Sports Express | Sep 16, 2026 Five U.S. Sports Leagues Seek Lifetime Betting Bans for Those Who Threaten Athletes

1. Five major U.S. sports leagues seek lifetime betting bans for those who threaten athletes

Five major U.S. professional sports leagues and their players' associations called on state regulators Tuesday to permanently bar sports bettors who threaten or harass athletes, coaches, officials and their families.

In a joint open letter, the NFL, MLB, MLS, NBA and NHL said the growth of legalized sports betting had brought increased abuse from bettors angered by losing wagers. "Threatening the safety of an athlete or their family members over a sports bet crosses a bright ethical and criminal line," the organizations wrote. They asked state gaming commissions to require licensed sportsbooks and mobile betting operators to permanently revoke wagering privileges for anyone verified to have issued violent threats or engaged in abusive harassment.

The groups also called for a standardized reporting system to submit verified evidence to regulators and law enforcement for possible inclusion on statewide exclusion lists. Ohio, West Virginia, Louisiana and Wyoming already have exclusion processes, and the leagues said "exclusion in one state should be reciprocated in other states." Sports betting has expanded rapidly across the U.S. since the Supreme Court struck down PASPA in 2018.

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2. Blue Jays' bullpen falters in 10-1 loss to Tigers; Toronto two games back of wild card

TORONTO — Spencer Torkelson smashed a three-run homer as part of a four-run inning and the Detroit Tigers routed the Toronto Blue Jays 10-1 on Tuesday. Max Clark had a one-run double earlier in the fourth as Detroit (72-79) won its sixth straight. Riley Greene and John Peck added RBI singles in the fifth and sixth innings.

A throwing error by Blue Jays catcher Alejandro Kirk in the eighth allowed two more runs to score, and Hao-Yu Lee hit a solo homer in the ninth. Drew Anderson (5-6) struck out four over five scoreless innings, allowing two hits and three walks. Kirk had an RBI single in the eighth for Toronto's (75-77) only offence. The Blue Jays dropped two games back of Cleveland for the third and final AL wild-card spot after the Guardians rallied past the Chicago White Sox 7-6.

Reliever Braydon Fisher was the opener on a bullpen day, followed by Michael Lorenzen (3-13) and others. Torkelson's 375-foot homer came on an 84.5-m.p.h. sweeper from Lorenzen. The Blue Jays left eight players on base, and Max Scherzer (2-8) starts the series finale.

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3. Ten storylines to watch as NHL training camps open

Training camps open around the NHL on Wednesday, with the 2026-27 season set to begin Sept. 29. NHL.com senior writer Dan Rosen outlined 10 burning questions. Connor Hellebuyck, one of the top goalies in the League, remains with the Winnipeg Jets after going public with a trade request on Aug. 27. The three-time Vezina Trophy winner is entering the third season of a seven-year, $59.5 million contract ($8.5 million AAV); Carolina, Buffalo, Utah and New Jersey have been linked to him.

Another big question is the contract of Minnesota Wild defenceman Quinn Hughes. He could have signed an eight-year deal up until Tuesday, but the new CBA that takes effect Wednesday caps it at seven years. Colorado's Cale Makar signed a record eight-year, $163.2 million contract ($20.4 million AAV) on Aug. 29. The new CBA also brings an 84-game season, a shorter camp and the earliest start in North America in years.

Other storylines include the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NHL Draft making his camp debut with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Mike Babcock's return to coaching with the Edmonton Oilers, the Tkachuk brothers uniting with the Florida Panthers, and the Hurricanes' Stanley Cup repeat bid.

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4. Canadiens invite 57 players to training camp

BROSSARD — The Montreal Canadiens announced Tuesday that 57 players will participate in the team's 2026 training camp. The camp opens Wednesday, Sept. 16 at the CN Sports Complex in Brossard with medical examinations, and runs until Saturday, Sept. 26, ahead of the regular-season opener on Sept. 29 against the Maple Leafs in Toronto.

