TMZ Sports - Page 50

The wins keep coming for Taylor Swift ... whose "Eras" tour has already raked in an estimated $1.04 BILLION in gross ticket sales.

According to live-music trade publication Pollstar, it's the first-ever tour to smash the billion-dollar milestone.

The sky-high numbers have topped all previous tours in ticket sales for the 12-month period from Nov. 17, 2022, to Nov. 15, 2023 -- and yes, that includes Beyoncé's "Renaissance" tour, which takes second place.

It's estimated that Tay's tour has sold a whopping 4.35 million tickets from 60 shows ... with merchandise sales racking up to $200 million during the yearly run.

Those record-breaking numbers are expected to escalate -- as Pollstar predicts that ticket sales from the next eligible box-office year will once again hit $1B -- taking the tour's total to $2B.

Of course, the enormous success of her tour means Taylor will be lining her pockets with some hefty payday checks -- though she's shown that sharing is caring ... dishing over $50M in total bonuses to her concert crew and an extra $100k to every truck driver hauling her tour equipment around the country.

Also, let's not forget -- her concert film also bagged an enormous $250M at the global box office.

Surely, her achievements speak volumes ... hushing the haters of her recent Time's Person of the Year crowning.

Kevin Costner is apparently rebounding after his split from Christine Baumgartner because he and Jewel are now a thing ... sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ.

These pics were shot on Richard Branson's Necker Island in the British Virgin Islands ... where the 2 of them were part of a tennis fundraiser for the Inspiring Children Foundation. Jewel is the founder of the org, and Kevin was a guest.

Here's what we know. The 2 flew to the Caribbean together and hung out a lot for more than a week. As one source put it, "There was definitely something going on. They were flirty, and when they were together, it was like they both just lit up."

One source added, "You could tell they were trying to be discreet, but anybody who saw them could tell something was going on."

Jewel had mentioned Kevin on social media, talking about the event, writing ... "it's an incredible time, and one I use to relax, rest and play w my son! @kevincostnermodernwest was kind enough to mentor our kids this year."

They played doubles with Sir Richard, who, as she says, "plays a mean game!"

We're told the 2 also flew back together.

As we reported, Kevin, 68, recently settled his bitter divorce from Christine after 18 years of marriage. Jewel, 49, split from her husband Ty Murray, back in 2014. One source told us Jewel is "picky," adding, "She wants a good man, and Kevin fits the bill."

Our sources say the relationship is "rather new," but everything we're hearing is that they are definitely a thing.

Dak Prescott is calling on NFL fans to drop trou' and take a deuce all over their hated rival teams ... and it's all in the name of colorectal cancer awareness!!

The Dallas Cowboys quarterback released the hilarious, minute-long promo on Friday ... where he's inviting diehard football backers to join the bowel movement by getting their colons screened and supporting their allegiances at the same time.

"As a professional quarterback, I get a lot of s***," Prescott says in the video for the Colorectal Cancer Alliance's Lead From Behind campaign. "And, I get it -- when you're not a fan of something, s***ing on it can make you feel good. But, what if I told you now, it can do some good, too?"

Prescott then goes on to reveal an at-home screening kit with customizable stickers ... and naturally, the collection features images of pretty much every NFL team's mascots, so people can literally s*** on any fanbase.

"Not a fan of marine life?" Prescott asks as he holds up a dolphin sticker. "Slap it on!!"

Prescott also shades the 49ers, Browns and Eagles ... but conveniently, there's no Cowboys-related sticker in sight.

"Have issues with old-timey prospectors? Boom," Prescott continues. "It works with anything -- from colors to large American predatory birds."

Actor Ryan Reynolds' voice makes a brief appearance, too ... and even he catches a stray in the process.

The clip is pretty damn funny, but the topic is serious for Dak -- he lost his mother, Peggy, to colon cancer in 2013.

LeBron James and the Lakers punched their tickets to the In-Season Tournament championship Thursday night, but there was a different matchup the NBA superstar said he was pumped about -- Bronny's first-ever game at USC.

King James addressed the big news of his eldest son being slated to make his big debut this weekend with reporters on Thursday ... and he explained how it'll mean "everything and more" to see his kid fully return from his cardiac arrest in July.

"Looking forward to that for sure," LBJ said after the Lakers routed the New Orleans Pelicans in the semis in Vegas. "Super excited for that moment."

Bronny is expected to play in USC's home game against Long Beach State on Sunday ... after completing his first full-contact practice on Thursday.

LeBron explained he is excited to see Bronny run out on the court with his teammates following his medical clearance ... but also when he enters the game -- whenever that may be.

