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NHL is finally back! Now that the 2023-24 season schedule is out, hockey fans can start snagging travel deals and clearing their schedules to support their favorite teams in-person or from the comfort of their home. This year, NHL kickoff is happening Tuesday (Oct. 10) with a tripleheader — meaning you get three times the games.
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Nashville Predators vs. Tampa Bay Lightning will kick the season off as the opener. You can score tickets to the game at the Amalie Arena in Tampa Bay, Florida through Ticketmaster, StubHub, VivdSeats or Seat Geek. Prices start at around $41 a ticket. Click here to see the full season schedule.
Before the game starts, make sure to refresh your NHL merch including jerseys through the official NHL Shop or Fanatics, Dick’s Sporting Goods and Amazon.
Can’t make it to the game in-person? Check below to see the streaming options for livestreaming NHL games without cable.
How to Stream NHL Kickoff: Nashville Predators vs. Tampa Bay Lightning
The Nashville Predators vs. Tampa Bay Lightning opening game begins at 5:30 p.m. ET. If you have cable, you can tune into the game on ESPN — just check your channel guide through your cable provider to see what channel ESPN is on.
Don’t have cable? You can still catch the puck drop through ESPN+. The streamer doesn’t have a free trial, but there are a few promos you can take advantage of that’ll save you money. If you’re interested in just ESPN+, the streamer is $9.99/month or you can save over 15% through the ESPN+ annual plan ($99.99/year). For even more savings, you can save 40% off by bundling with Hulu and Disney+ ($12.99/month), which will also expand your library of offerings.
Besides the opening Predators vs. Lightning game, you’ll also have access to other upcoming games including the other tripleheader matches including Chicago Blackhawks vs. Pittsburgh Penguins and Seattle Kraken vs. Vegas Golden Knights. Other sports coverage you can catch include MLB, NFL, UFC, soccer, golf and more.
How to Watch NHL Games for Free Without Cable
Looking to watch games for free? To stream all NHL games online, you’ll need a live streaming TV service that gives you access to ESPN. To help you score a free trial or promo, we rounded up a few options below.
1. Watch Hockey on fuboTV
FuboTV is offering a 7-day free trial that you can use to livestream NHL games. The platform gives you all the major cable network channels in addition to ESPN. Plans start at $75/month after the free trial ends, and includes more than 100 other channels for sports, news and entertainment. There is also 500+ Cloud DVR Plus, which will allow viewers to record any games or shows to re-watch later.
2. Watch Hockey on DirecTV Stream
Through DirecTV Stream, you can take advantage of it’s current promo offering $10 off each package for the first three months. Through eligible packages, you’ll get free Max, Starz and Showtime as well as ESPN to stream NHL games wherever. Packages currently start at $65/month (reg. $75/month). Click here or below to learn more.
3. Watch Hockey on Hulu + Live TV
Hulu + Live TV is another great option to watch NHL games online as it currently has a 29% off promo for the first three months. Viewers can watch NHL games live, use the DVR function to record games to watch later and have access to the entire Hulu library all for $50 for the first three months (reg. $70).
4. Watch Hockey on SlingTV
Through SlingTV you can get access to live NHL hockey games as well as over 30 live TV channels through its various plans. Right now, the live TV streamer is offering 50% off all its plans for the first month. When you sign up you’ll also get 50 hours of free DVR storage to record games to watch later.
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The WNBA Finals kicked off Sunday (October 8) between the Las Vegas Aces and the New York Liberty in Las Vegas, Nev. with the home team showing off their champion form as they defend their title in this best-of-five series. While the first half was competitive and saw the Liberty up by a handful, the Aces turned things around in the second.
Coached by Becky Hammon, the Aces, led by guards Kelsey Plum, Jackie Young, and Chelsea Gray, the Aces came out the gate slow but managed to keep the scoring of Liberty stars Sabrina Ionescu and Courtney Vandersloot under their usual output.
The play from the Aces trio stood out as the Liberty used much of their energy attempting to contain Aces power forward A’Ja Wilson, who scored 19 points and hauled in 8 boards, allowing Young to go off for 26 points. Young played hard all 94 feet and hindered the usually productive Ionescu from a scoring explosion. Plum also scored 26, and Gray had 20 points with a team-leading 9 assists.
