Mets manager Buck Showalter and his team are already speculating about Shohei Ohtani possibly earning a contract worth a billion dollars in New York.Shohei Ohtani, the superstar from the Los Angeles Angels, will become a free agent this winter. There is speculation in the baseball community that...

As football fans across the globe gear up for the Women’s World Cup, some of the biggest names in the game including England captain Leah Williamson will be absent because of a wave of ACL injuries which has rocked the sport in recent years. It is a common sight in the women’s game when clubs and countries are forced to announce that their biggest stars will be out for months on end. Williamson ruptured her ACL – or anterior cruciate ligament – in April, and will miss the World Cup as a result. Other stars to miss the tournament are England’s Beth Mead and the Netherlands striker Vivianne Miedema, who both suffered the injury in November. Canada's Janine Beckie and the USA’s Catarina Macario are in the same boat. The issue also blighted the Euros last summer, as Ballon d’Or winner Alexia Putellas missed the tournament after rupturing her ACL days before the opening game. Northern Ireland’s Simone Magill was also ruled out, along with France striker Marie-Antoinette Katoto, who had been one of the favourites to win the Euro 2022 Golden Boot. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter But what is this injury, and why are so many women’s footballers getting it? A recurring problem The ACL is a small band of connective tissue in the centre of the knee. It can tear during routine activities like jumping. Any athlete that gets it faces surgery followed by six-to-12 months of rehab. Men also sustain ACL injuries – the likes of Virgil Van Dyke and Zlatan Ibrahimovic are high-profile examples in recent years – but it is more prominent in the women’s game. Speaking to Sky Sports last year, female health specialist Dr Emma Ross said: “We know female athletes are up to six times more likely to have a non-contact ACL injury than their male counterparts.” “In sport and exercise science research, only about 6 per cent of the studies are done exclusively on females – meaning they study things that are happening to the female body – so we don't have a lot of research on female athletes. “But what we do know about the menstrual cycle and injury is that the changing hormones across the cycle can impact the physiology and biomechanics of the body. “For example, when oestrogen is elevated in the menstrual cycle, and that happens in about the second week, it can affect the stability of joints. It can interfere with the collagen in our joints and it can create looser, more lax joints. A loose joint is therefore less stable and more inclined to injury. “So we do have some information about loose joints, but what we don't have is the end step of whether that really does increase the risk for injury in female athletes.” ‘Please no more’ Meanwhile, the workload for elite women’s footballers has grown because of the spiralling popularity of the game. Top players can play up to 44 matches a year, while three out of every four summers there is a major tournament, whether it is the Olympics, Euros or World Cup. The game has grown more professional in lockstep with the ever-busier schedules in recent years, with more Premier League clubs than ever pouring significant cash into their women’s teams. Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur spent a combined £33m on running their women’s football teams in the year to July 2022. Nonetheless, it remains lightyears behind the men’s game in terms of funding. The teams paid £186m to agents for men’s team transfers in the same season, according to the Telegraph. There are other factors at play too – women’s feet are significantly different from men’s in shape and size, and experts are concerned that ill-fitting boots could be contributing to the wave of injuries. Sports rehabilitation expert Dr Katrine Okholm Kryger told Sky Sports that “we know that women have a two to five times higher risk of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries”, which affect the knee. Many of the major manufacturers are developing women's specific boots which should be available for the FIFA Women's World Cup in 2023, but Dr Okholm Kryger said the lack of available football boots is a general concern. She said she hopes to start a discussion and “kindly nudge manufacturers and research towards the need to pay more attention in this area”. Until they listen, the problem could continue depriving women’s football of its biggest stars. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

DENVER (AP) — The Denver Nuggets raised their championship banner on Tuesday night, then dropped the hammer on the Los Angeles Lakers with a 119-107 victory fueled by Nikola Jokic’s triple-double.

