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How a podcast community helped restore the controversial 'Gator Bait' chant for Florida football team
For anyone who went through it, 2020 felt like living in a parallel universe.
The year was dominated by the Covid craziness that swept through the world as well as the myriad "cancellings" that took place, and college football in particular felt the effects of both.
Games and traditions alike were severely altered or outright shut down as a result of the pandemic and its accompanying lunacy, and the Florida Gators' football program especially felt the brunt of this.
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Sure, the Gators still played a ten game, All SEC slate, but access to Ben Hill Griffin Stadium was greatly limited, as the stadium which normally seats upwards of 90,000 fans on gameday had its attendance whittled down to less than 20,000.
In the wake of all of this, a tradition known affectionately around campus and throughout the community as "Gator Bait" was given the axe.
School officials cited "racial undertones" as the reason for removing the chant, linking back to late 19th and early 20th century depictions of using African-American children as bait for alligators.
The chant, at least in the context of the Florida football team, has much more innocent origins, being popularized in the 1990s by defensive back Lawrence Wright.
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No one is more familiar with "Gator Bait" than James Di Virgilio, the popular podcast host of the "Gator Nation Football Podcast."
Di Virgilio and his co-host, Allen Williams, started the podcast back in 2014 as a break from the monotony and blind homerism that is abundant in the local sports talk radio shows around Gainesville, where the two reside.
Both are Florida graduates, and when they heard the news that "Gator Bait" was being shelved, Di Virgilio was perplexed.
"I think, like any Gator fan, it was surprising at first," said Di Virgilio. "As far as anyone could tell, no one who had ever used the chant at Florida... had any idea there could be any connection to anything other than a gator eating our opponents, so to speak, in a humorous way."
The GNFP host mentions other schools like LSU saying "Tiger Bait" as a rallying cry while receiving little to no backlash.
"I think it was a chant that many Gators (fans), especially those who are maybe 90s or 2000s Gators, have fond memories of chanting at opponents when you're winning national championships, etcetera, therefore it conjured up those memories of yesteryear," he opined.
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Despite the seemingly innocuous nature of the cheer, "Gator Bait" was officially banned in 2020 out of what Di Virgilio deemed "an abundance of caution" during a time of heightened scrutiny.
Meanwhile, in those years since the banning, the GNFP audience continued to grow.
Williams and Di Virgilio's analytical lens mixed with their obvious love and passion for the team they covered endeared them to tens of thousands of Gator fans, which presented them with a unique opportunity a few seasons ago.
At first, it started with a couple of comments here and there directed towards Di Virgilio about whether he thought "Gator Bait" could ever make a comeback.
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"For two straight seasons, I basically polled our audience, which may or may not be representative of all of Gator Nation, to say 'does anybody really not want this?' Write to me," he explained.
Di Virgilio said in two full seasons of pushing for responses, he only got one message that was against bringing it back against hundreds that were in favor.
These messages, as he explained, came from a wide and diverse group of Gator fans, all of which cited very wholesome reasons for wanting the chant back in The Swamp.
"It wasn't just young people, it wasn't just old people. It wasn't just people of a certain skin tone," Di Virgilio mentioned. "It felt like it was a very pure, wholesome reason for wanting it."
Being a numbers guy, Di Virgilio had enough data to make his next move.
The University of Florida hired Dr. Stuart Bell to be their new president in July of this year, and since the decision to reinstate "Gator Bait" was up to the head man himself, Di Virgilio saw his opportunity to act.
"I had written to Dr. Bell a couple of weeks before we had everyone write to (him)," Di Virgilio said. "Here's my stance: I have limited information. You might have more information than I have. I would never want to do this if it was going to be divisive towards (other) Gators. I have no desire for that."
"But if you do the research and you find that this is something a majority of Gator fans want... then on your own merits, maybe think about reinstituting it."
With that, the die had been cast.
Countless fans of the GNFP took Di Virgilio's call to action to heart and wrote impassioned pleas to the university president asking for their beloved chant back.
They cited memories, tradition, and just the fact that it's a really catchy tune.
