Sports, in brief

The WTA, which runs women's professional tennis, said on Thursday that women will get the same prize money as men at all seven of its big joint events from 2027. [1][2]

At these joint events men and women play at the same tournament, the highest level of tennis below the four Grand Slams. [3][4]

The Italian Open in Rome, the Canadian Open and the Cincinnati Open were the three still paying men more. [5][6]

Indian Wells, Miami, Madrid and Beijing already paid equally, and all four Grand Slams have done so since 2007. [6][3]

In Rome this year the men's prize money came to $9.6m and the women's to $8.3m. [5]

In 2023 Rome paid $8.5m to the men and $3.9m to the women. [2] The Italian Tennis Federation, which runs it, promised equal pay within three years and missed that target. [1]

Billie Jean King won $600 for the 1970 Italian Open, and the men's champion, Ilie Nastase, won $3,500. [6] She has said that gap moved her to start the women's tour. [6]

From 2027 the top 50 women must play four of the tour's mid-level 500 events a year, down from six. [3] With the Grand Slams, that makes 18 required tournaments. [6][2]

They may also swap their worst result at a 1000 event for a better one at a smaller tournament when their ranking is worked out. [3]

Players had complained that the season was too crowded, and in February nearly two dozen pulled out of the Dubai tournament. [2]

The WTA also announced a fund to send money to chosen tournaments. [2] Its chair, Valerie Camillo, linked the fund to the aim of equal prize money. [2]

According to a Telegraph report cited by Front Office Sports, the WTA is heading for a $23m operating loss this year and $11m left in cash. [2]

Why it matters. The next test is the new tournament fund: how much it holds, and where the money comes from, at a tour the Telegraph says is losing money this year. [2]

US colleges paid their athletes more than $1.77bn in the first year they were allowed to pay them directly, the NCAA and the College Sports Commission said on Thursday. [7] The payments come from a $2.8bn court settlement that let schools share their income with players from 2025-26, up to $20.5m each. [7] 34,915 athletes at 307 schools were paid, and 68 schools spent the full limit or came close. [7] Arkansas basketball coach John Calipari says nine of his players earn more than his assistant coaches. [18]

Why it matters. The US Senate has voted to raise the limit to about $48m a school, and the bill now needs the House of Representatives. [7] Schools report that most of the money went to football and basketball players. [7]

Manchester City have until Friday to appeal against an independent panel's finding that they broke Premier League spending rules between 2009-10 and 2017-18. [19] The panel found City used 'sham' contracts with sponsors to hide more than £830m of secret funding. [20] BBC Sport's sources say City will argue that Abu Dhabi's government, not the club's owners, paid for those sponsorships. [20] Meg Hillier, who chairs the UK Parliament's Treasury Committee, has asked HMRC, Britain's tax office, whether it has asked for the hidden parts of the report. [19]

Why it matters. A research group, Tax Policy Associates, says City may owe up to £12m in tax over a 'sham' contract with their former manager Roberto Mancini. [19] Britain's prime minister, Andy Burnham, was criticised for saying he would be 'really concerned' if City's owners sold, and his office then said nobody is above the rules. [20][21]

Rogers Communications, a Canadian phone and media company, bought the last 25% of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE) on Thursday for C$4.35bn. [9] MLSE owns ice hockey's Toronto Maple Leafs, basketball's Toronto Raptors, the football club Toronto FC, the Toronto Argonauts and their arena. [9] Rogers already owned baseball's Toronto Blue Jays and Sportsnet, a TV channel that shows their games. [9] The deal was announced in July and needed the leagues' approval. [9]

Why it matters. One company now owns five of Toronto's biggest teams, as well as the channel that shows them. [9] Rogers has said it plans to sell a minority stake in its sports and media business within a year. [9]

Jalen Duren, the Detroit Pistons' 22-year-old All-Star centre, agreed a five-year, $200m contract on Thursday night, before an 11.59pm deadline that day. [8] He was a restricted free agent, so Detroit could match any offer another team made him. [22] His other choice was a one-year offer of $9.6m that would have let him leave freely in 2027. [8] He could have been paid up to $287m, but Detroit offered less after he averaged 10.2 points in the playoffs. [8][22]

