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  Dan WetzelOct 23, 2025, 03:00 PM ET

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  Dan Wetzel is a senior writer focused on investigative reporting, news analysis and feature storytelling.

Nearly every sports league, team and operation (including, ahem, media outlets) wants in on sports wagering revenue. Sponsorships. Partnerships. Advertising. It’s legal, after all.

Maybe it’s direct payments. Maybe it’s advertising dollars from increased viewership that come through bigger and bigger broadcast deals. Whatever the source, sports is awash in gambling cash.

Nothing comes for free, though, and on Thursday, the bill came due for the NBA.

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Every other league can only look on and know that if there was ever a sure-bet, it’s that this won’t be the last time a parade of FBI and Department of Justice figures stage a news conference to detail a slew of indictments over unsavory behavior involving sports betting.

More than 30 people were arrested, including big shots such as Mr. Big Shot — Hall of Fame player and current Portland Trail Blazer coach Chauncey Billups. Meanwhile, officials kept citing the juicy involvement of La Cosa Nostra and New York crime families, including the Gambinos and Genovese.

Like a “Hollywood movie,” Ricky Patel of Homeland Securities Investigations said.

Try the veal, it’s the best in the city.

Gambling scandals are not new in sports — from the Black Sox to Tim Donaghy. However, the proliferation of legalized sports wagering, putting betting in everyone’s face, if not their phone, almost assuredly makes the games more susceptible.

The indictments contained fascinating high-tech details of underground poker games with X-ray card readers to help organized crime rig the action. And there were the alleged actions of Damon Jones, a former player and assistant coach who the feds say tipped off others about injuries the public didn’t yet know about.

One example: a certain unnamed Los Angeles Lakers star would be sitting out a Feb. 9, 2023, game against Milwaukee.

“Get a big bet on Milwaukee tonight before the information is out! [Player 3] is out tonight,” the indictment alleges Jones texted a co-conspirator. “Bet enough so Djones can eat to [sic] now!!!”

One Laker who sat out that night to rest a sore left ankle? LeBron James. A source close to James told ESPN on Thursday that the star had no knowledge of information about his status being leaked. The Bucks won by nine, covering the -7.5 spread. DJones, presumably, ate.

“This is the insider trading scandal of the NBA,” FBI director Kash Patel said.

It is. And it is fair for fans to wonder exactly what they are watching. The indictment mostly hinges on players purposefully taking themselves out of games with injury to assure they hit the under on individual prop bets, but that still corrupts the competition.

The proliferation of legalized sports wagering allows criminal elements to place numerous small bets on the information (and hopefully not trigger suspicion) and cash in.

The fact that players and coaches on multimillion-dollar contracts could be susceptible — Rozier was playing on a four-year, $96.2-million contract — just adds to the concern. Good luck to college sports, where the NCAA is investigating 13 men’s basketball players at six schools in a betting scheme.

Now on Wednesday, the NCAA allowed all of its athletes to legally wager on professional sports.

Hey, what bad could happen?

Sports wagering may be a boon to the bottom line, but it comes with increased suspicion into everything. That includes, quite unfairly, athletes who just simply underperform or do get injured and thus cost some bettors money. Online harassment is off the charts.

As for the presence of Billups, he’s the shiny star that attracts attention. In one indictment a defendant referred to as “Co-Conspirator 8,” allegedly told a bettor that the Trail Blazers would be tanking and several of their best players would not be playing in a March 24, 2023, game against the Chicago Bulls.

Co-Conspirator 8 is not named in the indictment, but the description of the playing and coaching career matches Billups.

In another indictment, Billups is alleged to have played in illegal poker games set up by New York organized crime. He was a famous “face card” used to attract an unwitting patsy who arrived at games with X-ray tables that can read cards face down and cameras on poker chip trays that can do the same.

The info would be sent to a remote location, then relayed back to the “quarterback” in the game who would then signal to the others involved which hand was most likely to win. The “fish” as they were known, never stood a chance. One guy lost $1.8 million, the feds said.