But as the emails piled up in Dr. Bell's inbox and the season drew nearer, something must have finally swayed the new president.
On the Friday before their first game against FAU, a clip was leaked of the Fightin' Gator Marching Band playing the familiar notes of "Gator Bait" on the practice field.
Lo and behold, the following day, 90,000 rabid Florida fans led a full-throated rendition of the once-banned cheer.
"Gator Bait" was back.
Di Virgilio wants to be very clear: he doesn't want the credit for bringing the chant back to The Swamp.
"I may have had 0.0001% to do with it," he explained. "Whether we were instrumental or not, someone else could have done it. I have no idea. We just felt like we wanted to push for something that brought back a lot of fond memories for us."
Regardless, he and his podcast community can certainly say they at least had a hand in ushering back one of the best cheers in college football.
"For me this is very apolitical," Di Virgilio said. "I think you want to do things that the majority of people want to do as long as it's not clearly violating any kind of legal or ethical boundary."
As he explains, Di Virgilio recognizes that not everything will be universally loved, including the "Gator Bait" chant.
Despite how popular the cheer's return has been on social media and in the Gator football community, some of the more vocal minority have bristled at the idea of "Gator Bait" making a comeback.
"I hope that if you're on the side of, you don't love it, you understand that those that (do) want it, want it for very traditional Florida reasons," said Di Virgilio. "And obviously, if you love it, you're not lording it over someone."
"Ultimately, we are all Gators."
In the end, it felt like a win for free speech, as the majority voiced their opinions and were rewarded accordingly.
It's a fact that is not lost on Di Virgilio.
"This is a really cool thing to know as podcasters, as a community of people, if you care about something you can take a second to write about it, on any side," he states.
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"You may or may not have an influence, but at the end of the day, 'we the people,' so to speak, we do have a voice to share what we want... that's what this is really about. The beauty of articulate free speech and opinion, and also the willingness when you're wrong to just say, 'I was wrong.'"
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Welcome back, "Gator Bait."
Aaron Rodgers roasts 'gutless' ESPN's integrity for its Dianna Russini-Mike Vrabel coverage 'hypocrisy'
Most NFL quarterbacks have plenty on their proverbial plate this time of year and aren't too worried about the league's scandals or the coverage of those by the landscape's most dominant sports network ESPN. Not Aaron Rodgers.
The Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback is preparing for Sunday's season-opener against the Atlanta Falcons, but recently took time out to roast ESPN on the Not Just Football podcast with teammate Cam Heyward.
On the show Rodgers criticized the network's coverage, or rather, the lack of coverage of what he called the "intimate relations" between New England Patriots coach Mike Vrabel and former ESPN and Athletic reporter Dianna Russini.
"ESPN is really scared" of having him on the Pat McAfee Show to discuss that, Rodgers said.
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Why?
"Because I can speak up and speak my mind," he said. "And that McAfee thing rattled their feathers, because I didn't just say that on McAfee's show, who is, honestly, I love Pat, and he's done more for that network than any other horrible show they have on there that they think is they should pay those guys doing it. But I also said, you're a gutless organization. Because they haven't said anything.
"They spend so much time on certain issues, but you won't talk one second about the Dianna Russini situation. What just happened? Uh, let's see, the owner of the Niners solicited a prostitute for [$160] in Ohio. That literally was the number one topic when you click on ESPN, right?"
"They rotate the eight stories or whatever they have. But they usually have, like, the one story they feature. That was a featured story. So you bring in how many millions of eyes to that situation. Why do you want to throw Jed York under the bus? I don't know."
Well, one side done, flip ESPN over to cook the other side, Aaron ...
"But does that have the same effect as a reporter who, you know, has intimate relations with a coach?" Rodgers asked. "Who has a vote for MVP, who has a vote for Coach of the Year?
"There was the thing about Morgan Moses going from the Jets to New England that was posted a day early. How many other inside stuff was shared? There are a lot of insiders out there. Do they all have strong integrity? I don't know.
"But the fact that ESPN spent zero time on that story but Jed York gets popped ... and it's literally on the top of their roll ... That's hypocrisy."
