General
Richard Callaghan, Figure Skating Coach, Is Barred for Sexual Misconduct
Jeré Longman, The New York Times
Richard Callaghan, a prominent American figure skating coach who was suspended from the sport last year, was barred permanently on Wednesday, 20 years after he was first accused publicly of sexual misconduct involving a minor.
Former Rangers and ‘Miracle on Ice’ player charged in attack
The Associated Press
Mark Pavelich, a forward on the 1980 “Miracle on Ice” U.S. Olympic hockey team who went on to play for the New York Rangers and two other NHL teams, has been charged with assault for allegedly beating a neighbor with a metal pole and breaking several of the man’s bones. The 61-year-old Pavelich attacked his neighbor last week at Pavelich’s home in the small Lake Superior community of Lutsen, Minnesota, after they returned from fishing, authorities allege in the criminal complaint.
How Slam Magazine accumulates months’ worth of content out of one weekend event
Max Willens, Digiday
To stay relevant in a youth-obsessed culture like sports, it helps to stay close to young, up-and-coming talent. Slam Magazine has discovered that live events, which can be mined for Instagram-optimized video content, are a great way to do that.
Bill Simmons’ The Ringer Ups Mallory Rubin, Sean Fennessy To Top Content Roles
Dade Hayes, Deadline Hollywood
Mallory Rubin and Sean Fennessy, two of the founding editors of Bill Simmons’ sports and culture site The Ringer, are moving up in the ranks. Rubin has been promoted to editor in chief of The Ringer, effective October 1, as Fennessy hands over editorial reins and becomes Chief Content Officer.
Russian race walker Bakulin gets eight-year ban for doping
Gabrielle Tetrault-Farber, Reuters
Russian race walker Sergey Bakulin has been suspended for eight years for an anti-doping violation, the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) said on Wednesday. Bakulin, who has served a doping suspension in the past, had already been stripped of his 50 km world title from 2011.
In a small farming town, thrill of football season has been replaced by fear of ICE raids
Eric Adelson, The Washington Post
Football has always been considered a safe haven in this tiny farming community, an island of pure Americana for families trying to make it in America. After each week’s work in the fields is done — an effort that helps produce a significant chunk of the nation’s produce — the whistles and thuds of Friday night high school games take over.
Want Tokyo Olympic tickets? No problem if you have $60,000
Stephen Wade, The Associated Press
Having trouble getting tickets for next year’s Tokyo Olympics? That’s no problem if you have $60,000 to spare.
NFL
Antonio Brown’s Helmet Standoff Nears a Conclusion
Ken Belson, The New York Times
Even by N.F.L. standards — remember Deflategate, anyone? — the standoff between Oakland Raiders receiver Antonio Brown and the league is odd. For the past few months, Brown has insisted that he be allowed to wear his favorite helmet even though the N.F.L. and the players association have determined it no longer meets their safety standards.
Why a Mediocre College Coach May Be the NFL’s Next Great One
Andrew Beaton, The Wall Street Journal
Kliff Kingsbury was utterly perplexed the first time he entered the NFL. It was 2003, and he was drafted in the sixth round of the draft by the New England Patriots after a college career where he broke, and in many cases obliterated, all sorts of NCAA passing records.
‘Half Sellout, Half Savior’: What Jay-Z’s NFL Deal and Possible Team Ownership Really Mean
Jem Aswad, Variety
On Friday night, three days after news broke that Jay-Z’s company Roc Nation had struck a controversial entertainment-and-social-justice deal with the NFL, a report suddenly emerged that he is in talks to acquire a “significant” stake in an unspecified league team.
NFL players who could become salary cap casualties before the season
John Clayton, The Washington Post
One thing NFL teams have learned about making salary cap decisions, it’s better to decide to cut a player earlier than later. An early move is better for the player.
NBA
Jim Dolan’s Week Gets Worse as Subscribers Flee Knicks Channel
Gerry Smith, Bloomberg
Jim Dolan is having a bad week, and the Knicks’ season hasn’t even started yet. On Wednesday, MSG Networks Inc., the sports-channel operator where Dolan is executive chairman, said its subscribers shrank by 6.5 percent last quarter, or more than twice the rate of the broader pay-TV industry.
Kevin Garnett Area 21 Will Not Return to TNT NBA Coverage
Ryan Glasspiegel, The Big Lead
The Kevin Garnett Area 21 segments on TNT’s Inside the NBA and digital platforms will not return for the 2019-20 NBA season, The Big Lead has learned from multiple people with knowledge of the news. From what we’ve heard, this was not an acrimonious exit, and there could be ways that Garnett and TNT could collaborate on content down the line.
