U.S./World Sports category, Page 351
Marcus Hayes: How the U.S. World Cup team made millions of fans
OK, I’m in. In for life. The U.S. women’s national soccer team, with its skill, talent and professionalism, made me the kind of fan I haven’t been since Doc and the Sixers. To be clear: They don’t need me. I need them. I am sure I am not alone in...
Big rain, big wreck at Daytona lead to Justin Haley’s 1st NASCAR Cup win
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Teeth chattering, hands shaking, stomach churning, Justin Haley anxiously waited for NASCAR to pull the plug on a rain-wrecked weekend at Daytona International Speedway. A 500-1 longshot making just his third career Cup start, Haley won the rain-postponed, rain-shortened race at Daytona on Sunday. He inherited...
Megan Rapinoe fuses World Cup win with politics, equality and VAR
LYON, France — A Women’s World Cup stirred by heated debates on politics, pay and technology saw the narratives fused in Sunday’s final by the undisputed and outspoken star of the tournament: Megan Rapinoe. By opening the scoring with a penalty awarded after a video review, Rapinoe claimed a sixth...
15-year-old Coco Gauff savoring the moment at WimbledonVideo
WIMBLEDON, England — Mom and racket-holding Dad joined two coaches and a hitting partner at Coco Gauff’s practice session on a cloudy Sunday afternoon at the All England Club as the 15-year-old American prepared for what could be the toughest test yet of her hard-to-believe Grand Slam debut. Gauff, a...
U.S. tops Netherlands to win 4th Women’s World Cup title
LYON, France — The United States women’s soccer team was as good as American players promised — maybe even better. Especially Megan Rapinoe, the pink-haired captain who emerged with the Golden Ball as top player, the Golden Boot as top scorer and a world-wide stature as a champion for gender...
Remember them? U.S. men play Mexico for CONCACAF Gold Cup
CHICAGO — Remember the U.S. men’s soccer team? It also is playing for a trophy Sunday, taking on Mexico at Soldier Field in the final of the CONCACAF Gold Cup, the championship of North and Central America and the Caribbean. Gone from the national sports consciousness since its October 2017...
Rain dampens NASCAR’s final holiday visit to Daytona; race postponed
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Rain spoiled one of NASCAR’s last great traditions when Saturday night’s race at Daytona International Speedway was postponed because of persistent poor weather. The race will be held at 1 p.m. Sunday, which helps NBC avoid a head-to-head conflict with the final game of the Women’s...
Peters Township native Alison Riske advances to 4th round at Wimbledon
Peters Township native Alison Riske earned a debut appearance in Wimbledon’s fourth round with a 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 victory over No. 13 seed Belinda Bencic of Switzerland. The 55th-ranked Riske has won each of her matches in three sets this week. Riske, who won PIAA and WPIAL singles titles in...
Improving Serena Williams a double-winner at WimbledonVideo
WIMBLEDON, England — Serena Williams walked into her news conference at Wimbledon holding her phone, a cold bottle of water and a statistics sheet that reinforced what was clear from watching her third-round singles victory Saturday. She is as close to being back to her best as she’s been in...
Analysis: Kawhi Leonard signing with Clippers part of new day in NBA
LAS VEGAS — There is no favorite. This is what the NBA wanted. And needed. The biggest piece of valid criticism about the league in recent years has been its predictability. Golden State reached the last five NBA Finals. LeBron James made it there eight years in a row, four...
Netherlands in way of 4th World Cup title for U.S. womenVideo
LYON, France — The United States is about to conclude its summer in France with an opportunity to further cement its place as the best team on the international stage. The U.S. faces the Netherlands on Sunday for the Women’s World Cup championship. A victory would give the Americans a...
Lithuanian couple crowned ‘wife carrying’ world champions
SONKAJARVI, Finland — A Lithuanian man and his wife have won the world ‘wife carrying’ title, leaping over timber and wading through waist-high water to beat dozens of other couples for a second year running. The prize is the wife’s weight in beer. Vytautas Kirkliauskas and his wife Neringa Kirkliauskiene...
U.S. midfielder Lindsey Horan hopes World Cup helps grow NWSL
LYON, France — Midfielder Lindsey Horan hopes the attention on women’s soccer and the United States’ run at the World Cup boost the professional league back home. The National Women’s Soccer League is in the midst of its seventh season and has been more successful than any other attempt at...