It will be interesting to find out how and why someone of Billups’ stature and financial security ($100 million in player earnings) would be involved in this. Still, the Trail Blazers were apparently going to tank regardless. And the fact an illegal poker game in New York or Miami might be less than reputable doesn’t seem like a huge surprise (caveat emptor), let alone threat to the general public.

So as bad as this is, it could have been a lot worse.

Yet that’s kind of the point. Unless every athlete and coach and official and trainer and so on, heeds the FBI warnings to steer clear of this stuff, then the next scandal is assuredly coming. Not only could it be worse, there’s a decent chance it will be.

Legalized sports wagering sure is good money.

It just doesn’t come cheap.

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Oct 20, 2025, 07:38 PM ET

The PGA Tour is returning to Austin, Texas, for a FedEx Cup Fall event next year with the popular YouTube group “Good Good Golf” as a title sponsor for the first time.

The Good Good Championship will be held Nov. 12-15 on the Fazio Canyons Course at the Omni Barton Creek Resort & Spa.

The PGA Tour previously held the Dell Match Play at Austin Country Club from 2016 through 2023. That was a World Golf Championship that had the top 64 players available from the Official World Golf Ranking.

Fall events typically do not feature many of the top players; rather it is a time for those who finish out of the top 70 in the FedEx Cup to try to finish among the top 100 to retain full cards for the following year.

The fall schedule is still being pieced together for 2026. Sponsorship for the Mississippi tournament ended this year, while the Las Vegas tournament ended last year.

Good Good Golf began in 2020 and has grown into one of the fastest-growing brands in the golf entertainment space with its enormous following on YouTube. The brand in March announced a $45 million funding round by Creator Sports Capital, aimed at expanding Good Good Golf across content, retail and live events.

“This tournament is designed to amalgamate our social and live communities together, across all demographics that are passionate about golf,” said Matt Kendrick, founder and CEO of Good Good. “We couldn’t ask for better partners in the PGA Tour and Omni Hotels & Resorts, who not only appreciate our ethos but embrace it.”

The PGA Tour has tried to embrace such groups with its Content Creator Classic series that have been staged at some of its bigger events. This is the first such digital brand to become a title sponsor.

The size of the purse was not announced. Most FedEx Cup Fall events have lowered prize funds this year to the $6 million range. The fall events still offer full FedEx Cup points (500 points to the winner) and a two-year exemption, but winners no longer get into the Masters.

Pro golf is returning to Austin, Texas — and it’s bringing the YouTube generation along with it.

On Monday morning, the PGA Tour announced its return to Austin for the Good Good Championship, a PGA Tour fall season event that will debut in 2026 and be title-sponsored by the popular YouTube golf brand. Like most other PGA Tour fall season events, the Good Good Championship will be aired on Golf Channel and ESPN+, will feature a field of 120 players and will award 500 FedEx Cup points to the winner, in line with regular-season Tour events.

The announcement marks pro golf’s return to a market in which it has long flourished, and to a city from which many were sad to see the sport depart when the WGC Match Play was discontinued in 2023. Events that overlap with the NFL season (the inaugural Good Good Championship will be played from Nov. 12-15) might not generate as many headlines or as much revenue as regular-season events, but they still help the Tour reap a chunk of its $700 million per year in TV rights agreements, and many millions more in title-sponsorship deals like Good Good’s.

For the title-sponsors of thisevent, the news is a strong indicator of the growth of YouTube golf into a golf-industry bonafide. The Tour title sponsorship marks the latest expansion for Good Good across the golf space following a $45 million fundraising round in the spring. While the biggest focus for the Good Good brand from that fundraising round appeared to be the expansion of its prolific YouTube and e-commerce businesses, the Tour sponsorship represents a swing of a different kind. From a brand awareness standpoint, it might be Good Good’s biggest move to date, fully bridging the gap between YouTube golf and its establishment friends at the Tour.

While the cost of the Good Good sponsorship was not disclosed, title sponsorships for full-field PGA Tour events reportedly run between $12-15 million per event — though fall events, which typically draw weaker fields than those in the regular season, may cost less. According to the release, the deal is a “multi-year partnership.”

