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Super Bowl week: Stars and athletes bring buzz into New Orleans before big game in the Big Easy

Above, Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts, left, and Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes with the trophy during Super Bowl 59 Opening Night Monday in New Orleans. (AP)
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Updated 04 February 2025
AP
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Super Bowl week: Stars and athletes bring buzz into New Orleans before big game in the Big Easy

  • The Big Easy will be the epicenter for star-studded concerts, exclusive parties, a comedy show and guest lists filled with A-listers
  • From Post Malone, Cardi B to Shaquille O’Neal, the city will be buzzing long before Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs attempt a monumental three-peat
Updated 04 February 2025
AP

LOS ANGELES: The Super Bowl isn’t just a game on Sunday. It’ll involve a nearly week-long spectacle taking over New Orleans with non-stop entertainment leading up to the big showdown between the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles.

While the Chiefs and Eagles gear up for their championship rematch, the Big Easy will be the epicenter for star-studded concerts, exclusive parties, a comedy show and guest lists filled with A-listers.

From Post Malone, Cardi B to Shaquille O’Neal, the city will be buzzing long before Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs attempt a monumental three-peat.

“It’s going to be fun. It’s going to be different than other Super Bowls,” said Shaquille O’Neal, who will host his popular carnival-themed Shaq’s Fun House on Friday night.

It’s a hot ticket — starting at $199 — for the NBA legend’s over-the-top festival event featuring headline performances from Ludacris, John Summit and O’Neal under his stage name DJ Diesel.

O’Neal’s event will feature several attractions including a Ferris wheel, circus performers and premium bar. This will be somewhat of a homecoming week for O’Neal, who played college hoops at Louisiana State University and visits Louisiana about four times a year.

For Flavor Flav, he wants to help lift up morale in New Orleans following the aftermath of the terror attack that killed 14 people on New Year’s Day.

“This is going to be special. I’m here to uplift spirits,” said Flav, who will perform at Guy Fieri’s Flavortown Tailgate along with Diplo and Cowboy Mouth on Sunday afternoon. It’s free for general admission with paid upgraded experiences for $49.99 and $349 for a VIP ticket.

“I’m getting on the turntables to make people party and have a good time,” he said.

Along with those events, here’s a look at some of the invite-only and public events during a busy Super Bowl week:

Fanatics Party

Michael Rubin’s Fanatics Super Bowl party is impossible to get into without an invite. The star-studded affair on Saturday afternoon is strictly for the who’s who of sports and entertainment.

Rubin, the founder and CEO of Fanatics, will likely be front and center, taking in performances from Post Malone, Travis Scott, Don Tolliver and many more.

The expected attendees include big names such as Kim Kardashian, Justin Bieber, Lil Baby, Tiffany Haddish and Tom Brady.

Madden Bowl

Just like EA Sports’ iconic phrase, “It’s in the game,” Jelly Roll, Chris Stapleton and Shaboozey will literally be in the game at the Madden Bowl.

The trio is set to separately take the stage Friday night, bringing the hype before the competition kicks off.

“I can’t wait to keep this party going,” Shaboozey said.

Along with performances, the event will include the Madden NFL 25 Championship Series in front of a live audience — where two of the world’s best player will travel to New Orleans for their share of the $1 million prize pool.

Double up for some, Triple duties for Post Malone & Diplo

The Madden Bowl won’t be the only stage where Stapleton will showcase his powerhouse vocals. The country star is set to headline the SiriusXM and Pandora concert on Thursday night.

Stapleton’s performance will air on SiriusXM’s Chris Stapleton Radio, an exclusive channel curated and presented by him and his band. Pandora listeners can access the Chris Stapleton Radio station.

After Ludacris takes the stage at Shaq’s Fun House on Friday, the rapper will perform Sunday at On Location’s Super Bowl pre-game party. He’ll be joined by rock band The Revivalists at the Club 67 and Touchdown Club just outside the Caesars Superdome for One Location — a premium hospitality provider of the NFL.

Post Malone will be making moves too. He’s scheduled to perform at three different events. Along with Fanatics, the superstar artist will hit the stage at the Bud Light Backyard Tour on Friday, then he’s set to headline the YouTube Tailgate Concert on Sunday near the Superdome.

