Olympics

It seems like NFL players will be competing in flag football during the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.

NFL executive vice president Jeff Miller told reporters Monday the NFL and the NFL Players Association are engaging in ongoing discussions about the best way to approach such an endeavor.

"The amount of enthusiasm that we've seen among our players or more broadly for flag football in '28 ... has been remarkable," he said. "Conversations are continuing to go on with the [NFL] Players Association, with players themselves … but obviously the hope would be that players who want to participate in the Olympics and represent their country have that opportunity to do so. … It is something that we're working on actively."

High-profile players such as Patrick Mahomes, Joe Burrow, Jalen Hurts, Tyreek Hill and Caleb Williams have already expressed interest in participating in the Games, and many more will surely want to represent their country as the Olympics get closer.

"I really want to play for the Olympic flag football team," Burrow said during an appearance on Pardon My Take. "Like me, Ja'marr (Chase), Justin (Jefferson). Me and my friends out there playing football. … I think it'd be really cool."

The NFL even ran a commercial with Hurts throwing a flaming football over the cauldron at the top of the L.A. Coliseum advertising that football is coming to the Olympics.

While there is always injury risk, the next Summer Olympics will happen from July 14 to July 30 in 2028. That means teams won't have to worry about players missing any regular-season games or even preseason contests if they do participate in the Games.

NFL players participating will surely generate more interest, but not everybody is thrilled with the idea.

"I think it's disrespectful that they just automatically assume that they're able to just join the Olympic team because of the person that they are—they didn't help grow this game to get to the Olympics," U.S. national flag team quarterback Darrell "Housh" Doucette said, per the Guardian. "Give the guys who helped this game get to where it's at their respect."

Doucette helped the United States win the 2021 world championship title and the title at the 2022 World Games. He also led the Red, White and Blue to the Americas Continental championship title as the tournament's MVP in 2023.

Still, it will be difficult for any flag football player to beat out the likes of Mahomes, Hill and others if they are truly going to compete for spots on the roster.

First, though, the NFL and the NFLPA have to figure out an agreement that will allow the players to showcase their talent at the Olympics.

Coming off the high of winning a gold medal at the Paris Olympics, a trio of Team USA stars had their celebration interrupted.

During an appearance alongside star forward Kevin Durant for Boardroom Talks at Fanatics Fest this weekend, Anthony Edwards revealed the two of them were drug-tested after the final against France along with Stephen Curry.

"We couldn't even really celebrate for real because me, him and Steph had to take like a drug test or something," Edwards said (6:40).

It's somewhat unsurprising that Curry was checked after the game, as the star point guard put on a dazzling performance with 24 points on eight three-pointers to lead Team USA to a 98-87 win over France.

Durant added 15 points, and Edwards chipped in with eight points off the bench.

"It's only right that they gave Steph one, the way he closed that deal, because that was crazy," moderator Jalen Rose quipped.

"He was supposed to get one after the first Serbia game," Edwards said jokingly of Durant, referring to the 35-year-old's 23-point performance in Team USA's Olympic opener.

Still, the drug tests were just a small deterrent to the ongoing victory lap for Edwards, Durant and the rest of Team USA's stars.

The United States men's basketball team may have a new head coach on the sideline soon, according to NBA insider Marc Stein.

Stein reported Sunday that Steve Kerr "is not expected to continue" in the role. The Miami Heat's Erik Spoelstra and Los Angeles Clippers' Ty Lue, both assistants on the current staff, are the early front-runners to succeed Kerr.

This would be an ideal time for Kerr to step down. The United States is fresh off winning a fifth straight Olympic gold medal, and the next FIBA Basketball World Cup isn't until 2027. That's a long time for the 58-year-old to sit around if he's on the fence at all about staying on for the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles.

Prior to Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski taking over in 2008, the general trend was also for a coach to stay on for one Olympic cycle and then move aside for somebody else.

Kerr told The Athletic's Joe Vardon last November that's how he was approaching the situation.

"To me, it's a two-year; it's a cycle. Pop coached a World Cup and the Olympics, now it's my turn to pass the baton," he said. "I think that's kind of how it should be. Frankly, it's a huge commitment too. I guess I think it was different the last go-around with Coach K and Jerry (Colangelo), when they were really establishing this culture and this system where guys had to commit for a couple years. Made sense for Coach K to stay on. But I think where we are now, one cycle and you move on."

Spoelstra or Lue is a natural candidate to take over. Beyond having worked under Kerr, they're widely regarded as two of the best tacticians in the NBA.

The identity of the head coach will be less interesting than how USA Basketball approaches the World Cup and Olympics from a roster perspective.

LeBron James (39), Kevin Durant (35) and Stephen Curry (36) are probably off the table for 2028, and the availability of Joel Embiid (30) and Anthony Davis (31) can't necessarily be assumed, either.

Managing director Grant Hill is likely to face the usual difficulty of getting star players on board for the World Cup as well. The Minnesota Timberwolves' Anthony Edwards didn't waste any time in ruling himself out for the event, at least for now.

