AI-assisted summary
• The Browns visited a primary school in England as part of their initiative to combat chronic absenteeism.
• A teacher at the school, a lifelong Browns fan, was surprised with a new jersey and tickets to the team’s London game.
• The ‘Stay in the Game’ program aims to keep students engaged in school through enriching activities.

Kevin Smith thought he would be a nervous wreck. He just wanted everything to go right for his students, especially since his favorite NFL team was visiting his school about two hours outside of London.

It turns out he was a part of the surprise visit as well.

Members of the Cleveland Browns visited Trapston Primary School in Northamptonshire, U.K. on Thursday, Oct. 2 to have an assembly and play an outdoor flag football game with students before their Week 5 matchup against the Minnesota Vikings on Oct. 5 in London

The visit is part of the Browns’ Stay in the Game! effort, which aims to combat chronic absenteeism, encouraging students to participate in enriching activities to influence attendance that can lead to graduation.

“When the email came through, saying ‘Would you like the Browns to visit your school on October 2nd? ‘I’m just like, Are you serious? Do I want my favorite football team to come to my school on my birthday? Yes. Wow. Fantastic,” said Smith, who turned 57 this week. “It was a great, great thing to happen.”

The Browns connected with Smith, a diehard Cleveland sports fan who was born in Findlay, Ohio, while his father was working with Marathon Oil. His family moved back to London a few weeks after he was born. When NFL games began broadcasting in Europe in the 80s, Smith knew there was only one team for him to support.

“On my birth certificate, it’s got district of Cleveland,” Smith said. “I follow basically all of the Cleveland team, so I’m big brands fan, big Guardian fan. So that’s how that came about.”

Smith teaches all subjects at his school, and runs the school’s physical education program, setting up soccer matches and recently starting a flag football team.

“We try and get all the children involved,” Smith said. “We split it along two lines: We have the line where we’re thinking we want to be successful and win, but we also have the line where we think we want to get as many children, representing the school and taking part in the tournaments because it gets them to buy into the school and they feel a pride in their school.”

Everyone in the school knows Smith is a big Browns fan, but he did not know he was also going to be surprised with a new jersey, a VIP invite to a team practice Friday and tickets for the London game. School principal Pauline Turner also received jerseys and tickets to the game, while one student, who will attend with her parents, will be get to pick up the kickoff tee during the game.

Former Browns tight end Gary Barnidge, who is co-founder of American Football Without Borders, attended the school assembly held for about 400 students, while 40 kids got to participate in a flag football game where they were cheered on by team mascot Chomps.

“I’ve taught for 25 years now, and every now and again, you have a win. This is a massive win. And it just makes me really proud to support that team that takes the effort to actually come over to our school,” Smith said. “They’re not just here to play a football game. They’re dealing with a global problem that needs to be dealt with, and they’re doing it in my community.”

After conversations with school superintendents in Ohio, Browns owner Dee Haslam discovered kids are 3.9 times more likely to read on grade level if they attend regularly, and three times more likely to graduate. Their findings inspired them to build a playbook to teach teachers and administrators what they can do to help keep the kids in school.

“Education is something that I care deeply about,” Haslam told USA TODAY Sports. “We recognize that any engagement from music, to theater, to science club or whatever – however you can keep kids engaged so they want to be in school. They can’t do those clubs or extracurricular things if they’re not there. So, every single day counts.”

Stay in the Game! is in at least 215 districts in Ohio, available to support 580,000 students across the state. The program says it has decreased chronic absenteeism by 10.3% since it began in 2019.

The Browns have partnered with MLS teams Columbus Crew (which the Haslams own) and FC Cincinnati to help schools around Ohio. Haslam hopes other sports teams in the U.S. will join their initiative in their respective areas.

Haslam also plans to meet Smith before the Browns take on the Vikings, to thank him for being a huge Cleveland sports fan and for doing his part to keep his students in school.

“We’re having an impact far beyond the districts we’re involved. And we believe that Kevin will have that same impact. There’s no telling how far this can go internationally, but this is encouraging, exciting, and so incredibly helpful for families,” Dee Haslam said.

LAS VEGAS — The Las Vegas Aces took care of home court.

The No. 2 seed Aces defeated the No. 4 seed Phoenix Mercury 89-86 in Game 1 of WNBA Finals on Friday at Michelob ULTRA Arena, taking a 1-0 lead in the first best-of-seven championship series in league history.

