Michigan's Dusty May shares 'learning lesson' after wild … — and more

Michigan's Dusty May shares 'learning lesson' after wild Yaxel Lendeborg video goes viral originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The hype around the matchup between the No. 1 Michigan Wolverines and No. 7 Purdue Boilermakers is immense. Not only is it a marquee game during a loaded Big Ten slate Tuesday night, but a game that may go a long way in determining a conference champion.

All eyes will likely be locked in on Mackey Arena game as recent controversy ensued when Wolverines forward Yaxel Lendeborg was seen in a now-viral video trash-talking the Boilermakers.

It wasn't in a friendly way either.

In the brief clip, Lendeborg yelled obscene remarks about his upcoming opponent, including "gonna spank their f— a—. We gonna beat they f— a—. F— Purdue."

Coach Dusty May addressed the video at his latest press conference, saying it has since been rectified by both May and Lendeborg despite ongoing social media discourse.

MORE: March Madness bracket predictions 3.0

"Look, it's a great lesson," May told reporters. "It's one of the reasons he's here. He wanted to learn to be a better pro, and to be a better pro, you need to have the mindset that you're probably always being recorded, and if there's ever a moment that someone can use that information against you."

May said Lendeborg would have opted not to say anything if he were to redo the moment over again.

"'Coach, I don't even use that language in conversation," May recalled Lendeborg saying. "I don't like the way it makes me look. I feel terrible about it.' And then obviously how he's perceived to our fan base and those that he cares about."

May said that if the roles were reversed, the same outcome would likely have occurred for Purdue. Therefore, May holds sympathy in this regard.

"Moving forward, it's a good learning lesson," May said. "I can't imagine that [Fletcher] Loyer and TKR and Braden Smith and those guys are sitting around motivated by what Yaxel Lendeborg said in an over-21 establishment four months ago. I think that they're killers as is, and so as far as bulletin board material, I'm not sure that that means much when it comes time to execute pick-and-roll defense or transition defense."

All in all, though, the relationship between Lendeborg and May couldn't be stronger, May said.

"He made a mistake," May said. "This is a learning lesson. We can't go back in time and change it. There's a lot of people in our profession saying things that if they're in a clear-headed state of mind they probably wouldn't say, and chalk this up to one of those. But he's a wonderful human being that he'll be better because of this."

MORE: 1 hot 103-win Big Ten coach Kansas State MBB cannot target after Jerome Tang's firing

The Wolverines (24-1, 14-1 Big Ten) have won 10 in a row, while the Boilermakers (21-4, 11-3 Big Ten) try to extend their streak to five-straight wins since a Jan. 27 loss to the Indiana Hoosiers (17-9, 8-7 Big Ten) in Bloomington.

Tip is set for 6:30 p.m. ET on Peacock.

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The World Baseball Classic returns for its sixth edition in March, featuring a 20-team field spread across four pools. In all, 47 games will be played over 13 days at four sites: the Tokyo Dome, San Juan Puerto Rico’s Hiram Bithorn Stadium, Miami’s loanDepot Park and Houston’s Daikin Park. 

Team Japan, the only nation to win multiple WBC crowns (2006, 2009, 2023), is aiming for its fourth title while the Dominican Republic (2013) and U.S. (2017) are the only other winners of the event. Japan’s roster features 2025 NLCS MVP Shohei Ohtani and 2025 World Series MVP Yoshinobu Yamamoto, both of the Dodgers, in addition to Angels lefty starter Yusei Kikuchi and Cubs outfielder Seiya Suzuki.

The U.S. roster is led by captain Aaron Judge and features both 2025 Cy Young winners in Tarik Skubal and Paul Skenes. Team USA boasts a combined 65 MLB All-Star Game appearances and four former MVPs in Judge, Bryce Harper, Paul Goldschmidt and Clayton Kershaw. 

Most games will be broadcast in the U.S. on the Fox family of networks (Fox, FS1, FS2) and streaming on the Fox Sports app and Tubi. 