Diplo will perform at parties for Sports Illustrated and Maxim along with Guy Fieri’s tailgate event.

Gospel celebration

Bill Bellamy and Rocsi Diaz will bring some gospel flavor to the Big Easy.

The tandem will host the Super Bowl Soulful Celebration on Wednesday night. The lineup includes some of music’s best from The Isley Brothers, Muni Long, Yolanda Adams, Tori Kelly and Jonathan McReynolds.

Other performances include New Orleans natives Master P, Big Freedia, Lucky Daye and Trombone Shorty. The NFL Players Choir will also participate.

“Hosting the Super Bowl Soulful Celebration is like hitting the trifecta: music, faith, and football all in one show,” Bellamy said. “I’m excited to bring some laughs, some energy and to be part of this incredible night with an amazing lineup.”

Michael Strahan, an NFL Hall of Famer and “Good Morning America” co-anchor, will receive the Lifetime of Inspiration award. He called the honor “truly special.”

New Orleans Saints player Cameron Jordan will be given the community award while Los Angeles Rams star rookie Jared Verse will be honored with the rising star award.

Timbaland and Maxim

Super producer Timbaland will bring his massive hits into New Orleans with the help of Maxim.

Timbaland will perform at a special concert at the Maxim Saints & Sinners Big Game Party on Saturday. The show will include performances from DJ Loud Luxury, Plastik Funk, DJ unKommon and former NFL player Le’Veon Bell.

DJ unKommon and Diplo will be featured performers at a pregame party Friday.

Other concerts happening around the Super Bowl

Captain Morgan will transform Bourbon Street into Rum Street with the help of T-Pain, who will headline a concert on Saturday night.

On the same night, Cardi B is expected to perform at the “Cardi Gras.” 50 Cent will hold the Super Bold Comedy Block Party with standups from Bill Bellamy, Chico Bean and DC Young Fly.

Dom Dolla and Diplo will perform at the Sports Illustrated Party.

On Friday, Nelly and Chainsmokers is set to perform at h.wood Homecoming and Draft Kings event. Shannon Sharpe and Chad “Ochosinco” Johnson will do an in-person podcast called the Nightcap NSFW Tour.

Topics: American Football Super Bowl

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Emery glad to see Rashford make landmark appearance

Updated 27 sec ago
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Emery glad to see Rashford make landmark appearance

Updated 27 sec ago
“Happy for him,” Emery said
“Happy because he is achieving individual objectives as well, with these appearances he is doing, playing matches here with us”

LONDON: Aston Villa manager Unai Emery said he was “happy” for Marcus Rashford as the England forward prepares to make his 500th career appearance.
Rashford has undergone something of an on-field revival since joining the Birmingham club on loan from Manchester United, with the England forward scoring three goals in his last two Villa outings.
He is now set to make his 12th appearance for Emery’s side at home to Nottingham Forest on Saturday, having made 426 appearances for United in total and won 62 caps for England.
“Happy for him,” Emery said. “Happy because he is achieving individual objectives as well, with these appearances he is doing, playing matches here with us.
“And try to enjoy with him, not more, try to feel comfortable himself every day here, with everything we are doing and with his team-mates.
“Training, playing and of course with the challenges we have together, to try to achieve, and to play in his best form, qualities, skills and confidence.”
Villa are chasing a seventh straight win in all competitions against high-flying Midlands rivals Forest as they aim to continue an impressive season.
They reached the FA Cup semifinals with victory at Preston on Sunday, and Wednesday’s 3-0 win at Brighton lifted them to within four points of the top four with eight games to play.
Spanish manager Emery could have a full-strength squad to face Forest, with Ross Barkley recovering from a long-term knee injury and Leon Bailey set for a late fitness test.
Emery said having returning players available again would be vital to how Villa finished the season, adding: “We don’t have now time to explain a lot about how we are, and how we are playing a lot of matches now being very, very important in Premier League, in Champions League and in FA Cup.
“Of course, the players now, we are recovering players, we are feeling stronger.
“We were in some moments in the season with some players injured, with some players not feeling physically good.
“We were struggling sometimes and not achieving the objective we were facing in that moment.
“Of course now, with the players we have more or less available for (Saturday’s) match, or the match we play before, I’m happy because my plan is to try to extend 90 minutes competing in the demands we have, and the demands (of) the opponent facing us.”

