Dansby Swanson has detailed his decision to join the Chicago Cubs, explaining the sentimental reasons behind the move.

The shortstop left his hometown team, the Atlanta Braves, to pen a seven-year, $177million contract that stands as the second-richest deal in franchise history.

That ended a six-year stint with Atlanta and Swanson revealed a sentimental motive to making the move to Chicago. Indeed, he used to watch the Cubs' games with his grandfather, who died a week ago.

"Every time I walked in, he would have the Cubs game on," he said in his introductory press conference on Wednesday.

"He just loved baseball so much. Being a Cub means more to me than people will realise. It's no secret I left my hometown team to be here."

Swanson did concede that his first choice was to remain with the Braves, though it was a feeling he believes was not reciprocated.

"I'd be lying if I said I didn't hope that I would be back home," he admitted. "Atlanta is where I always envisioned myself, especially after I got traded. I'm a homebody, my family is there.

"There are deep roots there, but at the end of the day, I reached out [to the Braves] plenty in the offseason, and got the pretty clear sense that they were going to move on.

"We were on our honeymoon, and we felt this is where we were supposed to be regardless."

Swanson married professional soccer player Mallory Pugh, who plays for Chicago Red Stars, just a day before the death of his grandfather, and thinks the cards fell exactly how they should have.

"I walked down to the field today and looked at my wife and said: this is where we're supposed to be," he added.

Gregg Popovich and Dirk Nowitzki have been named among the eligible candidates for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame class of 2023.

Legendary coach Popovich has won five NBA titles with the San Antonio Spurs, and is one of a number of people named as a contender in their first year of eligibility.

Popovich is a perhaps surprise inclusion, with it previously unknown when he would qualify to be recommended for the honour.

Other potential inductees include Pau Gasol, Tony Parker and Dwyane Wade, while the 1976 U.S. Olympic women's basketball team also made the list.

The finalists for the class of 2023 will be announced on February 17 during All-Star weekend, before the final nominees are named on April 1 during the NCAA Final Four.

The players will then be enshrined on August 11 in historic Springfield, Massachusetts, where the sport of basketball was invented.

The 2024 edition of the Tour de France will start in Italy for the first time in the race's history, organisers The Amaury Sport Organisation has confirmed.

Florence will mark the starting point of the 111th edition of the famous competition, to commemorate 100 years since Ottavio Bottecchia became the first Italian won Le Tour.

After racing to Rimini, further stages from Cesenatico to Bologna and Piacenza to Turin will follow, with the event also set to finish away from Paris for the first time.

The iconic Champs-Elysees finale will be replaced by a closing stage in Nice due to the 2024 Olympic ceremony occurring in the capital just days later.

It will also be the first time since 1989 the event has concluded with a time-trial finish, as opposed to the usual procession through the streets of Paris.

"The Tour has started from all the countries bordering France," said Le Tour director Christian Prudhomme.

"It has even started six times from the Netherlands, which has no common border with France. But it has never started from Italy.

"It's an incongruity that will disappear."

The 2023 edition will begin in Bilbao, Spain on July 1 and finish in Paris 22 days later, with Jonas Vingegaard out to defend his crown.

Benetton Treviso apologised for "absurd stupidity" after a banana was given to Cherif Traore in the team's Secret Santa.

Traore, who is an Italy international having made his debut in 2018, was given a rotten banana during the United Rugby Championship side's Christmas dinner.

The prop was born in Guinea but moved to Italy aged seven, and has lived in the country ever since.

Traore spoke out against the act on social media, saying he had not "slept all night" and had "decided not to keep quiet this time to ensure that episodes like this do not happen again".

Benetton responded with a statement, which said that Traore had "accepted his comrades' apologies".

President Amerino Zatta declared: "What happened against Cherif does not in any way reflect our identity and the values that the Benetton family has been carrying forward for years.

"I'm glad Cherif accepted the apology, understanding the absurd stupidity committed by one of his teammates.

