AI-assisted summary
• The 2025 World Track and Field Championships will take place in Tokyo, Japan from September 13-21.
• More than 2,000 athletes from around 200 countries are expected to compete at Japan National Stadium.
• Top American athletes include Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, Noah Lyles, and Sha’Carri Richardson.

The best track and field athletes in the world will be crowned this month.

More than 2,000 athletes from roughly 200 countries will travel to Tokyo to compete at the 2025 World Track and Field Championships. It’s the second time Tokyo has hosted the event and first time since 1991.

The world championships begin Sept. 13 and conclude Sept. 21.

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, Noah Lyles and Ryan Crouser are part of a large contingent of U.S. athletes in Tokyo. Faith Kipyegon, Mondo Duplantis and Letsile Tebogo are a few of the star athletes who represent other countries.

Medals are on the line during the nine-day championships. Here’s how to watch the 2025 World Track and Field Championships:

How to watch 2025 World Track and Field Championships

NBC, CNBC, Peacock and USA Network will provide coverage of the championships. The broadcast schedule can be found here.

Where are 2025 World Track and Field Championships

Japan National Stadium in Tokyo will be the primary venue for world championships. It’s the same stadium that hosted track and field at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

“As one of the largest athletics stadiums in the world, the main stadium facilities in Tokyo are best in class – and the more than 40 million people in the Greater Tokyo area present massive growth opportunities for our sport,” World Athletics president Sebastian Coe said in a statement.

2025 World Track and Field Championships event schedule

The nine-day event schedule can be found here.

Who are U.S. athletes to watch

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone (Women’s 400, Women’s 4×400*)

Noah Lyles (Men’s 100, Men’s 200, Men’s 4×100*)

Ryan Crouser (Men’s shot put)

Grant Holloway (Men’s 110 hurdles)

Valarie Allman (Women’s discus)

Masai Russell (Women’s 100 hurdles)

Melissa Jefferson-Wooden (Women’s 100, Women’s 200, Women’s 4×100*)

Rai Benjamin (Men’s 400 hurdles, Men’s 4×400*)

Sha’Carri Richardson (Women’s 100, Women’s 4×100*)

Who are international athletes to watch

Kenya’s Faith Kipyegon (Women’s 1,500, Women’s 5,000)

Jamaica’s Kishane Thompson (Men’s 100, Men’s 4×100*)

Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo (Men’s 100, Men’s 200, Men’s 4×400*)

Saint Lucia’s Julien Alfred (Women’s 100, Women’s 200)

Jamaica’s Shericka Jackson (Women’s 100, Women’s 200, Women’s 4×100*)

Sweden’s Armand Duplantis (Men’s pole vault)

*Denotes relay participants are subject to change

With Canelo Alvarez’s undisputed super middleweight title on the line, the Mexican star will be fighting more than Terence Crawford on Saturday, Sept. 13 in Las Vegas.

He’ll also be fighting for his legacy.

Aris Pina, a voter for the International Boxing Hall of Famer, said he thinks Alvarez ranks among the Top 30 boxers all-time. Barry Tompkins, a highly regarded boxing analyst, said he thinks Alvarez is in contention for the mythical crown of best Mexican boxer ever.

The prevailing sentiment: Alvarez’s legacy hinges in part on the outcome of his fight against Crawford, who like Alvarez, has spent time atop the pound-for-pound rankings. Alvarez is 63-2-2 with 39 knockouts.

“His record speaks for itself,’’ Tompkins said. “And to his credit, he’s fought everyone who’s come along.’’

But he has not fought Crawford, who is 41-0 with 31 knockouts and, like Alvarez, a shoo-in as a Hall-of-Fame inductee. With Crawford jumping two weight classes, to 168 pounds from 154 pounds, a victory would damage Alvarez’s legacy, which needs cementing.

Julio Cesar Chavez Sr., who was widely regarded as the best pound-for-pound boxer in the early 1990s and finished his career with a record of 107-6-2 with 85 KOs, has long been considered the best Mexican fighter ever. Tompkins said Alvarez belongs in the conversation.

“Definitely in the conversation,’’ Tompkins told USA TODAY Sports.

Pina said he thinks there’s more work to do.

“If he beats Crawford and he beats him convincingly and goes on to beat (David Benavidez) or something like that, I could easily see him if someone were to say, ‘OK, he’s the No. 1 greatest Mexican fighter ever,’ ” Pina told USA TODAY Sports. “I probably wouldn’t even really argue.’ ”

Learning in the ring

In Mexico, with the option to turn pro as early as 15, Alvarez did just that. He won 11 of his first 13 fights by knockout and began to develop a reputation as a tough fighter with a rock solid chin and impressive defense.

