TMZ Sports - Page 50

Loves hockey. Loves boxing. Loves basketball.

Ciara wants everyone to know she's standing by her man ... saying Russell Wilson is still a champion -- despite the fact the Hawks got rocked this weekend.

After Cam Newton and the Panthers steamrolled Seattle, Ciara went to Instagram and wrote a love letter to the Seahawks QB.

"My Love. I am So Proud Of You! What A Phenomenal Season It's Been. You Never Cease To Amaze Me With Your Faith, Will, Integrity, Resilience, and Courage."

"You Always Find A Way To Make Things Happen When It Seems Absolutely Impossible! Constantly Inspiring Me and Others Around. A Rare Breed You Are. My Champ. The Best Is Yet To Come. I Love You ❤️ #GoHawks #3."

They hooked up Kobe back in May ... and Sunday night, Kobe returned the favor -- inviting the US Women's soccer team as his VIP guests to the Lakers game ... and they even got to shoot around on the court with Kobe's daughters.

Everyone from Alex Morgan and Hope Solo to Carli Lloyd and Sydney Leroux hit up Staples Center to watch the Lakers take on the Rockets ... as Kobe and Vanessa Bryant's special guests.

As you may know ... Kobe and his family are HUGE soccer fans -- and got a cool meet and greet with the team before the World Cup back in May. We're told he's wanted to do something cool for them ever since.

Unfortunately for Kobe, the Lakers lost and he only scored 5 points -- but he invited the women to hoop around on the court before the game ... and it appeared everyone had a blast.

After the game, the USWNT tweeted -- "#USWNT meets 5x @NBA champ @kobebryant. Thanks for having us, @Lakers. Stellar organization, we had a great time."

It was like "The Bachelor" outside of the Hollywood nightclubs this weekend -- with Michael Irvin handing out roses in front of Bootsy Bellows.

So, who was the lucky recipient?

Ya gotta watch the clip ... Irvin explains exactly why he picked his target and it's pretty funny.

BTW, before Irvin got all flowery -- he explained why the Rams will be the hottest team in the league for top free agents this off-season.

Donald Trump is gonna LOVE this ...

So, we were asking Sen. Ted Cruz about his body man Bruce Redden -- who kicked for Oklahoma State in '05 & '06 -- when Cruz recounted some facts about the guy ... that don't seem to be true.

"He still holds the Oklahoma high school record for field goal kicking," Cruz said ... before noting that Redden was also "the leading scorer at Oklahoma State for two years."

Redden was definitely a pretty solid kicker back in the day -- but we did some digging and it appears he NEVER led OSU in scoring once. He did get close in 2005 ... finishing 2nd on the team in points (in front of future NFL player Brandon Pettigrew).

Hey, it's still respectable ... and props to Cruz for giving some dap to his body man ... but just like presidential elections, there can only one #1.

Ronda Rousey is calling BS on rumors she's done in the UFC -- telling TMZ Sports a rematch with Holly Holm will DEFINITELY happen in 2016.

There have been rumblings that Rousey could leave the octagon for good to focus on her blossoming career in Hollywood ... especially now that she just inked a new movie deal with Tina Fey.

But over the weekend, Rousey couldn't have been more clear -- she wants another crack at Holly ... and she's working with Dana White to figure out a date pronto.

WWE Diva Tammy Sytch might soon be free of the Hall of Fame ring she's auctioning off ... a bidder's come forward with a sweet 6-figure deal and one condition ... Tammy's gotta do porn.

Vivid honcho Steve Hirsch made the offer ... $100k for the ring and in return he wants Tammy to shoot a 90 min sex tape. He's even giving her some options on the specifics of the shoot, letting her to choose her partner and the location.

No word yet on if Tammy will accept but Hirsch isn't playing around ... he wants the whole thing done in less than two weeks.

Time's a wastin'.

You've heard of cleat chasers, starf**ckers, and band-aids ... but there's a different breed of groupies in the world of bull riding ... and superstar J.B. Mauney is giving TMZ Sports the lowdown.

Mauney is pretty much the LeBron James of bull riding ... having won the 2015 World Championship and made over $1.5 million last year.

J.B. was in NYC for a PBR event ... when we asked if bull riders get the same love that all the other sports get ... namely thirsty chicks looking to bang a legit rodeo cowboy.

Check out the clip -- Mauney says they DEFINITELY get a lot of love and even drops the name that their special brand of accommodating ladies are called.

Save a horse ... ride a cowboy.

If you thought last night's Packers vs Cardinals game was heated on the field ... wait till you see the action in the stands.

You see a lone fan with a Seahawks jersey -- unclear why he was wearing it -- get beaten on by a bunch of Cardinals fans. Words were clearly exchanged before the fight broke out.

The Seahawks fan gets ejected from the game, and you hear the videographer scream that the guy was the victim. But watch closely ... before the fight erupts, you see the Seahawks fan get another guy in a headlock.

Will Ferrell just got his first vote of confidence as an MLS owner ... by a U.S. Soccer star who says Ferrell's love for the sport is legit ... and just what the league needs.

