AP Sports

Fighting breaks out between Turkey and Georgia fans inside stadium at Euro 2024

DORTMUND, Germany (AP) — Fighting has broken out between fans of Turkey and Georgia inside Dortmund’s Westfalenstadion ahead of the teams’ European Championship match. The brawling took place in a corner of the ground. Supporters were seen throwing objects at each other as security attempted to intervene in pouring rain. The fighting stopped when police officers in riot gear came between them. The officers have remained in place.

Paris gets into the groove for historic Olympic opening ceremony, adapted to its iconic cityscape

SAINT-DENIS, France (AP) — The Paris Olympics are getting into the groove for the historic opening ceremony on the River Seine. Dancers who’ll jazz up the July 26 show under the artistic direction of prize-winning French theater director Thomas Jolly are putting finishing touches on a high-octane performance. It will combine urban, contemporary, classic, and break dancing, complete with stomps, shouts, and body rolls. The Associated Press got a behind-the-scenes look of one of the rehearsals for the opening show, which is largely shrouded in secrecy. Dance director Maud Le Pladec instructed around 50 dancers on their twists and turns at a warehouse in the northern Parisian suburb of Saint-Denis. She said the rich cultural mix of her melting-pot troupe “represents the part of France I love.”

Ralph Lauren goes with basic blue jeans for Team USA’s opening Olympic ceremony uniforms

NEW YORK (AP) — When Team USA walks with the world’s athletes during the Paris Olympics’ opening ceremony, they’ll be doing so in snappy blue blazers and blue jeans from Ralph Lauren. Just regular, everyday denim blue jeans. The brand called the pairing “unexpected” yet classic when it unveiled Team USA’s uniforms Tuesday. For the closing ceremony, the team will be wearing sharp white moto-style denim jeans with matching jackets designed in, yes, patriotic red, white and blue. At a media preview Monday, chief branding and innovation officer David Lauren told The Associated Press that nothing says American like blue jeans.

Tokyo Olympic star Caeleb Dressel makes his debut at US swim trials, advancing in the 100 free

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Caeleb Dressel has made his debut at the U.S. Olympic swimming trials, posting the third-fastest time in the preliminaries of the 100-meter freestyle. The winner of five gold medals at the Tokyo Olympics, Dressel walked away from the sport in the midst of the 2022 world championships. He returned to the pool last year, but he failed to qualify for the 2023 worlds. While Dressel’s times have improved greatly since then, it could be a struggle to qualify in all three of the individual events he won at the last Olympics: 50 free, 100 free and 100 butterfly. Dressel touched in 47.82 seconds, nearly three-quarters of a second behind rising American star Jack Alexy’s time of 47.08.

‘I trusted him. He trusted me.’ Brown and Tatum answered critics while leading Celtics to 18th title

BOSTON (AP) — In 2008, the Celtics ended a 22-year championship drought led by a Big 3. Sixteen years later, they did it again following the play of a dynamic duo. When Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum were drafted third overall in back-to-back years in 2016 and 2017, they were almost instantly branded with the hopes of a franchise that was desperately chasing its elusive 18th championship. Along the way they’ve endured criticism about their individual play and questions about whether two players with similar skillsets could co-exist. They answered those questions emphatically, leading to Celtics to a 106-88 Game 5 NBA Finals victory over the Dallas Mavericks. They say it made all the struggles they’ve endured over the past seven seasons worth it.

The Florida Panthers have a chance to win the Stanley Cup at home. Edmonton will try to thwart it

SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — It used to be a running joke in Florida: If you wanted tickets to a Panthers game, just ask for them. Freebies weren’t hard to find. Those days are long gone. Especially now. The Panthers, for the first time in their history, are about to play a home game with a chance to win the Stanley Cup. They’ll take a 3-1 lead over the Edmonton Oilers into Game 5 of the Cup final on Tuesday night — with many tickets on the secondary market going for more than $1,000 apiece.

Analysis: It takes time to win, and that’s a lesson Luka Doncic is learning

Michael Jordan needed seven seasons to win his first title. LeBron James needed nine seasons and two futile trips to the NBA Finals before he became a champion. Shaquille O’Neal got swept in his first finals. And the newly crowned champion Boston Celtics lost the finals in 2022 and lost in the Eastern Conference finals last year before breaking through now. The lesson, as everyone knows: Winning the biggest prize almost always takes time. Not always. But usually. Such is the reality for Luka Doncic. At 25, he already is one of the best players in the world, if not the very best of the bunch. But he’s not a champion. Not yet.

It’s already next season in the NBA, where the offseason is almost nonexistent

In the NBA, it’s already next season. The offseason, technically, might have lasted for only about an hour. The Boston Celtics won the NBA Finals on Monday night, and when the clock rolled over to Tuesday morning, teams — in many cases — could start talking to their own free agents. The on-court games are over. Let the off-court games begin. The only real certainties are these: There are 29 teams chasing the Boston Celtics, and everyone is looking to get better. It starts with the draft, then free agency, and plenty of people around the NBA think this will be a summer filled with trades as well.

Kylian Mbappé sustained a broken nose at Euro 2024, but France gets ‘positive’ news

DUSSELDORF, Germany (AP) — Kylian Mbappé suffered a broken nose during France’s 1-0 win against Austria at the European Championship on Monday and will need to wear a protective mask if he plays on at the tournament. The French Football Federation said Tuesday it had received “positive” news about Mbappé’s chances of continuing at Euro 2024, but did not specify how long it would take before he is able to play again. The World Cup winning striker had to be substituted after colliding with Austria’s Kevin Danso during the Group D match at Dusseldorf Arena. He was taken to a hospital in Dusseldorf but the French federation said he would not need immediate surgery.

NFL running backs in new places could struggle to match the production they had with original teams

Saquon Barkley was one of several notable running backs to switch teams for the first time during the offseason when the former New York Giant signed with the Philadelphia Eagles. Recent history suggests Barkley and the other running backs who switched teams could struggle to match the production they had with their original franchises. Sportradar says LeSean McCoy, DeMarco Murray and Christian McCaffrey are the only players since 2010 who have rushed for at least 1,200 yards with multiple teams. McCaffrey last year became just the fourth running back to earn All-Pro honors with multiple teams.