Sports
President Trump reports $122k worth of free event tickets in 2025
Jun 14, 2026; Washington, D.C., USA; President Donald Trump waves while returning to the White House at the conclusion of UFC Freedom 250 at the White House South Lawn. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-Imagn Images President Donald Trump, a frequent fan at major sporting competitions, was given $122,050 in tickets to 10 events last year, according to his annual filing released by the U.S. Office of Government Ethics on Wednesday.
As reported by Front Office Sports, the Secret Service spent almost $800,000 guarding Trump at four events. Trump’s trip to the 2025 Daytona 500 resulted in $561,842.63 of Secret Service expenses, with $335,000-plus of that amount spent on hotels.
The highest value of tickets Trump received in 2025 was $50,000 for 10 tickets to Super Bowl LIX, won by the Philadelphia Eagles over the Kansas City Chiefs in New Orleans. The tickets were a gift from New Orleans Saints owner Gayle Benson.
Among the other 2025 sporting events for which Trump reported ticket gifts:
–The U.S. Open tennis tournament, 10 tickets worth $25,000, given by tournament sponsor Rolex
–The FIFA Club World Cup, 10 tickets worth $15,000, given by FIFA president Gianni Infantino
–The Ryder Cup, 15 tickets worth $11,250, given by the PGA of America
–UFC events in Miami and Newark, N.J., 30 total tickets worth $6,750, given by UFC CEO Dana White
–New York Yankees vs. Detroit Tigers, 15 tickets worth $3,000, given by Yankees chairman Hal Steinbrenner
–Washington Commanders vs. Detroit Lions, 15 tickets worth $2,250, given by Commanders owner Josh Harris
This year, Trump attended a UFC card on the South Lawn of the White House. Trump, a close ally of Infantino, is expected to give out the trophy to the FIFA World Cup champion after the final on July 19 in East Rutherford, N.J.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Lakers' Walker Kessler Trade Could Be a Costly Gamble Around Luka Doncic
With LeBron and the Lakers deciding to part ways with one another, Los Angeles got to work this offseason building a team around Luka Doncic.
The Lakers were incredibly active at the start of free agency, signing Collin Sexton, Quentin Grimes, and Sandro Mamukelashvili. They also generated a large package to acquire Walker Kessler in a sign-and-trade, flipping two unprotected first-round picks, two first-round pick swaps, and signing Kessler to a 4-year $130 million deal.
I think the Jazz came out of this deal like bandits. Kessler can provide elite defensive rim protection, but I’m very unsure of his ability to be a consistent positive on the other end. Also, when he’s forced to guard mobile bigs on the perimeter, I’m not sure he has the footwork necessary to stop good athletes off the dribble.
On the offensive side of the ball, he’s going to be asked to do far more pick-and-roll and dribble handoffs with Luka Doncic. Kessler had a 4th-percentile cTOV, meaning he was one of the worst playmakers in the league, a role that will be far bigger when playing alongside Doncic and Austin Reaves. He has a nice touch around the rim and could turn into a decent lob threat, but I just don’t think that’s a strength in his game.
He will also have to carry a massive load on the defensive end. The Lakers also lost Rui Hachimura and Marcus Smart, two of their grittiest defenders, and replaced them with undersized, bad defensive options in Grimes and Sexton. This postseason, we saw how valuable perimeter defense can be, and the Lakers will have some of the league’s worst perimeter defenders.
If the offense can be properly spaced around Kessler, they will be one of the most efficient units in the league; however, their defense will be a massive issue in the playoffs.
The Lakers’ projected starting lineup will most likely look like:
PG: Luka Doncic
SG: Austin Reaves
SF: Quentin Grimes
PF: Sandro Mamukelashvili
C: Walker Kessler
After acquiring Kessler, the Lakers now only have one first-round pick available to be traded for the next seven years. When you move off a guy like LeBron James and fully build around Luka, you need to have your next moves carefully planned out.
If this was Rob Pelinka’s grand plan to appease Doncic, I’m not sure it’s going to be a successful long-term endeavor. I think those first-round picks and swaps will be very valuable for the Jazz down the road, and the Lakers will still be far behind any serious Western Conference contender.
