TMZ Sports - Page 50

Christian Eriksen -- a Danish soccer player, who's one of the stars on the national team -- just had a frightening emergency during the first round of the UEFA European Championship ... collapsing on the field and requiring immediate medical attention.

The 29-year-old midfielder fell to the ground Saturday during Denmark's Euro 2020 match against Finland, toward the end of the first half. He was jogging back and about to receive a ball being thrown to him from one of his teammates, when all of a sudden ... Eriksen toppled over without provocation -- not being touched by another player or anything.

Everyone around him instantly recognized he was suffering an emergency and called for the ref to stop the game -- while also waving on team doctors and other first-responders on hand. Footage was captured from the terrifying moment ... and it's clear he'd lost consciousness.

Reports say CPR was rendered to Eriksen on the spot before he was carried off a stretcher for further treatment. His team -- including players from the other side -- were notably concerned, with a majority of them taking a knee out of respect ... a tradition in soccer.

His teammates also linked arms around Ericksen and formed a wall of sorts -- seemingly to give him privacy while he was being tended to. No word yet on his status or what might've caused the collapse. Of course, everyone is sending their thoughts and prayers.

Austin McBroom was true to his name ... he cleaned the floor with Bryce Hall Saturday night, but it's unclear if the loser will have to ante up a million bucks.

The event -- YouTubers vs. TikTokers -- is further proof these social media boxing matches are becoming the most popular events in combat sports ... like it or not.

Austin dominated the fight from the get-go ... pummeling the TikToker from one end of the ring to the other. Bryce was beaten to a pulp in round 3 ... at one point the ref stopped the action with an 8 count to see if Bryce could continue, and he did ... for about 10 more seconds before a fierce combination to the body was enough for the ref, who stopped the fight.

So, this was a TKO, not a knockout, and therein lies the problem. The deal was that the loser would pay the winner $1 mil if he got knocked out. TECHNICALLY, Bryce did not, so the money thing is unclear.

Bryce says he pocketed $5 mil for the fight ... unclear what Austin got, but we're assuming it's in that vicinity.

The night was super entertaining ... Check out how TikToker Vinnie Hacker celebrated after his knockout win against Deji.

Most people thought this would be just a social media event with crappy boxing, but the action was actually good and it was really entertaining.

WWE Superstar-turned-AEW talent scout Mark Henry says we might not have seen the end of Braun Strowman ... telling TMZ Sports he's hoping to bring the former champion to his company!!!

Of course, Strowman was recently let go by Vince McMahon's organization ... after spending the past 8 years as one of wrestling's biggest stars.

Now that Henry is an analyst, coach, scout and mentor with All Elite Wrestling, we had to ask if he's planning to bring his buddy on board.

"Super high on my list," Henry tells us. "It's not an all Mark Henry decision, but there's already interest on both sides."

"Hopefully by the time he's allowed to wrestle in August, I think the middle of August, then we could have a serious conversation about contractual things of that nature but right now there's interest on both sides. I love that dude."

Henry and Strowman -- real name Adam Scherr -- go WAY back to their strongman days ... and Mark played a huge role in getting him into the wrestling game.

Now, there's a good chance at a reunion once Scherr's contract is up.

"I talked to him, I mentored him but I tell him all the time, I can't talk business," Henry added. "When your contract expires, you call and let me know and then we'll have a talk."

If Scherr does make the switch, he'll have to go by a different name ... 'cause WWE holds the rights to the "Braun Strowman" -- but it's a small sacrifice for fans who wanna see him back out there.

There's even more awesome news ... we had to ask if we could see 50-year-old Henry enter the squared circle with AEW ... and he's hoping to make it happen!

"I got a lot left in the tank," he says. "I said this before, man. Once I turn 50 ... I said I wanna wrestle again so I can say I wrestled in 4 decades."

"Not many wrestlers get to that, not many. Especially at a high level. I wanna be able to get there and hopefully by October I'll be at 100%."

Henry says he has a bit of work to do to get back into fighting shape ... but it's clear he's spent a lot of time pondering the idea.

"I want it to be very skillful and I want it to be well thought out."

Doesn't seem Tommy Tuberville will be backing any sort of legislation that requires the NCAA to pay athletes anytime soon ...

Here's the U.S. Senator and former Auburn football head coach telling TMZ Sports he firmly believes college sports are NOT a "farm" system ... insinuating scholarships and per diems are currently enough payment for athletes.

"Players are already getting paid," Tuberville said this week out at Reagan National Airport. "You've got to remember that. They’re getting their scholarship."

"Plus," Tuberville continued, "most of them are getting $600, $700, $800 cash a month for what we call cost of attendance. And, so, nobody’s going hungry as a college athlete. Men and women."

