Sports
‘Last year was abnormal’: How Patrick Mahomes raised his game another level for 2025
PATRICK MAHOMES‘ FIRST deep pass of training camp was noteworthy. Almost a month ago, the Kansas City Chiefs‘ quarterback, did his usual three-step dropback from the shotgun. The moment was the opening play of the team’s first 7-on-7 period.
Mahomes didn’t even look toward tight end Travis Kelce, who ran a short route in the middle of the field. Mahomes sought for more. He unleashed a deep strike, a pass that traveled more than 40 yards. The fans in attendance produced their first loud roar, the result of Mahomes’ pass being perfectly placed over cornerback Jaylen Watson into the hands of Xavier Worthy, the Chiefs’ fastest receiver.
While Worthy celebrated the highlight for a few seconds, Mahomes didn’t. Instead, Mahomes kept the practice’s tempo upbeat, his desire to make more exceptional passes. His reason for it was simple.
“I wanted to up my mentality,” Mahomes said. “Sometimes you get to camp, and you just want to go out there and dominate the day. I want to dominate every single rep. No days off. You have to get better and better every day.”
In his ninth year, Mahomes has already accomplished his first goal of the Chiefs’ 2025 campaign. While the Chiefs had several interesting storylines during camp — such as rookie Josh Simmons winning the starting left tackle role, wideout Rashee Rice retaining his No. 1 receiver role and the progress of several rookies on defense — Mahomes’ passing results in the 17 practices at Missouri Western State were excellent and exquisite, even by his usual lofty standards.
The Chiefs hope this year’s camp will be the foundation — and perhaps the launching point — for Mahomes’ performance this season to reach yet another elevated level, one that will lift the offense to become more dynamic and feared by opposing defenses again.
One of Mahomes’ most impressive improvements in camp was his pinpoint accuracy, his placement of the ball even surprising some of his teammates.
“It’s incredible,” tight end Robert Tonyan said. “The windows he’s fitting them in, with the anticipation, is just awesome. You see Pat getting better every day. He’s making those hard throws look easy.”
Coach Andy Reid, entering his 27th season, is known for conducting one of the NFL’s most grueling camps — and that’s for his quarterbacks, too. Mahomes spent most practices attempting deep pass after deep pass. Some days, the Chiefs’ defenders didn’t come close to intercepting Mahomes, let alone getting a hand on the ball.
“It’s always 10 times harder going against your actual defense in practice,” Worthy said of Mahomes while smiling. “You see these guys every day. With Pat, we [as receivers] call it a long handoff. It’s the normal thing with Pat, man.”
Unlike previous years, Mahomes didn’t spend many camp reps extending the play by scrambling before throwing the ball. Staying in the pocket more often, Mahomes polished his modified footwork, which he emphasized in the offseason, whether in workout sessions with Bobby Stroupe, his longtime trainer, or when watching film of himself last season with offensive coordinator Matt Nagy.
“There’s an obsession that he has with being perfect at what he does,” Nagy said of Mahomes. “He wants to be great. The accuracy part is critical, being friendly to the receivers. Really, from the hips down is one focus that we have.”
HAVING A STABLE, more consistent base appears to have helped Mahomes improve his precision on deep passes.
Mahomes and the rest of the Chiefs know they’ll need a surplus of such highlights to help the team reach a fourth consecutive Super Bowl. Last season, Mahomes struggled at such attempts. He completed a career-low 39.5% of his passes in which the ball traversed at least 15 yards downfield, ranking 29th. He also had more interceptions (six) than touchdowns (four) on deep throws.
“Last year was abnormal,” Mahomes said. “We definitely want to push the ball down the field and push the ball into tighter windows this year.”
Last week, Mahomes kept testing the Chiefs’ defense. In one 7-on-7 period, He placed the ball between two defenders in the middle field, the pass perfect for Worthy. In another, Mahomes threw the ball where only running back Isiah Pacheco could make an over-the-shoulder catch near the sideline after running a wheel route. Mahomes, even after a pump fake, was still able on one rep to get the ball to Kelce through a quick sidearm flick of his wrist.
“It seems like he’s always a step ahead,” Kelce said of Mahomes. “His arm is alive right now. It’s fun to see him know the play and know where he’s going before the snap happens. He’s our biggest, fearless competitor.
“He’s really leading this team right now into working hard and getting right.”
Almost every aspect as to why last season was abnormal for Mahomes was often beyond his control.