The Tour’s continued reimagining of its competitive calendar has led to questions about the sustainability of events outside of the Tour’s main sprint from January through late-August. Today, the fall season is the preferred spot for Tour lifers and youngsters fighting for status, though the low-wattage nature of those tournaments relative to the rest of the season has made it easy to envision changes. The Tour’s new “Future Competition Committee” was created in large part to find long-term solutions for pieces of the Tour business like the fall season, even if that chunk of the schedule remains entrenched for the time being. (Golf Channel will handle linear TV coverage of the Good Good Championship, per the Tour’s release.)

The new Tour event also will welcome a new tournament host: the Omni Barton Creek, which will take over hosting duties from Austin Country Club, the longtime host site of the WGC Match Play.

One of golf’s top influencer brands is sponsoring the PGA Tour’s return to Austin, Texas.

Good Good Golf, which boasts nearly 2 million subscribers on YouTube, will serve as the title sponsor for the Good Good Championship, which will take place Nov. 12-15 at Omni Barton Creek Resort and Spa’s Fazio Canyons Course.

“The PGA Tour is proud to return to the great City of Austin for the first time since 2023 for the Good Good Championship, an exciting new event as part of the FedExCup Fall,†said Tyler Dennis, the PGA Tour’s chief competitions officer. “We are pleased to partner with Good Good Golf and Omni Hotels & Resorts on this unique event as the PGA Tour further connects and engages with our game’s younger fans.â€

Added Matt Kendrick, founder and CEO of Good Good. “This tournament is designed to amalgamate our social and live communities together, across all demographics that are passionate about golf. We couldn’t ask for better partners in the PGA Tour and Omni Hotels & Resorts, who not only appreciate our ethos but embrace it.â€

The tournament is expected to be one of two additions to the 2026 fall schedule along with the Mexico Open, which would move from its usual spring slot, per the Sports Business Journal.

The PGA Tour held the Dell Technologies Match Play at Austin Country Club from 2016 to 2023.

SEATTLE — Logan Gilbert didnâ€t want to get greedy.

The Mariners had the bases loaded in a 2-2 game in the bottom of the eighth inning of ALCS Game 5 against the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday night. The right-hander was standing in the dugout as a nervous spectator, just like the 46,758 fans surrounding him in the seats and concourses at T-Mobile Park.

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Minutes earlier, Cal Raleigh had rejuvenated the home crowd with a roof-scraping, stadium-rattling, game-tying solo home run to left field after seven agonizing innings of minimal offensive output. The rally continued after Raleighâ€s blast, with Jorge Polanco and Josh Naylor drawing walks against Toronto reliever Brendon Little and Randy Arozarena wearing a 98-mph fastball off the elbow from Seranthony Domínguez for a hit-by-pitch to load the bases.

Up to the plate walked Eugenio Suárez, the lovable slugger who returned to Seattle in a serendipitous trade-deadline swap, still seeking his signature moment in this postseason.

By the time Suárez settled in for his showdown against Domínguez, Gilbert had been joined in the dugout by rotation-mate Bryce Miller, who started Game 5 on the mound, tossing four solid innings to set an encouraging tone for Seattle. Miller was in the clubhouse handling his post-outing arm care during Raleighâ€s home run, but he rushed out to get a better view as the eighth-inning rally started to build.

“I just ran outside, and next thing you know, bases are loaded, and Geno’s up,†Miller said afterward.

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Domínguez attacked Suárez with fastballs and sweepers, with Suárez fouling off one of each to stay alive in the high-stakes at-bat. In a 2-2 count, Gilbert turned to Miller with a humble plea.

“Logan actually told me, ‘Hey, all I’m asking for right here is a home run — nothing too much,â€â€ Miller recounted.

With the crowd eagerly and desperately awaiting a resolution that could break the tie, Domínguez unleashed a 98.5-mph fastball over the heart of the plate. Suárez delivered his thunderous, right-handed cut that has sent so many baseballs over fences during the course of his 12-year career.

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“And next pitch,†Miller said, “home run.â€

Suárez connected with precision, sending Domínguez’s heater soaring toward the right-field seats. He exited the batterâ€s box calmly and started walking toward first base while holding his bat with two hands, patiently observing the trajectory of the most important batted ball of his life.