He will carry those attributes into the 68^th fight of his pro career.

“Through all the styles that he’s had to fight coming up to become the most well-rounded fighter you’ve seen, many have seen in years,’’ Pina said.

At 23, Alvarez stepped in the ring with Floyd Mayweather Jr., who was then 36 and considerably more experienced. Mayweather won by majority decision and handed Alvarez the first loss of his career.

He won his next 16 fights and went more than eight years without another loss.

“What we’ve learned from that is that he was able to bounce back,’’ Pina said. “Floyd dominated more or less, but Alvarez had his moments and it gave people hope that, ‘Hey, maybe he can learn from this.’ He absolutely did. He became a more complete fighter.

“And each fight it got gradual even more. You could see that.’’

In 2017, Gennadiy Golovkin had emerged as one of the hardest punchers in boxing. Top fighters steered clear.

Not Alvarez.

So began their trilogy.

It started with a draw in which Golovkin appeared to win, but Alvarez atoned in their second fight with a victory by split decision. He won their third fight by unanimous decision.

“He was much better in the rematch than he was the first fight, which clearly shows he learned what some of Golovkin tendencies,’’ Pina said.

Now 35, Alvarez still is a hybrid of brains and brawn. He suffered his second career loss in 2022, when he moved up to the 175-pound light heavyweight division and lost to Dmitry Bivol by unanimous decision.

Since then, he has won six fights in a row, without a knockout or a close call.

“He’s a pro,’’ Tompkins said, “and he does what he needs to do to win the fight.’’

On Saturday, Alvarez will be looking to win for the 64^th time of his career and potentially a legacy-cementing victory.

The Detroit Tigers and their fans are holding their breath after ace Tarik Skubal exited Friday night’s game against the Miami Marlins in the fourth inning with an apparent injury.

Skubal, the reigning Cy Young winner and heavy favorite to win the award again this season, removed his glove and grabbed his left side with his right hand after getting Eric Wagaman to fly out for the first out in the bottom of the fourth inning at LoanDepot Park. Manager A.J. Hinch and a Tigers trainer came out to talk to Skubal, and he exited the game after a brief conversation.

Skubal allowed four hits, including two home runs, and exited after 45 pitches with the Tigers trailing 3-1. He entered Friday’s contest 13-4 with an American League-best 2.10 ERA.

The Marlins cruised to an 8-2 victory over the Tigers.

Tigers manager A.J. Hinch on Tarik Skubal injury

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Another day, another injury update from the San Francisco 49ers.

Less than a full week into the 2025 NFL season and San Francisco is dealing with injuries to key players on offense. Tight end George Kittle is on injured reserve and wideout Jauan Jennings may miss time with injury as well from the 49ers’ Week 1 win over the Seattle Seahawks.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan confirmed on Friday, Sept. 12, that the team will be without quarterback Brock Purdy for Sunday’s road game against the New Orleans Saints, per multiple reports.

Purdy completed 26 of 35 passes for 277 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions in the 49ers’ win last week in Seattle.

His second touchdown was the go-ahead score to tight end Jake Tonges.

With Purdy out, the 49ers will turn to former first-round pick Mac Jones to make his first start of the year. The one-time Pro Bowler signed with San Francisco this offseason to be the backup quarterback and brings multiple years of starting experience to the team.

When will Brock Purdy return?

Purdy’s return date is uncertain at this point. It depends on how fast he can recover from his turf toe and shoulder injuries.

Here’s the 49ers’ upcoming schedule through October:

• Week 2: Sept. 14 at New Orleans Saints
• Week 3: Sept. 21 vs. Arizona Cardinals
• Week 4: Sept. 28 vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
• Week 5: Oct. 2 at Los Angeles Rams on ‘Thursday Night Football’
• Week 6: Oct. 12 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
• Week 7: Oct. 19 vs. Atlanta Falcons on ‘Sunday Night Football’
• Week 8: Oct. 26 at Houston Texans

If Purdy’s recovery is two weeks, that puts him back in the lineup in Week 4 versus the Jaguars. If it’s more like five, Purdy may be starting again after the long break following Week 5’s ‘Thursday Night Football’ game in Los Angeles.

49ers QB depth chart

Jones is the next man up for San Francisco and the only other quarterback on the active roster following Week 1. Here’s how the position looks in San Francisco:

• Brock Purdy (injured)
• Mac Jones
• Adrian Martinez (practice squad)
• Kurtis Rourke (non-football injury list)

The New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox began a crucial three-game series at Fenway Park on Friday, Sept. 12, with the rivals jockeying for the American League’s top wild-card spot while trying to chase down the Toronto Blue Jays atop the AL East.

