Bill Chisholm, managing partner at Symphony Technology Group, has agreed to purchase the Boston Celtics from the Grousbeck family for $6.1 billion, sources told ESPN.

It marks the largest sale for a franchise in North American sports history, surpassing the NFL's Washington Commanders being sold for $6.05 billion in 2023.

Sources told ESPN that Wyc Grousbeck will continue as the franchise's CEO and governor through the 2027-28 season, which was part of the family's plan when it announced its intention to sell the team last year.

The group led by Chisholm, a lifelong Celtics fan who was born and raised in the Boston area, includes Boston business executives and philanthropists Rob Hale -- a current Celtics owner -- and Bruce A. Beal, Jr., sources told ESPN.

The Grousbeck family, which has owned the Celtics since 2002, announced last June that it intended to sell a majority interest of the franchise in 2024 or 2025, with the balance closing in 2028.

Since the Grousbeck-led group Boston Basketball Partners purchased the team, the Celtics have consistently been among the NBA's best teams. In that time, they have won two championships -- including the title last year with a five-game victory over the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Finals -- and reached the NBA Finals on two other occasions.

Grousbeck and partner Steve Pagliuca led a group that purchased the Celtics in 2002 for $360 million.

Franchise valuations have since skyrocketed, with the Phoenix Suns being sold for $4 billion to Mat Ishbia in February 2023, the Milwaukee Bucks being sold to Jimmy and Dee Haslam for $3.5 billion several weeks later, and the Mavericks being sold to the Adelson and Dumont families for $3.5 billion in December 2023.

The Celtics are one of the iconic franchises in professional sports, with an NBA record 18 NBA titles -- trailing only the New York Yankees (27) and Montreal Canadiens (24) among all North American professional sports leagues.

ESPN's Tim Bontemps contributed to this report.

SARASOTA, Fla. -- The state of the 2025 Baltimore Orioles, one of enviable surplus in position-player talent and a potential deficit in the pitching department, was on display in their clubhouse Tuesday afternoon.

First, 41-year-old Charlie Morton, the second-oldest player in the majors, was scratched from his Grapefruit League start against the Toronto Blue Jays that evening without an immediate reason, briefly raising concerns that the Orioles' rotation had experienced another setback. Within minutes, corner infielder Coby Mayo, one of the top prospects in baseball, openly expressed his displeasure to reporters about Baltimore's decision to option him to minor league camp.

But Morton was not injured -- the Orioles just chose to have him pitch in a simulated setting on a back field instead of facing a division rival. And the Orioles are not down on Mayo, who has clubbed 34 home runs with a .919 OPS in Triple-A over the past two seasons -- they simply decided they did not have room for him on the big league roster.

"That's what happens when you have good teams," Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said.

The Orioles expect to be good for a reason. The question is, how good?

This year's club features a lineup, fueled by a ballyhooed young core, that should mash even after Anthony Santander and his 44 home runs left to join the Blue Jays during the offseason. The starting rotation, however, projects as the worst in a loaded American League East -- the only division in baseball that PECOTA projects will have all five teams win at least 80 games.

"The other four teams are really, really good teams," Hyde said. "It's going to be a dogfight every night. You're going to be facing somebody that's really good on a nightly basis in the division."

The Orioles have been good enough to navigate the treacherous AL East and reach the postseason in each of the past two years. Whether they can make another playoff appearance -- and finally win a game in October -- will come down to their pitching, particularly the starting rotation.

The Orioles do not have a proven ace. They had one last season in Corbin Burnes, a former Cy Young Award winner whom they acquired entering his final season before free agency. Burnes had an All-Star season in Baltimore, posting a 2.92 ERA across 32 starts. Then he left. Seeking a home out West, the right-hander signed a six-year, $210 million contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks at the end of December.

The Orioles have replaced him with two veteran free agents on the wrong side of the aging curve -- Morton and 35-year-old Tomoyuki Sugano -- on one-year deals for a combined $28 million. To fill the hole left by Santander in the outfield, they signed veteran Tyler O'Neill to a three-year, $49.5 million deal. In the process, Baltimore, in David Rubenstein's first offseason as principal owner, raised its luxury tax payroll from $89.4 million last season to $126.8 million, which ranks 24^th in baseball, according to Cot's Baseball Contracts.

"I think it's a tough thing in sports, particularly for baseball, particularly for teams that aren't the handful of larger market teams that can run the $300 million payrolls, that you're going to have athletes leave," Orioles general manager Mike Elias said. "Nobody wants it any time, but a big part of our profession is scripting out what's the healthiest way to run the organization long term and from top to bottom and sometimes that involves not being the winner on a free agent."