On the other side of the ball, Breanna Stewart scored 21 with 9 rebounds, while Jonquel Jones had a double-double of 16 points and 10. Ionescu scored 7 points with 5 rebounds and 5 assists.
Liberty head coach Sandy Brondello, leading the team back to its first WNBA Finals appearance since 2002, stressed in the postgame press conference that her players will have to adjust to the swarming defense of the Aces and reminded the reporters in tow that this isn’t typical New York basketball.
“We can obviously learn a lot from this and we can play better,” Brondello said. “That’s what we have to remember. We haven’t lost two in a row all season long, and we’re going to know that we responded the right way. I trust these players.”
Because of the two marquee teams, the WNBA Finals attracted plenty of star power with LeBron James, Sheryl Swoopes, Mark Wahlberg, and Aces minority owner, Tom Brady all in attendance among others. The Brooklyn Nets also had several players in attendance such as Ben Simmons and Mikal Bridges, proving that women’s basketball is growing in popularity in the States.
Game 2 of the WNBA Finals kicks off on Wednesday, October 11 in Las Vegas. The series returns to New York on October 15.
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Taylor Swift was not at Sunday’s (Oct. 8) Chiefs-Vikings game, where rumored romantic interest Travis Kelce sustained an injury. Earlier in the game, which was televised on CBS, on-air commentator Jim Nantz confirmed that Swift was nowhere to be seen at Minneapolis, Minnesota’s U.S. Bank Stadium.
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“In case you’re wondering, seven words I never thought would leave my lips in my career: Taylor Swift is not at the game,” Nantz announced. “That’s a first. I’ve never said that before. There’s some brokenhearted people I just saw in the stands.”
The camera panned to a Swift fan holding up a sign, and holding on to the hope of her appearing. Her sign asked what many were thinking: “Where’s Taylor?” A photo from Getty Images, seen below, shows another fan displaying a clever sign, noting that 87 (Kelce’s number) and 13 (Swift’s lucky number) equals 100%. “Kelce make a Swift TD,” it read.
A fan holds up a sign in reference to Taylor Swift prior to a game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Minnesota Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium on Oct. 8, 2023 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Others in the stands were shown wearing jerseys that read “SWIFTIE” on the back.
While Swift was not there to cheer on Kelce in person, as she has for the last two Chiefs games, the tight end seemingly tripped on the field’s turf and sustained a non-contact injury. Kelce was seen leaving the field, throwing off his helmet and heading to the locker room.
Kelce returned to the sideline with a securely wrapped right ankle.
Commentator Tracy Wolfson gave an update: “Travis Kelce is still on the sideline right now, but as you can see, helmet on, that right foot is wrapped up. I was just told he’s gonna try and give it a go. They’re leaving it up to him. He wants to play in this game, guys.”
Kelce reportedly suffered what is assumed to be high ankle sprain. Reports said that medical staff cleared Kelce to return if he wanted to. He ultimately rejoined the game and, soon after his return, scored a touchdown.
“Kelce comes off the X-ray table and finds the endzone,” the announcer said.
See what happened to Kelce at the Chiefs-Vikings game below. Plus, scroll through several Swift/football fan reactions to both the singer being absent at Sunday’s game and Kelce’s injury.
Chiefs get good news on Travis Kelce.Tracy Wolfson: “Travis Kelce still on the sideline right now but as you can see, helmet on. That right foot is wrapped up. And I was just told he’s gonna try to give it a go. They’re leaving it up to him. He wants to play in this game.” pic.twitter.com/y8bQdTWZeo— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) October 8, 2023
not me searching “Taylor Swift” and repeatedly refreshing the feed to find out if she’s actually at the Vikings/Chiefs game while also watching the game— Sam Sansevere (@samsansevere) October 8, 2023
my mom turned on the chiefs game just to see if Taylor was there 🥹— lindsay 🫶🏻 (@shimmerrswift) October 8, 2023
I’m at a party watching the Vikings-Chiefs game but people are starting to file out now that it’s been announced that Taylor Swift is not there— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) October 8, 2023
I just realized how boring it is to watch the Chiefs game if Taylor Swift isn’t there…😴— Diane Beeman (@BeemanDibmn) October 8, 2023
@Chiefs would it be possible to send me a schedule of games Taylor will be attending? I need to know which games to watch. Thanks!Kidding/not kidding— g o’quinn (@goquinn15) October 8, 2023
Travis Kelce hurt?! Damn. Taylor Swift really IS his good luck charm. Chiefs fan hating on her should be ashamed right now.— Brooke (@CryptoCur1821) October 8, 2023
I would like to thank all the Swifties out there for praying for Travis Kelce and bringing him back to life.@NFL #KCvsMIN— Clark Schuyler (@cschuyler935) October 8, 2023
Travis Kelce has long prided himself on his ability to compartmentalize his personal life and his professional life. That ability has been put to the test the past few weeks.
