AP – Sports
September 21, 2026
Injuries to Caleb Williams and Jayden Daniels deprive the NFL of 2 young stars
Caleb Williams was carted off the field with a hamstring injury. Jayden Daniels needed a cart after he dislocated his elbow again. Williams and Daniels already were linked together as Heisman Trophy winners selected with the first two picks of the 2024 NFL draft. Now, the two franchise quarterbacks are dealing with potentially significant injuries at the same time. That’s bad news for Chicago, Washington and the NFL, which loses two of its young stars. There’s hope Williams avoided a serious injury. He was seen walking around the locker room after the game with only a slight limp. But the Bears won’t know the severity of it until he gets an MRI.
Justin Verlander is retiring. With a work stoppage on the horizon, how many others might join him?
Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer were together on some memorable Detroit teams before moving on and winning championships elsewhere. Will they eventually enter the Hall of Fame as part of the same class? The first question is whether both will retire after this season. The 43-year-old Verlander has already announced this is his final year. He’s made only one start in a reunion season with the Tigers, although Detroit fans are hoping he can return for another this coming week. Scherzer’s future is less clear. The 42-year-old right-hander is slated to start Tuesday at Baltimore as the Blue Jays try to keep their flickering playoff hopes alive.
Barcelona sizzles, PSG simmers and Spurs struggle: The story of Europe’s top leagues this season
A few early-season, post-World Cup themes are already developing across Europe’s top leagues ahead of a three-week break for international matches. Barcelona has the hottest attack in Europe even after failing to sign Julián Álvarez in the biggest transfer saga of the summer. Manchester City and Tottenham have gone in opposite directions after each spending more than $400 million on new players in another summer transfer window dominated by the Premier League. Paris Saint-Germain has made another slow start but might be pacing itself as usual ahead of a trademark fast finish to the season. Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappé are leaving reminders of their scoring quality ahead of the Ballon d’Or vote.
Belichick lands North Carolina football in the headlines. Is all the turmoil worth it?
Bill Belichick’s tenure at North Carolina is under scrutiny after a recent loss to Clemson. The Tar Heels were close to a 3-0 start, but Clemson outscored them in the final minutes to win 28-20. Belichick faces questions about his leadership, especially after his son and his general manager resigned amid an investigation into the program. Despite challenges, Belichick insists the team is improving. North Carolina has a tough schedule ahead, including games against Notre Dame and Miami.
Big 12 is on the rise, landing 3 teams in top 15 of AP Top 25 and jockeying for multiple CFP bids
The Big 12 has three teams in the top 15 of The Associated Press Top 25 for the first time this season and four ranked in all. No. 9 BYU has its highest ranking since it popped into the top 10 for one week late last season. No. 11 Texas Tech and No. 15 Utah also have their highest rankings of the season. Houston is No. 23 and four other Big 12 teams are receiving votes. The Big 12 is shooting for two teams in the College Football Playoff for the first time.
Mbappé brushes off talk of tension with France teammate Dembélé as Ballon d’Or race heats up
PARIS (AP) — Kylian Mbappé dismisses talks of tensions with Ousmane Dembélé as they compete for the Ballon d’Or. The winners will be announced at a ceremony in London on October 26. Clubs and players have been actively campaigning for the award. In a recent interview, Mbappé said he believes he can win this year. He compared himself to Dembélé, who won last year, and noted their different career paths. Reports suggested tensions between the two but Mbappé insists their relationship is unchanged. Both players are set to gather for a France training camp ahead of Nations League matches.
Chinese 13-year-old Yu Zidi wins second gold medal in the pool at Asian Games
NAGOYA, Japan (AP) — Yu Zidi, the 13-year-old Chinese swimmer, has won her second gold medal at the Asian Games. She points to larger things at the Los Angeles Olympics in two years and a showdown with Canadian Summer McIntosh. Yu took the 200-meter individual medley on Monday in 2 minutes, 6.10 seconds. That is just off the world record of 2:05.70 held by McIntosh. Yu also won the 200 butterfly on Sunday, and she’ll swim the 400 IM later in the week. McIntosh won three golds medals in those events at the Paris Olympics in 2024 and holds the world mark in all of them.
Cheers! Wrexham’s celebrity owners buy ‘The Turf’ pub that’s adjacent to the club’s stadium
The pub that is adjacent to Wrexham’s Racecourse stadium and a regular feature in the award-winning “Welcome to Wrexham” series has been bought by the club’s celebrity co-owners. Wrexham’s ownership fronted by Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac describes the acquisition of The Turf as a “continuation of the strategy to protect the future of the club and its interests by ring fencing key areas related to the life of the club.” It was inside The Turf where Wrexham AFC was founded in 1864. The pub has a central role in the TV docuseries that is into its fifth season and has helped to make Wrexham a popular club around the world.
Texas Rangers at .500 go into final week leading AL West, have been close to top all year
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — A .500 record is good enough for the Texas Rangers to be leading the AL West in the final week of the regular season. The 78-78 Rangers have a one-game lead over Houston. They have never been more than three games out of the division lead or ahead by more than two games. First baseman Jake Burger describes the season as weird while noting that they still have a chance to do something special. Texas last made the playoffs when winning its only World Series title in 2023. Manager Skip Schumaker says the record doesn’t matter. The goal is to make playoffs.
Mike Babcock is back in the NHL as the Oilers and four other teams make coaching changes
Five NHL teams made coaching changes this past offseason. The Edmonton Oilers have brought back Mike Babcock to coach, hoping he can lead Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl to a championship. The Los Angeles Kings have hired Peter Laviolette, a Cup-winning coach, to lead their team. The Vegas Golden Knights have promoted Ryan Craig, while Toronto has brought back Jim Hiller. Manny Malhotra is now coaching the Vancouver Canucks, bringing a fresh perspective to the team.
