U.S./World Sports category, Page 305
Birdies galore at Hilton Head, and Jordan Spieth needed them badlyVideo
The RBC Heritage began two month later than usual with a little rain, a little sunshine and a lot of birdies, most of them from Jordan Spieth to turn a rough start into a furious finish. Ian Poulter holed a 30-foot birdie putt and followed with a 5-iron to 4...
Netflix documentary focuses on courage of U.S. gymnasts in Larry Nassar sex abuse scandalVideo
A Netflix documentary will focus on the gymnasts who survived abuse at the hands of USA Gymnastics and Michigan State University doctor Larry Nassar and the journalists who helped expose the culture that allowed it to continue for so long, according to People. Allegations against Nassar go back to the...
Florida Sen. Rubio introduces NIL bill to push NCAA changesVideo
Florida Sen. Marco Rubio introduced a bill Thursday that would protect the NCAA from being challenged in court if the association changes its rules to allow athletes to earn money for endorsement deals and personal appearances. Earlier this week, the NCAA was hit with a federal antitrust lawsuit seeking damages...
NCAA approves plan for basketball players to work with coaches
The NCAA Division I Council on Wednesday approved a plan to allow college basketball players to start working with their coaches for the first time since the pandemic wiped out March Madness. The summer access period for men’s and women’s players will begin July 20. The NCAA Tournaments were canceled...
Prepping on new court, Serena Williams will enter U.S. OpenVideo
Here’s how all-in Serena Williams is on participating in the 2020 U.S. Open: She set up a practice area at her home with the new brand of hard courts being used at Flushing Meadows this year. For all the doubts about which top players will actually enter the first Grand...
Report: Kobe Bryant pilot may have been disoriented in fog
LOS ANGELES — The pilot of the helicopter that crashed in thick fog, killing Kobe Bryant and seven other passengers, reported he was climbing when he actually was descending, federal investigators said in documents released Wednesday. Ara Zobayan radioed to air traffic controllers that he was climbing to 4,000 feet...
Drivers excited for return of racing at Lernerville Speedway
At last, the drivers can start their engines. Friday night will be an exciting time in Sarver because for the first time in 2020, race car drivers will take to the track at Lernerville Speedway. “Absolutely through the roof,” Lernerville track announcer Eric Westendorf said about the excitement level heading...
NBA lays out vision for Disney restart to teams, playersVideo
Here’s some of what awaits NBA players going to Disney next month: game rooms, golf course access, cabanas with misters to combat the heat, fishing areas, bowling, backstage tours and salon services. It only sounds like vacation. The NBA described specific plans to players and teams for the restart Tuesday,...
Column: Cranberries and ticking clock for Ryder Cup fateVideo
HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. — The final weekend in September in Wisconsin was expected to be bustling with good times and gigantic crowds, upward of 45,000 people and some 1,300 vendors taking part in an event steeped in tradition. But with the unpredictable nature of the covid-19 pandemic, organizers decided...
Q and A: LPGA commissioner Mike Whan talks about challenges of 2020, bright future for women’s golfVideo
Mike Whan began his tenure as LPGA commissioner 10 years ago. At the time Whan came on board, the LPGA was, in the words of 10-time tour winner Paula Creamer, “pretty much at rock bottom.” The number of events had been shrinking. Prize money was down. Interest was minimal. In...
Dale Earnhardt Jr. headlines NASCAR’s 2021 Hall of Fame classVideo
All Dale Earnhardt Jr. needed was a chance to prove he could win in stock cars. Turns out, he was a natural — on and off the track. Now the longtime fan favorite and two-time Daytona 500 winner will join his famous, late father in NASCAR’s Hall of Fame after...
Tiz the Law is class of Belmont field, Triple Crown favoriteVideo
While there won’t be school buses of fans hoping to see a New York-bred horse make Belmont history, there is a busload of Triple Crown expectations heading into Saturday’s race. Seventeen years ago, Jack Knowlton and the other owners of Funny Cide packed into school buses and headed to Belmont...
Gov. Andrew Cuomo gives go-ahead for U.S. Open tennis in New York in August
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Tuesday the U.S. Open tennis tournament will held on its scheduled dates starting in late August as part of the state’s reopening from shutdowns caused by the coronavirus pandemic. The U.S. Tennis Association had decided to go forward with its marquee event in New...
