Sports
Texans co-founder and senior chair Janice McNair dies at 89
Dec 15, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans co-founder and former owner Janice McNair looks on with son and Texans chief executive officer Cal McNair in the background before a game against the Miami Dolphins at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images Houston Texans co-founder and senior chair Janice McNair died on Tuesday at age 89, the team announced.
McNair co-founded the expansion team with her late husband, Bob McNair, in 2002 after the Houston Oilers moved to Tennessee after the 1996 season and later became the Titans.
“Janice McNair was a woman of extraordinary generosity, grace and faith, whose impact on the Houston community and the NFL will be felt for generations,” NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement.
“Alongside Bob, she helped bring the NFL back to her beloved Houston and played an essential role in building the Texans into an organization that reflects the values they held dear: service, integrityand commitment to community. Following Bob’s passing, Janice served as controlling owner for six years and continued to provide steady leadership while remaining devoted to their family, Texans, their fans and countless charitable causes.
“On behalf of the entire NFL family, we extend our heartfelt condolences to the McNair family, the Texans organization and the Houston community.”
She became the fourth person inducted into the Texans’ Ring of Honor last November, joining her husband, who died in 2018 at age 81, along with franchise icons Andre Johnson and J.J. Watt.
Janice McNair transferred principal ownership to her son, Cal McNair, in the spring of 2024.
“Mom was exceptional,” Cal McNair, Texans chair and CEO, said in the statement. “She exuded kindness, radiated joy, had an endless amount of hope and love, and lived an incredible life centered around faith, family, philanthropy and football.
“It’s impossible to describe the profound gratitude that my sisters, Ruth and Melissa, and I feel for having her as our mom. Outside of our family, nothing mattered more to her than her beloved Texans. I remain honored to lead this franchise and build on the foundation my parents set when they brought football back to Houston. Mom leaves an indelible mark on our family, our team and our community, and her giving spirit will always be embedded in the fabric of our organization. While I’m heartbroken, I take great comfort in knowing she is now reunited with my dad, her favorite teammate.”
Janice McNair, born in Myrtle Beach and raised in Orangeburg, S.C., moved to Houston with her husband in 1960. They are known for their philanthropy, having donated over $500 million to charitable causes, according to the Texans. The team said in a statement Tuesday that education and medical research are key focuses of their foundations.
She served as director of The Robert and Janice McNair Foundation, the Houston Texans Foundation and The Robert and Janice McNair Educational Foundation in Forest City, N.C.
“Mrs. McNair was an incredible woman who will be deeply missed,” said fourth-year Houston head coach DeMeco Ryans, a former Texans linebacker (2006-11). “As a player, she and Mr. McNair built an organization that felt like a family and it was a true honor to play for them.
“I will always remember the day I came home to Houston in 2023. Mrs. McNair welcomed me back into the Texans family with open arms and her signature warm smile. We shared the same vision of bringing the organization to new heights and I will continue to work every day to accomplish that goal. My thoughts and prayers are with Cal, Hannah and their family during this time.”
She is survived by four children, 16 grandchildren and 13 great grandchildren.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Bryson DeChambeau to debut set of 3D-printed irons at The Open
Jul 13, 2026; Southport, England; Bryson DeChambeau on the practice range during a practice round for The Open Championship golf tournament at Royal Birkdale. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images Bryson DeChambeau will bring the latest in technology to a 137-year-old golf course this week, and into a major tournament that is even older.
DeChambeau is set to debut a full set of 3D-printed irons for 154th Open Championship, which starts Thursday at Royal Birkdale Golf Club in Southport, England, Front Office Sports reported Tuesday.
DeChambeau has used single 3D-printed clubs in the past, playing in this year’s Masters with a 5-iron built under computer control. According to the report, DeChambeau said the full set of irons was recently approved by the United States Golf Association.
A two-time U.S. Open winner (2020, 2024), DeChambeau did not make the cut in any of the three major tournaments already played this year. That comes after he had top-10 finishes at last year’s Masters, PGA Championship and Open Championship.
Currently a member of LIV Golf, DeChambeau won tournaments in Singapore and South Africa in back-to-back weeks in March.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Wizards shut down No. 1 pick AJ Dybantsa for rest of Summer League
Jun 25, 2026; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Wizards first round draft pick and number one overall pick AJ Dybantsa poses for a photo with his jersey during a press conference at InterContinental Hotel. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-Imagn Images The Washington Wizards decided they had seen enough from the top pick in the 2026 NBA Draft and shut down forward AJ Dybantsa for the rest of the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, The Athletic reported Tuesday.
Dybantsa played two games in a Wizards uniform, averaging 25.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists. The 19-year-old was the top pick out of BYU.
The Wizards also shut down second-year players Will Riley and Tre Johnson, who have also been productive. Riley averaged 25.0 points in two games and Johnson scored 26 points in the one he played.
The Wizards’ summer league players had five days of camp in Washington, D.C. before departing for Las Vegas.
The Wizards have not won more than 18 games in any of the past three seasons. Washington last made the playoffs in 2020-21 and last won a playoff series in 2016-17 when they advanced to the Eastern Conference semifinals.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Spain blank favored France to advance to World Cup final
July 14, 2026; Arlington, Texas, U.S.; Spain’s Mikel Oyarzabal and Unai Simon in action. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-Imagn Images Spain are headed back to the World Cup final for the second time after denying France a third straight appearance with a 2-0 victory in a semifinal on Tuesday in Arlington, Texas.
Pedro Porro followed Mikel Oyarzabal’s penalty in the 22nd minute by doubling the count in the 58th.
Spain, the 2010 champion, will play in East Rutherford, N.J., on Sunday against the winner of the reigning champion Argentina-England match in Atlanta on Wednesday.
France will play in the third-place match in Miami on Saturday.
Spain have a 37-match unbeaten streak (30 wins, seven draws), tying Italy’s European record.
The best chance for France came in the 82nd minute when Spanish goalkeeper Unai Simon raced midway between the penalty area and the center circle to challenge Desire Doue for the ball.
Doue got to it but Simon ran back and cut the angle to make a save inside the box as two Spain defenders guarded the goal line. Simon (three saves) is the first men’s keeper to have six shutouts in a single World Cup.
Oyarzabal’s penalty in the 22nd minute put Spain ahead.
France trailed for the first time in the tournament when Oyarzabal scored his fifth goal of the World Cup with a shot to the upper right corner.
Lamine Yamal, a day after his 19th birthday, drew a foul by Lucas Digne on the right side of the box.
A long cross by Marc Cucurella was popped in the air by Digne. As he attempted a volley, Yamal snuck in behind him and as the ball hit his left shoulder, Digne kicked him in the left thigh, prompting Yamal to fall.
More misfortune befell France at the half-hour mark when veteran defender William Saliba left with an injury and was replaced by Max Lacroix, whose only action in the tournament was 90 minutes in the group finale vs. Norway.
Nearing 40 minutes in, Yamal set up an onrushing Fabian Ruiz but defender Dayot Upamecano was able to get a foot on the attempt to deflect the ball for a corner kick.
France were seeking to become the third nation to qualify for three straight finals, joining West Germany (1982, 1986 and 1990) and Brazil (1994, 1998 and 2002).
The French won the World Cup in 2018 and were runners-up to Argentina in 2022.
–Field Level Media
Hinge founders AI matchmaker coming later this year
Bryson DeChambeau to debut set of 3D-printed irons at The Open