"I am sure that this will strengthen the sense of cohesion within the group and that such a gesture will never again find fertile ground within our family.

"On behalf of the entire team, I reiterate that we condemn any expression of racism and that no form of discrimination is accepted in our dressing room."

Traore was involved in the team's statement, adding: "This afternoon's meeting was an opportunity to discuss and understand how what one of my companions did on the occasion of exchanging Christmas presents is purely the result of idiocy and nothing other.

"I appreciated and accepted his apologies and those of the entire team. I'm happy with the gesture and I'm sure what happened will make the group even more solid.

"We are a family and as such we will continue to commit ourselves on and off the pitch, fighting, as we always have, against all forms of discrimination."

Carlos Correa's proposed deal to join the San Francisco Giants collapsed due to a "difference of opinion", a team statement said on Wednesday.

Having agreed a 13-year, $350 million contract last week, the Giants cancelled a proposed press conference on Tuesday to announce the signing – with reports stating this was due to a medical issue.

While it was suggested the deal would still be finalised, the delay allowed the New York Mets to swoop and a slightly shorter 12-year, $315 million agreement was reached to bring Correa to New York, according to the New York Post.

The Giants have now had their say in the remarkable sequence of events in a brief statement, where President of Baseball Operations Farhan Zaidi confirmed the deal ended due to a "difference of opinion" that arose following a physical evaluation.

"While we are prohibited from disclosing confidential medical information, as Scott Boras stated publicly, there was a difference of opinion over the results of Carlos’ physical examination. We wish Carlos the best," the statement read.

With seven trips to the injured list since 2015, Correa has dealt with durability issues in his eight-year career and has played at least 150 games in a season just once.

However, Correa played 58 games in the shortened 60-game season in 2020, followed by 148 in 2021 and 136 last season.

Boras, Correa's agent, spoke to The Athletic on Wednesday and dubbed the medical concerns "speculative dynamics": "You're talking about a player who has played eight major-league seasons. There are things in his medical record that happened decades ago. These are all speculative dynamics.

"Every team has a right to go through things and evaluate things. The key thing is, we gave them [the Giants] medical reports at the time. They still wanted to sign the player and negotiate with the player."

Sloane Stephens has confirmed Francis Roig as her new coach, less than a week after the Spaniard departed Rafael Nadal's team.

The 54-year-old, who had worked with his fellow countryman since 2005, parted ways with the 22-time grand slam winner earlier this month.

At the time, Nadal confirmed Roig was leaving his set-up for "a new project," which has now been confirmed as a role with Stephens.

The 2017 US Open winner announced the news in a post to her social media accounts, welcoming him aboard ahead of the 2023 season.

"Happy to have Francis Roig join my team as my new coach!" she wrote. "Here's to a successful journey together. Let's get to work."

Stephens, who achieved a career-high WTA ranking of third in 2018, has returned to the top 50 over the past year following a series of struggles with form.

She claimed her first title in four years at the Abierto Zapopan in Mexico in February, and reached a first grand slam quarter-final since 2019 at the French Open.

Nadal, meanwhile, announced Gustavo Marcaccio would replace Roig earlier this week, adding the Argentine to a team that contains Carlos Moya and Marc Lopez.

The Spaniard was effusive in his tribute to his outgoing coach last week, stating: "I only have words of gratitude and I wish him all the luck in the world."

The Jacksonville Jaguars will be down two defensive starters for Thursday’s game against the New York Jets after ruling out rookie pass rusher Travon Walker and defensive lineman Foley Fatukasi.

Walker, the number one overall pick of the 2022 NFL draft, will miss a second straight game with a high ankle sprain he suffered in the Jaguars’ win over AFC South rival Tennessee on December 11.

Fatukasi is also dealing with an ankle injury he sustained in Jacksonville’s upset victory over Dallas on Sunday.

Quarterback Trevor Lawrence is listed as questionable but is expected to start for Jacksonville. The 2021 number one overall pick has been playing through a sprained left big toe he sustained in Week 13.

