Miami Dolphins wide receiver Kenny Stills says he and team owner Stephen Ross have met and "agreed to disagree" following a dispute over a fundraiser for President Donald Trump.

Stills told The Palm Beach Post on Tuesday that he and Ross spoke on the phone to discuss the wide receiver's public comments that Ross couldn't both claim to fight for equality and against racism and support Trump.

"There's not much to argue about," Stills told the newspaper. "He has his feelings about it and he stands firm in that, and I respect that. But I disagree and I told him there's no hard feelings. There's no beef and let's win some games this year."

Stills initially called out Ross and his RISE Foundation in a tweet Aug. 7. He followed up to defend his comments on Thursday, saying "someone has to have enough courage to let [Ross] know he can't play both sides of this."

The comments drew reaction from many, including Dolphins coach Brian Flores and Diahann Billings-Burford, the CEO of Ross' foundation. Flores said Thursday that he respected Stills' position but wished he had handled it privately. Billings-Burford told The Undefeated's Jason Reid on Friday that the fundraiser created "difficult conversations" but that Ross must remain a part of RISE, which has goals to "eliminate racial discrimination, champion social justice and improve race relations."

Trump raised $12 million at a pair of fundraisers Friday, including the one hosted by Ross, according to the Republican National Committee. Prior to the events, the president praised Ross as a "great friend" and "very successful guy" and said the scrutiny would actually be positive for the team owner.

Following Stills' tweet, Ross issued a statement saying he has been friends with Trump for 40 years and that while they agree on some things, "we strongly disagree on many others" and that he has never been "bashful" about expressing his opinions to the president.

Stills, who previously said he received death threats for his tweet, told the Post that he wouldn't do anything different to make his perspective known.

"I definitely think from a professional matter, the right thing to do would have been to reach out to him first," Stills said, "but through conversations that we have and the history that we have, it gets to a point where I'm just a person that is sharing the message, letting other people know what's happening."

ESPN's Cameron Wolfe and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Ohio State is seeking a trademark on one of the most common words in the English language.

The school, formally known as The Ohio State University, is seeking a trademark on the word "The" for use on clothing and hats. According to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, the filing was made Thursday.

University spokesman Chris Davey confirmed the school had made a trademark submission, saying it was necessary to protect the brand.

"Like other institutions, Ohio State works to vigorously protect the university's brand and trademarks," Davey told The Columbus Dispatch in a statement. "These assets hold significant value, which benefits our students and faculty and the broader community by supporting our core academic mission of teaching and research."

Ohio State has previously trademarked the names and likenesses of football coaches Woody Hayes and Urban Meyer as well as phrases like Script Ohio and The Shoe.

Common words and phrases can be trademarked if the seeker can prove a distinctive usage outside the traditional meaning.

Antawn Jamison earned his only two NBA All-Star selections as a member of the Washington Wizards. Now he's returning to the team in a front-office role.

The Wizards announced Wednesday that Jamison will be the team's new director of pro personnel. Jamison, 43, has been a scout for the Los Angeles Lakers the past two seasons.

The Wizards also announced the hiring of Laron Profit and John Carideo as scouts.

Jamison played six seasons with the Wizards from 2004 to 2010, when he was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers in a three-team deal in February. In 421 games with Washington, he averaged 20.8 points and 8.9 assists. He played in the 2005 and 2008 All-Star Games.

"We are absolutely thrilled to bring Antawn back to the Wizards organization," general manager Tommy Sheppard said in a statement. "In addition to his strong feel for the game and basketball knowledge, he has always been a true professional and a dedicated worker. We look forward to him bringing those qualities to our front office."

The Wizards have retooled their front office since firing longtime GM Ernie Grunfeld in April. In addition to naming Sheppard the new GM, they brought in former NFL executive Sashi Brown and former Georgetown coach John Thompson III.

Jamison had a 16-season playing career that ended in 2014. He was selected No. 4 overall by the Raptors in the 1998 draft but was traded to the Golden State Warriors in a draft-night swap that sent his North Carolina teammate Vince Carter to Toronto.

MADISON, N.J. -- Ferguson Recreation Center is a nondescript brick building on the edge of Fairleigh Dickinson University's campus, which is as quiet as one would expect for a Sunday morning in August. A charter bus sits unoccupied along Dreyfuss Road across from the Division III gym, the only clue that something is happening inside.

Then, from the building's rotunda entrance, a fully uniformed Boston Celtic bounds toward the street. He needs something from the bus.