Rodgers critics have claimed he dabbles in conspiracy theories and however one feels about that, he's not afraid to discuss a conspiracy theory about ESPN's lack of Russini coverage.
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"I think there's a lot more to it," he said. "The NFL is gonna protect the shield. And I respect that. But they're gonna do it by all means necessary."
For the uninitiated, Russini and Vrabel were photographed at a Sedona, Arizona resort in April holding hands, embracing, spending time together at a pool and in a hot tub. Those photos and others pointing to a relationship beyond what is typical led The Athletic to conclude Russini's relationship with Vrabel was "in clear violation" of standards.
That is a bad look for everyone involved. And ESPN, who employed Russini from 2015 to 2023, is wholly in bed with the NFL. The league owns a 10% stake of ESPN.
"They got to be very very careful," Rodgers said.
Zohran Mamdani urged to skip New York City's 9/11 memorial: 'Vile antisemite'
DALLAS – A House Republican representing the New York City suburbs is calling on Mayor Zohran Mamdani to skip the Sept. 11 memorial in downtown Manhattan.
"From my vantage point, I don't think he should be there, and I think most New Yorkers agree that he should not be there," Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., told Fox News and Fox News Digital. "Certainly, the 9/11 families and the first responders believe he should not be there."
Political rancor is threatening to cast a long shadow over this year's Sept. 11 remembrance events, marking 25 years since the tragedy that rocked the United States. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani's past rhetoric and links to terror sympathizers are spurring intense backlash ahead of the city's events memorializing the World Trade Center attacks, with Republicans and people whose lives were changed by the event demanding he not show his face.
"I think Mayor Mamdani has proven himself to be a vile antisemite. I think he has associated with people who believe America deserved 9/11, and it's not just Hasan Piker. If you go look at many of the people that support his administration, they agree with that rhetoric. They agree with that philosophy," Lawler said.
An online petition led by family members of people killed on Sept. 11 — signed by over 100,000 people — has called on Mamdani to skip the memorial.
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"Mr. Mamdani has praised Brooklyn Imam Siraj Wahhaj, who has been linked to radical Islam, was named as an alleged co-conspirator in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, and served as a character witness for the 'Blind Sheikh,' who was convicted in 1995 of plotting terror attacks against the United States," the petition said. "Mr. Mamdani has endorsed candidates such as Aber Kawas, who described 9/11 as an attack 'a couple of people did in the context of U.S. capitalism, racism, white supremacy, and Islamophobia,' and who also expressed sympathy for Ahmed Ferhani, who pleaded guilty to plotting to blow up a Manhattan synagogue."
Mamdani and other socialist candidates' association with far-left activist Hasan Piker has also seen intense scrutiny over Piker's past comments that the United States "deserved" the attacks, remarks that he promptly walked back at the time but continue to haunt him and his political circle. Mamdani himself has also condemned the comment.
Republican Study Committee Chairman August Pfluger, R-Texas, told Fox News Digital Mamdani should not attend Sept. 11 memorial events "until he can...actually call out terror groups around the world for what they want to do to this country, and that includes Hamas."
Hamas was not responsible for the Sept. 11 attacks, for which Al-Qaeda took credit, but Hamas has recently been front-and-center for perpetuating the Oct. 7, 2023, terror attack in Israel.
"These people are really a cancer to the freedoms that we fought for, and they do not represent the American values that our founders set up and that we have had for 250 years," Pfluger said of Mamdani and his allies.
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Both he and Lawler spoke with Fox News Digital on the sidelines of the 2026 GOP midterm convention in Dallas.
Mamdani's office recently launched an online portal allowing city residents to access roughly 170,000 pages of local government records on Sept. 11, which appear to show city officials misled the public about air quality following the attacks.
Fox News Digital reached out to the New York City mayor's office for comment.
Alcohol tied to surprising cancer death pattern in adults under 55, researchers find
Annual U.S. cancer deaths tied to alcohol consumption more than doubled over a three-decade period, according to a recent study led by researchers at the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.