2026 World Baseball Classic pools

Pool A | Hiram Bithorn Stadium, San Juan, Puerto Rico 

Canada
Colombia
Cuba
Panama
Puerto Rico

Pool B | Daikin Park, Houston

Brazil
Great Britain
Italy
Mexico
U.S.

Pool C | Tokyo Dome, Tokyo

Australia
Chinese Taipei
Czechia
Japan
South Korea

Pool D | loanDepot Park, Miami

Dominican Republic
Israel
Netherlands
Nicaragua
Venezuela

2026 World Baseball Classic schedule

All times Eastern

Pool play

Wednesday, March 4
10 p.m.: Australia vs. Chinese Taipei (FS1) 

Thursday, March 5
5 a.m.: South Korea vs. Czechia (FS1) 
10 p.m.: Czechia vs. Australia (FS1) 

Friday, March 6
5 a.m.: Chinese Taipei vs. Japan (FS1) 
11 a.m.: Panama vs. Cuba (FS2)  
Noon: Venezuela vs. Netherlands (Tubi)
1 p.m.: Great Britain vs. Mexico (FS1)
6 p.m.: Colombia vs. Puerto Rico (FS1)  
7 p.m.: Dominican Republic vs. Nicaragua (FS2)
8 p.m.: Brazil vs. U.S. (Fox) – Daikin Park
10 p.m.: Czechia vs. Chinese Taipei (FS2) 

Saturday, March 7
5 a.m.: Japan vs. South Korea (FS1) 
11 a.m.: Canada vs. Colombia (FS2)  
Noon: Netherlands vs. Nicaragua (Tubi)
1 p.m.: Italy vs. Brazil (Fox app only)
6 p.m.: Puerto Rico vs. Panama (FS1)  
7 p.m.: Venezuela vs. Israel (FS1)
8 p.m.: U.S. vs. Great Britain (Fox)
10 p.m.: South Korea vs. Chinese Taipei (FS2) 

Sunday, March 8
6 a.m.: Japan vs. Australia (FS1) 
Noon: Cuba vs. Colombia (FS2)  
Noon: Dominican Republic vs. Netherlands (Fox)
1 p.m.: Italy vs. Great Britain (Tubi)
7 p.m.: Israel vs. Nicaragua (Tubi)
7 p.m.: Canada vs. Panama (FS2)  
8 p.m.: Mexico vs. Brazil (FS1)

Monday, March 9
6 a.m.: Australia vs. South Korea (FS1) 
Noon: Israel vs. Dominican Republic (FS1) 
Noon: Panama vs. Colombia (FS2)  
1 p.m.: Great Britain vs. Brazil (Tubi)
7 p.m.: Puerto Rico vs. Cuba (FS1)  
7 p.m.: Nicaragua vs. Venezuela (FS2)
8 p.m.: U.S. vs. Mexico (Fox)

Tuesday, March 10
6 a.m.: Japan vs. Czechia (FS1) 
7 p.m.: Netherlands vs. Israel (Fox app only)
7 p.m.: Puerto Rico vs. Canada (Tubi)  
9 p.m.: U.S. vs. Italy (FS1)

Wednesday, March 11
3 p.m.: Cuba vs. Canada (FS1)  
7 p.m.: Mexico vs. Italy (Tubi)
8 p.m.: Venezuela vs. Dominican Republic (FS1)

Thursday, March 12
No games

Quarterfinals

Friday, March 13
6:30 p.m.: TBD vs. TBD (FS1) – loanDepot Park
8 p.m.: TBD vs. TBD (Fox) – Daikin Park

Saturday, March 14
3 p.m.: TBD vs. TBD (FS1) – Daikin Park
9 p.m.: TBD vs. TBD (Fox) – loanDepot Park

Semifinals

Sunday, March 15
8 p.m.: TBD vs. TBD (FS1) – loanDepot Park

Monday, March 16
8 p.m.: TBD vs. TBD (FS1) – loanDepot Park

Championship final

Tuesday, March 17
8 p.m.: TBD vs. TBD (FS1) – loanDepot Park

'No racism' gesture in soccer: Explaining FIFA's cross-arm 'X' signal used in La Liga and Champions League originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Developing effective and widespread anti-racism protocols has been a major emphasis by global football over the past decade.