The rotation took another step back earlier this month when Grayson Rodriguez, the Orioles' projected No. 1 starter, was shut down with elbow inflammation. He started throwing again Tuesday, but will begin the season on the injured list, leaving Zach Eflin to start on Opening Day in Toronto. Dean Kremer, Cade Povich and Albert Suárez complete Baltimore's list of options for the rotation.

Internal reinforcements could eventually bolster the group. Right-hander Kyle Bradish, who finished fourth in AL Cy Young voting in 2023, is on track to join the rotation in the second half of the season after undergoing Tommy John surgery in June. Left-hander Trevor Rogers, an All-Star in 2021 who struggled mightily upon being traded to Baltimore last summer, could be available early in the season after dislocating his right kneecap in January.

The final spot in the rotation is a competition between Povich, a 24-year-old left-hander who recorded a 5.54 ERA in 16 starts last season, and Suárez, a 35-year-old journeyman who emerged last season to post a 3.70 ERA across 133 innings. Povich was given Morton's start Tuesday and tossed five hitless innings, better positioning himself for the job. Morton, meanwhile, threw to Orioles hitters on a back field as he prepares for his 17th season.

The right-hander launched his career as a mediocre young pitcher, became a first-time All-Star at 34 years old and is now an age-defying wonder who has outlasted most of his peers. Along the way, he's been around successful young rosters. He was on the Pittsburgh Pirates' last playoff teams in the mid-2010s. He won a World Series with the Houston Astros in 2017, advanced to another one with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2020 and won his second title with the Atlanta Braves in 2021.

He said these Orioles, a few of whom are nearly half his age, remind him of the Astros teams he played on.

"I think certainly you want to prove yourself on an individual level to other people, to yourself," Morton said. "But once you start to taste winning and once you start to kind of see that you can be, as a group, better than you, then you kind of build a momentum. And that momentum becomes something that really shapes your identity. And then you start to, as a group, believe in being able to do things that are greater than what you thought you could do maybe at the beginning. I think in Houston we had that."

The Orioles' position-player group, while bursting with talent, is not foolproof. Superstar shortstop Gunnar Henderson, who finished fourth in AL MVP voting in his age-23 season in 2024, could miss the start of the season with an intercostal injury. Two-time All-Star catcher Adley Rutschman, the organization's other cornerstone, is seeking to rebound from a second-half collapse in production. Second baseman Jackson Holliday, the top prospect in baseball a year ago, will look to establish himself after slashing .189/.255/.311 in 60 games as a 20-year-old rookie.

"We have guys that still haven't reached their upside for me," Hyde said.

If that happens -- if Henderson somehow takes another step, if Rutschman rediscovers his form, if Holliday, Jordan Westburg, Colton Cowser and Heston Kjerstad, all 26 and under, play to their potential -- then the Orioles will be very good. To be great, they'll need their rotation to exceed expectations.

"We made the playoffs," first baseman Ryan Mountcastle said of last year's club, which was swept in the wild-card round by the Kansas City Royals. "That's always huge. You just got to get there first. It wasn't the end result we wanted, but I think we've learned from it, we've grown from it. Hopefully we bring it into this coming year, hopefully make the playoffs again and make a better run."

World number three Carlos Alcaraz said he does not support the legal action being taken against tennis' governing bodies by the players' union co-founded by Novak Djokovic.

The Professional Tennis Players' Association (PTPA) filed papers on Tuesday criticising the schedule, ranking systems and control over image rights.

The lawsuit seeks an end to what it describes as "monopolistic control" of the tennis tour, as well as financial compensation from the ATP, the WTA, the International Tennis Federation (ITF) and the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA).

"It was surprising for me, because no one had told me about it," Alcaraz, 21, told reporters at the Miami Open.

"There are things I agree with and there are other things I don't agree with. The main thing is I don't support what was done."

The ATP Tour, the men's professional body, has been critical of the advocacy group, saying it was guilty of "division and distraction" while the WTA, which oversees the women's tour, called the lawsuit "regrettable and misguided".

It is possible Williams, who is ranked number 1,151, will never retire.

Former US Open and French Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova has not played since Wimbledon 2021, but is yet formally to call it a day.

Venus' sister Serena, meanwhile, did not like the word retirement, preferring instead to "evolve away from the sport" in September 2022.

Serena's name does, however, appear on the International Tennis Integrity Agency's retired players list.

Joining that list is a strong commitment to retiring, as any player who later changes their mind must make themselves available for drug testing for six months before returning to play.

It means Venus could still expect a visit from out-of-competition testers. But she no longer needs to submit details of her daily whereabouts as she was removed from the international registered testing pool last June - a usual process for singles players who drop out of the world's top 100.