Why it matters. CBS Sports worked out that taking the one-year offer and leaving next summer would probably have paid him less over five years. [8] A clause that would have made him check his weight with the team every month was removed this week, The Athletic reported. [8]

Nike, the world's biggest sportswear maker, said on Thursday it will cut costs by $2.5bn over four years, including $1bn in staff costs. [23] Its chief executive, Elliott Hill, told staff that job cuts will come from 2027. [23] Profit for the three months to August fell 2% to $712m, on sales down 4% to $11.2bn. [23] The footballer Kylian Mbappe recently left Nike for a rival shoe brand, On, after 20 years. [24]

Why it matters. Nike's shares have fallen by more than 40% this year. [23][24] Analysts at J.P. Morgan, Morgan Stanley and Bank of America have all told clients to sell the shares since August. [24]

Lionel Messi has bought CD Eldense, a club in Spain's second division, the club said on Thursday. [11] Messi, 39, still plays for Inter Miami in the US, and in April he bought Cornella, a club in Catalonia. [25] The deal still needs approval from Spain's High Council for Sports. [26] Eldense are 19th of 22 clubs, with one win from seven games. [25]

Why it matters. Cristiano Ronaldo bought a quarter of Almeria, another second-division club, this year, so the two stars' clubs meet in the same league. [26] Eldense said Messi's arrival starts a long-term plan for the club. [11]

Bordeaux, French football champions in 2008-09, have been sold to Park Bench, a US-based investment fund, for one euro. [10] The buyer takes on the club's debts, close to €18m according to the French outlet Ici. [10][27] Bordeaux have gone into administration twice since 2021. [10] The DNCG, which checks French clubs' accounts, has pushed them down to the sixth tier over money problems. [10]

Why it matters. A regional league commission must approve the sale, and a commercial court must approve it too, or the club could be closed. [10][27] Park Bench also owns most of Dunfermline in Scotland and shares in Cordoba in Spain. [10]

Ohio State University may owe millions more to men abused by Richard Strauss, a former team doctor, Sportico reported. [12] In 2020 it promised its first 152 claimants that no later settlement would pay more per person than their average of $252,551. [12] Its new $100m settlement covers 279 people, about $358,000 each on average. [12] Under the 2020 deal, a mediator must now decide how much extra the first group is owed. [12]

Why it matters. An investigation found Strauss abused at least 177 male students while he worked for the university, many of them athletes. [12] Ohio State declined to comment, citing a confidential mediation. [12]

The US is set to host FIFA's first Women's Club World Cup in January 2028, with Los Angeles and San Diego among the likely cities, the Guardian reported. [28] Qatar had also been in talks, and there was no formal bidding. [28] FIFA, which runs world football, wants the 19-team event as a trial for the 2031 Women's World Cup, which the US is due to co-host. [28] The deal has not been confirmed. [28]

Why it matters. It falls between the 2027 Women's World Cup and the 2028 Olympics, so top players face a crowded year. [28] Europe's top clubs have said a deal with FIFA must be signed before the TV rights for it are sold. [28]

Real Madrid have sent UEFA, which runs European football, what they call 'evidence of extraordinary gravity' about Barcelona. [29] Barcelona are alleged to have paid €8.4m between 2001 and 2018 to Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira, once vice-president of Spain's referees' committee. [29] Barcelona say the money paid for scouting reports on referees, and deny any wrongdoing. [29] UEFA called the file, reported to run past 50,000 pages, 'substantial', and says its inspectors will assess it. [29]

Why it matters. Barcelona say UEFA has opened no new case and that its review began in 2023. [29] It has been alleged that the money was used to bribe referees, which Barcelona strongly deny. [29]

The Pittsburgh Steelers traded cornerback Joey Porter Jr. to the Dallas Cowboys late on Wednesday, ending a stand-off over his contract. [30] The deal involved a 2027 sixth-round draft pick and a 2028 second-round pick. [30] Porter is in the last year of his first NFL contract and had wanted a new one in Pittsburgh. [30][31] He adds $4.92m to Dallas's wage bill this season, leaving them about $16m under the league's salary cap, its limit on spending. [31]

