fun Page 1 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

WVU board of governors vow more athletics funding
West Virginia University Board of Governors approved a resolution on Monday to increase funding for the Mountaineers athletic department.,The intention is to develop "a financial plan that positions the University in the top funding tier among Big 12 institutions, while simultaneously strengthening ...

Unrivaled closes funding round at $340M valuation
The latest round of investment funding for Unrivaled has raised the valuation of the 3-on-3 women's basketball league to $340 million, it announced Monday.,There were no specifics on how much funding was raised, with reports indicating the league's value is now "ten times" more than it was in the sp...

State of Kansas extends deadline for Chiefs, Royals stadium funding
Kansas remains in the running to provide the future home of the Kansas City Chiefs and Royals.,A committee in the Kansas state legislature extended a deadline Monday for the NFL and Major League Baseball franchises to accept state financing for new stadiums.,The original deadline came and went on Ju...

Missouri governor signs off on financial aid for Chiefs, Royals stadiums
Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe signed off on legislation that could provide millions of dollars for stadium upgrades for the Kansas City Chiefs and Royals.,Under the bill approved in a special session Wednesday by Missouri lawmakers, the state agreed to authorize bonds to pay for up to half of the cost to...

Trump budget plan would cut funding for brain injury research
If the Trump administration's 2026 fiscal budget request is approved by Congress, it would eliminate the Centers for Disease Control department in charge of traumatic brain injury research and education, including the department's $8.25 million in federal funding.,On April 1, the five employees resp...

PIF to fund maternity leave, other parental benefits for WTA players
The WTA Tour and Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund announced Thursday that eligible WTA players will receive benefits through the creation of the PIF WTA Maternity Fund Program.,Under the initiative, players will receive up to 12 months of paid maternity leave and have access to grants for ferti...

Penn State coach James Franklin makes appeal for NIL money
Penn State coach James Franklin made a video appeal to Nittany Lions football fans on Thursday, asking them to contribute to a fund to pay players through the name, image and likeness program.,The funding is key to keeping Penn State competitive in the expanding Big Ten, Franklin told fans.,"Our goa...

The ATP tour and Saudi Arabia agree to another round of woke pandering
We need a more menacing term than sports washing because it’s not working. Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund and the ATP tour agreed to a five-year sponsorship Wednesday, with courtside ads slated for the season-ending ATP Finals, Indian Wells (of course), Miami, Madrid, and Beijing....

Tiger Woods is now fine with Saudi blood money funding PGA
After years of holding out from the big money of LIV Golf, Tiger Woods said he isn’t opposed to the Saudi government’s Public Investment Fund being an investor in the PGA Tour. ...

Carl Weathers was countless Americans’ Happy Place
I just want to start this off by saying, I’m dedicating this piece to Carl Weathers, and if Shooter McGavin tries to claim otherwise, I will rattle off a stream of obscenities that’ll make Lee Trevino shake his head from Garland, Texas. ...

I rewatched the Nipplegate halftime show for the first time in 20 years and it was magnificent
You — yes, I am talking to you — are getting old. I might have pointed at my own face in the mirror and said that when Xwitter informed me that Thursday was the 20th anniversary of the infamous Nipplegate halftime show. ...

PGA finalizes $3B agreement with Strategic Sports Group
The PGA Tour and Strategic Sports Group have finalized a $3 billion deal to create a new for-profit operation called PGA Tour Enterprises. ...

Blood-money sellout claims pending LIV-PGA merger is for the 'good of fans'
Bryson DeChambeau, one of the PGA defectors who took the Saudi blood money to join LIV, thinks the impending merger of the two organizations is what golf fans are clamoring for....

Jerry Reinsdorf should have seen this coming
As usual, Jerry Reinsdorf failed to read the room. The Chicago Bulls are looking at a second-consecutive appearance in the Play-in Tournament, rounding out yet another rebuild on its disappointing last leg. Now is not the time to force more nostalgia on the fans, reminding them of an era many of the...

21 PGA players have lawyered up
Twenty-one players on the PGA tour announced this week that they have hired lawyers and sent a letter to the PGA Tour Policy Board asking for full disclosure of details of proposals by potential capital partners. ...

If you’re missing <i>Succession</i>, this PGA Tour-LIV drama isn’t far off
Over the past week in golf, we’ve had stories of a failed coup, back alley dealings with private equity firms, an all-consuming power broker, an uncomfortable media appearance, and merger negotiations on par with anything that happened between Waystar Royco and GoJo. All that’s left for HBO to do is...
![Jon Rahm takes LIV handout [Updated]](https://images.deadspin.com/tr:w-900/c18d05b9e135ef80adf8c769d73efb6a.jpg)
Jon Rahm takes LIV handout [Updated]
Update Dec. 7: Rahm has officially joined the Saudi Tour. ESPN, citing sources, said the deal is believed to be three-plus years, and reportedly worth more than $300 million....

Deadspin Dead Ringers: Professional athletes and their celebrity doppelgängers
We’ve all heard of doppelgängers — people who aren’t related but look like one another. There’s a whole subreddit dedicated to finding lookalikes. There was a Saturday Night Live short on the subject. But have you ever looked at one of your favorite athletes, or a player on your favorite team and no...

Your MLB team is out, so who do you root for?
Playoff baseball is in full swing. As we move closer to crowning a champion, who do you root for if your team has been eliminated? Do you stick with a club in your favorite squad’s league? Support the underdog? Or just watch football or whatever else is on TV? ...

Is The Rock vs. Roman Reigns worthy of a Wrestlemania main event with both guys part-time?
Outside of completely catering to society as a whole and pushing its current roster and storylines to the back burner, there isn’t a match the WWE can put on that would draw a bigger box office than The Rock returning to the ring for a first-time ever matchup with his cousin and current Undisputed W...