Lyon engulfed in crisis ahead of clash with PSG
Once France's top club, Lyon are in full-blown crisis on and off the pitch coming into this weekend's clash with reigning...
2023-09-01 09:29
Schwarber homers twice, Turner goes deep, Phillies power past Arizona 10-0 in Game 2 of NLCS
Kyle Schwarber hit two of Philadelphia’s three solo homers off Merrill Kelly, and the sweet-swinging Phillies pounded the Arizona Diamondbacks 10-0 for a 2-0 lead in the NL Championship Series
2023-10-18 11:56
Andrews banks in winner with 3.2 seconds left, scores 17, UCLA edges Riverside 66-65
Dylan Andrews scored 17 points, including a driving layup with 3.2 seconds left, and UCLA, minus coach Mick Cronin who missed the game with COVID, pulled out a 66-65 win over UC Riverside
2023-12-01 14:56
PGA Tour heads north to Canada, LPGA stays in New Jersey
Rory McIlroy's road to the U.S. Open goes through Canada
2023-06-06 22:18
Orioles get swept for 1st time in 2023, lose AL Division Series in 3 games to Rangers
Gunnar Henderson and the Baltimore Orioles picked the wrong week to get swept for the first time in 2023
2023-10-11 11:19
England women’s star Alex Greenwood suffers injury scare in training
England defender Alex Greenwood appeared to suffer an injury scare during a training session ahead of the Women’s World Cup. The Manchester City star limped off the pitch after a challenge from Georgia Stanway, according to Sky Sports. Footage from the training session shows Greenwood on the floor surrounded by her international teammates, before receiving some treatment on the bench. England’s first World Cup game is against Haiti on 22 July. Sarina Wiegman has already lost a number of stars to injuries, with Fran Kirby, Leah Williamson and Beth Mead all ruled out of the tournament.
2023-06-28 05:46
It is the food – Mikel Arteta suggests reason behind string of Basque coaches
Mikel Arteta believes Basque food is the secret behind the success of a string of managers from the region. The Arsenal manager is one of a number of coaches born in the area of northern Spain to make a name for himself on the touchline. He will come up against another on Saturday in the shape of Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola, a former childhood team-mate of Arteta. Aston Villa’s Unai Emery was also born in the Basque Country – as were Bayer Leverkusen’s Xabi Alonso and former Wolves, Spain and Real Madrid manager Julen Lopetegui. Now Arteta has discussed why he feels such a small area is responsible for creating such success. “The food! We have the best food in the world. The best restaurants by square metre, the most beautiful city,” he said. “It has to be linked to that — what we eat, the way we live. The quality of life in our city is incredible. I think it is related to our roots. The education, the passion about the game. You breathe it within the city. You breathe it everywhere you go. “We played on the beach. You go there on a Saturday or Sunday and there are 300 kids playing on the beach. We have the best food in the world. The best restaurants by square metre, the most beautiful city Mikel Arteta “You sense that in the city. It is not just about now, because in the past they always produced coaches and good players. Somebody is doing the right thing. “When I said the food I was not joking. It is the way they look after the city. The education, the people. “Finding the quality and I am really really proud that I see a lot of people — not only in sport, in other industries as well — that manage to get out and promote our city in the right way. “I think it’s the education that we get. It’s the level of coaching that we get, they really take care of the academy. “You have seen Real Sociedad, Athletic Bilbao, Eibar all those teams do great work to raise talent and it’s not a coincidence that a lot of players have come through there.” While Arteta and Iraola go way back, the Arsenal boss insists there will be no room for niceties come 3pm on Saturday. “Very easy. You are in winning mode,” he replied when asked how easy it will be to put aside their friendship at the Vitality Stadium. “Get the best for your team and get in the battle. Before and after is a different story, especially after, but during there is nothing there. “He was really excited to come. He was really complimentary about the club and the support he was getting with players and staff. He was happy to be part of the league. “We know each other really well. We played together, we had fantastic times together. We played together in Antiguoko, which is a team in San Sebastian – that’s the beauty of football that 30 years later we are here together in the Premier League as managers. I’m really happy for that.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Ange Postecoglou had a love of Liverpool as a youngster but says ‘things change’ Only action from players will prompt changes to brutal schedules – Pep Guardiola Ben Earl raised eyebrows when he first arrived at Saracens, says Maro Itoje
