American sports legend Mary Lou Retton, who captured the attention of the nation when she won the all-around women’s gymnastics competition at the 1984 Summer Olympics, has been hospitalized, according to a statement from her daughter.

Retton is “fighting for her life” as she battles pneumonia in an intensive care unit, McKenna Lane Kelley said this week. 

Kelley’s Instagram post also noted that Retton “is not able to breathe on her own.”

Kelley’s statement did not provide more specific information on her mother’s condition, but she did say that the pneumonia was “a very rare form.”

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

The West Virginia native’s win at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles marked the first time in history an American woman earned the all-around gold medal or any individual Olympic medal in gymnastics.

AMERICAN SIMONE BILES BECOMES MOST DECORATED GYMNAST OF ALL TIME: ‘IT WAS EMOTIONAL’

She appeared in several films and television shows in the 1980s and 1990s.

United States gymnast Mary Lou Retton performs during the 1980s. (Robert Riger/Getty Images)

Retton, 55, won five medals in the 1984 Games, including two silver medals for team and vault and two bronze medals in the uneven bars and floor exercise.

Mary Lou Retton, an Olympic gold medalist in women’s gymnastics, during the 2009 Tyson American Cup at the Sears Centre Feb. 21, 2009, in Hoffman Estates, Ill.  (Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

For 20 years, Retton held the distinction of being the only American woman to win the all-around title. In 2004, Carly Patterson became the second woman from the U.S. to accomplish the feat.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

After she retired from gymnastics, Retton became a motivational speaker and frequently shared messages about the benefit of proper nutrition and exercise. She also served on the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports under former President George W. Bush.

Fox News Digital contacted McKenna Lane Kelley and Mary Lou Retton’s representatives for more information but had not heard back before publication.

As Riley Gaines prepared to speak at Penn State University, it is becoming apparent some faculty at the university did not want her there.

Gaines said Monday night her speech was “canceled.”

But in a statement to Fox News Digital, Penn State clarified that “no event featuring Riley Gaines has ever been canceled at Penn State.”

The former NCAA swimmer is, in fact, slated to speak at a Real Women’s Day event on campus, but one professor has a plan for students to protest the event.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

In an email obtained by Fox News Digital, a professor wrote to her students that the university is having a “Dignity Day” event. The professor’s email states that it is a two-hour “community-wide celebration of dignity” beginning at 5:30 p.m. ET.

Gaines’ event is scheduled to begin at 5 p.m. With the two events coinciding, the professor said Dignity Day can “counter the hateful messages espoused by” Gaines.

“This seems like a good way to counter the hateful messages espoused by Ms. Gaines while not providing more attention and exposure to such messages,” the professor wrote.

The school did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether it agrees with the professor’s suggestion that Gaines’ statements are the equivalent to hate speech.

Gaines posted a video in which Penn State President Neeli Bendapudi explained that, as a public university, the school is “bound by the First Amendment” to allow speakers “that many will consider controversial, either because their views are not widely held or because a speaker espouses ideas that are actively hateful.”

Riley Gaines speaks before Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a presidential candidate, at the Greenville Convention Center June 2, 2023. (McKenzie Lange/Staff/USA Today Network)

RILEY GAINES SLAMS NCAA FOR ALLOWING LIA THOMAS TO COMPETE AT CHAMPIONSHIPS IN EMOTIONAL TESTIMONY

The school told Fox News Digital that Turning Point USA, the student organization bringing Gaines to campus, “sought indoor space, but did not meet the deadline for submitting the required reservation documents — an expectation upheld for any recognized student organization at Penn State.” 

The school also said that “as late as last week, they had no confirmation that Ms. Gaines would attend the event, however they sent a confirmation early this morning.

Riley Gaines, a 12-time NCAA All-American swimmer, gained prominence for speaking out when she was forced to compete against transgender swimmer Lia Thomas in 2022.  (REUTERS/Go Nakamura)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

“University  leaders learned Monday evening via social media that Gaines is coming to the University Park campus Oct. 10. 

“Penn State staff have been working with the student organization to see to it that they can host a safe event under university policies and within their First Amendment rights.”