Three seconds later, that ball crash-landed into the crowd for a series-altering grand slam and a 6-2 lead that the Mariners would not relinquish.

After Raleighâ€s solo shot had taken the volume in the venue to ear-splitting heights, Suárez’s grand slam achieved seemingly supersonic levels. And with that, Gilbertâ€s wish had been granted.

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“It started as a request,†he told Yahoo Sports postgame. “But we can say that I called it.â€

As Suárez spent his well-earned time rounding the bases, several teammates spilled out of the dugout, unable to contain their excitement about what their beloved teammate had just done. For all Suárez brings to the table as a player, his unwavering positivity and steady leadership rooted in an overabundance of good vibes make him nearly everybodyâ€s favorite teammate, someone whose success is celebrated tenfold because of his impact on the entire roster.

That singular clubhouse presence, which Seattle was familiar with from Suárez’s time with the team in 2022 and ‘23, combined with the massive right-handed power he showcased in Game 5 is what made him such an obvious target for Seattle at the trade deadline. And though Suárez had gone through some considerably cold stretches since returning to the Mariners, the veteran third baseman remained predictably upbeat and continued to work hard, with the belief that his time in October would come.

“I think everybody was thinking what could happen, but the chances of it actually happening in that moment is probably not super high,†Gilbert said. “And then, of course, it happens. Geno’s been so clutch, and so many home runs, so if anybody was going to do it, I feel like it’s him.â€

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“He’s done that for 10 years — that same exact swing,†catcher Mitch Garver said.

It was a swing that not only gave the Mariners the lead but also single-handedly transformed the tenor of a series that had been decidedly in Torontoâ€s favor since the action shifted to Seattle for Game 3. For the majority of the 25 innings played at T-Mobile Park before the Mariners†eighth-inning breakthrough, the good vibes Suárez so passionately preaches were absolutely nowhere to be found.

The Mariners had returned home with a 2-0 lead in the series having flatly dominated the Blue Jays on their home turf, setting the stage for the possibility of clinching the franchiseâ€s first trip to the World Series in front of a fan base that had waited nearly a half-century for such a moment. But Toronto arrived in Seattle intent on reversing the tide and followed through with downright dominant victories in Games 3 and 4. And for the first seven innings of Game 5, a similar story was being written, putting the Mariners in danger of dropping all three home games and letting a golden opportunity turn into an embarrassing and season-threatening series deficit.

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For the third straight night, the Mariners had opened the scoring with a home run, this time on a Suárez solo shot in the second inning. But once again, the bats went ice-cold after that initial blast, allowing Blue Jays starter Kevin Gausman to settle in and a relentless Toronto lineup to scratch across a couple of runs and pull ahead 2-1.

Torontoâ€s seizing of the lead was a particular gut punch for Mariners fans, considering who was on the mound when it occurred: All-Star starter Bryan Woo, making his postseason debut at long last as he builds back up from the right pectoral injury that kept him off the ALDS roster. Woo surrendered the double and single that gave Toronto a 2-1 lead in the sixth.

But unlike the previous two nights, when the Blue Jays†offense exploded to put the game out of reach, just one run was the difference as the later innings of Game 5 arrived — a deficit that could be eliminated with one swing. And for as unproductive as the Mariners†lineup had been, it still featured multiple hitters capable of sending one out of the yard when needed. Sure enough, the MVP candidate who just spent the summer smashing home run records and the veteran slugger who has been sending souvenirs into seats for over a decade accessed their power at the perfect time, producing two of the most memorable long balls in the history of the Mariners franchise.

“I have a good amount of beautiful moments in my career, but today is something else,†a beaming Suárez said postgame as he sat at the podium with his daughters, Nicolle and Melanie.

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“Hitting that grand slam and helping my team win games in the postseason, in a big game here in front of our fans … They have been waiting for a long time, and myself, too. I’ve been waiting for this moment my whole career.â€

Said Raleigh: “The fans and the stadium, they were waiting 26 innings for something like that. Obviously, it didn’t deliver the first two games. But when those moments happen, they just exploded.â€

Thanks to those two titanic swings from Raleigh and Suárez — and an efficient 1-2-3 ninth thrown by closer Andrés Muñoz, who was finally given a lead at home to lock down — what was trending toward one of the most disappointing three days in the history of Seattle sports transformed into one inning of unfettered jubilation that will be remembered in the Pacific Northwest for generations to come.