"It's a big milestone for our family, for sure," LeBron said. "It's another step for him on his journey in his basketball career. Looking forward to it."

Of course, LeBron previously stated he was willing to miss one of his own games in order to be there for his son ... so we take it he will be front and center to soak it all in on Sunday.

Quavo just channeled his inner 'Karate Kid' ... breaking a board with just one punch during a sweat sesh in Japan!!!

The Migos rapper hopped in a Gi for the feat ... slamming his fist right through a piece of wood -- and video from the scene is awesome.

You can see the 32-year-old rapper square up with his trainer ... before throwing a right hand that blasted straight through the piece of timber.

Unclear why Quavo was performing the move ... though based on his social media postings this week -- it appears to be for a scene in an upcoming music video.

Nonetheless, Quavo was obviously thrilled with it all ... yelling after breaking the board, "Yeahhhhhhhh! That was nice!"

Some of his millions of fans on social media thought it was hilarious ... with a few dubbing the jab the "Huncho punch."

A Josh Allen fan grew so angry with another customer at a Canadian McDonald's over the weekend ... he not only socked the guy in the face -- but he hurled a chair at him as well.

The wild scene happened in Truro, Nova Scotia ... after a man in a jacket and beanie got pissed with a Golden Arches employee over the toy in his Happy Meal.

Video from inside the eatery shows the guy was upset that he couldn't get Pokemon cards with his order -- and he demanded a refund.

The dude and the manager went back and forth about the situation for a while ... before the Allen fan stepped in.

The Buffalo Bills supporter seemed to want to order some food -- but when the man in the jacket had bigger desires to continue his spat over his toy ... the guys got into a verbal altercation.

"Dude," the Allen fan said. "I will knock you the f*** out."

After trading words for a few seconds, the man in Allen's No. 17 jersey eventually threw a punch ... and then a tussle ensued.

The guys locked horns for around a minute -- and at one point, the Allen fan appeared to be bitten on the forehead. When the guys eventually separated, the Bills supporter seemed to be bleeding from his eye area.

The fight, though, didn't stop there ... 'cause after they exchanged more words -- the Allen fan chucked a chair at the man -- before he took the guy's backpack and left the building.

Post Malone has become so synonymous with the Dallas Cowboys -- he's now joined the famed "88 Club" group text that includes Drew Pearson, Michael Irvin, Dez Bryant and CeeDee Lamb!!!

Pearson revealed the eyebrow-raising fact to TMZ Sports this week ... saying Post has demonstrated so much love to Dallas over the past few years that he and other Cowboys legends have now opened their arms -- and their text messages -- to the "Congratulations" crooner.

It's, of course, a huge deal ... because the "88 Club" has long been limited to Dallas players who have starred while wearing jersey No. 88 -- and only those players.

But, Pearson explained Post has just become that good of a friend and that big of a fan.

"Our honorary guy on the '88 Club' is Post Malone," Pearson said.

Pearson then told us Post actually chimes in on their group chat during games ... saying, "You know he's going crazy!" while watching the action on his TV screen.

"He's on the group text with us," Pearson reiterated. "He's a big fan."

Post has professed his love for the Cowboys for years -- but most recently, he's really kicked things up a notch. In October, he opened up a Dallas-themed Raising Cane's ... and a month later, he helped design a Cowboys clothing line as well.

Too bad the WBC title fight's not today ... 'cause Devin Haney and Regis Prograis seemed ready to beat the hell of out each other after a heated argument at a press conference days before their boxing match.

The expletive-filled incident happened on Thursday during the Haney vs. Prograis final press conference ahead of their Dec. 9 fight which is going down in San Francisco.

Things got heated after Haney's team said Devin would knock Regis out ... something Prograis questioned, highlighting Devin's knockout rate.

"Who you knocked out Devin?!" Prograis yelled. "C'mon Dev, who the f*** did you knock out?! Nobody!"

"You soft as f***!"

FYI, Prograis has 24 KOs in 30 fights ... compared to Haney, who has 15 KOs in 30 fights. But, Haney is undefeated ... while Regis has one loss.

"You slow! You're a one-trick pony," Haney replied. "You do the same thing every fight!"

Prograis continued his rant ... telling the crowd and even Haney's father, Bill, that he's going to "hurt" the super lightweight boxer come Saturday.

Devin seemed unbothered.

"You not gon' hurt s***!" Haney said. "I'm gonna beat the f*** out you, watch!"

Aaron Rodgers just got tattooed again ... this time he had a dragon featuring a nod to his Jets' jersey put down on his left arm.

