Blog

With 0.8 seconds left in the third period, the Chicago Blackhawks were already facing a loss. Now they’re facing a potential disaster.

As the final horn sounded on a 3-2 St. Louis Blues win, Blackhawks star Connor Bedard went down on the ice and came up clutching his right shoulder. Blues captain Brayden Schenn appeared to have shoved him on the final face-off to prevent a final shot, forcing his arm awkwardly back.

Advertisement

Bedard left the ice in clear pain.

Blackhawks coach Jeff Blashill didn’t have any good news after the game, telling reporters Bedard will be out for at least Chicago’s game against the Detroit Red Wings, per the Chicago Sun-Times. He had two words to describe the incident that caused the injury:

“I think it’s a freak accident, to be honest with you,” Blashill said.

Whatever the circumstances, the Blackhawks can only hold their breath and hope the missed time only extends to Saturday. The club’s next game after that is Tuesday against the Maple Leafs, giving Bedard four days of rest from Friday.

After years of hype, the 20-year-old Bedard has already developed into one of the NHL’s top players, tying for third in the league with 44 points and tied for fourth with 19 goals, putting him well on pace to exceed his numbers from last season. He notched assists on both of Chicago’s goals Friday.

Advertisement

This wouldn’t be the first time Bedard has missed time with a significant injury; he missed a month during his rookie season with a broken jaw.

The 2025 Emirates NBA Cup is down to its final four teams. The New York Knicks will take on the Orlando Magic in the Eastern conference semifinal this Saturday at 5:30 p.m. ET, and the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs will meet for the Western conference semifinal at 9 p.m. ET. The winner of each semifinal will move on to the Championship final, with the players from the winning team taking home an extra $500,000.

Today’s semifinals and the Championship Final on Tuesday, Dec. 16, will all be held at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. You can catch all the NBA Cup action on Prime Video, which holds exclusive rights to the playoffs and Championship Final. Here’s what you need to know to tune in.

Advertisement

How to watch the Knicks vs. Magic NBA Cup Semifinal:

Date: Dec. 13, 2025

Time: 5:30 p.m. ET/2:30 p.m. PT

Streaming: Prime Video

What channel do I need to watch the New York Knicks vs. Orlando Magic?

Today’s semifinal between the New York Knicks and the Orlando Magic will stream exclusively on Prime Video at 5:30 p.m. ET.

How to stream the New York Knicks vs. Orlando Magic NBA Cup game:

You can catch the Knicks vs. Magic, as well as the Championship final, on Prime Video.

2025 NBA Cup schedule:

Below is a list of every remaining playoff game in the 2025 NBA Cup.

All times Eastern

Saturday, Dec. 13

5:30 p.m.: East Semifinal, New York Knicks vs. Orlando Magic

Advertisement

9 p.m.: West Semifinal, OKC Thunder vs. San Antonio Spurs

Tuesday, Dec. 16

8:30 p.m.: Championship Final, Teams TBD

What channels do I need to watch NBA Cup games live?

While many games in the group stage were televised on broadcast TV, the playoffs stream exclusively on Prime Video.

How to stream 2025 NBA Cup games:

You can catch every playoff game as well as the Championship final on Prime Video.

DirecTV is currently offering its Choice tier (typically $108+/month with fees) for just $72.98 (after fees) for your first month.

DirecTV’s Choice tier gets you access to all the usual football suspects: NBC, NFL Network, ESPN, The CW, ABC, CBS and Fox, plus ACC Network, Big Ten Network, SEC Network and plenty more local Regional Sports Networks. (If you want to avoid paying the RSN fees, the Entertainment Tier has plenty of channels you can catch NFL games on, too.)

Whichever package you choose, you’ll get unlimited Cloud DVR storage and access to ESPN+’s new streaming tier, ESPN Unlimited.

The best part is that you can currently try all this out for free for 5 days. So if you’re interested in trying out a live TV streaming service for football season, but aren’t ready to commit, we recommend starting with DirecTV.

