TMZ Sports - Page 4

2:44 PM PT -- Mary Lou Retton's daughter, McKenna Kelley, just updated fans about her mom via Instagram ... saying she's still in the ICU and continues to fight.

"She is getting incredible medical care! Thank you to all the doctors and nurses!"

Kelley -- along with her three sisters Skyla, Shayla, and Emma -- also thanked everyone for their love and support.

"We ask for continued prayers and positive thoughts for our mom."

The SpotFundMe has also increased to over $285k!

9:29 AM PT -- The fundraiser for Mary Lou Retton has now hit a quarter-million dollars ... with famous Texas businessman Jim "Mattress Mack" McIngvale's wife, Linda donating an astounding $50,000.

The financial support is pouring in for Olympics legend Mary Lou Retton ... with more than $181k in donations being collected as she battles a serious medical issue.

As we previously reported, the gold medalist has been in the ICU fighting for her life as she deals with a "very rare form of pneumonia," according to her daughter ... and she is currently unable to breathe on her own.

Considering 55-year-old MLR is uninsured, the family started a SpotFund page to help with medical bills ... and shortly after the fundraiser went live, it shattered its goal of $50,000.

In fact, the cause has raised more than triple the original goal as of Wednesday morning ... and it only continues to rise.

So far, more than 3,900 people have donated to Retton's expenses ... with many leaving words of support for the gymnast and her family.

Retton is one of the most popular American Olympians from the '80s ... earning gold in the all-around, as well as a pair of silver and bronze medals, in 1984.

Now, her fans throughout the country are pulling for her once again.

Pete Davidson was in a smoky haze when he came to a potentially lucrative discovery ... which is why he bought up thousands of VHS tapes in the hopes of turning a profit.

The 'SNL' alum and upcoming host shared his side hustle theory on Tuesday's episode of "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" ... saying he got pretty high one night and, according to him, bought the 3,000 to 5,000 sealed tapes that still exist.

Jimmy's audience had a laugh, with Pete claiming they all sounded like his mom, but his stoned move might be promising ... pointing out 2026 will mark 20 years since the last VHS was made -- and retro fads almost always make good cash.

That's not all -- Pete says sealed copies like his are making up to $30k EACH lately, and a rare edition of a "Rocky" VHS scored $27,500 earlier this year at auction ... so the comedian's in a pretty sweet spot if the demand keeps goin' up.

Apart from Pete's VHS monopoly, he's also slated to host the season 49 premiere of "Saturday Night Live" this weekend -- the first show back since the writer's strike pulled the plug on the end of last season when he was originally supposed to host.

Pete reunited with his 'SNL' pals for dinner Tuesday night ahead of Saturday's show ... dining with Kenan Thompson, Colin Jost, Chloe Fineman, Heidi Gardner, Punkie Johnson, and even head honcho, Lorne Michaels.

AEW is catching some serious flak from fans online after it had some of its wrestlers participate in an antisemitic storyline on Tuesday night ... just days after the heinous attacks in Israel.

The controversial segment aired toward the end of this week's AEW Dynamite episode, when World champion Maxwell Jacob Friedman, who's Jewish, began a promo exchange with Juice Robinson.

During the bit, Robinson and his Bullet Club Gold teammates were taunting Friedman and attempting to bait him into a future match ... when, suddenly, Robinson pulled out a roll of quarters.

Written on the $10 pack of coins was the name "Friedman" -- and as Robinson showed it to the camera and then to MJF, he screamed into the microphone, "You know what I do with these, Sonny Jack? I break idiots' jaws!"

The scene was widely panned on social media as anti-Jewish ... as Friedman has said repeatedly in the past that when he was a teenager, bullies would pelt him with quarters and tell him, "Pick it up, Jew boy. Pick it up."

Fans were irate with the wrestling org.'s decision to turn it all into a storyline this week ... considering all of the terror that's currently happening in Israel.

For Friedman's part, he actually snapped over the quarters as part of the promo on Tuesday's show ... yelling back at Robinson, "You come near me with those quarters, I'll end your life, you piece of s***!" He later took to X to address the matter as well.

