London
The Minnesota Vikings made NFL history on Sunday, Oct. 5, becoming the first team to play in back-to-back international games in the regular season.
A close loss against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Dublin ended Week 4, where the Vikings were 21-6 going into the fourth quarter, but managed to cut into the lead to lose by only three points. Minnesota bounced back overseas, though, against the Cleveland Browns in London. Wide receiver Jordan Addison caught a 12-yard pass from backup quarterback Carson Wentz for the touchdown, overtaking the Browns 21-17 in the final 25 seconds of the game.
Despite the loss, the Browns had their own milestone in London. Rookie quarterback Dillon Gabriel made his NFL debut in the international game, the first quarterback in the league to do so. Gabriel threw for two touchdowns and had zero interceptions, offering hope for Cleveland after a disappointing 1-3 start to Joe Flacco’s season. The Browns recently traded Flacco to the Cincinnati Bengals, putting their faith behind Gabriel, the third-round pick in the 2025 draft from the University of Oregon, to lead them for the rest of the season.
Sydney
Rugby unions in Australia, among other countries, announced on Tuesday that players who join the upcoming Rugby 360 global franchise league will be ineligible for international selection. R360, led by former English rugby player Mike Tindall, is marketing itself as an alternative to the current international rugby league, World Rugby. The league hopes to kick off in September 2026.
“R360 has given us no indication as to how it plans to manage player welfare, how players would fulfil their aspirations of representing their countries, and how the competition would coexist with the international and domestic calendars so painstakingly negotiated in recent years for both our men’s and women’s games,” a joint statement from the unions said.
This news comes alongside the discovery that Chris Webb, former general manager of the Australian national rugby team, the Wallabies, has been linked to the league. Webb appeared to be “in advanced talks” with R360’s management for a recruiting-based role and has been in contact with Australian players regarding the league. While many players from around the world have been approached to join R360, few have made their intentions to do so public.
Washington, D.C.
Amid the government shutdown in Washington, D.C., extracurricular activities, including sporting events, at military-base schools were paused indefinitely. The shutdown prevented kids from participating in both practices and games, cutting into a significant amount of fall-season sports like volleyball and cross country.
The cancellation was especially significant for senior athletes in fall sports, who could have played in their last high school games forever. In Louisville, KY, the Fort Campbell High School girls volleyball team had its senior night cancelled amidst an 11-2 season, a historic moment for a program that hadn’t seen a winning record in 15 years. The continued shutdown could result in forfeitures in future matches for the team, cutting into their chances of state and national championships.
The shutdown will also take away opportunities for juniors and seniors to be scouted for college programs, as the lack of games and practices cuts off their chances to be seen by recruiters.
Contact Kiran Komanduri at [email protected]