Walker has started 13 games as a rookie and as compiled 45 tackles and 3.5 sacks. The ex-Jet Fatukasi has made 11 starts this season and is considered one of the Jaguars’ top run defenders.

Jacksonville enters Thursday’s game off two straight wins and are 4-2 over their last six contests to move within one game of the slumping Titans for first place in the AFC South.

Lawrence has been a major factor in the surge with back-to-back games of over 300 passing yards and a combined seven touchdown passes during that stretch.

The game is expected to feature the top two selections of the 2021 draft with Zach Wilson slated to start at quarterback for the Jets, who at 7-7 are one game back of the Los Angeles Chargers and Miami for the AFC’s final two wild card spots.

Wilson will make a second straight start after New York ruled out quarterback Mike White earlier in the week as he recovers from reported fractured ribs.

Nick Foles will start for the Indianapolis Colts against the Los Angeles Chargers on Monday as Matt Ryan is benched for a second time this season.

Former Atlanta Falcons quarterback Ryan led the Colts through the first seven games, but was demoted after the 19-10 defeat to the Tennessee Titans in October with the team 3-3-1.

Sam Ehlinger started in his place but lost both games before Ryan was given the nod for the 25-20 road victory over the Oakland Raiders in Week 10, the first game under new head coach Jeff Saturday after Frank Reich was fired.

Indianapolis have gone 0-4 since that win though, including a stunning 39-36 defeat to the Minnesota Vikings on Saturday having led 33-0 at half-time.

The second-half collapse was the biggest in NFL history, with the Vikings scoring 29 unanswered points from 36-7 down to send the game to overtime, before Greg Joseph kicked a field goal to condemn the Colts to a dramatic loss.

That is likely to be Ryan's final game of the season and potentially his time in Indianapolis is over,

Foles won Super Bowl LII with the Philadelphia Eagles, toppling Tom Brady and the New England Patriots in a Super Bowl MVP-winning performance.

He has played for the Colts' AFC South rival Jacksonville Jaguars since then as well as the Chicago Bears, and gets another chance to start at the age of 33.

With Indianapolis 4-9-1 and likely to be officially ruled out of playoff contention this weekend, Saturday believes the change at quarterback is necessary.

"It's never an easy decision," Saturday told reporters. "[I] think the world of Matt, he’s a pro’s pro.

"It's not been the season he expected, nor the Colts as a whole.

"[I] just didn't feel we made enough plays offensively. This is not all on Matt.

"Ultimately I feel like Nick will give us a better chance to go win these last three games."

Arch Manning will play for the Texas Longhorns next season, the team have confirmed.

The teenage quarterback, a third-generation of the Manning dynasty, had committed to the Longhorns in June to end speculation over his college future.

Now, however, he has officially signed his letter of intent to join the University of Texas' intercollegiate team, where he will hope to emulate several members of his family.

Though his father, entrepreneur Cooper Manning, curtailed a possible career during his college years, the 17-year-old could follow grandfather Archie, and uncles Peyton and Eli in making it in the NFL.

Both the latter pair won Super Bowls, with Peyton considered to be one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time

Manning is the first member of his family to play for Texas, with Archie and Eli having attended the University of Mississippi, while Peyton played at Tennesse.

As in the NFL, not every team maintains an active interest in fantasy football at this stage in the year.

But for those who still have title hopes, there is no room for error.

Finding an edge can be tricky as franchises outside the playoff picture wind down for the year and the league's leading lights think about resting up for the postseason.

But Stats Perform has picked out four players and a defense that could make the difference in Week 16.

Quarterback: Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers vs. Washington Commanders

Nobody – at least nobody still in contention now – had any real interest in Purdy at the start of the year as he was the 49ers' third-choice QB, but that means he remains available in a number of leagues. It may well be time to fix that, with Purdy one of the outstanding performers across Weeks 14 and 15.

