Sports
With AFL teams folding, league names ex-Rams coach Jeff Fisher interim commissioner
The man whose firing led to the Sean McVay era with the Rams has been tabbed to breathe life into the wobbly Arena Football League.
Jeff Fisher, a longtime NFL coach and executive with deep Southern California ties, said Tuesday that he replaced AFL commissioner Lee Hutton III and became interim commissioner. Fisher is president of football operations for the Nashville Kats, one of 10 teams still operating in the league that began play April 27.
The AFL relaunched this spring with 16 teams five years after it filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in 2019. But it soon became clear that several franchises weren’t going to last. The Minnesota Myth, Philadelphia Soul, Iowa Rampage and Georgia Force folded in the last few weeks.
“This league is good,” Fisher said. “We’re looking forward to continuing and finishing the season.”
Fisher, 66, grew up in the San Fernando Valley, playing youth football for the Reseda Rams before starring at Taft High in Woodland Hills. He played on the 1978 USC national championship team in 1978 and played four years in the NFL after the Chicago Bears drafted him in 1981.
Coaching was his true calling, and by 1991 he was back in L.A. as defensive coordinator of the Rams under John Robinson, who had been his coach at USC.
Fisher became head coach of the Houston Oilers at age 36 in 1994, and led the team to the Super Bowl after the 1999 season in their third year after they relocated to Nashville and became the Tennessee Titans.
Following a 17-year stint with that franchise, Fisher was hired by the St. Louis Rams in 2012, saying, “I’m really excited that the Rams are the best fit for me. I hope I’m the best fit for the Rams.”
He wasn’t, slogging through four losing seasons before the franchise moved to Los Angeles in 2016. While it marked a homecoming for Fisher, the losing continued. The Rams were 4-9 when he was fired with three games to play.
Enter McVay, who immediately turned the team around, going 11-5 in 2017, 13-3 with a Super Bowl berth in 2018 and a Super Bowl victory after the 2021 season.
Meanwhile, Fisher has bounced around the minor leagues. He was an executive with the short-lived Alliance of American Football in 2019 and jumped back into coaching in 2022 with the Michigan Panthers of the United States Football League, which lasted all of two seasons before merging with the XFL.
Now he’s beginning the daunting task of keeping the AFL operating despite the apparent financial problems of several franchises. The most recent team to fold was the Minnesota Myth, and in an email sent Monday to players, owner Diana Hutton accused the league of attempting to sabotage the team in order to force Lee Hutton III — her husband — to resign as commissioner.
Hutton III refused to do so, but league owners ousted him Tuesday, replacing him with Fisher, whose first call might be to the NFL Network, which apparently has backed out of a deal to televise AFL games.
The NFL in March announced more than 30 AFL games would be broadcast on NFL Network, yet none have been televised and others have disappeared from the NFLN listings.
The AFL news release announcing Fisher’s hiring identified the 10 teams still operating: Albany Firebirds, Billings Outlaws, Nashville Kats, Orlando Predators, Rapid City Marshals, Salina Liberty, SW Kansas Storm, Washington Wolfpack, West Texas Desert Hawks and Wichita Regulators.
Fisher apparently expects the deck to continue to shuffle. The release goes on to say that the league “also will be speaking with other teams not mentioned, to discuss and perhaps, include them in current games/seasons.”
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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.
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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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