In a fiery political climate, one word has become both a term used to describe being conscious of issues and a demeaning name of certain ideologies: woke. It’s almost a taboo word, but there’s one place in the East Bay of California that not only doesn’t mind it, but has embraced it to thrust themselves into the national spotlight. Welcome …

Greg Wyshynski, ESPNOct 4, 2024, 07:00 AM ET CloseGreg Wyshynski is ESPN’s senior NHL writer. The 2023-24 NHL season had goal-scoring fireworks, thrilling playoff races and a championship final in which the best player in the world led his team back from a 3-0 deficit only to fall short of the Stanley Cup in Game 7. Yet after an offseason …

Six days ago, the Falcons were 1-2 and behind both the Saints and Buccaneers in the NFC South. Plenty has changed since then. After beating the Saints and Bucs in back-to-back games on Sunday and Thursday, the Falcons are now 3-2, in first place in the division, and with head-to-head wins over the other two contenders in what looks like …

Rachel Doerrie, ESPNOct 4, 2024, 06:55 AM ET CloseRachel Doerrie is a professional data consultant specializing in data communication and modelling. She’s worked in the NHL and consulted for professional teams across North American and Europe. She hosts the Staff & Graph Podcast and discusses sports from a data-driven perspective. It feels to some that the NHL preseason has dragged …

Massillon QB Kyle Kempt gets set to make a throw at GlenOak in Week 2 of the 2012 season EDITOR’S NOTE: Months of research led to a series, “Year of the Quarterback,” being presented in three waves. The first wave — 10 articles covering the volatile new world of the transfer portal — was published recently. This is the sixth story in …

The Rams’ defense was often running behind Roschon Johnson (23) and the Bears’ offense in Week 4. (Kamil Krzaczynski / Associated Press) The Rams are searching for answers. With a still-injury-depleted lineup, they must reverse their 1-3 start and avoid falling out of the playoff race before it truly begins. The Green Bay Packers and quarterback Jordan Love are coming …

Michigan State football looks to get back on track in Week 6, as it travels out to the Pacific Northwest to face its second straight top-10 opponent. And it comes in a location where the Spartans will look for their first program win at, as well. Led by first-year coach Jonathan Smith, the Spartans (3-2, 1-1 in Big Ten play) …

The Vikings signed tight end Robert Tonyan to the active roster from the practice squad Thursday, the team announced. They released running back Myles Gaskin from the active roster, though they could re-sign him to the practice squad. The Vikings have promoted Tonyan to the active roster the past two games in the absence of Nick Muse, who fractured his …

Michigan State football heads out West for its introduction to one of the Big Ten newcomers, Oregon, in a Friday night game (9 p.m., Fox) that’s also a throwback to when the Spartans annually challenged the might of the Pac-12 in its pursuit of national glory. It’s also a throwback for MSU head coach Jonathan Smith, in his first year …

EUGENE, OREGON – AUGUST 31: Quarterback Dillon Gabriel #8 of the Oregon Ducks hands off the ball to running back Noah Whittington #6 during the third quarter of the game against the Idaho Vandals at Autzen Stadium on August 31, 2024 in Eugene, Oregon. (Photo by Ali Gradischer/Getty Images) Week 6 of college football is set to be a spectacle, …

In the Falcons’ Week One loss to the Steelers, Kirk Cousins looked immobile and hesitant, and it raised questions about whether he had fully recovered from the Achilles injury that ended his 2023 season. There are no questions after Cousins’ performance on Thursday night. Falcons head coach Raheem Morris said after Cousins threw for 509 yards in the Falcons’ 36-30 …

The group College Sports Tomorrow came out Tuesday with its plan for a College Student Football League. The proposal: Take 136 FBS programs, split them into a Power 12 Conference of 72 teams and a Group of 8 with 64 teams and govern them with “an independent, impartial entity” that looks out for all. It’s the Super League idea that’s …

Doug Williams played in a time when the vast majority of quarterbacks were white. Photograph: Rick Stewart/Getty Images Two years ago, under a cloudless sky in north central Louisiana, Doug Williams and Michael Vick met on the football field at Grambling University’s Eddie G Robinson Memorial Stadium to reflect on the NFL trail they helped blaze. In 1988 Williams led …

BLOOMINGTON — Indiana football players had a muted reaction to jumping into the top 25 this week. The Hoosiers are happy with the 5-0 start — the program’s best start since 1967 — but as coach Curt Cignetti told reporters on Monday — “this is a team that’s a little bit on a mission.” That’s why players made a renewed …

The Falcons have used top-eight picks over four straight drafts on offensive skill-position players. They’ve yet to get a return on the investment. For the most recent player picked in the top eight — quarterback Michael Penix Jr. — the time hasn’t come for him to play. For the others, the clock keeps on ticking. Kyle Pitts, who was the …