While FIFA has championed its three-step process of pause, halt, and abandon a match affected by racial abuse, critics argue that in practice this has not achieved the desired effect.

One of the most troubled regions plagued by instances of such abuse is the Spanish professional league, where a number of black players have reported being subjected to chants, insults, and other targeted abuse across multiple spheres, including at matches, on social media, and throughout daily life.

Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior has been vocal in his demands for authorities to stamp out racism, even calling for Spain to be stripped of hosting rights for the 2030 FIFA World Cup if the problem is not tackled sufficiently.

Perhaps they have heeded those calls at last. The Spanish federation, along with La Liga, became the first to adopt a new anti-racism procedure in fall of 2024 which FIFA hopes will become standard across all leagues and competitions around the globe.

MORE: All the latest soccer news | Barcelona news | Real Madrid news

What is FIFA's 'no racism' cross-arm gesture?

FIFA has implemented a new gesture for referees and players to signal that racial abuse is occurring during a game.

Per the new guidelines from soccer's governing body, players and referees will have the ability to cross their arms at the wrists in an X to signal an instance of racist abuse. Players may use it to get the referee's attention, while referees can use it to indicate to the viewing public what has occurred.

Should this happen, the referee will immediately begin the three-step process already in place to handle racial abuse. The first of the three steps is to pause the game until the abuse ends, and should it not, the next two steps of suspending the match and abandoning the match will be taken in appropriate measure.

"By crossing their hands at the wrists, players can signal directly to the referee that they are being targeted by racist abuse, prompting the referee to start the anti-discrimination three-step procedure," FIFA explained in its anti-discrimination announcement.

Additionally, if the referee notices or identifies racial abuse themselves, they can also use the gesture to signal that the three-step process is being adopted.

MORE:Antonio Rudiger claims racial abuse during Club World Cup match against Pachuca

When and how is the 'no racism' gesture used?

In leagues where the guidelines are adopted, players are able to utilise this gesture when being targeted by racial abuse.

The crossed arms will signal to referees that they are the target of abuse and allow the official to take appropriate action.

Referees themselves can also use the gesture to signal that the match is being affected by racist insults and that the three-step protocol has been initiated.

While nothing fundamental is changing with this guideline, what it will hopefully do is to allow for greater transparency for viewers, which in turn will, theoretically, force referees to take more immediate action when abuse occurs.

As it stands, discussions about racist abuse on the pitch between players and officials are often difficult to identify in the moment, and thus referees can waver in their ability to implement the three-step process. Under this guideline, everyone will immediately know a player has been abused, which will put pressure on the referee to react promptly.

During the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, Antonio Rudiger informed the referee of racial abuse by a Pachuca player, at which point the official signaled such by crossing his arms during the stoppage.

O árbitro Ramon Abatti Abel fez o sinal do protocolo antirracismo após uma discussão do Rudiger com o argentino Gustavo Cabral.

📸 Reprodução pic.twitter.com/DC76vycYMK

— Papo de Boleiros 🇧🇷 (@_papoboleiros) June 22, 2025

When did La Liga, FIFA implement the 'no racism' gesture?

As no specific timeline for implementation was given by the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) at the moment of publication, it appeared that La Liga will begin implementing this part of the anti-racism procedures immediately, and that was indeed the case.

"The Royal Spanish Football Federation, together with La Liga, will incorporate the gesture for racist incidents that was approved at the last FIFA Congress held in Bangkok into the Protocol for Action on Public Incidents," said the RFEF in a statement. "An agreement was adopted unanimously to continue fighting racism together and efficiently."

Spain has witnessed a number of instances of racial abuse at football matches, with high-profile incidents both during and around La Liga matches. Real Madrid forward Vinicius Jr. has often been the target of racial abuse and has been an outspoken critic of what he considers to be the country's systemic issue with racism. Most notably, Vinicius posited that Spain should lose the right to host the 2030 FIFA World Cup if the problem isn't stamped out.

Steps have been taken towards reducing the problem. In June 2024, three men were jailed for racially abusing Vinicius in a match between Madrid and Valencia at Mestalla in May 2023.

