Seattle Storm co-owner Celeste Keaton was suspended and fined by the WNBA after an exchange with two teenage girls wearing shirts depicting XX and XY chromosomes, who said Keaton approached them, cursed and called them insane during Tuesday night’s game against the Indiana Fever.

The game was Indiana’s first since Sophie Cunningham, doubling down on comments she made in a recent ESPN article, said that it’s “common sense” to bar transgender athletes from competing in women’s sports.

The Storm apologized Wednesday for the interaction after podcast host Brandi Kruse shared the video of the girls on Tuesday night. Kruse also shared a photo of the girls holding up a sign courtside that read, “Thank you Sophie for speaking up for girls.” Before the game, a small group of fans gathered outside Seattle’s Climate Pledge Arena holding signs in support of Cunningham, according to The Associated Press.

“Everyone who attends a Storm game deserves to feel welcome, and we remain committed to creating an inclusive environment where every fan is treated with respect,” Storm majority owner Ginny Gilder said in the team’s apology.

Keaton was suspended from attending the Storm’s next five home games and fined an undisclosed amount, the league confirmed Thursday.

In response to a post about the apology, Cunningham wrote on X late Wednesday: “Truly embarrassing of the co-owner. Unfortunately shows the type of leader she is.”

She added: “I truly believe there is a safe space and love for EVERYBODY. Biological girls, biological boys, trans women, and trans men. Everyone is welcome at my table! You can disagree and still be kind.”

After Indiana won Tuesday’s game, the team did not make Cunningham or star guard Caitlin Clark available to speak with reporters.

“Neither our organization nor Sophie had any knowledge of this demonstration and no contact with its organizers,” the Indiana Fever said in a statement. “Our only goal as a team, whether at home or away, is to win basketball games and make Fever fans for life, and we are united in that mission.”

Annie Costabile and Devon Henderson contributed to this report. 

Correction: A earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that Sophie Cunningham’s social media post was her first public comment since the ESPN article. She spoke to reporters before a game last week.

Most Valuable Promotions (MVP) is merging with the Professional Fighters League (PFL) to create a new mixed martial arts company that will operate under the MVP banner, the Jake Paul-led promotion announced Thursday.

MVP, which launched in 2021 and spent its first five years primarily focused on boxing promotion, hosted its first MMA event in May. The event streamed on Netflix and was headlined by Ronda Rousey’s return to the sport after nearly a decade away. After the event, MVP co-founder Nakisa Bidarian was noncommittal about the promotion’s future in the sport, but Thursday’s announcement indicates it aims to challenge the UFC’s supremacy.

“We started MVP to disrupt a broken model. We wanted to give fighters fair pay and a bigger, modernized stage to become global superstars,” Paul said in a statement. “Joining forces with PFL accelerates that vision by a decade.”

The PFL was launched in 2018 and was boosted after it struck a broadcast deal with ESPN in 2019. After the PFL acquired Bellator in 2023, its roster has grown to hundreds of fighters, who compete on either the main roster or in regional leagues. The PFL’s most famous signing was Francis Ngannou, who left the UFC as reigning heavyweight champion to sign a multi-fight deal with the PFL in 2023, allowing him to compete in other sports, such as boxing.

Ngannou, however, appeared in just one MMA fight with the PFL, and his absence shined a light on the PFL’s dwindling appeal. In March, the PFL announced that Ngannou was released from his contract, and in May he returned to MMA to compete on MVP’s card.

MVP’s most popular events have been Paul’s bout with Mike Tyson in 2024 and its co-promotion of the Amanda Serrano-Katie Taylor trilogy. In recent years, the promotion has largely dominated the women’s boxing space, signing champion stars such as Serrano, Alycia Baumgardner, Caroline Dubois and Holly Holm.

Before MVP’s May MMA event, Bidarian told The Athletic that MVP’s venture into MMA was entirely based around Rousey’s return. In turn, Rousey told Bidarian at the time, “I want to be your Dana White.”

“I said to Ronda, ‘I’m not (former UFC CEO) Lorenzo Fertitta. I can’t walk a mile in his shoes, but Jake and I are disruptors. And what you’re talking about is disruptive,’ ” Bidarian recounted. “And while we’ll never replicate or replace the UFC in the next few years, we certainly can provide a product and a platform for athletes that’s unique, interesting and fighter-first.”

Harvey Elliott says last season’s difficult loan spell at Aston Villa took a toll on him mentally, but he views this summer as providing an unexpected “second chance” at Liverpool.

The 23-year-old midfielder didn’t expect to play for Liverpool again when he joined Villa last September. It was an initial season-long loan with an obligation to buy for £35million when he made 10 Premier League appearances.

However, Villa boss Unai Emery soon decided he didn’t want to trigger that clause and as a result Elliott found himself frozen out — playing just 277 minutes of football in all competitions across 2025-26.

“Everyone knows how much I love the club,” Elliott told reporters after Liverpool’s 1-0 friendly win over Wrexham in New York. “I’ve supported them from a very young age. It was my childhood dream. Putting on the kit again is a feeling like no other.

“Last summer I wanted a new challenge. I wanted to go out of my comfort zone. I thought it would take me on as a player again, but unfortunately it didn’t work out. This is kind of a second chance, especially with the new gaffer. Hopefully I can get in his good books.”

Having left Liverpool last year in the belief that he would get the regular game time that had eluded him under Arne Slot, being cast aside by Villa was a bitter pill to swallow. However, he refuses to regard 2025-26 as a “lost year” and intends to use the experience as fuel as he looks to revive his career.

Elliott won the Europa League with Villa in 2025-26 (Stefano Rellandini/AFP via Getty Images)

“Mentally, it was very tough training all week and not playing,” he admits. “I don’t wish it upon any other player because it’s not nice at all, but I have no hard feelings. I’m on the other side of it now.

“The manager explained things to me and the whole club were very apologetic about the situation. It was just about me handling it and showing my professionalism. I’m not the kind of guy to kick up a fuss and cause problems. I couldn’t control what was going on. It was a learning curve.

“I was able to get through it and achieve something historic at the end of the season. I wouldn’t say it was a lost year because at the end of it I won the Europa League and that’s on my CV. I wish Villa all the very best. I have a lot of love for them. They treated me as one of their own. I respect them highly. But my focus now is on this season at Liverpool. I’m trying to cement my spot in the team or within the squad.”

Whether Elliott stays around for the coming season will depend on where he stands in the pecking order under new Liverpool head coach Andoni Iraola. Pre-season gives him the opportunity to show what he’s capable of and he caught the eye in the opening U.S. tour games against Sunderland and Wrexham.

“Andoni and his coaching staff have been great,” he added. “There’s been a lot of detail in terms of what they want and what they expect from us as players. It’s still early days but, once the majority of the group are back, everything will start coming together.

“I haven’t shown my 100 per cent yet and I think that will take a little bit of time because of the fact that I didn’t play much last season.

“I’m not sure yet what’s going to happen (regarding his future). That’s a conversation for me to have more in detail with the gaffer. When the time is right, I’ll go and ask.

“I’m just giving my all and trying to impress. Going forward, I need to be more kind of cautious with my decisions. I have to do what’s right for me, whether that’s staying here and fighting for my place, or whether that’s potentially going elsewhere.

“But I’m really happy to be back. Since the first day I walked through the door at the AXA I’ve had a big beaming smile on my face. Putting the shirt on, I don’t want to take these moments for granted because last season I thought I’d done it for the last time. Playing at Liverpool, there’s no better feeling.”