AP – Sports
October 30, 2026
Brewers fans flood Milwaukee streets for a long-awaited World Series victory celebration
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Tens of thousands of exuberant Brewers fans flooded the streets, watched from parking garages and cheered from office building windows in downtown Milwaukee to celebrate the franchise’s first World Series title. The small-market Brewers gave their long-suffering fans the championship they had been waiting for with a 4-1 win over the Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday, clinching the Series in five games. It was their first time playing in the Fall Classic in 44 years. Players on buses chugged cans of Miller Lite beer, walked the parade route high-fiving fans and hoisted the Commissioner’s Trophy as the cheers echoed through the streets.
Panthers fire defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero following 27-19 loss to the Packers
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The Carolina Panthers fired defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero and defensive passing game coordinator Jonathan Cooley on Friday following the team’s 27-19 loss to the Green Bay Packers. Evero is the first NFL coordinator fired this season. Carolina entered the week ranked 22nd in overall defense and last in the league against the run. Defensive line coach Todd Wash has been named interim defensive coordinator and will call the defensive plays, according to the Panthers.
Nakase and Valkyries are determined to avoid another slow start in WNBA Finals Game 7 against Dream
ATLANTA (AP) — There should be no problem with the Golden State Valkyries and Atlanta Dream approaching the first WNBA Finals Game 7 in league history with a sense of urgency. Then again, that’s what Golden State coach Natalie Nakase thought about Game 6. She was baffled that her team somehow left behind its defensive intensity at the start of Thursday’s 80-69 loss to the Dream that forced Game 7 at “Ballhalla” in San Francisco on Saturday night. Nakase was still struggling to comprehend the lackadaisical start so she could make sure it’s not repeated in Saturday night’s decisive game.
JuJu Watkins returns from an ACL tear as USC eyes its first title since 1984
LOS ANGELES (AP) — JuJu Watkins is returning to college basketball after missing last season due to an ACL tear. The star guard, who averaged 25.6 points in her first two seasons for Southern California, joins a talented team aiming for their first national championship since 1984. Watkins will play alongside Big Ten Freshman of the Year Jazzy Davidson, who averaged 17.9 points last season. The Trojans open the season Monday in Las Vegas against UNLV. Their schedule includes games against top-ranked South Carolina, Notre Dame, and Duke. Associate head coach Beth Burns says the team is ready to face tough challenges.
Kentucky appeals judge denies NCAA bid to block 30 athletes from playing as hoops season draws near
A Kentucky Court of Appeals judge has denied the NCAA’s request for emergency relief, allowing 30 college athletes to remain eligible as the basketball season is about to begin. The athletes, including Missouri’s Mark Mitchell and LSU’s Skyy Clark, received a temporary injunction on October 16. This allows them to compete while the NCAA appeals a ruling related to the new five-for-five eligibility model. Kentucky judge Sara Walter Combs said in her ruling that the NCAA failed to prove imminent harm from the injunction. The ruling also affects football players who will continue to compete for their teams.
The 4th edition of the NBA Cup opens on Friday, with all 30 teams in mix to chase a trophy
This season’s NBA Cup tournament begins Friday, kicking off the start of the fourth in-season competition that features some wild court designs and gives all 30 teams the chance to compete for a trophy. It also offers a payday: Each player on the NBA Cup championship-winning team will collect $604,985, with $241,994 going to those on the runner-up squad, $120,997 to the players on the clubs that fall in the semifinals and $60,499 to those whose teams lose in the quarterfinals. The format has teams split up into six groups, with five teams apiece. From there, a single-elimination, eight-team tournament commences.
Heat unveil an updated Wade statue, after original was widely panned for not looking like him
MIAMI (AP) — Dwyane Wade has a new face — on his statue. After criticism started coming in waves immediately after the statue outside the arena where the Miami Heat play was unveiled in Wade’s honor two years ago, it was revealed Friday that the head of the piece has been redesigned. The original statue was widely panned because the face bore almost no resemblance to Wade, who spent the majority of his Basketball Hall of Fame career starring for the Heat and was a major part of Miami’s three NBA championship teams.
Russia is back in the ice hockey world championships after sports court ruling
The Court of Arbitration for Sport has ruled that Russia teams must be allowed to play International Ice Hockey Federation events such as the world championships. CAS has overturned IIHF decisions which excluded Russia from events in the 2026-27 season including the men’s and women’s world championships. In a brief statement CAS cites a lack of sufficient evidence to support the IIHF’s security concerns. The IIHF has barred Russian teams from its world championships since the invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Russia also missed the Olympic hockey tournaments this year.
Women’s flag football taking flight as pro leagues and series spring up with Olympics debut ahead
Izzy Geraci left her job at the family’s jewelry store to pursue Olympic gold in women’s flag football. Geraci has sponsorships with Red Bull and Under Armour, highlighting the sport’s expanding opportunities. The sport is growing rapidly, offering pathways for making money, paying for college or simply enjoying camaraderie. Flag football will debut at the 2028 LA Olympics, and participation has surged. The Olympics have boosted the sport’s legitimacy, with professional leagues and even more global tournaments emerging. Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers has called for more funding for the U.S. women’s team.
From 2,000 runners to 60,000: The 5-borough New York City Marathon at 50
NEW YORK (AP) — Fifty years ago, the New York City Marathon ran through all five boroughs of the city for the first time. There were just over 2,000 competitors in that seventh running of the race, including only 88 women. Now about 60,000 runners will step up to the starting line Sunday with nearly half of them women. Bill Rodgers, a year after winning the Boston Marathon for the first time, won in the debut of the five-borough course and is the only man to win the event four times, from 1976-79. Rodgers says “it was so different as we were used to running in Central Park.”
