U.S./World Sports category, Page 93
Russell Henley leads Wyndham Championship again
GREENSBORO, N.C. — Russell Henley remained in a familiar spot with a 4-under-par 66 on Friday that gave him the lead at the Wyndham Championship for the fifth time in the last 10 rounds, just not the round that counts toward winning. Billy Horschel and Justin Thomas made late moves...
The buzz around Simone Biles’ return is palpable. The gymnastics star seems intent on tuning it out
HOFFMAN ESTATES, IL — Ignore the wedding band and it could have been 2019 for Simone Biles. Or 2016. Or 2014. Long before Tokyo. Long before the “twisties.” Long before two years off in which the gymnastics star took a step back, took a long look at the arc of...
NFL response to congresswoman includes call for more federal attention to illegal gambling
The NFL has responded to a Nevada congresswoman’s inquiries about the league’s gambling policies with a detailed letter that includes a call for lawmakers and law enforcement to pay additional attention to illegal gambling and put more resources toward combating it. The NFL’s letter to U.S. Rep. Dina Titus, a...
Big Ten pulls Oregon, Washington from Pac-12; Big 12 adds Arizona, Arizona State, Utah
Dealing a combination of crushing blows to the Pac-12, the Big Ten announced Friday it will accept Oregon and Washington as new members next August. Hours later, the Big 12 announced it is adding Arizona, Arizona State and Utah as members next year, completing its raid of the Pac-12. The...
Mark Madden: Women’s sports deserve equal opportunity, but equal acceptance can’t be mandated
It’s an era of forced equality for women’s sports. For example, the WNBA’s average attendance is almost exactly that of the American Hockey League, hockey’s AAA loop. The WNBA plays in major cities and big arenas. It’s nationally televised. The AHL has none of the above. Yet the WNBA is...
Underwhelming U.S. team slumps into Women’s World Cup knockout game against familiar foe
MELBOURNE, Australia — Frequent rivals Sweden and the United States will meet once again at the Women’s World Cup, but this time the stakes are tremendously higher. The two-time defending champion Americans are struggling heading into the round of 16 match Sunday against the Swedes, who they have played often...
Russell Henley’s strong finish gives him a 62 and a 1-shot lead at WyndhamVideo
GREENSBORO, N.C. — Russell Henley still thinks about a poor finish from two years ago at the Wyndham Championship. He had no complaints about his start Thursday, an 8-under-par 62 that gave him the lead in the final tournament before the PGA Tour’s postseason. Henley hit his approach to 6...
No evidence found that betting integrity manipulated by Iowa and Iowa St. athletes tied to gamblingVideo
One of the state agencies involved in the ongoing investigation of alleged sports wagering violations by Iowa and Iowa State athletes announced Thursday no evidence had been discovered to suggest the integrity of any contest involving the schools was affected by gambling interests. A total of seven current or former...
More Pac-12 movement? Arizona and Washington regents call special meetingsVideo
The pieces of the conference realignment puzzle again could be moving quickly. The boards of regents for Arizona’s two biggest universities and Washington scheduled special meetings for Thursday night amid speculation that more Pac-12 schools could leave the flailing conference. The Arizona Board of Regents, which oversees Arizona and Arizona...
Women’s World Cup: Biggest surprises, top underdogs and title favorites
AUCKLAND, New Zealand — When FIFA decided to expand the Women’s World Cup to a record 32 teams and 64 games this year, the expectation was many qualifiers would arrive in New Zealand and Australia unable to compete at this level. The reality has been exactly the opposite: the group...
Lindsey Horan calls former teammate Carly Lloyd’s criticism ‘noise’ at the Women’s World Cup
AUCKLAND, New Zealand — Co-captain Lindsey Horan brushed aside criticism leveled at the United States by former teammate-turned-pundit Carli Lloyd, calling it outside noise. Now an analyst with Fox Sports, Lloyd didn’t hold back after the Americans eked out a spot in the knockout round at the Women’s World Cup...
Two years after Tokyo, Simone Biles is coming back from ‘the twisties’
For years in gymnastics, the phrase “the twisties” was usually uttered in hushed tones, as if saying the slang term for an athlete’s sudden loss of air awareness during a routine would only deepen the problem. “It’s almost like a mythical kind of thing,” longtime Oklahoma men’s gymnastics coach Mark...