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By securing the victory in Game 5, the Mariners have arrived at an entirely unfamiliar juncture for the franchise. Just one win separates Seattle from its first World Series berth and the erasure of a longstanding, not-so-fun fact regarding the franchiseâ€s status as the only big-league ballclub to never appear in the Fall Classic.

The team will now travel back to Toronto, where Game 6 on Sunday represents its first of two chances to punch a ticket to the unexplored final stage of baseballâ€s October tournament.

“They came here last night for this type of game, and I’ve been waiting for this,†Suárez said. “I just feel so grateful right now and feel so good because we’re going to Toronto with an opportunity in front of us to go to a World Series.â€

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AEW star Andrade’s absence from television has got several people in the pro wrestling industry talking, but the Mexican wrestler is apparently in a positive frame of mind through it all.

Veteran journalist Dave Meltzer had recently noted that he has no clue about Andrade’s whereabouts, who hasn’t made an appearance on AEW television since his return. Now, “Fightful Select” has reported that Andrade is in “good spirits,” even though they don’t have any insight into the reason for his absence, and that there has been silence regarding his status in AEW. One AEW insider the outlet spoke to said that his time away isn’t because of either Andrade or AEW. The report also noted that Andrade has, in fact, signed a contract with AEW.

Following his return, reports emerged that the reason Andrade could debut so quickly following his WWE exit was that he did not have a non-compete clause. Andrade, the report claimed, has been signed to a full-time contract with AEW after being fired by WWE.Â

Andrade returned to AEW on the October 1 edition of “AEW Dynamite,” and he has yet to wrestle in the promotion since coming back. He did, however, wrestle at The Crash promotion in Mexico, two days after his AEW return, winning The Crash Heavyweight title. That match in Tijuana, Mexico, was the last time he stepped into a pro wrestling ring. He was scheduled to appear at a show in Atlanta on October 26, but was removed from the show, and no reason was given for the match getting canceled.Â

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New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel is known for his hard-nosed coaching style, so it’s not surprising that he wasn’t feeling sentimental when he was fired by the Tennessee Titans two years ago.

Ahead of Sunday’s matchup against his former team, Vrabel was asked if he held onto any mementos from his time with the Titans, and he told reporters that the Goodwill in Nashville got “a good haul” of his team-related items after his firing.

Tennessee dismissed Vrabel at the end of the 2023 season following a six-year tenure that included three playoff appearances with one trip to the AFC Championship Game. He finished his run with the team with a 54-45 record.

After spending the 2024 season as a coaching consultant for the Cleveland Browns, Vrabel was hired to coach the Patriots, with whom he had spent the majority of his playing career. It hasn’t taken long for him to turn things around in New England, as the team ranks first in the AFC East with a 4-2 record following Sunday’s 25-19 win over the New Orleans Saints.

The Titans, meanwhile, have a 1-5 record and are once again in the market for a new head coach after firing Brian Callahan on Monday, just six games into his second year with the team. Senior offensive assistant Mike McCoy was tabbed as the interim head coach.

It all creates the perfect scenario for a revenge game for Vrabel, as he will be motivated to lead the Patriots to a statement win over his former franchise.

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Darby Allin believes Sting’s son has what it takes to succeed in the ring.

The younger Steven Borden made his official wrestling debut earlier this month, teaming with JD Drake against Allin & Killer Kross in a tag team match. The bout was held at an art gallery in New York City as part of an event Allin was putting on.

While appearing on The Ariel Helwani Show today, Allin said he’s been working as Borden’s main coach getting him ready to step into the ring. He’s been training Borden for a little over a year and believes his debut went well.

“He had his first match last week. I wrestled him in a tag team match. It was good,” Allin said. “For his first match, yeah, it was good.”