The findings, published in The Lancet Regional Health — Americas and presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting in Chicago, revealed that alcohol-attributable cancer deaths jumped from 11,361 in 1990 to 23,126 in 2023.
Researchers analyzed more than 30 years of data from the Global Burden of Disease study to track the trends.
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While alcohol has long been classified as a Group 1 carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, surveys show that awareness of its link to cancer remains limited.
"The most surprising finding was the breadth of alcohol’s potential impact across cancer types," Chinmay Jani, M.D., corresponding author of the study and chief fellow in hematology and oncology at Sylvester, told Fox News Digital.
"Although its relationship with liver cancer is widely recognized, its contribution to cancers such as colorectal, esophageal, breast, pancreatic and prostate cancer is less understood by the public."
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The research showed that older adults and men bore the highest overall burden of alcohol-related cancer deaths. Among older men, liver cancer was the primary cause of alcohol-attributable mortality, followed closely by esophageal and colorectal cancers.
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Breast cancer was the leading cause of alcohol-related cancer deaths among women overall, the study found.
Among younger adults between the ages of 20 and 54, colorectal cancer emerged as the leading cause of alcohol-attributable cancer deaths in men and the second leading cause in women, surpassing liver cancer in both groups.
The authors noted that the findings carry significant weight for public health messaging, particularly because general awareness surrounding alcohol's connection to various cancers remains low compared to known risks like tobacco use.
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Because no minimum "safe" level of alcohol has been established, researchers said drinking less may help lower long-term cancer risk.
Because the study used existing national data rather than following individuals over time, researchers couldn’t determine each person’s exact drinking habits or account for every lifestyle factor.
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As a result, the findings show a strong association between alcohol use and cancer deaths, but they cannot prove that alcohol directly caused those deaths or establish a specific "safe" drinking limit.
"What this study makes clear is that alcohol-related cancer risk is not limited to one disease or one group of people," Gilberto Lopes, M.D., senior author and chief of the Division of Medical Oncology at the Miller School, told Fox News Digital.
"As physicians and cancer researchers, we have an opportunity to help patients understand that alcohol is a modifiable risk factor and that even small, informed changes can be part of a broader strategy to reduce cancer risk in our community."
WWE broadcaster Corey Graves hypes Triplemania 34 before Night 1 in Las Vegas
September is a historic month in the world of Lucha Libre.
Triplemania 34, the premier event for Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide and better known as AAA, will take place in the United States for the first time. Night 1 will be held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Friday and will showcase some of the best pro wrestling the sport has to offer. Night 2 will take place at Arena CDMX in Mexico City on Sunday.
The spectacle will showcase the talents who regularly perform on AAA programming on Saturday nights with a handful of familiar WWE stars mixed in.
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For pro wrestling fans who may not have tuned into AAA in the past or have and are unsure about what Triplemania is all about, commentator Corey Graves broke it down in a recent interview with OutKick Dropkick. He compared the style and colorful nature of Lucha Libre to that of the Savannah Bananas.
"So, I think most people would be familiar with WrestleMania. Most people, if you're not a pro wrestling fan, you're familiar with that brand. It's been massive for over 40 years. This is about to be the 34th installation of Triplemania, and Lucha Libre in Mexico is yes professional wrestling as we know it in America or around the globe, but it's very different. It's a unique cultural touchstone," he said. "There are bright colors and incredible action, and there's a lot of stuff that you will see on Raw or SmackDown including superstars who are heavily influenced by the Lucha Libre style. It's not exactly like you see on WWE, but it's the same.
"And I've used the analogy quite a few times lately because I'm a big baseball fan. If you're a Major League Baseball fan, WWE is Major League Baseball. AAA, to me, is sort of, and I mean this in the best way possible, like the Savannah Bananas. It's still baseball. All of the things that you know and love about baseball still take place. It's just through a very different lens. It's about these insane characters and costumes and pageantry and the action. You have a lot of people who can't sit through a nine-inning major league game who will spend their last dollar on tickets to go see the Savannah Bananas because it's an event. It's a happening. That's kind of how Lucha has always been in Mexico. And now this is an opportunity to bring that to an American audience in Las Vegas. And a lot of people, Savannah Bananas aren't for them, but they still like baseball. You get both. It's kind of the closest way I can explain it without betraying everything."