Aces guard Dana Evans was the unlikely hero of Game 1, finishing with 21 points in 26 minutes off the bench, shooting 8-of-13 from the field including 5-of-6 from the 3-point line. She added four steals, three assists and two rebounds.

‘I feel like I feed off my defense,’ Evans said of her performance. ‘I feel like I got some early steals, early on, I got to the basket. I saw the ball going in and I just kept being aggressive.’

The Mercury had a chance to take the lead with 24.6 seconds left, but forward Alyssa Thomas missed both of her free throw attempts. Aces guard Jackie Young knocked down both of her free throws to extend the Aces’ lead to three points with 13.5 seconds remaining.

Mercury forward Satou Sabally had a final look at an equalizer, but she missed a 3-point attempt with 2.4 seconds remaining. Jackie Young got the rebound and dribbled the ball out for the win.

‘We ran a play to get Kahleah (Cooper) a look,’ Mercury coach Nate Tibbetts said of the final possession. ‘They did a good job of switching out. We had one more option … I probably should have ran out and called a TO with six seconds to go.’ 

Aces center A’ja Wilson finished with 21 points, 10 rebounds and five assists. Young finished with 10 points and five assists. Jewell Loyd had 18 points and four rebounds off the bench.

The Mercury were outscored 22-15 in the final quarter. Phoenix had five players in double figures lead by Copper with 21 points. Thomas was an assist short of a triple-double with 15 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists.

‘It’s a game of runs,’ Copper said. ‘I think we did a pretty good job of understanding and handling the runs but down the stretch, they made the plays and we didn’t. this is something to learn from.’ 

The WNBA Finals continue with Game 2 on Sunday (3 p.m. ET, ABC) at Michelob Ultra Arena.

Follow along as USA TODAY Sports provides live updates, highlights and recaps Game 1 of the WNBA Finals:

Satou Sabally in foul trouble

Sabally picked up her fifth personal foul with 8:23 remaining in the game. To add insult to injury, she was also called for a technical foul for slamming the ball down in the direction of the official after the call. Sabally went to the bench, exiting with 19 points, four rebounds and three assists.

End of 3Q: Mercury 71, Aces 67

Kahleah Copper has 21 points, Alyssa Thomas is closing in on a double-double with 10 points and nine assists. Satou Sabally has 16 points, three assists and three rebounds.

A’ja Wilson is the only Aces starter to reach double digits with 15 point, six rebounds and four assists, one steal and one block. Jewell Loyd added 15 off the bench, while Dana Evans is up to 12 points.

Sami Whitcomb returns to bench

Mercury guard Sami Whitcomb was helped to the locker room by two staffers after appearing to injure her lower body with 1:58 remaining in third quarter. She sprinted out the tunnel to start the fourth quarter.

Chelsea Gray exits with ankle injury after flagrant foul 

Mercury guard Kahleah Copper was called for a personal foul on a reckless closeout on Aces guard Chelsea Gray, who landed on Copper’s foot and tweaked her right ankle on a 3-point attempt with 5:37 remaining in the third quarter. The foul on Copper was upgraded to a flagrant 1. Gray remained down on the court in visible pain. Eventually, the veteran got to her feet and knocked down all three free throws before running back for the locker room. She exited with three points and five assists in 21 minutes. Gray got her ankle taped and returned with 3:04 remaining in the third quarter.

Halftime: Mercury 50, Aces 45

Game 1 of the WNBA Finals has been as close as it gets so far with the Mercury holding a five-point advantage after a first half that featured seven lead changes and six ties. 

Mercury guard Kahleah Copper was red-hot in the first half, recording a game-high 19 points shooting 6-of-7 from the field and 5-of-6 from the 3-point line. Alyssa Thomas has 10 points, six assists and two rebounds, while Satou Sabally added nine points and three assists. The Mercury are shooting an impressive 52.9% from the field and 8-of-17 from the 3-point line, but Phoenix has turned the ball over seven times. The Aces have scored 15 points off Mercury turnovers. 

The Aces bench has scored 25 points, led by 13 points from Jewell Loyd in 18 minutes of action and 10 points from Dana Evans in 10 minutes of play. A’ja Wilson has nine points and six rebounds, while Jackie Young has eight points. 

