The number-one ranked U.S. women's national soccerteam will play its first game of the Women's World Cup on Friday, kicking off the quest to defend its world champion status.
Why it matters: The U.S. women's team has been dominant for decades — winning four World Cups and four Olympic gold medals — and the team is chasing an unprecedented third consecutive title.
There's no two ways about it: It's not a good time to be an National Football League running back.
Driving the news: The franchise tag deadline passed on Monday, and all three running backs who were tagged — Saquon Barkley (New York Giants), Josh Jacobs (Las Vegas Raiders) and Tony Pollard (Dallas Cowboys) — failed to agree to long-term contracts with their teams.
The Dan Snyder era — defined by lawsuits, chaos and mediocre football — is officially over.
Driving the news: During a special session on Thursday in Minneapolis, National Football League owners unanimously approved the Washington Commanders sale to a group led by private equity investor Josh Harris.
Outgoing Washington Commanders' owner Dan Snyder was fined $60 million after the NFL found he sexually harassed employees and deliberately hid millions of dollars in revenue from other teams, the league said Thursday.
The big picture: The NFL released the findings of an independent investigation into Snyder's conduct minutes after NFL owners voted to approve the sale of the Commanders.
The NFL team owners voted unanimouslyon Thursday to approve of private equity executive Josh Harris acquiring the Washington Commanders from current owner Dan Snyder, the league said in a statement.
Why it matters: The $6 billion deal is the largest ever for a pro sports team and ends an ownership tenure that included more scandals than playoff wins.
Details: The ninth edition is the first to feature 32 teams (up from 24). It's also the first held in the Southern Hemisphere and across two nations, with Australia and New Zealand co-hosting.