The Yankees (82-65) emerged victorious in the opener behind stellar pitching from starter Luis Gil (4-1) and another home run from slugger Aaron Judge as New York shut down the Red Sox in the 4-1 win. Judge put the Yankees on the board in the top of first inning when he mashed a 468-foot solo homer to center field for his 47th dinger of the season. The 362nd home run of Judge’s career moved him past legendary Joe DiMaggio for fourth most in Yankees’ history.

Meanwhile, Gil stymied the Red Sox batters, holding Boston hitless through six innings. Gil struck out four and walked four before giving way to the bullpen in the seventh. Finally with two outs in the frame, the Red Sox (81-67) got on the board when Nate Eaton hit a solo home run to left field. Boston’s only other hit of the game was a single by Alex Bregman in the bottom of the eighth.

Starter Lucas Giolito (10-4) took the loss for the Red Sox.

Neither team gained ground on Toronto, who maintained a three-game lead in the AL East after the Blue Jays beat the Orioles 6-1, but the Yankees increased their lead in the wild card race, moving to 1½ games up on the Red Sox. Boston (8-3 against the Yankees) has already clinched the head-to-head tiebreaker against New York, giving the Red Sox the edge should the teams be tied after 162 games.

Max Fried (16-5) will take the mound for New York, and Brayan Bello (11-6) will start for Boston in the second game of the series, Saturday, Sept. 13 at 4:10 p.m. ET.

Scroll below for highlights and a recap of Friday’s game:

Yankees beat Red Sox 4-1

The New York Yankees opened a three-game series against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park with a 4-1 victory. Four Yankees pitchers limited the Red Sox to one run and two hits.

Nate Eaton homers for Red Sox’s first hit

Right fielder Nate Eaton ended the New York Yankees’ combined no-hitter bid with a solo home run to left in the bottom of the seventh inning off reliever Fernando Cruz. The right-hander entered the game after Yankees starter Luis Gil threw six no-hit innings. Cruz promptly struck out the first two batters he faced before Eaton finally got Boston on the board with his solo shot. The Yankees lead 4-1 heading to the top of the eighth.

Yankees add two runs; Red Sox still hitless

The New York Yankees tacked on two runs in the top of the seventh inning to extend their lead to 4-0. The Boston Red Sox, meanwhile, head into the bottom of the seventh still seeking their first hit. Yankees starter Luis Gil threw six innings and struck out four while allowing four walks. Fernando Cruz has entered in relief to pitch the bottom of the seventh.

Red Sox seeking first hit

The Boston Red Sox have been held hitless by the Yankees through five innings. New York leads 2-0 heading into the top of the sixth.

Yankees increase lead

Cody Bellinger hit a two-out RBI single in the top of the third inning for the Yankees, allowing Judge to score and take a 2-0 lead.

Aaron Judge passes Joe DiMaggio on Yankees’ HR list

Aaron Judge hit a home run to take sole possession of fourth place, passing Joe DiMaggio (361), on the Yankees’ all-time home run list with 362.

Judge has the most on the list among right-handed hitters. Babe Ruth (left-handed hitter, 659), Mickey Mantle (switch hitter, 536) and Lou Gehrig (left-handed, 483) are all ahead of Judge on the overall list.

Judge tied with DiMaggio on Sept. 11, when he hit two home runs against the Detroit Tigers in a 9-3 home win.

The Yankees lead the Red Sox, 1-0, in the top of the first inning.

Where to watch Red Sox vs Yankees

Friday night’s game will stream on Apple TV+ with first pitch scheduled for 7:10 p.m. ET.

Watch Yankees vs. Red Sox on Apple TV+

What time is Yankees vs. Red Sox game?

Friday’s game at Fenway Park begins at 7:10 p.m. ET.

The Atlanta Falcons make their primetime debut this season in Week 2 on ‘Sunday Night Football’ against the Minnesota Vikings.

Atlanta played defending NFC South champion Tampa Bay close in Week 1 but Younghoe Koo’s game-tying 44-yard field goal attempt with six seconds left was no good and the Buccaneers won 23-20.

The Falcons’ offense had a strong start to the season with 358 total yards against Tampa Bay. They’ll get more reinforcements this week for their game against the Vikings.

Wide receiver Darnell Mooney was a full participant in practice Friday, Sept. 12 and will play for the first time this season on Sunday night. Fellow wide receiver Drake London, who suffered a shoulder injury in the loss to Tampa Bay in Week 1, was also a full go in practice and will play on Sunday.

