U.S./World Sports category, Page 265
English soccer at breaking point over abuse on social media
Death threats. Racist abuse. Sexist slurs. And social media accounts allowed to stay active even after spreading bile. English football has reached breaking point with players, coaches, referees and officials aghast at the ongoing proliferation of hate aimed at them on Instagram and Twitter. A week that began with the...
Facing a Grand Slam great: Dream come true? Big loss? Both?
Ahead of his match against Rafael Nadal at the Australian Open, Cameron Norrie hit what sounded like all of the right notes, the sorts of sentiments that express a healthy blend of respect and confidence. A bit intimidated but not too intimidated. A bit in awe but not too in...
Denny Hamlin seeks historic 3rd straight Daytona 500 victory
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Denny Hamlin, considered perhaps the best NASCAR driver without a Cup Series championship, can look past that hole on his record. He instead points to a pair of Southern 500 trophies, a Bristol night race victory, three road course wins, six at Pocono and the big...
Rain washes out NASCAR’s final practices for Daytona 500
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Rain washed out the final two practices Saturday before NASCAR’s season-opening Daytona 500, a potential setback for the nine drivers switching cars before “The Great American Race.” Former Cup Series champions Brad Keselowski and Martin Truex Jr. as well as front-row qualifier William Byron are among...
This date in sports history: Feb. 13Video
1923 — The New York Renaissance, the first all-black pro basketball team, is organized. The Rens become one of the dominant basketball team of the 1920s and 1930s. 1937 — Maribel Vinson wins her ninth and final U.S. figure skating singles championship. Robin Lee wins his third straight men’s title....
NASCAR could be biggest leap yet for Michael JordanVideo
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Michael Jordan might take his biggest leap yet — and he’s trying to change the game again. Jordan enters NASCAR not just as the first Black principal owner of a full-time Cup Series team in nearly 50 years. The Hall of Famer is trying to reach...
Newberry: FCS, Fan Controlled Football will get us through to the NFL DraftVideo
Are you ready for some (more) football? You see, there’s no reason to take a break from the gridiron just because the NFL season is over. A host of second-division college teams are practicing for their winter/spring season — snow-covered fields and all — after sitting out the fall because...
Expected top pick Trevor Lawrence throws for Urban Meyer, NFL teams
CLEMSON, S.C. — Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence worked out for several NFL personnel including his expected future pro coach, Urban Meyer of the Jacksonville Jaguars. The national championship winner is projected as the No. 1 overall pick in April’s NFL draft, the spot held by the Jaguars. Lawrence had planned...
Mississippi Senate: Ban transgender athletes on female teams
JACKSON, Miss. — Transgender athletes would be banned from competing in girls’ or women’s sports in Mississippi schools and universities, under a bill that comes at a time of renewed focus on transgender rights. Mississippi is one of a dozen states with lawmakers proposing restrictions on athletics or gender-confirming health...
This date in sports history: Feb. 12
1937 — Cleveland is granted an NFL franchise. The Rams play in Cleveland for nine years before moving to Los Angeles. After the 1994 season, the Rams move to St. Louis. 1947 — Boston’s Bill Cowley becomes the NHL all-time scoring leader when he scores a goal and an assist...
Things go south for Hendrick at Daytona Duels; Ligonier’s Smithley fails to qualify
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — What should have been a tune-up for the Daytona 500 might have cost Hendrick Motorsports the front row for NASCAR’s version of the Super Bowl. Alex Bowman and William Byron were slated to lead the Daytona 500 field to green but that’s in danger following Thursday...
No crowds, but Australian Open will continue during lockdown
MELBOURNE, Australia — The Australian Open will be allowed to continue but without crowds for at least five days after the Victoria state government imposed a lockdown starting Saturday in response to a covid-19 outbreak at a quarantine hotel. Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews on Friday announced a five-day, state-wide lockdown...
