Professional sports

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — One of the top young receivers in the National Football League can trace his roots all the way back to Poplar Bluff Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Jordan Addison came to Minneapolis from the University of Southern California in 2023, but his family roots are in Poplar Bluff — and that family has supported and cheered him on throughout his football career...

After a wicked twist of fate threatened to end his season, James Naile emerged from the shadows of uncertainty to lead the Kia Tigers to an unforgettable victory in the 2024 KBO Korean Series. The Charleston native faced a career-defining moment when a line drive struck him in the face during a game against the NC Dinos on Aug. ...

ST. LOUIS — It took St. Louis Blues veteran Brandon Saad entered his 14th season in the NHL just one point away from the 500 career mark. It took him until the final game of the Blues’ season-opening homestand but he finally crossed the mark with two goals during St. Louis’ 3-2 loss against the undefeated Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday, Oct. 22, at the Enterprise Center...

ST. LOUIS — Young St. Louis Blues goalie Joel Hofer is having a unique start to the 2024 NHL season. The 24-year-old has won each of his first three starts of the season, the first of which being a comeback victory at San Jose in overtime. On Thursday, he became the first goalie in NHL history to have a shutout performance and an assist in the same game...

ST. LOUIS — It took the first five games of the season but like a good Neighbours, Jake was there with his first goal of the season, an overtime winner to sink the New York Islanders 1-0 on Thursday, Oct. 17, at the Enterprise Center. “He’s such a good kid,” Blues defenseman Ryan Suter said of Neighbors. “He kind of has that old-school mentality so it’s fun to see him get rewarded there.”...

A shockwave rippled through the Kia Tigers’ clubhouse and their loyal fanbase back home in Charleston, Missouri, as news broke of ace pitcher James Naile’s season-ending injury. The right-hander, a hometown hero who’s been a cornerstone of the Tigers’ dominance this season, was struck in the face by a line drive during Saturday’s game against the NC Dinos. Naile left the field under his own power and underwent successful surgery on Sunday...

Looking the maximize the golden goose of the gate, the St. Louis Battlehawks will host six home games during the 2025 United Football League season. Typically UFL teams split the 10-game schedule with five games at home and five on the road. The rare sixth home game will come with the San Antonio Brahmas making two trips to St. Louis rather than both teams hosing a game against each other. The UFL announced the move on Tuesday, Aug. 20, through a statement by UFL CEO/President Russ Brandon...

Former Poplar Bluff Mules standout Kameron Misner is headed to the major leagues. Misner was called up by the Tampa Bay Rays Thursday from Triple-A Durham. The news was confirmed by Misner’s father, Terry, and Poplar Bluff High School athletic director Kent Keith...

As young as the modern era of spring football is, the Birmingham Stallions have established it as theirs to rule by securing the inaugural UFL championship with a 16-0 win over the San Antonio Brahmas on Sunday, June 16, in St. Louis. The championship game marks the end of the first year of a league formed by the merger of the USFL and XFL. The Stallions won the past two USFL titles and have cemented their dynasty with a third straight trophy...

It’s time for a quick update on the Southeast Missouri State alumni in the Major Leagues, with a pair of pitchers still fighting for roster spots in the National League East. The seventh and eighth players respectively to enter the MLB out of SEMO, Joey Lucchesi and Dylan Dodd are both in active battles to get back to the majors in a tight NL East...

St. Louis Battlehawks quarterback AJ McCarron sat by himself during his postgame press conference, the last to face the media after falling to the San Antonio Brahmas 25-15 in the XFL Conference championship on Sunday, June 9, in St. Louis. While answering a question asked about his reinjured ankle at the end of the first half, he took a quick glance at his two sons, who arrived shortly after he did...

It was deja vu at the “Battledome.” A rematch between the St. Louis Battlehawks and the San Antonio Brahmas felt like a redo for the team who lost the week before. “It was super weird,” receiver Hakeem Butler said. “Although we won, it felt like it was only halftime. That’s how I approached the week. There was still another part of the game.”...

It’s been nine years since St. Louis Battlehawks quarterback AJ McCarron has played in a playoff game. The 33-year-old will have the opportunity to play for a spot in the UFL Championship Game when the Battlehawks host the San Antonio Brahmas in the XFL Conference Championship Game on Sunday, June 9, in St. Louis...