It's Carsen Edwards, the No. 33 overall pick in June's draft. He's one of 41 NBA newbies who have come to the Panini NBA Rookie Photo Shoot to be photographed -- by themselves and with their teammates -- for trading cards and marketing materials. Their official NBA shots will be used by their teams and the league throughout their careers.

But before the regimen begins, there's time for some fun. Just walk past the room with the ball pit, within which you'll find a submerged KZ Okpala, a second-round pick who signed with the Heat. Then enter the main gym, where the rooks will pose in front of a word-salad backdrop of faux graffiti and face red-carpet-style questions.

ESPN caught up with several of them between poses to discuss a variety of subjects.

Tell us about the first time you dunked.

New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson (No. 1 overall selection): "The first time you dunk is always lit! I was 14, in ninth grade. I'm thinking, 'Man, I just dunked.' And even though I barely got it, the first thing I'm thinking is, 'I'm about to dunk on people now.'"

New York Knicks guard-forward RJ Barrett (No. 3 overall pick): "I could never dunk. Then, in a game, when I was 13, I just got a steal -- everybody was there, my parents were in the crowd -- and I just went for it and got it. I was one of the only guys who could dunk at the time, so I just felt great about myself."

Chicago Bulls guard Coby White (No. 7 overall pick): "You want me to tell you everything? Well, I was at Greenfield School, in the gym at my high school [in Wilson, North Carolina], and we just got done playing pickup. There was no air conditioning. This was when I was a freshman. I never really tried before. It was a rim-grazer, but it was good for me. It was an amazing surprise because I didn't think I was going to do it."

Denver Nuggets center Bol Bol (No. 44 overall pick by the Miami Heat, traded to the Nuggets): "I think I was in sixth grade. We were at an AAU tournament, and all the older players were dunking, and I was 6-[foot]-4 at the time. I tried to dunk. It took me three times. It was pretty cool because I didn't know I could dunk."

Philadelphia 76ers guard-forward Matisse Thybulle (No. 20 overall pick by the Celtics, traded to the Sixers): "Summer of eighth grade. It was in a park on one of those chain-link nets. My friends will tell you that the rim was bent down, but it wasn't. It was like, 'Did I really just do that?' I was really trying to wrap my mind around it."

Knicks forward Ignas Brazdeikis (No. 47 overall pick by the Sacramento Kings, traded to the Knicks): "It was in my driveway. It wasn't actually 10 feet, but that was the first time I was really like, 'Oh, I just dunked a basketball.' I think it was in eighth grade. It was indescribable."

Speaking of dunks, Vince Carter, as a member of the Raptors, won a legendary dunk contest in February 2000. He's now entering his NBA-record 22nd season, which he said will be his last.

Barrett: "I wasn't even born yet [Barrett was born on June 14, 2000, in Toronto]. That's absolutely crazy. I've had the great fortune to meet him, and he's a great guy. I'll take some of his tips on how to stay in the league for 22 years. He meant a lot for the generation [of Canadians] above me."

Williamson: "I wasn't even a thought [his birthday was July 6, 2000]. I got a lot of respect for him. I'll probably try to get some advice out of him if he wants to give it to me. But yeah, it's going to be crazy. Everybody knows about that 2000 dunk contest and what he has done for the game. So it'll be like, 'Wow, I wasn't even born yet.'"

Atlanta Hawks forward De'Andre Hunter (No. 4 overall pick by the Lakers, traded to the Hawks): "I was 2 years old. It'll be crazy. I'll be on his team. He has been playing basketball for my whole life [the day after Hunter was born, Carter scored 11 points in North Carolina's win over Louisville], which is wild. He definitely has a lot of knowledge and knows the game. Just being with a vet like that, you can't ask for anything better than that."

Boston Celtics forward Grant Williams (No. 22 overall pick): "In 2000, I turned 2 years old [on Nov. 30]. Hopefully, I get to meet him and have a conversation. I've heard he's an amazing guy. Just to pick his brain about how he stayed in the league so long -- that's something that I want to be able to do."

With whom would you most like to swap jerseys?

New Orleans Pelicans forward Jaxson Hayes (No. 8 overall pick by the Hawks, traded to the Pelicans): "It'd definitely be LeBron [James]. I'm a kid from Ohio. He's my all-time favorite."

Bol Bol: "Kevin Durant. He's my favorite player right now. I just love how he changed the game. He's a 7-footer and he's able to play like a guard."