Graves said fans want to be a part of the action even though they may not fully understand the long history of Lucha Libre in Mexico.
Essentially, it’s all about being there.
"There’s incredible things. It's about moments. It's about memories," he said. "It's less about statistics and long-term records, etc. But it's about being there and just enjoying what's happening. And that's what AAA has become over the last year to me. You just want to be part of it even if you don't fully understand it.
"And I wouldn't expect a lot of our audience to — that's sort of my job, to sort of bring everybody along and explain to them why these characters are important and what they mean and why it is different, and it's important to me to maintain some difference. You don't want to lose that flavor. You don't want to lose the essence of Lucha Libre. We can clean up the production. We can sprinkle in a few WWE superstars here and there. But at its core, it's still Lucha Libre and TripleMania is AAA's WrestleMania."
It’s been a busy 18 months for WWE and Las Vegas.
WWE held WrestleMania 41 and 42 at Allegiant Stadium in 2025 and 2026 respectively. Now, they’re bringing in high-octane action back to the city with one of the biggest events on the wrestling calendar.
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Originally, the event was set to take place at the Luxor. But WWE and AAA were forced to move venues because of the interest in the event.
"This is just me speaking off the top of my head. I can't say this with any sort of authority, but I would assume it shows the higher-ups, the people who make these decisions as to where to book the shows, when to book them, what to pour our resources into, specifically the fact that we were originally booked to be at the Luxor Hotel, and within days we were forced to move to the MGM Grand Garden Arena for capacity purposes because there was such a demand," Graves told OutKick Dropkick.
"Now, obviously, there's a heavy Latino population around Las Vegas but hopefully it's showing that English-speaking audiences as well are learning or curious about this new product. It's available for free every Saturday night on YouTube if you're in the United States or around most of the globe, obviously, we have television in Mexico and into Central and South America, but no matter where you are, Saturday nights 10 o’clock, you can tune into this and see what it's about. And it's such a visual product. And I say that almost discrediting myself because my job is to explain why it's important, but you can put it on mute and you can just watch and be captivated by the masks and the costumes and there's so much pageantry in Lucha. It's really, not that there isn't in WWE, it's just different. It's a completely different animal."
Night 1’s card features a bout between Rey Mysterio – the AAA general manager – and Omos. If Omos wins the match, he will be welcomed back to AAA. But if he loses, he will be forever shunned. Dominik Mysterio is set to be in Omos’ corner, while El Grande Americano will be behind Rey Mysterio.
Dominik Mysterio and El Grande Americano are pulling double duty to a point. The two will be featured on the Night 2 card as Mysterio defends the AAA Mega Championship against El Grande Americano.
You can see the rest of the match cards below.
Both nights of Triplemania 34 can be seen on YouTube.
Americans born on 9/11 mark 25 years with acts of service, trading personal celebration for honor
William Faber celebrated his Sept. 11 birthday as any young child would — but after learning about the significance of the day around age 10, he made the choice to spend the anniversary serving others rather than celebrating himself.
Faber's story and several more are spotlighted in Fox Nation's new special following Americans born on Sept. 11, 2001, as they now turn 25 years old.
"Born on 9/11: 25 Years with Harris Faulkner" shares stories of how a birthday intertwined with one of the darkest days in American history has influenced lives marked by service, faith and community. The documentary examines the lives of individuals who have given back to their communities as they grew up.
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Roughly 13,000 babies were born across the U.S. that day, Faulkner said Tuesday on "Outnumbered."
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Faber told her that, ever since his parents told him the story of 9/11, he has held his birthday parties on a different date.
"My parents... wanted to protect my feelings, the birthday, make sure I was able to celebrate, have fun. And then, as I got to be 10 years old, they told me the story. And so, ever since that day, I really haven't celebrated my birthday on that day," Faber said.
He made the choice out of respect for a family friend who died that day and the others who lost their lives in the terror attack.
