College basketball’s biggest tournament is getting bigger. The NCAA revealed that March Madness will feature 76 teams in both men’s and women’s brackets beginning next season, adding eight additional spots to each tournament.
The expanded format will include 12 preliminary games featuring 24 teams during the opening week, with victorious squads advancing to join the traditional 64-team field. Men’s games will begin on Thursday, while women’s competition starts Friday. Officials expect most of the additional berths to benefit major conference programs.
In Philadelphia, Joel Embiid is making a desperate appeal to 76ers supporters not to sell their playoff seats to New York Knicks fans. With the Knicks holding a commanding 2-0 series advantage, Games 3 and 4 will take place in Philadelphia on Friday and Sunday.
The 2023 NBA MVP missed the second game due to injury concerns, leaving his team in a precarious position. Despite Philadelphia’s attempts to restrict ticket sales to area residents using geographic restrictions, secondary market platforms continue to make seats available to visiting fans. The true test of this strategy will be visible in the arena’s crowd composition Friday evening.
New York Yankees outfielder Jasson Domínguez suffered a left shoulder sprain during Thursday’s contest against Texas after colliding with the outfield wall while making a spectacular catch on Brandon Nimmo’s first-inning line drive. The team confirmed Domínguez sustained a minor AC joint sprain and will be placed on the injured list, though concussion evaluations came back clear.
Playing left field for just his second appearance this season, Domínguez sprinted 81 feet to snare Nimmo’s 101 mph blast, making the grab 375 feet from home plate before his shoulder struck the video board. The impact sent him tumbling to the warning track, prompting manager Aaron Boone and trainer Tim Lentych to rush onto the field.
Despite the injury concern, New York dominated the Rangers 9-2, with Trent Grisham delivering a crucial three-run double during a six-run sixth inning rally. The victory marked the Yankees’ 16th win in their last 19 games and extended their winning streak to six consecutive series.
Soccer’s upcoming World Cup faces potential star power shortages as injuries pile up just five weeks before kickoff. French superstar Kylian Mbappe is currently dealing with a hamstring problem, while Barcelona teenager Lamine Yamal and Brazilian talent Estevao are both sidelined for the remainder of their club seasons.
While Mbappe is anticipated to return for Real Madrid this month with no indication the injury threatens his World Cup participation, any setback to France’s premier player raises concerns. Yamal, recovering from a leg muscle strain, is also expected to make Spain’s roster for his debut World Cup appearance.
Tennis players are escalating their fight for increased prize money at major tournaments, with world number one Jannik Sinner joining calls for better compensation at the French Open and beyond. Fellow top-ranked player Aryna Sabalenka suggested earlier this week that athletes might consider boycotting tournaments.
“It’s more about respect. Because I think we give much more than what we are getting back,” Sinner explained, though he stopped short of committing to a boycott. “I think in the next couple of weeks we know also the prize money we’re going to have in Wimbledon. We truly hope that it’s going to be better. Then, of course, U.S. Open.”
The WNBA’s groundbreaking collective bargaining agreement is establishing new benchmarks for women’s professional sports, providing a template for emerging leagues including the WPBL, PWHL and WER. The historic deal features revenue sharing arrangements, significant salary cap increases, and enhanced travel and healthcare benefits.
These improvements reflect years of player activism and the league’s growing commercial success. Leaders of newer women’s leagues are closely examining these achievements, particularly how player solidarity drove meaningful change, though they acknowledge that differences in funding and organizational maturity mean similar progress will require time and sustained investment.
Detroit Tigers Triple-A manager Gabe Alvarez revealed he was terminated this week following what he described as sending an “inappropriate” text message to a female coworker. While the Tigers announced Tuesday that Alvarez was dismissed for violating team policy without providing specifics, the 52-year-old told ESPN he sent “a single text message to a colleague that I intended as a lighthearted joke.”
Alvarez, who played three major league seasons with Detroit and San Diego, joined the Tigers organization as a minor league hitting coordinator in 2021 before managing Double-A Erie in 2022 and earning promotion to Triple-A Toledo this season.
New York Knicks forward OG Anunoby has been diagnosed with a strained right hamstring and is listed as questionable for Friday’s Game 3 in Philadelphia, according to a source familiar with the situation. The injury appears minor, with Anunoby considered day-to-day after leaving late in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Chicago Cubs pitcher Matthew Boyd underwent surgery to repair a partial meniscus tear in his left knee that occurred while playing with his children on Wednesday. Manager Craig Counsell expects the 35-year-old left-hander to miss approximately six weeks, adding to an injured list that already includes starters Cade Horton, Justin Steele and Jordan Wicks.