Why it matters. ESPN's Ed Werder reports Porter is happy to play this season without a new contract, which would make him a free agent in 2027. [31] In 2025 quarterbacks throwing towards him did worse than against any of 128 defenders who faced at least 60 throws. [30]

Gary Bettman, commissioner of the NHL, ice hockey's top league, said on Thursday that no-trade clauses are not being used as intended. [14] The clauses let a player block a trade, and Bettman said they were meant to protect players who signed long deals to stay in one city. [32] Instead, players have asked to leave and then used them to choose their next club. [14] Brady Tkachuk left Ottawa for Florida this off-season after giving a list of four teams. [32]

Why it matters. Bettman said one summer does not make a problem. [32] If it becomes one, he said, the league will raise it with the players' union. [32]

New playing rules from the International Cricket Council, which runs world cricket, took effect on Thursday. [33] A batter who is not ready in time gets a warning, then a final warning, and on the third time the fielding side is given five runs. [33] In longer matches, a wicket in the day's last over no longer ends play early. [33] The MCC, which writes cricket's laws, also banned many 'bunny-hop' catches, where a fielder outside the boundary knocks the ball back in, jumps back and catches it. [34]

Why it matters. Sporting News reports confusion over a new line saying a fielder must have full control of the ball to run a batter out. [35] Women's cricket now has its own stated ball size. [33]

India and Pakistan will meet in the group stage of the 2027 men's one-day Cricket World Cup, after this week's draw. [36] Their group also holds the holders Australia, Afghanistan, Zimbabwe and a qualifier. [36] England face South Africa, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, New Zealand and a qualifier, with games in South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe. [36] The tournament opens with India against Australia in Cape Town on 7 October 2027. [36]

Why it matters. England will play in Zimbabwe for the first time since 2004. [36] They refused to play in Harare at the 2003 World Cup because of the country's politics. [36]

The Atlanta Braves beat the Philadelphia Phillies 6-2 on Thursday to win their best-of-three baseball playoff series 2-1. [37] Ray Kerr, a 32-year-old relief pitcher who once worked at a 7-Eleven, started the game and gave up no runs in three and a third innings. [38] Michael Harris II hit a three-run home run in the first inning. [37] Atlanta now play the Los Angeles Dodgers, the reigning champions. [15]

Why it matters. Since this three-game round began in 2022, the team that won the first game has won 19 of 20 series. [15] The Phillies reached the playoffs for a fifth year in a row and went out early again. [37]

The Las Vegas Aces, last year's WNBA champions, beat the Indiana Fever 94-83 on Thursday to win their first-round series 2-1. [16] A'ja Wilson scored 36 points and took 10 rebounds. [16] The WNBA had decided not to punish her further for an incident with a fan. [39] The Aces reach the semi-finals for the eighth year in a row. [16]

Why it matters. For the second year running the Aces ended the season of Caitlin Clark's Fever. [40] Indiana had just had a regular season that set WNBA scoring records. [40]

Coaches and players have criticised the WNBA's best-of-three first round after the top seed, the Minnesota Lynx, went out in two games. [17] Under the deal with the players' union, more playoff games must bring bigger player bonuses in the same proportion. [17] Front Office Sports worked out that a best-of-five first round would add about $400,000 to this year's $1.44m bonus pot. [17] Best-of-seven in every round would add about $1m. [17]

Why it matters. Each player on the champion team gets a $60,000 bonus, against $5,000 for a first-round loser. [17] The regular season also grows from 44 to 50 games next year, which leaves less room in the calendar. [17]

The Cleveland Browns beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 27-24 on Thursday night with a 56-yard field goal by Andre Szmyt with 10 seconds left. [41] Quarterback Deshaun Watson led the winning drive, and the Browns are 3-1 and first in their division for the first time since 2014. [41] The cheapest ticket rose from $73 on Saturday to $266 on Thursday afternoon, according to TicketData. [39] That was on course to be the highest for a Browns game since at least 2022. [39]