MLB
MLB warns sexual enhancers may include PEDs
Jeff Passan, ESPN
Major League Baseball in a memo warned about the “very real risk” of over-the-counter sexual-enhancement pills after at least two players this year were suspended for performance-enhancing drugs and said the banned substances found in their urine came from the unregulated products, sources familiar with the situation told ESPN. The use of over-the-counter pills, which are often sold at gas stations, is prevalent among baseball players, according to multiple sources.
NHL
Wild name Bill Guerin fourth general manager in franchise history
Michael Russo, The Athletic
In Dec. 2010, announcing his retirement after 18 years as a high-scoring forward in the NHL, Bill Guerin didn’t know what his post-playing career had in store for him. The only thing he knew with all certainty?
Soccer
NWSL players say investment key to sustaining World Cup bump
Anne M. Peterson, The Associated Press
While record crowds at National Women’s Soccer League games are evidence of a World Cup bump, players want the momentum to extend beyond the ticket office. Portland drew a league-record 25,218 fans to a game against the defending champion North Carolina Courage earlier this month, and last weekend Sky Blue staged its first game at Red Bull Arena before a club-high 9,415 fans.
Racing
Dale Earnhardt Jr. still plans to race at Darlington, has a ‘Plan B’
Daniel McFadin, NBC Sports
Dale Earnhardt Jr. said on Twitter Wednesday night that he still plans to compete in next weekend’s Xfinity Series race at Darlington Raceway, despite experiencing a bruised back from the plane crash he and his family survived last week. Earnhardt said his back has “lots of swelling and I just need that to go down and the pain to chill out. I been treating the area every day solely to get well to race.”
Golf and Tennis
Olesen to face trial on sexual assault charges
The Associated Press
Danish golfer Thorbjorn Olesen is to face trial after being charged with sexual assault and being drunk on an aircraft. The 29-year-old Olesen indicated he would plead not guilty to the offenses when he made a brief appearance at a magistrates’ court in Uxbridge, west of London, on Wednesday.
At U.S. Open, Do Women Play With Faster Tennis Balls?
Jo Craven McGinty, The Wall Street Journal
When the men and women competing in the U.S. Open tennis tournament hit the courts at Flushing Meadows in two weeks, the balls they use will differ. The men will smack fuzzier, extra-duty balls across the net, while the women, as they have for decades, will launch sleeker, regular-duty balls.
A new format for FedEx Cup brings clarity and curiosity
Doug Ferguson, The Associated Press
Justin Thomas has a two-shot lead, and the Tour Championship hasn’t even started. If that seems difficult to fathom, consider that someone could win this week without having the lowest 72-hole score.
The Lost Tennis Art of Returning Up the Middle
Stuart Miller, The New York Times
One of the most famous shots in United States Open history was a return of serve in the 2011 semifinals between Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic. After rallying from two sets down to force a fifth set, Djokovic trailed 5-3 and faced two match points when he smacked Federer’s serve back with a sharply angled cross-court forehand winner.
Teen sensation Gauff eyes next act at U.S. Open
Amy Tennery, Reuters
From the throngs of young fans who idolize her, to the tennis experts desperately seeking the sport’s “next big thing”, there is no shortage of expectations on the shoulders of 15-year-old Cori “Coco” Gauff. After seeing off five-times Wimbledon champion Venus Williams on the way to reaching the last 16 at the All England Club this year, Gauff enters the final Grand Slam of 2019 with the kind of megawatt attention usually reserved only for the sport’s highest echelon.
College Sports
Just Ignore It: Nike’s response to internal emails that discussed paying high school players
Dan Wetzel, Yahoo Sports
Despite the publication of internal emails that show its executives discussing hundreds of thousands of dollars in payouts to high school basketball players (and plans for many more, even down to the middle school level), Nike has, at least publicly, taken a “Who cares?” attitude. Potential federal crimes?
Clemson, ’Bama, Ohio St and … Washington to CFP
Ralph D. Russo, The Associated Press
Four years of Alabama-Clemson dominance have made the college football season seem like a foregone conclusion. The Crimson Tide and Tigers have split the last four national championships and four College Football Playoff meetings.
Esports
Call of Duty Global League Player Contract and Salary Details Announced
Andrew Hayward, The Esports Observer
Activision Blizzard has announced the first details on how player contracts will work for the upcoming Call of Duty Global League. The stipulations are similar to those for the Overwatch League, including minimum $50K USD guaranteed salaries with healthcare and retirement benefits.
Opinions, Editorials, Perspectives and Research
Did Venus Williams Ever Get Her Due?
Elizabeth Weil, The New York Times
Venus is hitting the ball, still, after all these years. Venus, the dutiful Williams daughter, who actually followed the 78-page playbook her father wrote even before she was born to make her a tennis champion.
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