Brock on sports · June 17th

If you ever questioned the power and popularity of soccer as the world’s game, the story of Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha should put all doubts to rest. The 40-year-old goalkeeper was the unlikeliest of World Cup cult heroes with a remarkable performance that led the tiny island nation to a heroic 0-0 draw with Spain in their matchup in Atlanta.

Jim Furyk found his new analytics team, and it includes one of golf media’s most recognizable stats voices. The U.S. Ryder Cup team has hired Justin Ray and Hunter Stewart to lead its data analytics operation ahead of the 2027 matches at Adare Manor, according to Golfweek, replacing Scouts Consulting Group, which had supported U.S. teams across international competitions since 2016. Ray currently writes for The Athletic and serves as Head of Content for Twenty First Group, a sports intelligence agency that works with players, broadcasters, manufacturers, and media.

There are a ton of interesting subplots to enjoy with the New York Knicks winning their first NBA championship in over 50 years. And Mike Brown’s love of the 2000 cult hit “Who Let the Dogs Out” by Baha Men is one of the most entertaining. Or if you’re one of his star players, embarrassing. The Knicks have been on a media tour like none other in the days since lifting the Larry O’Brien Trophy. And on Monday night, it led them to The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.

Karl-Anthony Towns didn’t say whether he took James Dolan’s advice to abstain from sex during the playoffs, but his fiancée, Jordyn Woods, didn’t love the idea. As the Knicks embarked on their quest for a championship before the playoffs began in April, Dolan gathered the team for an impassioned speech about the importance of making sacrifices for 10 weeks to grab this opportunity in front of them. Now that the Knicks have won their first championship in 53 years, the Roommates Show, hosted by Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart, has released the full 15-minute video of Dolan’s speech.

Unsurprisingly, the UFC event at the White House caused a totally unnecessary and disgusting firestorm thanks to controversial comments from fighter Josh Hokit about former first lady Michelle Obama. In spite of cries from conservatives to keep politics out of sport, there was Dana White and Donald Trump walking side by side out of the Oval Office to a specially made arena on the White House lawn to host a UFC fight card on Paramount+ that was part sporting event and part political rally. But while it was touted as a pure celebration of Americana, that train was derailed when Hokit spoke to Jo

The New York Knicks’ first championship in 53 years provided ESPN the most-watched NBA Finals since 1998. Saturday’s title-clinching Game 5 between the Knicks and San Antonio Spurs averaged 24.5 million viewers on ABC, good for the most-watched NBA game since Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors (31.0 million viewers).

Fox’s World Cup coverage has added some international star power this year, meaning viewers got the unique opportunity to hear directly from French national team legend Thierry Henry at halftime of the squad’s opener against Senegal on Tuesday. With the match tied 0-0, Henry didn’t have much to celebrate.

Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter Don Van Natta Jr. has reached a new multiyear contract with ESPN. Per Sports Business Journal’s Richard Deitsch, the contract term is four years. Van Natta joined ESPN in 2012 and has worked as a senior writer within ESPN’s Investigative, Enterprise and Digital Journalism Unit since then. “Don brings experience, expertise and unmatched persistence to his work every day, and we’re thrilled that he will be contributing to our journalism for years to come,” said Chris Buckle, ESPN Vice President, Investigative, Enterprise and Digital Journalism. With

The Brendan Sorsby gambling scandal at Texas Tech was a wild rollercoaster that had very few heroes. As Sorsby’s camp and the university poured resources into overturning his ban, the NCAA, which is supposed to issue punishments when college athletes break rules, was rolled over by a local judge.

If the New York Knicks are proof that any team can win an NBA championship, then ESPN’s Vincent Goodwill believes the Larry O’Brien Trophy might be on the verge of becoming a participation trophy. The Knicks won their first championship in 53 years Saturday night after defeating the San Antonio Spurs in five games.