Sports
10-man U.S. earn 2-0 win over Bosnia, charge into round of 16
July 1, 2026; Santa Clara, California, U.S.; Folarin Balogun of the U.S. scores their first goal. Mandatory Credit: Pedro Nunes-Reuters via Imagn Images Malik Tillman’s free-kick goal in the 82nd minute gave the short-handed U.S. men’s national team the insurance it craved to hold on for a 2-0 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina in Santa Clara, Calif., on Wednesday and advance to the World Cup’s round of 16.
The United States earned their first knockout-round victory since 2002, but it wasn’t easy after Folarin Balogun, who scored in the 45th minute, was shown a red card in the 64th.
Matt Freese made three saves for his second shutout of the tournament to the delight of the roaring crowd.
The U.S. will play Belgium in Seattle on Monday. The Belgians pulled out a 3-2 winner over Senegal after extra time earlier Wednesday.
After a potential Christian Pulisic goal was disallowed in the 78th minute because he was offside, Tillman sent an overpowering shot up and over the wall from 21 yards to the upper left corner. The restart was set up when Sergino Dest drew a yellow card as Stjepan Radeljic grabbed his shirt.
Bosnia and Herzegovina played their first-ever World Cup knockout match.
Balogun gave the U.S. a 1-0 halftime lead with a wicked spin and shot from the top of the box. He followed a formula that worked in the first match against Paraguay when he had an early goal reversed because of an offside call before putting one on the scoreboard that stuck.
This time, he was offside in the 31st minute, but he would not be denied 14 minutes later.
The U.S. kept its defensive shape, pinning Bosnia and Herzegovina deep, resulting in a giveaway that led to the ball pinging off Bosnian defender Tarik Muharemovic.
Balogun ran onto the loose ball, stopped, turned to his left and fired in his third goal of the tournament.
A few minutes later in first-half stoppage time, Balogun pounded a shot off the crossbar from a pass by Sergino Dest.
The match took an ominous turn for the U.S. in the 64th minute when Balogun was issued a straight card when challenging for a header, his right foot landed on Muharemovic’s left ankle.
There was no foul called initially by referee Raphael Claus, but he reviewed the play and issued the red card.
Bosnian captain Edin Dzeko, 40, left in the 51st minute with a possible leg injury. At the same time, Esmir Bajraktarevic, who was born in Appleton, Wis., and played one match for the USMNT in 2024 before joining Bosnia and Herzegovina, entered.
U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino used the same lineup that defeated Paraguay 4-1 in the opener. That meant Christian Pulisic started after a left calf injury kept him out of the second match vs. Australia and limited him to a second-half substitute appearance vs. Turkey in the Group D finale.
The U.S. did not score in the first 11 minutes for the first time in the tournament. Instead, Freese had to make back-to-back saves on Ermedin Demirovic and then Kerim Alajbegovic from a corner kick.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Sony Open moving Waialae sponsorship to Champions event
Jan 18, 2026; Honolulu, Hawaii, USA; Chris Gotterup holds the championship trophy after winning the Sony Open in Hawaii. Mandatory Credit: Marco Garcia-Imagn Images Waialae Country Club in Honolulu has hosted a PGA Tour event since 1965, but on Wednesday, the Tour and Sony Group Corporation announced that the event will switch over to a PGA Tour Champions event starting in January 2027.
The Sony Championship Hawaii, to be held on Jan. 11-16, will feature a $3 million purse.
“We are excited to welcome the Sony Championship Hawaii to PGA Tour Champions,” PGA Tour Champions president Miller Brady said in a statement. “Sony has been an incredible PGA Tour partner since 1999, and we are looking forward to beginning this new era with the legends of the game competing on a truly iconic venue in Waialae Country Club.”
Among the past winners at Waialae Country Club are Hall of Famers Jack Nicklaus and Lee Trevino, along with current Champions Tour standouts Ernie Els, Jim Furyk, Vijay Singh, Zach Johnson and K.J. Choi. Chris Gotterup won the Sony Open in Hawaii at 16 under in January.
The Sony Championship Hawaii, which will mark the sixth PGA Tour Champions event to be held on a course that formerly hosted a PGA Tour event, will feature a field of 78 PGA Tour Champions players. Pro-Ams are scheduled for Jan. 12 and 13, with three competition rounds slated for Jan. 14-16.
–Field Level Media
Lakers' Walker Kessler Trade Could Be a Costly Gamble Around Luka Doncic
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