End of Q1: Mercury 21, Aces 21

Phoenix Mercury head coach Nate Tibbetts said it was critical for his team to have a great start against the Aces in Game 1. The Mercury did just that, jumping out to a 10-2 lead, but Las Vegas responded and closed the first quarter on a 19-11 run to tie it up. 

Kahleah Copper leads the Mercury with seven points, while Alyssa Thomas and Satou Sabally have six points apiece. 

Jewell Loyd leads the Aces with eight points in seven minutes off the bench. A’ja Wilson added six points, four rebounds and two assists. 

Mercury jump out to early 10-2 lead

Game 1 of the WNBA Finals is underway at Michelob ULTRA Arena in Las Vegas. The Mercury jumped out to a 10-2 lead with 6:39 remaining in the first quarter, led by six points by Mercury forward Satou Sabally. The Aces are struggling to find their offensive rhythm so far and opened the contest shooting 1-of-8 from the field and 0-of-2 from the 3-point line. A’ja Wilson has the only two points for the Aces.

Cathy Engelbert speaks about Napheesa Collier’s remarks

WNBA commissioner answered questions about Napheesa Collier’s callout at Minnesota Lynx exit interviews. Collier openly criticized WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert and the ‘tone-deaf and dismissive approach that our leaders always seem to take’ in governing the league.

Las Vegas Aces active roster

Phoenix Mercury starting lineup

Head coach: Nate Tibbetts

• 0 Satou Sabally | F 6′ 4′ – Oregon
• 2 Kahleah Copper | G 6′ 1′ – Rutgers
• 4 Natasha Mack | C 6′ 4′ – Oklahoma State
• 8 Monique Akoa Makani | G 5′ 11′ – Cameroon
• 25 Alyssa Thomas | F 6′ 2′ – Maryland

Phoenix Mercury injury report

Las Vegas Aces starting lineup

Head coach: Becky Hammon

• 0 Jackie Young | G 6′ 0′ – Notre Dame
• 1 Kierstan Bell | F 6′ 1′ – Florida Gulf Coast
• 3 NaLyssa Smith | F 6′ 4′ – Baylor
• 12 Chelsea Gray | G 5′ 11′ – Duke
• 22 A’ja Wilson | C 6′ 5′ – South Carolina

What time is Mercury vs. Aces Game 1?

Game 1 of the WNBA Finals between the No. 2 seed Las Vegas Aces and No. 4 seed Phoenix Mercury is scheduled to tip off at 8 p.m. ET on Friday, Oct. 3 at Michelob Ultra Arena in Las Vegas.

How to watch Mercury vs. Aces in WNBA Finals: TV, streaming for Game 1

• Date: Friday, Oct. 3
• Time: 8 p.m. ET (5 p.m. PT)
• Location: Michelob Ultra Arena (Las Vegas)
• TV: ESPN
• Stream: Fubo, ESPN Unlimited

Stream Mercury-Aces series on Fubo (free trial)

USA TODAY at the WNBA Finals

Phoenix Mercury arrivals

Alyssa Thomas leads the way.

Satou Sabally with a cute little bag.

Las Vegas Aces arrivals

A’ja Wilson ready for the moment.

Cheyenne Parker-Tyus dressed to the nines.

Dane Evans with the heels.

LAS VEGAS — WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert has denied commenting on Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark.

‘Obviously, I did not make those comments,’ Engelbert said on Friday ahead of Game 1 of the 2025 WNBA Finals, three days after Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier publicly criticized Engelbert in a scathing statement.

In Collier’s exit interview on Tuesday, she disclosed a private conversation she had with Engelbert, alleging the commissioner said Clark ‘should be grateful to make $16 million off the court, because without the platform that the WNBA gives her, she wouldn’t make anything’ when asked about increasing player’s salaries.

Engelbert said she was ‘disheartened by how Napheesa (Collier) characterized our conversation’ in a statement released on social media on Tuesday, but didn’t directly deny making the comments about Clark. Until Friday.

‘Caitlin has been a transformational player in this league. She’s been a great representative of the game. She’s brought in 10 of millions of new fans to the game,’ Engelbert said when pushed to clarify what exactly she said. ‘I’m not going to get into every point (and) counterpoint. It’s not productive here. … But yeah, as I said, there’s a lot of inaccuracies reported out there and I certainly did not say that.’

However, Engelbert stopped short of denying saying ‘players should be on their knees thanking their lucky stars for the media rights deal that I got them,’ as Collier said in her statement.