Josh Allen alone threw more touchdown passes (five to Purdy's four) without throwing an interception, while the rookie's 8.55 yards per pass attempt ranked third. Purdy was the sole QB in the NFL with a passer rating of at least 115.0 in two starts over this period. In fact, Aaron Rodgers is the only other player in league history to have had such a passer rating in his first two career starts.

Purdy is an obvious option for any fantasy player suffering QB woe, with the 49ers having clinched the NFC West but unlikely to slow too much as they hunt down the Minnesota Vikings and the second seed in the NFC.

Running Back: Zack Moss, Indianapolis Colts vs. Los Angeles Chargers

Gardner Minshew would be another popular pick at QB, with Jalen Hurts injured, but the Philadelphia Eagles still have not ruled out their MVP candidate. On the other hand, the Colts have shut down Jonathan Taylor for the year.

However, Indy would be wise to press on with the run game against the Chargers; only the Packers (42.9 per cent) have allowed opponents greater success on run plays this year than the Chargers (42.5 per cent).

That should mean plenty of touches again for Moss, who had 24 carries last week – as many as he had across the rest of the year combined.

Wide Receiver: Christian Watson, Green Bay Packers @ Miami Dolphins

The Packers' season never really got going, with Aaron Rodgers unable to make his receiving corps work without the departed Davante Adams.

But Watson, who had just 14 targets through nine weeks, has really come to the fore of late. Since Week 10, Watson has seven receiving TDs – leading the league ahead of Adams (five) – and has converted 17 of his 19 receptions into first downs.

Over the past two weeks, only two defenses have given up more receiving yards (671) and more receiving TDs (five) than Miami. They have also tied the Detroit Lions in allowing a league-worst 32 receiving first downs in this time.

Tight End: Evan Engram, Jacksonville Jaguars @ New York Jets

Engram has been a steady performer in his first year with the Jaguars, but there is reason to believe he may be able to move to another level now as Trevor Lawrence ignites this Jacksonville offense.

Over the past two weeks, the Jags rank second in net passing yards (679) and lead the way for TD passes (seven) and points (76).

Engram caught two of those TDs and has led the team in targets (25), catches (19) and receiving yards (224) over this period. He and those who can call on him for fantasy purposes are among the chief beneficiaries of Lawrence's late surge.

Defense/Special Teams: Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Arizona Cardinals

Opposition teams have been successful on only 36.5 per cent of plays against the Buccaneers this year, making this the league's sixth-best defense.

And now they will be faced with a Cardinals offense manned by third-string QB Trace McSorley, who is in line for his first career start despite struggling badly from his limited snaps so far this year.

McSorley has not thrown a single TD pass in 2022 but has tossed three picks, completing only 15 of his 29 pass attempts for an atrocious passer rating of 29.5.

Aaron Judge has been named as the 16th captain in New York Yankees franchise history after signing a blockbuster contract.

The 31-year-old put pen to paper on a record-breaking nine-year, $360million deal on Tuesday to extend his stay with the Yankees and has now become the first franchise captain since Derek Jeter retired in 2014.

Crowned AL MVP last month, Judge broke the single-season Yankees and AL home-run record, reaching 62 to surpass Roger Maris Sr's 61 – set in 1961. He became the fourth Major League player to hit 62 or more homers in a single season.

Judge has set his sights high in his new position, plotting a course for multiple championships.

"It's a blessing and an honour. Getting a chance to continue something the Yankees are so big on, which is legacy, getting a chance to continue my legacy here in pinstripes in the best city in the world, the best baseball city in front of the best fans, this is an incredible honour," he said during a press conference.

"It goes without saying what an honour that is. I look back at the list of Thurman Munson, Lou Gehrig, Ron Guidry, Willie Randolph, Derek Jeter, Don Mattingly, that's a pretty good list right there.

"Not only great baseball players, but great ambassadors of the game and great ambassadors of the New York Yankees, how they pride themselves on the field day in and day out, how they take pride in what they do off the field to represent this organisation and represent these pinstripes.

"This is an incredible honour that I don't take lightly and I'm going to continue to try to be the same leader that I've been the last six years, continue to lead by example.

