TMZ Sports - Page 50

The WNBA's growing popularity is resulting in some seriously historic merchandise numbers for the organization ... and Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese deserve a ton of credit, 'cause the two superstars lead the entire league in sales.

Fanatics -- the W's official retail partner -- tells TMZ Sports it has seen a 500% surge in business during the first half of the season when compared to the same time period in 2023.

In fact, there's been an 1,000% increase in player-specific merch sales, and Clark and Reese are Nos. 1 and 2, respectively.

Francis Ngannou is speaking into a mic for the first time since his 15-month-old son died suddenly back in March ... and his words are nothing short of heartbreaking.

Ngannou made an appearance on Joe Rogan's "JRE MMA Show" Tuesday and he talked about a wide range of subjects, including the moments he experienced in the leadup to the death of his son, Kobe.

Ngannou revealed his son had mild inflammation of the brain ... which led to him fainting twice. The first incident happened while they were in Cameroon, but he said the doctors found nothing.

The 2024 Paris Olympics kick off in three days, but the International Olympic Committee just invested in an entirely new field of competition -- announcing the creation of the Olympic Esports Games!

The IOC held a vote to officially create the Esports Olympics at its 142nd session on Tuesday ... with seemingly no one opposing the move.

This vote comes on the heels of the IOC and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia announcing a joint partnership to host the inaugural tournament in Saudi Arabia in 2025.

Joe Biden might want to think twice about a potential golf face-off with Donald Trump ... No. 45 just recently hit the links with Bryson DeChambeau -- and he was so good, the U.S. Open champ couldn't believe his eyes.

The 78-year-old hooked up with the LIV Golf star sometime before he was nearly killed during a July 13 assassination attempt ... to film a video where the two would try to break a score of 50 on 18 holes from the most forward tees at one of Trump's courses.

The format for their game was simple -- they'd each hit their shots ... and whoever had the better one, they'd play from there. Normally -- in this kind of scramble -- DeChambeau's strokes would almost exclusively be used. But Trump was so locked in, the pair actually took a bunch of the former President's balls.

Disgraced sports play-by-play announcer Thom Brennaman is returning to the broadcast booth ... securing a job calling college football games four years after he resigned for hurling a homophobic slur on air.

Brennaman was working a game between the Cincinnati Reds and Kansas City Royals on Aug. 19, 2020, when, at one point in the broadcast, he was heard on a hot mic referring to a place as "one of the f** capitals of the world."

Brennaman then issued an apology later in the game ... which eventually was turned into a meme online, as he paused the mea culpa to call a Nick Castellanos home run before stating, "I don't know if I will be putting on this headset again."

Olympic athletes are provided with top-notch protection as soon as they arrive in Paris ... 'cause this year's welcome packages come decked-out with condoms for all!!

Canadian sailor Sarah Douglas -- who holds the country's best individual performance in the sport -- shared her discovery in a TikTok video showing off her Olympic Village room.

Douglas went through a goodie bag that was already waiting for her on her bed ... and it's filled with cool stuff -- including a cell phone, water bottles and a toiletry bag.

Celine Dion will perform Friday at the opening ceremony for the 2024 Olympics in Paris, and organizers have opened the vault for her ... TMZ has learned.

The icon touched down in Paris Monday, and sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ, she is getting ready to take the stage Friday.

Our sources say she will be paid handsomely ... $2 million!!! By the way, that's for just ONE song!

Joe Burrow looks like he's ready to have a plate of mom's spaghetti ... 'cause the Cincinnati Bengals quarterback debuted a drastic new appearance ahead of training camp -- and it's giving Eminem.

The hunky gunslinger -- who chopped off his luscious locks a few weeks back -- decided to bleach the little amount of hair he has left ... and it's certainly got the people talking.

The 27-year-old is no stranger to being a blondie -- he rocked a similar look when he was a star at Athens High School in Ohio a decade ago.

Snoop Dogg is blazing up in a brand new way ... getting picked to carry the Olympic torch ahead of the opening ceremony at the 2024 Paris Games!!

