Sports News

Plano, Texas – October 11, 2026 -- Football fans can play along with NBC's "Sunday Night Football" this season for a chance to win a trip to Super Bowl LXI in Los Angeles, a Toyota vehicle of their choice during Toyotathon, or tickets to any 2027 NFL regular season game. The free-to-play prizes are part of Toyota Motor North America's new season-long NFL campaign, launched as the Official Automotive Partner of the NFL.

Two new ads feature Purdy, Love and Manning

The campaign includes two spots. In "The Game Won't Stop," Team Toyota athletes Eli Manning and Brock Purdy join young NFL FLAG athletes for a flag game that continues from day into night, lit by Toyota vehicles. In "Let It Shine," Jordan Love drives to an NFL FLAG clinic as memories from his own path unfold beside him, and he ends by encouraging a young player to "light 'em up."

Kansas City – October 11, 2026 -- Thomas Annunziata, 21, clinched his first ARCA Menards Series championship with a fifth-place finish at Kansas Speedway, driving the No. 70 Toyota Camry. It is also the first ARCA title for his team, Nitro Motorsports.

A rookie full-time season ends with a title

The New Jersey native made his full-time ARCA debut in 2026. Across the season's 20 races, he scored one win, at Lime Rock Park in June, along with 11 top-five and 18 top-10 finishes. His average finishing position was seventh.

The title is Toyota's second in four years and third in the last six. It follows Jesse Love in 2023 and Ty Gibbs in 2021.

Teammates made the title fight tight

Paul Doleshal, general manager of sponsorships and motorsports at Toyota Motor North America, said the championship was "very competitive" among the Nitro Motorsports teammates. He said Annunziata coming out on top showed both talent and determination.

New York – October 11, 2026 -- SiriusXM will broadcast every NFL game live in the 2026 season, from Week 1 through the Super Bowl, and its new $5-per-month SiriusXM Sports Pass is one way to get it.

Home and visiting broadcasts for every matchup

Subscribers can hear every game in their vehicles and on the SiriusXM app. In the app, listeners can choose between the home and visiting team broadcasts for each game. Subscribers with sports play-by-play can also reach both broadcasts directly on their in-vehicle radios.

Game broadcasts and the SiriusXM NFL Radio channel come with the Platinum, All Access and Music & Entertainment plans, as well as the new Sports Pass.

Ontario, Calif. – October 07, 2026 -- Early registration is now open for Ontario International Airport's (ONT) 5th annual 5K at the Runway, set for Saturday, February 6, 2027.

The race gives runners and walkers rare access to the National Guard hangar area beside ONT's runways, combining aviation, fitness and a fundraising mission for the USO at ONT. More than 2,000 runners, walkers, sponsors and supporters took part in the 2026 event.

Last year's race raised nearly $83,000 for military families

A portion of event proceeds benefits the USO at ONT, the third-largest USO airport center in the nation. The 2026 race brought in close to $83,000, pushing the four-year total raised for the organization to $168,771.

Atif Elkadi, CEO of the Ontario International Airport Authority, said the 5K has grown from a novel way to open the airfield to the community into a tradition reflecting connection and support for service members and their families.

Chicago – October 06, 2026 -- Off-price retailer Burlington is rolling out free giveaways and fan events across Chicago this month as part of a new partnership with the Chicago Bulls and a sponsorship of the Chicago Ultimate Women's Expo.

Burlington becomes the Bulls' preseason presenting partner

As Preseason Presenting Partner, Burlington will be at the United Center for the team's first two preseason home games on Oct. 7 and 9, offering fans a custom photo experience. The first 2,000 fans at all three home preseason games -- Oct. 7, 9 and 16 -- will receive a free Burlington x Chicago Bulls belt bag.

Burlington is also the Presenting Partner of the Chicago Luvabulls dance team, with branding featured throughout the arena during games.

Bulls forward Caleb Wilson said the partnership felt like "becoming part of a family" as he joins the city's basketball history.

Purchase, N.Y. – October 05, 2026 -- Pepsi is marking the New York Knicks' championship season with limited-edition cans and bottles that give fans a shot at winning game tickets. The "Champions Deserve Pepsi" campaign launched October 5, ahead of the Knicks' 2026–27 season tip-off at Madison Square Garden.

Limited-edition 16 oz Pepsi x Knicks Championship cans, along with 20 oz Pepsi and Pepsi Zero Sugar x Knicks bottles, are now on shelves at participating retailers across the Tri-State region. Shoppers can scan a QR code at point of sale for a chance to win tickets to a Knicks game inside The Garden.

Tampa – October 02, 2026 -- CR Fitness Holdings will give away two free 30-minute personal training sessions to each of its more than 1 million members on Saturday, October 10th, totaling 2 million complimentary sessions across its 99 Crunch Fitness clubs.

The one-day event spans five states

Dubbed TRAINing Day, the promotion covers clubs in Florida, Texas, Georgia, North Carolina, and Tennessee. All three CR Fitness Holdings entities -- CR Fitness Holdings LLC, Southwest Fitness Holdings LLC, and Blue Ridge Fitness Holdings LLC -- are participating.

Members get a second session after completing the first

Members who complete their first complimentary personal training session on October 10th automatically receive a second session at no cost. Sessions may cover strength training, functional fitness, mobility, nutrition, or recovery, led by certified Crunch trainers.

Denver – October 01, 2026 -- The U.S. Center for SafeSport has released video clips, interview access, and practical guidance for parents and coaches to recognize and prevent bullying in youth sports, timed to Bullying Prevention Month in October.

Short video clips feature SafeSport's education chief addressing signs of bullying

The clips, available for download by accredited media, feature Monica Rivera, SafeSport's Vice President for Education & Research. Topics include spotting signs and symptoms of bullying, talking to kids about the issue, and steps to take if a parent suspects their child is the one engaging in bullying behavior.

"To truly prevent bullying, we need to recognize when a young person may be struggling and respond to those needs before it shows up as harmful behavior," Rivera said. She added that early intervention, accountability, and support can interrupt cycles of harm and create safer environments for athletes.

Washington – September 30, 2026 -- Pickswise has launched "NFL Career," a free-to-play football simulation that compresses a 20-season pro career into roughly four minutes, available now on mobile and web.

Players create a character across 12 playable positions, from quarterback to punter, and guide them from draft night through retirement. Along the way, the simulation presents decisions on contract negotiations, injury management, and locker room conflicts.

Choices carry real in-game trade-offs

Signing a large contract with a rebuilding team can boost individual statistics, while accepting a pay cut to join a title contender offers a faster route to championships. The game is designed so that achieving both outcomes easily is rare, forcing players to prioritize.

Houston – September 29, 2026 -- Fitness Connection will remain open at its Greenspoint Mall location throughout construction of the $150 million CityNorth industrial park redevelopment before relocating to a new 45,000-square-foot facility on the same site.

Fitness Connection is the last business standing in Greenspoint Mall

The gym opened inside Greenspoint Mall in March 2005 and is now the only remaining tenant as other businesses have moved out over the years. The chain is partnering with developers Lincoln and New York Life Real Estate to keep its doors open as demolition begins.

Demolition starts in October 2026

Mall demolition is slated to begin next month and is expected to support approximately 300 construction jobs, with the finished redevelopment projected to accommodate 1,200 full-time jobs.