Professional soccer has become a global arms race. To compete on the world stage, leagues must invest abroad.
Look no further than LaLiga, Spain's top division, which has opened numerous international offices in recent years and placed delegates in over 40 countries.
Two hometown kids played the hero on Thursday night, lifting their teams to victory and into the Elite Eight.
New York —Kansas State 98, Michigan State 93 (OT): New York native Markquis Nowell had the performance of a lifetime, scoring 20 points and dishing out an NCAA Tournament-record 19 assists (!) in one of the best basketball games you'll ever see.
Tom Brady is now part owner of the WNBA's Las Vegas Aces, he announced in a video Thursday.
Driving the news: "Since I purchased the Aces, our goal has been to win on and off the court," Aces and Raiders owner Mark Davis said in a statement. "Tom Brady is a win not only for the Aces, and the WNBA, but for women’s professional sports as a whole."
The World Athletics Council voted Thursday to ban athletes who are transgender women "or who have Differences of Sexual Development" from competing in elite track and field competitions.
The big picture: The new rule follows similar bans on transgender athletes competing in elite women's competitions, including swimming.
The Dallas Mavericks are filing a protest of their 127-125 loss to the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday, arguing that an officiating error handed Golden State two easy points.
What happened: Late in the third quarter, confusion about which team had possession led to an uncontested dunk by Warriors center Kevin Looney. All the Mavs players were on the other end of the court.
As the NCAA's name, image and likeness (NIL) compensation policy nears its second birthday, college basketball players are showing the myriad ways in which value can be measured and monetized.
State of play: The men's and women's Sweet 16 features players whose NIL earnings come from a variety of factors including on-field performance, social media influence and overall exposure.