Another McGwire will be playing baseball for the Athletics organization.The Athletics signed Max McGwire, the son of former MLB slugger and A's icon Mark McGwire, to a minor league contract on Tuesday, July 28. He was assigned to the ACL Athletics (Arizona Complex League) on Friday, July 31.Max is the latest member of the McGwire family to reach the professional ranks and is listed as a right-handed pitcher on MLB's minor league website.The As will explore the possibility of the 23-year-old Irvine, California native as a power-hitting option and as a first baseman, according to Jason Burke of InsideTheAs.McGwire began his college baseball career in 2022 at Oklahoma before transferring to San Diego (2024) and finishing at Saint Louis (2025, 2026). He served as a pitcher out of the bullpen for the Billikens in 12 games during the 2026 season, allowing 14 hits, 13 runs (10 earned runs), two home runs and 11 walks in 16.2 innings pitched.He joins his brother Mason McGwire as an MLB prospect.Mark McGwire leads baseball familyMark McGwire is a 12-time MLB All-Star who played for the As from 1986 to 1997. He was the 10th overall pick by the A's in the 1984 draft.McGwire made an immediate impact during his early years while the team was still playing in Oakland. He was named the American League Rookie of the Year in 1987. He was also named an All-Star from 1987-1992. He finished fourth in MVP voting in 1992.The Pomona, California native was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals in 1997 and finished out his playing career with the club in 2001.McGwire reunited with the A's organization in February 2026, serving as a special assistant to player development.He previously served as a bench coach for the San Diego Padres (2017-18) and a hitting coach for the Los Angeles Dodgers (2013-15) and the Cardinals (2010-12).Who is Mason McGwire?Mason McGwire is the younger brother of Max.The 22-year-old is a member of the Chicago Cubs' farm system and was drafted by the organization in the 8th round of the 2022 MLB draft out of Capistrano Valley High in Mission Viejo, California.Mason McGwire currently plays with the South Bend Cubs in the Midwest League. He also played for the Myrtle Beach Pelicans earlier this year. The right-handed pitcher represented the Cubs in the 2026 All-Star Futures Game, entering in the seventh inning and allowing an earned run but also recording a strikeout.Fondness for "M" first names Mark McGwire has six children, and all have a first name that starts with the letter M. He has three sons: Matthew, Max and Mason. He also has triplet daughters: Monet Rose, Marlo Rose and Monroe Rose.This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Athletics ink son of franchise icon Mark McGwire to minor league deal

Former Missouri forward Mark Mitchell plans to enter the NCAA Transfer Portal, On3s Joe Tipton confirms. He went through the NBA Draft process this summer after exhausting his eligibility, however the NCAAs five-for-five rule and a preliminary injunction for the 2022 recruiting class have paved a path back to college basketball.The 6-foot-9 forward was one of the top recruits in the 2022 class, ranked No. 23 nationally as part of Dukes talented recruiting class. After two seasons, he transferred closer to home, landing at Missouri.He went on to become a two-time All-SEC selection for the Tigers. In the 2025-26 season, Mitchell averaged 18.3 points and 5.2 rebounds, shooting 38.8-percent from the three-point line and 54.7-percent from the field.In total across four seasons, the 22-year old has averaged 13.2 points and 5.1 rebounds. He immediately becomes one of the top available players on the market as teams scramble to fill out their roster with a new pool of talent added back into the mix.