ESPN’s new streaming service is divided into two tiers: the ESPN Unlimited package and the ESPN Select package. 

For $29.99, the ESPN Unlimited package includes access to all of ESPN’s linear networks: ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, SECN, ACCN, ESPNews, and ESPN Deportes, as well as access to programming on ABC, ESPN+, ESPN3, SECN+, and ACCNX. That means fans will get coverage of more than 47,000 live events each year, on-demand replays, original programming and more. 

Right now, for a limited time, you can bundle ESPN Unlimited with Disney+ and Hulu and pay $29.99/month for 12 months — that’s like getting those other services free for a year! Even if you’re a current subscriber to Disney+, Hulu or even the bundle, you can still upgrade to this great deal. 

Not interested in a bundle? ESPN Select (also referred to as ESPN+) is still an option. For $11.99/month, you can tune in and get exclusive access to events like select NCAA football games, F1 driver cams, simulcasts of certain sports that air on other channels and PPV access to UFC fights, but note, ESPN Select alone won’t get you access to this weekend’s Heisman Trophy Ceremony, you’ll need Unlimited for that.

The 1980 U.S. men’s Olympic hockey team was honored by President Donald Trump at the White House on Friday at a bill signing awarding the Congressional Gold Medal.

“We’re delighted to be joined today by true legends of American sports history, heroes for the entire nation, the 1980 U.S. Olympic ice hockey team,” Trump said. “This was one of the biggest moments that I’ve ever seen in sports, and I like sports. These are the men who gave us one of the most storied athletic wins of all time, it’s called the miracle on ice, and I guess that’s what it was.”

The bill, which was first introduced in October 2024, was passed the House of Representatives in April and then in the Senate in September, receiving unanimous support. The highest award given to a civilian by Congress, the Congressional Gold Medal is awarded to “persons who have made a major and long-standing impact on American history and culture.”

Advertisement

The honor comes nearly 46 years after the U.S. team won gold at the 1980 Olympics in Lake Placid, New York.

The American squad, made up mostly of amateur players and led by Herb Brooks, made it through the tournament, which included upsetting the vaunted Soviet Union in the famous “Miracle on Ice” game that saw Al Michaels exclaim: “Do you believe in miracles? Yes!”

In the final game, the U.S. defeated Finland to secure the gold medal.

Team captain Mike Eruzione, goaltender Jim Craig and the family of the late Brooks were among those on hand in the Oval Office on Friday.

The bill will see three medals awarded, with one to be displayed at the Lake Placid Olympic Center, the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Museum in Eveleth, Minnesota, and at the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Museum in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Advertisement

Billie Jean King, Willie O’Ree, Steve Gleason and Larry Doby are other sports figures who have been awarded a Congressional Gold Medal in the past decade.

Georgia offensive lineman Dontrell Glover and running back Bo Walker were arrested for shoplifting at a Walmart on Friday, less than a week after the Bulldogs won the SEC Championship.

According to the Athens Banner-Herald, the freshmen were booked into Clarke County jail in Athens on two counts of misdemeanor shoplifting. Glover and Walker were arrested Friday evening and released on $1,526 bond before 8 p.m.

“We were informed of the charges and are currently in the process of gathering additional information,” Georgia spokesman Steve Drummond said in a statement. “This is a pending legal matter and we will not have further comment at this time.”

Walker played six games this season and rushed for 100 yards and three touchdowns. Glover started 11 games in 2025 and was named to the All-SEC freshman team.

Advertisement

Last month, offensive lineman Nyier Daniels was dismissed from the team by head coach Kirby Smart after he was arrested on more than a dozen criminal charges after he allegedly tried to flee from police north of Athens.

The Bulldogs beat Alabama last Saturday in the SEC title game and earned a place in the College Football Playoff. They will play again on Jan. 1 against the winner of Ole Miss-Tulane in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals.

The 2025-26 NFL season has already had plenty of twists and turns, but in a twist that few saw coming, 44-year-old Philip Rivers came out of retirement to sign with the Indianapolis Colts this week — and he will reportedly be the starting QB on Sunday when they take on the Seattle Seahawks in Week 15.

