TMZ Sports - Page 3

The Univ. of Oregon has issued an apology ... after some of its students were seen and heard chanting "f*** the Mormons" during the Ducks' game against BYU on Saturday.

The school released the mea culpa on social media on Sunday -- calling their fans' chants "offensive and disgraceful."

"These types of actions go against everything the university stands for, and it goes against the spirit of competition," the school said. "We can and will do better as a campus community that has no place for hate, bias or bigotry."

The chants broke out at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon following a Cougars touchdown in the second quarter of BYU's 41-20 loss ... with multiple people screaming the crass comments while clapping their hands.

Video shot by bystanders shows the chants were repeated at least one other time during the game.

Some fans in attendance were outraged -- and Utah's governor, Spencer Cox, slammed the Ducks supporters over it all following the game.

"Religious bigotry alive and celebrated in Oregon," he said on Twitter.

Cox later tweeted a heart emoji following Oregon's apology.

For its part, Oregon's student section -- dubbed the "Oregon Pit Crew" -- also tweeted an apology after the game, saying, "We do not condone or support any hateful speech directed towards one’s religion and are ashamed of those who participated."

The Las Vegas Aces were poppin' bottles, twerkin', and making beer angels in the locker room after winning their first WNBA title!

The party went down after the Aces beat the Connecticut Sun, 78-71, in Game 4 of the WNBA Finals at the Mohegan Sun Arena Sunday ... winning the championship.

It's the team's first title ... as well as the first 'chip for head coach Becky Hammon -- who made history as the first coach to win a title in their first season at the helm.

So, the Aces had A LOT to celebrate!

And, Aisha Sheppard -- a 2nd round pick in the 2022 WNBA Draft -- enjoyed the beer showers by dropping to the floor and making a beer angel (she's from D.C., she knows a thing or two about snow).

While Aisha was enjoyin' the drizzle, Kelsey Plum was hilariously interrupting Chelsea Gray (the Finals MVP) and A'ja Wilson's press conference ... with her boombox.

Plum -- who had 15 points in the deciding game -- also shared her championship meal on her IG ... a salad. But, don't ask her if it was good.

"They gave the team pizza, okay?! Look what they gave me," the point guard said, "I'm so faded I can't even taste this."

A military jet smashed to Earth right in the middle of a race with another jet -- part of an air show in Nevada -- taking one pilot's life and horrifying the onlooking crowd.

The disaster unfolded Sunday at the Reno Air Races ... and you can see the red plane -- an Aero L-29 Delfin -- swiftly lost altitude while racing another jet, and burst into flames upon impact.

Washoe County Sheriffs responded to the scene, later confirming the pilot died as a result of the crash. As for what caused it, the Sherriff's office says an investigation is underway.

The Reno Air Racing Association said it's also gathering info, and shortly after the crash, it suspended the rest of the event.

Canelo Alvarez went straight from whaling on Triple G's face to belting out tunes ... hitting a nightclub in Vegas after his big win Saturday -- and serenading his fans for several minutes on stage!!

The 32-year-old star boxer grabbed the mic at Zouk Nightclub at his post-fight celebration ... and he sang his face off throughout the evening after beating Gennady Golovkin by decision.

Video shot from bystanders in the club's crowd shows Canelo sang at least two songs -- hitting all kinds of notes in Spanish as everyone in attendance cheered him on.

His voice was pretty good too -- check out the footage, his fans were loving every second of it!

Canelo had every reason to live it up in the club -- 'cause just hours earlier, he cruised to an easy win over GGG in their third tilt against each other.

Of course, Canelo probably would have sung following the fight either way -- you'll recall, he was seen croonin' even after his big loss to Dmitry Bivol back in May.

A pair of tickets that were once used by fans to go see Michael Jordan's NBA debut game have just hit the auction block ... and they're so rare, experts say they could sell for six figures!!

The tickets were redeemed way back on Oct. 26, 1984 -- when Jordan made his first appearance for the Chicago Bulls -- and somehow, they were kept intact for decades.

