Sports

MLB And Players Union Reach Deal To End Standoff

Yahoo Sports reports: Nine days after commissioner Rob Manfred canceled opening day and over three months into an owner-implemented lockout, Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association agreed to a new labor contract Thursday afternoon in New York City, ensuring a full season. Call it the 11th hour or the bottom of the ninth, but after the union successfully …

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184 MLB Games Now Canceled As Lockout Drags On

NBC News reports: Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred canceled 93 more games Wednesday, appearing to close the remaining chance to play a full 162-game schedule and threatening locked out players with loss of salary and service time. After the sides narrowed many economic differences and became bogged down over management’s attempt to gain an international amateur draft, MLB announced two additional …

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Anti-Vax Novak Djokovic To Miss Two US Tournaments

ESPN reports: Novak Djokovic withdrew Wednesday from the BNP Paribas Open on the eve of the event, saying he cannot travel to the United States because he is not vaccinated against COVID-19. Djokovic, the tournament’s No. 2 seed, cited regulations by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as the reason for his inability to play. The U.S. has …

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MLB Cancels Season Openers In Dispute With Players

The Associated Press reports: Major League Baseball has canceled opening day, with Commissioner Rob Manfred announcing Tuesday the sport will lose regular-season games over a labor dispute for the first time in 27 years after acrimonious lockout talks collapsed in the hours before management’s deadline. Manfred said he is canceling the first two series of the season that was set …

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Russian Flag Banned From World Cup But Not Team

ESPN reports: FIFA backed away from immediately expelling Russia from World Cup qualifying on Sunday but said it remained an option, deciding instead the squad can play using the “RFU” acronym of its football federation, the Russian Football Union. The unanimous ruling by the Bureau of the FIFA Council, which includes the six regional football confederation presidents, was also that …

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Red Sox Axe Player After Racist, Anti-LGBT Twitter Rant

The New York Daily News reports: He might’ve played in the minor leagues, but he brought some major bigotry. The Boston Red Sox released minor leaguer Brett Netzer on Saturday, shortly after Netzer went on a racist and homophobic Twitter rant that also targeted Jews and Christians. He then replied to a report that mentioned his tweets.  “I’ll go along …

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US Women’s Soccer Team Wins $24M Settlement

The Washington Post reports: Megan Rapinoe, Alex Morgan and other members of the U.S. women’s national team reached a $24 million settlement with their employer, the U.S. Soccer Federation, over claims that they had been systematically underpaid for years compared with the men’s team.  The settlement, announced Tuesday, ends a landmark case over gender discrimination, one that could resonate throughout …

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2021 Kentucky Derby Winner Disqualified For Doping

Louisville’s ABC News affiliate reports: For the second time in the 147-year history of the Kentucky Derby, a winner was disqualified for a drug infraction. Bob Baffert’s Medina Spirit, who crossed the finish line first on May 1, 2021, but later tested positive for betamethasone, a corticosteroid banned on race days in Kentucky, was disqualified after a second race day …

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NYC Mayor Mulls Exemption For Anti-Vax NBA Star

The New York Daily News reports: In a sign that Kyrie Irving could be fully available for the Nets later this year, two major figures, including the one with ultimate power, questioned New York City’s vaccine requirement for hometown pro athletes on Wednesday. Irving is the only player on either the Knicks or Nets who has refused to take a …

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Djokovic To Skip Any Tournament That Requires Vax

The BBC reports: Novak Djokovic has said he would rather miss out on future tennis trophies than be forced to get a Covid vaccine. Speaking exclusively to the BBC, he said he should not be associated with the anti-vax movement, but supported an individual’s right to choose. Djokovic was asked if he would sacrifice taking part in competitions such as …

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Super Bowl MVP: God Told Me In 2019 That I’d Win

“In 2019, we walked off the field that last time after losing to the Patriots; I wasn’t able to be a part of that thing. But I don’t know what it was, there was just this vision God revealed to me that we were going to come back. “We were going to be part of a Super Bowl, we were …

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Trucker Blockade Of Super Bowl Fails To Materialize

Reuters reports: A reported trucker protest planned to coincide with the Super Bowl appears to be going nowhere, a social media monitoring firm that has been tracking the issue said. After media reported on a U.S. Department of Homeland Security memo warning of potential disruption around Sunday’s Super Bowl, there was a notable increase in social media mentions about a …

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Mayor: I’ll Tow Trucks That Try To Blockade Super Bowl

The Los Angeles Weekly reports: With threats of a trucker protest planned to disrupt traffic at Super Bowl LVI, Inglewood Mayor James T. Butts Jr. said they would be “towed immediately.” Flyers have been shared across multiple social media platforms, gaining support from political figures such as Arizona Senator Wendy Rogers and former gubernatorial candidate Major Williams. The threats of …

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Ukrainian Athlete Flashes “No War” Sign At Olympics

The Associated Press reports: A Ukrainian skeleton athlete flashed a small sign that read “No War in Ukraine” to the cameras as he finished a run at the Beijing Olympics on Friday night, a plea for peace at a time of rising tensions between his country and Russia. Vladyslav Heraskevych’s sign was printed on a blue-and-yellow piece of paper, matching …

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Feds Seize $100M Worth Of Fake Super Bowl Swag

The Los Angeles Times reports: Nearly $100 million in counterfeit sports-related items were seized at flea markets and retail outlets around Los Angeles in the lead-up to Super Bowl LVI, federal officials announced this week. More than 267,500 items, including fake jerseys, jackets, hats, rings, souvenirs and tickets were seized as part of “Operation Team Player,” a joint effort involving …

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DHS Warns Of Possible Blockade At Super Bowl

Yahoo News reports: The Department of Homeland Security is warning law enforcement and public safety officials in the United States that a prolonged trucker convoy protesting vaccine mandates could begin on Feb. 13, when the Super Bowl is played in Los Angeles. The warning of a trucker protest similar to the one that has brought Ottawa, Canada, to a virtual …

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Officials Urge Fans To Wear Masks At Super Bowl

The Associated Press reports: Three days after being photographed without a face mask at the NFC championship game, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti joined other officials Wednesday to urge fans headed for the Super Bowl to strictly adhere to pandemic safety protocols that include staying masked, except while eating or drinking. The Los Angeles area continues to see high levels …

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DC’s NFL Franchise Changes Name To “Commanders”

Washington DC’s NBC News affiliate reports: The Washington Football Team officially shed its temporary label on Wednesday and announced the franchise will be known as the Commanders, ending a renaming process that began more than 18 months ago. Washington had been known as the Washington Football Team for the last two seasons after the club moved on its former nickname …

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Tom Brady Officially Announces Retirement From NFL

ESPN reports: Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady has officially announced his retirement from the NFL, saying Tuesday in an Instagram post that he is “not going to make that competitive commitment anymore.” “I have always believed the sport of football is an ‘all-in’ proposition — if a 100% competitive commitment isn’t there, you won’t succeed, and success is what …

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Rafael Nadal Wins Australian Open, 21st Grand Slam

ESPN reports: Rafael Nadal made history in epic fashion Sunday at the Australian Open, rallying from two sets down in the final to beat Daniil Medvedev and win a men’s record 21st Grand Slam title. The Spanish southpaw had been in a three-way tie with Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic atop the all-time list for men’s major winners but now …

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