2023-09-30 05:50
No. 19 LSU, Army clash for the first time since 1931, and for the first time in Death Valley
Army coach Jeff Monken says it will take a “monumental effort” for the Black Knights just to keep it close this weekend against 19th-ranked LSU
2023-10-20 04:51
KSI, from ‘endearing’ class clown to YouTuber who has changed the face of boxing
Before KSI, there was Olajide Olatunji – “JJ” for short. Before the YouTuber, gamer, rapper, boxer, promoter and energy drink magnate, there was the affable class clown in Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire. “I remember we did a production of Sweeney Todd,” one of his schoolmates tells The Independent. “He played the judge, and when he died at the end, he was twitching and doing the worm across the stage. Everyone was in stitches. He was funny, a nice guy – everybody liked him for that. He was popular, but not like, ‘I’m the s***’; he was confident but also a nerdy, endearing, sweet guy.” With those qualities, JJ was tailor made for YouTube, where he launched his channel ‘KSIOlajideBT’ in 2009 – four years after the platform’s inception. Fifteen years old at the time, JJ quickly garnered a following by filming himself playing Fifa – the famous football video game – at his parents’ house in Watford. His bewitching cackle was a key feature in each upload. “He always had that very distinctive laugh,” his schoolmate recalls. “I remember that. He would laugh at something during morning registration, and the teachers would be like, ‘JJ, please!’” By the end of 2009, Olatunji had amassed 1,000 subscribers. That number had tripled by the end of 2010, and Olatunji’s growth accelerated at a startling pace in 2011, as he reached 150,000 subscribers, and in 2012, when he crossed the million mark. JJ had become KSI – standing for ‘Knowledge Strength Integrity’ – and he would soon become arguably the most famous YouTuber in Britain. “When he started getting big on YouTube, it wasn’t a surprise to anyone,” this schoolmate says, “but you’d hear from certain people that knew him: ‘Oh, he’s definitely got a bit of an ego now. He’s not as sweet anymore, there’s an arrogance there, he talks about himself a lot. He used to be more engaged when he would talk to people.’” If the YouTube venture “made sense” to his peers, then so did his next move, when he released his first rap song in 2015. “I remember he’d written a rap to learn every element on the periodic table, and all the teachers were so impressed,” his schoolmate adds, but it was singing about supercars, after dropping out of school, that demonstrated how drastically KSI’s life had changed. His debut single “Lamborghini”, featuring P Money, peaked at No 30 in the UK chart. It has since been followed by numerous EPs and two studio albums. KSI’s next endeavour was less predictable, however. KSI ushers in the era of ‘influencer boxing’ “He was so sweet that no one would’ve said, ‘Oh, he’s gonna fight when he’s older,’” says his schoolmate. “When he did, it was like: ‘Oh, jeez. Well, I guess he can, so who’s gonna stop him?’” Popularity is not the synonym for likeability that some think it is, and KSI has long had his detractors. Wisely, however, he began to weaponise a widespread desire to watch him get punched in the face. In 2018, KSI fought in his first amateur boxing match, beating fellow British YouTuber Joe Weller via TKO inside three rounds, following a build-up that saw KSI mock his opponent for opening up on experiences with depression. KSI later apologised for his comments. Next for the Briton was Logan Paul, who in some ways appeared to be his American equivalent, and the pair fought to a draw in a sold-out Manchester Arena. The fight did a reported 1.3 million pay-per-view buys, leading to a professional rematch in 2019 – held at Los Angeles’ famed Staples Center, streamed on Dazn, promoted by Eddie Hearn, and won by KSI on points. Fighting on the undercard were world champions Billy Joe Saunders and Devin Haney, the latter of whom defends his undisputed lightweight titles against Vasily Lomachenko this month. The dynamic was disconcerting for most boxing fans, who accused the YouTubers of making a mockery of the sport, yet pop star Justin Bieber was present as the likes of Haney and Saunders were exposed to an entirely new audience – one