TMZ Sports - Page 20

The controversial commencement speech Harrison Butker gave over the weekend has apparently made him one of the most popular players in the NFL ... as his jersey sales have exploded in the days following the polarizing talk.

According to NFL.com, Butker's red Chiefs No. 7 uni is now amongst the league's "Top Sellers" -- right up there with C.J. Stroud, Saquon Barkley and Caleb Williams.

In fact, the league's website appeared to indicate that Butker's threads are an even bigger seller than those belonging to his star teammates, Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce.

Shohei Ohtani fans are shelling out a ton of dough to get their hands on a super-rare version of the MLB superstar's first Dodgers bobblehead ... with folks dropping more than a thousand bucks for the giveaway.

40,000 fans were gifted the highly-coveted promotion ahead of Los Angeles' home matchup against the Cincinnati Reds at Dodger Stadium on Thursday ... with 1,700 bobbles coming in a special road uniform colorway.

A handful of spectators who got their hands on the limited edition handout quickly headed to reseller sites to cash in on their luck ... and based on a quick search, it's working out in their favor.

According to eBay, there have been several sales already ... some reaching as high as $1,500.

Even the regular home uniform colorway is attracting a lot of interest ... with those selling for hundreds.

It's a silver lining for Dodgers fans willing to part ways with the mini Ohtanis ... 'cause the home team stunk up the place in the 7-2 loss.

The man of the night went 0-2 with a walk and a strikeout in the contest.

More than 17,000 fans packed the arena to catch Caitlin Clark and the Fever's home opener on Thursday, but they didn't have much to root for on the court ... as Indiana got dominated by the New York Liberty.

It was a sellout crowd at Gainbridge Fieldhouse ... with a reported 17,274 hoops fans in attendance for the contest.

Clark -- who had 20 points and 10 turnovers in her WNBA debut -- improved on her ball security in her second outing, but was held to single digits in scoring for the first time since 2021, when she was a star at Iowa.

Taylor Swift is thousands of miles away living it up with Travis Kelce in Italy, but her presence was still felt with the Mahomeses on Thursday night -- with Patrick and Brittany jamming out to one of her hits at a Sports Illustrated Swimsuit party!!

TMZ Sports has obtained exclusive footage from the 60th-anniversary issue launch event at the Hard Rock Hotel in New York on Thursday ... and the bash was packed with stars like John Legend, Chrissy Teigen, Logan Paul and his pregnant fiancée, Nina Agdal.

The Mahomeses were quite popular among the celebs ... including first-time cover model and legendary journalist Gayle King.

There's no denying Joe Alwyn has a thing for blondes ... the actor's surrounding himself with a group of women whose hair color just happens to match that of his ex, Taylor Swift.

Check it out ... in a new video obtained by TMZ, Joe is seen mingling at the Golden Globes party that went down Thursday evening at the Carlton Hotel in Cannes, France. Dressed in a white and black outfit, Joe was doing the small talk schmooze with a few blonde beauties.

Witnesses tell TMZ ... Joe was the biggest celeb at the industry event, which means there was a long line of folks wanting to chat with him. We're told he was super charming, although he didn't stay at the bash for long.

Harrison Butker's critics are on the move, but so are his defenders -- 'cause 2 different petitions are floating around ... one wants him off the Chiefs, another wants him to stay.

A Change.org petition is circulating and going viral -- as it demands his dismissal from the Chiefs over what they believe to be discriminatory remarks ... and at this point, it's got a helluva lot of signatures, nearly hitting its 150,000 goal since it started a few days ago.

The petition, which popped up 2 days after his polarizing commencement speech, really goes after HB ... accusing him of using his platform to spread harm instead of unity, and pushing harmful stereotypes that threaten progress. However, there's an opposite movement in his favor.

A cause of death for ex-NBA player Darius Morris still remains a mystery ... but TMZ Sports has learned law enforcement does not believe foul play was involved.

The former LA Lakers guard was found dead in his home by his family in the Los Angeles area on May 2 ... and authorities are still working to determine how exactly the 33-year-old passed.

Our sources say, however, there were no signs of nefarious acts ... and no drugs were found at the scene either.

New contract, new whip!