"Tonight that piece of s***, Juice Robinson decided to bring up a story from my childhood that has left me scared," the 27-year-old star wrestler wrote. "I'm glad he did. He brought awareness to something we've all gone through in one way, shape, or form in our lives. On behalf of anyone who's ever been bullied for being different in any capacity. I look forward to leaving him scared too."

It wasn't Sunday, and it definitely wasn't a football game ... but that didn't stop the fans in Pittsburgh from letting it be known that they want Steelers offensive coordinator Matt Canada GONE ... chanting "Fire Canada" during the Penguins game!

It happened during the Penguins' 4-2 loss at home against the Blackhawks on Tuesday (their first game of the season) ... when Pittsburgh fans seemingly forgot where they were, and began yelling to get rid of the 51-year-old coach.

One of the fans in attendance captured the moment on video ... and you can clearly hear "Fire Canada" ringing throughout the PPG Paints Arena.

Despite the Steelers' 3-2 record (they currently lead the AFC North) and a win over the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday, the fans are clearly pissed off at the team's offense, and the guy running it.

Canada was hired as the OC in 2021 ... but the offense hasn't exactly been explosive with MC calling the plays, and Kenny Pickett under center.

The Steelers have a bye this week ... probably a good thing for Canada. Regardless of the time off, Pickett told reporters they'll continue to work regardless of the break.

"There's definitely positives, there's always negatives that you can work on during the Bye week," Pickett said.

"There's a lot of things to get better at, too, so I'm gonna use this week to kinda take a step back from it and kinda fine-tooth comb it and figure out what we need to do to get better."

It's not the first time Steelers fans have expressed their frustration with Canada ... earlier this month, a guy brought a sign to an AEW wrestling event, reading, you guessed it ... "Fire Canada!"

They've also put up a billboard around town after raising money via GoFundMe.

Look out, Bronny James' college opponents -- LeBron says you'll be going up against a guy with just as much athleticism as he had during his rookie year in the NBA ... so says the King himself.

The Los Angeles Lakers superstar's praise came after one X user shared his assessment of the 19-year-old USC freshman while sharing his rim-shaking highlights on Tuesday ... claiming, "Too (sic) say Bronny just as athletic or if not more than Bron was at his age isn’t wild! He’s doing this at 6'2" not 6'8" 🤷🏾‍♂️."

LBJ got wind of the post ... and he couldn't agree more.

"Exactly!!!" the four-time NBA champ replied ... claiming anyone who says otherwise doesn't know what they're talking about.

"He's definitely just as if not right there at his age. The casuals just like to argue about 💩 they literally don’t know about."

Even though it's coming from his own father, it's high praise ... considering LeBron burst onto the NBA scene as an 18-year-old phenom -- eventually earning Rookie of the Year honors after averaging 20.9 points, 5.5 rebounds and 5.9 assists.

Bronny is hoping to get back on the court soon after suffering cardiac arrest earlier this year ... and while he's got big shoes to fill following his pops' footsteps, mock drafts have him being an NBA talent next year.

Max Scherzer partied HARD after his Rangers won the American League Division Series on Tuesday night ... soaking his teammate in bottles of beer -- and video from the scene is awesome!!

The star pitcher -- who didn't get to throw in the ALDS against the Baltimore Orioles due to a shoulder injury -- made sure he knew he appreciated his teammates' efforts in securing the series sweep by going absolutely HAM in the postgame locker room.

Scherzer was seen getting booze poured all over him ... before he returned the favor on Austin Hedges -- dousing him with a couple Budweisers.

After the alcohol-marinated festivities died down just a bit, Scherzer told reporters he's now hopeful he'll be able to pitch against either the Astros or the Twins next week with a spot in the World Series on the line.

Meanwhile, elsewhere in the clubhouse, other Texas players made sure their win over the O's was a memorable one as well ... cracking open bottle after bottle of champagne and pouring it everywhere.

