Charlotte Hornets make history with first NBA summer league title
The win came after a late push from the Kings to cut an 18-point lead to one.
ALSO READ >> Charlotte's sports scene surges with 2026 MLS All-Star Game
Guard-forward Kon Kneuppel led the hornets with 21 points.
The final score was 83-78.
VIDEO: Hornets star Brandon Miller set to host basketball camp in Charlotte for first time
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Yahoo
16 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Louisville football could be sleeper in ACC race: Transfer QB Miller Moss holds key
CHARLOTTE, NC — This episode of The C.L. Brown Show was taped live on location at the ACC Kickoff and features college football reporter David Ubben of The Athletic, Fiesta Bowl CEO Erik Moses and California head coach Justin Wilcox. Ubben tells why, even though Clemson is the favorite, he wouldn't be surprised if Louisville finds itself competing in the ACC championship game. Moses explains why even if the College Football Playoff expands, first-round games belong on campus. As Wilcox brings Cal to its first game at Louisville, he tells why he always expects a quarterback under U of L coach Jeff Brohm to play well. A new episode of this podcast, hosted by Courier Journal sports columnist C.L. Brown, posts each Wednesday. You can listen to The C.L. Brown Show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcast, Audible, CastBox and iHeartRadio, among others. More from C.L. Brown Louisville football doesn't need to top Clemson. Being second in ACC should rate CFP bid Pat Kelsey has Louisville basketball recruiting at all-time high Kentucky basketball's Mark Pope has landed homegrown stars. Tyran Stokes would be big win Fear shouldn't derail Run 4 Roses basketball tournament or city of Louisville Kentucky football's Mark Stoops is on ropes. But don't count him out in SEC Reach sports columnist C.L. Brown at clbrown1@ follow him on X at @CLBrownHoops and subscribe to his newsletter at to make sure you never miss one of his columns. This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Louisville football: Jeff Brohm team will be factor in ACC race


USA Today
18 minutes ago
- USA Today
MLS All-Stars 30 years later: How the league moved the ball forward
From new teams to an expanding fan base, see Major League Soccer's impressive three decades of growth. It's a rare all-star game that reflects a league's evolution, but that's what this year's MLS showcase offers. On July 23 at 9 p.m. ET, two dozen MLS players will step onto the field at Q2 Stadium in Austin, Texas, and offer a snapshot of the league's progress. Though the MLS All-Stars may not defeat their counterparts from Mexico's Liga MX – broadcast live on MLS Season Pass via Apple TV – the league's upward trajectory is clear. Since its inaugural season in 1996, just two years after the United States hosted the 1994 World Cup, MLS has steadily grown alongside the nation's rising interest in soccer. Over the past three decades, global icons such as Carlos Valderrama, David Beckham, Thierry Henry and Zlatan Ibrahimović have brought star power and credibility to the league, helping shape its identity and elevate its global standing. But none has been as transformational as Lionel Messi, who is on this year's all-star roster. In July 2023, he joined Inter Miami, a club that played its first game in 2020. The Argentine World Cup champion not only quickly improved the team's profile and record, but he also elevated global awareness of the MLS because of his worldwide celebrity. How much has the MLS grown since its debut in 1996? Even before Messi's arrival, MLS had been on the upswing. With 12.2 million fans attending games last year, MLS was the second-highest-attended global soccer league in the world, behind only the English Premier League. MLS has a far reach with teams across the U.S. Since 1996, the league has tripled in size. San Diego FC became the 30th MLS club before the 2025 season, compared with just 10 clubs when the league debuted. The number of soccer-specific MLS stadiums is growing All 30 MLS clubs have their own facility, and 26 are soccer-specific. Three franchises will open new stadiums in the next three years (Inter Miami 2026, New York City FC 2027 and Chicago Fire 2028). It's a far cry from 1996, when there were no stadiums and no club training facilities. Some MLS franchises crack $1 billion mark Another significant area of growth has been franchise value: Five MLS teams are valued at more than $1 billion, and 14 others are among the top 50 most valuable soccer clubs in the world, according to Sportico. Los Angeles FC ($1.28 billion), Inter Miami ($1.19 billion), LA Galaxy ($1.11 billion), Atlanta United ($1.08 billion) and New York City FC ($1 billion) are the most valuable MLS franchises. MLS has succeeded in drawing international talent When the league made its debuted 1996, most of the 239 active players were American. The majority today are still American, but the league is drawing more international talent. MLS Cup championships by team D.C. United won the MLS Cup in the first season; since then, 15 teams have won the title: 'I think our league is going to continue to grow,' Major League Soccer commissioner Don Garber told USA TODAY Sports before the season. 'Every time I'm asked that question, and I say, 'Here's what it will look like five years from now.' I underestimate where we're going to be. "At some point we're going to be celebrating just generations of Major League Soccer for fans here in the United States, Canada and around the world that love our league."


USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
Youth sports business model hurts kids. New poll shows parents are fed up.
Parents want a youth sports system that prioritizes childhood development, family balance and accessibility. From the WNBA All-Star Game to the British Open Championship, sports fans had ample opportunities to see elite athletes in action this past weekend. Many of those watching are children with dreams of their own athletic success. Youth sports is a $40 billion a year industry with tens of millions of American kids participating in baseball, basketball, football, golf, soccer and other athletic competitions. Emphasis on the word 'industry.' There is much more to the competitiveness than participation alone. In recent years, youth sports have attracted unprecedented investments from private equity giants, family foundations and other entities, whether it means buying a baseball camp or building a flag football field. Youth sports have become a big business Sky-high investments are creating entire youth leagues from scratch, attracting boys and girls as a rite of passage. This is not our parents' youth sports system, where local offshoots of Little League Baseball and Pop Warner reigned supreme. It is an entirely new ecosystem, bringing big bucks and forcing many families to pay up. Where kids see a (slim) chance to turn pro one day, there is also (cautious) optimism about a return on investment via college scholarships or name, image and likeness checks. But the investment itself is not cheap. The average U.S. sports family spends more than $1,000 on a child's primary sport − a 46% increase since 2019. Then there are the second and third sports − more scratches on the lottery ticket. For growing numbers of parents and kids, the feeling is stress, stress and more stress. According to new research from The Harris Poll, conducted for USA TODAY, parents overwhelmingly want youth sports to promote balance, character and inclusion. Instead, they're navigating a high-pressure, high-cost system that serves a select few, at the expense of kids who are thrust into high-stakes situations at a young age. The numbers don't lie. Nearly two-thirds (63%) of parents say their child's sports team travels more than necessary − a burden that hits time-strapped, lower-income families especially hard. Almost 8 in 10 parents support reducing travel, while 72% want a model with fewer games and more practice. A similar percentage (73%) say youth sports have lost sight of their original purpose: Fostering fun and teaching teamwork. Parents are not delusional. Only 8% of parents claim that the goal of youth sports should be a college scholarship, while just 12% say it means preparing for a pro career. Nearly 9 in 10 parents (89%) believe that it is important for their child to enjoy playing sports. And yet, the youth sports ecosystem − now driven by private equity − often behaves as if celebrity status and monetary gain are the primary goals. Just ask parents, 61% of whom believe that youth sports organizations prioritize profit over purpose. Even more (63%) feel that sports-related costs and time demands undermine the spirit of play. While most parents are realistic about their kids' long-term prospects in sports, they will continue to make sacrifices for them to participate − from missing work to skipping family vacations. What they need in return is a youth sports ecosystem that better suits their time and budget constraints. Youth sports puts strains on family life The ever-growing commercialization of the early specialization in sports has a wide range of consequences, including academic strain and stress on the family unit. Our need to 'keep up with the Joneses' can be a challenge for entire communities navigating a high-stakes environment, as yet another mega-sports complex pops up down the road. For the sake of kids, parents are calling for a reset. They don't want to see a broken youth sports system. What they want is an ecosystem that prioritizes childhood development, family balance and accessibility at a time when finances are already pulled in too many directions. The status quo is serving a select few who could one day become WNBA All-Stars or major championship winners in golf. But what about the rest of America's sports families? The system may not be broken for the few, but it's looking more and more so for most. Will Johnson serves as CEO at The Harris Poll.