USA Gymnastics to expand its partnership with Nike, a sign it’s gaining trust in the post-Nassar era
USA Gymnastics and Nike have reached an agreement on a sponsorship deal that will make the athletic giant the exclusive apparel and footwear provider for the men’s and women’s national teams. The deal, which USA Gymnastics says is the largest ever in terms of annual and total value for the...
Michael Jordan’s sale of majority ownership of Hornets is finalized
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The sale of the majority stake of the Charlotte Hornets from six-time NBA champion Michael Jordan to Gabe Plotkin and Rick Schnall has been finalized, the team announced Thursday. The Hornets planned to introduce Plotkin and Schnall at a news conference later in the day. Jordan, who...
The Billie Jean King Cup has a new part-owner: Billie Jean King
The Billie Jean King Cup has a new part-owner: Billie Jean King herself. The International Tennis Federation and TWG Global, a holding company led by Los Angeles Dodgers principal owner Mark Walter, signed a partnership agreement Thursday for a joint venture to market and promote the women’s tennis competition that...
Diana Taurasi becomes first WNBA player to reach 10,000 career points
Diana Taurasi is an icon in the world of hoops, and the perennial All-Star known as the “White Mamba” added another milestone to her illustrious WNBA career Thursday night. The 41-year-old became the first player in WNBA history to score 10,000 points, hitting the mark with a long 3-pointer during...
2-time champion Germany out of Women’s World Cup after 1-1 draw with South Korea
Brisbane, Australia — Germany failed to reach the knockout stage for the first time at the Women’s World Cup after being held to a 1-1 draw against South Korea on Thursday. Morocco’s 1-0 win over Colombia meant Germany needed a win to advance. Led by captain Alexandra Popp, Germany created...
Morocco makes more Women’s World Cup history, reaching knockout rounds with 1-0 win over Colombia
PERTH, Australia — Morocco beat Colombia 1-0 to make it to the Women’s World Cup knockout round, creating yet more history at the global tournament. Morocco is the first Arab or North African nation to go beyond the group stage at the Women’s World Cup, and the only one of...
Florida State will consider leaving the ACC without ‘radical change’ to revenue model, school’s president says
Florida State President Rick McCullough believes the Seminoles will have to consider leaving the Atlantic Coast Conference unless there is a “radical change to the revenue distribution.” McCullough made his remarks at a board of trustees meeting Wednesday, stoking more speculation that FSU is poised to break a grant of...
Ohio State coach Ryan Day isn’t ruling out playing both QBs
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ryan Day hopes to pick a new starting quarterback in the first couple weeks of preseason camp, but the Ohio State coach won’t rule out playing two QBs if the competition doesn’t produce a clear winner by the Sept. 2 opener at Indiana. “Somebody has to emerge...
Expanded Women’s World Cup leads to earlier drama for highly ranked teamsVideo
MELBOURNE, Australia — Frequent Women’s World Cup title contenders like the United States, Germany and Brazil are used to win-or-go-home scenarios — but rarely this early in the tournament. The high-stakes must-win-or-draw matches for top teams began in group play this year, in part thanks to the ripple effects of...
Big Ten having preliminary conversations about more expansion if Pac-12 crumblesVideo
A group of Big Ten presidents has begun discussing the possibility of adding more West Coast schools to the conference if the Pac-12 continues to crumble, two people familiar with the conversations told the Associated Press on Wednesday. The people spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the...
Jimmie Johnson, crew chief Chad Knaus join Donnie Allison as NASCAR Hall of Fame selections
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Jimmie Johnson and former crew chief Chad Knaus, who combined to win a record-tying seven Cup Series championships, were selected for the NASCAR Hall of Fame on Wednesday. They will be joined by longtime driver Donnie Allison, who was voted in on the pioneer ballot. Johnson, 47,...
USWNT no longer a World Cup favorite after disappointing group stage performance
The U.S. women’s national team is in the World Cup’s knockout stage … just barely … after drawing with Portugal to finish second in Group E. The Americans, two-time defending World Cup champions, were a few inches away from a premature flight home from New Zealand after Portugal hit the...
Iowa State QB Hunter Dekkers accused of betting on Cyclone sportsVideo
AMES, Iowa — Iowa State quarterback Hunter Dekkers has been accused of gambling on Cyclones sports events, including a football game, and was charged Tuesday with tampering with records related to an Iowa Criminal Division investigation into sports gambling. The criminal complaint said Dekkers placed 366 online bets worth more...