Dodgers great Steve Garvey is channeling his inner Tommy Lasorda on the campaign trail ... telling TMZ Sports he's evoking the late Hall of Fame manager's legendary mentality as he runs for U.S. Senate in California.

74-year-old Garvey is sliding into politics as he aims to fill the late Dianne Feinstein's seat next year ... and while a Republican hasn't held the position in decades, he is confident he can be the one to change that.

"Everybody has always said, 'Oh, you want to run for the Senate in California? Well, that's probably the most difficult race in America. Good luck, God bless, but if anybody can do it, you can,' which I think it was always encouraging," Garvey tells us.

In fact, the World Series champion says he's been getting love from some rival fan bases who used to boo him on the baseball diamond ... which was one sign he needed to run.

"Recently, I had a San Francisco Giants fan come up to me and say, ‘Garvey, I hate the Dodgers, but I'm gonna vote for you,'" Garvey added. "And I think that closed the deal."

"That and having Democrats come up and say they've never voted for a Republican, conservative, but I'm gonna vote for you because I know you, I know you care about me and my family. And we need your voice in Washington."

Garvey says he's running a common sense campaign ... and quality-of-life issues, public safety and education will be his main focus in office.

As for his former teammates, Garvey says the responses he's been getting from them have been "heartwarming" ... and they'll love the message he'll convey as he connects with Californians before they hit the voting booths -- as it's one they have heard before.

"Tommy Lasorda, a great manager and father figure and Hall of Famer, he used to say in key moments, 'You gotta believe.' Maybe that's going to be our theme. You know, everybody's saying, 'Oh, no, you can't win in California.' But we believe, and the people are going to believe that I can go to Washington and represent them."

Lasorda is one of the all-time greats -- he won two World Series titles as the Dodgers' skipper ... and the organization retired his No. 2 jersey in 1997.

Drake's adding to his jewelry collection with a new piece of custom bling, paying homage to his hometown and his favorite pro sports teams.

Champagne Papi's latest addition is dubbed the "Crown Jewel of Toronto" by celeb jeweler Alex Moss, the creator behind Drake's new piece.

As you see, Drake ordered a huge diamond chain with an even bigger iced-out pendant ... featuring logos for the NHL's Toronto Maple Leafs, the NBA's Toronto Raptors and MLB's Toronto Blue Jays.

Toronto's famed CN Tower is also featured prominently ... with the Raptors and Blue Jays mascots surrounding the famous building from the city skyline.

Drake's dangling some pretty big carrots with all these carats ... he says any Toronto team that wins a championship gets to hang on to the bling for the entire offseason ... kind of like hockey's Stanley Cup trophy tradition.

The Blue Jays got bounced from postseason baseball last week without winning a game, but there's hope for the Maple Leafs and Raptors ... the NHL and NBA seasons are just getting started.

Floyd Mayweather felt compelled to help after watching the Hamas terror attack, so the boxing legend arranged to send his private plane, chock-full of supplies, to the front lines in Israel.

TMZ Sports is told Floyd, who teamed up with a relief organization in Israel, arranged to send "Air Mayweather" to the Middle Eastern country this weekend ... and deliver supplies.

We're told they're planning to bring everything from food and water to bulletproof vests for the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) and civilians.

Mayweather's pilots, AJ Ramey, Chris Javier, Sam Kniskern, and Freeman Blakney, will be flying the plane as they trek thousands of miles across the world.

It's not the first time Floyd's helped in a time of disaster. In fact, over the summer, he helped 70 families with food, shelter, and transportation after the Maui fires.

While many celebs and athletes have spoken out since the weekend's horrific attacks, Floyd's one of the most prominent.

Also, while some famous people have attempted to appease all sides, Mayweather has made it clear ... he's firmly with the Israelis.

"I stand with Israel against the Hamas terrorists. Hamas do not represent the people of Palestine but are a terrorist group that are attacking innocent lives! I stand for all humans and wish for the safe return of all Americans and Israelis and any human that were kidnapped as hostages during these horrific war crimes."

