This is the Sportacados Discussion Thread, for talking about all things sports! Feel free to live-chat games, talk about the latest news and rumours, discuss sports history, and anything else that relates to watching other grown adults throw or hit a ball. Hateration is allowed, but try to keep it within the realm of light banter.
News and Results
* Cameroon are your winners of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, defeating Malawi with a dominant 4-0 performance including a Marie Ngah brace. This is the first time the Indomitable Lionesses have won the tournament, and both teams were something of a Cinderella story, making their first finals. Cameroon’s Monique Ngock received the Player of the Tournament Award, Cameroonian goalkeeper Michaely Bihina won the Golden Glove, and Malawi’s Temwa Chawinga earned the Golden Boot.
* At UFC 330, Islam Makhachev defended his welterweight world championship with a narrow decision victory over Ian Machado Garry. This is Makhachev’s 15th straight UFC win, breaking the all-time record of the great Anderson Silva. In the co-main event, Mackenzie Dern defended her women’s strawweight title by decision against a badly outclassed Gillian Robertson.
* After being courted by Real Madrid, it looks like former Ballon d’Or winner and World Cup champion Rodri will be heading to Barcelona to complement their lineup of young stars. Barca have to be considered Champions League contenders with this addition. In their first game without Rodri, Manchester City lost 3-0 to Arsenal in the Community Shield.
* The Seattle Seahawks re-signed cornerback Devon Witherspoon, a key part of the Super Bowl-winning “Dark Side” defense. Witherspoon will reportedly become the highest-paid CB in NFL history with $132 million over four years.
* The long-gestating NBA investigation into Kawhi Leonard’s “no show” sponsorship deals with the Clippers will reportedly find the team not guilty of circumventing the salary cap. On the one hand, this establishes a dangerous precedent for allowing wealthy owners to funnel their money directly to signings, but on the other hand it should allow for Kawhi to come back to Toronto, so who can say whether it’s good or bad?
* In other north-of-the-border basketball news, the Winnipeg Sea Bears won the Canadian Elite Basketball League championship over the Brampton Honey Badgers. The best-of-3 final was reduced to a single game after the first game was cancelled due to excessive condensation on the court. That’s Canada for you.
Select Schedule (Times EDT, TV US/Canada)
MLB
- Detroit Tigers @ Pittsburgh Pirates (Mon 7:05 PM, ESPN/TSN)
- Chicago White Sox @ Chicago Cubs (Tue 7:05 PM, TBS/Sportsnet)
- Regional TV games
Soccer
- La Liga: Deportivo La Coruna vs. Elche (Mon 3:00 PM, ESPN Unlimited/TSN+)
- Liga Portugal: Casa Pia vs. Benfica (Mon 3:00 PM, BeIN Sports)
- Champions League Qualifying: Fenerbache vs. Lyon (Tue 3:00 PM, Paramount+/DAZN)
- Copa Libertadores: Independiente del Valle vs. Deportes Tolima (Tue 6:00 PM, BeIN Sports)
- Full listings
Tennis
- ATP Cincinatti (Tennis Channel/Sportsnet)
- WTA Cincinatti (Tennis Channel/Sportsnet)
- Order of Play
WNBA
- Dallas Wings @ Golden State Valkyries (Mon 10:00 PM, Peacock)
- Indiana Fever @ Toronto Tempo (Tue 7:00 PM, ESPN/TSN)
- Atlanta Dream @ Las Vegas Aces (Tue 9:00 PM, ESPN/TSN)
- Regional TV games
Other
- Men’s Test Cricket: Sri Lanka vs. India (Tue-Wed 12:30 AM, Willow)
- Olympic Women’s Basketball Qualifier: Canada vs. Senegal (Mon 7:00 PM, DAZN)
- Super League Rugby: Warrington Wolves @ Hull KR (Tue 3:00 PM, Fox Soccer Plus/Sportsnet World)
- UFC Dana White’s Contender Series (Tue 7 PM, Paramount+)