In the days leading up to the playoffs this weekend, the United Football League released its first All-UFL list on Wednesday, June 5. Four St. Louis Battlehawks players (RB Jacob Saylors, WR Hakeem Butler, OT Jaryd Jones-Smith, and C Mike Panasiuk) made the offensive list while linebacker Willie Harvey was the team’s lone defensive representative...

Throughout the UFL season, St. Louis Battlehawks head coach Anthony Becht has emphasized the importance of having an elite special teams unit. “We preach it every day,” said Becht earlier in the season. “We want to be the best special teams unit in the league. I feel like we have an elite special teams unit.”...

The St. Louis Battlehawks enter the XFL Conference Championship Game against the San Antonio Brahmas on Sunday, June 9, as the host with a flawless record at the Dome at America’s Center. Of all the many gladiators who thrived in the bi-weekly spectacle that is the “Battledome”, few have recently brought the 32,000+ fans to their feet like an interception by defensive back like Kameron Kelly...

As I write this column, it's only fair that I say on the front end that I don't follow the WNBA, mainly because basketball isn't my favorite sport. However, as a stark observer of the national zeitgeist, I have noticed in the two years in which women's basketball has become a popular sport, with television ratings topping the men in the NCAA Tournament and the summer in which the WNBA is enjoying unprecedented media coverage, Indiana Fever rookie Catalin Clark of Iowa represents the constant throughline.. ...

The Battlehawks’ first game of the UFL season ended in a loss after a long field goal from the Michigan Panthers. Anthony Becht wasn’t willing for it to happen again in the final game of the regular season. With a new block package in place for scenarios like this, the head coach of St. Louis watched as his special teams unit blocked San Antonio kicker Ryan Santoso’s last-second field goal to secure a 13-12 win on Saturday, June 1, at the Dome at America’s Center...

Battlehawks A pair of Week 9 upsets have set the stage for a high stakes regular season finale. The St. Louis Battlehawks fell on road contest to the Arlington Renegades, 36-22, and the San Antonio Brahmas dropped the previously undefeated Birmingham Stallions 18-9 on Saturday, May 25...

ST. LOUIS — Jordan Morris scored a goal for the second consecutive game and Stefan Frei had four saves to help the Seattle Sounders beat St. Louis City 2-1 Saturday night. Cristian Roldan, on the right side, played an entry that was redirected by St. Louis defender Kyle Hiebert into the net for an own goal that gave the Sounders a 1-0 lead in the 66th minute...

The St. Louis Battlehawks (6-2) are one step closer to fulfilling the UFL prophecy of playing in the championship game that they’re hosting on June 16. They are set to play the San Antonio Brahmas (6-2) — who just so happens to be their Week 10 matchup — in the XFL Conference Championship Game...

Even though the St. Louis Battlehawks have proven to be the superior team in all but two games this season, the games have remained close and still required heroic moments from their defense. “We all believe in each other,” said Battlehawks free safety Qwynnterrio Cole, who led the team with eight tackles and an interception. “We’re all we got. We’re all we need.”...

The last time Manny Wilkins stepped on the football field as the starting quarterback, he led the Arizona State Sun Devils past the Fresno State Bulldogs in the 2018 Las Vegas Bowl. Six years later, Wilkins was called upon to lead a team under center, and he delivered the St. Louis Battlehawks a place in the UFL Playoffs with a 26-21 win over the DC Defenders on Sunday, May 19, at the Dome at America’s Center in St. Louis...

"Controversy: disagreement, typically when prolonged, public, and heated." We never usually think disagreeable speech would lead to controversy, but it fits the definition. Harrison Butker, kicker of the two-time Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs, recently delivered the 2024 commencement address at Benedictine College, a small Catholic school in Atchison, Kansas...

Joaquin Buckley called his shot, got his fight and it resulted in not just a win in front of the hometown crowd, but also a record-setting gate for UFC Fight Night on Saturday, May 11, in St. Louis. 15,960 fans entered the Enterprise Center and its $2,470,197 gate represents the highest domestic UFC Fight Night of all time...