Minnesota Timberwolves guard Jarrett Culver (No. 6 overall pick by the Phoenix Suns, traded to Timberwolves): "My former teammate Zhaire Smith [of the 76ers]. Just coming from Texas Tech, both getting to the league. He's one of my best friends. Having that dream come true for us. It'd be an honor just to swap jerseys."

Williams: "Kawhi Leonard and Draymond Green. My favorite player growing up was Kawhi. He's not going to be a favorite when we play him, but I would appreciate swapping jerseys with him. But he's also the type of guy who worked his way up. He wasn't the best player when he first got into the league, but he grinded and put the time in to become the player that he is today."

Which player are you looking forward to facing?

White: "Probably Damian Lillard. He's my favorite player. He has worked for everything he has had. He has earned everything and he's such a bucket. He plays the point-guard position well and is one of the best point guards in the league. Definitely looking forward to taking on that challenge."

Hunter: "I'm looking forward to playing against KD. He was one of my favorite players growing up. I like him as a player. Hopefully, one day I'll be at his level. I just really respect his game and really admire what he does."

Culver: "Jamal Crawford [who is currently unsigned]. I just respect him a lot. That's one of my favorite players. So it would be huge for me."

Cam Reddish (No. 10 overall by the Hawks): "Growing up, I was a big Kevin Durant fan, so I look forward to that matchup. He's just tough. He's got height and to do what he does ..."

While other contenders jockey for playoff position, the Yankees, Astros and Dodgers have clearly established themselves at the top of the standings -- and as the teams everyone will be trying to knock off come October. We asked Bradford Doolittle, Sam Miller and Jeff Passan to go deep on this year's Big Three by picking which of the trio is the team to beat, identifying potential postseason weaknesses and choosing between the three -- or the rest of the playoff field.

Which of baseball's Big Three is best built for October: the Yankees, the Dodgers or the Astros?

Sam Miller: I'll go with a very specific angle here: In October, the percentage of pitches faster than 95 mph just about doubles (better pitching staffs, more innings going to the best pitchers on the staff, more innings thrown in relief). The Dodgers are hitting .305/.398/.563 against such pitches, the best slash line in baseball. They have the second-best contact rate on those pitches, and they have the lowest chase rate. The Astros have a good contact rate but so-so chase rate and terrible slash line, and the Yankees have a great slash line but a so-so contact rate and terrible chase rate. When I've looked in the past, this has appeared to be a real skill for hitters -- not just a fluke split that swings wildly from year to year -- so I'm taking this one at face value: I think the Dodgers' offense is ready to hit October pitching in a way that no other team's is.

Bradford Doolittle: The Astros' post-deadline roster is pretty close to perfect, whether it's for October or any other month. Playoff baseball is always uncertain, but I'd take Houston's roster against anyone right now.

Jeff Passan: My head says the Astros. My head also says the Dodgers. Both can mash. The Astros have more top-end talent. The Dodgers are deeper. Both have (slight) questions about their bullpens -- L.A. slightly more than Houston. The Dodgers are a better fielding team, and the Astros are no slouches. Even though 49.7% of October innings last year came from bullpens, which is the sort of thing that could give the Yankees some hope, the Yankees' starting pitching prevents it from standing shoulder to shoulder with Houston and L.A. And between them, the answer is ... tails -- I mean, the Dodgers.

Which of the three will finish the regular season with the best record?

Miller: Probably the Astros. At Baseball Prospectus, there's a more complex version of run differential called third-order winning percentage, which measures a team's underlying offensive and defensive performances to estimate what percentage of games it "should" win. Through Sunday, the Astros and Dodgers were tied with the best third-order winning percentage since at least 1950, which is as far back as third-order winning percentage goes. Both are relatively healthy, and either is a great answer here, but the Astros have the second-weakest remaining schedule in all of baseball. They should be able to pile up wins against out-of-it teams.

Doolittle: The Astros are playing like a team that might just about be finished losing. They have the best roster and the easiest remaining schedule among the three. Got to go with Houston.

Passan: The Dodgers. Because they're really good, yes, but also because they play in the National League, and it's really not, and now that I think about it, I'm glad the coin went for the Dodgers because the path to the American League pennant is absolutely treacherous compared to the Dodgers'.

Do you think the Yankees and Dodgers will regret not making a deadline splash like the Astros did?

