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January 31, 2024
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January 31, 2024
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Update on the latest sports

 
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January 31, 2024

Seahawks to hire Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald as new coach, AP source says

RENTON, Wash. (AP) — The Seattle Seahawks are hiring Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald as their new head coach, a person informed of the decision told The Associated Press. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the Seahawks haven’t announced the hiring. Macdonald, 36, spent the past two years running Baltimore’s defense, including this past season when the Ravens finished with the NFL’s best regular-season record and reached the AFC championship game before losing to Kansas City. This will be the first head coaching position at any level for Macdonald.

PGA Tour strikes $3 billion deal with Fenway-led investment group. Players to get equity ownership

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. (AP) — The PGA Tour is getting a $3 billion investment from Strategic Sports Group. The deal gives players access to more than $1.5 billion as equity owners in the new PGA Tour Enterprises. The launch of PGA Tour Enterprises comes eight months after the PGA Tour signed a framework agreement with the Saudi backers of LIV Golf. That led to private equity groups wanting to join. The tour still is negotiating with the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia. PIF is not yet part of the venture. The tour says its partnership with SSG allows for the Saudis to be co-investors.

Tennessee, Virginia AGs suing NCAA over NIL-related recruiting rules with Vols under investigation

The attorneys general of Tennessee and Virginia filed an antitrust lawsuit against the NCAA that challenged its ban on the use of name, image and likeness compensation in the recruitment of college athletes. The legal challenge comes in response to the NCAA’s investigation of University of Tennessee athletics for potential recruiting infractions. The lawsuit filed in the Eastern District of Tennessee claims the NCAA is enforcing rules that unfairly restrict how athletes can commercially use their name, image and likeness. The NCAA already is facing other antitrust suits challenging transfer rules, employment status for athletes and athlete compensation rules.

Chiefs’ Chris Jones gambled on himself this season and is taking his wins all the way to the bank

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones gambled on himself and it has paid off. He failed to reach a contract extension last offseason and held out into Week 1, at which point he signed an incentive-laden deal that would allow him to recoup most of the money he lost. Jones has hit most of those benchmarks, including what seemed a longshot midway through the season: He was voted an All-Pro by The Associated Press and led Kansas City back to the Super Bowl. Those two achievements combined earned him another $1 million. Now, he wants to earn another Super Bowl ring when the Chiefs play the 49ers on Feb. 11 in Las Vegas.

49ers coach Kyle Shanahan gets another shot at elusive Super Bowl title

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — Kyle Shanahan’s offense is mimicked throughout the NFL as his innovative schemes are utilized by teams throughout the league. His former assistants are spread around the league as coordinators and head coaches as the “Shanahan offense” has become one of the most predominant ones in today’s game. All that’s missing for Shanahan is the championship that painfully eluded him as a coordinator in Atlanta and then again in his first trip to the title game with San Francisco. He gets another chance on Feb. 11 when the Niners get a rematch against the Kansas City Chiefs in Las Vegas.

Embiid undergoing MRI after hurting left leg in 76ers’ loss at Golden State

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid is undergoing an MRI after the reigning MVP hurt his left leg in a 119-107 loss to the Golden State Warriors. Embiid scored 14 points in Tuesday’s game before limping to the locker room with 4:04 remaining after Golden State’s Jonathan Kuminga fell on the 7-footer’s left leg. 76ers coach Nick Nurse said this issue is unrelated to the knee problem that prevented Embiid from playing Saturday at Denver or Monday at Portland. Embiid already has missed 12 games this season, jeopardizing his chances of being eligible for a second straight MVP award.

From marching bands to megastars: How the Super Bowl halftime show became a global spectacle

LOS ANGELES (AP) — When the Super Bowl halftime show was born, college marching bands were the main on-field attraction. But over the years, the intermission during the NFL’s annual championship game has turned into one of sport’s biggest spectacles with superstar performances ranging from Prince, Beyoncé, U2 and Madonna. This year, Usher will take the stage. In nearly six decades, the halftime festivities have gone from being a family-oriented show with patriotic tunes to transform into entertainment’s biggest stage with top-tier live performers, pyrotechnics and superb backup dancers. The 12-to-15 minute performance has sometimes attracted more eyeballs than the actual championship game drawing more than 100 million viewers.

Formula One rejects Michael Andretti’s bid to join series, will reconsider when GM has engine built

Formula One has rejected Andretti Global’s application to join the global racing series in 2025 or 2026 but says it is willing to revisit the issue in 2028 when General Motors has an engine ready for competition. Governing body FIA in July approved Michael Andretti’s application to expand the grid by two cars for his new team, but F1 took six months to do its own review. The FIA had given F1 a Wednesday deadline to make its decision. F1 is only interested in allowing Andretti in when GM has an engine built for competition. Had Andretti received approval for a new team, he would have had to use another manufacturer’s engine until 2028. Mario Andretti tweeted that he was “devastated” by the decision.

Jannik Sinner does it his way. He chose tennis over skiing and selected his new coaching team

ROME (AP) — Jannik Sinner’s career so far can be defined by the choices he made and the freedom he had to make them. From when he was a kid growing up in the German-speaking area of the Italian Dolomites and he chose tennis over skiing. To the decision to leave home at age 13 for the Italian Riviera and enroll in a tennis academy. And finally when on the cusp of greatness he decided to leave his longtime coach and create his own personalized team. It all worked out as Sinner won the Australian Open on Sunday and became the first Italian man to win a Grand Slam singles title in nearly a half century.

Top women’s players, proud of PWHL’s encouraging launch, get stage of their own at NHL All-Star week

For the first time, the NHL can boast bringing together the world’s top professional players — both men and women — under one roof during its All-Star festivities in Toronto this week. Aside from the men’s events, members of the newly launched Professional Women’s Hockey League will participate in a 3-on-3 showcase game Thursday. The NHL has previously invited women to compete, though limited to members of the U.S. and Canadian national teams. Among the participants is Switzerland’s Alina Muller, the only European selected to the PWHL’s two 12-member teams and will be making her career debut in an NHL rink.