AP Sports

Sports is a powerful tool for grassroots empowerment. A Philly basketball coach made it her focus

Throughout her eight-year coaching tenure, Beulah Osueke built the West Catholic Lady Burrs from an afterthought to a championship-winning program. The Philadelphia high school’s girls basketball team secured six district titles and won the school’s first basketball state title in 2021 under Osueke. But teaching Black teenage girls their worth and how to respond to discrimination is what Osueke considers her biggest victory. That outreach shows how sports can be a tool for empowerment and teaching life lessons, said Ketra Armstrong, director of the Center for Race and Ethnicity in Sport at the University of Michigan. She says that’s more important now than ever as President Donald Trump’s orders dismantle diversity, equity and inclusion programs nationwide.

Alex Ovechkin gets 885th career goal to move nine away from tying Wayne Gretzky’s NHL record

NEW YORK (AP) — Alex Ovechkin scored his 885th career goal midway through the third period of the Washington Capitals’ game against New York Rangers on Wednesday night, moving nine away from tying Wayne Gretzky’s NHL record. The Capitals’ captain scored as he knocked in a loose puck from the left side with 9:32 left in the third period to tie the score 2-2. Ovechkin now has 46 goals in 76 career games against the Rangers. Ovechkin has 32 goals in 46 games this season. He had 15 goals in his first 18 games, then missed 16 games with a fractured left fibula. He returned Dec. 28 and has scored 17 in 28 games since.

Women’s tennis players now are eligible for paid maternity leave funded by Saudi Arabia’s PIF

Pregnant players on the women’s tennis tour now can receive 12 months of paid maternity leave, and those who become parents via partner pregnancy, surrogacy or adoption can get two months off with pay. That is available under a program sponsored by the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia and announced Thursday by the WTA. More than 300 players are eligible for the fund, which is retroactive to Jan. 1. The WTA would not disclose how much money is involved. The program also provides grants for fertility treatments, including egg freezing and IVF.

AP mock NFL draft: Giants trade up to take Cam Ward No. 1 and Raiders move up for Shedeur Sanders

Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders will be the first two quarterbacks selected in next month’s NFL draft. Where they go is still uncertain. The Titans, Browns and Giants each need a quarterback and they have the first three picks. But Ward and Sanders aren’t certain to go 1-2 like Caleb Williams and Jayden Daniels in 2024. Edge rusher Abdul Carter and two-way star Travis Hunter are higher-rated prospects and there’s no consensus on the No. 1 overall pick. The first edition of the AP’s 2025 mock draft says Ward and Sanders will go 1-2 after two teams make blockbuster moves to trade up.

NFL legend Bill Belichick is coaching practices again. Only now he’s a college rookie at UNC

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — Bill Belichick is back on the practice sidelines again, though now in college at North Carolina. The 72-year-old coach who won six Super Bowls with the NFL’s New England Patriots opened spring practices at UNC this week. He also held his first news conference on campus since his introductory one after his hiring in December. Belichick told reporters that players have responded well to the new staff. That comes as Belichick and general manager Michael Lombardi have talked about building what amounts to a mini-NFL model in a college program. UNC’s spring practices run through April 12.

One-of-a-kind card featuring jersey patch of Pirates star Paul Skenes is heading to auction

PITTBURGH (AP) — A one-of-a-kind baseball card featuring Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes is heading to auction. The card is autographed by the National League Rookie of the Year and features a patch of the jersey he wore during his big league debut in May 2024. An 11-year-old in the Los Angeles area found the card in a pack he received as a Christmas present. He turned down an offer from the Pirates that included season tickets behind home plate for 30 years. Fanatics Collect is holding the auction, which runs through March 20. CEO Nick Bell declined to offer an estimate on what the card might fetch but said he expects “a very significant sale.”

Chargers release linebacker Joey Bosa after 9 seasons with the franchise

The Los Angeles Chargers released Joey Bosa. The move Wednesday night ended the linebacker’s nine-season tenure with the franchise. It was expected due to Bosa’s large salary cap number and injury history. Bosa had a cap number of $36.47 million for the 2025 season, but the move will save the Chargers $25.36 million in cap space. Bosa was the third overall pick by the Chargers in the 2016 draft and was the last player on the roster from when the team played in San Diego. Bosa’s five sacks were his fewest in the six seasons he has played at least 12 games as he battled hip and back injuries.

At the bobsled and skeleton world championships, some moms might make their way to the podium

LAKE PLACID, N.Y. (AP) — The latest addition to the list of amenities available to athletes at the bobsled and skeleton world championships is a room inside a lodge just down the hill from the finish line. There are some stuffed animals, tons of toys, Mickey Mouse coloring books and big boxes of crayons. This is the family space. These days, it’s a needed part of the sliding circuit. There are four mothers expected to compete in the world championships that got underway Thursday in Lake Placid. They are U.S. skeleton athlete Kelly Curtis, Swiss bobsledder Nadja Pasternack, and U.S. bobsledders Elana Meyers Taylor and Kaillie Humphries.

Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano bring trilogy women’s boxing bout to MSG, site of the original

NEW YORK (AP) — Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano will fight for a third time, returning to Madison Square Garden after staging the first women’s boxing match to headline the arena in the opener of their trilogy. The bout for Taylor’s undisputed super lightweight championship will take place July 11 and stream on Netflix, Most Valuable Promotions announced Thursday. Taylor (24-1, 6 KOs) has edged Serrano (47-3-1, 31 KOs) in both of their fights, starting with her victory by split decision on April 30, 2022, in New York. She won a unanimous decision last November on the undercard of Jake Paul’s victory over Mike Tyson.

Harden has 24th 50-point game, 1 shy of Kobe Bryant for 3rd all-time, as Obama watches

INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — James Harden delivered another 50-point game, putting on a throwback performance in the Clippers’ new arena. The All-Star guard reached that total for the first time with Los Angeles and the 24th time in his career, pulling within one of Kobe Bryant for third-most in NBA history. Harden’s big night — with former President Barack Obama sitting next to Clippers owner Steve Ballmer behind the baseline — carried Los Angeles to a 123-115 victory over the Detroit Pistons. Wilt Chamberlain has the NBA record with 118 games of 50 or more points, followed by Michael Jordan with 31 and Bryant with 25.