"This is not a time for politics. This is a time for safety first and foremost. God Bless America. God Bless Israel. God Bless Human Kind!"

In a follow-up post on social media, Mayweather again reiterated his support, and condemned terrorism.

UFC fighter Natan Levy says he's currently around 25-30 miles away from the heinous attacks Hamas is unleashing on his native Israel ... and the scene is horrifying.

The 32-year-old flew to Israel just a few days before the weekend wave of terror began ... and simply intended to spend time with his family at a cousin's wedding.

But, Tuesday on "TMZ Live," he told us about the moment all their plans changed, and they went into survival mode.

Natan said he and his family fled to a bunker as soon as they heard sirens in the area, but thought it was "just missiles" ... something that's, sadly, fairly common. Initially, they didn't realize the terrorists were invading on foot and killing civilians.

He adds, "What's happening -- it's not far from here. It's a war zone, and it's just by the hand of God I'm not there inside the war zone."

Citing the reports of Hamas beheading babies and burning others alive ... Natan said he's hoping Israel's severe retaliation continues.

"I think we're going to have to attack -- they've left us no choice," he said. "Hopefully the least amount of civilians get hurt, but all of the blood is on their hands."

Dorothy Hoffner, the 104-year-old Chicago woman who set the record for the oldest tandem skydive, died in her sleep just days after the monumental jump.

Hoffner made worldwide news just 10 days ago on October 1, when she became the oldest living person to jump out of a plane ... when she went skydiving at Skydive Chicago.

The record is still being confirmed by Guinness, but Dorothy toppled the previous record held by a 103-year-old Swedish woman who jumped in 2022.

Youngster.

As far as the timing, it appears to be nothing more than a coincidence. Dorothy died in her sleep.

In fact, Hoffner was over the moon after the jump, telling local media ... “Skydiving is a wonderful experience, and it’s nothing to be afraid of. Just do it!”

Skydive Chicago even released a statement on Dorothy's passing ... and they believe there's a lesson to be learned here about living.

“We are deeply saddened by Dorothy’s passing, and feel honored to have been part of making her world record skydive a reality,” the company said.

Mary Lou Retton -- an Olympic gold-winning gymnast  -- is currently fighting for her life in the ICU ... this according to her daughter, who says her mom is battling a rare form of pneumonia.

McKenna Kelley shared the sad news on Tuesday via her Instagram story with a photo of a SpotFund account that she started for Retton's medical costs.

"Please help my mom continue to fight," Kelley said in the post.

The fundraiser says the 55-year-old former athlete is unable to breathe on her own due to the rare form of pneumonia.

"Out of respect for her and her privacy, I will not disclose all details," Keller said on the page. "However, I will disclose that she not insured."

"We ask that if you could help in any way, that 1) you PRAY! and 2) if you could help us with finances for the hospital bill."

Kelley added, "ANYTHING, absolutely anything, would be so helpful for my family and my mom. Thank y’all so very much!"

The fundraiser has a goal of $50k and as of Tuesday, over 79 donors have contributed.

"If anyone can WIN we know it’s YOU! GEAUX MARYLOU!" one fan said on the page. "We are praying hard for you from La!"

Retton was a massive star in gymnastics ... in fact, she made history as the first American woman to win the all-around gold in the 1984 Olympics. She also won two silvers and bronzes that same year.

After retiring, she was inducted into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame in 1997 and was the first woman to be selected into the Houston Sports Hall of Fame in 2020.

Barry Melrose -- considered by many to be the best NHL analyst on television -- has sadly been diagnosed with Parkinson's ... and he'll now be stepping away from his role at ESPN while he battles the disease.

Longtime ESPN personality John Buccigross just made the heartbreaking announcement minutes ago on X ... revealing Melrose will be off camera and spending time with his family for the foreseeable future.

"I've worked with Barry at ESPN for over a quarter century," Buccigross said. "Cold beers and hearty laughs in smokey cigar bars. A razor sharp wit, he was always early & looked like a million bucks. I love him. I'll miss him."