Why it matters. Watson had missed more than a season and a half injured. [39] Aaron Rodgers threw three touchdown passes for Pittsburgh but was intercepted twice, the last time on the final play. [41]

Prices for TV adverts during baseball games rose 40% in September as the playoffs neared, according to Guideline, which tracks advertising spending. [42] In the first half of the season, the cost of reaching 1,000 viewers fell 1.5% to $26.60. [42] Buyers say a 30-second advert in NBC's Red Sox-Yankees series cost about $70,000. [42] A slot in the next round's biggest games, such as Yankees-Rays, can cost up to $120,000. [42]

Why it matters. New York, Los Angeles and Chicago, the three biggest US TV markets, all have teams in the playoffs, and together they hold nearly 14% of US TV homes. [42] A Guideline analyst thinks the 162-game season leaves advertisers in no hurry until October. [42]

A US federal judge has barred Wrigley View Rooftop, a building across the street from the Chicago Cubs' ballpark, from selling tickets to watch games from its roof. [43] Judge Sharon Johnson Coleman ruled on Wednesday that it was taking the value of games the Cubs pay to stage. [43] She pointed to a 1938 ruling for the Pittsburgh Pirates against a radio station that broadcast games from a nearby rooftop. [43] Every other rooftop near Wrigley Field pays the Cubs royalties, a share of what it takes. [43]

Why it matters. The ruling says a team can stop others selling views of its games, even from private property next door. [43]

Portugal beat Denmark 4-2 in Copenhagen on Thursday in the Nations League, a competition between European national teams. [44] It was a day after Cristiano Ronaldo, 41, left the squad, having sat on the bench for a whole match in Norway. [44][45] The coach, Jorge Jesus, called it 'a victory of the highest quality'. [44] In Munich, Jurgen Klopp won his first game as Germany's coach, 2-0 against Serbia. [44]

Why it matters. In Portugal most newspapers have said Ronaldo behaved selfishly. [45] Some outlets in which Ronaldo owns shares have criticised the coach instead. [45]

Wales came from behind to beat Norway 2-1 in Cardiff on Thursday, their first win this year. [46] Neco Williams scored the winner from a free kick after Norway's Torbjorn Heggem was sent off 17 seconds into the second half. [46] The win ended a run of six games without a victory that began with a World Cup play-off defeat by Bosnia-Herzegovina in March. [47]

Why it matters. Coach Craig Bellamy said the criticism during that run had been 'really difficult'. [47] Norway, with Erling Haaland, lost two games in a row for the first time in four years. [46]

Pro-Palestinian protests twice stopped the Republic of Ireland's Nations League match against Austria in Dublin on Thursday. [48] Tennis balls with Palestinian flag stickers were thrown onto the pitch, and later a man ran on with a flag. [48] Ireland led 2-0 but drew 2-2. [48] Their next game is against Israel on Sunday, a 'home' match played without fans in Backa Topola, Serbia. [48]

Why it matters. Ireland's two games against Israel have divided opinion in the country and drawn protests. [48]

Kansas State University is close to paying its former basketball coach Jerome Tang $12m to settle his firing, ESPN reported. [13] It fired him 'for cause' in February, pointing to an angry rant after a 91-62 defeat. [13] CBS Sports says the aim was to avoid paying his buyout, the money owed for ending a contract early. [13] Tang would have been owed more than $18m if he had been fired without cause. [13]

Why it matters. Tang said he strongly disagreed with the reason given. [13] In his first season, 2023, he took Kansas State to the last eight of the national tournament. [13]

Victor Wembanyama, the San Antonio Spurs' French star, said he will never promote a sports betting company. [49] He said it is 'very sad' to see other players do it, and that he has turned down offers worth far more than the sponsor deals he signed. [49] LeBron James has a deal with Polymarket, an app that takes bets on events, that will pay him $15m a year. [39] Kevin Durant has a deal with the betting firm FanDuel. [49]

Why it matters. Wembanyama said money once mattered in choosing sponsors, and now it does not. [49]