Paying players has ALWAYS been a hot-button issue in college athletics -- even back when Tuberville was coaching -- but it's been kicked up a notch this summer.

Several states are slated to make it illegal for the NCAA to punish athletes for making money off their own likeness ... and Congress is now being looked at to potentially step in and finally make a blanket ruling on it all.

Tuberville, though, doesn't seem like the kind of guy who will press for large reform ... telling us, "It should always be about education. If we get away from that, we're going to lose it."

"This is not a minor league farm system."

Tuberville added, "This is not farm minor league sports. It is education ... at the end of the day, it should be about education."

There's more ... we also spoke with Tuberville about Alabama locking Nick Saban into another lengthy contract extension, and Tommy said while it's great for college football, it's certainly bad news for the rest of the SEC!

LeBron James and the Lakers would still be playing right now if it weren't for Anthony Davis' brutal injury ... so says Ben McLemore, who tells TMZ Sports "everybody knows" things would've been a LOT different if AD stayed healthy.

Remember, AD went down with a groin injury in Game 4 of the first-round series against Phoenix ... and the Lakers ended up getting eliminated in 6 games.

We spoke with McLemore about the impact the injury had on the series ... and it's safe to say he thinks the Lakers would've extended their run had the whole team been healthy.

"I think everybody know that," McLemore told us out on Rodeo Drive this week. "Great superstar. Everybody knows that."

AD was a beast for the Lakers before the injury -- posting back-to-back 34-point performances in games 2 and 3 -- but Devin Booker and Chris Paul proved to be too much for the shorthanded Purple and Gold (they also dealt with injuries to Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Alex Caruso).

Lamar Odom is a champion once again -- the ex-NBA superstar just KNOCKED OUT Aaron Carter in their Celebrity Boxing match!!!

Carter came out SWINGING ... hitting Odom with as many punches as his body could handle ... but it was clear from the jump -- Odom was in control.

The 6'10" Odom and 6'0" Carter duked it out for 2 rounds at the Showboat Hotel in Atlantic City ... but the Lakers champion was gonna have no issue handing the former pop star in the ring.

As we previously reported, UFC Hall of Famer Chuck Liddell told us he was gonna let the dudes fight ... and that's exactly what happened -- LO and AC were throwing punches left and right.

But, ultimately, Carter didn't have the same luck he had against Shaq ... 'cause it was Odom's hand that was raised at the end of the night.

Odom finished Carter in the second round ... but it was all love -- both guys hugged it out after Aaron went down midway through the second round.

The whole event was a party -- boxer Paulie Malignaggi, Ice-T and Coco were all on the mic to provide fun commentary ... and the other fights on the card provided were a bunch of fun, too!!

Odom told us before the fight ... he was planning to put Carter to sleep ... and while he didn't make that happen, he still came through with the dub.

Floyd Mayweather says his Las Vegas home was burglarized and a bunch of valuable property was taken ... and now the boxing superstar is pleading for help, offering at least $100,000 for info leading to the arrest of the burglars.

Mayweather -- who recently told us he expected to rake in $50 to $100 million for the Logan Paul fight -- just announced one of his Sin City houses was broken into.

”One’s home is there a sanctuary, place of peace, relaxation and comfort. When someone violates that sanctuary, it is disturbing and hurtful," Mayweather wrote on social media.

"One of my homes was burglarized in Las Vegas. They stole many valuable handbags and other belongings of substantial value. I am offering at least $100,000 reward for information that leads to the return of my belongings."

Floyd continued ... "The level of disrespect and greed it takes for someone to do this is unfathomable. Thank you to anyone who comes forward with any information. God bless.”

It's unclear exactly what was taken or when the alleged burglary went down ... but we're told Floyd only recently returned to Vegas after spending a few days in Miami following his fight.

Mayweather has dropped insane amounts of cash on some of the most coveted handbags -- included incredibly rare Birkin bags -- over the years.

No big layoff for Claressa Shields -- the boxing champ turned MMA sensation says the plan is to get back in the cage in 2 to 3 months!!

The 26-year-old is coming off a stunning victory in her MMA debut on Thursday -- pummeling Brittney Elkin so brutally at PFL 4, the ref stopped the fight.

Shields is still FIRED UP about the win and tells TMZ Sports ... a TON of her famous friends have been blowing up her phone to send love -- from Halle Berry to Ray Lewis, Dwight Howard and more!

But, Claressa isn't spending too much time celebrating -- she'll be back in the gym to start training for her next MMA fight in just a few weeks!!

"I have another MMA fight I believe in August or September … and [after that] we're saving the end of the year for boxing."

Why so much activity?

"I'm young and I'm hungry," Shields says ... noting she's busted her ass in boxing but never got the paychecks she believes she deserves.