Which, of course, turned out to be a smart move by the owners, because they're now worth a small fortune!!

Officials at Bonhams, which is hosting the auction, anticipate they'll go for between $200K and $300K.

On one of the tickets, the words "Michael Jordan's first game" are inscribed on the front. On the other ticket, "Michael Jordan's first game" is written on the back.

One of the tickets also features a signature of former NBA player Dallas Comegys, who signed the fan's ticket while attending the game that night.

Jordan memorabilia has exploded in price since ESPN aired its "The Last Dance" documentary in 2020 -- and a similar ticket to this pair actually sold for a staggering $468,000 earlier this year.

A glove worn by Brooklyn Dodgers legend Jackie Robinson during the 1955 and 1956 Major League Baseball seasons just hit the auction block ... and it could sell for $750K!

The Wilson glove was worn on the left hand of the BK Dodgers star infielder for the final two seasons of his storied career.

Jackie's glove -- made with top-grade tanned steer hide and nylon stitching -- appears to show no signs of re-lacing, per Goldin, the auction site selling the awesome memorabilia.

The coolest part ... Jackie's iconic No. "42" -- retired by all MLB teams in 1997 in honor of his career -- is written on the glove.

Goldin believes the glove, which appears to be in its original condition, was most likely used by Jackie as a backup glove or during pre-game warm-ups.

The glove comes with a letter of authenticity (LOA) from PSA/DNA ... one of the top authenticators in the industry.

It also comes with a letter of provenance from Jack Semel -- a longtime ticket holder of the Dodgers -- who was gifted the glove as a token of appreciation when the team moved from NYC to Los Angeles.

Robinson -- a seven-time MVP, Rookie of the Year, and 1955 World Series Champ -- was inducted into the Baseball of Fame in 1962.

Every year, MLB celebrates "Jackie Robinson Day" on April 15 -- all 30 teams commemorate the life and legacy of the man attributed with breaking the sport's color barrier.

UFC fighter Eryk Anders loved his "Cobra Kai" debut so much he wants to continue acting if the right opportunities come up ... telling TMZ Sports it's "less hazardous" than fighting MMA.

No spoilers here ... but Anders was seen fighting in the new season of the Netflix series that was released earlier this month, and we must say, he did a good job for his first role.

He thought so, too ... and tells us even though he's a fighter in the world's biggest MMA promotion, he sees himself acting more in the future.

"I'd love to," Anders said, "if the right opportunities present itself."

"Timing is everything. It's a lot less hazardous to my health as well. As you can see my nose is crooked."

And, the 35-year-old already knows who he wants to work with ... after he gets his nose fixed, and lays down the gloves.

"Maybe something with The Rock," Anders said, "he seems to be the guy like the Arnold Schwarzenegger of now."

"All his movies seem to pretty surefire that it's gonna be a good movie. I think it would be kinda hard to bus with The Rock. I think that'd be dope."

That's no shade to the Cobra Kai actors like William Zabka who plays Johnny Lawrence -- in fact, Anders is a fan of the 'Karate Kid' legend.

"It was cool. It was quite an experience. I watched all the 'Karate Kid' as a kid growing up."

From the wrestling ring ... to Wakanda?!?

WWE superstar Kofi Kingston says he's hoping he can do just that ... telling TMZ Sports this week he's absolutely itching to be in the upcoming "Black Panther" TV series.

"I already fit the mold," he said out LAX. "I was born in the Mother Land, you know what I'm saying? Put your boy on the show!"

The comic book, superhero conversation all came about because during a match earlier this month, Kofi brought out a Thor hammer and wowed the crowd with it.

The 14-time WWE tag team champ showed it off -- and then beat the hell out of his opponent with it ... drawing huge cheers from the audience.

The scene was awesome -- and Kofi said he's desperately trying to replicate it on a Marvel project going forward.