‘I think obviously a lot of reporting and a lot of inaccuracy about what I said or what I didn’t say,’ Engelbert said when asked to clarify. ‘I have been in touch with Napheesa (Collier), we’ve exchanged texts. We’re talking next week. … I highly respect the players. There’s a lot of emotion and passion going on right now because we’re in collective bargaining, we’re in the WNBA Finals and so I’ll leave it there.’

The criticism of Engelbert highlights the growing divide between players and league leadership amid ongoing contract negotiations as the current collective bargaining agreement (CBA), which was signed into effect in January 2020, shortly after Engelbert took over as commissioner in 2019, is set to expire on October 31, 2025 after the WNBPA opted out. Engelbert was asked if she believed she was the right person to lead the negotiations.

‘I’ve never been a quitter, never shied away from tough situations,’ Engelbert said. ‘I think leadership, the cream always rises to the top and I’ve always been someone who believes in the fact that we have, if there’s things we need to fix, we’re going to fix ’em. If there’s things the players have a perspective on that they don’t like that we’re doing or I’m doing, we’ll fix’

Many WNBA superstar players and coaches backed Collier’s sentiments. Clark said Collier ‘said it all,’ while the Las Vegas Aces four-time MVP A’ja Wilson said she was ‘honestly disgusted by the comments that Cathy made.’

If both sides don’t reach an agreement before the CBA expires, the league could experience a work stoppage and temporarily shut down until a contract is signed. A lockout could result in the 2026 season being delayed or canceled, a growing possibly and concern for the players.

‘We continue to meet and have important conversations with the players association,’ Engelbert said on Friday. ‘I want to reiterate that we want much of the same things that the players want. We want to significantly and I mean significantly increase their salary and benefits while also supporting the long term growth and viability of the WNBA… We’ll continue to negotiate in good faith until we get a transformative deal done.’

‘I hope we got a league,’ Indiana Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell said on Wed, Oct. 1 in her exit interview. ‘I hope that when it’s all said and done … we can have a season, period.’

Engelbert said she’s ‘confident that we can get a deal done, but if not, I think we could do an extension’ and said she remains the right person to lead the league through the next CBA.

The WNBA has never experienced a lockout in its 28-year history, although the 2003 WNBA draft and preseason were postponed before a new CBA was reached in 2003. It’s worth noting that the WNBA expansion drafts for the Toronto Tempo and Portland Fire are tentatively set for December and could be affected by a stoppage.

‘Whether it’s a lockout or strike, there’s deadlines and there’s extensions that could be done,’ Engelbert said. ‘You want to make sure you’re capitalizing on all this momentum that we’ve built up over the last five years or so and that are really driving viewership into our game and fandom… this is all the important stuff of why we need to get this transformational CBA done as soon as we can because that’s where you see the potential for the future of this game.’

During the 2025 WNBA All-Star weekend in July, Engelbert said she had ‘confidence we can get something done by October,’ although she wouldn’t ‘put an exact date on it.’ She added, ‘Would we like to get it done? Yes. Does it have to be done exactly on that date? We’ve got some room to continue negotiations if we’re close at that point.’

But the latest controversy shows just how far the players and the league remain on a deal as the clock ticks.

‘I feel confident that we can repair any loss of trust,’ Engelbert added. ‘I hope all the players will engage and know what proposals we put on the table. And I think now’s the time to do that as we get up to the end of the season and then into the end of this calendar year. So yeah, we will dialogue with players. I mean one-on-one relationships, groups of relationships.’

Another point of contention in the league has been officiating and the growing physicality of the game, topics that were renewed during the postseason. Coaches and players from various teams have publicly pleaded for reform, including Aces head coach Becky Hammon, Indiana Fever head coach Stephane White and Minnesota Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve, who were all were swiftly met with fines.

“The officiating crew that we had tonight, for the leadership to deem those three people semifinals playoff worth is f—ing malpractice,” Reeve said in an expletive-filled rant after being ejected for arguing a non-call in the Lynx’s Game 3 semifinal loss to the Phoenix Mercury, resulting in a $15k fine and a one-game suspension for Game 4. Reeve called for a “change of leadership at the league level when it comes to officiating.’

Engelbert said she’s had ‘a lot of conversations’ with the league’s officials on consistency.