Shields strongly believes the path to becoming rich is through MMA -- and says, "I believe that I'll be a millionaire sooner than we think."

The end goal isn't just money ... Shields says the goal is to become champion in both sports -- and she's convinced it'll happen in due time.

Look, Shields knows her performance could have been better -- especially when it comes to her ground game, but she's dedicated to working on her weaknesses in the gym and wants to become a well-rounded fighter.

"We got a long way to go, but I'm happy to start [my career with a win] and take care of business."

Rap star 2 Chainz says he's sad as hell to see the Atlanta Falcons trade his good friend Julio Jones ... but tells TMZ Sports he's still gonna support his guy by coppin' his new Titans jersey!!

Of course, the "Grey Area" MC is a diehard Dirty Birds fan ... and has been tight with JJ over the years.

Now that the Falcons are entering their first season since 2011 without Julio ... we had to ask how 2 Chainz is holding up.

"I'm bummed out about it, man," Julio told us outside Amiri on Rodeo Drive. "I'm a Falcons fan, but "I'm a Julio fan. He's a great friend of mine."

"I'm a huge Julio fan," he added. "Somebody today called me about the suites up there at the Falcons. I don't know how I feel yet."

2 Chainz explains Falcons fans had a strong relationship with Julio ... which is why it stings to see him go.

But, good news for Julio -- 2 Chainz says he's gonna be sure to get Jones' new #2 jersey with the Titans ... after all, the number couldn't be more perfect.

"I hope this reaches Logan Paul. You looked good [Sunday] night! You looked really in control and you look like you could do some things in this sport."

That's Shawn Porter -- former 2x welterweight world champion -- cosigning Logan's career as a pugilist ... telling the YouTube star to KEEP BOXING!!

TMZ Sports talked to 33-year-old Porter about Paul following his 8-round exhibition fight vs. Floyd Mayweather last weekend ... and the boxing star had a message for Maverick.

"You have a built-in audience! You can make this money fighting this completion, build yourself up and then when the time is right, you say, 'Yo I'm ready for a world championship title' and I think by then, everybody that has rocked with him to this point will continue to rock with him."

Porter continued ... "He'll pull fans from the boxing arena and boom, you can't be mad at dude after that! You can't be mad at the money-making after that!"

Speaking of money, Logan previously told us he expected to make at least $20 million for the Mayweather fight.

That pissed off some star fighters (see Francis Ngannou) ... so we asked Shawn if he was upset inferior fighters were making BANK.

"You can't be mad at the hustle! I cannot knock the hustle! I'm happy for them dudes, I'm happy for them to get the money the way they've been getting it."

This is a beautiful, beautiful sight.

The Chicago Cubs welcomed a FULL-CAPACITY crowd to Wrigley Field Friday for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic started ... and none other than Bill Murray was present to give a majestic rendition of "Take Me Out to the Ball Game!!!"

Of course, it's tradition for the Cubbies to welcome their biggest supporters to help serenade the crowd during the 7th-inning stretch ... so the team brought out its most diehard fan for the first game back with a full stadium.

"This is what it feels like to be 100%," Murray yelled to the crowd before the big moment. "And, we're gonna be louder from right now until the last out in the top of the 9th inning, understood?"

Remember -- the Cubs haven't hosted a full stadium since 2019 ... so the place was ROCKING during their game against hated rival St. Louis.

"Let's scare the hell outta these Cardinals, let's scare them!!" Murray added.

The whole crowd singing along with the Chicago native was a powerful moment ... and Murray made sure to make the last note hold out as long as possible.

The video is pretty damn emotional considering what sports fans have been through in the past year ... and hopefully, there's more content like this moving forward.

Austin McBroom says his celeb fight with Bryce Hall ain't gonna last too long ... telling TMZ Sports he's guaranteeing a knockout within the first two rounds!!!

"He won't last past the first round," the YouTube star said of his TikTok rival. "He'd be lucky to get to the second round. If he gets to the second round, it'll end right there."

The two social media titans are finally set to throw down in Miami this weekend after months of trash talk ... and McBroom seemed as confident as ever Friday that he'd score the win.

In fact, Austin seemed downright concerned for Hall ... telling us he's worried he might legitimately HURT Bryce on Saturday night at Hard Rock Stadium.

"He's nervous," McBroom said of Hall. "He's a nervous one. He's out there getting jitters face-to-face. He was out there shaking a little bit."

"So, I just hope he's ready man. 'Cause in this sport, you can get seriously hurt. And, I would hate to hurt the kid."

As for Bryce, he insisted he ain't feeling any butterflies ahead of the big boxing match ... and told us he's actually received some key advice from Logan and Jake Paul about managing all that.

