Champion figure skaters confirmed as passengers aboard crashed flight
In a statement shared with The Washington Post, U.S. Figure Skating, the sport's national governing body, said 'several' members of its community were aboard the Washington-bound flight from Wichita. A U.S. Figure Skating spokesperson declined to specify a number.
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Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
At what point would it make sense for the Giants to start Jaxson Dart in Week 1?
In 2012, Russell Wilson arrived to the Seattle Seahawks as a rookie and his role seemed well defined. The Seahawks had just paid Matt Flynn a three-year, $26 million deal to be their starter. Wilson was a third-round pick out of Wisconsin, and he'd wait his turn. Tarvaris Jackson was competing with Flynn for the QB1 job, not Wilson. Wilson wasn't taken seriously as a threat to be the team's starter. Then the preseason happened. By the time August was nearly over, the Seahawks knew that Wilson was their best quarterback and it didn't make much sense to play someone else over him even though he was a rookie. Wilson would make the Pro Bowl in nine of his 10 Seahawks seasons, including his rookie season, and help the franchise win its only Super Bowl. Therefore, Wilson should recognize the story that is unfolding in New York Giants camp. When the Giants drafted Jaxson Dart in the first round, it was meant to be a bit of a developmental pick. Dart didn't run a pro-style offense at Ole Miss, and it was repeated often that he was a prospect with good NFL traits who would need to sit for a while. Few thought he had any chance to be the Week 1 starter. But what if, like Wilson on the 2012 Seahawks, Dart is simply the Giants' best option going into the season? Jaxson Dart impresses Dart's preseason debut last week was impressive. He was 12 of 19 for 154 yards, and the standout play was a pretty pass on a deep touchdown. It was just one play but one that will stick in the minds of everyone for a while, at least until Dart gets promoted to the starting job. Giants coach Brian Daboll had plenty of praise for the rookie quarterback. "Just about what I thought he would do," Daboll said. "Efficient, effective, aggressive, confident in the pocket. Some stuff we can work on, but he's doing good." Daboll wasn't over the top in talking up Dart. He said there were good things and things he needed to work on, and that goes for his practice reps too. It's not like Dart is a finished product just because he had a promising preseason debut. But Daboll seems quite happy with what he has seen so far. Dart undeniably has more upside than Wilson. Wilson is a limited quarterback at 36 years old, and that has been evident for a couple of seasons. If the Giants want a veteran who can capably run an offense, without the chance at anything more than baseline level quarterback play, Wilson is fine. He can do that. It will just be hard to resist shooting for something more. When will Dart start? Starting Dart right away isn't as easy as the Giants identifying that he brings more playmaking ability and giving him the spot. It's also more complicated than letting Dart sit and learn for a year, or whatever would be best for his long-term development. Daboll and Giants general manager Joe Schoen aren't guaranteed to be around for the long term. They're both on the hot seat after barely surviving a season that co-owner John Mara summed up as "we stunk." Whatever is best for Daboll and Schoen to give them the best chance to last another season will play into the decision, even if nobody would ever admit that out loud. The most likely outcome is what seemed like the plan when Dart was drafted: Wilson will start the season, and if he struggles then the team will have to make a decision on whether Dart is ready. Nobody associated with the Giants wants to start Dart too soon and then have to bench him if he struggles. However, every time Wilson doesn't play well or the Giants lose, there will be questions about whether a quarterback change is coming. The Giants knew that would happen when they traded up to pick Dart in the first round. Dart could be incredible for the rest of the preseason and force the issue, but it still seems unlikely the Giants would hand Dart the starting job for Week 1. Then again, that's what was being said about Wilson at this point in the preseason 13 years ago.
Fast Company
3 hours ago
- Fast Company
After the Paramount merger, could UFC stage a July 4th fight at the White House?