Isaiah Simmons just signed a new contract with the New York Giants (1 year, $2 million) ... so the star defender treated himself to something nice, copping a brand new Tesla Cybertruck, and hookin' it up!

The 25-year-old former first-rounder out of Clemson -- the 8th overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft -- hit up Rosco Abushi, designer behind ABUSHI in Queens, New York ... for a custom wrap on his Cybertruck, the most talked about vehicle of '24.

Golf influencer and Sports Illustrated model Paige Spiranac wants to nip a wild conspiracy in the bud ... saying her boobs are as normal as they come -- and yes, she has nipples.

The blonde bombshell addressed the head-scratching claims in a Q&A on social media this week ... when she discussed the wildest inquiries she's received from fans regarding her chest.

Spiranac has addressed speculation regarding her breasts many times in the past -- from whether they're real or if she has any piercings -- but now, she says there are even rumblings she doesn't have nipples at all.

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are enjoying a little getaway in Europe ahead of the singer's next slate of shows in Stockholm ... and they couldn't pick a more romantic setting.

The couple jetted off to Lake Como, Italy to enjoy a private dinner by candlelight just outside of the luxurious 17th-century villa where they're staying.

Despite their A-list status, the Grammy winner and the NFL star kept a low profile ... with Taylor wearing a dark sundress and overcoat and Travis rocking a white long-sleeve shirt and black slacks for the outing.

Harrison Butker's speech is uniting much of Kansas City against his controversial views, but the Chiefs still need to make a statement disavowing their kicker's beliefs ... so says a prominent city leader.

Justice Horn, the city's former LGBTQ+ commissioner, joined us Thursday on "TMZ Live" to share his thoughts on HB's commencement speech ... and, he says citizens are pretty much in lockstep in challenging his views.

Horn says the opinions Harrison expressed -- about women and the LGBTQ+ community -- are not part of mainstream discourse, and, quite frankly ... he says they shouldn't be.

Donovan Mitchell is speaking out amid reports of tension with his current Cleveland Cavaliers teammates ... saying he's "sick" of all the BS.

The long-form pieces have been coming in left and right following the Wine and Gold's exit from the playoffs at the hands of the Boston Celtics in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals on Wednesday ... with many putting a spotlight on Spida's status with the team.

One report from cleveland.com cited sources claiming Mitchell "grew frustrated with some teammates' lack of maturity, focus, playoff-level readiness and a willingness to listen," during the 2023-24 campaign ... but the five-time All-Star was quick to refute the notion hours after the article went live.

Whoopi Goldberg is coming to Harrison Butker's defense following his controversial college address -- but she's not so much agreeing with what he said ... more so his right to say it.

The TV star came out swinging on Thursday's episode of "The View" ... saying the Chiefs star was technically right to speak his mind during his speech this past weekend, especially since he's a devout Catholic addressing a Catholic college.

WG says that while she doesn't agree with Butker -- noting that the women at the commencement didn't have to either -- she still feels like he was within his right to speak his views.

More bad news for the Chiefs this offseason ... the team's first-round pick, Xavier Worthy, had his car stolen in Kansas City earlier this week.

According to the Kansas City Police Dept., Worthy's ride was reported missing on Monday morning ... after it had been "parked, secured and intact" at the Two Light Apartment complex in K.C. just hours earlier.

Pro Football Talk reported Thursday those close to Worthy believe it was lifted "by a professional group of criminals who 'knew exactly what they were doing.'" No arrests have been made in the case, however.

Angel Reese made her own WNBA debut following Caitlin Clark's historic opening night -- and although the rookie sensation from LSU also took a loss, she still had Latto front and center to support her!!!

Latto snuck in a quick interview at the Chicago Sky's season opener against the Dallas Wings Wednesday night -- she only flew into Texas to see Angel play.

The "Big Energy" rapper told viewers she believes 2024 is the year of the woman and backing the WNBA falls under that umbrella.

Rory McIlroy's impending divorce clearly ain't affecting his golf game ... the PGA Tour star just lit up his first round at the PGA Championship.

Hitting the course for the first time since he filed for divorce on Monday from Erica Stoll, McIlroy showed no signs whatsoever of being off -- carding a 5-under 66 at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky.

Following the end of his round, he was in a tie for third ... just four strokes behind the leader, Xander Schauffele.