Receiver Hollywood Brown sustained a dislocated collarbone on the first snap of the preseason. In Week 4, Rice had a season-ending right knee injury, the byproduct of Mahomes launching himself shoulder-first at the defender who intercepted his pass. Mahomes didn’t tackle cornerback Kristian Fulton, then of the Los Angeles Chargers. He instead hit Rice’s knee, bending the receiver’s leg backward. At one point in the season, Mahomes entered the huddle with several skill position players — running back Kareem Hunt and receivers JuJu Smith-Schuster and DeAndre Hopkins — who weren’t on the roster in camp.
Toe Tap Tyquan 🙌 pic.twitter.com/2Y23kDcvp9
— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) July 29, 2025
Mahomes still finished the season completing at least one pass to 18 teammates, the most in his career (most quarterbacks last season completed a pass to 10-12 teammates). Mahomes engineered seven game-winning drives, too, and accounted for 72.5% of the offense’s yards, the most of any quarterback in the NFL (Josh Allen accounted for 68.8% and Lamar Jackson‘s was 68.4%).
“I thought he did a great job with all of that,” Reid said of Mahomes. “I thought it was one of his better years as far as managing everything — and he was still productive. That’s not an easy thing to do. That will help him. The longer you’re in it, the more things are going to change.”
The Chiefs’ instability with their left tackle position wasn’t ideal, either. The team used four players — Kingsley Suamataia, Wanya Morris, D.J. Humphries and All-Pro left guard Joe Thuney — at the position. The Chiefs being forced to alter their passing attack — and without proper protection for more deep-passing attempts — led to Mahomes targeting his receivers behind the line of scrimmage for a career-high 26.9% of his attempts.
In late December, Mahomes played through a sprained right ankle, the aftermath of enduring more than 100 hits.
“You don’t want it to affect you,” he said. “That’s the biggest thing. Obviously, last year we didn’t play our best offensive football, but to be a great quarterback in this league you’ve got to stand in there, take the hits and make the throws. You see the greats do that.
“I’m going to [put] trust in those guys, stand in there, make those throws and let guys make plays.”
This season, the Chiefs are optimistic that Simmons, the first-round pick out of Ohio State, can be the player who finally solves their longstanding problem at left tackle. Suamataia, the second-year player, is the projected starting left guard. If the Chiefs have a significant injury along the offensive line, they appear to have a better insurance plan with four-year veteran Jaylon Moore, their biggest free agency acquisition.
A pivotal moment in camp occurred last week, the lone practice in which the Chiefs were forced to work indoors because of heavy rain and lightning. Without fans in attendance, but reporters closely watching, Reid still had his players, in full pads, go through rigorous team reps. One featured the offensive line giving Mahomes enough time to experience a luxury he used to have. He scrambled out of the pocket, rolling to his right to give players an extra second to get open. Then Mahomes, in a flawless manner, executed one of his signature moves: He flicked a behind-the-back-pass to Hunt, who didn’t have to decelerate to catch the ball in stride.
“Not everybody has Patrick at quarterback,” Nagy said, smiling.
WHEN MAHOMES GOES through his dropbacks in practice, Reid is almost always about 10 yards behind him, watching his quarterback survey the play’s receiving options from his perspective. Between reps, Mahomes has heard a consistent message from Reid: Push the ball downfield.
Eight years ago, Mahomes was a first-time starter and Reid wanted him to test the limits of his rare arm strength. The process was instructive for Mahomes. One practice in 2018, Mahomes threw three interceptions.
This time around, Reid wants Mahomes to throw the deep shot to further instill confidence in his collection of fast receivers.
“It’s a little bit like being a farmer,” Reid said, grinning. “I’ve never been a farmer, but you always hear that there’s always work to be done. Being a quarterback is a lot like that. The game is always changing, your offense is changing, and then that personnel changes.”
In February, during the Chiefs’ blowout 40-22 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LIX, Mahomes declined to attempt a deep pass in the first quarter, one in which Worthy was in a one-on-one matchup against Eagles rookie cornerback Quinyon Mitchell. Mahomes chose to be cautious. He instead completed a short pass to Smith-Schuster, a decision he made because he noticed that the Eagles’ secondary was in a certain coverage that anticipated the potential for a deep pass. As the game progressed, the Eagles sacked Mahomes six times — his career high — despite not blitzing once. When Mahomes did complete two deep touchdown passes to Worthy — both in the second half — the Chiefs were behind by more than 20 points.