The 2023-24 NHL season will begin without one of the sport’s most prominent analysts dissecting the game.

Barry Melrose, who has been with ESPN since 1996, announced Tuesday, the day of the start of the NHL season, that he has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease and will retire.

“I’ve had over 50 extraordinary years playing, coaching and analyzing the world’s greatest game, hockey. It’s now time to hang up my skates and focus on my health, my family, including my supportive wife Cindy, and whatever comes next,” Melrose, 67, said in a statement. 

“I’m beyond grateful for my hockey career, and to have called ESPN home for almost 30 years. Thanks for the incredible memories, and I’ll now be cheering for you from the stands.”

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

Before joining broadcasting, Melrose played in six NHL seasons for three different teams, but he became a prominent head coach following his playing days.

Melrose coached Wayne Gretzky and the Los Angeles Kings to a Stanley Cup Final in 1993, his first behind an NHL bench. 

He joined ESPN three years later but briefly returned to the bench in 2008 to coach the Tampa Bay Lightning. He was fired after just 16 games. In his brief coaching career, he went 84-108-29-4.

It did not take long for Melrose to return to the studio, though, and he was back at ESPN in time for the 2009 Winter Classic.

“He’s bigger than any team,” Gretzky said in a video tribute for ESPN. “For decades, he’s been suiting up — and I mean suiting up — for the game, for the sport, for hockey. … You see, hockey is more than a game, it’s a community — a finely tuned orchestra — and Barry was our conductor.

Head coach Barry Melrose of the Los Angeles Kings Feb. 24, 1994, at the Great Western Forum in Inglewood, Calif.  (Bernstein Associates/Getty Images)

CHRIS SNOW, FLAMES’ ASSISTANT GM, DEAD AT 42 AFTER SUFFERING ‘CATASTROPHIC BRAIN INJURY’

“Barry has given so much to the game. And now he needs our support, and all of us in hockey are here for him.”

“Barry has had a connection to the sport for an astonishing 50 years as a player, coach and analyst, and he has left an indelible mark both on and off the ice,” ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro said. “We wish him and his family the very best.”

“Barry is a unique, one-of-a-kind person,” NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said. “And hockey on ESPN won’t be the same without him. … His love for hockey is obvious and infectious. And it is impossible to have a conversation with him without a smile on your face.

NHL Network’s Barry Melrose hosts the pregame show before Game 1 of the 2014 Stanley Cup Final at Staples Center June 4, 2014, in Los Angeles. (Rebecca Taylor/NHLI via Getty Images)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

“Barry, we wish you well in this fight and know you will give it everything you have — as you always do.”

Travis Kelce was surprised last week when he found himself in “vax wars” with Aaron Rodgers.

The New York Jets quarterback, who’s been outspoken about his opposition to the COVID-19 vaccine, called Kelce “Mr. Pfizer,” referencing the tight end appearing in commercials for the big Pharma company to support vaccines.

Of course, the Kansas City Chiefs star couldn’t help but point out that Rodgers plays for the heir of the Johnson & Johnson company.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

But when Kelce joked that he was in a war, Rodgers, appearing on “The Pat McAfee Show” on Tuesday, said this was nothing, and prompted an even bigger challenge.

“Listen, Mr. Pfizer said he didn’t think he’d be in a vax war with me. This ain’t even a war, homie,” Rodgers said. “This is just conversation. But if you want to have some sort of duel, debate, have me on the [New Heights] podcast. Come on the show, let’s have a conversation.”

Rodgers then shocked McAfee and cohost A.J. Hawk, one of Rodgers’ former teammates, and dropped the bomb that he wants a “John Wick 4” style match.

Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce carries the ball against the Philadelphia Eagles during Super Bowl LVII, Feb. 12, 2023, in Glendale, Arizona. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

SUPER BOWL CHAMPION SAYS PATRIOTS NEED TO CUT TIES WITH BILL BELICHICK: ‘IT’S TIME TO START OVER’

“I’m gonna take my man [Robert F. Kennedy] Jr., and he can have [Dr. Anthony] Fauci or some other pharmacrat, and we can have a conversation about this,” he said.