Caitlin Clark keeps it casual with relaxed pregame look before Fever-Fire matchup originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.Caitlin Clark kept things comfortable as she arrived for work Friday night. The Indiana Fever star stepped into the arena sporting a relaxed pregame look before her teams matchup against the Portland Fire. Indiana shared photos of Clarks arrival on social media with the simple message, ready for friday night.Clark appeared calm and comfortable as she made her way through the arena, choosing an understated outfit instead of one of the more elaborate ensembles frequently seen in the WNBA tunnel. The casual look immediately fit the mood of the Fevers post. There was no lengthy caption or dramatic introduction. Clark simply looked ready to get another important night started.Caitlin Clark arrives ready for Friday nightClarks pregame appearances continue to attract attention regardless of what she wears. Some players use the tunnel as a runway, but the Fever guard has frequently mixed statement pieces with more practical and comfortable outfits. Fridays arrival landed firmly in the second category.ready for friday night. pic.twitter.com/EwlabsUiSC Indiana Fever (@IndianaFever) August 1, 2026The post came as Indiana prepared to continue one of its strongest stretches of the season. The Fever entered the night with an 18-10 record and a four-game winning streak, placing them atop the Eastern Conference standings.That position has made every game increasingly meaningful as Indiana attempts to secure favorable playoff positioning. The Fever also had injury questions surrounding their lineup before Fridays game. Aliyah Boston was working her way through a lower-leg issue, while Clark has dealt with her own injury concerns at different points this season.Still, Clarks relaxed demeanor upon entering the arena offered no indication that she was feeling the pressure surrounding another important matchup.MORE:Connecticut Sun trade rising star Aneesah Morrow to Toronto Tempo in surprising deadline dealFever star remains the center of attentionClark has become accustomed to cameras following nearly everything she does. Her pregame arrivals routinely generate interest from fans, and Indiana has leaned into that attention by sharing regular glimpses of Clark and her teammates entering the arena.Fridays look was a reminder that an outfit does not need to be extravagant to get people talking. Clark went with a casual, comfortable presentation and still immediately became the focus of the Fevers social media coverage.The 24-year-old guards influence has extended far beyond her production on the court. Her arrival has helped turn Indiana into one of the WNBAs most closely followed teams, with pregame photos, warmup clips and even brief interactions regularly spreading across social media. Clarks priority Friday, however, was helping the Fever protect their place atop the Eastern Conference.She entered the arena looking relaxed. Once the game began, Indiana hoped its superstar guard would be anything but comfortable for Portland to defend.More WNBA news:Connecticut Sun trade rising star Aneesah Morrow to Toronto Tempo in surprising deadline dealIsabelle Harrison shows off chiseled abs in striking pregame look despite missing Tempo gamePortland Fires best win of difficult season came against Caitlin Clark, Fever ahead of Friday rematchDiJonai Carrington set for emotional Sky debut against former team after long injury absenceWNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert reveals what fans misunderstand about her job

One of the various training-camp hold-ins ended on Thursday, when the Saints signed receiver Chris Olave to a new deal.Due to make $15.493 million in 2026, Olave added a four-year extension, reportedly worth up to $132 million.The full details of the deal have now made their way to PFT HQ. Here they are, per a source with knowledge of the terms:1. Signing bonus: $35 million.2. 2026 base salary: $1.293 million, fully guaranteed.3. 2026 per-game roster bonus: $1.36 million total ($80,000 per game); fully guaranteed (but must be earned).4. 2027 base salary: $13.64 million, fully guaranteed.5. 2027 per-game roster bonus: $1.36 million total ($80,000 per game); fully guaranteed (but must be earned).6. 2028 base salary: $23 million, guaranteed for injury at signing and fully guaranteed in March 2028.7. 2028 per-game roster bonus: $1.36 million total ($80,000 per game); guaranteed for injury at signing and fully guaranteed in March 2028 (but must be earned).8. 2029 base salary: $27 million, $13 million of which is guaranteed for injury and becomes fully guaranteed in March 2029.9. 2029 per-game roster bonus: $1.36 million total ($80,000 per game).10. 2030 offseason roster bonus: $3 million.11. 2030 base salary: $29.76 million.12. 2030 per-game roster bonus: $1.36 million total ($80,000 per game).The contract also includes $2 million in escalators for 2027 through 2030, based on performance in the prior season. The formula goes like this: $400,000 for being named a first-team All-Pro; $400,000 for making it to the Pro Bowl; $400,000 for 1,200 or more receiving yards; $400,000 for 101 or more catches; and $400,000 for 10 or more receiving touchdowns. (In four NFL seasons, Olave has hit none of those triggers.)The actual base value is $124 million, with a maximum value of $132 million. The new-money APY is $31 million, and the base value from signing is $27.898 million.The $1.36 million in per-game roster bonuses for each of the next five years gives the Saints protection against injury. In 2024, Olave missed nine games, mainly due to multiple concussions. He started 16 games in 2025.Of the amount, $52.653 million is fully guaranteed at signing. By 2027, $77.013 million is fully guaranteed. By 2028, $90 million is fully guaranteed.