The legendary rapper will be one of the last torchbearers to participate in the traditional relay before it reaches its final landing spot at the Eiffel Tower on Friday.

Snoop will carry the flame through Saint-Denis, the town's mayor said on social media ... and he'll be alongside French rapper MC Solaar and actress Laetitia Casta, according to reports.

Tiger Woods gave the public its first glimpse of his right leg since he mangled it in a 2021 car crash ... and check it out, the Big Cat's got some really big scars.

Eldrick has usually rocked a leg sleeve when around cameras since requiring multiple surgeries to fix the bones he broke in a horrific wreck in Los Angeles some three years ago ... but on Monday, he ditched it to follow his son around at the U.S. Junior Amateur competition in Michigan.

You can see on one side of his wounded limb, there's a zipper scar that goes from the bottom of his knee all the way down to his ankle. On the other side, there's a deep mark that spans most of the top of his calf.

Aaron Rodgers pulled up to New York Jets' training camp ready to ball -- and clearly ready to troll -- check out the tee he was wearing ... it's an obvious middle finger to his haters!!

The 40-year-old quarterback, of course, drew the ire of many this offseason -- including from perhaps his own team -- when he bailed on some mandatory practices in order to take a previously planned trip to Egypt.

On Tuesday, he addressed the vitriol he received for the "unexcused" absences ... but with his attire -- not his words.

Three-time Grand Slam champion Andy Murray just announced he's calling it a career after the 2024 Paris Olympics ... saying he's officially retiring from tennis tournaments following the Games.

Murray -- who will be repping Great Britain in a few days -- shared the news on social media on Tuesday ... setting the expiration date on his 19-year career.

Murray was most recently forced to withdraw from the singles competition at Wimbledon after his recovery from a spinal cyst procedure took longer than anticipated. He did participate in a doubles match with his brother, Jamie Murray, but the duo was eliminated in the first round.

Gilbert Arenas went on a rant filled with xenophobic tropes following Team USA's win over South Sudan ... and he's now facing backlash for the remarks, including from Joel Embiid, who's calling the comments "disappointing."

The former NBA star unleashed the offensive tirade on Saturday ... just after LeBron James and Co. squeaked by South Sudan in an Olympics tuneup, 101-100.

James' squad was supposed to win big at O2 Arena in London -- they were, after all, 43-point favorites -- but instead, they needed a last-second layup from the Lakers superstar to get them by.

Terrell Davis' camp just released new footage of his recent run-in with law enforcement aboard a United Airlines flight ... which they believe proves several agents acted in the wrong.

The Hall of Famer's attorneys shared the video with TMZ Sports on Tuesday ... showing the Denver Broncos legend pulled off the airplane by responding officers -- including the FBI.

In the clip, passengers are heard questioning what led to the removal ... with TD's wife, Tamiko Nash, standing up and interacting with the agents before he was placed in handcuffs and escorted off the plane for questioning.

The Olympic gold medal that Clyde Drexler won as a part of the famed 1992 "Dream Team" can now be all yours ... and while you don't have to be a baller like The Glide to get your hands on it -- ya better have some deep pockets!!

TMZ Sports has learned ... the piece of basketball history just hit the block at Goldin Auctions on Monday -- and with a starting bid of $250,000, it's expected to fetch a small fortune when the final gavel comes down.

Unclear why Drexler parted ways with the piece -- but he did fill out a letter of authenticity back in April proclaiming he had no intentions of fighting to get the prize back at any point in the future. He also stated in the LOA that he'll never seek a reproduction of it through the U.S. Olympic Committee.

The medal is now being sold by a consigner.

Bella Hadid is gearing up for a fight, Montel Williams is kinda endorsing Kamala Harris and Kobe Bryant's got some unique memorabilia up for sale ... all this on TMZ TV Hot Takes.

First up on "TMZ Live" Harvey and Charles explain why Bella is lawyering up after a controversial Adidas ad campaign sparked a wave of backlash.