Whoever is leading Team USA after Kerr may have one squad for the World Cup and then an almost entirely new one for the Olympics. That presents obvious challenges in terms of in-game strategy and continuity.

In addition, as the United States coach you're unlikely to get much credit for winning but catch all of the blame for losing because gold medals are the bar for success.

None of that appears to be dissuading Spoelstra or Lue from throwing his name into the hat.

Tyrese Haliburton's dog is joining in as Team USA celebrates a fifth straight Olympic gold medal in men's basketball.

The official Instagram account for Haliburton's goldendoodle, Ames, shared a photoshoot featuring the Indiana Pacers guard and his Olympic gold medal.

One of the photos features Ames, draped in an American flag, wearing the medal himself.

Ames is named after the city where Haliburton spent two seasons playing college basketball for Iowa State, the Pacers guard told Bally Sports Indiana last May.

Haliburton adopted the dog during his rookie NBA season in 2020-21.

Four years later, Haliburton was named to the 2024 USA Basketball Men's National Team roster to represent his country at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Haliburton appeared in three of Team USA's six games in the Olympics. He joked on X about his limited participation in the tournament following the Americans' gold medal win over Team France.

This might not be the only chance Haliburton has to bring home a medal to Ames. After two straight All-Star seasons in Indiana, Haliburton could be set to make a bigger impact for Team USA at the 2028 Los Angeles Games.

Dr. Dre has a standing offer from a former Olympic gold medalist to help him train for the 2028 Los Angeles Games if he is serious about taking up archery.

Justin Huish told TMZ Sports he would be happy to train Dr. Dre for the Olympics: "I'll come to your house. I will train you. I will dedicate my time to train with you."

Huish's comments come after Dr. Dre told Nischelle Turner of Entertainment Tonight on Tuesday he is "dead-ass serious" about trying out for the Olympics in 2028 (starts at 2:20 mark).

The hip-hop icon explained he "started playing around with archery in junior high" and recently got back into it after receiving an archery set-up as a gift from his son.

It would be hard for Dre to find a better teacher than Huish. The 49-year-old won two gold medals at the 1996 Olympics in the team and individual archery competitions.

While most Olympic events tend to favor younger athletes, there are some events that allow for older stars to compete. Juan Antonio Jimenez Cobo took part in the equestrian competition at the Paris Games at the age of 65.

Dr. Dre wouldn't be the first celebrity who attempted to qualify for the U.S. Olympic archery team if he does pursue it.

Oscar-winning actress Geena Davis took up the sport after the 1996 Games and took part in an Olympic qualifying competition in July 1999, but missed the field by finishing 24th in a field of 300 athletes.

Romanian gymnast Ana Barbosu received her bronze medal from the 2024 Paris Olympics on Friday.

"I did not expect the medal to be so heavy, but I would wear it day and night if this is what it takes to have it," Barbosu said afterwards, per the Associated Press (h/t ESPN).

The medal was originally given to U.S. gymnast Jordan Chiles for her floor routine after an inquiry from her coach, Cecile Landi, led to her score being increased. However, the Court of Arbitration for Sport later voided the appeal and the International Olympic Committee required Chiles to return her bronze medal.

Chiles' score improved to 13.766 following the initial inquiry, although it was moved back down to 13.666 after the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruled that the request occurred after the one-minute timeframe.

USA Gymnastics submitted video evidence that the request occurred within one minute after the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee released plans to appeal the ruling.

However, the arbitration panel did not reconsider the decision asking Chiles to return the bronze medal.

"We are deeply disappointed by the notification and will continue to pursue every possible avenue and appeal process, including to the Swiss Federal Tribunal, to ensure the just scoring, placement, and medal award for Jordan," USA Gymnastics said in a statement, per the Associated Press.

As for Barbosu, she said that the controversy surrounding the medal was "saddening" and that "we expected the referees and staff at the Olympics to do their job properly" (via ESPN).

She was also sympathetic to Chiles and the U.S. gymnasts after the medal reallocation.

"I am thinking of them even if today I got the medal," Barbosu said.

Chiles still earned some hardware in Paris, as she took home a gold medal after the United States team won the all-around competition.

The United States women's national soccer team is back atop the FIFA world rankings after winning gold at the 2024 Olympics.

FIFA dropped the updated rankings on Friday, with the U.S. jumping up four spots in the wake of its triumph in Paris.

The previous rankings released in June had Team USA at No. 5. ESPN's Emily Keogh noted at the time it was the lowest spot in the rankings for the team since FIFA rankings were introduced in 2003.

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The USWNT has won 15 straight matches overall, including eight in a row since the previous rankings were released. This streak includes a 6-0 record at the Olympics in which they outscored their opponents 12-2.

Team USA's turnaround largely coincided with the arrival of new head coach Emma Hayes. She was hired in November, but didn't officially take over until May to let her finish her tenure with Chelsea in the Women's Super League.

The United States defeated Brazil in the gold-medal match at the Paris Games. It was the team's fifth gold medal in Olympics history. No other country has more than one gold medal since women's soccer was added to the Olympic rotation since 1996.

