U.S./World Sports category, Page 168

LONDON — UEFA faced calls from the British government to strip Russia of hosting the Champions League final over concerns it would legitimize what it called an “illegal invasion” of Ukraine, prompting European football’s governing body to say Tuesday it would reconsider St. Petersburg staging the showpiece match. The biggest...

CLEVELAND — There were skeptics, and they included pretty much anyone who watched the Cavaliers struggle the past three years, who wondered about the team’s “Let ‘Em Know” theme heading into the 2021-22 season. It hardly made sense. After all, the Cavs had plummeted from elite status and back to...

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — In a hallway in the guts of Crisler Center, an anxious Michigan athletics employee walked Phil Martelli to the news conference. More than once, she offered to help: Do you need me? Can I do anything? Martelli, his shoulders relaxed and his demeanor confident, assured her...

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The stars of IndyCar crowded into Indianapolis Motor Speedway to celebrate an upcoming season of opportunity for America’s open-wheel racing series to further cement its legitimacy and expand its popularity. The party to mark the 100-day countdown to the Indianapolis 500 went off course amid word...

Phil Mickelson apologized Tuesday for comments about the Saudis and a proposed super league, damaging words he claims were off the record and not meant to be shared publicly. “It was reckless, I offended people, and I am deeply sorry for my choice of words,” he said. The same time...

LOS ANGELES — The commercial slogan associated with Phil Mickelson for years is never more true than it is now, minus the anticipation of something extraordinary. What will Phil do next? Whether his true intentions were chasing Saudi Arabian money or gaining more control over how he thinks the PGA...

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Jim France was ecstatic in the garage before the Daytona 500. The grandstands were full for the first time in two years, fans again roamed every inch of the grounds in search of a selfie or a signature, and there was no threat of rain ruining...

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Michigan basketball coach Juwan Howard has been suspended the final five games of the regular season and fined $40,000 for hitting a Wisconsin assistant in the head, triggering a postgame melee. The Big Ten Conference also on Monday suspended three players one game for the altercation...

As the Wolverines enter a brutal home stretch, they’ll be without their head coach for the rest of the regular season. The Big Ten, in collaboration with Michigan and Wisconsin, announced Monday that it has suspended Juwan Howard for the next five games for his role Sunday’s postgame altercation when...

A junior hockey league game between the South Shore Kings and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights has been trending for all the wrong reasons. And that’s because Paul Halloran, of the USPHL’s South Shore squad, decided to punch a referee, dropping him to the ice, during the first period of their recent game,...

Medina Spirit was stripped of the victory in last year’s Kentucky Derby and Mandaloun was declared the winner after a ruling by state racing stewards on Monday. The since-deceased Medina Spirit tested positive after the race last May for a steroid, betamethasone, that is legal in Kentucky but banned on...

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Bubba Wallace tried to explain how he lost the Daytona 500 by inches when the replay flashed on the 40-foot screen overlooking the track. Wallace winced when he watched himself fall just short of Austin Cindric. “I don’t want to see that,” Wallace said. “That sucks!...

LOS ANGELES — Joaquinn Niemann survived a few nervous moments at Riviera and polished off a big week Sunday when he closed with an even-par 71 to become the first wire-to-wire winner of the Genesis Invitational in 53 years. Staked to a three-shot lead, Niemann’s margin was down to one...

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Austin Cindric drove his brand-new NASCAR ride to victory in the Daytona 500 to celebrate team owner Roger Penske’s 85th birthday. “Oh, my God. I’ve got so many people to thank,” a stunned Cindric said after climbing from his car and saluting the capacity crowd of...

North Carolina’s hopes for an NCAA Tournament berth became even more tenuous after a loss to Pitt. Before last week, the Tar Heels had no real marquee wins, but also no bad losses. They put one in the negative column with Wednesday’s 76-67 home loss to the Panthers, who are...

CARSON, Calif. — Ashley Hatch and Mallory Pugh scored second-half goals for the United States and three own goals in the first half by New Zealand’s Meikayla Moore propelled the Americans to a 5-0 victory Sundayin the SheBelieves Cup. The U.S. played to a scoreless draw against the Czech Republic...

MADISON, Wis. — Michigan coach Juwan Howard became upset after Wisconsin called a timeout in the closing seconds of a game the Badgers already had put out of reach. The way Howard responded could have major ramifications on the rest of Michigan’s season. Howard hit Wisconsin assistant Joe Krabbenhoft after...

Salima Rockwell has seen volleyball from many angles. As a three-time All-American setter at Penn State. As a member — and two-year captain — of the U.S. women’s national team. As an assistant coach under the legendary Russ Rose at Penn State, where she was on board for three national...