that they would have otherwise never reached. Hearn, the most recognisable promoter in boxing, recognised that. Alongside Paul and the American’s younger brother Jake, KSI had ushered in the era of ‘influencer boxing’. KSI flourishes as new-age entrepreneur KSI, for his part, has mastered the art of self-promotion, but he is now trying to turn that outwards, too. Now 29, with more than 30 million subscribers, seven billion views and a reported net worth of over $25m, KSI returned to boxing in August. At London’s O2 Arena, he stopped rapper Swarmz and pro boxer (in loose terms) Luis Alcaraz Pineda on the same night. Notably, the event was the first staged by Misfits Boxing – a promotion created by KSI in partnership with the established Wasserman Promotions and streaming platform Dazn. Another more unlikely partnership followed, as the mutually antagonistic KSI and Logan Paul launched the energy drink Prime together. For reasons that – beyond the international awareness of the YouTubers – are difficult to discern, the drink flooded through the nation and off shelves, selling out in many stores and ultimately being banned in some schools in the UK, US, Canada, Australia and South Africa. It has, however, attracted sponsorship deals with Arsenal FC, the UFC and WWE, with KSI appearing alongside Paul at this year’s WrestleMania. Trying the drink on Heart radio, Gordon Ramsay said: “Oh, Jesus. It’s like swallowing perfume. What would I give it out of 10? A zero.” KSI came under starker criticism just last month for his use of a racial slur in a YouTube video, which led the 29-year-old to apologise and visit a Mosque in Bradford – an effort to educate himself on the matter. “There’s no excuse, no matter the circumstances,” he wrote on Twitter. “I shouldn’t have said it and I’m sorry. I’ve always said to my audience that they shouldn’t worship me or put me on a pedestal, because I’m human. I’m not perfect, I’m gonna mess up in life, and lately I’ve been messing up a lot.” Fighting into the future Fans will hope that KSI’s preparations for his next fight will keep him out of such trouble, though his progress has been gradual. His form is lacking, but his power is impressive. This weekend, he will test his attributes against Joe Fournier. The 40-year-old, a former pro boxer with a 9-0 record and an exhibition defeat by David Haye in 2021, got his start in the fitness industry before moving into the nightclub business. Perhaps those are areas for KSI to conquer one day; it would not be a surprise. For now, however, his boxing endeavour takes priority and takes him back to the O2 Arena. JJ had his school in stitches during a rendition of Sweeney Todd; KSI will hope to have Fournier’s head in stitches come Saturday night. Click here to subscribe to The Independent’s Sport YouTube channel for all the latest sports videos. Read More KSI vs Fournier live stream: How to watch fight online and on TV this weekend Mark Zuckerberg wins first jiu-jitsu tournament, takes home multiple medals Why is BT Sport being rebranded to TNT Sports? Eurosport merger explained When is the KSI vs Fournier fight? Start time, undercard and more How to watch KSI vs Fournier online and on TV this weekend What is an exhibition fight and how is it different to a professional bout?
2023-05-11 21:24
Braves executives say it's business as usual following spinoff from Liberty Media
Atlanta Braves executives say business will continue as usual under a new ownership structure following a spinoff from Liberty Media
2023-07-19 06:51
Przybyłko scores in 90th minute, Fire edge Toronto 1-0
Kacper Przybyłko scored in the 90th minute to rally the Chicago Fire to a 1-0 victory over Toronto FC
2023-07-16 11:58
US Open odds: Brooks Koepka's odds skyrocket after PGA Championship win
After letting a win at The Masters slip away in the final round, Brooks Koepka bounced back one month later by capturing his third PGA Championship and his fifth overall Major.That puts him tied for 15th in golf history for most major victories alongside James Braid, John Henry Taylor, Pyron Nel...
2023-05-22 06:46
You Might Like...
Ewing seeks LPGA Queen City repeat as Solheim Cup looms
Castellanos hits 2 homers, makes pivotal throw for an out, as Phillies beat Braves 6-5 in 10
MLB Rumors: Mike Soroka's future, Cardinals top prospect, Ohtani favorite
Japan look far beyond Chile at World Cup
Tennessee fined more than $8 million for over 200 infractions in football program
NBA rumors: Giannis commits to Bucks for life with one massive condition
US forward Christian Pulisic arrives in Italy for expected transfer to AC Milan
Koepka defends LIV Jeddah title in play-off