"Look, man, there's a lot of us that are Marvel fans," Kofi said, "myself, Woods and E, your boys -- The New Day -- would love to be in a Marvel movie."

"We put things out into the universe and then we pray for the most positive. It's all about putting yourself out there."

Enrique Iglesias got a little handsy with a fan during an apparent meet and greet in Vegas this week -- not just grazing her ass, but planting several kisses on her as well.

The singer was in Sin City Friday -- where he's got two shows back to back -- and at one point while he seemed to be soaking in fans before or after the show ... one lucky lady got a mouthful of Enrique while snapping a selfie with him as his security looked on.

While she's taking the photo, EI's already smooching her cheek ... and before long, she's taking him up on the romantic gesture, proceeding to lock lips with him as they awkwardly peck at each other. It seems he tries dodging the lip-to-lip contact, but it was there.

He also appears to make a little contact with her booty -- although it's hard to tell if it's on purpose or inadvertent. In any case -- he felt comfortable enough with this to post on his IG.

All Enrique had to say about it on his socials was "Friday night in Vegas" ... without really addressing what he was doing in this clip. It's a little awkward -- only because we know he's got a few kids with his longtime partner Anna Kournikova, to whom he still seems linked.

Anna got a shoutout from her baby daddy during Mother's Day, and she frequently celebrates him as well as a dad. And like we said ... she delivered their third kid in 2020 -- so by all accounts, they certainly look to be tied at the hip, even today.

Their relationship has always been pretty nontraditional -- they've never married or anything ... and, frankly, we don't really know if they're exclusive ... or even romantically involved.

If they are, though -- yeah ... this isn't the greatest of looks. From our view, Enrique was totally inviting this mini love fest, but then again ... that's kinda his thing when he performs.

He's got lots of videos up on his page that show him getting up close and personal with fans at his concerts -- so this could be par for the course for him ... although this one seemed to go a little far, even by Enrique standards.

Blueface attacked his girlfriend's father this week -- but it wasn't out of nowhere ... the guy literally swung at his daughter's boyfriend first, and seems to have connected.

TMZ has obtained the video that everyone's been wanting to see as it relates to this scuffle -- actual surveillance footage from Friday evening in Baltimore, which shows Blueface actually deliver the knockdown blow to her Chrisean Rock's dad ... whose name is unknown.

This is an entirely new angle than what's been floating around on the internet -- terrible shaky shots of the aftermath that don't really capture or show anything clearly whatsoever.

Now, it's unclear what exactly was going on here or what might've precipitated this -- but it seems the rapper was meeting Chrisean's larger family, with a film crew on hand, at the Four Seasons at around 6:30 PM ... this following their lovey-dovey display at NYFW.

In the clip, you can see the couple facing off with a group of people -- presumably Chrisean's brood -- in a tense convo ... and eventually, a man in black approaches Blueface, only to swing on him unexpectedly in what can only be described as a sucker punch.

He appears to graze Blueface, who stumbled back, and a would-be fight breaks out -- with Blueface attempting to swing back on the man but missing. He wasn't done yet though ... in the second half of our video, you see Blueface charge that same man (who's reported to be Chrisean's father) and finally get his licks in ... punching the dude and toppling him over.

Chrisean has since admitted the guy who Blueface retaliated against was, in fact, her pops -- but it sounds like she's on her boo's side with this one ... 'cause she was crapping on her old man in since-deleted tweets, saying he was an absentee dad/claiming he was abusive.

Blueface, meanwhile, took to his IG to say he was Chrisean's daddy now ... and seemed to be laughing off the entire episode. We're told cops were called to the scene, but folks had scattered by the time they arrived -- we've reached out to Baltimore PD for comment.

This isn't the first time Blueface and Chrisean have been involved in violence -- although lately, they've been in mutual combat against each other. Now, it's leaking out elsewhere.

Good luck, you two! 😬

Kanye West is ready to expand his Donda Sports brand -- now signaling he wants to sell athletic gear ... not to mention an apparent side biz that he's hoping will take flight.

