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Star-laden Nashville group submits bid for expansion franchise

Syndication: The Knoxville News-SentinelUniversity of Tennessee Head Coach Emeritus Pat Summitt at her home on Monday, April 23, 2012, in Blount County, Tenn.

A group including Candace Parker, Peyton Manning, Tim McGraw and Faith Hill submitted a bid on Thursday to bring a WNBA expansion franchise to Nashville.

Former Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam, who is slated to become the majority owner of the NHL’s Nashville Predators in July, and his wife Crissy would be the owners of the WNBA franchise.

“This is going to be Tennessee’s team,” Crissy Haslam told The Tennessean. “There’s going to be families with daughters who play basketball, but there are going to be people who don’t even know yet that they are going to love this sport.”

The group already has a name for the franchise — Tennessee Summitt.

The team would be named in honor of legendary Tennessee college women’s basketball coach Pat Summitt. Parker played for Summitt, who won eight national titles in 38 seasons as Volunteers coach.

She died in 2016 due to Alzheimer’s at age 64.

“Tennessee is the DNA of everything women’s basketball stands for,” Parker, a former WNBA star, said in a statement. “If you know me, you know how important and impactful Coach Summitt IS on my life. Coach makes me the best version of myself as a mother, wife, daughter, sister, teammate, and person. I’m honored that we are submitting a bid to the @wnba today for a franchise to be named in her honor.”

Nashville’s bid is to start play in 2028. The team would play at Bridgestone Arena, home to the Predators.

Manning played college football at Tennessee. McGraw and Hill have been huge country music stars for three decades. They are married.

The WNBA is adding expansion teams Golden State, Portland and Toronto over the next two seasons to raise its membership to 15. Cleveland also has announced a bid for an expansion team.

WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert is on record as saying the league would like to add a 16th franchise by the 2028 season.

–Field Level Media

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Report: Owners finalizing extension for Roger Goodell

Apr 23, 2026; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; NFL commissioner Roger Goodell during the 2026 NFL Draft at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn ImagesApr 23, 2026; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; NFL commissioner Roger Goodell during the 2026 NFL Draft at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

NFL owners expect to finalize a contract extension with commissioner Roger Goodell “in the coming months,” Front Office Sports reported Monday.

Goodell’s current contract expires in March 2027. The extension would keep him place to oversee negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement with the players and new broadcasting deals, per the report.

Goodell, 67, will mark his 20th anniversary as the NFL boss this September.

The report said there is no known opposition to an extension, which could be announced as soon as the special Aug. 26 owners’ meeting in Atlanta where the proposed sale of the Seattle Seahawks is expected to be ratified. The owners also have a quarterly meeting scheduled for October in New York.

The NFL declined to comment on the report from Front Office Sports.

The league’s current CBA with the NFL Players Association runs through the 2030 season. The major sticking point to be ironed out in the near future is a potential 18-game regular season.

The current broadcasting rights deals signed in 2021 were valued at $110 billion over 11 years, but the NFL can opt out early.

–Field Level Media

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Brooke Henderson announces engagement to Twins prospect

Jun 28, 2026; Chaska, Minnesota, USA; Brooke Henderson takes a tee shot off of hole 1 during the final round of the KPMG Women's PGA Championship golf tournament. Mandatory Credit: Nick Wosika-Imagn ImagesJun 28, 2026; Chaska, Minnesota, USA; Brooke Henderson takes a tee shot off of hole 1 during the final round of the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship golf tournament. Mandatory Credit: Nick Wosika-Imagn Images

World No. 13 golfer Brooke Henderson announced her engagement to Minnesota Twins prospect Ricky Castro over social media.

The pair’s post on Instagram Sunday came one week after Henderson nearly won the Evian Championship, losing in a playoff to Haeran Ryu of South Korea. Henderson officially became engaged two days later.

“Engaged! 7/14/26. The beginning of forever,” the post began. “We are beyond excited and blessed to announce our engagement with one another! God is so good for giving us each other!”

The couple started dating in March 2025 after meeting in Naples, Fla., where Henderson has a home.

Henderson, 28, has two major titles (2016 Women’s PGA Championship, 2022 Evian Championship) among her 14 wins on the LPGA Tour. The Canadian’s most recent victory came on home soil at the CPKC Women’s Open in August 2025 in Mississauga, Ontario.

Castro, 26, is a right-hander currently pitching for Triple-A St. Paul, where he is 2-1 with a 4.13 ERA in 10 appearances (four starts) with the Saints.

–Field Level Media

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Gotham FC head coach taking 5-week parental leave

Nov 22, 2025; San Jose, California, USA; Gotham FC head coach Juan Carlos Amoros speaks to media after defeating the Washington Spirit in the 2025 NWSL Championship at PayPal Park. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn ImagesNov 22, 2025; San Jose, California, USA; Gotham FC head coach Juan Carlos Amoros speaks to media after defeating the Washington Spirit in the 2025 NWSL Championship at PayPal Park. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

Gotham FC head coach Juan Carlos Amoros began a five-week parental leave on Monday following the birth of his family’s second child.

The NWSL club announced that lead assistant coach Shaun Harris will serve as acting coach until Amoros returns in early September.

“I’m incredibly grateful to everyone at Gotham FC for supporting us unconditionally while we were deciding to take this step,” Amoros said. “This is a personal decision for our family, but I also recognize the visibility that comes with my role. When fathers take parental leave, particularly men in leadership positions, it helps normalize an important principle: Caring for children is a shared responsibility between parents. I need to be there for my family.”

Amoros, 42, has coached Gotham since 2023 and guided the squad to league championships in 2023 and 2025. He was the 2023 NWSL Coach of the Year.

“We are proud to be a club that recognizes that creating an equitable environment requires supporting all parents,” said Yael Averbuch West, president of soccer operations for Gotham FC. “We appreciate that Juan is using his platform to reinforce that message. We have great confidence in Shaun and our entire technical staff to continue leading the team during this period, and we look forward to welcoming Juan back in September.”

Harris served as acting head coach for three matches earlier this season and has been with the club for three years.

–Field Level Media

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