, The Athletic reports. [38] He was sent off for pulling an opponent's hair, which carries two matches. [38] He got two more for confronting the referee. [38] He will miss the match against Barcelona on 25 October. [38] Real are expected to try Spain's sports tribunal next. [38]

    Why it matters — The ban lands in the same week Real accused La Liga's president of working against them. [19][38]

22. 23

    Chicago bids for the Women's World Cup

    Chicago has asked to host games at the 2031 Women's World Cup, after refusing FIFA's terms for this year's men's tournament, The Athletic reports. [39] The US, Mexico, Jamaica and Costa Rica are the only bidders. [39] It will be the first women's World Cup with 48 teams. [39] Portland has also applied. [39] The bid says the tournament could bring in $4bn, about eight times the 2023 event. [39]

    Why it matters — FIFA hopes cities will compete, which lets it ask for better terms. [39] Chicago says it will seek terms that are fair and good value for the city. [39]

23. 24

    Saban says 24 is too many

    Nick Saban, a retired college football coach who now works on TV, said on Friday that a 24-team College Football Playoff is too big. [40] He would back 16 teams. [40] 'The bottom line is money,' he said, because colleges now spend more on players. [40] He wants conference title games kept, as a way into a smaller playoff. [40]

    Why it matters — The 24-team plan would end conference title games. [40] The title game of the SEC, a group of mostly southern colleges, alone is worth about $100m, money a bigger playoff must replace. [40]

24. 25

    Two NFL players come back from paid leave

    The NFL took Green Bay's Josh Jacobs and Denver's Jonathon Cooper off paid leave after six games each. [41] Both can play on 25 October. [41] Jacobs pleaded no contest to battery and property damage charges after a domestic abuse arrest in May. [41] Cooper faces five charges after an arrest in June, with a trial in March. [42] The NFL says its own reviews go on. [41][42]

    Why it matters — Six games is the NFL's usual first ban for domestic violence, so the leave works like a ban served early. [41] If the NFL suspends them for longer, they may have to pay back wages. [41][42]

25. 26

    Stevenson says the Haney fight is off

    Boxer Shakur Stevenson says his 28 November fight with Devin Haney is off. [43] He says Haney agreed to fight at 144 and then 145 pounds, but then insisted on 147. [43] Haney holds the world title of the WBO, one of boxing's main title bodies, at 147 pounds. [43] Each now faces a fight against his title's official challenger instead. [43]

    Why it matters — Stevenson says he accepted the fight and has been reasonable on money. [43] He gave his account on X, the social media site. [43]

26. 27

    Buss siblings fight on over the Lakers

    Two of Jeanie Buss's siblings filed papers in a Los Angeles court on Friday to stop her removing them as trustees of the family trust. [44] Five of the six siblings voted to sell the family's last 17.82% of the Lakers basketball team. [44] Jeanie Buss, the club's governor, voted no. [44] The NBA says a team's governor must own at least 15%. [44] A hearing is set for 8 December. [44]

    Why it matters — If the sale goes ahead, she can no longer be the club's governor, a job she has held since her father, Jerry Buss, died in 2013. [44] The buyers, Joshua Kushner and Bob Iger, already agreed to buy most of the club. [44]

27. 28

    Ronaldo still football's best paid

    Cristiano Ronaldo will earn about $300m this season, Forbes estimates, $250m of it from Al Nassr, his club in Saudi Arabia. [45] Lionel Messi is second, at $145m, and Kylian Mbappe third, at $100m. [45] The ten best-paid players will earn $942m, slightly less than last year. [45] For the first time since the list began in 2005, the Premier League has only one player in the ten, Erling Haaland. [45]

    Why it matters — More than half of Messi's money, $75m, comes from business off the pitch. [45] The figures are Forbes estimates, and sponsors are believed to help pay both stars' wages. [45]

28. 29

    Champions Bordeaux held at Gloucester

    Gloucester drew 36-36 with Bordeaux-Begles, the champions, in the first game of the new Champions Cup season on Friday. [46][47] Bordeaux are chasing a third title in a row. [47] Their winger Louis Bielle-Biarrey scored twice. [47] Four Bordeaux players were held at the UK border for four hours because they did not have a valid electronic travel permit. [46] The game began with a silence for Hyron Andrews. [47]

    Why it matters — Gloucester lead the English league, and nearly gave Bordeaux their first loss in the competition since April 2024. [47]

29. 30

    Rain stops the American League final

    Game 4 of baseball's American League championship series between the Cleveland Guardians and the Tampa Bay Rays was rained off on Friday. [48][49] The Guardians lead 2-1. [49] Game 4 moves to Saturday and Game 5 to Sunday, and there will be no travel day if a sixth game is needed. [48] The winner meets the Milwaukee Brewers in the World Series from 23 October. [49]

    Why it matters — Losing a rest day forces both teams to rethink which pitchers start which games. [48]

30. 31

    Low-spending teams fill baseball's last four

    The Brewers, Guardians and Rays all reached baseball's last four with some of the lowest wages in the sport. [61] Some say that shows baseball needs no salary cap, a limit on what a team may spend on wages. [61] Baseball's own figures for 2015 to 2025 say teams from the bigger half of markets made 85% of World Series appearances. [61] They were nine times as likely to win it. [61]

    Why it matters — Smaller teams can win in one season but find it harder to keep their best players, the Forbes analysis argues. [61]