Williams has not played frequently enough to qualify as either a full or associate member of the WTA Tour this year, but she has also not completed a WTA retirement form.

To play again she would need to fill out an annual player form and find a $250 administration fee from the nearly $43m of prize money she has earned.

Her management team did not respond to a request for information about her plans and it seems Williams will keep us guessing a little longer. Any ideas she might have for the summer have not been widely shared within the sport.

Many retirement tributes have been written and signed off a long time ago.

They may still need updating.

A new global 7-versus-7 women's soccer event is set to launch ahead of the UEFA Women's Champions League final in May with the promise of a $5 million prize pool per event.

Organizers of the newly launched "World Sevens Football" (W7F) describe the concept as a "grand slam series" that will commence with an inaugural tournament in Portugal from May 21-23 ahead of "future events planned in football-loving cities across the United States, Mexico, Asia, Europe and beyond."

Eight professional women's clubs will compete in each event and roster choices are at their discretion, a W7F spokesperson confirmed. Several top global women's clubs are expected to participate in the events, but organizers have not yet announced participants.

There will be one more tournament later in 2025, ESPN confirmed. Organizers hope to expand the number of tournaments played in 2026. W7F was co-founded by Jennifer Mackesy, a minority investor in the NWSL's NJ/NY Gotham FC and the WSL's Chelsea FC, and entrepreneur Justin Fishkin to "provide [players] economic opportunity in a way that truly reflects their value," Makesy said in a statement.

World Sevens Football formed a player advisory council led by two-time World Cup winner and two-time Olympic gold medalist Tobin Heath. Former internationals Kelley O'Hara, Anita Asante, Caroline Seger and Laura Georges are also part of the player advisory council. The council members are all advisors and investors, a W7F spokesperson said.

"Being part of World Sevens Football from its inception is incredibly meaningful to me," Heath said in a statement. "W7F is creating a future where women footballers have greater opportunities, financial security, and a bigger platform to connect with fans. This is about legacy -- about changing the game for generations to come. And as a 1-v-1 artist myself, this format is a dream stage for those duels."

Bay FC co-founder Aly Wagner, who won two Olympic gold medals in a 10-year career with the United States, will serve as W7F's chief of strategy. She is an employee and not an investor, according to a W7F spokesperson. The format for the tournaments will be 7-vs.-7 games consisting of two 15-minute halves, and extra time for tiebreakers.

Seven-a-side tournaments have gained popularity in recent years through the launch of The Soccer Tournament (TST), which launched its first dedicated women's tournament last year with a $1 million winner-take-all prize. TST returns to North Carolina in June with an expanded field of 16 women's teams.

The UEFA Women's Champions League final will be played on May 24 in Lisbon at Estádio José Alvalade, the home of Sporting Lisbon.

W7F will take place in the three days prior to the final, at Estádio António Coimbra da Mota, about 18 miles to the west.

The timing of the first tournament comes at the end of most European domestic seasons, but falls in the middle of the NWSL season in the U.S. and makes it unlikely that NWSL teams will participate.

W7F's inaugural event also directly overlaps the semifinals and final of the inaugural Concacaf W Champions Cup, which takes place in Monterrey, Mexico, and features two NWSL and two Liga MX Femenil teams.

Centre Eve Higgins says Ireland have "huge belief" heading into their Women's Six Nations opener with France in Belfast (13:00 GMT).

Ireland have had a strong year of progress under head coach Scott Bemand and a third place finish in last year's Six Nations secured qualification for the World Cup.

That was then backed up by a win over Australia in Belfast and a shock, historic victory in WXV1 against New Zealand in Vancouver.

"That has grown a huge belief in this squad," Higgins said on Ireland's progress in 2024.

"Every single one of us is looking forward to going into the Six Nations and building on last year."

Higgins said Ireland trained against France, who are led by star scum-half scrum-half Pauline Bourdon Sansus, in the lead-up to their win over New Zealand.

France finished second in last year's Six Nations after losing to England in a Grand Slam shootout in the final round.

"In the week heading into the New Zealand game we had our heaviest session against them," added the 25-year-old.

"We have not only had playing against them in the Six Nations, but also to train against them and focus on key areas.

"It put us in a great place heading into the New Zealand game.

"They have some star players and a power game, but the team has gained a lot of confidence from training against them."

After their opener with France, Ireland travel to Italy, host England and round out the tournament away to Wales and Scotland.

Tierney spelt out a stark picture of the game in Wales, admitting "so many parts of the system are broken" and saying the product on offer to fans was "not good enough".

Former Wales captain Sam Warburton said Welsh rugby must now seriously consider cutting a region to pool the player talent into three clubs.

