In the TV series Ted Lasso, actor Cristo Fernández plays Dani Rojas, a relentlessly cheerful Mexican striker whose catchphrase is "football is life."

As of this week, that is no longer just a line.

The 35-year-old has signed a professional contract with El Paso Locomotive FC, a second-tier American soccer club. 

Fernández grew up in the youth system at Mexican club Tecos FC before a knee injury at 15 forced him away from the sport and into acting. He earned the deal after a two-month trial and is listed as a forward.

Life imitates art?

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The number of consecutive ATP Masters 1000 matches world number one Jannik Sinner has won, equalling Novak Djokovic's 2011 record. The Italian beat compatriot Andrea Pellegrino in straight sets (6-2, 6-3) overnight to reach the Italian Open quarter-finals in Rome, where he is chasing the first home men's title since Adriano Panatta in 1976. Sinner's streak stretches back to last November’s Paris Masters and includes five straight Masters 1000 titles. A win over Andrey Rublev tonight would give him the record outright.

"I can guarantee you that it is a better place than when I walked in there."
Former Carlton coach Michael Voss, speaking to AFL.com.au after his resignation on Monday. The three-time premiership captain with Brisbane said he knew before Carlton’s loss last Friday to the Lions that his time was up. Voss coached 103 games at Carlton, leading the club to a preliminary final in 2023, but the Blues have won just 10 of 32 matches since the start of last season. Carlton list manager Nick Austin also stepped aside hours later.

Fingerhakeln, or finger wrestling, is a competitive sport in Germany and Austria where two competitors hook their middle fingers through a small leather loop and try to drag each other across a table. The sport originated in the 19th century as a way to settle disputes.

🏉 Penrith Panthers head coach Ivan Cleary has confirmed he will step down at the end of his contract in 2027, ending a tenure that has delivered four NRL premierships in the past six years. Assistant coach Peter Wallace will take over from 2028 in his first head coaching role. Cleary said he had been considering the decision for two years and would remain at the club in an advisory role focused on leadership and culture. He ruled out coaching a rival NRL club but left the door open for a representative team role. Star halfback son Nathan Cleary is off contract at the end of 2027 and has previously indicated he plans to test the open market.

🏏 Australia has named its 15-player squad for the Women's T20 Cricket World Cup in England and Wales, with experienced fast bowler Darcie Brown a notable absentee. Selector Shawn Flegler said: "Darcie Brown was unlucky to miss out, but the decision was based on the conditions we're expecting and the makeup of the side." In Brown’s place, 20-year-old left arm pace bowler Lucy Hamilton has been selected for her first World Cup. Sophie Molineux will captain Australia at a World Cup for the first time following Alyssa Healy's retirement. New Zealand are the defending champions. The tournament begins on 12 June.

🚴 Australian cyclist Kaden Groves has been forced to withdraw from the Giro d'Italia during stage four as he continued to struggle with injuries from a crash on the opening day in Bulgaria. The two-time stage winner attempted to ride through the pain but was unable to finish the route from Catanzaro to Cosenza, where Jhonatan Narváez claimed the stage win and Italy's Giulio Ciccone took the pink leader’s jersey. Groves is the second Australian to abandon the race after Jay Vine withdrew on stage two with a broken elbow. Race favourite Jonas Vingegaard sits 11th overall, while 2022 champion Jai Hindley is the leading  Australian in 15th.

🚴 Retired Canadian Olympic medallist Clara Hughes has labelled Cycling Canada's decision to axe its women's team pursuit program "inexcusable." The track cycling event – in which teams of four race against each other on the track – has been one of Canada's strongest Olympic disciplines, delivering bronze medals in 2012 and 2016. The team has now been withdrawn from the 2026 world championships in Shanghai, effectively ending its path to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. Cycling Canada said performance data showed the gap to competitiveness was too large, but Paris Olympian Fiona Majendie said athletes were blindsided by the move and had never been shown that analysis. The Canadian men's program remains unaffected.

Following your team interstate – or dreaming about catching a game overseas – adds up fast

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The NBA is in mourning after trailblazing former player Jason Collins and current Memphis Grizzlies forward Brandon Clarke both died on the same day. 

Collins, the first active male athlete to come out as gay across any of the four major North American professional sports leagues, died aged  47 following an eight-month battle with glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer. The centre played 13 seasons for six franchises and was part of the New Jersey Nets teams that reached back-to-back NBA Finals in 2002 and 2003. 

He came out in a first-person essay for Sports Illustrated in April 2013, a decision that drew widespread support, including a personal phone call from then-President Barack Obama. After retiring in 2014, Collins became an NBA ambassador for inclusion. 

He married his husband Brunson Green in 2025, just months before his diagnosis. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said Collins would "be remembered not only for breaking barriers, but also for the kindness and humanity that defined his life."

Clarke, a forward who spent his entire seven-season NBA career with the Memphis Grizzlies, died at 29. The team confirmed the news but did not disclose a cause of death. 

Born in Vancouver, Canada, Clarke was the 21st pick in the 2019 draft and was named to the All-Rookie First Team alongside teammate Ja Morant. He was a key contributor to the Grizzlies' 56-win season in 2021-22 but an Achilles tear in March 2023 derailed his career, and he managed just two appearances this season. 

A moment of silence was held before the Minnesota-San Antonio playoff game overnight in honour of both Clarke and Collins.

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World Rugby has completed the largest anti-doping investigation in the sport’s history.

It has resulted in sanctioning six Georgian players, a team doctor, and a charge against Georgia Rugby Union.

The players were found to have swapped urine samples prior to the 2023 Men’s Rugby World Cup. The former Georgia captain had the most significant punishment, with a ban of 11 years.

World Rugby found that six Georgian players swapped their urine with someone else's during drug testing.

A joint investigation by World Rugby and the World Anti-Doping Agency (dubbed "Operation Obsidian") found the scheme had been operating for years.

This included team doctor Nutsa Shamatava passing on tip-offs from employees inside Georgia’s national anti-doping agency to warn players about upcoming tests. Shamatava has received a nine-year ban.

World Rugby said investigators found no evidence the urine substitutions were used to hide performance-enhancing drugs, with credible evidence instead suggesting players were trying to conceal the use of cannabis and tramadol.

World Rugby Chief Executive Alan Gilpin said: “Our extensive four-year investigation has helped identify subversion of the doping control process and sends a clear message that World Rugby takes all anti-doping matters extremely seriously”.

Georgia’s national team will still compete and the sanctioned players and team doctor have the right to appeal.

They are still scheduled to compete at the World Rugby Nations Cup in July and the Men’s Rugby World Cup next year in Australia, which begins 1 October.

Reporting by Pavitra Ravi.