SAN DIEGO (AP) The San Francisco Giants are suspending payment to injured outfielder Harrison Bader after he aggravated his injured left foot during a scooter accident last weekend.Bader has been out since late May dealing with plantar fasciitis in his left foot. The team said the injury got worse following the accident early Sunday morning in San Francisco.Over the weekend, Harrison Bader was involved in an accident that has delayed Harrisons prior treatment timeline for plantar fasciitis and, unfortunately, his return to the field, Giants President of Baseball Operations Buster Posey said in a statement Friday. "We are still investigating the circumstances of the accident, but will be suspending payment to Harrison until he is able to resume performing services for the club.Bader signed a two-year, $20.5 million contract with the Giants before this season that includes a $4.5 million base salary for this season. He is owed $1.42 million for the remainder of the season.The San Francisco Chronicle reported that Bader was involved in a vehicle collision while riding his scooter around 2 a.m. Sunday morning in San Francisco's Marina District. He was taken to a hospital for non-life-threatening injuries.The 32-year-old Bader was batting .170 with five homers, 14 RBIs and a .557 OPS in 30 games before going on the injured list. This isn't the first time Bader has gotten into trouble in a scooter accident. He was suspended in college at Florida in 2014 after he hit a curb and ran into a truck while driving a motorized scooter, according to a report from the Gainesville Sun. He was unresponsive on the ground and, according to the incident report cited, smelled of alcohol. ___AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

FIFA President Gianni Infantino is abandoning his divisive plan to sell World Cup profits to private equity after receiving pushback from all corners of the soccer world.Infantinos decision came after his senior adviser who sat on a White House panel resigned and Asias soccer body joined Europe and North America in opposing it.Having listened carefully to all the views, it has become clear that the project has created divisions of a nature that, regardless of the level of support, are no longer in the interest of the objective set out in the first place, Infantino said in a statement on Friday. Our purpose has always been - and will always be - to unite and improve. As a result, this proposal will not proceed.Infantino had proposed creating a $20 billion company to run the World Cup with private investors including the Kushner family, but drew backlash that grew every day since Tuesdays announcement.UEFAs 55-member nations agreed to boycott the World Cup and all other FIFA competitions over Infantinos plan on Thursday. North Americas CONCACAF and the Asian Football Confederation also said they opposed the plan.Some things are simply too important to sell, UEFA said in a statement. The FIFA World Cup belongs to football. It always will. And so long as Europe has a voice, it will never be for sale.Infantinos senior adviser, Carlos Cordeiro, a former Goldman Sachs banker who represented the soccer body on the White House Task Force for the World Cup, resigned on Friday and urged other senior FIFA staff to speak out.I cannot stand by while FIFA considers selling a stake in the World Cup, Cordeiro said in a statement, just hours after FIFA insisted: Nobody is selling football. ___ AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer and AP World Cup coverage[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks][SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]

The Vikings' defense has enjoyed the presence of Harrison Smith ever since he was drafted back in 2012. The team enjoys his presence on and off the field, but at 37, some things are just not the same as they used to be. As a result, the unsigned veteran is sitting on the side waiting for something to change or to retire.Despite the age factor and being unsigned, it isn't lessening the blow of his absence in training camp. Especially for Brian Flores, who is missing his defensive leader. This week at the start of training camp, he discussed Smith's absence, saying, "I think collectively there's a sense of trying to, you know, bring what he brought to the table from a communication, leadership standpoint. You know, with him being absent or not absent, but not being here. I still haven't gotten over it..."It still seems very possible that Smith could return after training camp wraps up, or is close enough to being wrapped up. We have seen veterans do this before, but there has been no smoke at all with Harrison Smith, so many people flying blind in this scenario. Plenty of time left, but for now, Vikings fans will have to keep sitting on pins and needles. This article originally appeared on Vikings Wire: Vikings DC still hasn't 'gotten over' Harrison Smith's absence