The New York quarterback's tattoo artist, Balazs Bercsenyi, revealed the new artwork on his Instagram page on Thursday afternoon ... showing Rodgers got the piece put right in the middle of his bicep.

It's unclear why Rodgers chose the creature -- or what the significance of the lettering around it is -- but Bercsenyi explained the positioning of the dragon's body was no accident.

"Second tattoo for the 🐐 himself @aaronrodgers12," the artist said in a caption on the photos of the ink, "with a subtle hint for Aaron’s new jersey number #8."

The 40-year-old signal-caller was clearly thrilled with how it all came out ... writing in a comment on the artist's page, "Happy Birthday brother! So thankful for you and your mastery."

The tat is the second Rodgers has ever gotten ... he previously had a pair of lions and an eyeball put on his left forearm.

Of course, Rodgers has plenty of time to sit in the tattoo chair these days -- he's been on injured reserve since he blew out his Achilles during NY's first game of the season.

The divorce drama between Iman Shumpert and Teyana Taylor is heating up ... he's now calling BS on her claim he made her feel endangered when she was with him.

According to court documents, obtained by TMZ, Shumpert says Teyana never proved he made her feel endangered, despite making the claim in recently filed divorce papers. Iman wants the court to take action, and to remove Teyana's accusations from the documents.

To get specific, Teyana put something called "cruel treatment" as grounds for the couple's divorce, which is defined as "willful infliction of pain bodily or mental ... [that] reasonably justifies apprehension of danger to life, limb, or health."

Iman says that's nonsense, and the only grounds should be "irretrievable broken bond." He wants the "cruel treatment" grounds thrown out.

What's more, Iman says despite Teyana's claims, he's never been irresponsible when it comes to the care of their two daughters, seven-year-old “Junie” Tayla, and three-year-old Rue Rose.

The new filing from Iman is just another chapter in what's already become a nasty custody battle. As we reported, Teyana first filed the divorce docs using only the couple's initials in an attempt to keep everything private from the public.

However, Iman blew the lid off the secret when he filed a motion asking the court to attach their full names to the documents ... and allowing the public to know what was going on.

Former NFL running back Willis McGahee is opening up on the dark place he was in after his career ended in 2013 ... revealing he contemplated taking his own life "a couple times" as he struggled to find his purpose off the gridiron.

42-year-old McGahee -- who played in the NFL from 2003-2013 -- detailed his issues adjusting to life after football in an interview with The Athletic on Thursday ... saying, "When it’s gone, you really have nothing to fall back on."

"It’s just a lot coming at you, man, and it gets mentally tough."

McGahee was a stellar running back, but his career was plagued by countless injuries. Despite his recurring ailments, he managed to earn more than 8,400 yards and 65 touchdowns on the ground ... adding over 1,300 yards and another five touchdowns receiving.

Even though he felt like he could still play following the 2013 season, the league felt otherwise ... and he was forced to move on -- something he said he really struggled with in the years following.

McGahee said he has gotten better with his mental health struggles by going to therapy and focusing on his 10 children -- but his physical pain continues to this day, and he claims the NFL is abandoning players like him who need help through its disability benefits.

While McGahee said he is receiving line-of-duty benefits for substantial disability due to NFL activities, he said he is continuously getting shut down from collecting any sort of assistance for neurocognitive impairment -- which led to a lawsuit.

"It’s not benefiting the players who are really, actually hurt and going through stuff in life," McGahee said. "They’re not taking care of us. It’s a sham. I’m tired of it. Somebody has to step up and do something about it."

McGahee explained he would do it all again if he could ... but ultimately, a decision he'll have to deal with moving forward.

"I don’t regret it," McGahee said. "But it’s something I’ve got to deal with now."

Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott just issued a mea culpa ... telling media members Thursday he's truly sorry for bringing up the 9/11 attacks in a motivational speech a couple years ago.

According to GoLongTD.com's Tyler Dunne ... McDermott's tone-deaf talk to his players happened during the Bills' 2019 training camp -- when he was trying to emphasize to his squad how it needed to communicate to come together.

"Sources on-hand say, he used a strange model: the terrorists on Sept. 11, 2001," Dunne wrote in a lengthy three-part piece about the coach that was published on Thursday morning.

"He cited the hijackers as a group of people who were all able to get on the same page to orchestrate attacks to perfection."

When McDermott addressed the issue with reporters Thursday afternoon ... he didn't deny making the making comments.

"I regretted mentioning 9/11 in my message that day," he said, "and I immediately apologized to the team." He added that his goal was to get his guys to understand the importance of "being on the same page."