His company, Mascotte Holdings, just filed for a few new trademarks -- including one that'll significantly grow his Donda Academy in the retail space ... and a couple others that seem to suggest he's got another label in mind that's for the birds -- in this case, literally.

According to the paperwork, seen by TMZ, Ye's aiming to lock up the rights to Donda Sports ... specifically for the purpose of slapping it on a ton of products that run the gamut of sportswear and accessories he wants to hawk to potential customers.

Some of the items that could bear the Donda Sports name, if the application is approved, include ... bags of all varieties, fanny packs, luggage, wallets, umbrellas and blankets.

He's also looking to get some ol'-fashioned Donda Sports apparel ... applying for trademarks for shirts, jackets, hats, shoes and other clothes. In other words, if you can wear it ... it looks like Kanye wants to sell it to you with his new signature line plastered on top.

There's more ... in addition to wanting to trademark Donda Sports merch, it looks like Ye's got something else cookin' in the background -- something he calls "Donda Doves" (the team name) and "Dove Sports," which sounds like an offshoot to his larger 'Donda' endeavor.

For "Dove Sports," Kanye wants the exclusive right to use this label for athletic services such as training sessions, competitions, tournaments, camps, seminars, field trips and even traditional educational frameworks ... like classes, workshops and seminars.

"Donda Doves," meanwhile, seems to be more geared toward game-day equipment -- the docs indicate he wants this on baseball bats, basketballs, hockey pucks and more. He also wants to use this brand for things like posters, mugs, sporting goods and online retail stores.

Newly single Tyler Stanaland was spotted gettin' close and personal with his "Selling the OC" costar Alex Hall -- on the exact same day, his divorce from Brittany Snow was announced.

An eyewitness tells TMZ ... Tyler and Alex hit up SOTA Wednesday night in Corona Del Mar for some sushi with friends -- including castmate Polly Brindle.

We're told Tyler and Alex weren't overly intimate, but seemed more than friendly -- touching each other as they walked out the bar. Tyler can also be seen sniffing Alex.

Our witness says the two ended the night by strolling down the street, side-by-side.

The timing is worth noting -- Tyler was havin' a good time with Alex and co. the day we learned about his split from the "Pitch Perfect" star. According to sources close to them, the breakup had more to do with distance than the cheating rumors.

Sources close to Tyler, a former pro surfer, tell us there's nothing going on between him and Alex -- claiming it was just a group of 6 out to dinner. But, the eyewitnesses say, something's fishy about that, and it wasn't the sushi.

Rajon Rondo has settled a lawsuit in Los Angeles, according to court filings ... stemming from a 2020 incident where the NBA star was accused of assaulting a woman in a parking lot.

In docs obtained by TMZ Sports, the attorney for the plaintiff, Toktam Jorshari -- who sued Rondo for assault and battery -- filed a notice in an L.A. court, indicating the parties had reached a settlement.

Now, a judge must dismiss the case ... which should be a formality.

We broke the story ... Jorshari sued Rondo after claiming she was injured during an altercation with the hooper and his GF outside an apartment complex in July 2020.

In the suit, Jorshari alleged the former Clippers PG was upset about how close her car was parked to his pricey, $300k Rolls-Royce ... which she says led to Rondo's GF attacking her.

TMZ Sports obtained video of the incident (which didn't have audio) ... and Rondo appears to nudge the woman with his elbow, causing Jorshari to confront his GF.

Jorshari claimed she suffered injuries from the confrontation ... after being punched in the face and head multiple times by Rondo's GF

At the time, Jorshari's attorneys said of the incident ... "no man should ever put their hands on a woman."

"Especially an NBA basketball player with superior height and strength. The video speaks for itself," they continued.

Cory Sandhagen says simply defeating Yadong Song isn't enough ... the #4 ranked fighter tells TMZ Sports he's gunning to destroy his opponent this weekend in grand fashion.