"I want to volunteer, I want to give back to the community on that day. I'd rather not celebrate, I'd rather just do something to help the community as a whole," said Faber.
"Born on 9/11: 25 Years" is available to stream now on Fox Nation.
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For 'horrible moment,' Bush White House thought US military shot down Flight 93
Former President George W. Bush discussed his memories of 9/11 with his former secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice, ahead of the 25th anniversary of the attacks this week.
Bush and Rice said they both remember sitting in a bunker in the hours after the attacks, coordinating the U.S. domestic response. Rice recounted how they were working to ground civilian flights across the country and said at one point they thought the U.S. military had shot down United Airlines Flight 93.
"I do want to say one thing to Gen. [Daniel] Caine, because something in what you said, our paths crossed in a strange way. So you mentioned that you heard that as the president, you have to understand the hard decisions that this man had to make, just like that. And one of them was what would happen if a plane was not properly identifying itself, because every plane had become a missile," Rice said.
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"And so we were trying to land, I remember Norm Mineta, the transportation secretary, trying to land planes on a legal pad, yellow pad, legal pad. But you'd given the order through the vice president that should a plane not squawk properly, it should be shot down. Gen. Caine, we thought initially, standing in that bunker, that Flight 93 had been shot down," she continued.
"Yeah, I thought it was the same thing," Bush said.
"And there was this horrible moment where the vice president kept trying to get confirmation as to what had happened. And for about 10 minutes we thought we'd shot down a civilian aircraft. And that always, to me, represented just how hard the decisions were that you had to take under a lot of pressure," Rice said.
The event, called, "A Legacy of Service: America at the 25th Anniversary of 9/11," saw Bush host many members of his 2001 administration in Texas.
As part of the 25th anniversary commemoration, Bush painted 16 works of art that "reflect on the courage, sacrifice, and resilience that emerged from one of the most defining moments in American history," that will be displayed at Freedom Hall at the Bush Museum through September.
Fox News' Peter D'Abrosca contributed to this report.
Team USA coach Kara Lawson speaks out on prognosticators after dominant FIBA World Cup win over Hungary
Team USA women’s basketball coach Kara Lawson dismissed outside opinions after the Americans routed Hungary 108-56 in the FIBA Women’s World Cup quarterfinal Thursday.
During the postgame press conference, Lawson was asked if a recent power ranking provided her team with any added motivation entering the final stage of the tournament.
Lawson admitted she did not know about the ranking, but addressed those who may have more confidence in France, which appeared to be the more dominant team during group play.
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"This is a big tournament, this is the World Cup, and it’s okay for people to have opinions on who they think is going to win and who they think is going to lose and who they’re cheering for and who they’re going to boo. That’s a competition, I think that’s why we love sport, it’s why it’s so exciting," Lawson said.
"And now in this moment in women’s basketball you have more people than ever before that are giving their opinions and they’re making rankings and they’re doing that. That’s all great, we clearly don’t talk about any of that inside our bubble, and we really just focus on what we need to do.
"Worrying about someone else’s opinion doesn’t serve you, because it doesn’t change whether you can do it or not. It’s just someone’s opinion."
FIBA moved France ahead of the United States in its final "Smart Power Rankings" following the group stage. The Americans fell to second after narrowly escaping Italy with a 55-52 victory, their lowest-scoring World Cup performance since the introduction of the 3-point line in 1984.
The ranking also described the Americans’ on-court connections as a "work in progress." However, FIBA included a disclaimer stating that its rankings were "entirely subjective" and did not constitute an accurate ranking system.
"As far as France, what a wonderful team, and they’ve had an outstanding World Cup so far, so they should have a lot of people thinking they can do well," Lawson said.
France strengthened its case Thursday with a 90-61 quarterfinal victory over China. The French remain on the opposite side of the bracket, meaning they could only face the United States in the championship game.
One of the biggest factors affecting the outlook for Lawson’s team entering the knockout stage was concern over the starting lineup. Lawson did not directly address that debate following Thursday’s victory.
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Caitlin Clark, Paige Bueckers and Angel Reese once again came off the bench against Hungary. Lawson instead started Chelsea Gray, Jackie Young, Kahleah Copper, Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart.