Miller: The obvious, unhelpful answer is that they won't if they win the World Series, and they will if they don't. But both teams have a recent history of making big additions at the trade deadline. The fact that they didn't make big moves this year isn't cowardice or an overly risk-averse philosophy, but, presumably, it shows that the pieces that would have helped them were simply too expensive and too costly to the likely World Series runs in 2020 and 2021. I'm sure each team knew exactly what it was losing by being inactive but made the choice with all the information available. So I'll say no.

Doolittle: I'm not too worried about the Yankees, but if they had known Greinke-to-Houston was a possibility, subverting that would have been a worthy goal. The Dodgers have arms with which to work, but since Kenley Jansen isn't throwing like a back-of-the-pen anchor these days, the L.A. bullpen is a giant question, and it's pretty shocking that wasn't more thoroughly addressed before the deadline.

Passan: The Yankees' starting pitching is a real liability, and their not supplementing it leaves them open to reasonable second-guessing. The only place the Dodgers needed to upgrade was their bullpen, and, well, wait a couple of questions, and you'll see why it's just fine.

Is the Yankees' starting pitching enough of a weakness to doom them in October?

Miller: It might turn out that way, but isn't enough of a weakness to guarantee doom. Just a few months ago, Paxton/Severino/Tanaka/German would have looked like one of the best rotations in the majors, and I'm not down on recent developments enough to say it won't look like that again a couple of months from now. Anyway, with their bullpen, the Yankees will need to get only about 12 outs per game from their starters. I actually like the Yankees' pitching situation going into October.

Doolittle: Yes and no. If the Yankees lose, it figures to be because the starters struggle and New York isn't able deploy its powerful bullpen in service of protecting leads. But the starters New York has are good enough to win -- or at least there's enough track record to believe that they are.

Passan: Possibly. Aaron Boone is smart and creative enough to work around the deficiency with his bullpen, though of the Big Three's hitting, fielding, starting pitching and relief pitching, the Yankees' starting pitching is almost certainly the single weakest facet. Their best starter this season has been Chad Green ... and he's an opener. Among the classic starters, Domingo German leads the staff with a 3.96 ERA, Masahiro Tanaka is the likeliest to start Game 1 and sports a 4.64 ERA, and James Paxton -- the presumed third starter among the available options -- is allowing 1.74 home runs per nine. Which, by the way, is still better than CC Sabathia and J.A. Happ, who are at more than two homers per nine apiece. The return of Luis Severino would be a blessing; it's also increasingly difficult to see him getting properly stretched out in time for the postseason. And Deivi Garcia, the Yankees' next big thing? If he joins the team, it's going to be in relief.

What about the Dodgers' bullpen?

Miller: It might turn out that way, but the Dodgers have so much depth -- organizationally and in the major league starting rotation -- that it won't surprise me when they end up with seven reliable bullpen arms in October, including, say, Dustin May and Kenta Maeda and Ross Stripling. The other thing to keep in mind is what the Red Sox did last year: aggressively using starters on their throw days or at the start and end of each series. The Dodgers have so much talent to throw at any situation and are so creative about using their depth that I have a lot of confidence they'll find somebody who can work must-win innings in any must-win game.

Doolittle: Can Julio Urias and Dustin May be fashioned into multi-inning hammerlocks? If so, can Kenley Jansen provide end-of-game certainty? Will Pedro Baez ever just throw the damn ball? A team as good as this just shouldn't have this many questions regarding a key ingredient of October success. But all you have to do is look at last year's Red Sox to see how far you can go with a shaky bullpen if you're willing to be creative.

Passan: Kenley Jansen is not the Kenley Jansen we've long known and marveled at. But the idea that the Dodgers' bullpen is going to be a liability in October just doesn't compute. Kenta Maeda and Rich Hill are likely to join it, especially if Dustin May continues to look good in the rotation. If he reaches an innings cap and needs to move to a relief role, Tony Gonsolin or Ross Stripling could take the fourth-starter spot behind Clayton Kershaw, Walker Buehler and Hyun-Jin Ryu. Julio Urias will find himself in the mix somewhere, as should Pedro Baez. And watch out because Joe Kelly since June 1: 21⅔ innings, 32 strikeouts, one home run, 1.66 ERA. Plus, there's Casey Sadler (who has been excellent since coming over from Tampa Bay), Yimi Garcia, Scott Alexander, Adam Kolarek and Victor Gonzalez. That's 14 non-Kershaw, non-Buehler, non-Ryu guys -- in other words, plenty for the Dodgers to mix, match and exploit.