Postecoglou plays dangerous game with gestures to Tottenham’s disgruntled fans

Updated 04 April 2025
AP
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Postecoglou plays dangerous game with gestures to Tottenham’s disgruntled fans

  • Postecoglou was asked about his actions after Sarr’s “goal” and, in his unique style, said “I wanted them to be happy, mate”
  • “We’d just scored a cracking goal,” he said. “I wanted them to cheer because they hadn’t had a lot to cheer about”
Updated 04 April 2025
AP

LONDON: By cupping his ear and waving sarcastically, Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou went head-first into a confrontation with his critics.
Unfortunately, those critics were the club’s hard-core fans.
Postecoglou, whose future at Tottenham has been looking increasingly uncertain in a tough season for the underperforming London team, might have gone a step too far Thursday when he appeared to goad his own supporters during the 1-0 loss at Chelsea — even though he later denied having that intention.
Tottenham’s away contingent had serenaded Postecoglou with a chant of “You don’t know what you’re doing” after the combative Australian coach made two substitutions in the 64th minute at Stamford Bridge, including bringing on Pape Sarr to replace fellow midfielder Lucas Bergvall.
Within five minutes, Sarr scored a goal from long range and Postecoglou reacted by facing the end containing Tottenham’s fans, cupping his hand to his ear and then waving.
Unfortunately for Tottenham and Postecoglou, the goal was disallowed and Chelsea went on to secure a 1-0 win that consigned Spurs to a 16th loss in 30 Premier League games this season.
Postecoglou was asked about his actions after Sarr’s “goal” and, in his unique style, said “I wanted them to be happy, mate.”
“We’d just scored a cracking goal,” he said. “I wanted them to cheer because they hadn’t had a lot to cheer about.”
Tottenham fans sure will attest to that this season.
And his explanation might not wash with many fans who appear to have turned against their manager, maybe because of the team’s results, maybe because of his style of play, and maybe because of increasingly unhappy demeanor.
It was only a couple of months ago, after a 2-1 loss to relegation-threatened Leicester, that he attempted to confront a fan who had directed criticism the Tottenham manager’s way as he walked down the tunnel.
That is one thing, however. Appearing to taunt supporters — though he denied doing so again in a news conference on Friday, maintaining his actions did been misinterpreted — is another.
“I’d heard the supporters weren’t happy with my decision, which is fine,” he said, “and my response was to celebrate and get them to make some noise and get them behind the team.”
Postecoglou, who is coming to the end of his second season at Tottenham after joining from Celtic, said he wasn’t affected by fan criticism.
“I have been fighting my whole career,” he continued, “and I’ll continue to fight until I’m told to stop by someone.”
Given the growing disconnect between Postecoglou and the fans, winning the Europa League — and thereby ending Tottenham’s 17-year wait for a major trophy and securing a place in next season’s Champions League — might be the only thing that keeps him in his job.
Tottenham play Eintracht Frankfurt in the Europa League quarterfinals, with the first leg on Thursday.
Lose and Tottenham just have Premier League games left to play. The team are in 14th place in the 20-team league, making it a woeful campaign for a team among the so-called “Big Six” in England and which were one of the clubs pushing to join a breakaway Super League four years ago.
Postecoglou, who has previously blamed injuries for his team’s poor results this season, said Friday he understood the criticism heading his way and didn’t want to “say something that somehow will change the mood of the fans.”
“I still believe we’ve got a massive opportunity for ourselves this year,” he said, “and I’m not going to let that slip away — whether that’s from external or internal pressure.”

