ESPN Daily

When the Los Angeles Rams traded for Matthew Stafford this offseason, they delivered one of the NFL’s biggest arms to one of its biggest brains: head coach Sean McVay. Over a dozen years in Detroit, Stafford put up big individual numbers, but the Lions’ lackluster talent meant that his ability was often squandered on teams that had no real chance at contending for a Super Bowl. That is no longer t...

On November 7th, 2006, Bryan Pata, a defensive lineman for the University of Miami Hurricanes, was shot and killed when he returned home after football practice. He was just 22 years old. For nearly 15 years, no one was arrested in connection with Pata’s killing. That changed last week, with the stunning arrest of Pata’s former Miami teammate, Rashaun Jones. Today, we revisit our conversation from...

Texans’ quarterback Deshaun Watson is the subject of several investigations and 22 civil lawsuits. Allegations from many women range from inappropriate conduct to sexual assault. The FBI is also looking into the case, and the NFL’s own investigation on Watson has come under scrutiny. ESPN’s Sarah Barshop brings us the latest on the plaintiffs and the defense, plus how Watson’s presence is shaping...

There are few, if any, boxers in history with the resume of Manny Pacquiao. Inside the ring, he has won twelve major titles across EIGHT different weight classes. Outside the ring, he has been elected first, to the House of Representatives, and later, to the Senate back home in the Philippines. And now, Pacquiao appears to be gearing up to run for president of the Philippines. It’s a move that wou...

The Little League World Series returns to action in Williamsport, PA today. While it won’t be the truly global event it usually is, kids will still play their hearts out in the games. ESPN baseball analyst Tim Kurkjian will be there, and he tells guest host Emily Kaplan what makes this event so magical, and what to watch for as the games begin. Then, a look at the female athletes affected by the T...

It’s rare when a team that’s coming off a 1-15 season is considered intriguing, but here we are with the Jacksonville Jaguars. They retooled their franchise at the hands of legendary college head coach Urban Meyer, and there may or may not be a battle for the starting quarterback spot between number one overall pick Trevor Lawrence and Gardner Minshew (Hint: there’s not.) Then, there’s the Tim Teb...

The NFL is back! Well, the preseason if that’s your thing. And it is indeed Louis Riddick’s thing! The ESPN analyst, former NFL player and pro scout tells us all about the preseason debut of Justin Fields with the Chicago Bears. Fields was the fourth quarterback selected in 2021, but looked more than NFL ready as he completed 14/20 passes for 142 yards and a touchdown, and rushed for another touch...

In Los Angeles this week, Trevor Bauer and a woman who has accused him of assault are expected to testify in court. The 27-year-old woman, whose name ESPN is not revealing, says Bauer assaulted her over the course of two sexual encounters in April and May. A judge will decide whether to make permanent the temporary restraining order the woman was granted against Bauer in June. Bauer’s future in ML...

August is ESPN’s Matthew Berry’s favorite time of year: fantasy draft season. After participating in hundreds of thousands of drafts over his long fantasy career, Berry has everyone from Jay-Z to the Avengers cast asking him who they should draft. To better your chances this upcoming fantasy football season, Berry shares his “7 Habits of Highly Effective Drafters,” so you too can dominate your pee...

It’s not often you hear about a 7-time Super Bowl champion re-inventing himself, but that’s exactly what Tom Brady is doing...at 44 years old. We’ve seen Brady show more personality over the past year in Tampa Bay than he ever did in 20 seasons in New England. From his tipsy Super Bowl boat parade back in February, to joking about his age with President Biden, to his sudden embrace of memes on soc...

Russell Westbrook is making his return to L.A. to join what might be the most star-studded Lakers roster ever. While there are questions on whether it’ll work as planned, a SoCal homecoming has apparently been Russ’ goal. ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne spills all the secrets surrounding roster shake-ups since 2019 for both teams in La La Land, and how Westbrook could have ended up in a Clippers jersey. L...

Major League Baseball’s trade deadline left the rich even richer...well, at least the Dodgers. L.A. landed three-time Cy Young winner Max Scherzer, and his former Nationals teammate Trea Turner. Jeff Passan explains how and why L.A. made this deal, with the small market thinking behind their strategy. Plus, the goods on other big deadline deals. Then, yet another athlete comment shows racism persi...