And the Astros. Umm, nothing? Does Houston have a weakness that we're not noticing yet?

Miller: Even their best pitchers allow a lot of home runs? Home run rates in small samples are inherently a little bit fluky and can disproportionately affect the outcomes of games? A couple of warning-track fly balls could go 4 extra feet, shift a couple of games and knock the better team out of a five- or seven-game series? That's probably the easiest way to imagine this team losing. Say Verlander has an outing like he had on June 12 (seven innings, four hits, three earned runs, zero walks, 15 strikeouts, three homers allowed) and Cole has one like he had on July 12 (6/5/4/2/13 with three homers allowed), and each takes a loss despite absolutely dominating most of the game.

Doolittle: If Houston makes the World Series, it can then slot the rotation so that Zack Greinke (.883 OPS this season) starts in the NL park. The Astros would even have THAT advantage -- a better hitting pitcher. No. Apparent. Weakness.

Passan: Perhaps it's too early to call this a weakness, but considering his spectacular meltdown in Game 3 of the ALCS last year, it's at least worth mentioning Roberto Osuna's struggles of late. He has allowed runs in six of his past 11 games -- just one apiece in the first five before a three-run implosion against Baltimore. He has yielded six home runs -- more than in the past two seasons combined. Really, this is nitpicking, especially because Ryan Pressly is a perfectly acceptable option should Osuna falter, but if there's one potential issue with the Astros, this is it.

With three teams that are so close at the top, who is one October difference-maker on any of the three that people might not know about yet?

Miller: Gio Urshela started the year in Triple-A, with a career major league OPS just south of .600. That's about what he's slugging this year. We all keep waiting for this to correct, but after he homered on Monday, the Yankees' unexpected third baseman was hitting .387/.418/.871 in the second half.

Doolittle: I don't know that there are any under-the-radar players on these teams. Even the Yankees' voodoo magic with their injury fill-ins has gotten so much attention that now the Gio Urshelas and Mike Tauchmans are widely known. I guess because he's a rookie, fans might not have quite gotten into Houston's Yordan Alvarez. What he has been doing at the plate as a 22-year-old is borderline criminal.

Passan: It took well over a century for a player who called himself Will Smith to ascend to the major leagues. Among those given the birth name William Smith, there was Bill Smith, who played for the winless 1873 Baltimore Marylands, and another Bill Smith, who got three at-bats for the Cleveland Blues in 1884, and one more Bill Smith, whose best year came with the pedestrian 1962 Philadelphia Phillies. Finally, in 2012, along came Will Smith, left-handed reliever, and he has been a beacon for William Smiths everywhere. But in truth, he was just a placeholder because Will Smith -- the 24-year-old who in the middle of a potentially historic Dodgers season brute-forced his way into the starting catcher position -- is the goods. He hit two more home runs with his powerful right-handed swing Tuesday, upping his career total to nine in 71 at-bats and continuing to earn every bit of the Fresh Prince nickname bestowed on him.

Also: Yordan Alvarez is awesome, and he needs to be in the Home Run Derby next year, please.

Given the choice between the Big Three or the entire rest of the field in October, which would you take?

Editor's note: Caesars Sportsbook currently has this bet at Yes -280 (one of the three will win it all) and No +240 (someone other than the three teams will win it all).

Miller: The Big Three. FanGraphs' odds have their combined World Series chances at about 60%, and that doesn't factor in that none of the three has to face either of the other two until at least an LCS.

Doolittle: From a probabilistic standpoint, it would be one of these three teams. The current combined chance (per FiveThirtyEight) for these teams to win the Series is 66%. That said, we've seen the power seeds largely play up to form the past few Octobers. In a way, we might have started to forget just how much of a crapshoot the postseason really is. This might be the season when a hot team such as the Indians or (cough, cough) the Mets shocks us all.

Passan: Math says take the Big Three. It's great when math agrees with instinct. Sorry, field.

If a team other than the Astros, Yankees or Dodgers wins it all, which is the most likely champion?

Miller: The best pick has to be an NL team, just because an AL team will quite possibly have to defeat all three of these teams to win it all. Give me the Nationals' starting rotation and a miraculously improved bullpen (miracle still to come) as the best alternative -- if they can get past the wild-card game.

Doolittle: From an overall talent standpoint, you'd point to Atlanta. I still like the additions the Braves made to their bullpen, even if they have backfired so far. It seems like there are too many quality arms in that organization for the Braves to not be able to piece together a coherent October staff. Anyway, all of the likely top seeds in the NL have bullpen questions, and one of them has to emerge. The Braves are my sleeper pick.