"Wayne Gretzky on a life dedicated to hockey," he added.

Melrose both played and coached in the NHL for years ... before he began breaking down games for ESPN beginning in 1996. He took a brief hiatus from the network to coach the Lightning, but returned a short time later.

He's since become a mainstay on NHL broadcasts -- so much so, commissioner Gary Bettman said Tuesday, "Hockey on ESPN won't be the same without him."

"Barry's gigantic personality and trademark style have made our game bigger, more exciting and more entertaining," Bettman said.

"His love for hockey is obvious and infectious. And it is impossible to have a conversation with him without a smile on your face."

Aaron Rodgers wants to settle his back-and-forth with "Mr. Pfizer" once and for all ... proposing a star-studded Covid-19 debate with Travis Kelce -- and he wants Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and Dr. Fauci to get involved!!

As we previously reported, AR8 and the Kansas City Chiefs superstar have been sending playful jabs toward each other over the past week ... ever since the New York Jets coined his new nickname for Kelce on "The Pat McAfee Show."

Rodgers returned for his weekly appearance with McAfee on Tuesday ... and he responded to Kelce claiming the two were in a "vax war."

"This ain't a war, homie," Rodgers told McAfee minutes ago. "This is just conversation. But if you want to have some sort of duel, debate, have me on the podcast, come on the show. Let's have a conversation."

The four-time MVP added he wants both sides to pick some backup help for the potential hash-out sesh ... revealing he wants RFK Jr. in his corner, and Kelce can choose Fauci or "some other pharmacrat" as his support.

Of course, a potential debate would surely be popcorn-worthy -- Rodgers and RFK Jr. have been outspoken against the Covid-19 vax, and Kelce and Fauci are strong proponents of getting the jab.

Arthur Blank is stepping up in a huge way, donating $750k to hospitals and medics in Israel ... all to help those maimed in the Hamas terror attacks.

The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation made the announcement of the incredibly generous gift on Tuesday, announcing the funds would go to two medical centers near the Israeli/Gaza border, as well as an organization that supports thousands of volunteer medics across the country.

"The unimaginable, distressing terrorist attacks on Israel that have resulted in death, injury and trauma for scores of people over the past few days are an attack on all humanity, and there is no place in this world for the horrific violence we have witnessed," Arthur said in a statement released by his organization.

Blank, who is Jewish, co-founded Home Depot in the late '70s, and bought the Falcons in 2002. With a net worth around $7.5 billion, per Forbes, AB is one of the richest people in the world.

In addition to the money going to the Barzilai Medical Center, a frontline hospital, and Soroka Medical Center, a trauma facility, in southern Israel, Blank's donation will also go towards supplying United Hatzalah's medical professionals with protective equipment (vests and helmets), as well as medical supplies like oxygen tanks, defibrillators, and bandages.

Three-quarters of a million is generous, but it sounds like Arthur may even donate more, calling the $750k an "initial emergency grant," saying they'd be working with other relief groups to "identify areas of most critical need for additional support."

Deion Sanders is hoping Shedeur Sanders cashes in on his now-famous watch celebration ... telling media members Tuesday his son's ready for a "lucrative" deal.

The Colorado star quarterback has been hitting the move -- one in which he shows off a timepiece on his left wrist after making big plays -- for weeks now ... but after he flashed it following an epic victory over Arizona State on Saturday, it took off.

Players from all over the NFL -- including superstars like Garrett Wilson, Breece Hall and Davante Adams -- copied it both before and after games this weekend.

And, after DJ Khaled dubbed it "The Shedeur" earlier this year ... Deion says he's now hoping his 21-year-old boy can pad his bank account soon over it all.

"It's hilarious to me because he and I joke about it on a daily basis," Coach Prime said. "We just got to get him a lucrative watch deal. He can't keep doing it for free. He can't keep doing it for nothing."

"We gotta capitalize now," he added with a smile. "He is my son. We gotta capitalize on the moment!"

Good news for Shedeur ... the NCAA's name, image and likeness rules will allow him to get any such deal that comes forward.