Sports
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones weighs in on 18-game seasons, kickoffs and football in L.A.
Most NFL owners are singularly focused on their franchise. Jerry Jones is different.
The Dallas Cowboys are first and foremost to Jones, naturally, but the team’s longtime owner also keeps a keen eye on the machinations to the west.
Few people were more involved in the NFL’s return to Los Angeles than Jones, who brings his players to Oxnard each summer for training camp. He was a staunch proponent of the stadium plan in Inglewood — what would eventually become SoFi Stadium — and had the influence to bring a lot of fellow owners with him.
So there’s a sense of pride Jones feels not just in the league’s return to the nation’s second-largest market, but also the byproduct of the Raiders’ move from Oakland to Las Vegas.
“I’m so rewarded by the NFL fans in Southern California, the dominoes that took place with the Rams and Chargers being in that fabulous stadium, and the way the Raiders ended up in Las Vegas,” Jones said last week after one of the Cowboys’ final Oxnard practices of the summer.
“I had that all thought out,” he said sarcastically with a playful chuckle. “But still it worked out.”
After an impromptu gaggle with a group of reporters focused on the state of the Cowboys, Jones spoke with the Los Angeles Times on a variety of topics including L.A., the prospects of an 18-game season and the dramatic changes to kickoffs.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell is in favor of expanding the regular season by a game, which would mean get the players’ union to go along with the idea. That number was bumped to 17 games in 2021 when the league and NFL Players Assn. forged a new collective bargaining agreement that runs through the 2030 season.
The league could go to 18 games before a new CBA as long as both sides agree on that.
“It really does sound good,” Jones said of an expanded regular season. “It’s a great number for the players.”
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, left, speaks with Las Vegas Raiders owner Mark Davis before a preseason game on Aug. 17.
(Rick Scuteri / Associated Press)
Jones thinks the preseason should be two games instead of three, and that each team should get one at home. He said that will enable clubs to further grow their fan bases.
“With all of the investment we put in venues, a preseason game gives you a chance to have maybe a third of those fans as people who won’t be there during the regular season,” he said.
Likewise, Jones is a fan of the change to kickoffs, modified to make them safer and to revive a once-exciting play that in recent years had become a nonfactor, an almost-guaranteed touchback.
“I like it,” he said of the new format. “You can see that it’s a big play about to happen. You can also see how punitive it might be.”
As in the past, a ball kicked out of bounds is spotted on the receiving team’s 40-yard line. But now that happens if a kickoff is short of the “landing zone,” the area between the receiving team’s goal line and 20.
A kickoff by Dallas’ Brandon Aubrey sailed out of bounds in a preseason game at Las Vegas, and the Raiders had a 48-yard gain on the next play. They wound up kicking a field goal on that drive.
“It tore our proverbial butt up,” Jones said of the miscue.
Jones, who bought the Cowboys in 1989, saw his team win three Super Bowls in the six years that followed, helping pave the way to his 2017 induction in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Not surprisingly, he has high hopes for this season, even though Dallas has not reached a Super Bowl — or a conference title game — since winning the Lombardi Trophy at the end of the 1995 season.
Still, he takes pride in the fact there have already been Super Bowls played at SoFi and Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, and L.A. is getting the NFL’s marquee game again in 2027.
“I look at it more holistically, because where I am in Dallas, Los Angeles and Las Vegas are just suburbs for me,” he said, smiling. “It’s all one big picture out here. … This is a real heyday for what the NFL and football is.”
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Winning two knockout stage games? That means you’re really in the running to win the World Cup.
Let’s check out the updated odds for which countries will make it to the quarterfinals at FanDuel Sportsbook as of July 1.
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To Reach Quarterfinals
France: -1250 (bet $10 to win $10.80 total)
Argentina: -425 (bet $10 to win $12.35 total)
Morocco: -260 (bet $10 to win $13.85 total)
Brazil: -240 (bet $10 to win $14.17 total)
England: -175 (bet $10 to win $15.71 total)
Spain: -140 (bet $10 to win $17.14 total)
Colombia: -105 (bet $10 to win $19.52 total)
USA: +105 (bet $10 to win $20.50 total)
Mexico: +140 (bet $10 to win $24 total)
Norway: +160 (bet $10 to win $26 total)
Portugal: +175 (bet $10 to win $27.50 total)
Canada: +180 (bet $10 to win $28 total)
Belgium: +185 (bet $10 to win $28.50 total)
Switzerland: +195 (bet $10 to win $29.50 total)
Senegal: +370 (bet $10 to win $47 total)
Algeria: +550 (bet $10 to win $65 total)
Egypt: +650 (bet $10 to win $75 total)
Ghana: +750 (bet $10 to win $85 total)
The USA is currently one of the favorites to reach the World Cup quarterfinals (Getty Images).