Topics: Tottenham Hotspur Ange Postecoglou

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Ariya Jutanugarn maintains group lead over Nelly Korda at T-Mobile Match Play

Updated 04 April 2025
Reuters
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Ariya Jutanugarn maintains group lead over Nelly Korda at T-Mobile Match Play

  • Jutanugarn, of Thailand, won 2 and 1 against Altomare to continue to lead Group 1, though she will face Korda in the final leg of the round robin Friday
  • Angel Yin (1-0-1) leads Group 10, and Russia’s Nataliya Guseva (1-0-1) is on top in Group 15
Updated 04 April 2025
Reuters

LAS VEGAS: World No. 1 Nelly Korda avoided a second straight collapse, but Ariya Jutanugarn maintained her advantage in Group 1 play Thursday at the T-Mobile Match Play in North Las Vegas, Nevada

Korda built a lead and held on to finish 1 up on Jennifer Kupcho, who fell to 0-2 in the event. That marked an improvement from Wednesday for Korda, when the defending champion settled for halving her match after losing a late lead to Brittany Altomare.

“Golf doesn’t necessarily bring out (head-to-head competitiveness) unless you’re in a playoff or whatnot,” Korda said. “(It) just makes you a little bit more aggressive of a player.”

Jutanugarn, of Thailand, won 2 and 1 against Altomare to continue to lead Group 1, though she will face Korda in the final leg of the round robin Friday. A win there would give either player the group.

The 64-player field is divided into 16 four-player groups competing in three days of round-robin matches. A win earns one point, a tie earns a half-point and a loss is zero points. The winner of each group moves on to a 16-player, single-elimination bracket beginning Saturday. In the event of a tie for first place in a group, a playoff will determine which player advances. The quarterfinals will be played on Saturday, with the semifinals and final on Sunday.

Overall, 12 golfers are 2-0 through two days of play at Shadow Creek Golf Course, putting each in a strong position to win her group and advance to the 16-person field Saturday.

Thailand’s Jeeno Thitikul defeated Mexico’s Gaby Lopes 2 and 1 to get to 2-0 in Group 2. South Korea’s Sei Young Kim upended Japan’s Yuna Nishimura 4 and 2 to advance to 2-0 in Group 4.

Group 5 features Australia’s Stephanie Kyriacou leading the way at 2-0 after her 4-and-2 victory over Japan’s Ayaka Furue.

The only group with a pair of 2-0 golfers is Group 9, as South Korea’s Hyo Joo Kim and Sweden’s Maja Stark are still perfect and face off Friday.

Other 2-0 golfers after two days include Japan’s Mao Saigo in Group 7 (the only debut golfer at 2-0), Canada’s Brooke M. Henderson in Group 8 (having played only playing 27 holes — the fewest in the field), France’s Celine Boutier in Group 11, South Korea’s A Lim Kim in Group 12, Sweden’s Madelene Sagstrom in Group 14 and South Korea’s Narin An in Group 16.

Group 3 and 13 each have a four-way tie for first place at 1-1-0, while England’s Charley Hull and South Africa’s Ashleigh Buhai co-lead in Group 6 at 1-0-1.

“I love this format and it’s been a lot of fun,” New Zealand’s Lydia Ko said after winning her Thursday match 6 and 5 over Australia’s Gabriela Ruffels to get into that four-way tie in Group 3. “Yesterday I came off the day not feeling like defeated. I still had a great time.”

Angel Yin (1-0-1) leads Group 10, and Russia’s Nataliya Guseva (1-0-1) is on top in Group 15.

Topics: Nelly Korda T-Mobile Match Play Ariya Jutanugarn

Stephen Curry scores 37 points as Warriors beat Lakers in potential first-round playoff preview

Updated 04 April 2025
AP
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Stephen Curry scores 37 points as Warriors beat Lakers in potential first-round playoff preview

  • The Golden State Warriors score their fourth win in a row
  • Curry was coming off a 52-point effort, including 12 3-pointers, at Memphis on Tuesday
Updated 04 April 2025
AP