Passan: The Braves' pitching concerns me. The Cubs' unsteadiness remains troubling. I'm not buying the Mets. Any AL team is going to need to beat the Yankees and the Astros, and that's a herculean task. That leaves the Nationals, whose lineup and starting pitching match up awfully well with the Big Three. Yes, Washington's bullpen long has been made of Zippos and gasoline, and the trade deadline helped only slightly, but the Nats might well be the best of the rest.

Marathon man says breaking the two-hour barrier at the INEOS 1:59 Challenge in Vienna in October will be on a par with the first moon landing

Sir Roger Bannister’s first sub-four-minute mile went down in history as one of man’s greatest achievements. His 3:59.4 in Oxford in 1954 was compared to the first ascent of Everest by Sir Edmund Hillary and now, with the INEOS 1:59 Challenge looming in Vienna, marathon runner Eliud Kipchoge believes breaking the two-hour barrier for 26.2 miles will be as significant as when Neil Armstrong became the first man to set foot on the moon in 1969.

Speaking on a crackly phone line from his training camp in Kenya on Wednesday, Kipchoge said breaking the two-hour barrier in the Austrian capital in October is “more important” than world or Olympic titles or big city marathon victories. “It’s like the first man to go to the moon,” he said.

Kipchoge is the reigning Olympic champion and holds the official world record with 2:01:39 set in Berlin last year. He also clocked 2:00:25 at a Nike-backed Breaking2 attempt in Monza, Italy, in 2017 and the 34-year-old reckons he can improve by the necessary one second per mile to run 1:59-something when he attacks the barrier at the Prater park in Vienna during an October 12-20 window of opportunity that organisers have created.

At the Breaking2 attempt Kipchoge used a phalanx of pacemakers that dropped in and out, plus the new (at the time) Nike Vaporfly shoes on a looped course used primarily for motorsports – and the mark was subsequently not ratified by the IAAF with some critics going as far as calling it ‘technical doping’. So it will be interesting to see what new ideas and innovations INEOS will bring to this upcoming time trial in Vienna.

We know he will wear similar Nike shoes with a carbon fibre plate. There are reports that the pacing team will include the Ingebrigtsen brothers from Norway. The course in Vienna is reputed to be even flatter and straighter than Monza, too, whereas we can only speculate what, if any, influence the INEOS-sponsored cycling squad led by Sir Dave Brailsford might have, given their notoriety for applying “marginal gains” and ongoing success in the Tour de France (first and second in the general classification this year).

Kipchoge, however, answered questions about his own preparations only during what was his final interview before ‘race week’ itself in October. “My main focus is to show that no man is limited and the main way I can do that is by breaking two hours,” he says.

Kipchoge’s preparations include rising at 5am every day and he is currently logging about 200-220km (120-136 miles) of running per week, plus regular gym workouts. Core stability sessions, incidentally, are one of the things he has added to his schedule following the Breaking2 attempt.

Kipchoge says he will arrive in Vienna about one week before the attempt and jog on the course to familiarise himself with it. Is he not curious to see the course any earlier? “I prefer to stay in Kenya and concentrate on my training,” he says. “This is my priority.”

?️ Temperature
?Humidity
?️ Precipitation
?️ Wind speed

Getting the weather right was one of the biggest factors in choosing the Vienna course. Let the #INEOS159 team explain…https://t.co/HhtN5Zz6Ph pic.twitter.com/xGdM1s1A9M

— INEOS 1:59 Challenge (@INEOS159) August 14, 2019

In Monza, he remembers: “I realised I was not going to break the mark with about a kilometre to go. I was going too slowly and tried to adjust but it was no longer possible. But I think I will improve this time.”

This month marks 15 years exactly since he shocked the sport by out-kicking world mile record-holder Hicham El Guerrouj and world 5000m and 10,000m record-holder Kenenisa Bekele to win the world 5000m title in Paris. Since then he believes he has grown in experience and become mentally stronger. Certainly, he seems to have total confidence in his ability to break two hours.

“I have no doubts at all,” he says. “I have a strong team and I believe I can do it. Marathon is no longer an individual event. It’s a team event.”

If Kipchoge does this ‘impossible’ feat, does he believe others will follow in his footsteps. “Yes, athletes will begin to believe that they can do it too,” he says with certainty.