‘Everybody has their opinion on officiating in every sport … but yeah, certainly something we’re talking about,’ she added. ‘The officials are evaluated. Every … non-call and call is evaluated for every game during the season. This isn’t something we blow off. They’re evaluating every call and no-call. So think about that. That’s every play in every game. Film is reviewed, there’s training, there’s officiating, there’s points of emphasis obviously. So we continue to have those discussions with officiating crews even here.’

The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.

Skip Schumaker has officially been tasked with leading the Texas Rangers.

Schumaker was the 2023 National League manager of the year with the Miami Marlins, leading the team to an 84-78 record and rare playoff appearance. He and the Marlins parted ways, however, after they went 62-100 in 2024.

The 45-year-old has spent the last year as a special assistant with the Rangers under future Hall of Famer Bruce Bochy.

Bochy and the Rangers agreed he would not continue on as manager after three seasons that included the club’s first World Series title in 2023.

Schumaker inherits a team that went 81-81 in 2025.

The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.

AI-assisted summary
• The San Francisco 49ers defeated the Los Angeles Rams 26-23 in overtime.
• Quarterback Mac Jones passed for 342 yards and two touchdowns in the victory.
• Wide receiver Kendrick Bourne had a career-high 142 receiving yards.

Down several starters, Mac Jones and the 49ers hung on to defeat the Los Angeles Rams 26-23 in an overtime thriller on Thursday night.

San Francisco got out to a surprising 14-0 lead in the first half and withstood a comeback by the Rams that brought the game to overtime.

It’s the 49ers’ first win versus their NFC West rival since Sept. 17, 2023.

Jones was sharp starting in place of Brock Purdy. Jones passed for 342 yards in two touchdowns in what was a superb outing for the QB.

USA TODAY Sports was at SoFi Stadium for the battle. Here are the winners and losers from the Week 5 matchup:

Winners

Mac Jones

Jones completed his first eight passes and was able to keep the offense moving throughout the night. He had 179 passing yards and two touchdowns in the first half.

Jones finished 33-of-29 passing for 342 yards and two touchdowns. It was easily his best game in a 49ers uniform and one of his top performances as a pro. He did a great job managing the 49ers offense.

Jones is now 3-0 as a starter in San Francisco.

Christian McCaffrey

McCaffrey came into Week 5 ranking third in the NFL with 31 receptions and 530 yards from scrimmage.

The do-everything running back was the 49ers’ primary source of offense on Thursday night.

McCaffrey touched the football five times during San Francisco’s opening touchdown drive. The opening series typified the kind of night it was for the running back.

McCaffrey tallied 18 touches, 89 yards from scrimmage and one touchdown in the first half alone.

The 49ers running back had 139 yards from scrimmage and one touchdown in the win.

Kendrick Bourne

Without Brandon Aiyuk, Jauan Jennings and Ricky Pearsall, Bourne was asked to San Francisco’s No. 1 wide receiver. He delivered.

Bourne produced 10 receptions for a career-high 142 receiving yards. He had contested catches and receptions over the middle. He was Mac Jones’ favorite target.

The Rams didn’t have an answer for him.

Alfred Collins

Collins stripped the football loose from Kyren Williams as he was about to score a game-winning touchdown in the fourth quarter. Collins recovered the football on San Francisco’s one-yard line.

49ers coach Kyle Shanahan

The 49ers head coach and play caller had an excellent game despite being down several key players.

Eddy Pineiro

Hit a career-long 59-yard field goal. He connected on a 41-yard field goal in overtime that ended up being the game-winning score.

Fred Warner

Linebacker Fred Warner tied a team-high with 12 tackles. The 49ers linebacker got a great push on the final play of the game that allowed Marques Sigle to tackle Kyren Williams in the backfield to end the game.

Defensive coordinator Robert Saleh also deserves credit for having his defense ready.

Losers

Blake Corum

Just when the Rams were beginning to get a little momentum down 14-0 in the second quarter, Corum dropped an outside toss when the team was in position to score. Linebacker Trevis Gipson recovered the loose football at San Francisco’s 30-yard line.

Corum also had a drop in the third quarter.

Joshua Karty

Karty had two field goals blocked by the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 3. The 49ers got in on the block party on Thursday night.

Jordan Elliott blocked Karty’s extra point attempt after the Rams tied the score 20-20 on a Kyren Williams touchdown reception in the fourth quarter.

Follow USA TODAY Sports’ Tyler Dragon on X @TheTylerDragon.