Sports category, Page 484
Russian disinformation slams Paris and amplifies Imane Khelif debate to undermine the Olympics
WASHINGTON — The actor in the viral music video denouncing the 2024 Olympics looks a lot like French President Emmanuel Macron. The images of rats, trash and the sewage, however, were dreamed up by artificial intelligence. Portraying Paris as a crime-ridden cesspool, the video mocking the Games spread quickly on...
Top pick Troy Fautanu gets 1st-team reps at right tackle as Steelers build toward preseason opener
What transpired Tuesday could be a watershed moment in Troy Fautanu’s first NFL training camp. Or it could mean little in the grand scheme of his development. Fautanu wasn’t trying to read anything into his getting his most significant work at right tackle with the first-team offense since training camp...
Rookie John Rhys Plumlee embraces shot to return punts, focuses on duties as No. 4 QB
While a rumor about Justin Fields returning kickoffs dominated the Pittsburgh Steelers social-media news cycle for a time this spring, when training camp opened, it wasn’t Fields back for kickoffs but a different quarterback fielding a different sort of kick. Rookie John Rhys Plumlee has been a regular in the...
Steelers players trying not to be distracted by trade talk involving 49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk
Based on the way he has progressed in training camp, Van Jefferson has taken steps toward becoming the No. 2 wide receiver for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Jefferson’s spot on the depth chart, however, would drop in the event the Steelers acquire Brandon Aiyuk in a trade with the San Francisco...
American Cole Hocker pulls Olympic shocker in men’s 1,500; Gabby Thomas wins 200Video
SAINT-DENIS, France — American Cole Hocker pulled the upset of the Olympics on Tuesday night, beating his personal-best time by almost 3 seconds to outrace favorites Jakob Ingebrigsten and Josh Kerr for the title at 1,500 meters. Hocker won the race in an Olympic-record 3:27.65, pulling from fifth to first...
France tops Canada in men’s basketball quarterfinals; Serbia, Germany also advanceVideo
PARIS — Guerschon Yabusele scored 22 points, Victor Wembanyama had 12 rebounds and France beat Canada, 82-73, on Tuesday to advance to its second straight men’s Olympic basketball semifinal. Isaia Cordinier added 20 points for France, which is looking to add to its medal haul after winning silver in the...
Sophia Smith’s extra-time goal tops Germany, sends U.S. women’s soccer into Olympic finalVideo
LYON, France — Glimpsing a sliver of the net, Sophia Smith’s aim was true. Smith’s extra-time goal earned the United States a spot in the gold medal match at the Paris Olympics with a 1-0 semifinal victory over Germany on Tuesday. The Americans, undefeated in France under new coach Emma...
QB Russell Wilson has busiest practice day of Steelers camp yetVideo
Russell Wilson still isn’t taking a full workload of practice reps. But he’s inching closer to it. Tuesday’s Pittsburgh Steelers training-camp practice was Wilson’s busiest yet in regards to his participation. Wilson took part in the fully-padded and tackling-permitted practice and for the first time threw passes during 11-on-11 drills....
Risk pays off for West Point in Little League Softball World Series elimination game
Load the bases. Live with the result. With one out and runners at second and third for Italy’s Emilia Romagna Little League in the bottom of the fifth, Tina Madison pulled her defense into the pitching circle for a talk — a rather calm talk, all things considered. “Relax,” the...
NCAA moving closer to financially rewarding women’s basketball teams that reach March Madness
Women’s basketball teams are about to move a step closer to getting financially rewarded for success in the NCAA Tournament. The Division I Board of Directors was expected to meet Tuesday and introduce a proposal to give performance units to teams that make March Madness. Units represent revenue. “Unless something...
Charles Barkley says he will not retire and remain with TNT Sports even if they don’t have the NBA
Charles Barkley intends to remain with TNT Sports through the remainder of his contract. The Hall of Fame player announced Tuesday that he will not retire next season, reversing the announcement he made in June during the NBA Finals. Barkley said at the time that the 2024-25 season would be...
Pitbull Stadium is the new home of FIU football. The artist has bought the naming rights
Welcome to Pitbull Stadium, the home of your FIU Panthers. Florida International announced what could end up as a 10-year agreement on Tuesday with international recording artist, Grammy winner and entrepreneur Armando Christian Pérez — the Miami native better known as Pitbull — to put his name on their on-campus...