“Sometimes you try to do too much when you have too much information,” Mahomes said of anticipating certain coverages. “I felt at times these last few years I’ve done that, just being smart and being able to see stuff. But it’s football. If you think it’s one-on-one and your guy can beat that guy, let him have a chance to make a play.”
Mahomes did just that last week during a team period. Although Mahomes noticed safety Bryan Cook was deep in coverage in the middle of the field, he still threw the ball 30 yards downfield for Worthy. The play ended with Worthy outjumping Cook and Watson for the touchdown.
Reid believes Mahomes’ experience last season of adjusting his playing style and learning how to work with so many pass catchers has helped him expedite the process of teaching the Chiefs’ offense — and building on-field chemistry — with several newcomers in camp this year.
In late November, the Chiefs signed receiver Tyquan Thornton, the New England Patriots‘ 2022 second-round pick, to their practice squad. A few weeks later, the Chiefs added Tonyan, a seven-year veteran who began his career with the Green Bay Packers alongside quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
Thornton and Tonyan, having worked with Mahomes throughout the offseason, have been two of the standout performers in camp, each making memorable contested receptions.
“If I go out there and run fast, he is going to put it where it’s supposed to be,” Thornton said of Mahomes. “Sometimes, you know, he’ll make you open even if you’re not open. You have to have your hands available and ready to make the play.”
The play that best illustrated such was in a 7-on-7 period last week. Thornton’s assignment was to run a deep corner route against man coverage. Although nickel cornerback Chamarri Conner provided tight coverage, Mahomes still threw a meticulous 30-yard pass, and the ball placed just past the defender’s outstretched arms and into Thornton’s hands for a diving catch.
The repetition reminded Mahomes that he is capable of creating many of those how-did-he-do-it completions this upcoming season, far more than just the few he accomplished in 2024. Mahomes is also aware that his circumstances are optimal again — he is fully healthy, he has greater trust in the Chiefs’ revamped offensive line, and he has a stronger connection with his receivers.
The next player who is learning what to expect from Mahomes is rookie receiver Jalen Royals, the Chiefs’ fourth-round pick. Royals already understands the first rule for his first camp: Do what Mahomes says.
“In the meeting room, he tells me everything I need to do,” Royals said, smiling. “He’ll tell me corrections. After the play, he’ll let me know on the sideline.”
One example, Royals shared, was when his assignment was a simple out route. He learned from Mahomes that the way he ran the route wasn’t exactly how his quarterback wanted him to create more separation against the cornerback and get open. A couple days later, on a similar route, Royals responded in the correct manner.
In Tuesday’s practice, Mahomes threw a superb deep pass to Royals. The ball was thrown to the exact spot for Royals to make an over-the-shoulder catch near the sideline against tight coverage from cornerback Nazeeh Johnson. But Royals dropped the ball. While fans groaned in disappointment, Mahomes shouted three words to Royals:
“Finish that s—!”
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Former Chicago Cubs and Houston Astros star outfielder Kyle Tucker has agreed to a $240 million, four-year contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers, per multiple reports.
Tucker’s $60 million average annual value would be the second-highest in baseball history, not factoring discounting, behind Shohei Ohtani’s $70 million in his 10-year deal with the Dodgers that runs through 2033.
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Kyle Tucker #30 of the Houston Astros runs to third base during the first inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field on September 28, 2024, in Cleveland, Ohio. (Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty Images)
When healthy, Tucker is among the best all-around players in the majors. But the outfielder has played in just 214 regular-season games over the past two years.
CUBS, ALEX BREGMAN AGREE TO 5-YEAR DEAL: REPORTS
Jeremy Pena #3, Kyle Tucker #30, and Alex Bregman #2 of the Houston Astros celebrate after Tucker hit a home run in the third inning against the Philadelphia Phillies in Game One of the 2022 World Series at Minute Maid Park on October 28, 2022, in Houston, Texas. (Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
He batted .266 with 22 homers and 73 RBIs with the Chicago Cubs last season. He was acquired in a blockbuster trade with Houston in December 2024 that moved slugging prospect Cam Smith to the Astros.