Lawson's commitment to keeping her veteran starting lineup has drawn frustration from fans, especially on Wednesday after Lawson suggested to OutKick that she will be keeping the veteran lineup going into the final stage.
Still, the lineup worked against Hungary with obvious results.
The U.S. scored 36 points in the opening quarter and carried a 59-30 advantage into halftime. The Americans shot 59% from the field, made 12 of their 23 3-point attempts and recorded 31 assists on 40 baskets. Their 108 points were the most ever scored in a Women’s World Cup quarterfinal, while they became the first team to record at least 30 assists at that stage of the tournament, according to FIBA.
Collier led the Americans with 19 points and six rebounds. Every player on the U.S. roster scored, and five finished in double figures.
Clark narrowly missed her second double-double of the tournament, recording 10 points and a game-high nine assists in 20 minutes. Reese contributed nine points, six rebounds and three assists, while Bueckers added seven points and three assists.
The victory also extended the Americans’ World Cup winning streak to 34 games. The program has not lost in the tournament since falling to Russia in the 2006 semifinals.
The U.S. will face the winner of Thursday’s quarterfinal between Australia and Spain in Saturday’s semifinal. Lawson’s team is now two victories away from securing a fifth consecutive World Cup championship.
Rams' travel gamble could give 49ers the edge in Thursday Night Football's Australia opener
Goo’day mate, shall we throw a bet on the barby? If you don’t understand the reason for that opener, then you might want to double-check your location for this game. The NFL is heading to Australia for the game today between the 49ers and Rams, which means we have our first Thursday Night Football action of the new season.
The San Francisco 49ers had a rather disappointing end to their 2025 season. They went into the playoffs looking like one of the more complete teams in football, and they were rinsed by the Seahawks basically from opening kickoff. This year they come in healthy, but there are an awful lot of questionable designations next to their lineup. They have six players on offense, including Christian McCaffrey, Mike Evans, and George Kittle, listed as questionable.
Their defense isn’t looking much better, with five guys listed, including Nick Bosa. Fred Warner is healthy, though, so that’s a good sign. If the team is fully healthy, it should be among the better in football. Even when the 49ers haven’t been healthy, they’ve had a strong next-man-up attitude that has made them stay in contention.
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The Los Angeles Rams are a super team. It is almost comical looking at their roster. If the Pro Bowl was a thing, you’d basically call this roster a Pro Bowl roster. They were the only team to put up a true fight against Seattle in the playoffs, and they lost a back-and-forth battle. In the offseason, they added Myles Garrett via trade, and then that drew Aaron Donald out of retirement. A bit of good fortune for the 49ers is that Donald will not suit up.
Offensively, the Rams are still one of the most elite teams in football. It hinges on the health of Matthew Stafford, but he is coming off of an MVP season and arguably the best one of his career. He still has Puka Nacua and Davante Adams to throw the ball to. The team is extremely deep, and the Rams have a creative coach that won’t let them rest on offense.
This game being in Melbourne does throw a wrench into the betting strategy. If it was in Los Angeles, the Rams would probably be -4.5 favorites, and you probably just take them and move on. Instead, the game is overseas. Travel plays a major factor in this game. The 49ers flew to Australia a week ago and will be completely adjusted to the time difference.
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The Rams, however, flew on Tuesday. That means they essentially land, then sleep, wake up, and play football. It is a 14-16 hour flight. They are also leaving two hours after the game is over. It is an interesting strategy, but the team apparently doesn’t want them to adjust. Traveling internationally is difficult. I expect the Rams to start rather slowly. The 49ers should have the upper hand at least through the first half of the game, as the Rams' bodies will still be off. Give me the 49ers with the points in this game. I just don’t think the Rams will ever get the separation needed, but they should win the game.
For more sports betting information and plays, follow David on X/Twitter: @futureprez2024
Why being ‘fortunate’ is more than just a T-shirt slogan for former WWE star Mosh
Any pro wrestling fan who tuned into "Monday Night Raw" during the peak of the war between WWE (then the WWF) and World Championship Wrestling would likely see The Headbangers wreaking havoc on the tag team division.