Former UCLA guard Donovan Dent plans to enter the Transfer Portal with a do not contact tag, On3s Joe Tipton reports.Dents decision to return for one more season of collegiate basketball comes after JudgeCharlotte Sweeneyof the U.S. District Court of Colorado granted a class-wide preliminary injunction that requires the NCAA to declare eligible all high school class of 2022 athletes who exhausted four seasons of eligibility this spring.$19.99 gets you a FULL year of On3 | Rivals national coverageDent previously retired from basketball earlier this year after choosing not to enter the NBA Draft.Its nothing new to me, I already knew where I was at mentally, Dent said. It was a long talk with my family after the season. I wanted to make sure they understood my side of it and that they supported me through it. Once they did, it was really easy for me to adjust to it.Donovan Dent plans to un-retire, return to college basketball next seasonWith the opportunity to play one more season on the table for Dent, however, hes choosing to exercise his right to do so.Across his four-year career, Dent boasted career averages of 13.4 points, 5.5 assists, and 2.5 rebounds. He was an Honorable Mention All-American in 2025, along with earning Mountain West Player of the Year and First Team All-Mountain West honors. Three of his four seasons of play came at New Mexico (2022-25), prior to spending this past season at UCLA.All persons in the United States who began to play in collegiate sports in the 2022-2023 season, competed in NCAA Division I sports, and completed four years of eligibility as defined by the NCAAs prior rules by the conclusion of the 2025-2026 season, and are therefore barred from playing a fifth season due to the NCAAs adoption and immediate implementation of the Five-Year Eligibility Rule, the class certification read.For the players included in the injunction, the Portal will be open from Aug. 3 through Aug. 10.To keep up with the latest players on the move, check out On3s Transfer Portalwire. TheOn3 Transfer Portal Instagram accountandTwitter accountare excellent resources to stay up to date with the latest moves.

Former Arizona State guard Maurice Odum plans to enter the Transfer Portal, On3s Joe Tipton reports.Odums decision to return for one more season of collegiate basketball comes after JudgeCharlotte Sweeneyof the U.S. District Court of Colorado granted a class-wide preliminary injunction that requires the NCAA to declare eligible all high school class of 2022 athletes who exhausted four seasons of eligibility this spring.$19.99 gets you a FULL year of On3 | Rivals national coverageOdum played four seasons of college basketball with three different programs. He spent his first two seasons at Pacific (2022-24), before spending a season each at Pepperdine (2024-25) and Arizona State (2025-26) to cap off what he thought would be the end of his college basketball career.To keep up with the latest players on the move, check out On3s Transfer Portalwire. TheOn3 Transfer Portal Instagram accountandTwitter accountare excellent resources to stay up to date with the latest moves.

The cream always rises to the top.That's the message J.J. Watt is injecting into Burnley FC, the English soccer club that he is a minority investor in.The former Houston Texans great tapped into his "Milk Man" persona to help design the side's cream-colored away kit for the 2026-2027 season. Burnley, which was founded in 1882, released a lighthearted promotional video called "The Cream Rises" on Friday, July 31 to share the design with the world.In in the visual, Watt plays a local milk man. After starting his day among cows and sheep, he drives a milk float through the countryside, dropping off deliveries to local legends, including cricket great Sir Jimmy Anderson and entrepreneur Dave Fishwick. Instead of actual cream, the goods delivered are one of the new kits. The defensive star ends his trip at Turf Moor, the Clarets' stadium, showing off the full Castore jersey with the cream base and horizontal red and green stripes."From day one, I didn't want this to be just another football shirt. I wanted to create something quintessentially Burnley," Watt said in a statement on the team's website. "Every decision we made started with one question: are we doing the supporters of this club proud? As Ive said many times before, this club existed long before I arrived and it will exist long after Im gone. But during this time, my goal is to help honor its great past while also shepherding it to a brighter future."Watt, who is married to former United States soccer star Kealia Ohai, spent two years with the club creating the design. He studied past kits and decided he wanted to bring back one of the club's old crests, an intricate shield that has symmetrical lions, roses, a bee and a knight's helmet. It was used from 1979 to 1983 and again from 1987 to 2009. There is also a subtle geometric pattern throughout the kit inspired by the stonework at Burnley's historic training facility, Gawthorpe Hall."I am merely a steward for this club," Watt said in the club's behind-the-scenes video of the making of the kit, "but the opportunity to create a kit with this badge and this crest and hopefully with the proper respect for what it means is an incredible honor for me and I hope everybody likes it.""It's been great fun working with JJ on this project," Ed Stewart-Lockhart, Burnley's Chief Marketing Officer added, calling the jersey "future-retro." "He's brought incredible energy all the way through. You can see how much he's enjoyed it, but also how much it matters to him that we've got it right."View this post on InstagramThe club said that the first 100 fans to buy the jersey at their official store would get a collector's box that had an exclusive cap and signed photo of Watt. The first 100 online customers would also get an autographed photo.Burnley will play in the EFL Championship this upcoming season. They were relegated after spending one year in the Premier League.The cream kit will make its debut on Sunday, August 2 in a home friendly against Torino.Watt continues to be involved in American football, too. He will serve as CBS Sports' lead NFL analyst while Tony Romo is on leave.This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: See the Burnley FC kit J.J. Watt designed and promoted as 'The Milkman'