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Kyle Tucker #30 of the Chicago Cubs swings the bat in the third inning during game five of the National League Division Series against the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field on October 11, 2025 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Brandon Sloter/Chicago Cubs/Getty Images)
Tucker was slowed by a pair of injuries in his lone season with the Cubs. He sustained a small fracture in his right hand on an awkward slide against Cincinnati on June 1. He also strained his left calf against Atlanta on Sept. 2.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Who would be a football manager? Well, as it turns out, in the Premier League the answer is an increasing number of head coaches.
The difference between the job titles of “manager” and “head coach” may seem mere semantics at first glance, but events at Manchester United and Chelsea this month point to deeper structural problems that many clubs are now grappling with.
Both Ruben Amorim and Enzo Maresca chose to go public with frustrations they deemed as unnecessary interference from the infrastructure around them.
Maresca went first. In mid-December, after a routine 2-0 home win over Everton, which should have calmed the mood around Stamford Bridge, Maresca opted instead to ignite a fire by declaring the buildup “the worst 48 hours” of his tenure due to “a lack of support.”
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His working relationship with senior figures at the club quickly eroded, and Chelsea parted company with Maresca just 19 days later. We will never know for certain, but perhaps Amorim, increasingly disgruntled at United, was inspired by those events in west London.
The following day, Amorim hinted at internal issues at a prematch news conference before facing Leeds United and, after that game, launched a full-scale assault on his bosses, insisting he joined United to “be the manager, not the head coach.” Amorim was sacked the following morning.
Chelsea have since doubled down on their existing head coach model by appointing Liam Rosenior as Maresca’s successor, not least because of his experience working for the club’s owners, BlueCo, at their sister team, Strasbourg of France’s Ligue 1.
United’s next move seems less certain after they installed Michael Carrick as an interim boss before making a permanent appointment in the summer.
The club still appears stuck at a crossroads created by legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson’s departure in 2013, just as Arsenal were when Arsène Wenger left in 2018. They were the two most prominent exponents of the old model, which dictated that control comes at all costs for a manager. But what balance works best in 2026?
What’s the difference between ‘head coach’ and ‘manager’?
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Rosenior: I’m accountable for my players mistakes
Chelsea boss Liam Rosenior refused to criticise Robert Sánchez after errors in the 3-2 Carabao Cup semifinal defeat to Arsenal.
This isn’t a new problem. Ferguson and Wenger once sat on stage together at a League Managers’ Association meeting, opining on how the preeminence they enjoyed was founded on controlling all aspects of their respective clubs. They were becoming increasingly isolated cases.
“The manager is the most important man at the club,” Wenger said. “If not, why do you sack the manager if it doesn’t go well?”
“Very good,” said Ferguson, sitting alongside him, smiling.
Ferguson later praised then-Premier League bosses Alan Curbishley and Kevin Keegan for leaving their posts on “a point of principle,” specifically that West Ham and Newcastle United, respectively, were letting players leave against the wishes of their managers. That was in 2008.
The intervening 18 years have seen the power balance shift steadily away from autonomous managerial figures toward head coaches, who are expected to work within a structure which divides responsibilities, including scouting, recruitment, medical determinations and data analysis among several others. A manager is a visionary to whom everyone must answer. A head coach is more of a prominent cog within a larger machine.
In one clear example of the transformation in thinking, Arsenal appointed nine new department heads around the time of Wenger’s departure in 2018 and trebled the number of operations staff in three years.
Top Premier League clubs routinely arrive at away games with two team buses — the expanded support staff no longer fit onto one bus with the playing squad. Club doctors Stephen Lewis (Chelsea) and Zaf Iqbal (Arsenal) were even listed on the official teamsheet for Wednesday’s Carabao Cup semifinal first-leg clash at Stamford Bridge.
Where the boundaries are drawn for each member of this infrastructure is where the tension usually lies for a head coach.
Today, there are only five Premier League clubs employing someone whose official job title is ‘manager’: Arsenal, Everton, Manchester City, Crystal Palace and Leeds.
One of those is Mikel Arteta, but he is a unique case. He was appointed as Arsenal head coach in December 2019 — following Unai Emery’s unsuccessful attempt to operate within the club’s post-Wenger model — but then “promoted” to manager in September 2020 after winning the FA Cup a month earlier in a Covid-delayed season.
Arteta revealed last week that the plan to promote him was actually hatched before his Wembley triumph.
“It was in my house,” he said. “They came to me and started to propose the idea of what they thought and the way they wanted to structure the club. That was after probably five, six months in the job.
