Latest News in Sports
Yahoo
5 minutes ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Paige Bueckers' Record-Breaking Debut Falls Short of Caitlin Clark
Paige Bueckers made her WNBA debut Friday night with the Dallas Wings, scoring 10 points and grabbing seven rebounds. Despite her solid performance, the Wings fell, 99-84, to the Minnesota Lynx. Since then, Dallas has played a second game, and Bueckers was even more impressive. She dropped 19 points and dished out eight assists, though the effort resulted in another loss for the Wings. The Seattle Storm came away with a 79-71 victory. Advertisement That first game, which was part of a WNBA doubleheader on Ion, drew 639,000 viewers. The second game of the night, featuring the Golden State Valkyries and Los Angeles Sparks, attracted 581,000 viewers. Front Office Sports highlighted Bueckers' early impact on the league and its viewership numbers. In a social media post, it shared: "Excluding games featuring Caitlin Clark, it's the second most-watched WNBA game ever on Ion," the post read. Still, Bueckers' debut didn't quite match the explosive viewership Caitlin Clark generated in her WNBA debut last year. Clark's first game, which aired on ESPN, pulled in 2.1 million viewers across all platforms. That game was the most-watched WNBA matchup since 2001, when the Los Angeles Sparks faced the Houston Comets and drew 2.45 million viewers on NBC.. Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers (5).Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images Clark has long been associated with record-breaking numbers. During her time at Iowa, she led the Hawkeyes in the 2024 NCAA women's championship game on ESPN, which reached a staggering 18.7 million viewers, the most ever for a women's college basketball game. Advertisement Bueckers, meanwhile, led the UConn Huskies to the 2025 NCAA championship game against the South Carolina Gamecocks. That game averaged 8.5 million viewers and peaked at 9.9 million on ESPN, making it the third-largest audience in women's NCAA history. Clark's WNBA season debut against the Chicago Sky drew a huge ratings number for ABC as well, attracting an average of 2.7 million viewers, making it the most-watched WNBA regular-season game since 2000. Dallas and its No. 1 overall pick will be looking to secure their first win of the season on Wednesday night in a rematch at Minnesota. After that, the Wings travel to Atlanta on Saturday, then visit Connecticut on May 27 and Chicago on May 29. Their next home game is set for May 31 against Angel Reese and the Chicago Sky. Advertisement Related: ESPN's Monica McNutt Makes Strong Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese Statement Related: Indiana Fever Had One Word After Disappointing Loss to Atlanta Dream
Daily Mirror
5 minutes ago
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
Fuming Ruben Amorim blasts Man Utd 'chokers' after latest humiliation
Ruben Amorim took his Manchester United squad to Malaysia for a post-season friendly and the first of those games ended in a shock defeat for the Premier League side Manchester United's miserable May continued in Malaysia on Thursday and head coach Ruben Amorim was under no illusions about his team's struggles. The beaten Europa League finalists suffered another 1-0 reverse, this time against ASEAN All Stars in Kuala Lumpur. Maung Maung Lwin, a Burmese international who plays his club football in Thailand, scored the only goal of the game. Amorim put his full squad to use, making multiple substitutions and blooding youngsters during the friendly, but was in no mood to make excuses. 'No injuries and a tough pitch," Amorim told reporters after the game, but he was clearly unhappy. "We don't have it in us not to choke in every exercise, in every game – that is what happened. We should win these kind of games, no matter what. We need to bring that inside of us in every game. 'The important thing is no injuries with this weather and to arrive here in this day. It is not an excuse, we should perform better. I liked the young kids, they try. That's enough for me in the moment. They want to play more but we have to rotate everybody to play. They did well.' United have one more friendly to come during the money-spinning tour, against the Hong Kong national team on Friday. After that, attention will turn towards strengthening a squad which only managed a 15th place finish in the Premier League. Amorim was able to welcome two new faces in the winter window, with Patrick Dorgu and Ayden Heaven joining from Lecce and Arsenal respectively. Matheus Cunha is set to become the first summer arrival, with United meeting the Brazil forward's £62.5million release clause. That deal isn't quite done yet, though. 'You have to wait for that," Amorim saidr. "I won't confirm anything. I have no news. We will see. There will be some changes' United rounded off their league season with a 2-0 victory over Aston Villa on Sunday, but were unable to avoid their worst ever Premier League finish. After ending up 15th with just 42 points, their head coach apologised to the fans. "First of all, I want to apologise for this season. I know you are really disappointed with me and the team," he said. "Secondly, I want to say thank you. We are very grateful for your support this season and I know it was really hard to support us in many games. "But now we have to make a choice. Do we stick in the past? Because this season is in the past. It's over. We could fight each other or we stick together and move forward." Join our new MAN UTD WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Manchester United content from Mirror Football. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
Wales Online
5 minutes ago
- Sport
- Wales Online
Craig Bellamy addresses tug-of-war for rising Man Utd star as fresh twist emerges