Here’s what to know about this oddsboard.
Recent History: The quarterfinals are kinda a given for France, at least in recent years. The French have made it to at least the quarterfinals in five of the last seven World Cups, and they have made the final in four of the last seven years, winning the tournament twice. Les Bleus are now heavy favorites at -1250 to beat Paraguay and get back to the quarterfinals.
The Host Nations: Before this summer, Canada had never won a World Cup match in two tournament appearances. But that has all changed. Canada is through to the Round of 16 after beating South Africa in the Round of 32. As for Mexico, it has recorded four straight scoreless wins to start the tournament for the first time in its nation’s history. El Tri will look to get back to the quarterfinals for the first time in 40 years after dominating Ecuador in the Round of 32. After its win over Ecuador, Mexico jumped from +290 to +140 to make the quarters. The U.S. looks to replicate the other two host nations’ knockout stage performances against Bosnia and Herzegovina on Wednesday.
Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda celebrates after the Dodgers beat the Montreal Expos to win the NL pennant in 1981.
(Associated Press)
Years as manager: 1976-1996
Record: 1,599-1,439, .526 win pct
After serving as the team’s third base coach for four seasons, Lasorda took over as manager late in the 1976 season when Alston announced his retirement. He led the Dodgers to the National League pennant in his first two full seasons, losing both times to the Yankees in the World Series. He won his first World Series in 1981, knocking off the Yankees, and rallied his team to a surprise title in 1988 in which the Dodgers beat the heavily favored Athletics. Lasorda was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1997, his first year of eligibility.
A fiery and vibrant presence who spent 71 years with the Dodgers, Lasorda managed nine players who won the NL rookie of the year award. The Dodgers also opened the Japanese player pipeline on his watch. Hideo Nomo, the first Japanese big leaguer to permanently relocate to the U.S., joined the Dodgers in 1995. Three decades later, the team features Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto on its star-studded roster.
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Back in January, the odds that King James would retire before the beginning of the 2026-27 season were slightly longer than the odds that he would give it another go.
But as of now, it looks like LeBron will, in fact, give it another go but with a team other than the Lakers.
Here are the latest odds for where James could land next season at DraftKings Sportsbook as of June 30.
This page may contain affiliate links to legal sports betting partners. If you sign up or place a wager, FOX Sports may be compensated. Read more about Sports Betting on FOX Sports.
LeBron James Next Team Odds
Golden State Warriors: -115 (bet $10 to win $18.70 total)
Los Angeles Lakers: +105 (bet $10 to win $20.50 total)
Cleveland Cavaliers: +600 (bet $10 to win $70 total)
Miami Heat: +1000 (bet $10 to win $110 total)
New York Knicks: +3000 (bet $10 to win $310 total)
Detroit Pistons: +3000 (bet $10 to win $310 total)
Dallas Mavericks: +3000 (bet $10 to win $310 total)
San Antonio Spurs: +3500 (bet $10 to win $360 total)
Milwaukee Bucks: +4000 (bet $10 to win $410 total)
Brooklyn Nets: +4000 (bet $10 to win $410 total)
Washington Wizards: +5000 (bet $10 to win $510 total)
NBA free agency begins on June 30 at 6 p.m. ET. However, hours before its official start, LeBron James’ agent, Rich Paul, made a jaw-dropping announcement.
According to ESPN reporting, Paul notified the Lakers that the franchise could move on without LeBron because he plans to play elsewhere for the 2026-27 season.
James played for the organization for eight years — the longest he’s played for any other team. While in L.A., King James broke the all-time scoring record, won an NBA title and earned his fourth NBA Finals MVP.
The imprint he’s left on the league in his more than 20 years has been immeasurable.
Where will LeBron land next season now that his time in Los Angeles is over?
In addition to his tenure in Los Angeles, he’s played for the Cavaliers and the Heat, winning titles with all three franchises. He won Rookie of the Year, has four regular-season MVPs and is a 22-time All-Star.
James has averaged 26.8 points, 7.5 boards and 7.4 assists over the course of his career.
During the 2025-26 season, he helped lead the Lakers to a 53-29 record in the regular season. The team secured the No. 4 seed in the Western Conference and defeated Houston 4-2 in the first round.
Eventually, Los Angeles got bounced by Oklahoma City in the conference semifinals, 4-0, which marked LeBron’s last dance in Hollywood.
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