Sports
Big 12: Games not compromised by unsecure helmet radio comms
Jul 13, 2023; Arlington, TX, USA; A view of the Texas Tech Red Raiders helmet and logo during the Big 12 football media day at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images After Texas Tech raised concerns about the encryption of helmet communications, the Big 12 Conference announced on Thursday that its games have not been compromised by unencrypted frequencies.
Per ESPN, Texas Tech contacted the Big 12 regarding its recent losses to Baylor and TCU to ensure that the integrity of the game was not affected.
During a call with Big 12 athletic directors on Tuesday, Texas Tech athletic director Kirby Hocut brought up the issue after learning that the in-game communications could be located by anyone with a scanner who knew how to find the frequencies.
In a statement on Thursday, Texas Tech said it accepted the results of the Big 12 review and would have no further comment.
“Following the industry-wide concerns surrounding helmet communications, the Big 12 conducted a review of conference games and helmet communications processes to address any issues member institutions raised regarding this matter,” the Big 12 said in a statement Thursday. “The review showed that at no point was any Big 12 competition compromised.”
Schools are allowed to use GSC — the helmet communication device for the Power 4 conferences, which includes 68 teams — or CoachComm for coach-to-player communications. All Big 12 helmet communications are now equipped with a GSC update that provides encryption.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Report: St. Louis City signing Carlo Holse on $6M transfer fee
Jul 16, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; Sporting Kansas City forward Capita Capemba (7) is congratulated after scoring against St. Louis CITY SC in the first half at Energizer Park. Mandatory Credit: Joe Puetz-Imagn Images Aiming to boost a struggling offense, St. Louis City are bringing in Danish attacker Carlo Holse for an approximate $6 million transfer fee, The Athletic reported Wednesday.
Holse, 27, will be a designated player when St. Louis City and Holse’s club, Samsunspor, finalize the deal.
Only five MLS clubs have scored fewer than St. Louis’ 19 goals, so Holse will be a welcome addition. St. Louis (5-6-4, 19 points) sits 10th in the Western Conference, just one point behind the Los Angeles Galaxy for the final playoff spot with 19 matches remaining. The clubs face off Wednesday night in Los Angeles.
Holse posted eight goals and four assists in the Turkish Super Lig last season and has scored at least eight goals per season with Samsunspor since 2023. In 10 appearances in the UEFA Conference League, he contributed two goals and five assists in the club’s run to the round of 16.
Holse, who has one cap for Denmark’s national team, can join fellow attacker Marcel Hartel in St. Louis’ dual No. 10 slots in head coach Yoann Damet’s 3-4-2-1 formation. Holse is capable of contributing as a scorer or goal creator, having posted 16 assists in one season for Norwegian side Rosenborg.
Over nine professional seasons in Denmark, Norway and Turkey, Holse has 42 goals and 36 assists in 242 matches.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Stefano Mazzoli accepts PGA Tour membership
Italy’s Stefano Mazzoli won the 2026 Puntacana Championship. Stefano Mazzoli officially accepted his PGA Tour membership on Wednesday, one day before he was set to compete in the 3M Open in Blaine, Minn.
Mazzoli was added to the field at TPC Twin Cities on Monday after winning the Corales Puntacana Championship in just his third start on the PGA Tour. The 29-year-old Italian drained a 24-foot birdie putt on the final hole Sunday to win by one stroke in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.
Since he was not a member of the PGA Tour at the time of his victory, he received a one-year exemption on the Tour. He also is eligible to compete in the 2027 Players Championship and 2027 PGA Championship.
A rookie on the DP World Tour, Mazzoli earned his promotion from the HotelPlanner Tour just last year.
“It’s been a rollercoaster, this past year,” Mazzoli said after his maiden PGA Tour victory.
South Africa’s Casey Jarvis also accepted Special Temporary Membership on the PGA Tour and is eligible for unlimited sponsor exemptions for the remainder of the season. Jarvis, 22, has two wins on the DP World Tour this season and reached the threshold for the Special Temporary Membership with his tie for sixth at The Open Championship.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Chiefs unveil renderings of new $3B stadium schedule to open in '31
The Kansas City Chiefs’ new enclosed stadium is scheduled to open in Kansas City, Kansas, in 2031. Though the exact location of the Kansas City Chiefs’ new stadium in Kansas has not been finalized, the team on Wednesday revealed the first renderings of the $3 billion, fully enclosed dome set to open for the 2031 season.
Paying homage to Arrowhead Stadium, the team’s home since 1972, the dome will feature a symmetrical, curved exterior, including a scalloped upper deck in both end zones. It will also feature a ceiling of translucent ethylene tetrafluoroethylene panels and be surrounded by 20,000 parking spots.
The stadium will have 70,000 seats and fulfill the request of several season-ticket holders of amplifying crowd noise, club owner Clark Hunt said in a team statement. Arrowhead regained the Guinness world record in 2014 for loudest stadium at 142.2 decibels.
“From the beginning, our goal has been to build something that (improves) the gameday experience for every single fan,” Hunt said in the statement. “This new stadium will do just that. It’s spectacular. It honors the rich legacy of this franchise while setting a bold course for the future of Chiefs Kingdom.”
Hunt added that he and his family will commit $1 billion in additional development to the stadium and the mixed-use district, which includes the team’s new training facility. Kansas lawmakers voted unanimously in late December to allow for sales tax and revenue (STAR) bounds to be issued to cover up to $70% of the cost of the entire project.
“I’ve been thrilled with what I’ve seen,” Hunt said in late March. “It’s very, very exciting. Our fanbase is going to get an incredible stadium, something that’ll be iconic and serve the community well for a minimum of 30 years — and hopefully closer to 60.”
As for the location, Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly said the dome would be in Wyandotte County. The Chiefs have shown interest in having it built near the Kansas City Speedway in Kansas City, Kansas, which is also near The Legends – a retail and entertainment district. That area also features Children’s Mercy Park, where the MLS club Sporting Kansas City calls home.
When the new dome opens, the Chiefs plan to bid to host their first Super Bowl, among other major sporting events, including the World Cup and College Football Playoff games.
“When the World Cup comes back (to America) in 25 or 30 years, the field will be designed so that we don’t have to do the work that we had to do to (expand the field’s width) on Arrowhead in order to host the World Cup,” Hunt said during the NFL draft. “We’ll plan on bidding on Final Fours, College Football Playoff games, bowl games and, of course, a Super Bowl. The construction of the stadium is going to coincide with the construction of several other new NFL buildings, so we are going to have some competition.
“I’ll make sure that the Chiefs and Kansas City put their best foot forward in that process.”
–Field Level Media