Though he wasn’t previously interested in pursuing a career in wrestling, Borden decided he wanted to start training after being involved with his father’s last match. Because Sting gave him so much, Allin was more than happy to help out his son.

Helwani asked Allin how far he believes Borden can go in wrestling.

“As far as he wants to take it — as far as he wants to take it,” Allin responded.

Allin said Borden is just going by his real name as of now. He’s not wearing face paint but physically looks like his father.

Borden was a football player at the University of Kentucky when he was in college.

The final match of Sting’s in-ring career took place at AEW Revolution in March 2024, when he and Allin defeated The Young Bucks. Allin told Helwani that his experience working with Sting showed him how to be humble and that you can have peace after wrestling.

“Outside of the ring, I feel like he forgets he’s Sting half the time,” Allin said. “Someone that was in his position, you wouldn’t even think that he’s Sting because he’s so chill and he’s so giving to everybody. So it taught me to really keep a level head on and just be humble and nice to everybody.”

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It wasnâ€t exactly a secret what the Brooklyn Nets†goal was for this season: They used all five of their first-round picks last June, then this summer they traded or let walk Cam Johnson, Dorian Finney-Smith, Dennis Schroder and Dâ€Angelo Russell. Brooklyn is going to lean into Cam Thomas — playing for his next contract on the qualifying offer — and Michael Porter Jr. to drive their offense.

But if you had any doubts about the plan, here is what team owner Joe Tsai said while on the All-In podcast (hat tip RealGM).

“I have to say weâ€re in a rebuilding year. We spent all of our pick (in the 2025 NBA Draft). We had five first-round draft picks this past summer …

“We have one [first-round] pick in 2026, and we hope to get a good pick. So, you can predict what kind of strategy we will use for this season. But we have a very young team.â€

This upcoming NBA Draft is considered a strong draft at the top with Darryn Peterson (Kansas), A.J. Dybantsa (BYU) and Cameron Boozer (Duke) all in the mix for the No. 1 pick, with some other real talent such as Nate Ament (Tennessee), Mikel Brown (Louisville) and Tounde Yessoufou (Baylor) worth keeping an eye on.

Brooklyn isnâ€t the only team starting this season with an eye toward the draft, the same idea is playing out in Utah and Washington, and you can be sure a few other teams with long-shot postseason hopes will be pivoting to the strategy early.

The Nets control their own pick this season, but in 2027 the Houston Rockets have swap rights. Starting in 2028, the Nets will have their own first-round picks and/or first-round picks or swaps coming in from the Knicks, 76ers and Nuggets.

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Tiger Woods underwent lumbar disc replacement surgery on Friday, the 15-time major champion announced on X on Saturday.

“After experiencing pain and lack of mobility in my back, I consulted doctors and surgeons to have tests taken,” Woods’ statement said. “The scans determined that I had a collapsed disc in L4/L5, disc fragments and a compromised spinal canal. I opted to have my disc replaced yesterday and already know I made a good decision for my health and back.”

No timetable was provided for Woods to make his return to competitive golf.

Woods has not played on the PGA Tour this season after undergoing surgery to repair a ruptured Achilles tendon in March. Last September, Woods underwent a procedure on his lower back that he described as a microdecompression surgery of the lumbar spine for nerve impingement.

The 49-year-old has had six prior back surgeries, starting with a microdiscectomy for a pinched nerve in 2014.

Woods made just five starts in 2024. His only made cut came at the 2024 Masters. He missed the cut at the remaining three majors but did play in the PNC Championship with his son, Charlie, and in TGL before suffering the Achilles injury in March.

Josh Schrock

Golf.com Editor

Josh Schrock is a writer and reporter for Golf.com. Before joining GOLF, Josh was the Chicago Bears insider for NBC Sports Chicago. He previously covered the 49ers and Warriors for NBC Sports Bay Area. A native Oregonian and UO alum, Josh spends his free time hiking with his wife and dog, thinking of how the Ducks will break his heart again, and trying to become semi-proficient at chipping. A true romantic for golf, Josh will never stop trying to break 90 and never lose faith that Rory McIlroy’s major drought will end (updated: he did it). Josh Schrock can be reached at josh.schrock@golf.com.