The camp roster consists of 31 forwards, 19 defencemen and seven goaltenders. Forty-three players are under NHL contracts, while 14 have AHL contracts. Head coach Martin St-Louis and his staff — Derek Lalonde, Stéphane Robidas, Marco Marciano, Adam Nicholas and Roger Grillo — will lead practices, games and evaluations, with the Laval Rocket coaching staff also on site.

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5. Sweeping college sports overhaul bill clears early hurdle in Senate vote

WASHINGTON — A bill proposing to fix some of the biggest problems in college sports cleared a major hurdle Tuesday when the Senate voted 74-24 to halt debate and move the measure one step closer to a final up-or-down vote. The Protect College Sports Act, which co-sponsor Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, called "a bipartisan solution designed to bring order to the chaos," easily cleared the 60-vote threshold to stop a filibuster. Co-sponsor Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., said the lopsided vote left her "cautiously optimistic" it could pass the House.

But opposition remains: "What this bill does at its core is to protect a system of exploitation," said Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn. All four Black Democrats in the Senate voted against the bill, which is strongly opposed by the NAACP. The vote came a week after Southeastern Conference school presidents met to consider expelling LSU over its now-canceled plans to place players who had participated in NFL training camps on its roster.

At around the time of the vote, Cantwell released a report outlining a "spending spiral" since name-image-likeness payments began, citing a $519.9 million increase in institutional and government support of athletic programs between 2015 and 2025 among 53 Power Four schools. The bill would enshrine a 22% revenue-sharing cap (about $21.5 million this year), add a $27.5 million "retention pool," let conferences pool TV media rights, restrict players to one "free" transfer and lock in five years of eligibility.

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6. F1 announces 2027 calendar with Bahrain season-opener and 10 Sprint weekends

Formula 1 has announced its 2027 calendar, increasing the number of Sprint weekends from six to 10, with the season starting in Bahrain. For a fourth consecutive year there are 24 rounds, with Portugal's Portimao and Turkey's Istanbul Park returning. The Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort falls off the schedule, while Barcelona-Catalunya moves into a rotational deal with Spa-Francorchamps — the Spanish event in even-numbered years from 2028 and the Belgian Grand Prix in odd-numbered years from 2027.

Bahrain hosts a four-day pre-season test on Feb. 24-27 before the season-opener on March 12-14, a Sprint weekend, with Saudi Arabia a week later. Australia reverts to the third round in early April and also hosts a Sprint, as do Japan, Canada and, for the first time, Monaco. Portugal slots into mid-June, followed by a Sprint at the British Grand Prix on July 2-4. Belgium and Hungary go back-to-back into the summer break. A Sprint at Monza opens the run-in, before a triple-header of Azerbaijan, Turkey and Singapore, then the Americas swing of Austin, Mexico and Brazil. Las Vegas hosts the only Saturday race, and Sprint weekends in Qatar and Abu Dhabi on Dec. 10-12 conclude the season.

"The 2027 calendar brings together some of the most iconic circuits and vibrant cities in the world," said F1 president Stefano Domenicali.

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7. Pete Alonso gets rare road curtain call after hitting 300th homer against Mets

NEW YORK (AP) — Pete Alonso launched his 300th career homer Tuesday night, a tying shot in the ninth inning against his former team, and Coby Mayo's inside-the-park homer in the 11th sent the Baltimore Orioles to a 7-5 victory at Citi Field. The Orioles were two outs from a defeat that would have dropped them four games behind Cleveland for the last AL playoff spot when Alonso hit a 414-foot solo drive off Kodai Senga to tie the score 3-all.

A pumped-up Alonso, who hit a club-record 264 homers for the Mets before signing with the Orioles last December, fired his bat toward the Baltimore dugout as the Citi Field crowd of 28,097 roared. Fans chanted his name until he emerged for a curtain call, then chants of "Fire Stearns" began, aimed at Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns. "The dugout was fired up for Pete for a lot of different reasons," said Orioles manager Craig Albernaz.

