For Mike Baumann, it started the same way as his first seven seasons in professional baseball. He was, as always, employed by the Baltimore Orioles, the team that drafted him in the third round in 2017. He wanted to help a familiar organization while advancing his own career. “My expectation was to take a step…

Rome Odunze preferred to sit on the bench and reset when the University of Washington’s defense took the field. He wanted to catch his breath before the next series. Except when Caleb Williams was the opponent. He was must-see. Odunze already had a perception of Williams thanks to a viral moment from Oklahoma. As a…

DALLAS — After he’s revved the room and made his pitch, Troy Aikman walks to the back and starts tending bar. “What can I get ya?” he asks, flashing that famous half-smile over and over, probably because he knows the only beer on tap is his. It’s a Monday afternoon, late summer, just north of…

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Yeah … a toenail separated the Kansas City Chiefs and Baltimore Ravens as the final second ticked off the game clock in Thursday’s 2024 NFL regular-season opener. Ravens quarterback and reigning MVP Lamar Jackson directed an impressive 77-yard drive, and for a few moments, seemed to have tied the game as…

NEW YORK — When he is on a tennis court, Taylor Fritz does not want to see his friends. On Friday, on the biggest stage in the sport, he will be joined by one of his best ones — compatriot Frances Tiafoe — on the other side of the net in the semifinals of the…

A handful of Week 1 results set the stage for what should be an epic season of college football. A few other programs leaned on FCS opponents to hit the turbo button on hype and expectations. Week 2 offers the chance for teams to either change or fortify those narratives against stiffer competition, featuring in-state…

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — The images of that night in Cincinnati were seared into our consciousness. The world, riveted, sat and stared at their televisions as it transpired and consumed the coverage for several days after. That seemed like a lifetime ago for the rest of us. But for Damar Hamlin, it was his life.…

Editor’s note: This is an updated version of an article to reflect Alex Morgan’s retirement announcement on Sept. 5, 2024. The story was first published on Aug. 1, 2024. Alex Morgan was inescapable this summer, but not because she went to the Olympics. Whether it’s Coca-Cola commercials or Reese’s Instagram ads, she was on every…

Who doesn’t love a good what-if question, so let’s ask this one: What if this baseball season had started in the middle of July instead of the last week of March? Have you thought much about how differently we’d be viewing nearly every contender in the sport? Of course you haven’t. But that’s what we’re…