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Ever since the All-Pro tight end’s budding relationship with pop superstar Taylor Swift surfaced shortly before the Kansas City Chiefs’ game against the Chicago Bears last month, Kelce has become an A-list headline-maker in his own right. He learned that when paparazzi staked out Swift’s apartment in New York last week, capturing the moment he walked out the morning before the Chiefs played the Jets, while other photographers have been scoping out his own residence in the Kansas City area.
“We’re learning with the paparazzi taking photos from all over the place,” Kelce admitted during a press conference Friday (Oct. 6), “but at the same time, you know, it comes with it. You’ve got a lot of people that care about Taylor, and for good reason. You’ve just got to keep living and learning and enjoying the moments.”
Neither of the parties have divulged much about their rumored relationship, and Kelce didn’t go into details Friday when he spoke to the media for the first time in weeks. But given that Swift has twice appeared in a suite to watch Kelce play, including alongside his mother Donna Kelce, it is easy to see why there has been such an intense focus on the duo.
The timing couldn’t be much better for either of them.
Kelce turned 34 on Thursday and is much closer to the end of his career than the beginning, and the elevation of his profile will no doubt help his post-football career. His podcast with his brother and Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce, called New Heights, has soared in popularity, and Kelce’s mustachioed mug is suddenly popping up in advertisements and commercials for everything from State Farm and Hy-Vee to Pfizer and Experian.
Swift is on a break from her Era Tour, but a film about it is due to begin playing in at least 8,500 theaters across 100 countries next week. The movie chain AMC Entertainment Holdings, which happens to be based in suburban Kansas City, said it had sold more than $100 million in advance tickets, and produced the highest single-day ticket revenue in its history.
Meanwhile, the NFL and its broadcast partners are keen to take advantage of the pop culture moment.
Asked whether Kelce was surprised by the sudden interest in him, and his relationship with Swift, he replied: “It’s worldwide, man — worldwide. It’s been magnified for sure.”
All the while, Kelce has been trying to help the Chiefs defend their Super Bowl title. They’ve won three straight after losing their opener to Detroit, and they are favored heading to Minnesota on Sunday. (No word on whether Swift will attend.)
“It felt like I was on top of the world after the Super Bowl and right now even more on top of the world,” Kelce said after Friday afternoon’s practice. “At the end of the day, I have always been pretty good about compartmentalizing and being able to stay focused in this building, so I’ll just keep rolling with that.”
Indeed, Kelce always has juggled a life away from football.
In 2016, he starred in his own reality dating show, coincidentally, called Catching Kelce. He’s pitched plenty of products and services. And he’s played in numerous high-profile golf tournaments, such as a made-for-TV match alongside Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes against the NBA’s Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry just before the start of this season.
Yet none of it has ever affected his performance. Kelce had never missed a game to injury since his rookie season before a hyperextended knee kept him out against the Lions; he has played every game since. And he is riding a streak of at least 1,000 yards receiving in seven straight seasons, resulting in eight trips to the Pro Bowl and four first-team All-Pro nods.
His success is a big reason for the Chiefs’ success. They’ve won the last seven AFC West titles, hosted the last five conference championship games and won two of the three Super Bowls they have appeared in over the past four seasons.
Kelce’s profile has never been higher, though, thanks to the aura that Swift has cast upon him.