But Tierney responded by claiming that process would take at least two years as well as creating "distraction and pain" and believes keeping Cardiff, Dragons, Ospreys and Scarlets is a "bold" decision.

"We are absolutely committed to four regions equally, giving them all the chance to be successful and that will grow the game," she said.

"We are increasing the funding as well as improving the pathways to have enough quality players to service them and working on the commercial side.

"That strategy will be quicker, faster and have an impact sooner than moving to three."

The WRU has previously revealed its five-year ambition to build the game, including Wales breaking into the top five team in the world by 2029.

It has also previously announced funding to the regions will rise this July - from the current 4.5m each - with incremental rises over the next three years to 6.5m each as well as wiping some of the regions' debts.

But Welsh rugby is still waiting for that deal to be signed off.

"It has taken longer than I expected but even if we agreed the deal in October, the extra money wouldn't come until July," said Tierney.

"We've needed to take time to get this right. We could have imposed the agreement but the relationship [with the regions] is important. We need to trust each other."

DAYTON, Ohio -- Most NCAA tournament teams dispatched to the First Four view it as an opportunity or a nuisance, but rarely, if ever, an advantage.

The First Four is a logistical and preparation scramble, not to mention an extra game before the start of what many consider to be the true NCAA tournament. But Xavier found itself in an unusual spot Wednesday night against Texas, playing just 47 miles from its Cincinnati campus, in front of a raucous crowd that burst into "Let's go X!" chants and flashed the "horns down" signal like a reflex.

The Musketeers needed that type of environment, and contributions from several somewhat unexpected sources, to overcome a Texas barrage in the first half. After giving up 47 points in the opening 20 minutes, Xavier scored 47 in the final 20 and won 86-80 in front of 12,546 at UD Arena. The No. 11 seed advanced in the Midwest Region, where it will face No. 6 seed Illinois on Friday night in Milwaukee.

"That's one of the greatest games I've been a part of," Xavier coach Sean Miller said.

A mix of atmosphere and standout performances led to Miller's proclamation. He felt his team was "on the ropes" several times Wednesday, only to fight back and ultimately leapfrog a Texas squad that controlled the paint and received 23 points from dynamic freshman Tre Johnson.

"It pretty much felt like a home game," guard Marcus Foster said. "Like Coach Miller said, we needed everybody to pop out for us to pull that win, because that was a great Texas team."

On a night when Xavier front men Zach Freemantle and Ryan Conwell fought foul trouble and spotty shooting, Foster stepped to center stage. The Furman transfer scored a season-high 22 points, including 16 in the second half, and hit 4 of 5 from 3-point range with eight defensive rebounds.

Although Freemantle came alive late and reached double figures in scoring (15 points) alongside Conwell (11) and three others, Xavier received big boosts from Foster and reserves Dante Maddox Jr. (10 points) and Jerome Hunter (9).

"I just wanted to be the player everybody could count on," Foster said. "It was tough for [Freemantle and Conwell], they dealt with foul trouble, so I really wanted to step in and be a key guy to help us win."

Xavier trailed by as many as 13 points in the first half and was down 10 with less than 12 minutes left. But Foster sparked a 13-3 run that drew the Musketeers even. Then, they took their first lead since the 14:48 mark of the first half on a John Hugley IV 3-pointer with 5:07 left.

The Musketeers also tightened up defensively, after giving up their highest first-half points total of the season. Miller noted that Xavier has been a first-half team that eroded at times against faster and deeper opponents in the Big East.

"Tonight, we did not wear down," he said. "If anything maybe we had a wearing-down effect, especially with the way the crowd was against Texas."

The Longhorns prepared for a road-like setting Wednesday and had faced similar environments in the SEC. Texas guard Tramon Mark said his team was unaffected, but added of Xavier, "They definitely fed off their crowd."

"I wish we would have had more Dayton fans than Xavier fans," Texas coach Rodney Terry said. "This had the feel of a Sweet 16 game tonight, it really did."

Texas won't experience the Sweet 16 this year, and Terry's job status could be in doubt after a second straight early tournament exit. Terry, who is 62-37 in three seasons as Texas' coach, expects to meet with athletic director Chris Del Conte to evaluate the program.

"At the end of the day, it's in God's hands," he said. "I live my life, I'm a believer, and if God has plans for me to be here, then I'll be here."

Xavier's NCAA tournament will continue, meanwhile, although the crowd in Milwaukee probably won't be quite as friendly, especially given Illinois' proximity to Fiserv Forum.

"We've got to be a mature ballclub and understand that just because the fans get loud and rowdy, we can't let that affect our confidence," Foster said. "We saw today the power of having fans, so we've really got to understand what we're going into, and know it's going to be harder and harder."