Rivers last played in the 2020-21 season with the Colts and had a respectable QBR of 55.0 (19th), with 4,169 passing yards, 24 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. That was also when he was 38 and 39 years old … and four full seasons ago.

Advertisement

The Colts certainly didn’t have much choice internally, as Daniel Jones is out for the season with a torn Achilles, Anthony Richardson is still on injured reserve, and Riley Leonard is nursing a knee injury after being forced into action last week. Indianapolis also signed journeyman Brett Rypien this week.

[Get more Colts news: Indianapolis team feed]

Further adding to the storyline is the Colts face a terrific Seahawks team — and defense — in one of the toughest places to play in the NFL. Seattle’s defense is No. 1 in DVOA, No. 2 in opponent yards per play, No. 2 in opponent third-down conversion percentage … I could go on, but you get the picture.

To wit, the lookahead line for this game last week at sportsbooks was Seahawks -3.5 and reopened on Sunday at Seahawks -10. It’s now all the way out to Seattle -14 at several books, including BetMGM, though oddsmakers don’t believe it will go much higher.

Advertisement

“In terms of any more line movement, I don’t know where else it could go,” said Joey Feazel, head NFL trader at Caesars Sportsbook. “It’s a big number, especially against a good Colts team. There’s no way sharp bettors won’t come in at +14.5 with a non-Tennessee Titans team.”

Not surprisingly, the betting public is all over Seattle, with 73% of wagers and 89% of money on the Seahawks to cover at BetMGM. It’s also a game Seattle needs to win for the NFC West and the potential No. 1 overall seed in the conference.

So how do oddsmakers think Rivers will fare?

In short — no one really knows.

Advertisement

“Tough one to figure out,” Christian Cipollini, BetMGM NFL trader, told Yahoo Sports. “You’d assume he really shouldn’t be very good, obviously isn’t going to be mobile at all, but compared to the options Indy has, he’s probably a small improvement.”

Rivers’ passing yardage prop was 150.5 on Saturday, the lowest among Week 15 NFL starting QBs, and the lowest for any starting QB this season — outside of the New York Jets’ Justin Fields. By comparison, Shedeur Sanders’ O/U was 163.5 for his debut, while the Jets’ Brady Cook — an undrafted rookie QB — is currently at 161.5 at BetMGM.

Advertisement

“He’s in decent-enough condition that they signed him,” said Thomas Gable, sportsbook director at the Borgata. “It’s tough to say that Rivers would be better than a healthy Leonard, but until you see something from Rivers, I’d have to assume he’d be the lowest-rated present-day NFL starter.”

Multiple oddsmakers noted that Rivers’ experience gives him an advantage against a terrific Seahawks defense, but conditioning and processing concerns — very reasonable for a 44-year-old QB — were abundant in talking with oddsmakers this week.

[Yahoo Sports TV is here! Watch live shows and highlights 24/7]

“It’s really such an unknown, so I don’t really have a clue,” one Vegas oddsmaker said in a text message. “I’m treating it like a game manager QB. Assuming they’re not going to ask him to do too much. Rely heavily on Jonathan Taylor and the running game and keep the game close.”

Advertisement

As Yahoo’s Jori Epstein noted this week, there are some comparisons with Joe Flacco coming off the couch to lead the Cleveland Browns to the playoffs in 2023 … but that Browns defense was better, Flacco was 38 and he’d been out of the NFL for only 11 months (to Rivers’ 59 months).

Variance creates opportunity in the betting world, and this is a nearly unprecedented situation. No matter what happens, this will be one of the more fascinating games with a 14-point underdog in recent memory.

Jorge Polanco is heading across the country after he reportedly agreed to a two-year, $40 million deal with the New York Mets, according to multiple reports. The Mets plan to use Polanco mainly at first base and designated hitter.