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Micky van de Ven is no stranger to proving people wrong and has total confidence Tottenham can continue to silence the “negative” talk which surrounded the club this summer. The Dutch defender has been a revelation since he signed from Wolfsburg for an initial £34.5million fee and has helped Ange Postecoglou’s new-look team win four of their opening six Premier League fixtures despite the departure of record goal-scorer Harry Kane. While Van de Ven and Spurs are enjoying a new lease of life under Postecoglou, it has not been a smooth journey for the 22-year-old with a career outside of football considered and a difficult first campaign in Germany navigated before he reached England’s top flight. Van de Ven was on the brink of being released by Volendam during his under-19 days when Wim Jonk’s arrival as manager resulted in an unexpected first-team opportunity. Fast forward five years and he is in the Netherlands senior set-up while quickly on his way to becoming a fan favourite in N17. “I like to prove people wrong, yeah it is true,” Van de Ven told the PA news agency after he surprised Lea Valley Primary pupils during a school football session put on by Tottenham Hotspur Foundation this week. “My dad (Marcel) helped me also a lot at Volendam. It was a difficult situation for me because when people say they don’t trust you when you are 17-years-old, maybe you have to look for work or something. “You have to have a second choice if you can’t make it to be a professional football player and you have to switch. I said to my dad, ‘maybe I have to work,’ and he was like, ‘no! Trust me. One day a person will come, you will get your chance and grab it’. “So, I kept working, pushing, pushing, pushing and there was the chance and I grabbed it. “Also when I came from Volendam and went to Wolfsburg everybody said the step was too big, but I wanted to prove people wrong, so that is the mentality. “It is true (for Tottenham) because what I saw before I joined Spurs was that people were really negative about Spurs. “Of course, Kane was maybe going to leave and he scored every year 30+ goals, so yeah amazing striker, but we were there to prove them wrong. I think we are doing good now, but it is just the beginning. We need to keep pushing. “We want to be at the highest level all season, so I don’t know where it will end but we want the best.” James Maddison, Son Heung-min and Yves Bissouma have taken the biggest plaudits for Tottenham’s transformation from a disjointed, counter-attacking team last season into a front-foot side. Spurs have scored 15 times in six league fixtures with Son leading the way, but it is at the other end of the pitch where the bravery and boldness in possession begins with Van de Ven and centre-back partner Cristian Romero. The duo are opposites in style with World Cup winner Romero known for his aggression, while Van de Ven appears calmness personified, but they have quickly built a bond on and off the pitch. Van de Ven explained: “I think it naturally happened on the pitch and we felt each other quite fast, but when I came he was also really nice to me and showed me ‘here is the kitchen and where you can get this’, so he was sitting with me and we talked a bit. “It was really nice the first couple of days I was there, but also on the pitch it felt good. “Of course he won the World Cup, I saw him play the whole World Cup so I know his quality already. “I think I know what Cuti’s (Romero’s) qualities are and Cuti knows what my qualities are, so we know what we expect from each other. I have his back and he has my back. “Cuti is just an amazing player and I know when I run in one direction, he is in my back because he is always there. We just feel each other and of course it is amazing when you have this as a centre-back duo. “Of course we are shouting to each other (in games) but it is not in a negative role or something. It is always positive. “I think I make him maybe more calm and he makes me more aggressive. He will (always) be a more aggressive player and I am a more calm player, but it fits each other well.” While it is early days for the Van de Ven and Romero partnership, the youngest member of the duo is crystal clear about his personal ambitions. Van de Ven wants to become one of the best defenders in the Premier League like compatriot Virgil van Dijk, who he will face on Saturday night when title contenders Liverpool visit Tottenham. “I am really looking forward to seeing the fans again in the stadium and they will make it a good game from us,” the former Netherlands Under-21 captain added. Yeah, that is my ambition to be one of the best centre-backs in the Premier League and I will work hard for it to make it happen. Tottenham centre-back Micky van de Ven “We are going to play our own way and play like we want to play. We don’t have fear for Liverpool. “I think Virgil was the last couple of years and this year also one of the best defenders in the Premier League, for sure. “The year they grabbed the title he was unbelievable and showed how important he is for Liverpool. He shows how important he is the last couple of years. “Yeah, that is my ambition to be one of the best centre-backs in the Premier League and I will work hard for it to make it happen, but I just started so hopefully I can be there in I don’t know how many years.” :: Micky van de Ven appeared at a school’s football session delivered by the Club’s Foundation at N17 Arena – a community hub located on the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium campus. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Jurgen Klopp sold Curtis Jones ‘the right-back idea with the captaincy’ Can United, City or Arsenal dethrone champions Chelsea? – WSL talking points Pep Guardiola takes positives from Man City display despite Carabao Cup exit

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By Mohi Narayan and Florence Tan Oil prices rose on Monday as investors focused on a tighter supply

By Steve Holland and Jarrett Renshaw WASHINGTON U.S. President Joe Biden and House Republican Speaker Kevin McCarthy on