Oh, and he threw a fat jab McBroom's way.

Patrick Mahomes ain't just good at football ... he's clearly great at producing adorable babies too -- 'cause the QB just revealed the 1st pics of his newborn daughter -- AND SHE'S PRECIOUS!!

The NFL superstar and his fiancee, Brittany Matthews, dropped the photos on social media Friday afternoon ... and it's cuteness overload.

The whole fam was decked out in adidas gear for the flicks -- with little Sterling rockin' her own sweet little tracksuit and black bow.

Mahomes captioned the pics by writing, "Hello World!" while Matthews added, "Hi, my name is Sterling."

Brittany gave birth to the baby girl back in February ... but the couple decided to wait 4 months to reveal her to the world (and Chiefs Kingdom) on Friday.

An official in China has died -- seemingly taking his own life -- amid an investigation into an ultramarathon tragedy last month that killed 21 elite runners.

The Chinese state-controlled media confirmed Li Zuobi died on Wednesday -- after leaping from his apartment building.

Zuobi was the Jingtai County Communist Party Secretary -- and oversaw a team that was involved with the planning of the 62-mile Yellow River Stone Forest Trail Race which took place on May 22 in the province of Gansu.

As we previously reported, 172 elite athletes participated in the event -- but tragedy struck when a freezing cold storm suddenly moved in just a few miles into the race, punishing the runners with a barrage of hailstones, rain and icy winds.

A 1,200-person search party was launched -- but 21 runners ultimately died due to the severe weather conditions. Several more were hospitalized.

The Chinese government launched a formal investigation into the incident -- and ultimately punished 27 officials for major failures in the race planning.

Among the issues, officials determined the emergency response protocols in place to tackle to serious weather issues were unsatisfactory.

Li was not held personally responsible for the issues -- but his deputy, Zhang Wenling, was fired ... along with other lower-level officials.

As for Li's death, CCTV (the Chinese state-controlled broadcaster) says investigators do NOT believe he was killed ... and have ruled out homicide.

The families of the 21 runners who lost their lives were offered $150k in compensation following the tragedy ... but some have reportedly declined the offer.

Minnesota Timberwolves star Malik Beasley says it's been "tough" being locked up jail -- but he's trying to find a silver lining.

The 24-year-old is currently incarcerated at Wright County Jail in Minnesota -- serving a 120 day sentence stemming from a bizarre gun incident in Sept. 2020.

Beasley began his sentence on June 1 -- and now, 11 days in ... he's speaking about what it's been like behind bars.

"What's up guys, just wanted to say a few words," Beasley said in an IG post ... "I'm doing better. I'm closer to God, closer to my family, and most importantly finding myself."

Beasley -- who averaged 19.6 points per game in 36 starts in 2021 -- admits, "Not sleeping at home has been tough but it's only temporary."

"I'm still working hard everyday on and off the court to be the best version of me."

As we previously reported, prosecutors say Beasley exploded on a family after they unexpectedly pulled up in his driveway in Sept. 2020, mistakenly believing Beasley's house was part of a "parade of homes" tour.

Officials say the NBA player pointed a gun at the people and ordered them to scram.

Beasley was initially hit with 2 charges over it all -- felony threats of violence and felony drug possession -- but he cut a deal with prosecutors months later to close out the case and was ultimately sentenced to 120 days in jail.

"I want people to learn from me, because it's going to be one helluva story," Beasley added in his post.

"I'm not looking for sympathy or anything like that, just to understand I could easily fold and I won't."

"For those who care, I love y'all and will return the favor I promise. Just be patient. Sending love & peace to everyone. Have a blessed weekend."

Police say they've identified the two guys who stole -- and then crashed -- Thomas Davis Sr.'s McLaren 720S supercar ... and they're just kids.

The Union County Sheriff's Office says investigators working the case believe the suspects are only 17 and 15 -- and officials are currently scrambling to take them into custody.

Despite their age, officials say both suspects "face juvenile petitions charging them with Burglary, two counts of Larceny of a Firearm, 5 counts of Breaking and Entering of a Motor Vehicle and 1 count of Motor Vehicle Theft."

As we previously reported, cops believe the guys broke into the ex-NFL star's North Carolina home early Tuesday morning, rummaged through his belongings and eventually stole the McLaren as well as two firearms.

During the getaway, cops say the men crashed the McLaren into their getaway car, rendering the McLaren inoperable.

Cops say they will not release the names of the suspects because they're juveniles ... but once in custody, the guys will "be held in a juvenile facility pending an appearance before a District Court judge."

For his part, Davis Sr. -- who retired from the NFL after the 2020 season -- said Wednesday his family is "all good" despite the disturbing situation.