📰🏟️ Major ESPN layoffs
Plus: Hoops tournament with $2M prize…
Good afternoon. Welcome back to another week full of top sports stories. Let’s get you up to speed.
1) Red Sox come from behind to win 14th straight
The Red Sox clawed back from 3 separate deficits in last night’s dramatic 6-5 win over the Baltimore Orioles, keeping Boston’s winning streak alive at 14 games.
- With another win tonight, the Red Sox will match their longest winning streak in franchise history, set in 1946.
- Boston, which fired manager Alex Cora and 6 coaches in late April, sported an AL-worst 32-46 record on June 25.
- But the Red Sox have gone 19-2 since then and haven't lost a game since July 1, rising up to the 3rd AL Wild Card spot.
A perfect storm brews in Boston
2) The Basketball Tournament tips off with $2M prize
The Basketball Tournament, an open-invitation, high-stakes hoops event featuring dozens of former top pro and college players, is entering its 13th year with a new look.
- Rather than last year’s 61-team bracket, the 2026 version features 14 teams competing for a $2M winner-take-all prize over the next ~2 weeks.
- There are 2 brackets, one with 8 alumni teams—all former players from the same college—and the other with 6 non-alumni squads, with the winners advancing to the final on Aug. 2.
- Alumni teams include JHX Hoops (Kansas), The Ville (Louisville), La Familia (Kentucky), and Boeheim’s Army (Syracuse).
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3) NFL players push for natural grass after World Cup
Dozens of NFL players have spoken out in favor of keeping permanent grass playing surfaces at stadiums in the aftermath of the World Cup.
- At FIFA's request, all 11 NFL stadiums hosting World Cup matches installed natural grass playing surfaces, with 7 of them replacing artificial turf.
- Those 7 stadiums are now planning to return to synthetic turf moving forward, which allows venues to host more special events like concerts.
- Polls show some 92% of NFL players prefer natural grass over turf, with the NFLPA citing past data that shows turf causes a higher rate of non-contact lower-body injuries.
The grass is greener on FIFA’s side
4) ESPN’s mass layoffs include on-air talent
The network announced a series of layoffs this week tied to its recent deal with the NFL, which saw ESPN sell a 10% stake in exchange for NFL Network, RedZone rights, and NFL Fantasy.
- The list includes lead baseball play-by-play announcer Karl Ravech, longtime SportsCenter anchor David Lloyd, and injury expert Stephania Bell.
- The layoffs also affected several prominent NFL insiders like former MVP Cam Newton, NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, and analyst Ryan Clark (who was reportedly notified during a live taping).
Full details on ESPN’s latest cuts
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