Craig Bellamy addresses tug-of-war for rising Man Utd star as fresh twist emerges The teenager is set to link up with the Canada squad for a training camp this summer Gabriele Biancheri is set to link up with the Canadian national team this summer (Image: 2024 Manchester United FC ) Wales boss Craig Bellamy insists he has no issue with Manchester United starlet Gabriel Biancheri accepting a call from Canada this summer. The 18-year-old has come through the age groups with Wales, but is eligible to play for Canada through his mother. He was recently included in Bellamy's training camp earlier this month, and there had been some suggestion he could be in line for his first cap in a bid to tie him down to the nation of his birth. But Bellamy insists he has no issue with young players assessing the set-ups at other national teams before making a decision over who to represent. Biancheri is set to link up with the rest of the Canada squad for a training camp ahead of the friendlies with Ukraine and Ivory Coast early next month, although it seems he won't be available to play in either game. "I like people having options, it's healthy," Bellamy said. "He's not ready for our squad yet. It's something he'd like to go and have a look at, but I like to think we have done our work as well. He has been with us through the younger age groups, he knows what we are about and who we are. "I don't think it ever hurts someone to have options and to go and explore them. I'm never against that. At the end the decision will be his. He knows where we are and where he is. He's not ready for first team football with us at this moment. "It's his decision. I've known him since he was very young and I know his family really well. Whatever he does will be the right thing for him, it's not a problem." Biancheri is highly-rated young prospect at United, having scored 21 goals in 35 appearances for the Red Devils at youth level. He has been similarly impressive for Wales under-19s, netting eight goals in 10 outings. Canada manager Jesse Marsch is clearly a big admirer of his abilities, and there's clearly some hope that the forward, who also qualifies for Italy, can be persuaded to pledge allegiance to Canada. "He's a dynamic player," Marsch said recently. "He's very good around the goal. You can see he's an intelligent player. 'He's a version of Jonathan David. He's not exactly the same player but he's a striker that can play up on the backline but also is good at coming underneath and connecting plays and being part of the buildup phase.' 'I've had good conversations with Gabe and his family. He has several options to think about in what country he wants to represent. 'I always feel like, for a lot of the dual nationals that I'm talking to, the best way for them to really feel how great it is to be around this team is to be around the team, because the guys are great, the environment is really strong and open. "And I know that once they come in and work with the guys and see the mentality of the overall group, they're always going to enjoy it. 'I talked to him about how he thinks he would fit into us and how I think he would benefit from the experience of being with us. I spoke with his father and his mother at length, and we talked about the overall opportunity of what it would mean to play for the Canadian national team. "I think it's really important that the family feels the connection to Canada. I've always wanted to make sure that what it means to be Canadian and what it means to represent the Canadian national team is in their heart, that it's something that is true to who they are. 'So I think this will be good for Gabe, to see what the experience is like, and then to see how he fits in.' Article continues below 'Even him and his father were like, 'where do you see Gabe overall in your group?' And I said, look, the striker position is competitive with us, but he's still young, and I think he could have the opportunity to establish himself as a flexible player in the way we play, a little bit like how Jonathan David plays.'
Yahoo
6 minutes ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
WATCH: Chelsea go 3-1 against Real Betis in UEFA Conference League final
Real Betis are set for UEFA Conference League heartbreak as Chelsea have now made it 3-1 in the final in Poland. Manuel Pellegrini's side made a confident start against their Premier League opponents, and their reward was the opening goal after nine minutes. After winning back the ball, Isco slipped it across to Ez Abde, who fired past former Villarreal goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen. Advertisement Betis could – and probably should – have scored at least one more in the first half, and they were made to pay for that. Chelsea have been much better in the second period, and on 65 minutes, they equalised courtesy of Enzo Fernandez. And only five minutes after that goal, Chelsea scored again to take the lead. Cole Palmer assisted the equaliser, and he has now set up Nicolas Jackson to make it 2-1. It's now gone 3-1 on 83 minutes, with substitute Jadon Sancho finding the back of the net. Betis must now score twice in the closing stages to force extra time, which looks unlikely to happen. But never say never.
Yahoo
7 minutes ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
The Stefon Diggs boat video 'controversy,' explained
Welcome to FTW Explains: a guide to catching up on and better understanding stuff going on in the world. Are you wondering about all this talk about a video of Stefon Diggs and women on a boat? And you're confused? We got you covered. We've basically stated this above: there was a video that surfaced over Memorial Day weekend. In it was New England Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs, some women, and a substance in a bag. What was in it? What was Diggs doing? Why is this such a big deal that it needs to be talked about? Advertisement These are questions everyone has after the video was addressed during Patriots OTAs on Wednesday, and with Diggs not in attendance. Let's dive in to this whole thing. What's the Stefon Diggs boat video? The video shows the wide receiver surrounded by three women, and the receiver opens a bag that has an unidentified substance in it. That's it. Isn't Cardi B dating Stefon Diggs? We saw photos of the rapper and receiver at a New York Knicks game, with talk they were. Is Cardi B in the video? As far as I can tell, no. What's the substance in the bag? Again, we have no idea. There's a lot of speculation going around the interwebs, as we know can be a thing, but we have no information beyond the video itself. What did Mike Vrabel say the video? Here's the video: He chose to keep that conversation between him and Diggs, but he did say he wants Diggs "to make great decisions on and off the field." Has Stefon Diggs said anything about the boat video? Not that we've seen. But he's not at OTAs. What's the latest on Stefon Diggs' injury? Remember: he tore his ACL while with the Houston Texans. He hasn't been fully cleared for full football activities yet as he continues his rehab work. This article originally appeared on For The Win: Stefon Diggs boat video with women, substance explained