Alonso became the third player to hit his 300th home run against a team for whom he played in 1,000 or more games, joining Willie Horton (1979) and Torii Hunter (2013). Mets pitcher Sean Manaea said he had "nothing but respect for Pete" but had "never seen anything like" the reaction from the fans.

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8. Ducks, Cutter Gauthier agree to six-year, $81M deal

The Anaheim Ducks have locked down another star forward. Cutter Gauthier has agreed to a six-year deal with the Ducks, the team announced Tuesday. Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reported the deal carries a $13.5 million AAV for a total of $81 million. Friedman adds that $69.5 million of the contract will be paid in signing bonuses — notable because the rules for how bonuses can be handed out change Wednesday when the new CBA takes effect.

The 22-year-old Gauthier exploded for 41 goals and 69 points last year as a sophomore, helping Anaheim return to the playoffs for the first time in eight years. He added 12 points in 12 playoff games as the Ducks advanced to the second round. "He's a major part of our young core, a pure goal-scoring talent that will continue progressing into an elite NHL player," general manager Pat Verbeek said in a statement.

In his rookie season in 2024-25, Gauthier eclipsed the 20-goal mark and recorded 44 points in 82 games, finishing fifth in Calder Trophy voting. Across 159 career games, he has 61 goals and 114 points. Earlier in the off-season, the Ducks signed Leo Carlsson to a five-year, $90-million deal after he signed an offer sheet from the Philadelphia Flyers. Gauthier was drafted by the Flyers fifth overall in 2022 but traded to the Ducks before his NHL debut.

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9. CFL: Three players to attend hearing after Lions-Alouettes brawl

Three CFL players are set to attend a hearing regarding this weekend's on-field skirmish between the Montreal Alouettes and B.C. Lions, TSN's Dave Naylor has reported. Alouettes defensive back Don Callis and Lions defensive backs Josh Hagerty and Ronald Kent Jr. will take part. Hearings sometimes result in fines but may also lead to suspensions — a player cannot be suspended without first taking part in a hearing.

Tempers flared several times during Saturday's game. The most notable clash came midway through the third quarter, when B.C. defensive back Cristophe Beaulieu returned a fumble that was later negated when Montreal running back Stevie Scott III was ruled down by contact. Alouettes receiver Tyson Philpot hit Beaulieu after he was already out of bounds, prompting Kent Jr. to hit Philpot from behind. A melee ensued, and three players — Kent Jr., Philpot and Alouettes receiver Tyler Snead — were penalized for unnecessary roughness. Callis was later called for face masking in the fourth quarter.

The Lions won the game 48-29 to improve to 7-6, while the Alouettes fell to 10-3.

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10. Halifax Wanderers pitch privately funded $100M stadium and sports hub

The Halifax Wanderers are taking matters into their own hands when it comes to a permanent soccer stadium. Club owner Derek Martin has brought a proposal to Halifax Regional Council to build a stadium on municipal land, with the project privately funded by the Wanderers. "What I've seen over the last 10 years of working on this project is coming up with that type of money is going to be incredibly difficult for HRM right now, so we've come up with a solution that we think can work," Martin told reporters after Tuesday's council meeting.

The Canadian Premier League team has played in a pop-up stadium at Wanderer's Grounds in downtown Halifax since 2019 — on municipal land, lacking amenities such as running water and permanent grandstands. Martin's new proposal reimagines the Wanderers Block as a permanent, year-round stadium with the possibility of a winter bubble dome. It would have a 650-space parking area beneath the facility, room for the Halifax Lancers horse riding school and a new lawn bowling green, plus a community sports hub at Maybank Field in Dartmouth. Martin said the project will cost about $100 million and be privately funded, with HRM partnering through a 99-year lease.

Many on council were tentatively excited. "We need to seek partners in our large infrastructure and capital projects," said Halifax Mayor Andy Fillmore, while Coun. Tony Mancini called it a "creative approach." Deputy Mayor Patty Cuttell raised concerns about private investment on public land. A motion for a staff report passed 15-1, with an initial plan to break ground in January 2027.

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