"I know there's probably going to be a couple more responsibilities with this, but I'm here to embrace every single obstacle and continue to lead this team and this city to not one but multiple championships down the road."

The Yankees finished last season as AL East champions for the first time since 2019 but have not competed in the World Series since 2009, when they defeated the Philadelphia Phillies.

Mick Schumacher's move to Mercedes in a third-driver role is a "win-win situation", former Formula One driver Ralf Schumacher believes.

The younger Schumacher, son of racing great Michael Schumacher and nephew of Ralf, was left without a seat on the Formula One grid for 2023 following Haas' decision not to hand him a fresh deal – instead opting to bring in Nico Hulkenberg.

Schumacher then brought an end to his four-year allegiance with Ferrari, where he was a member of the young driver academy, which freed him up to join Mercedes for the 2023 campaign.

He will serve as an understudy to Lewis Hamilton and George Russell next year, stepping up into a racing role should either of the pair be unable to feature, and Ralf feels it is the perfect fit.

"I think it's a win-win situation for both sides," he told Sky Sports in Germany.

"One, for the team they have a great driver, if they need a replacement short term, if one of the drivers for some reason cannot drive. And the next is of course that he is now in the team where he can learn a lot, first of all through a new structure, a big structure.

"For me, I think it's a great opportunity. Because he now has an experienced team, with two experienced team-mates, and above all, for a change, a team that is happy that he is there."

A return to the grid in a full racing capacity is still the aim for Mick Schumacher and, with Audi competing as a works team from 2025, Ralf expects the German manufacturer to be interested in his nephew's services.

 "He has the opportunity to develop further. He deserves and belongs a chance - actually of driving a car - but at least as a replacement for test drivers and as a third drive," he added.

"I think that's a great thing, but I could also imagine that Audi [could be interested] since there aren't really any German drivers on the market.

"But that's still a long way off from that point of view. I think where it is now it's in perfect hands and the rest will tell. The nice thing is that from the age of 24 I think he will have a great chance again, no matter where."

Franco Harris, the former Pittsburgh Steelers running back and four-time Super Bowl champion, has died aged 72.

News of his death came three days before his number 32 shirt number was to be retired.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee, a nine-time Pro Bowl honouree, was the 13th overall pick in the 1972 NFL draft for the Pennsylvania outfit.

Over the following decade, he helped the Steelers to the game's biggest prize on four separate occasions, while he was named the MVP of Super Bowl IX.

Hall of Fame president Jim Porter said: "The entire team at the Pro Football Hall of Fame is immensely saddened today.

"We have lost an incredible football player, an incredible ambassador to the Hall and, most importantly, we have lost one of the finest gentlemen anyone will ever meet. Franco not only impacted the game of football, but he also affected the lives of many, many people in profoundly positive ways.

"The Hall of Fame and historians everywhere will tell Franco's football story forever. His life story can never be told fully, however, without including his greatness off the field.

"My heart and prayers go out to his wife, Dana, an equally incredible person, a special friend to the Hall and someone who cares so deeply for Franco's Hall of Fame teammates."

Having rushed for over 11,000 yards, Harris was the Steelers' leader in franchise history, and he was due to become just the third player to have their shirt number retired this weekend.

The Steelers had intended for the honour to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the Immaculate Reception, the match-winning play Harris was involved in for their first ever playoff win.

The running back famously was the apparently unintended receiver of Terry Bradshaw's last-gasp throw in the 1972 AFC divisional match with the Oakland Raiders, and ran for the clinching touchdown in the final minute.

Though the team subsequently lost their next match to the Miami Dolphins, the victory is widely regarded as an instrumental turning point that helped the club become the NFL's dominant force over the following decade.

Pittsburgh are due to face the now Las Vegas Raiders on Saturday, 50 years and a day since Harris had his magical moment.

Mike Tomlin's side are bottom of AFC North with a 6-8 record this season, and are looking to string back-to-back wins together for only the second time in 2022.