Cantlay ties course record with 62 and leads at Pebble BeachVideo
PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. — Patrick Cantlay looked just as good Thursday at Pebble Beach as the last round he played 18 days ago. Jordan Spieth looked as good as his last tournament, too. Coming off a 61 in the California desert followed by at two-week break, Cantlay opened with seven...
Basketball conference tournaments still on schedule despite concernsVideo
Gonzaga’s Mark Few isn’t being asked the usual question of where his team should be seeded for next month’s NCAA Tournament. The Bulldogs remain unbeaten and have been the top-ranked team all season, making them a virtual shoo-in for a top seed. Instead, he is being asked if it makes...
Lasting legacy: Dale Earnhardt’s death saved lives, forced change
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Ryan Newman was lying in bed one morning, his two daughters still tucked in down the hall, when a YouTube video of his death-defying crash popped up as a recommended watch. He hit play, absorbing every angle of the terrifying wreck that nearly killed him on...
Raptors to keep calling Tampa home for rest of NBA season
The Toronto Raptors aren’t going back to Toronto this season. Ongoing challenges related to the coronavirus pandemic and how that affects the process of crossing the border between the U.S. and Canada will keep the Raptors in their adopted Tampa, Florida, home for the remainder of the regular season, the...
This date in sports history: Feb. 11Video
1878 — The Boston Bicycle Club, the first bicycle club in the United States, is formed. 1949 — Willie Pep becomes the first boxer in the history of the 126-pound class to regain a lost championship with a 15-round unanimous decision over Sandy Saddler at Madison Square Garden. 1950 —...
Alex Bowman, William Byron take Daytona 500 front row
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — New number, new day, new time, same result for Hendrick Motorsports. Alex Bowman and William Byron swept the front row Wednesday night in qualifying for the Daytona 500, giving Hendrick its 14th pole and sixth in the last seven years. Hendrick’s engine-building wing has seven straight...
Daytona 500 highlights chasm between NASCAR’s haves, have-nots
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Josh Bilicki has a plan for his first Daytona 500. He wants to ride around with his Rick Ware Racing teammates near the back of the field in an attempt to avoid the inevitable multi-car melee that almost always happens in “The Great American Race.” Maybe...
Tennessee governor: Transgender athletes will ‘destroy women’s sports’
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Republican Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee on Wednesday advocated for banning transgender girls from playing on middle and high school sports teams, saying transgender athletes will “destroy women’s sports.” “I do believe that transgenders participating in women’s sports will destroy women’s sports,” Lee, who is up for reelection...
Mark Cuban stops playing anthem at Mavericks’ home games; NBA responds
DALLAS — The NBA said Wednesday the national anthem will be played in arenas “in keeping with longstanding league policy” after Dallas Mavericks owner and Mt. Lebanon native Mark Cuban revealed he decided not to play it before his team’s home games this season. The league’s initial reaction to Cuban’s...
Kyle Busch streaks past Elliott, Blaney to win Busch Clash
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Kyle Busch snagged the first win of the new season, streaking past NASCAR champion Chase Elliott after Elliott spun leader Ryan Blaney in the final stretch of the exhibition Busch Clash. Blaney had chased down Elliott on the road course at Daytona International Speedway to take...
This date in sports history: Feb. 10Video
1908 — Tommy Burns knocks out Jack Palmer in the fourth round to defend his world heavyweight title in London. 1949 — Joe Fulks of Philadelphia scores 63 points in a 108-87 win over Indianapolis to set an NBA scoring record, which would last for nearly a decade. 1952 —...
No. 2 Baylor benefits from redshirt players’ extra yearsVideo
Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua and Adam Flagler got to watch Baylor win a lot of games from the bench last season, and now they are among six former redshirts playing every game for the undefeated, second-ranked Bears. Davion Mitchell and MaCio Teague, two of the league’s best shooters, were part of...
Doug Ferguson: A shot for Kamaiu Johnson, a boost for minority tour
PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. — The words on the back of his wedges remind Kamaiu Johnson that while nothing in golf has ever come easily, he is determined not to let that get in the way of his dreams. “Enjoy the process” is stamped on one of them. “Never give up”...