“I know I brought this on myself,” he said. “I’ve been fortunate to have fun with it. That’s all that really matters, that it’s not pissing anybody off [within the Chiefs)at least. Like I said earlier, I’ve been pretty good at compartmentalizing and making sure my focus is on winning the game, and I don’t see that changing any time soon.”
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The championship is finally here! One Fight Night 15 will have Thanh Le and Ilya Freymanov enter the ring to battle it out for the champion title — and you don’t want to miss the face-off. The upcoming boxing match will take place at the Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, on Friday (Oct. 6) at 8 p.m. ET. If you didn’t nab a travel deal, then you can livestream the event on Prime Video.
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Described as two of the “most dangerous knockout artists in the featherweight mixed martial arts division” by One Fight, the Le vs. Freymanov match will see Le attempt to defend his championship title and prove he’s still the best of the best, while Freymanov will try to go from No. 3 ranked to a champion title.
The card also features a co-main event with undefeated titleholder Jonathan Di Bella taking on Danial Williams in a strawweight championship showdown. Other matches include Tawanchai PK Saenchai vs. Jo Nattawut (featherweight), Mikey Musumeci vs. Shinya Aoki (openweight), Joshua Pacio vs. Mansur Malachiev (strawweight), Timofey Nastyukhin vs. Zhang Lipeng (lightweight), Eko Roni Saputra vs. Hu Yong (flyweight), Phetjeeja vs. Celest Hansen (catchweight) and more.
Keep reading to learn the streaming options to watch the major event.
How to Watch Le vs. Freymanov
Le vs. Freymanov will be livestreaming exclusively on Prime Video on Friday (Oct. 6) at 8 p.m. ET. If you have a Prime membership, you can watch the boxing match for no additional cost — just log into your account and find it under One Fight Night.
Not subscribed? Amazon is offering a 30-day free trial for new users when you sign up, which means you can tune into the championship fight for free. Once the trial period is over, you’ll be charged the regular subscription price of $14.99/month (or $139/year). Click here or the button below to launch your 30-day free trial.
Besides the championship match, you’ll also have access to the entire Prime Video library filled with exclusive content, TV series and movies such as Thursday Night Football and other sports, including NBA, MLB, WNBA, One Championship and soccer.
You can also take advantage of additional premium channel add-ons to expand your library offerings with networks such as Paramount+, Showtime, Max and AMC+. Prime Premiere is also a new perk added to the membership, which provides members with free tickets to advance screenings of Prime Original movies and series in theaters.
Other perks included with a membership include free one-day shipping on Prime eligible products, early access to deals, access to Prime Day savings, grocery delivery, Amazon Music, Prime Gaming, Prime Reading and many more perks.
Taylor Swift has all but stolen the spotlight this season, and the NFL isn’t sorry. Following complaints from football fans that the league is oversaturating its coverage with news about the “Anti-Hero” pop star’s recent attendance at Chiefs games — as well as Travis Kelce‘s own comment that they’re “overdoing it” — a representative for […]
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NBA fans can debate all day about whether or not Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player of all time. But when it comes to Jordan’s success during and after his career on the court, any debate about who’s the GOAT might be silenced now that he has become the first professional athlete to rank among America’s 400 wealthiest people, according to Forbes.
That’s right, Jordan is now a member of the Forbes 400 after a baller move he made last month, when he sold his majority stake in the Charlotte Hornets, which was reportedly valued at $3 billion.
From Forbes:
Even if he had sold at Forbes’ most recent valuation, an estimated $1.7 billion in 2022, it would have been a coup for the 60-year-old Hall of Famer. Instead, the 27th most valuable franchise in the NBA traded hands for the second-highest sale price in league history and nearly 17 times its value when Jordan became principal owner in 2010.
That places him in rare air. With an estimated net worth of $3 billion, Jordan has arrived on The Forbes 400, marking the first time a professional athlete has ranked among America’s wealthiest individuals.
“Michael’s one of the few people that have had success three times,” says Ted Leonsis, the Washington Wizards, Mystics and Capitals owner, who has partnered with Jordan on multiple investments and sports ownership in the past. “A lot of entrepreneurs, they make it once. They have a big win, take their winnings, retire and [we] never hear from them again, or they try something a second time and it doesn’t work. He’s had three mega successes,” referring to Jordan’s impact as a player, an owner, as well as the growth of the Air Jordan brand at Nike.
