\ud83d\udd25 College football\u2019s coaching hot seat<\/a><\/p>\n \u26be The D-Backs\u2019 Ketel Marte mystery<\/a><\/p>\n The Bryson-Rory rivalry will never get old<\/p>\n Like Rose floating on the wooden door at the end of Titanic, Bryson DeChambeau isn\u2019t giving up on LIV Golf.<\/p>\n The league is currently mired in a financial dilemma after losing its Saudi-backed funding and had to shorten its fifth season as a result<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n In the final event of LIV Golf\u2019s 2026 campaign in Indianapolis, DeChambeau appeared to respond to Rory McIlroy\u2019s gut punch about LIV players not providing \u201cvalue.\u201d\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cWe definitely have a lot against us,\u201d DeChambeau said Thursday. \u201cBut I think behind the scenes, we\u2019ve got a lot of people that are working hard to make this possible for not only all the players that are out here, but all the fans that have come out to these events and the economic impact that we\u2019ve made in all these places, whether it\u2019s South Africa, here in Indy, or Australia and numerous places across the world.<\/p>\n \u201c… I hope people can see that we actually bring value to the game of golf. My wish is that people give us one more shot and be open-minded.\u201d<\/p>\n “My wish is that people give us one more shot” pic.twitter.com\/GpG7ecCI5D<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 LIV’r & Onions! (@LIVRandONIONS) August 20, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n That quote was the most exciting part of DeChambeau\u2019s opening round in the LIV tournament, where he shot a five-under-par 65, good for 12th place heading into Friday.\u00a0<\/p>\n For those not acquainted with DeChambeau and McIlroy\u2019s history, their not-so-friendly rivalry dates back to at least the 2025 Masters. The Northern Irishman gave DeChambeau the silent treatment during their final round when they were playing partners, with McIlroy later claiming he wasn\u2019t trying to be his adversary\u2019s \u201cbest mate.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n If LIV players somehow end up making it home, Odyssey-style, to the PGA Tour, there\u2019ll be no love lost between DeChambeau and McIlroy, two starkly different but equally famous pro golfers.<\/p>\n Caitlin Clark loses ground in MVP race<\/p>\n Anyone campaigning for Caitlin Clark\u2019s MVP case this year had better slow their roll. First off, that award is (probably) A\u2019ja Wilson\u2019s. Clark and Lynx rookie Olivia Miles<\/a> being included in the conversation just happens to make for more interesting talking points. Second, Clark and the Fever just got unceremoniously doused with cold water in their 91-85 loss against Dallas last night.\u00a0<\/p>\n When it came down to it, Indiana\u2019s top-scoring offense (96.4 points per game heading into last night) simply did not deliver. Clark struggled against the Wings\u2019 length and power in the paint, cooling off with 10 points on 4-for-15 shooting and nine assists. Sophie Cunningham dropped a big ol\u2019 goose egg. Even an automatic Kelsey Mitchell, who broke Wilson\u2019s record for the most consecutive 20-point games, couldn\u2019t rescue the Fever with her 37 points.<\/p>\n A day after the Wings announced Azzi Fudd would be out for the rest of the season<\/a>, Paige Bueckers and Co. secured a morale-boosting win on home court thanks to big games from Arike Ogunbowale and Jessica Shepard, who combined for a whopping 58 points. Awak Kuier set a new franchise record with seven blocks. Bueckers made a few tough middies but didn\u2019t enjoy her usual efficient night\u2014and neither did Clark. The former No. 1 picks traded missed shots all game long as the reigning one watched.<\/p>\n Bueckers also comically told Clark to \u201ccalm down\u201d after fouling the Fever guard, leading to a healthy dose of feistiness between the two. No one overreact, please.<\/p>\n “Calm Down.”<\/p>\n Paige Bueckers after the foul call on Caitlin Clark \ud83d\ude05 pic.twitter.com\/lVx9qQ1chk<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Just Women\u2019s Sports (@justwsports) August 21, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Without Fudd, one of the Wings\u2019 best three-point shooters, floor spacers and all-around defenders, Dallas continued to tinker with its rotations and responded in a huge way. (They remain the No. 8 seed, one game behind the Liberty.) The WNBA playoffs are going to be absolute cinema.\u00a0<\/p>\n The best of Sports IllustratedThe top five \u2026\u00a0<\/p>\n \u2026 numbers that made me do a double take:<\/p>\n 5. $9.25 million\u2026 the amount in damages that former Bama hoops player Kai Spears won in a defamation lawsuit against the New York Times<\/a>.<\/p>\n 4. One\u2026 online class<\/a> for Penn State QB Rocco Becht this fall semester after transferring from Iowa State. (The 22-year-old already graduated with a degree in communication studies.)<\/p>\n 3. 9-for-9\u2026\u00a0 from the field for Angel Reese, including 2-for-2 on three-pointers, in the Dream\u2019s blowout win over the Sparks. What a bounce-back performance<\/a>.<\/p>\n 2. 80 yards\u2026 the length of the pick-six<\/a> thrown by the Raiders\u2019 QB of the future in his second preseason game. Fernando Mendoza probably said \u201cHoly Shuck!\u201d after that one.<\/p>\n 1. A bajillion\u2026 times you\u2019ll see ESPN\u2019s golden goose Pat McAfee on your TV screen this NFL season. A McAfee Monday Night Football alt-cast is reportedly in the works<\/a>. Whoop-de-doo.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/assets.minutemediacdn.com\/platform\/google_discover_icon.svg\"){kind=icon}
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