Borussia Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke has said Manchester United target Jadon Sancho will eventually leave the club.

The England international, who moved to Dortmund from Manchester City in 2017, was named in the Bundesliga Team of the Year last season as his side finished runners-up to Bayern Munich.

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His form drew reported interest from United and Real Madrid but, while Dortmund were able to keep hold of Sancho this summer, Watzke said he won't stay at the Westfalenstadion forever.

"There aren't many 19-year-olds with such a potential," Watzke told Ruhr Nachrichten. "He is also not a player from the region or one who would have any connection to it.

"When you have a player like Jadon Sancho, you must reassess the situation every single year. Everything else would not be honest. If a foreign player is not convinced that the club is right for him at the exact time, it just does not make any sense."

Once he settled into life in Germany, Sancho became a mainstay in the Dortmund side and featured in all 34 league games, where he scored 12 goals and provided 17 assists.

He also won his first England cap in October 2018 and has now played six times for Gareth Southgate's side.

"A chief of one of the super clubs asked me back in spring if there was a chance [to sign Sancho] but I told him straight away he should forget about it and he never contacted me again," Watzke added. "He knew I meant what I said."

ISTANBUL, Turkey -- Stephanie Frappart's trajectory to making history at the Super Cup final this Wednesday took shape when she was a football-obsessed 13-year-old in Val d'Oise, a charming suburb in the north of Paris.

Frappart found that playing the game for local team FC Parisis wasn't enough to satisfy her interest, and so, she began to intensively study the laws that governed it. Soon, the teenager was officiating matches as often as she was turning out for her club, and at 20 years old, made the decision to trade in her kit for the whistle.

"At the time, women's football structures were still developing, so I felt that it would be better for me to go on as a referee," Frappart explained. It was an inspired choice, as on Wednesday, the 35-year-old will become the first female official to take charge of a major UEFA men's competition event when Liverpool and Chelsea contest the Super Cup at Vodafone Park, the home of Turkish Super Lig side Besiktas.

Frappart will be assisted by Manuela Nicolosi and Michelle O'Neill, as was the case when she refereed the Women's World Cup final between the U.S. and the Netherlands in July. Turkey's Cuneyt Cakir, who will function as the fourth official, enthused over the trio's brilliance during the assessment protocols in Croatia.

"Two weeks ago in Zagreb, we did the same preparation, the same fitness tests, the same laws of the game, the same training sessions, there is no difference," he explained.

"My honest feeling is they are really brave, they have courage, they don't hesitate to give unpopular decisions. You will see on Wednesday, believe me. When we go to field of play, we are all called referees. There is no gender."

Wednesday will be a seismic moment for all three women, but it's hugely significant for the sport as well. It is an indictment that the names of female officials involved in the men's game -- Bibiana Steinhaus in the Bundesliga and Sian Massey-Ellis, who serves as an assistant running the sidelines in the Premier League, immediately spring to mind -- are so easily listed given the lack of them. The Super Cup could signal a welcome change to that.

Said Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp, "Finally! It's time. It's a smart decision to have women referee a very, very important game. It's the first time, but I hope it's not the last."

In 1996, when Frappart's passion for refereeing took hold, Nelly Viennot was the only woman to act as an assistant referee in Ligue 1, yet during the course of her 11-year career, she was never promoted to the main role. It was Frappart who smashed that ceiling in April, over two decades later, by officiating Strasbourg's goalless draw at Amiens. The home supporters decided to mark the historic occasion with a banner that read: "Welcome to the Stade de la Licorne, Madame Frappart. Long live women in football!"

Frappart, who works three days a week at a multisport federation in France, had been refereeing in Ligue 2 for five years by that point, had featured as a fourth official in the top flight and had even fulfilled duties as an assistant VAR.

Pierre Bouby, US Orleans midfielder, described her as the best ref in France's second division earlier this year, predicting she would progress in the men's game.

"She is a talking point for the Super Cup, but one of her big strengths is to allow the game to be the centre of attention," a UEFA source told ESPN FC. "She is well respected and she has everything to be a success: the right mentality, the quality, experience and knowledge."

Bouby labelled Frappart "diplomatic" and committed to "doing what's best for the game," which is a common refrain from those who have witnessed her work. Composed, physically sharp and never shying away from her status as a pioneer, the 5-foot-4 Frenchwoman will officiate Ligue 1 matches regularly this season after being assigned to the country's panel of elite referees.

Frappart is thought of as a "game changer," and it is hoped her body of work and opportunities will prompt an increase in female referee applications.

