U.S./World Sports category, Page 108
The LIV Golf, PGA Tour merger shows why sports is so good for image washing
Sometimes sports isn’t just about sports. For decades, athletic events have been used to launder the images and reputations in a tactic called “sportswashing.” Whether embraced by a company or a nation with a regressive policies, sportswashing has particular allure, experts say, because it works. That’s what critics say is...
Heat still confident, Nuggets remain focused as NBA Finals reach Game 4
MIAMI — Jimmy Butler showed up in plush blue slippers for what officially was called practice. Kyle Lowry was trying to distract him during an interview session. Nikola Jokic continued to say how he doesn’t care about statistics. Jamal Murray talked about all the fun he’s having. At this point,...
Oklahoma tops Florida State, wins 3rd straight Women’s College World Series titleVideo
OKLAHOMA CITY — Jordy Bahl threw three innings of perfect relief, and Oklahoma won its third straight Women’s College World Series title and seventh overall, beating Florida State, 3-1, on Thursday night for a two-game sweep. The Sooners finished 61-1 and extended their Division I-record win streak to 53 games....
Canada’s Corey Conners shares lead at Canadian Open as PGA Tour resumes following LIV dealVideo
TORONTO — Corey Conners shot a bogey-free 5-under-par 67 on Thursday to share the first-round lead at the RBC Canadian Open, the first PGA Tour event since its announcement of a merger with Saudi-funded rival LIV Golf. Conners is seeking to become the tournament’s first Canadian winner in 69 years....
Rick Hendrick hopes rough racing settles down after Chase Elliott suspension
LE MANS, France — Rick Hendrick fully supports Chase Elliott as he returns from a one-race suspension for deliberately wrecking Denny Hamlin, but the team owner believes on-track aggression has gotten out of control this season and NASCAR sent a message by parking the superstar. “Until something was done, I...
MLS hopes Lionel Messi will boost attendance, TV viewers and market shareVideo
NEW YORK — After two decades competing against Real Madrid, Manchester United and Brazil, Lionel Messi will be going against the NFL, Major League Baseball and the NBA. Major League Soccer is hoping for a breakout boost to its television audience and market share after Messi joins Inter Miami next...
Udonis Haslem spent career with Heat but almost went to Nuggets
MIAMI — There is some irony in the Denver Nuggets being the last team that Udonis Haslem will face. They were the team that almost got him out of Miami. In the summer of 2010, when most of the eyes in the NBA free agent world were on Miami for...
Karolina Muchova grinds way to French Open final, will face Iga Swiatek
PARIS — As it is, Karolina Muchova was the unseeded, unexpected participant in the French Open semifinals. And then, dealing with cramping legs nearly three hours into the match, she was just one point from losing to No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka, who entered Thursday with a 12-0 Grand Slam record...
NASCAR and its growling Next Gen car take over Le Mans, looking to make statement on a global stageVideo
LE MANS, France — The engine of the Chevrolet Camaro has a distinct growl that cannot go unnoticed even among the most elite sports cars in the world at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. When the Hendrick Motorsports crew fired up the car inside Garage 56, NASCAR chairman Jim...
Belmont cancels racing, Nationals postpone game due to poor air quality from Canada wildfires
Racing at Belmont Park was canceled and the Washington Nationals’ home game against the Arizona Diamondbacks was postponed Thursday because of poor air quality from wildfires in Canada. It’s the second straight day the continuing fires north of the border have impacted sports in the Northeastern United States. Several Major...
Jordy Bahl’s 2-hitter helps Oklahoma top Florida State, inch closer to third straight national titleVideo
OKLAHOMA CITY — Jordy Bahl threw a two-hitter and struck out 10, and Oklahoma defeated Florida State 5-0 on Wednesday night to inch closer to a third consecutive national title. The top-seeded Sooners (60-1) took a 1-0 lead in the Women’s College World Series best-of-three championship series and can clinch...
Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray both have triple-doubles in Nuggets’ win
MIAMI — Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray became the first teammates in NBA Finals history to both record triple-doubles, and Denver’s two stars made sure the Nuggets reclaimed the lead in the series by beating the Miami Heat, 109-94, in Game 3 on Wednesday night. Jokic finished with 32 points,...