The Brazilian posted on X: "Many people asked me to ignore it, others said that my fight was in vain and that I should just 'play football'. But, as I've always said, I'm not a victim of racism. I am an executioner of racists. This first criminal conviction in Spanish history is not for me. It's for all black people.

"Let the other racists be afraid, ashamed and hide in the shadows. Otherwise, I'll be here to call them out. Thank you to LaLiga and Real Madrid for helping to bring about this historic condemnation. There's more to come."

Do any other leagues use the 'no racism' gesture?

By the end of the 2024/25 European season, no other top leagues used the crossed-arms gesture, but La Liga was not the first worldwide competition to implement the process.

The gesture is in place at the 2024 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup, which is currently in action in Colombia.

It was then implemented for all subsequent FIFA competitions, including the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup in the United States where the Rudiger incident took place.

Vinicius Jr racially abused during Champions League match

After scoring the opening goal of Real Madrid's knockout playoff first leg at Benfica in February 2026, Vinicius Jr. informed the match official that he had been the target of a racist comment by a Benfica player.

Replays showed Gianluca Prestianni covering his mouth with his shirt before saying something to Vinicius in the aftermath of his celebration, at which point the Real Madrid star immediately runs to inform the referee what he has heard.

At that point, French referee Francois Letexier made the crossed-arms gesture to indicate there had been racial abuse, and the match was stopped for nearly 10 minutes as the situation was resolved.

How the incident played out in full:

▪️ Vinícius Júnior scores a worldie strike.
▪️ He is booked for celebrating overtly.
▪️ Gianluca Prestianni says something to Vini.
▪️ Vini then charges over to referee who initiates the racism protocol. https://t.co/wUMWvXvRtUpic.twitter.com/2zAag49es1

— Football Tweet ⚽ (@Footballtweet) February 17, 2026

Throughout the stoppage, Vinicius Jr refused to continue playing the match, and multiple Real Madrid players protested the continued involvement of Prestianni in the match proceedings.

Eventually, the game resumed in the 61st minute, but there was a tense atmosphere in Estadio da Luz as the game continued. The CBS Sports broadcasters commented shortly after that "some of the air has been sucked out" of the match environment with what occurred.

Analyst reveals brutal way Bills get Josh Allen No. 1 WR originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Buffalo Bills will be a fascinating watch this offseason, and in fact, general manager Brandon Beane might be the most under pressure person in the NFL over the next few months.

Why? Because he somehow got a promotion after Buffalo was dumped out of the playoffs, and now it is in his hands at the wheel of the football department. And that means getting his quarterback a top receiving weapon, something he's failed to do over the past few seasons.

With the Bills close to Super Bowl contention, getting Allen a genuine weapon has to be the priority for Beane, but how does he do it?

NFL.com's Matt Okada has one way. Move on from Curtis Samuel and fan favorite Dawson Knox to free up between $15 and $18 million in cap savings.

"GM Brandon Beane has struggled to find the right offensive pieces to properly support his all-world QB, and chief among his misses were Samuel and Knox," Okada wrote. "Dumping one (or both) would go a long way to arming Buffalo for a run at a true No. 1 receiver."

More:Steelers biggest loser of Aaron Rodgers waiting game

Should Bills go all out for WR?

Moving on from Samuel and Knox is one way to do it, but let's not forget, fellow tight end Dalton Kincaid has struggled with his health, having not played a full season in any of his three years.

So, Knox is a nice safety blanket for Allen, but if he is moved on, that goes away. 

But is it worth it if Josh gets someone like A.J. Brown or Tyreek Hill? Some would say so.

However, this is the corner the Bills have pushed themselves into over the past couple of seasons by not properly fixing the problem.

And now, to find a solution, a fan favorite might have to pay the price.

More NFL news:

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• Bills could acquire Super Bowl champion for astonishing price
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• Chiefs tipped to make $20 million decision on Super Bowl champion
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U.S. speed skaters competed in the team pursuit Tuesday. The U.S. men are taking home a silver medal in the speedskating Team Pursuit, and more exciting races are coming up this week.