Tom Kludt

When Sharapova was inducted into the Tennis Hall of Fame on Saturday night, her former on-court antagonist provided the introduction. For many tennis watchers, Williams’s top secret cameo was shocking, but the moment capped a 180-degree turn in their once pointy rivalry.

On Truth Social, the president demands the team go back to its racist Redskins name, or risk losing a new stadium. Can he actually claw it back?

In a new book, Christine Brennan answers her critics and argues that league management could have prevented some of the backlash Clark has faced.

ESPN reporter Ramona Shelburne talks to VF about what led to Dodgers owner Mark Walter’s eye-popping $10 billion purchase of the storied NBA team and how there’s “connective tissue between the two franchises.”

While Kike Hernández, for one, expressed anger over his community being “ripped apart,” the team’s silence in recent weeks invited scrutiny. But the appearance Thursday of federal agents, and protesters, showed how sports franchises can’t escape the political fray.

In his new book, ‘Baddest Man,’ sportswriter Mark Kriegel charts the boxing phenom’s path from hardscrabble Brooklyn streets to the heights of 1980s glitz and glamour, where everyone from HBO execs to Donald Trump wanted a piece of the action.

The tabloid drama ensnaring the NFL’s greatest coach, according to Torre, a popular podcaster and newly minted ‘Morning Joe’ regular, “is fundamentally a story about power.”

By playing host to champions, doing a lap at the Daytona 500, and targeting transgender athletes, Trump seizes on sports to satisfy his base and cement his brand. But his policies and antics could complicate two global spectacles coming to US soil: the World Cup and the 2028 Olympics.

The two sides are at odds over a new deal for next season, with commissioner Rob Manfred feeling undervalued by the brass in Bristol. Peter Gammons, for one, hopes they reconcile, as rivals like NBC, Amazon, or Netflix could be on deck.

March Madness is here, but the biggest story in hoops remains the Mavericks’ astonishing decision to part with its brightest young star, leaving fans in an angry search for answers. “There’s no rectifying it,” says one sports columnist. “The fallout is going to be immense.”

For several years, the PGA Tour and LIV, a Saudi-funded rival, have battled for pro golf supremacy. Now that Trump is back, both sides appear “optimistic” that a merger is near.

Amid persistent speculation about his future, the legendary QB is back as a broadcaster for the playoffs and will cover the big game next month. Despite any prior missteps in the booth, Richard Deitsch says that “what NFL fans will remember will be his call on that Sunday in New Orleans.”

The yuletide doubleheader, complete with a Beyoncé halftime show, comes on the heels of the Tyson-Paul juggernaut and megadeals with WWE and FIFA, signaling the streamer’s growing appetite for sports. The goal, says one Netflix exec, is “big audience and big conversation.”

As teams hoist more shots than ever from downtown, TV viewership is also down. League execs don’t appear rattled, but some commentators are concerned: “I wouldn’t be opposed to a limit on the number of threes,” says one.

The social-justice protests and public spats that typified Trump’s first term have given way to a flurry of fist pumps and hip shimmies. Players who support the president-elect are “starting to come out of the woodwork,” says one former football star.

The candidates are courting athletes, buying airtime on game day, and hitting the podcast circuit. Trump’s got the UFC crowd, while Harris and “Coach” Walz have nabbed Magic, Billie Jean King, and the Eagles’ Thomas Booker IV, who points out how “young men congregate over sports.”

Vanity Fair visits the famed director at his Fort Greene studio, touring his stunning collection of movie memorabilia and talking politics, before going full “Gooner” at a nearby bar. “I love to be in the mix,” Lee says.

More spectators than ever are flocking to Flushing for this year’s Grand Slam tournament, which manages to draw throngs of tennis fans while remaining a magnet for the chic and fashionable. It’s an event, says USTA chief Lew Sherr, that strives to offer “accessible luxury.”

The NFL’s most celebrated coach is gabbing with Pat McAfee and the Manning brothers, hosting a web show, and posting on Instagram. Mike Tirico thinks “he’s going to be great” as a TV talker, but is Belichick’s future in the studio—or back on the sidelines?

The collective bargaining agreement unveiled Thursday will also require players’ consent for trades. Such changes, says one union leader, mark “tectonic shifts in the American sports landscape.”