London had a game-high 15 targets in Week 1 and came away with eight catches for 55 yards.

Mooney is entering his second season in Atlanta. In 2024, the former Chicago Bears wideout tallied 64 catches for 992 yards and a career-high five touchdowns.

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In recent years, at least, September just hasn’t been Notre Dame’s month. A quick history lesson:

The Fighting Irish dropped their first two games of 2022, the second to Marshall as a heavy favorite, casting a critical eye on coach Marcus Freeman just weeks into his first full season.

The 2023 team lost 17-14 to Ohio State, allowing the game-winning touchdown with one second left and only 10 defenders on the field.

A year ago, Notre Dame was stunned by Northern Illinois before rallying and regrouping to reach the College Football Playoff national championship game.

The No. 8 Irish enter Saturday’s home game against No. 17 Texas A&M wit a 27-24 loss to No. 6 Miami already on their résumé, cranking up the intensity of this already highly anticipated matchup.

“You can only hang your hat for so long,” defensive end Boubacar Traore said. “We’ve got another game to play. Yeah, we lost, but we’ve got another opportunity.” 

At least Notre Dame can lean on recent history, which strongly suggests that one loss is survivable under the expanded playoff format regardless of the opponent. But two might be difficult to overcome given the nature of this year’s schedule, which has no future opponents currently ranked in the US LBM Coaches Poll.

That’s the overarching theme heading into the weekend: Notre Dame may not have to win on Saturday, but it’s easy to see how a loss could eventually serve as an eliminator when the playoff selection committee constructs the postseason bracket.

Keys to victory on offense against Texas A&M

While new quarterback CJ Carr was the center of attention after the loss to the Hurricanes, a bigger key was the performance of a running game that finished with 93 yards on 28 carries. The Irish had just one rushing touchdown after scoring at least twice on the ground in every regular-season game of 2024.

A major strength last year, the offensive line struggled against Miami despite returning four starters. While not overly critical of that group’s production against a talented defensive front, “the standard is to play higher,” Freeman said.

The Irish have to establish the running game to take pressure off Carr, who had 221 passing yards and three touchdowns with an interception in the opener.

“He showed he’s ready, he’s capable,” Freeman said of the redshirt freshman. “We have to be able to run the football. But we feel like CJ can execute the entire game plan, the entire playbook. He’s a special player.”

Notre Dame defense looks to bounce back

On the defensive side, the biggest key will be developing a pass rush after an ineffective showing against Miami.

Any tentativeness seen in that loss may be the result of the schematic tweaks installed by new coordinator Chris Ash. But Notre Dame can’t afford to be passive against the Aggies and quarterback Marcell Reed, a dual-threat sophomore who heads into South Bend as the only quarterback in the Bowl Subdivision with more than five passing touchdowns without an interception and at least 100 rushing yards.

This is a different offense than the one that struggled to gain traction in last year’s 23-13 loss to the Irish. The Aggies overhauled their receiver corps to juice Reed’s development, bringing in proven Power Four commodities such as former Mississippi State transfer Mario Craver and former North Carolina State transfer KC Concepcion.

Craver leads A&M with 13 receptions for 236 yards. Concepcion is second with 145 yards and had an 80-yard punt return for a score in the season-opening win against Texas-San Antonio.

Given what the Aggies bring to the table, a win on Saturday will require dramatic improvement from Notre Dame on both sides of the line of scrimmage.

“When we reach our full potential as a team, we’re the best team in the country,” said wide receiver Jaden Greathouse. “There’s nobody that can stop us.” 

Is this really a must-win game for the Fighting Irish?

Almost, not but quite.

Ten wins is probably the magic number for most Power Four contenders, especially those with Notre Dame’s pedigree and national reputation. And pulling off double-digit wins after two losses right out of the gate would be an asset for the Fighting Irish, who would enter the postseason as one of the hottest teams in the country.

But a pair of factors could eventually make a loss on Saturday what eventually prevents the Irish from a return trip to the playoff.

The first is the schedule. It’s possible that opponents such as Southern California, North Carolina State, Navy and Pittsburgh climb into the national rankings, giving Notre Dame the credentials to make the 12-team field with two defeats. It’s also possible that the Irish would enter the postseason with zero ranked wins.

And those two losses could be crucial because of the inevitable comparison with at-large contenders from the ACC and SEC. That could be even more damaging to Notre Dame’s chances should the Hurricanes and Aggies fail to win their respective leagues.

In the case where all three teams have an identical number of wins, Notre Dame would head into December already behind Miami and A&M in the postseason debate and need help from other Power Four leagues to clear a path back to the playoff.