The Iron Sheik, charismatic former pro wrestling villain and Twitter personality, dies at 81
The Iron Sheik, a former pro wrestler who relished playing a burly, bombastic villain in 1980s battles with some of the sport’s biggest stars and later became a popular Twitter personality, died Wednesday, the WWE said. He was 81. The wrestling organization posted an article confirming his death, and a...
Mark Madden: Money always wins, and the PGA did what was best for golf
Before you moralize about the Saudis buying golf — which is exactly what they did Tuesday — ask yourself this: How would you feel if they bought the Pittsburgh Pirates? If the Saudis bought the Pirates, they would be the best team in MLB within two or three years. No...
Rory McIlroy a strong anti-Saudi voice that now feels like ‘sacrificial lamb’ amid LIV Golf merger
Rory McIlroy, the strongest voice against Saudi-funded LIV Golf that caused so much disruption in golf, said Wednesday he now feels like a “sacrificial lamb” with the stunning reversal of the PGA Tour becoming partners with Saudi Arabia’s enormous wealth fund. It was McIlroy who helped lead a players-only meeting...
Kobayashi to make NASCAR debut as 1st Japanese driver to race with Toyota
LE MANS, France — Left out of the NASCAR celebration at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Toyota used Wednesday at the track to showcase its own stock car program and the upcoming Cup Series debut for one of the top racers in the world. Kamui Kobayashi will make his...
Lionel Messi says he’s joining Major League Soccer’s Inter Miami after exit from Paris Saint-Germain
LONDON — Lionel Messi has pulled off his latest stunning feat: He is headed to Major League Soccer, and joining Inter Miami. After months — years, even — of speculation, Messi finally revealed his decision to join a Miami franchise that has been led by another global soccer icon, David...
Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic will meet in a youth-vs.-experience clash at the French Open
PARIS — Two weeks ago, before the start of play at the French Open, the brackets were set for the tournament, and one possible semifinal matchup immediately demanded attention: No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz, the Next Big Thing in men’s tennis, against No. 3 Novak Djokovic, the Current Big Thing in...
Game 3 awaits in NBA Finals, with Heat loose and Nuggets facing adversityVideo
MIAMI — Erik Spoelstra has preached about the value of adversity for months, not shying away from saying it helped the Miami Heat get to these NBA Finals. And now Denver is dealing with a little taste of it as well. Game 3 of the NBA Finals is Wednesday night...
Column: Golf’s meritocracy means no guarantees for rich scheduleVideo
DUBLIN, Ohio — One week in Ohio was filled with reminders of how valuable meritocracy is to golf. And that was before Tuesday’s shock announcement of the PGA Tour and European tour going from enemies to business partners with Saudi Arabia. Monday was U.S. Open qualifying across 10 sites in...
Novak Djokovic perfect in key tiebreaker, nearly perfect in next set of French Open win
PARIS — Novak Djokovic has come back after dropping a set for the first time in the tournament to beat Karen Khachanov, 4-6, 7-6 (0), 6-2, 6-4, at the French Open on Tuesday to reach his 45th career Grand Slam semifinal. Roger Federer holds the men’s record of 46 appearances...
Novak Djokovic perfect in key tiebreaker at French Open, faces No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz nextVideo
PARIS — Novak Djokovic, in his words, felt “quite sluggish, quite slow” for nearly two full sets against Karen Khachanov in the the French Open quarterfinals Tuesday. Afterward, Djokovic called it his worst stretch of the tournament, a fair assessment. He dropped the opening set, something he hadn’t done at...
PGA, LIV golfers react to merger of rival leagues: ‘Nothing like finding out through Twitter’
It was almost a year ago to the day that Saudi Arabia’s LIV Golf teed off for the first time as the PGA Tour’s newest rival, flush with defectors from golf’s top circuit. Morals were questioned. Lawsuits were filed. Golfers doubled down on their affiliations. A merger, it seemed, wasn’t...
PGA Tour, Europe to merge with Saudis and end LIV Golf litigationVideo
The PGA Tour ended its expensive fight with Saudi Arabia’s golf venture and now is joining forces with it, making a stunning announcement Tuesday of a merger that creates a commercial operation with the Public Investment Fund and the European tour. As part of the deal, the sides immediately are...
Heat on comeback run like few others in this year’s NBA playoffsVideo
MIAMI — The easiest way to explain what the Miami Heat are doing in the comeback department during these playoffs is simply to put up their numbers against the rest of the league. When facing a deficit of at least 12 points this postseason: • The Heat are 7-6. •...