Following their triumph in France, Team USA will be on hiatus for two months before kicking off a four-game friendly schedule to close out 2024 starting on Oct. 24 against Iceland at Q2 Stadium in Austin, Texas.

The U.S. and England—the No. 2 team in the updated rankings—will meet in a friendly at Wembley Stadium on Nov. 30.

10-time NBA All-Star and USA Basketball legend Carmelo Anthony confirmed that there isn't any animosity between himself and Bogdan Bogdanović following a heated semifinal clash between Serbia and Team USA in the Paris Olympics.

With Anthony in attendance, Bogdanović used his signature celebration after hitting a three-pointer against the United States.

"He was showing love," Anthony explained on his podcast, 7PM in Brooklyn. "I really wanted to cheer, he knocked that three down like that. I'm like, I can't show no emotion."

Bogdanović helped Serbia jump out to a 17-point lead, hitting Anthony's signature "Three to the Dome" celebration in the second quarter.

While the gesture was ultimately complimentary, the U.S. men's basketball team didn't take it lightly at the time. LeBron James seemed to discuss the celebration with Bogdanović, while Devin Booker gave a shoutout to Anthony on his Instagram story after the United States stormed back to earn a 95-91 victory.

However, the mutual respect between Anthony and Bogdanović was revealed when the Atlanta Hawks guard posted a shoutout from the former scoring champion. Anthony was also in attendance during Serbia's victory over Germany in the bronze medal game, congratulating Bogdanović afterwards.

While they previously faced off in Olympic competition during the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games, it doesn't appear that there is any lingering hostility between the two.

Team USA gymnast Jordan Chiles has released her first statement since the International Olympic Committee ordered her to return her bronze medal in the floor exercise from the Paris Summer Olympics.

Of note, she called the Court of Arbitration for Sport's rejection of the USA Gymnastics' appeal "unjust" and noted that she has been the target of "unprompted racially driven attacks on social media."

Chiles initially took fifth in the floor exercise but moved up to third after United States coach Cecile Landi filed an inquiry on her score. Tom Schad of USA Today explained the situation.

"At the women's floor exercise final more than a week ago, Chiles' score increased to 13.766 from 13.666 after her coach, Cecile Landi, appealed a deduction that she had received on one element, known as a tour jete full. The appeal, known as an 'inquiry' in gymnastics, wiped away the deduction, moved Chiles into third and knocked Ana Barbosu of Romania off the podium."

However, the Romanian team successfully appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, stating that Landi's inquiry occurred four seconds after the 60-second deadline.

USA Gymnastics made its own appeal to CAS and released a statement on the matter, claiming in part:

"The time-stamped, video evidence submitted by USA Gymnastics Sunday evening shows Landi first stated her request to file an inquiry at the inquiry table 47 seconds after the score is posted, followed by a second statement 55 seconds after the score was originally posted.

"The video footage provided was not available to USA Gymnastics prior to the tribunal's decision and thus USAG did not have the opportunity to previously submit it."

That appeal was denied, but USA Gymnastics will continue its drive to ensure that Chiles keeps the bronze medal.

There's been an outpouring of public support for Chiles, as expected.

Chiles is an incredibly decorated gymnast with or without the medal. She won silver medals in the vault and floor exercise at the 2022 World Championships, in addition to gold in the team all-around.

At UCLA, Chiles took home gold in the uneven bars and floor exercise at the 2023 NCAA Championships.

And she's a gold medalist after Team USA earned top honors in Paris in the team all-around. She was also part of the U.S. silver-winning team at the Tokyo Olympics three years ago.

Australian breakdancer Rachael "Raygun" Gunn said she was "honored" to represent the country at the 2024 Summer Olympics but that some of the negative reaction she has received has been "devastating."

In a video posted to Instagram, Gunn also addressed an online petition that alleged she had manipulated the qualifying process to ensure she reached the Olympics.

Australian Olympic Committee chief executive officer Matt Carroll came to her defense and assailed the petition.

"It is disgraceful that these falsehoods concocted by an anonymous person can be published in this way," he said, per ESPN.com. "It amounts to bullying and harassment and is defamatory. We are demanding that it be removed from the site immediately. No athlete who has represented their country at the Olympic Games should be treated in this way."

Gunn attained viral fame in Paris thanks to her performance. Each of her three individual matchups ended with scores of 18-0, and her unique style set her apart from the field.

Martin Gilian, an experienced breakdancer and judge for the competition, credited Gunn for her originality.

"Breaking is all about originality and bringing something new to the table and representing your country or region," he told reporters. "This is exactly what Raygun was doing. She got inspired by her surroundings, which in this case, for example, was a kangaroo."

However, Gunn was the subject of plenty of mockery online, and things went a step further with the anonymous petition. The ESPN.com report noted as well that "unattributed social media comments also suggested Gunn and her husband, fellow breaker Samuel Free, had held positions within Australian breaking organizations."

The Australian Olympic Committee denied Gunn or her husband had official roles with AUSBreaking or DanceSport Australia. It said Gunn qualified for the Olympics on merit and through the proper channels.

While the International Olympic Committee approved adding breaking to the official program for the Paris Games, it isn't included in the upcoming slate for the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.