Panthers observations: Pitt’s Pat Narduzzi points to a ‘War Daddy’ at WR, 5-8 RB with big heart
The sixth practice of Pitt’s summer camp Tuesday was a big day for the players who put on full pads for the first time and were permitted to do what most of them enjoy most — hit someone as hard as they can. It also was one of the hottest...
‘It’s been a lot more efficient’: Penn State coaches, players share reaction to in-helmet communication
College football teams’ spring games are typically defined by motifs relating to new things, whether it’s new players, coaching staffs, stadiums, etc. One of this year’s new things came in the form of offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki’s voice buzzing through a tiny speaker in the helmet of his quarterbacks —...
Olympic marathon swim test run canceled over water quality concerns for Seine River
PARIS — A test run meant to allow Olympic athletes to familiarize themselves with the marathon swimming course in the Seine River was canceled Tuesday over concerns about water quality in the Paris waterway. World Aquatics made the decision to cancel the exercise at an early morning meeting, the organization...
First Call: Steelers to see 1st-team offense from Texans Friday; Pirates get stiff test in series opener vs. Padres
The Steelers will get a strong challenge at Acrisure Stadium in Friday’s preseason opener, and the Pirates will get one on the mound Tuesday night. Also, a Steelers division rival is dealing with an injury issue along the defensive front, and a former Steeler loses out on a shot to...
Pirates’ Colin Holderman on ‘weird’ struggles: ‘I haven’t had this happen to me in my career’
Not only are things going badly for Pirates relief pitcher Colin Holderman, he’s also not completely sure what’s going on, or how to fix it. As recently as June 29, Holderman was 3-1 with a 1.21 ERA. After being tagged with a blown save and a loss while giving up...
Tim Benz: If Brandon Aiyuk really wants to become a Steeler, now is the time to play that card
If San Francisco 49ers receiver Brandon Aiyuk really wants to play for Mike Tomlin and the Pittsburgh Steelers, he’s got the rarest of opportunities to do so. Right now. Aiyuk is in the unique position of essentially being a free agent while under contract with his original team. Normally, the...
After struggling at plate, Michael A. Taylor hoping to finish season strong for Pirates
As contradictory as it sounds, Michael A. Taylor found that when he stopped focusing on his results he delivered better outcomes for the Pittsburgh Pirates. That was easier said than done for Taylor, who got off to a red-hot start in the first week only to watch his batting average...
Pitt’s Nahki Johnson not weighed down with transition from defensive end to tackle
Nahki Johnson’s high school career at Steel Valley and West Mifflin was something to remember. He committed to Pitt two months before the start of the 2019 season and went on to become, perhaps, the Big Eight Conference’s best player. He recorded eight sacks, forced four fumbles and earned the...
Chiefs punter Matt Araiza hoping to get another chance to play in NFLVideo
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. — Matt Araiza concedes there were moments during the past two years when he thought the 82-yard punt he uncorked in a preseason game for the Buffalo Bills might remain his only NFL effort. “There were times that I didn’t, and there were times that I did,”...
Valarie Allman wins gold in discus, becomes 1st American woman to win 2 gold medals in eventVideo
Valarie Allman is golden once again. Allman defended her Olympic title on Monday at the Stade de France in Saint-Dennis, France, to become the first American woman to win two gold medals in discus on the world’s biggest stage. In the finals, Allman’s first throw sailed out of bounds, but...
West Point to face Italian team at Little League Softball World Series
West Point will play its second game of the Little League Softball World Series at 9 a.m. Tuesday in Greenville, N.C. The elimination bracket game was moved up an hour due to pending weather in the forecast. It will be shown on ESPN Plus. West Point needs to defeat Emilia...
Out of Denver, WR Jerry Jeudy excited about fresh start in Cleveland after 4-year run with BroncosVideo
BEREA, Ohio — Jerry Jeudy already got paid by the Cleveland Browns. They’re counting on the speedy wide receiver paying them back. Acquired in an offseason trade after four undistinguished seasons with the Denver Broncos, who drafted him in the first round in 2020, Jeudy believes coming to Cleveland will...
Jim Harbaugh has best track record of 8 new head coaches but Morris has better shot at playoffsVideo
At least one NFL team with a new coach has reached the playoffs every year since the 2006 season. DeMeco Ryans took over in Houston last year and led the Texans from worst to first in the AFC South. With AP Offensive Rookie of the Year C.J. Stroud and Defensive...