ESPN's Alaina Getzenberg reported the coach also said he has plans to apologize to his current roster over the comments later Thursday.

"Not only was 9/11 a horrific event in our country's history," McDermott said, "but a day that I lost a good family friend."

He continued, "I'm not here to discuss the article that's out there and the things that are mentioned other than this right here, because this right here is very, very important to me and something I take very seriously."

Brittney Griner's story is getting the Mickey Mouse treatment -- the WNBA superstar just inked a deal with Disney, ESPN and ABC for multiple upcoming projects ... including a documentary about her Russian drug case.

"The last two years have been the most harrowing, transformative and illuminating period of my life, and I am grateful to be in a place now to share my story with the world," Griner said in a statement on Thursday.

"I’m proud to partner with ESPN and Disney to share this very personal story because of its incredible potential to inspire hope around the world and their proven ability to do just that."

The partnership also includes the development of a scripted limited series on Griner's life, which is said to already be "in the works."

Griner was arrested at a Russian airport in February 2022 for cannabis possession. She was sentenced to nine years in prison ... before the U.S. government made a deal to get her back in Dec. 2022 that involved Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.

Since Griner's release, the center signed a one-year deal with the Phoenix Mercury -- averaging 17.5 points and 6.3 rebounds per game last season -- and has become an advocate for Americans who have been detained in another country.

"Brittney is an exceptional athlete whose hardship and resilience are nothing short of extraordinary," ESPN president Burke Magnus said. "We are thrilled to be working with her to tell the nuances of her story and feel confident that this documentary will captivate audiences everywhere."

The documentary will feature previously unreleased footage, records and letters from Griner's time in prison.

Alvin Kamara is doing his part to brighten up an NFL official's week after the Saints star accidentally broke the guy's leg during a game on Sunday ... sending a signed ball and jersey his way -- with a well wishes note too.

The man -- Nick Piazza -- received the gifts on Wednesday, according to NOLA.com's Jeff Duncan ... just three days after Kamara barreled into him in New Orleans' tilt against the Lions, seriously hurting him in the process.

Piazza seemed to be super appreciative of the gifts -- posing for a photo with them all -- while also revealing to Duncan that Saints owner Gayle Benson personally reached out as well.

While grateful for the support ... Piazza is still far from a healthy man -- as he's got a super long road to recovery ahead of him.

Piazza said doctors told him he tore ligaments in his knee and fractured his fibula as well -- and all of the ailments will require major surgery on Friday.

Piazza is expected to miss work for the next couple months as he recovers -- and his role this season as an NFL sideline official is over as well.

Ric Flair wasn't saying "WOOOO" after his recent run-in with Michael Chandler ... it was more like "OWWWW," 'cause the WWE legend was straight-up tackled to the ground!!

Naitch and the UFC star had an "altercation" at a bar recently ... and the footage of their wild trash-talkin' session that turned violent quickly spread on social media.

Of course, many rightfully suspected there wasn't any real bad blood between the two -- after all, they've starred in commercials for Car Shield in the past ... and actually have another spot dropping next week.

But we reached out to Chandler about the whole thing ... and he explained what exactly went down.

"It was a work," the lightweight contender told TMZ Sports. "Ric was teaching me the art."

Regardless, it's still just as funny to see the two get in full character for the clip ... with 74-year-old Flair showing he's still just as good with his lip service, and 37-year-old Chandler slapping him and doing a double leg takedown.

Festus Ezeli traded in his basketball sneakers for a suit and microphone, but that didn't stop former teammate Steph Curry from having some fun at the ex-Warrior-turned-sideline reporter's expense ... on live TV!!

The trolling went down during Ezeli's pre-game report before the Warriors-Blazers game Wednesday night at the Chase Center in San Francisco.

Festus was talking about Andrew Wiggins' return from a thumb injury when Curry walked on the court and stood behind the 6'11" reporter. FE had no idea the future Hall of Famer was there.

Steph continued to pace behind Ezeli, staring at him while he spoke to the camera.

Curry eventually cracked and smiled, and even co-signed Festus' message about Steph;s play.

"I approve that message," Curry said to Ezeli.

Festus later shared the hilarious moment on his social media ... saying, "Love @stephencurry30 😂."

"Ever wondered if it’s super distracting talking while people are in your ear? Well here’s a clip of my brain doing the Macarena bc the producer is talking while I’m trying to do my hit."

It was definitely a special moment for both guys ... remember, Ezeli and Curry played together on the Warriors from 2012 to 2015 and won the 2015 NBA Finals as teammates.

Festus averaged 4.3 rebounds and 1 block per game during his 3-year career in Golden State.