Listen, as rich as a pro athlete can become, they don’t typically reach billionaire status. In fact, Forbes noted that besides Jordan, LeBron James and Tiger Woods are the only ones who have achieved that particular milestone. (We might have to talk a little about how the only three pro athletes who have become billionaires are Black and Black-adjacent, but that’s another post for another day.)
So how exactly did Jordan do it and do it like no other? Well, besides the Hornets sale and the fact that he made $94 million running up and down the b-ball court for 15 NBA seasons, Jordan happened to be a human goldmine when it comes to branding and merchandising. More from Forbes:
When the first Air Jordan sneaker was released during the tail end of his rookie season in 1985, Nike reportedly expected to sell $3 million worth of merchandise. Two months later, the brand had $70 million in sales and $100 million by the end of the year, according to a 2023 study from Temple University. Jordan had signed on for five years initially, earning $500,000 annually plus royalties. In its latest annual report, Nike reported $6.6 billion in annual wholesale revenue for the Jordan Brand, up 28.6% from the year prior.
Nike wasn’t the only company trying to capitalize on Jordan’s talent and charisma. “He was a brand before people discussed human beings being brands,” says Marc Ganis, president of the consulting firm Sportscorp. “It wasn’t Michael Jordan promoting Gatorade, it was Gatorade saying, ‘Drink Gatorade to be more like Michael.’”
Yeah, there’s a reason kids spent pretty much all of the ’90s singing, “I wanna be like Mike.”
Travis Kelce is well aware that the NFL‘s coverage surrounding his rumored romance with Taylor Swift might be pushing the limits. But he’s definitely not complaining, either.
On the latest episode of his New Heights podcast, which he co-hosts with his brother, Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce, Travis conceded that the pro league’s role in hyping up his rumored relationship with Swift — from Swift-themed social media posts to commercials, not to mention the many questions and segments about the singer in sports media in recent weeks — is getting to be a little too much. “I think everybody is just overwhelmed,” he said on the Wednesday (Oct. 4) episode.
“They’re overdoing it a little bit, for sure,” he added. “Especially my situation. I think they’re just trying to have fun with it.”
The “situation” in question started months ago, when the Kansas City tight end first revealed on New Heights that he had a crush on Swift and had tried unsuccessfully to slip her his phone number via a friendship bracelet at an Eras Tour show. Things kicked into high gear in September when the “Anti-Hero” singer attended the Chiefs-Bears game at Arrowhead Stadium and was seen leaving the event with Travis.
Over the weekend, she was spotted again at a Chiefs game, this time at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. She cheered Travis on from a box suite filled with many of her friends, including Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, Sophie Turner and Brittany Mahomes — a spectacle NFL production made sure to capture on camera multiple times throughout the game.
“Take away your feelings for Taylor,” Jason said of Travis on their podcast. “What is your honest opinion on how the NFL is treating celebrities at the games?”
“I think it brings a little more to the atmosphere, it brings a little bit more to what you’re watching,” the younger Kelce responded. “But at the same time, I think …”
“They’re overdoing it,” Jason chimed in, with Travis agreeing.
Even so, #87 isn’t feeling too shabby about how things have played out with Ms. Swift. In an interview with the Chasin’ It with Trey Wingo and Chase Daniel that aired Tuesday (Oct. 3), Travis said he had “no idea” how much attention his pursuit of the pop star would garner. “I had no idea, man,” he admitted. “I had no idea. You can’t tell me that anybody else did either, but I can’t be mad at how it’s all played out. I’ll say that.”
Watch Travis Kelce talk about Taylor Swift on New Heights above.
Taylor Swift’s football era is in full swing, and Mama Kelce is loving it. In a joint video shared by SNF on NBC and football star Travis Kelce‘s mother Donna on Instagram, the tight end’s mom is seen hugging the “Anti-Hero” superstar, both smiling from ear to ear. “Travis Kelce’s biggest fans,” the caption on […]
Travis Kelce may have scored big with Taylor Swift, his rumored love interest, but he’s making sure to give credit to a couple of female sports commentators who might have helped him win her over. Back before the Kansas City Chiefs tight end was all over the news due to speculation he’s dating Swift, their […]