“They believed that and [I said] ‘this is where I think I can help, this is my vision, this is what I would do, this is how I see this project.’ I presented it, and from there we started all together to start to add value to those ideas.
“I didn’t demand it. I didn’t ask for it, and they believed it was the right thing to do. When you have a leader, which is ownership in this case — Stan [Kroenke] and Josh [Kroenke, representing owners Kroenke Sports Enterprises] — and Josh that is very close to us with clear alignment to all of us what he wants to do, how he wants to create that space for everybody, I think it is very easy to work like this.
“At the end, it is about the relationships and the people that we have from great teams with very different qualities. Sometimes, I have been more on certain things; when there is somebody who is much better than me on that, I let them do it. For me, the title doesn’t really reflect the way we operate daily.”
Although KSE is an American company, well-placed sources within football point to the increase in U.S. ownership — now 22 of the top 44 clubs comprising England’s top two leagues — as a contributing factor. They want their clubs to retain a stable, long-term identity of their own, impervious to the idiosyncrasies of the man in the dugout.
The modern-day trend certainly appears to be clubs seeking to establish an identity based on principles set by their own sporting infrastructure, rather than the shorter-term whims of a manager or head coach who is just passing through. The League Managers’ Association published data last year suggesting the average tenure of a sacked manager is 1.42 years.
But there are signs head coaches are pushing back against this transient existence. Amorim and Maresca took internal tensions public while Tottenham Hotspur captain Cristian Romero broke ranks with an Instagram post that suggested the Spurs hierarchy “only show up when things are going well, to tell a few lies.”
It doesn’t help advocates of the head coach model that Arsenal under Arteta lead the Premier League from Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City and Aston Villa, who named Emery as head coach but whose influence is widely acknowledged to extend far beyond the limitations that title would suggest.
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Supporters have protested against Chelsea’s BlueCo owners, who completed their takeover in 2022 and whose methods have frustrated head coaches of high pedigree before Maresca, including Thomas Tuchel and Mauricio Pochettino.
The appointment of Rosenior has emboldened critics, suggesting the owners want a “yes man” as head coach, willing to acquiesce to the specialists who operate separately to his immediate coaching staff.
Predictably, Rosenior pushed back on any such notion when speaking at his first Chelsea news conference.
“Being a head coach, you talk about football systems and tactics,” he said. “[But] that’s 10% of the job. The job is to create spirit, energy, a culture. It doesn’t matter if you’re called a head coach, manager or anything else. The job is the same. My job is to have a team that runs, fights for each other, that plays with spirit and quality. That’s what I’m going to focus on.”
Whatever the rights and wrongs of Chelsea’s strategy — which includes employing five sporting directors, an independent medical team whose advice on player load must be followed and regular technical feedback sessions for the head coach after every game — they know exactly what they want.
Multiple sources told ESPN that BlueCo had quickly identified Rosenior as a leading candidate among a small pool of options, ruling out higher-profile names almost immediately. The belief in their model is resolute and clear.
If anything, control has been tightened. Maresca brought six staff with him from Leicester City. Rosenior has three from Strasbourg — assistant Justin Walker, first-team coach Kalifa Cissé and analyst Ben Warner — while Calum McFarlane was promoted from Chelsea’s under-21s and goalkeeper coach Ben Roberts remains in post. Set-piece coach Bernardo Cueva was appointed independently from Maresca and stayed on. All six of Maresca’s staff left.
There seems to be less clarity at United. Even caretaker boss Darren Fletcher admitting that he called Ferguson for “his blessing” before accepting the temporary position smacked of a club still struggling to emerge from the shadow of its past. They didn’t appoint a director of football and technical director until 2021, and Amorim was the first man in the club’s history to be appointed “head coach” rather than “manager.”
However, club sources have told ESPN that director of football Jason Wilcox sees recruitment falling within his sphere of influence and has said publicly that he can’t help but “interfere” in what the head coach is doing. It is, at least from the outside, a confused picture.
Carrick has brought in two staff members for his five-month stint: ex-England No. 2 Steve Holland and Jonathan Woodgate, who worked under Carrick at Middlesbrough.
‘Manager’ is a title that’s earned
Recruitment is invariably a point of friction. Club sources told ESPN that Maresca wanted a center back last summer after Levi Colwill got injured but was told to find internal solutions.