“That’d be big ratings,” Rodgers added.

Rodgers also answered back at Kelce’s retort.

“The Johnsons have been great to me. I don’t mind if you call me Mr. Johnson & Johnson. Woody and Christopher, their families, they’ve been great. I don’t play for the Johnson & Johnson Corporation – I play for the New York Jets,” Rodgers said.

“I made a tiny little joke about guys shilling for a potentially corrupt company, and everybody kind of loses their minds a little bit.”

New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers takes the field against the Buffalo Bills. (Danielle Parhizkaran/USA Today Network)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Kelce’s Chiefs defeated Rodgers’ Jets, although without the QB, 23-20 back on Oct. 1.

Two-time All-Pro linebacker Micah Parsons did not hold back when he addressed the undershirt San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle unveiled during Sunday night’s game.

Kittle, who scored three touchdowns during the Niners’ 42-10 win, pulled up his jersey and revealed a shirt disparaging the Cowboys. Parsons appeared on “The Edge” this week and said Kittle’s decision to flash the shirt made things “more personal than it had to be.”

Kittle also posted a picture of the shirt on his social media platform, but Parsons suggested that the outcome would be different if the two teams met again this season.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

“Kittle’s my guy but [I’m gonna] say this: laugh now, cry later,” Parsons cautioned.

“We got something for that, just trust. If we see them again, just trust. And we gonna put it just like that. I ain’t gonna put too much on it. You gonna make it personal? We can make it personal, that’s cool.”

COWBOYS’ DAK PRESCOTT TALKS ‘HUMBLING’ 49ERS LOSS: ‘DIDN’T SEE IT COMING’

Kittle finished the Week 5 game against the Cowboys with 67 receiving yards. Second-year quarterback Brock Purdy threw for 252 yards and four touchdowns. Dallas was dominated in all three phases of the game and turned the ball over four times.

San Francisco tight end George Kittle celebrates after the 49ers defeated the Dallas Cowboys in Santa Clara, California, Sunday, Oct. 8, 2023. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

If the Niners and the Cowboys do play again this season, it would have to be in the postseason. The 49ers have gotten the best of the Cowboys in the last few matchups, including the playoffs.

San Francisco ended the Cowboys’ playoff run last season, beating Dallas in the divisional round.

Last week, three-time Pro Bowl quarterback Dak Prescott appeared to be agitated when asked about how he felt after losing to the 49ers in the playoffs in January.

“I mean, it’s obvious. We’re so far past that, to be honest with you, but that’s obvious,” Prescott said. “You just want to p— me off going into this week, and I appreciate that. I do, actually. I do. Appreciate that. Appreciate that.”

Micah Parsons of the Dallas Cowboys before the San Francisco 49ers game at Levi’s Stadium on Oct. 8, 2023, in Santa Clara, California. (Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

Niners star Deebo Samuel pushed back against the notion that Parsons really wants to see a Niners-Cowboys rematch. Samuel said the Cowboys run the risk of losing by an even greater margin if they play against the 49ers in the near future.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

“It was already personal before the game started… 42-10, I don’t think you want to see us again. It might be a little worse,” Samuel said on “Up & Adams” on Tuesday. “I don’t think he wants to see us again.” 

The Baltimore Orioles are on the brink of elimination Tuesday night, but for their starting pitcher, bigger things are at stake.

Dean Kremer will try to save the O’s from being bounced from the ALDS. They are down 2-0 in the best-of-five series to the Texas Rangers. Kremer also has family in Israel fearing for their lives.

Kremer is Israeli-American. Though he was born and raised in Stockton, California, Kremer is the son of Israeli parents. He spends time each year in the Jewish state, is fluent in Hebrew and was the first Israeli to be taken in the MLB Draft.

Although Tuesday night will probably be the biggest game he’s ever pitched in his career, he can’t help but think of his family.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

“I still want to pitch, but, I mean, it’s going to be in the back of my head,” he said Monday.