Polanco, 32, spent the past two seasons with the Seattle Mariners after 10 seasons in Minnesota. During the Mariners’ run to the AL Championship Series, Polanco slashed .265/.326/.495 with 26 home runs and 78 RBI.

Advertisement

In signing Polanco, the Mets will not have to part with any draft pick compensation after he did not receive a qualifying offer from the Mariners following the 2025 season.

Polanco’s signing comes on the heels of a rough week for the Mets. They lost Pete Alonso to Baltimore and Edwin Diaz to the Dodgers after trading Brandon Nimmo to the Texas Rangers last month.

After acquiring Marcus Semien in the Nimmo trade and signing Polanco, the Mets have set up the right side of their infield for 2026, despite Polanco having played only one game at first base in his career.

The Louisiana High School Athletic Association Division II Select championship game on Friday night delivered one of the wildest endings to a football game you’ll ever see.

Trailing 21-14 with 37 seconds to play in the fourth quarter, St. Charles scored a touchdown and were about to tie the game. But the extra point by kicker Tyler Milioto hooked left, keeping Archbishop Shaw up 21-20 and on the cusp of a second straight state title.

Advertisement

Archbishop Shaw recovered the onside kick and with St. Charles having only two timeouts remaining, the game appeared over. But after the first kneel-down, Archbishop Shaw’s center took off his helmet to celebrate prematurely, prompting an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, which stopped the clock.

St. Charles used its final two timeouts after the next two kneel-downs, bringing up fourth down. With 20 seconds to play, Archbishop Shaw was forced to punt.

The punt didn’t go as planned and traveled only eight yards, giving St. Charles life with 16 seconds to play, down a point and taking over possession on Archbishop Shaw’s 32-yard line. A five-yard completion where the receiver got out of bounds set up a title-winning field-goal opportunity and a chance at redemption for Milioto.

With a second chance, Milioto stepped up and drilled a 44-yard field goal to put St. Charles up 23-21 and seal the state title.

“I wasn’t really feeling anything because I said that it can’t get much worse than what just happened,” said Milioto, via GeauxPreps.com. “I saw it go in, and I don’t remember what happened afterward.”

Advertisement

The state title completes a turnaround year for St. Charles, who finished 13-1 this season after posting a 4-7 record last year. It’s also the school’s fourth state championship in program history and first since 2022.

LaNorris Sellers will be back for a fourth season at South Carolina.

The preseason first-team all-SEC quarterback is set to come back in 2026, according to multiple reports. Sellers was seen as a potential top-10 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft before the season, but South Carolina underachieved in 2025.

Advertisement

The Gamecocks went 4-8 as the offensive line struggled against an extremely tough schedule. Sellers was 178-of-293 passing for 2,437 yards and just 13 TDs with eight interceptions across 12 games. Thanks to sacks, he also rushed for just 270 yards and five touchdowns.

A year ago, Sellers was the breakout star of the SEC. In 2024, he was 196-of-299 passing for 2,534 yards and 18 TDs with seven interceptions. Thirteen of those touchdowns came over South Carolina’s last six games of the season.

He also rushed for 674 yards and seven scores. He rushed 16 times for 166 yards in the Gamecocks’ upset of Clemson to end the season. That was South Carolina’s sixth win in a row before the Gamecocks lost to Illinois in the Citrus Bowl.

The 2024 USC offense was coordinated by Dowell Loggains, and the team’s success helped lead to Loggains getting the head coaching job at Appalachian State. Coach Shane Beamer promoted Mike Shula to replace Loggains, and Shula didn’t even last the entire season.

Advertisement

Shula was fired nine games into the season as South Carolina was 3-6. Earlier this week, the school announced that longtime college football assistant Kendal Briles would be the team’s offensive coordinator and former Penn State running backs coach Stan Drayton would be the assistant head coach for offense and also the team’s running backs coach.

Briles, the son of former Baylor coach Art Briles, has coached at five different schools since his dad was fired in 2016. He’s been the offensive coordinator at Florida Atlantic, Houston, Florida State and Arkansas before spending the last three seasons at TCU.