Mike Gundy’s OAN support angers star Oklahoma St. running back Chuba Hubbard, othersVideo
OKLAHOMA CITY — Star Oklahoma State running back Chuba Hubbard suggested Monday he may boycott the program after coach Mike Gundy was photographed wearing a T-shirt displaying the One America News Network, a far-right news channel that has been praised by President Donald Trump. Gundy is seen in a photograph...
Doyle out as Iowa strength coach; Barta standing by FerentzVideo
IOWA CITY, Iowa — Iowa athletic director Gary Barta gave a vote of confidence to longtime football coach Kirk Ferentz on Monday after deciding to cut ties with a strength coach accused of mistreating African American players. Ferentz has dealt seriously in addressing former and current players’ concerns about the...
WNBA plans to play 22-game season in Florida starting late JulyVideo
NEW YORK — The WNBA has announced plans to play a reduced season, with a 22-game schedule that would begin in late July without fans in attendance. The league still is finalizing a partnership with IMG Academy in Florida to play all the games at the facility in Bradenton or...
US Tennis Association intends to hold Open if government OKsVideo
The U.S. Tennis Association intends to hold the U.S. Open in New York starting in August without spectators if it gets governmental support — and a formal announcement could come this week. Like many sports, the professional tennis tours have been suspended since March because of the coronavirus pandemic. The...
Mark Madden: NBA players should continue to dribble, but not shut up
Some NBA players don’t want to resume the season in Orlando’s Disney World bubble. The most outspoken among them is Brooklyn’s Kyrie Irving, who is leading the movement via conference calls on Zoom. Irving feels the NBA resuming could take focus off the Black Lives Matter movement. I get it....
Denny Hamlin wins on a long day at Homestead
HOMESTEAD, Fla. — Denny Hamlin found the magic at Homestead-Miami Speedway, once again. Hamlin went to the lead for the final time with 30 laps left and held off Chase Elliott for his record-tying third NASCAR Cup Series victory at Homestead. Former drivers Tony Stewart and Greg Biffle are the...
FIFA urges ‘tolerance’ after Trump’s anthem kneeling rebuke
FIFA appealed Monday for “tolerance, mutual respect and common sense” after U.S. President Donald Trump denounced the annulment of a policy that required soccer players to stand during the national anthem. “I won’t be watching much anymore!” Trump tweeted Saturday. Trump retweeted a tweet by Florida Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz,...
Daniel Berger wins in playoff as PGA Tour makes successful, healthy returnVideo
FORT WORTH, Texas — Daniel Berger was playing some of the best golf no one noticed. Three months away because of the covid-19 pandemic didn’t slow his momentum, and he made it pay off Sunday with a victory at Colonial. The PGA Tour made a healthy return at the Charles...
Saints star RB Kamara lauds Bubba Wallace for standing against Confederate flag at NASCAR eventsVideo
HOMESTEAD, Fla. — Bubba Wallace wore a mask in the colors of the American flag, his hand over his heart as he stood for the national anthem. This time, fans joined him. In troubled and unprecedented times, a bit of normalcy returned to sports Sunday. Fans — only 1,000 of...
St. John’s fires assistant fencing coach for racist remarksVideo
NEW YORK — St. John’s fired an assistant fencing coach for racist remarks in a video posted to social media. Boris Vaksman was recorded saying the “majority” of blacks are troublemakers because “they don’t want to work,” and steal, do drugs and kill. Vaksman, a native of Ukraine who has...
Colonial spectators in bushes and temporary tents off courseVideo
FORT WORTH, Texas — Max Butcher and his buddies felt as if they had front-row seats at Colonial, even in the bushes with no spectators allowed on the course. The group of five recent graduates from nearby TCU stood in a small gap between a row of shrubbery and a...
Schauffele leads Colonial over host of stars in tour returnVideo
FORT WORTH, Texas — The PGA Tour went three months without playing. It took three days to show fans what they were missing, even if all they could do was watch on TV. Eight players had at least a share of the lead at some point Saturday in the Charles...