Hours after Paramount and UFC announced a billion-dollar rights deal, Dana White said he had yet to hear from his friend, President Donald Trump, on his thoughts about the fight company's new streaming home. That was fine with White. The UFC CEO was set to travel to Washington on Aug. 28 to meet with Trump and his daughter, Ivanka, to catch up and discuss logistics on the proposed Fourth of July fight card next year at the White House. Trump said last month he wanted to stage a UFC match on the White House grounds with upwards of 20,000 spectators to celebrate 250 years of American independence. 'It's absolutely going to happen,' White told The Associated Press. 'Think about that, the 250th birthday of the United States of America, the UFC will be on the White House south lawn live on CBS.' The idea of cage fights at the White House would have seemed improbable when the Fertitta brothers purchased UFC for $2 million in 2001 and put White in charge of the fledging fight promotion. White helped steer the company into a $4 billion sale in 2016 and broadcast rights deals with Fox and ESPN before landing owner TKO Group's richest one yet — a seven-year deal with Paramount starting in 2026 worth an average of $1.1 billion a year, with all cards on its streaming platform Paramount+ and select numbered events also set to simulcast on CBS. ESPN, Amazon and Netflix and other traditional sports broadcast players seemed more in play for UFC rights — White had previously hinted fights could air across different platforms — but Paramount was a serious contender from the start of the negotiating window. The Paramount and UFC deal came just days after Skydance and Paramount officially closed their $8 billion merger — kicking off the reign of a new entertainment giant after a contentious endeavor to get the transaction over the finish line. White said he was impressed with the vision Skydance CEO David Ellison had for the the global MMA leader early in contract talks and how those plans should blossom now that Ellison is chairman and CEO of Paramount. 'When you talk about Paramount, you talk about David Ellison, they're brilliant businessmen, very aggressive, risk takers,' White said. 'They're right up my alley. These are the kind of guys that I like to be in business with.' The $1.1 billion deals marks a notable jump from the roughly $550 million that ESPN paid each year for UFC coverage today. But UFC's new home on Paramount will simplify offerings for fans — with all content set to be available on Paramount+ (which currently costs between $7.99 and $12.99 a month), rather than various pay-per-view fees. Paramount also said it intends to explore UFC rights outside the U.S. 'as they become available in the future.' UFC matchmakers were set to meet this week to shape what White said would be a loaded debut Paramount card. The UFC boss noted it was still too early to discuss a potential main event for the White House fight night. 'This is a 1-of-1 event,' White said. There are still some moving parts to UFC broadcasts and other television programming it has its hands in as the company moves into the Paramount era. White said there are still moving parts to the deal and that includes potentially finding new homes for 'The Ultimate Fighter,' 'Road To UFC,' and 'Dana White's Contender Series.' It's not necessarily a given the traditional 10 p.m. start time for what were the pay-per-view events would stand, especially on nights cards will also air on CBS. 'We haven't figured that out yet but we will,' White said. And what about the sometimes-contentious issue of fighter pay? Some established fighters have clauses in their contracts that they earn more money the higher the buyrate on their cards. Again, most of those issues are to-be-determined as UFC and Paramount settle in to the new deal — with $1.1 billion headed the fight company's way. 'It will affect fighter pay, big time,' White said. 'From deal-to-deal, fighter pay has grown, too. Every time we win, everybody wins.' Boxer Jake Paul wrote on social media the dying PPV model — which was overpriced for fights as UFC saw a decline in buys because of missing star power in many main events — should give the fighters an increased idea of their worth. 'Every fighter in the UFC now has a clear picture of what the revenue is…no more PPV excuses,' Paul wrote. 'Get your worth boys and girls.' White also scoffed at the idea that the traditional PPV model is dead. There are still UFC cards on pay-per-view the rest of the year through the end of the ESPN contract and White and Saudi Arabia have teamed to launch a new boxing venture that starts next year and could use a PPV home. White, though, is part of the promotional team for the Canelo Álvarez and Terence Crawford fight in September in Las Vegas that airs on Netflix. 'It's definitely not run it's course,' White said. 'There were guys out there who were interested in pay-per-view and there were guys out there that weren't. Wherever we ended up, that's what we're going to roll with.' White said UFC archival footage 'kills it' in repeat views and those classic bouts also needed a new home once the ESPN deal expires. Just when it seems there's little left for UFC to conquer, White says, there's always more. Why stop at becoming the biggest fight game in the world? Why not rewrite the pecking order in popularity and riches and go for No. 1 in all sports? 'You have the NFL, the NBA, the UFC, and soccer globally,' White said. 'We're coming. We're coming for all of them.'
USA Today
5 hours ago
- USA Today
Lakers jersey history No. 3 — Devean George
Through the 2024-25 season, the Los Angeles Lakers have had a total of 506 players suit up for them, going back to their days in Minneapolis. Some were forgettable, some were serviceable, some were good and a select few were flat-out legendary. As the Lakers approach their 80th season of existence (they were founded back in 1946 as the Detroit Gems in the National Basketball League), LeBron Wire is taking a look at each player who has worn their jersey, whether it has been a purple and gold one or the ones they donned back in the Midwest during their early years. Here's a look at Devean George, a forward who played for the Lakers during the 2000s. George, a 6-foot-8 forward, was a star at Augsburg University (then known as Augsburg College), a Division III school located in Minneapolis, Minn., where he won back-to-back Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference MVP awards. Despite playing at a small school that very few people outside of the Midwest were familiar with, George was drafted by the Lakers with the No. 23 selection in the 1999 NBA Draft. He got very little playing time in his first two seasons, but he started to crack coach Phil Jackson's rotation during the 2001-02 season, his third in the league. He started to become a decent 3-point shooter and defender, and he won the NBA championship in each of his first three pro seasons. However, George never became a truly viable NBA player. He lacked the ability to put the ball on the floor and make plays without getting out of control and committing a turnover, and he was a bit inconsistent with his outside shooting. Despite being considered the most athletically talented player on the Lakers' roster, outside of perhaps Kobe Bryant, he just didn't pan out. In retrospect, some felt the Lakers made a mistake by not selecting Russian forward Andrei Kirilenko, whom the Utah Jazz chose with the No. 24 pick in 1999. Once Kirilenko made his NBA debut in the 2001-02 campaign, he instantly became an impactful complementary player on both ends of the floor, and he enjoyed a productive 13-year NBA career. But George did just well enough to stick with L.A. for seven seasons. He ended up playing 11 seasons in the league and averaging 5.6 points and 3.1 rebounds in 18.5 minutes a game.