31. 32

    Denver beat the champions in overtime

    The Denver Broncos beat the Seattle Seahawks, the Super Bowl champions, 17-14 in overtime on Thursday night. [50] Denver's defence intercepted Seattle's quarterback, Sam Darnold, twice, the second time in overtime. [50] It was Denver's fourth win of the season. [50] Several of Denver's best defenders were out injured. [50]

    Why it matters — Denver's linebacker Jonathon Cooper can return from paid leave for their next game. [41]

32. 33

    The NFL's London school nearly wins

    The NFL Academy, a school in England run by the NFL, lost 42-40 to IMG Academy, the top US high school team, on Friday. [51] The academy has 70 players from 21 countries. [51] More than 50 of its graduates will play US college football this year. [51] In April Seydou Traore became its first NFL draft pick. [51] The NFL plays a record nine games abroad this season. [51]

    Why it matters — The league wants the rest of the world to play the game, not only watch it. [51] NFL owners voted in May to allow up to ten games abroad a year from 2027. [51]

33. 34

    A 20-year-old becomes champion jockey

    Billy Loughnane, 20, will be crowned champion jockey of British flat racing at Ascot on Saturday. [52] He is the youngest for more than a century. [52] Pat Eddery was 22 when he won his first title, and Frankie Dettori 23. [52] Loughnane passed the defending champion, Oisin Murphy, in mid-July. [52] He rode his first race at 16. [52]

    Why it matters — On a normal day he rides five to nine races, seven days a week, he says. [52]

34. 35

    Burnley go a year without a home win

    Burnley lost at home to Wolves on Friday, their 21st home league game without a win. [53] Jamie Vardy scored his first goal for Burnley before Wolves came back. [53] Burnley's last home league win was against Leeds in the Premier League on 18 October last year, so the run passes a full year. [53] The English Football League record is 23, set by Sheffield Wednesday. [53]

    Why it matters — Burnley's coach, Nicky Hayen, said his future is a question for other people. [53] Two more home games without a win would equal the record. [53]

35. 36

    Watford's manager says sorry to Elton John

    Watford manager Alessio Dionisi said sorry to Elton John, the singer and lifelong Watford fan, after he posted that he was upset at the team's form. [54] Watford have won three of their last 21 games and sit in the relegation places. [54] Dionisi called reports of his sacking 'fake news'. [54] The club's owners, the Pozzo family, have appointed 28 managers since 2012, four this year. [54]

    Why it matters — Watford play Charlton at home on Saturday, with the pressure on Dionisi rising. [54]

36. 37

    An 18-year-old to captain England Lions

    Thomas Rew, 18, will captain England Lions, the national second team, in three games against West Indies A in St Kitts and Nevis in November. [55] He is thought to be the youngest Lions captain ever. [55] This week he also got his first full England call-up and a development contract. [55] His older brother James is in the squad. [55]

    Why it matters — The BBC calls it a sign of how highly England's bosses rate him. [55] He then joins England's T20 squad in Australia. [55]

37. 38

    Burglar who robbed Kyren Wilson jailed

    A man who burgled the home of the former world snooker champion Kyren Wilson has been jailed for four years. [56] Kane Lee, 28, broke into the house near Kettering in June while it was empty. [56] He took jewellery, watches and 2,000 pounds in cash set aside for a children's cancer charity. [56] Wilson won the world title in 2024. [56]

    Why it matters — Wilson held an event this month to raise money for the same charity. [56]

38. 39

    Cruz Azul's women's coach goes after a party

    Cruz Azul's women's football team in Mexico parted with its coach, Raul Gutierrez, on Friday. [57] He had been criticised for going to the 110th birthday party of Club America, Cruz Azul's rival. [57] The club's statement did not mention the party. [57] Gutierrez won three and lost three of his six games. [57] Joaquin Moreno takes over for now. [57]

    Why it matters — The club said only that both sides found the situation too hard to carry on. [57]

39. 40

    An Olympic sprinter speaks from her bed

    Beth Dobbin, who ran for Britain at the Tokyo Olympics, now spends more than 22 hours a day in bed with ME, she told the BBC. [58] ME is a long illness that causes severe tiredness that rest does not fix. [58] She has left her house five times this year. [58] She said even this interview could make her worse for months. [58]

    Why it matters — She chose to speak to make the illness better known, knowing what it could cost her. [58]

40. 41

    Bath to start their new stadium in March

    Bath Rugby will begin rebuilding its city-centre ground, the Rec, next March, its owner Bruce Craig told the Guardian. [59] He expects the work to finish by September 2028. [59] Craig has owned the club for 16 years, with the billionaire James Dyson as co-owner. [59] Bath won their first league title for 29 years in 2025. [59]

    Why it matters — The rebuild is possible because Craig and Dyson are paying for it. [59]

41. 42

    Opening card packs on camera pays

    Hot Hands Sports, a collectibles start-up, sells places in live-streamed 'breaks', where packs of sports cards are opened on camera after the spots are sold. [60] About 90% of its sales come from breaks. [60] It now makes about $400,000 a month and is on course for $5m a year. [60] It passed $1m in sales a year after it began streaming in May 2025. [60]

    Why it matters — In a break, a few buyers get a rare card and the rest a cheaper pack. [60] Some in the hobby compare this to gambling, and the founder says sellers must stay fair and open. [60]