15-year-old Coco Gauff still unfazed, perfect at Wimbledon
WIMBLEDON, England — It was easy to forget Coco Gauff is still just 15 as she stood on the grass of Centre Court, pounding her chest and shouting, “Let’s go! Come on!” to celebrate a 32-stroke point that forced a third set in her match Friday evening at Wimbledon. Up...
Schenley Plaza hosting Women’s World Cup championship watch party
If you’re looking for a place to watch one of the biggest matches in U.S. Women’s Soccer history, head for Schenley Plaza in Oakland this Sunday. The City of Pittsburgh and the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy are hosting a free watch party Sunday morning in Schenley Plaza for the FIFA Women’s...
Technology allows NBC to add elements to Tour de France
Phil Liggett remembers the early days of Tour de France coverage in the United States, which would involve him traveling to Paris at the end of a stage, recording voiceovers all night and then rejoining the circuit for the next stage. Those days, though, are ancient history. The Tour has...
U.S. women’s team prepares for ‘final insult’
Megan Rapinoe considers Sunday to be the final insult. Just a few hours after the United States and the Netherlands meet in the Women’s World Cup final in France, Brazil or Peru will celebrate winning the Copa America, South America’s men’s championship. And then at night, the United States or...
Super-sub Carli Lloyd: Depth, versatility key for U.S. women
LYON, France — Carli Lloyd said the success the United States is having at the Women’s World Cup in France isn’t an extension of the 2015 title run. The so-called 2019ers are their own team. “We don’t really bring up the 2015 World Cup that much because it’s done. It’s...
Joey Chestnut, Miki Sudo repeat as hot dog eating champions
NEW YORK — Joey “Jaws” Chestnut ate 71 wieners and buns to secure his 12th title at Nathan’s Famous annual July Fourth hot dog eating contest on Thursday, just a few hot dogs shy of breaking the record he set last year. In front of a crowd of fans and...
Kyrgios’ antics in loss to Nadal overshadow other events at Wimbledon
WIMBLEDON, England — Rafael Nadal was near the Centre Court net when Nick Kyrgios smacked a booming forehand directly at him — on purpose — and earned a lengthy staredown in return. Kyrgios didn’t apologize — at the time or at his news conference — for that or for berating...
Peters Township’s Alison Riske advances to 3rd round at Wimbledon
This one needed overtime. After handily winning the first set and then dropping a second-set tiebreak, Peters Township native Alison Riske bounced back and defeated Ivana Jorovic, 6-2, 6-7 (3), 9-7, in a nearly 3-hour match to advance to the third round at Wimbledon. Riske quickly took the first set,...
Record-setting Kentucky quarterback Jared Lorenzen dies at 38Video
LEXINGTON, Ky. — Jared Lorenzen, a husky left-handed quarterback who set multiple Kentucky passing and offensive records before backing up Eli Manning on the New York Giants’ Super Bowl-winning 2007 team, has died. He was 38. A release from the school said Lorenzen’s family announced his death on Wednesday, but...
Chartiers Valley’s T.J. McConnell to sign with Pacers for 2 years, $7M
Chartiers Valley graduate T.J. McConnell agreed to a two-year, $7 million deal with the Indiana Pacers, his agent confirmed Wednesday. McConnell, 27, who was the longest-tenured player on the 76ers and a fan favorite, spent four years with the Sixers after going undrafted out of Arizona. He began his college...
Penn State grad Alyssa Naeher saves best for World Cup semifinalsVideo
LYON, France — Alyssa Naeher finally escaped Hope Solo’s shadow with her smothering save of a penalty kick. Endlessly compared to her controversial predecessor on the U.S. national team, Naeher cemented her legacy when she preserved the United States’ 2-1 semifinal win over England. It was the first penalty save...
Netherlands edges Sweden to set up Women’s World Cup final with U.S.
LYON, France — The Netherlands will play the United States for the Women’s World Cup title after Jackie Groenen sealed a 1-0 victory over Sweden in extra time on Wednesday night. A slick passing sequence ended in the 99th minute with Groenen driving a shot from outside the penalty area...