In an emotional press conference, Lionel Messi said his final goodbye to Barcelona. It’s been his team for more than 20 years, since he was 13 years old. While Messi and Barcelona had agreed on a five-year extension, the deal fell through because of rules from Spain’s league, LaLiga. ESPN’s Gab Marcotti explains how and why Barcelona allowed this to happen, and the impact of Messi’s exit on the re...

The Tokyo Olympics are drawing to a close, and it’s with perhaps less enthusiasm for the event than any Games in recent memory. Viewership is down sharply from the 2016 Games in Rio, and while much of that is no doubt due to the timezone difference as well as the lack of spectators due to the pandemic, there is still a sense among many that the Olympic’s future is uncertain. Fewer and fewer cities...

College sports powerhouses the Texas Longhorns and Oklahoma Sooners have hightailed it for the almighty Southeastern Conference, or SEC, leaving the Big 12 behind. It’s one of the biggest college football shakeups we’ve seen, and shows the enormous power and influence of the SEC. College football gentleman and scholar Spencer Hall takes us inside this drama to tell us why it matters. Learn more ab...

As coronavirus cases surge across the country, the NFL’s training camps are in full swing. But the most important battle being waged is between the teams and a vocal minority of players who don’t want to get vaccinated. This offseason, the NFL has implemented new policies to encourage players to get the vaccine. For instance, if an unvaccinated player causes an outbreak that forces a game to be ca...

Skateboarding’s debut at the Olympics felt like a success in the viral waves it made. After the street competition, this week we’ll see the men’s and women’s park events. For skaters across the globe, Olympic skateboarding prompts some existential questions. Gary Rogers, X Games commentator and host of Skateline for Thrasher Magazine, walks us through the Olympic competitors and explains why a gol...

As the Olympics moves into its second week, we check in with our Tokyo correspondent Brian Windhorst. What will he remember most so far, and what’s ahead? Plus more on USA Men’s Basketball’s path to Olympic gold (or not). Then a look at the Lakers’ earth-shattering trade for Russell Westbrook and other big moves that are expected as free agency begins in the NBA. Learn more about your ad choices....

The motto of the Olympics is Citius, Altius, Fortius: Faster, Higher, Stronger. It’s what we’ve come to expect from every athlete who competes in the games. Each Olympics, we want to see records shattered for what humans can physically achieve. But how much faster, higher, and stronger can humans get? David Epstein helps us explore the peak of human athletic performance, or if the potential is act...

It’s being called one of the most loaded NBA draft classes in recent memory. The projected top three picks: Cade Cunningham, Jalen Green, and Evan Mobley are all talented to enough to be selected #1 overall. ESPN’s Mike Schmitz is here to run down all the names and scenarios you need to know for tonight’s NBA Draft at the Barclays Center. Are the Pistons a lock to take Cade Cunningham? Is Jalen Su...

The Tokyo Games has already seen several upsets, but none more surprising than Simone Biles’ stumble on the vault and then her withdrawal from the team gymnastics final. Despite initial speculation of an injury, Biles said she stepped away out of concern for her mental health and whether her performance might hurt the team’s chances. ESPN’s Alyssa Roenigk explains the lead up and the day of Biles’...

Aaron Rodgers is inching toward a new deal with his Green Bay Packers right when NFL players report to training camps. With the season just around the corner, other situations also remain in question - like Deshaun Watson and the Houston Texans. Investigations of sexual assault allegations against Watson are ongoing. ESPN’s Bill Barnwell gets us up to speed, and clears the air surrounding lingerin...

At the Tokyo Games, the U.S. women’s gymnastics team has found itself in an unfamiliar position: second place after the first qualifying event. Poised to help bring the team back to the top is 18-year-old phenom Sunisa Lee, second in the world to Simone Biles. Lee has balanced the weight of family tragedy — and the pride of being the first Olympian of Hmong ethnicity — all the way to Japan. ESPN’s...

You’ll find several “Jalens” in the 2021 NBA draft this week. And that's on top of all the "Jalens" in the 2021 NFL draft. From Jalen Suggs to Jalen Green to Jalen Johnson, the announcement of the picks will have you hearing the name ... a lot. For years our colleague, friend and basketball veteran Jalen Rose has maintained today’s Jalens are named for him (whether they know it or not). In one of...

The Tokyo Olympics begin today, and ESPN’s Brian Windhorst is on the ground set to cover Team USA Basketball in its first Olympic matchup this weekend. After surprising exhibition losses and last-minute roster changes due to COVID-19, Windhorst shares how the men’s team will fare in Tokyo. Hear how the game differs on the world stage, which teams pose the biggest threat, and why the era of “Dream...