Conversely, ESPN sources say Arteta fought hard and won a battle to sign Mikel Merino from Real Sociedad in 2024 despite others involved in recruitment casting doubt over his ability and transfer fee.
Tottenham are grappling with their own approach, appointing Fabio Paratici as co-sporting director alongside Johan Lange in October, only for Spurs to confirm on Wednesday that the former will leave next month to join Fiorentina.
Gone are the days when the chief scout — and wider scouting staff that followed — operated as close allies of the manager. Some head coaches now insist on bringing their own trusted recruitment staff, often as part of their initial appointment, because they want specialists who share their way of seeing the game. This guarantees the coach a voice early in the scouting process and keeps them closely involved in the club’s strategic thinking and player selection.
Sources working in recruitment say that even though power has gradually shifted away from the manager or head coach, cases where players are signed without that individual’s involvement remain extremely rare, to the point of being almost unheard of in a top-five league environment.
However, the level of power can change over time. If a sporting director signs off on a run of mediocre transfers, a head coach may use that to push for greater influence over recruitment. Equally, when a head coach is flavour of the month with successful results, some will take the opportunity to gain a greater say in squad building.
What matters initially are the job description and the powers laid out in the contract. Perhaps the conclusion is that head coaches who want to become managers have to go to great lengths to earn it.
Arsenal recognised they needed a cultural overhaul and believed in Arteta to deliver it. Guardiola earned it before he arrived as City’s whole football structure was tailored to lure him to the club. Emery has improved Villa to such a dramatic extent that the case for greater influence was almost impossible to ignore.
Maresca and Amorim chanced their arm and failed. They almost certainly won’t be the last.
Information from ESPN’s Rob Dawson and Tor-Kristian Karlsen contributed to this report.
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration has identified a host of athletic competitions it classifies as “major sporting events” — aside from soccer’s 2026 World Cup and the 2028 Olympic Games — that athletes and coaches will be allowed to travel to the U.S. to take part in despite a broad visa ban on nearly 40 countries.
In a cable sent to all U.S. embassies and consulates Wednesday, the State Department said athletes, coaches and support staff for the World Cup, the Olympics and events endorsed or run by a long list of collegiate and professional sporting leagues and associations would not be subject to the full and partial travel bans that apply to citizens of 39 countries and the Palestinian Authority.
However, the cable made clear that foreign spectators, media and corporate sponsors planning to attend the same events would still be banned unless they qualify for another exemption.
“Only a small subset of travelers for the World Cup, Olympics and Paralympics, and other major sporting events will qualify for the exception,” it said.
President Donald Trump’s administration has issued a series of immigration and travel bans as well as other visa restrictions as part of ongoing efforts to tighten U.S. entry standards for foreigners. At the same time, the administration has been looking to ensure that athletes, coaches and fans are able to attend major sporting events in the U.S.
Trump’s Dec. 16 proclamation banning the issuance of visas to the 39 countries and the Palestinian Authority had carved out an exception for athletes and staff competing in the World Cup, the Olympics and other major sporting events. It delegated a decision on which other sporting events would be covered to Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Wednesday’s cable lists the events that are covered, including “all competitions and qualifying events” for the Olympic Games, Paralympic Games, Pan-American Games, and Para Pan-American Games; events hosted, sanctioned or recognized by a U.S. National Governing Body; all competitions and qualifying events for the Special Olympics; and official events and competitions hosted or endorsed by FIFA, soccer’s governing body, or its confederations.
The exemption also will cover official events and competitions hosted by the International Military Sports Council, the International University Sports Federation and the National Collegiate Athletic Association as well as those hosted or endorsed by U.S. professional sports leagues such as the National Football League, the National Basketball Association and Women’s National Basketball Association, Major League Baseball and Little League, National Hockey League, Professional Women’s Hockey League, NASCAR, Formula 1, the Professional Golf Association, Ladies Professional Golf Association, LIV Golf, Major League Rugby, Major League Soccer, World Wrestling Entertainment, Ultimate Fighting Championship and All Elite Wrestling.
The cable said other events and leagues could be added to the list.
Of the 39 countries, a full travel ban applies to Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Laos, Libya, Mali, Myanmar, Niger, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan, Syria, Yemen, and people with Palestinian Authority-issued passports.
A partial ban is in place for citizens of Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Burundi, Cuba, Dominica, Gabon, Gambia, Ivory Coast, Malawi, Mauritania, Senegal, Tanzania, Tonga, Togo, Venezuela, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
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