Sports
5-star Finnish forward pushes Arkansas class to No. 1
Jan 3, 2025; Gilbert, AZ, USA; Arizona Compass Prep forward Miikka Muurinen (1) against CIA Bella Vista (AZ) during the Hoophall West High School Invitational at Highland High School. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images Five-star Finnish 7-footer Miika Muurinen committed to Arkansas and elevated John Calipari’s 2026 recruiting class to No. 1 in the country, according to ESPN.
Muurinen, 19, who played at multiple U.S. high schools, took an official visit to Arkansas in 2024 before signing to play professionally in Serbia at Partizan Belgrade.
“Since my visit a year and a half ago, they’ve been consistent and committed to recruiting me,” Muurinen told ESPN on Monday. “They’ve always shown interest. They’ve been very consistent, and they’ve gotten to know me as a person. That’s been very important to me.
“When I left my Arkansas visit, I was not only excited about the program but also about the people, and I said to myself, those are the type of people I want to be around on a daily basis.”
Muurinen gives the Razorbacks four potential five-star prospects in the 2026 class along with guard Jordan Smith Jr., forward JaShawn Andrews and wing Abdou Toure.
“Miikka is very excited to play for Arkansas. He already knows the other three freshmen well and can’t wait to play with them,” said Muurinen’s agent, Teddy Archer of TAA Sports. “He wants to be held to a high standard, held accountable, taught pro habits, and, most of all, win a championship.”
Muurinen, who has represented Finland’s senior national team 15 times, said his relationship with Calipari clinched his commitment.
“The thing about Coach Calipari that stood out was that he kept it real with me,” Muurinen told ESPN. “He has had so much success with so many one-and-done players, and I really like his coaching style both on and off the court. He’ll push me hard on the court, and he won’t give up on me off the court. Cal is a funny guy off the court; he keeps it light.”
Muurinen played at Sunrise Christian Academy in Bel Aire, Kan., in 2023-24 and at AZ Compass Prep in Chandler, Ariz., in 2024-25.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Tailgating to be allowed at Boston World Cup games as FIFA changes stance
Wenderson Bernardes cooks during a tailgate party in the parking lot at Gillette Stadium, Foxboro, MA, for the FIFA International Friendly between Brazil and France on Thursday, March 26, 2026. In an about-face, FIFA will allow tailgating for World Cup games at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass., the Boston World Cup host committee announced on Monday.
FIFA originally stated that tailgating would not be allowed at any of the 104 matches, which will be played June 11-July 19 in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Gillette Stadium will host five group-stage matches, one round-of-32 match and a quarterfinal match at the home of the NFL’s New England Patriots.
Patriots games, New England Revolution games and concerts allow tailgating at the stadium, and “there are no venue restrictions or local public safety restrictions in place that would prohibit it,” according to the committee.
While tailgating will be allowed, fewer fans will be able to participate as there are 15,000 fewer parking spots available to the public for World Cup games (5,000) compared to Patriots games (20,000).
The Metro Boston Transit Authority charges $20 round trip from Boston to Foxborough for NFL and MLS games, but the fee for World Cup games is $80. Fans will also have the option to take an express bus for $95 round trip from Boston-area locations to Gillette Stadium.
New York City announced on Monday that a fan fest for each of the city’s five boroughs will be held in conjunction with World Cup matches at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.
Sports Illustrated Stadium in Harrison, N.J., where the MLS’ New York Red Bulls play, will also hold a fan event. Other host cities are planning similar events.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Mavs' Cooper Flagg narrowly wins ROY over Kon Knueppel
Apr 12, 2026; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg (32) speaks to the crowd before the game against the Chicago Bulls at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images In the second-closest vote in the award’s recent history, a 100-member global media panel selected Dallas Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg as the 2025-26 NBA Rookie of the Year on Monday.
Flagg, who earned the Wilt Chamberlain Trophy along with the honor, outpaced his former Duke teammate Kon Knueppel of the Charlotte Hornets 412-386. Flagg earned 56 first-place votes to Knueppel’s 44.
Philadelphia 76ers guard VJ Edgecombe finished third with 96 points — receiving zero first-place votes and only one second-place vote — while San Antonio Spurs guard Dylan Harper (5) and Memphis Grizzlies forward Cedric Coward (1) were the only other players to receive votes.
The No. 1 overall selection in the 2026 NBA Draft lived up to all of the lofty expectations. Flagg led all qualifying rookies with 21.0 points per game and finished second in assists per game (4.5) and third in rebounds per contest (6.7).
“This is a truly great honor,” Flagg said in a statement. “I’m grateful to receive this award and thankful to everyone in the Dallas Mavericks organization who believed in me from Day 1.
“None of this happens without my teammates, coaches and the people around me pushing me every day. I came here to compete and help this team win. This is just one step forward in what we’re building.”
Flagg became the fourth rookie to average at least 20 points, six rebounds and four assists per game since the NBA-ABA merger. Larry Bird (1979-80), Michael Jordan (1984-85) and Luke Doncic (2018-19) reached those plateaus.
At 19 years, 112 days — as of April 12 — Flagg is the second-youngest honoree, just six days older than LeBron James, who was tabbed in 2003-04.
Some experts thought Knueppel might earn the award, as he led the entire league in 3-point field goals made (273), outpacing the former rookie mark by 67 treys. But the fourth overall pick in the draft finished third on the Hornets in scoring (18.5 ppg) behind Brandon Miller (20.2) and LaMelo Ball (20.1)
Four years ago, Toronto’s Scottie Barnes edged Cleveland’s Evan Mobley 378-363, which remains the smallest gap under the current format (2002-03).
–Field Level Media
Sports
Report: FIFA adding another yellow card amnesty for World Cup
FILE PHOTO: The New York/New Jersey’s FIFA World Cup 2026 logo is revealed during the kickoff event in Times Square in New York City, U.S., May 18, 2023. FIFA is planning to add a second yellow card “amnesty” period for the 2026 World Cup, The Athletic reported Monday.
The FIFA Council will meet Tuesday in Vancouver to discuss new rules ahead of the first 48-team tournament in World Cup history. That reportedly will include an additional yellow card amnesty to reduce the possibility of players missing matches in the knockout stage due to accumulation.
Players’ yellows were cleared after the quarterfinals in previous World Cups, but FIFA intends to wipe yellows after both the group stage and after the quarters, if the council approves the plan.
A player earning two bookings has traditionally resulted in a one-match suspension, and with the tournament expanding in 2026, an additional knockout round (the Round of 32) means one more opportunity for a player to pick up a yellow before they’re wiped before the quarters.
With two amnesty periods, a player will only trigger the suspension for yellow-card accumulation by getting two bookings over the three group stage games or two across the first three rounds of the knockouts preceding the semifinals.
–Field Level Media
Tailgating to be allowed at Boston World Cup games as FIFA changes stance
Mavs' Cooper Flagg narrowly wins ROY over Kon Knueppel