We talked to the 30-year-old star UFC fighter ... who admitted he wanted a higher-ranked opponent for Saturday's fight, but since he didn't get one, he must put on a spectacular performance.

"I just gotta beat these guys and I gotta beat them impressively and I gotta show that I'm one of the best guys in the world," Cory told us.

He continued ... "Against a guy like Song, I don't really feel like winning will be just enough for myself. I need to go out and dismantle Song and make him look like he doesn't really belong. That's gonna be the goal."

FYI, 24-year-old Song is ranked 10th in the UFC's Bantamweight division. Yadong is 8-1-1 since entering the promotion.

And, if Cory finds himself up a few rounds Saturday night ... don't look for him to coast.

"I think that that's a pretty bad mindset in a sport where it can end like this (snaps finger)."

Sandhagen is coming off two consecutive losses for the first time in his career. Cory lost to former champ T.J. Dillashaw in July 2021 at UFC Fight Night. Then, he was defeated by Petr Yan -- also a former champ -- at UFC 267 in October 2021.

Even though he lost to the absolute highest level of competition, Cory takes no solace. To him, a loss is a loss.

"I really don't give myself that excuse. All the losses feel the same. They felt the same when I was an amateur and they feel the same now as a professional even against the best guys. Nah man, the burn still burns the same."

Three losses aren't an option for Sandhagen ... who says he couldn't handle it.

"There's a little bit of an extra motivator there because I definitely hate losing and I don't know that my soul can take another hit. I don't know if it can take another third loss in a row and my pride and my ego, I don't think it can do that either."

Odell Beckham Jr. got on the phone and delivered a hell of a pump-up speech to Canelo Alvarez before his fight against Gennady "GGG" Golovkin ... telling the star boxer to straight up "kick his ass!"

The convo happened via FaceTime on Friday -- the day before the Canelo-GGG trilogy fight will go down -- and OBJ was super hyped to hop on the horn with the fighter.

The NFL star told Canelo he's actually the reason he in fell in love with boxing.

"Big fan of you!" OBJ said on the phone. "You made me like boxing."

"Let's go ahead, let's kick his ass," the Rams wideout added. "Let's show him one, two and the third one is all you."

Canelo appreciated the love ... and promised to deliver a victory "for you, my friend."

The two sports giants have never met each other -- but Odell told Canelo he was hoping to catch up with him in person soon.

The Canelo-GGG tilt, meanwhile, is slated to happen at T-Mobile Arena in Vegas on Saturday when Alvarez will be defending several belts -- including the WBA Super title.

This will be the third time the two have fought -- back in 2017, their bout ended in a draw, and in 2018, Alvarez won by majority decision.

Alvarez is the favorite to win this weekend -- both at the sportsbooks ... and, clearly, in Odell's heart!

Dennis Schroder is back with the Lakers ... he's just not getting paid anything close to $84 million!

The NBA guard signed a one-year deal with L.A. on Friday, according to Shams Charania ... and the deal is reportedly worth $2.64 million (obviously, nothing to scoff at).

Unless you previously turned down $84 million ... which, in 2021, Schroder did in arguably the biggest fumbling of the bag in modern history.

DS rejected the 4-year, $84 mil. contract ($21 mil. average annual salary) ... and ended up signing a 1-year, $5.9 million deal with the Celtics when all other offers dried up.

His stay in Beantown didn't last long. Dennis -- along with Enes Kanter Freedom and Bruno Fernando -- were traded to the Rockets. He suffered a shoulder injury which ultimately kept him off the court for much of his time in Houston.

Now, the 29-year-old is getting a second chance with LeBron James and the Lakers.

FYI, Schroder averaged 15.4 points, 5.8 assists, and 3.5 per game with the Lakers in 2020.

"This past year didn’t feel right," Schroder said on Friday via Instagram, "I felt misunderstood & nobody really knew the story! I'm coming back to the biggest organization to make s**t right!"