Mosh and Thrasher were, surprisingly, only one-time tag team champions during their careers with the company. Since leaving WWE, Mosh has transformed into an entrepreneur outside the ring and created a premium lifestyle brand that not only reflects his wrestling career but his life as a whole.
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If you tell Chaz Warrington (Mosh) that he’s "lucky" to have been given the opportunities he’s had in his life, he will stop you in your tracks. He’s not "lucky," he’s "fortunate." The Live Fortunate brand he created carries a significance that goes beyond just a simple T-shirt slogan. It’s a mantra and a way of life he’s cultivated throughout his life.
"So, Live Fortunate is based around if you've ever worked hard for something in your life and someone's told you you're lucky, this brand's for you," he told OutKick Dropkick in a recent interview. "I'm very fortunate in my life with my past with wrestling, and I work a lot with nonprofits here in South Florida and because I have my wrestling background and because of the nonprofits I work with, a lot of opportunities have popped up for me as far as going to black-tie events and being able to make an impact on the community.
"And then with wrestling, different interviews come up. I'm fortunate enough to where WWE calls me and I can go up to their Performance Center in Orlando (Florida) and work with the NXT kids. So, I look at all of that as things that I've worked for, that have become opportunities because I've worked hard and I've done the work. I've put the time in. I've done the grind of working early in the morning. With my sales job that I have, I cold-called in 100-degree weather in a suit, walking up and down the street, which all of that has cultivated into different opportunities I've been given and I've earned."
Warrington said he thought of it while at his camp. When one member of his group told him he was "lucky," he immediately said "luck has nothing to do with it," despite the T-shirt he was wearing at the time was a Lucky Brand clothing item.
He told the person he would be wearing a different T-shirt when he saw them next. He said he was creating the T-shirt when he realized that being fortunate meant more to him than just a word on some cloth.
"The more I started getting into it and I thought about it, I'm like, this isn't just a T-shirt. It signifies something," he recalled. "For instance, I have another shirt that has a rhinoceros on it and it says ‘Live Fortunate’ on it. And then there's all the different words of gratitude, opportunities, and earning things — it's all like within there.
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"So, that's kind of the message behind the brand. If you've worked hard for anything and someone's told you you're lucky, you're not ‘really lucky,’ you're fortunate because you've earned that opportunity. It's a clothing line. More of a premium lifestyle brand that I'm looking at. It's basically the message of getting that across. That's kind of what the basis is behind it."
Warrington said he has been fortunate to be able to give back to his community as well through the Junior Achievement of South Florida, teaching kids about financial literacy and sharing his life experiences with the younger generation.
There’s another reason for Warrington to feel fortunate, too.
He’s a cancer survivor.
Warrington was diagnosed with thyroid cancer in 2017.
He told OutKick Dropkick that he wasn’t one to worry about something unless there was something to worry about and keeping that even-keeled mindset helped push any negative thoughts out of his head to stay focused on the task at hand.
"I think that mindset for me kind of helped. That with the fact that I was like, I'm young. I have a family I still need to take care of. I need to be here, and I just look at things from a positive side. I always try to find a silver lining in something. I don't look at something as my glass is half empty or half full – it’s always three-quarters full, and I can always fill it back up. So, I think that that's the part that really helped me pull through that.
"And it's funny because there's a lot of times I don't think of myself as a survivor. I am, but I don't really look at it that way because, for me, what I went through in my mind was relatively easy. Again, there was a problem, there was a fix, we moved on. There are so many other people out there, their cancer was a lot worse or who are going through a lot worse things than me. So, if I could get the opportunity to talk to them about just trying to stay in a positive mindset, to find the silver lining – the glass is always three-quarters full and you still have an opportunity to refill it. I think that's kind of what got me through that and the message that, when I do talk to people, I try to get across."
Warrington said he learned the mind truly is a powerful thing and may be something that doesn’t get enough credit.
He is now focused on helping others realize how fortunate they are in their own lives and maximize the mindset through that message.