We got Sean Johnson out at LAX ... a goalkeeper for the Chicago Fire of the MLS and a member of team USA ... and asked him about Will joining the ownership group of the new soccer franchise in L.A.

Check out the clip -- Johnson is obviously stoked about Ferrell ... saying big stars like Will and Seattle Sounders owner Drew Carey are just the type of high-profile attention the league needs.

Just make sure to have some juice boxes handy, guys.

MLB star Alexei Ramirez wants to make an impression in his new town not by hitting home runs ... but by hitting the streets in a ridiculously sick custom ride ... with a crazy set of wheels.

We spoke to Alex Vega down at the Auto Firm in Miami, who tells TMZ Sports Ramirez felt he had to upgrade his whip since he just inked a new deal with the San Diego Padres ... so he stopped on in.

Vega says the Auto Firm gurus went to work on Alexei's ride ... adding an Avorza exhaust system, custom red & black interior, plus Av11 forged 24" wheels to his 2016 BMW X6 M ... final price tag ... $65k.

Craziest thing about the (kinda) new ride? The rims make the car look like the wheels are spinning IN REVERSE which Vega says "will trip you out when you see it."

Ronda Rousey has a lot to be excited about ... she's set to star in the Road House reboot ... she might land the cover of the Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition ... and she's hosting SNL on January 23rd ... but what does she really want in life?

Hint -- there's a Jennifer Lawrence/Amy Schumer connection.

"The Sandlot" star who has been charged with felony assault helped beat a grad student within an inch of his life ... according to new legal docs.

Michael Vitar, who played Benny "The Jet" Rodriguez in the flick, allegedly attacked the 23-year-old USSB student on Halloween night.

According to a search warrant obtained by TMZ, 2 of Vitar's friends, both of whom are firefighters, spotted Samuel Chang passing out candy in the street of his gated L.A. community. The firefighters suspected Chang was passing out tainted candy and confronted him.

The warrant claims the 2 firefighters began beating on Chang, restraining him with a chokehold. The legal docs claim Vitar -- now a firefighter as well -- joined in, mid beating.

The warrant says the beating was so bad Chang's pulse stopped and the firefighters had to get their gear and revive him.

Chang was taken to the hospital with horrific injuries, including burst blood vessels in the eye, bleeding on the brain, kidney failure and hemorrhaging due to suffocation.

Chang had recorded the audio of the beating on his cell phone, and cops believe they can hear Vitar say, "I got the legs."

The student says he smelled alcohol on the breath of one of the firefighters. The firefighters told cops they believed Chang was under the influence of PCP, but doctors found no drugs in his system.

11:30 PM PST -- According to reports, the unruly fan is a corporal with the Tulsa County Sheriff's Office ... the division has said it is opening an investigation regarding the incident.

Tony Stewart doesn't take guff from anyone, especially on his turf, as one racing fan learned.

The shoving match went down Friday night at The Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals in Oklahoma. Stewart reportedly approached a fan who had given him the finger and screamed unkind words. It sounds like the guy tells Tony, "I never liked you."

You see the fan push Stewart and then security steps in and takes care of business.

Lawrence Phillips complained that prison staffers were screwing with him in the month before he died ... messing with his mail and breaking his TV ... according to a letter penned by the ex-NFL star.

TMZ Sports obtained the letter Phillips sent to his old high school football coach on Dec. 6th -- in which he implied staffers at Kern Valley State Prison were NOT delivering his mail.

"The mail situation is terrible," Phillips wrote.

"Everyone is pointing the finger at everyone else. I surely am not receiving all my mail as well as mail I am sending is not being received. There were two letters you mentioned that I never received. This new attorney has said he is addressing the issue."

There's more ... in the letter, Phillips implies prison staffers also broke the TV in his cell ... a 1-man cell that was segregated from the general population.

"I am allowed a television or a radio. They broke my television so I am listening to the radio. I get a lot more done without the television anyway."

As we previously reported, the prison says Lawrence committed suicide early Wednesday morning -- but his close friends and family say they don't believe it because he was in good spirits despite the fact he was facing the death penalty in the killing of his former cell mate.

It seems to line up with the letter in which he engages in some fun banter about college football -- and pondered about Jon Gruden possibly coaching at USC.

When it came to his case, Phillips noted he was confident he would be found not guilty of the crime.

How do you get an NBA star to join your business?

Throwing some booty at him ain't a bad idea ... and that's exactly what a New Orleans shake house did for Pelicans star Anthony Davis ... to get him to be their official ambassador.

TMZ Sports has video of the lovely ladies down at Vlive New Orleans -- one of the premiere strip clubs in the country -- making a very cheeky pitch to AD last weekend to be the face of their establishment.

The girls did what they always do -- shakin' dat ass -- only this time they were all wearing custom body paint with Davis' number ... to show their love for the $125 million man.

Anthony actually missed the display that night ... he was sidelined with a back injury that kept him from participating ... but honchos at Vlive tell us he'll be back and the silicone will be waiting.