LOS ANGELES: Stephen Curry scored 37 points, Brandin Podziemski added 28 and the Golden State Warriors defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 123-116 on Thursday night for their fourth win in a row in a potential first-round playoff preview.
Podziemski had a career-high eight 3-pointers on a night when Curry was 4 of 11 from long range. Curry was coming off a 52-point effort, including 12 3-pointers, at Memphis on Tuesday.
LeBron James had 33 points and nine assists to lead the Lakers. Austin Reaves added 31 points, including nine 3-pointers, Rui Hachimura had 24 points and Luke Doncic had 19 points, missing all six of his 3-point attempts.
Doncic’s basket got the Lakers to 105-99 in the closing minutes. Curry and Podziemski hit back-to-back 3-pointers and James and Reaves answered with ones of their own, leaving the Lakers down by seven.
James and Curry traded scoring runs in the third, when the Lakers closed within eight after trailing by 16 in the second quarter. James had 12 of 14 points for his team early on. Curry ran off 13 in a row and then made three free throws to send the Warriors into the fourth leading 88-77.
Jonathan Kuminga added 18 points and nine rebounds off the bench for Golden State, which beat the Lakers for the first time in four games this season. The Warriors’ last win in LA came a year ago.
Takeaways
Warriors: They closed a six-game trip — tied for longest of the season — with a 4-2 mark. They remain in a tight battle to hold onto a top-six seed and avoid the play-in tournament with six games left.
Lakers: James went over 11,000 points as a Laker on a 3-pointer in the second quarter, becoming the 10th player in franchise history to do so.
Key moment
Reaves made a 3-pointer coming out of a timeout to leave the Lakers trailing 121-116 in the closing seconds. But Doncic fouled Curry, who made both.
Key stat
The Warriors won without needing Jimmy Butler, who had 11 points on 4-of-7 shooting. He’d been averaging 17.3 and had 27 against Memphis.
Up next
Both teams complete back-to-backs on Saturday. The Warriors host Denver and the Lakers host New Orleans.

Topics: basketball NBA Stephen Curry Golden State Warriors Los Angeles Lakers

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Trump hopeful of ‘great’ PGA-LIV golf merger

Updated 04 April 2025
AFP
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Trump hopeful of ‘great’ PGA-LIV golf merger

  • Trump: You’ve got the PGA Tour, you’ve got the LIV tour. And I think having them merge would be a great thing
  • PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan said earlier this month that Trump’s intervention in ongoing negotiations had “significantly bolstered” hopes of reunifying the sport
Updated 04 April 2025
AFP

MIAMI: President Donald Trump said Thursday he is optimistic of an eventual merger between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf following a new report of a stalemate in negotiations to reunify the game.

Speaking on Air Force One as he traveled to Florida ahead of this weekend’s LIV Golf Miami event at Trump National Doral, the US leader said he believed a merger was inevitable.

“Ultimately, hopefully the two tours are going to merge,” Trump told reporters. “That’ll be good. I’m involved in that, too, but hopefully we’re going to get the two tours to merge.

“You’ve got the PGA Tour, you’ve got the LIV tour. And I think having them merge would be a great thing.”

Trump, a keen golfer, has hosted two rounds of recent talks at the White House between leaders of the PGA Tour and the Saudi Arabia-financed LIV as the sport attempts to move on after LIV’s entry in 2021.

PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan said earlier this month that Trump’s intervention in ongoing negotiations had “significantly bolstered” hopes of reunifying the sport.

However, a report in Britain’s The Guardian newspaper on Thursday said negotiations had reached an impasse after the PGA Tour failed to deliver “serious concessions” in exchange for a $1.5 billion investment from Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), the sovereign wealth fund which bankrolls LIV.

The Guardian report citing unidentified sources said PIF had sought assurances from the PGA Tour that the LIV circuit would continue following any deal, and that the fund’s governor, Yasir Al-Rumayyan, would be appointed as co-chairman of PGA Tour Enterprises.

However, the PGA Tour rejected both of those requests in a response to LIV sent on Monday, according to The Guardian.

News of the deadlock comes ahead of the first major of the year at next week’s Masters at Augusta National, where 12 players from LIV Golf will tee off against top rivals from the PGA Tour.

Five-time major winner Brooks Koepka, one of the highest-profile players to defect to LIV Golf, admitted this week that he was disappointed that the Saudi-funded circuit had not progressed further in its four seasons.

“I think we all hoped it would have been a little bit further along, and that’s no secret,” he said. “But they’re making progress and it seems to be going in the right direction.”

Topics: PGA Tour LIV Golf golf

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