"I hope the skill and devotion that Stephanie has shown throughout her career to reach this level will provide inspiration to millions of girls and women around Europe and show them there should be no barriers in order to reach one's dream," UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin said.

Frappart shares the same aspirations.

"I didn't expect to be given the Super Cup assignment; it's a great honour for me, and for female referees as well," she said.

"I hope it serves as an example to female referees, and to any young girls who may aspire to be a referee."

ISTANBUL -- Liverpool can win their sixth European trophy this century when they face Chelsea in the UEFA Super Cup in Turkey on Wednesday, but another continental cup will only draw attention to the ongoing wait to fill the glaring void in the Anfield trophy cabinet.

European glory used to be the pinnacle, but for Liverpool it has become a stepping stone toward ending the long journey back to the summit of English football.

Some will point out that a third Super Cup, to add to the two Champions League titles and a UEFA Cup (now Europa League) won since the turn of the millennium, would be adding too much weight to the European club's achievements, considering that it is widely regarded as no more important than the Community Shield. But you have to be in it to win it and Liverpool's European pedigree is such that every piece of continental silverware matters.

To put their haul into context, Chelsea have won three European trophies since 2000 (Champions League once and Europa League twice), while Manchester United have won two (Champions League and Europa League).

The rest of Liverpool's domestic rivals have yet to get off the mark in Europe this century, but Manchester City, Arsenal and even Leicester City will point to their names on the Premier League trophy in order to dampen any sense of superiority from the red half of Merseyside.

And as Jurgen Klopp's players prepare to face Chelsea in Istanbul -- the city that hosted Liverpool's momentous 2005 Champions League triumph against AC Milan -- they will face Chelsea knowing that, whatever happens at Besiktas' Vodafone Park, the only trophy that truly matters this season is the one that continues to elude them.

Liverpool's Champions League success in Madrid last season, the club's sixth overall, more than made up for the disappointment of missing out on the Premier League title to Man City at the end of the most compelling title race for 20 years.

But it was also unusual for the fact that Liverpool emerged as European champions having gone so long without being crowned kings of their own country. It is now 29 years since Liverpool were champions of England and no Champions League winners have lifted the European Cup having been second best in their own domain for so long.

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Sir Alex Ferguson once compared winning the Champions League with Manchester United to scaling a mountain, with key staging posts along the way. Winning a trophy, then winning the title, were crucial milestones for Ferguson's United team on their journey to the Champions League crown in 1999.

Chelsea took a similar path before lifting the Champions League in 2012, while City now see winning the European Cup as the culmination of their growth since Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed al Nahyan's takeover of the club in 2008.

In trophy-winning terms, Liverpool ran before they could walk by lifting the European Cup at the end of last season, bypassing the traditional route to success in the competition.

Since 2000, only two Champions League winners have won the European Cup having failed to win their own domestic league during the five years prior to their success -- Liverpool in 2005 and Liverpool in 2019.

But despite adding to their European haul last season, the thirst for domestic glory remains unquenched, and, in many ways, becoming European champions has added to the pressure and expectation for the long wait for the English title to end

Bill Shankly and Bob Paisley always described the English title as Liverpool's "bread and butter." Anything else on top of winning the league was viewed as a bonus or embellishment on what really mattered. By that logic, bread and butter has been in short supply at Anfield since 1990, though.

Canvass anyone with a Liverpool affiliation -- player, supporter, owner, manager -- who was in Madrid in June and you would be hard pressed to find anyone who would swap that night, and the European Cup, for the Premier League trophy.

Privately, however, there is a growing determination and desperation to scratch the 30-year itch at Anfield and win the title. And winning the Champions League, with the Super Cup potentially also on the way, only sharpens the focus on winning the one that continues to elude the club.

Klopp has urged everyone at Anfield to forget about the events of last season and concentrate only on what lies ahead. He has told his players to "stay greedy" and spoken of the Super Cup as a "big one" because of the prestige that comes with getting there in the first place.

But Liverpool need to use their Champions League triumph and Super Cup appearance as steps toward winning the Premier League, rather than regard them as the cherry on top of the cake. For Liverpool, the cake is still to be cooked, but last season showed how close they are to ending the long wait.

Victory in Istanbul, against a Premier League rival, will only consolidate the winning mentality that Klopp aims to develop at Anfield. But until they win the Premier League, there will be a hollow feeling at Anfield, no matter how many European trophies they collect along the way.