Orioles manager Brandan Hyde tabbed Kremer as the starter when the two spoke Sunday at breakfast.

“Gave him my support and sympathies for him and his family that’s involved, and he seemed OK,” Hyde said. “Obviously, he’s very disturbed, and there’s a lot of things going on. But I didn’t sense that it was going to affect … I think he’s really looking forward to pitching tomorrow, so I didn’t think it was going to affect him.”

Kremer said he is “very grateful” for the support he has gotten in the clubhouse.

Dean Kremer of the Baltimore Orioles pitches against the Cleveland Guardians during the first inning at Progressive Field Sept. 22, 2023, in Cleveland.  (Ron Schwane/Getty Images)

AUSTIN RILEY’S CLUTCH HOMER, CRAZY GAME-ENDING DOUBLE PLAY LIFTS BRAVES OVER PHILLIES, TIES NLDS

Kremer pitched for Team Israel in the World Baseball Classic in March, and the tam went 1-2 in three games, failing to get to the knockout stage. But the 27-year-old pitched in a 3-1 victory against Nicaragua, throwing four scoreless innings, allowing three hits and a walk and striking out four.

The righty went 13-5 with a 4.12 ERA in 32 starts this season, and Kremer was the starter when the O’s clinched both a postseason berth and when they won the AL East.

Dean Kremer of Team Israel pitches against Team Nicaragua during a World Baseball Classic Pool D game at loanDepot Park March 12, 2023, in Miami, Fla.  (Al Bello/Getty Images)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

The Rangers took the first two games of the series, both of which were in Baltimore, thanks to their offense. Nathan Eovaldi, who allowed just one run in 6⅔ innings of work against the Tampa Bay Rays in the AL Wild Card Series, will take the bump for Texas.

At least 1,600 have been killed in the war, including more than 1,000 people in Israel. Fourteen of those were Americans.

Fox News’ Andrea Vacchiano and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Steve Garvey, who starred for the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres in the 1970s and 1980s, offered support for the people of Israel after Hamas’ terror attack.

Scores of Israelis were killed in the attacks over the weekend, prompting Israel to respond to airstrikes on the Gaza Strip. At least 14 Americans were confirmed dead in Hamas’ attacks.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

“To all the Israeli people, you’re in our prayers,” Garvey told Fox News Digital. “Our heart breaks for you. But know one thing, that as one of our greatest allies, we will stand by you at all costs and at all times.”

The White House has “unequivocally” condemned the terrorist attacks on Israel, which killed at least 1,000 Israelis and provoked a retaliatory war in which hundreds of Palestinians have died.

LIVE UPDATES: ISRAEL AT WAR WITH HAMAS AFTER SURPRISE ATTACKS, AROUND 1,000 ISRAELIS DEAD

Garvey announced earlier Tuesday he was running for U.S. Senate in California.

He told Fox News Digital he had been asked by Republicans and Democrats whether he would consider running for office and never thought it was the right time – until now.

Cars are on fire after they were hit by rockets from the Gaza Strip in Ashkelon, Israel, Saturday, Oct. 7, 2023.  (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)

“I like to think of myself as a concerned citizen. I started seeing a severe dysfunction in Washington. Career politicians were focusing on the business of politics and not the people,” Garvey said. “And I decided if there isn’t a voice in California, then I should take a few months and see if there’s a pathway for Steve Garvey to run for the U.S. Senate.”

Garvey, 74, said he’s talked to Californians up and down the state and they tell him it was refreshing for him to ask their opinions on the state instead of being told what’s good for them.

“It’s caused such a malaise for us in California,” he said. “It’s time for a fresh voice with fresh ideas, and it’s time for me to stand up and represent the people of California — their quality of life — and go to Washington in a year. They’ll be the wind beneath my wings, and we’ll see if we can change the dynamics and culture of Washington.”

Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Steve Garvey walks up to bat during the 1981 season against the Cincinnati Reds at Riverfront Stadium.  (Malcolm Emmons/USA Today Sports)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Garvey identified some of the issues plaguing Californians today, including quality of life, crime and education. He added that California was the “heartbeat of America” when it was at its peak.