AP Sports

Superdome re-opens from lockdown for the Sugar Bowl CFP quarterfinal between Georgia and Notre Dame

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Flags are at half-staff outside the Superdome and at nearby state buildings as fans arrive a day later than scheduled for a College Football Playoff quarterfinal game between Notre Dame and Georgia at the Sugar Bowl. The game was delayed by an attack in the nearby French Quarter that killed 14 and injured dozens more. Numerous security officers around the stadium were handling dogs trained to sniff for explosive devices. While many traveling fans extended their stay to attend the game, the postponement meant many would not be able to attend. Numerous tickets listed for resale online were priced at $30 or less.

Pro Bowl rosters include 9 Ravens, 7 Lions, 6 Vikings and Eagles and no Patrick Mahomes

Nine Baltimore Ravens, including two-time NFL MVP Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry, were selected for the Pro Bowl Games. The Detroit Lions are next with seven players and the Minnesota Vikings and Philadelphia Eagles each have six players on the NFC roster. Patrick Mahomes wasn’t selected to the AFC roster for the first time since becoming Kansas City’s starting quarterback in his second season. Mahomes, a three-time Super Bowl MVP and six-time Pro Bowl pick, wasn’t among five Chiefs chosen. Travis Kelce made it for the 10th time.

Antetokounmpo, Jokic and James among early NBA All-Star leading vote-getters

Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo is the early leader in fan balloting for the NBA All-Star Game, and LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers seems well on his way toward extending his record and getting picked for a 21st time. The first update on All-Star voting for this season’s revised game was released Thursday, with Antetokounmpo the overall leader with about 1.7 million votes. Denver’s Nikola Jokic is second overall with about 1.4 million votes, which is tops among all Western Conference players.

Ágnes Keleti, Holocaust survivor and the oldest living Olympic medal winner, dies at age 103

BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Ágnes Keleti, a Holocaust survivor and the oldest living Olympic medal winner, has died at age 103. Hungary’s state news agency says Keleti died Thursday morning in Budapest. She was hospitalized in critical condition with pneumonia on Dec. 25. She won a total of 10 Olympic medals in gymnastics, including five golds, for Hungary in 1952 and 1956. She overcame the loss of her father and several relatives in the Holocaust to become one of the most successful Jewish Olympic athletes. Forced off her gymnastics team in 1941 because of her Jewish ancestry, Keleti went into hiding in the Hungarian countryside, where she survived the Holocaust by assuming a false identity and working as a maid.

Pistons guard Jaden Ivey broke his leg in collision vs. Magic, according to report

DETROIT (AP) — Detroit Pistons guard Jaden Ivey broke his left leg in a collision during a win over the Orlando Magic. That’s according to an ESPN report. Ivey shared a social media post with the news and a message for his followers, saying he promises to come back even better. The Pistons had not provided an update on Ivey’s condition as of Wednesday afternoon. Detroit drafted Ivey with the No. 5 overall pick in 2022 and the former Purdue star was having a breakout year. Ivey averaged 17.6 points and 4.1 rebounds along with four assists in the best season of his career.

Carter reflected on 1980 Olympic boycott: ‘A bad decision’

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) — It was a decision that robbed hundreds of athletes of their once-in-a-lifetime chance at Olympic glory. For more than four decades, that decision weighed heavily on the man who made it — Jimmy Carter. Carter’s passing has unearthed memories from his presidency that ran from 1977-81. Somewhere between his greatest foreign-policy success and his greatest failure sits the U.S. boycott of the 1980 Olympics in Moscow. Carter who called for that boycott to illustrate America’s disdain for the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. The Soviets stayed in Afghanistan for another nine years and retaliated by boycotting the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles. Carter later came to admit that the boycott had been ineffective. He told wrestler Jeff Blatnick ‘That was a bad decision.’

Mikaela Shiffrin aiming to be back on snow ‘in the next week or so’ following November crash

Mikaela Shiffrin is back in the gym and says she’s aiming to be on snow “in the next week or so.” The American skiing star suffered a deep puncture wound in her hip when she crashed in a giant slalom run on Nov. 30 in Killington, Vermont. Shiffrin underwent abdominal surgery in mid-December. She says she’s “making progress” and “can move and sweat and use my body.” Shiffrin adds that “this next phase of recovery is all about getting my strength and conditioning back as much as possible.” It’s unclear when Shiffrin will return to competition.

Liverpool vs. Man United is a rivalry for the ages but looks like a mismatch now

MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Liverpool vs. Manchester United used to be English soccer’s fiercest rivalry. Sunday’s showdown at Anfield pits two teams going in opposite directions. Liverpool is top of the Premier League and the Champions League. Liverpool has its sights on equalling United’s record 20 Premier League titles and more. Liverpool won 3-0 at Old Trafford in September. United is languishing closer to the relegation zone than the top in another calamitous campaign. It has already seen the departure of a manager, a sporting director and the exile of one of its leading players.

Golf goes indoors on prime time with high-tech TGL league

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Golf is moving indoors like never before. Xander Schauffele is among those making the debut of the TMRW Golf League next Tuesday night on ESPN. It features six teams of four players competing against each other in a tech-infused arena the size of a football field. Players will hit from 35 yards away off real grass or sand to an enormous simulator screen. Shots from 50 yards or closer will be actual shots hit to a green that can rotate 360 degrees to create different angles and slopes. Rory McIlroy says it will be complementary to traditional golf.

Targeting no-call at Peach Bowl raises more questions about disputed rule

ATLANTA (AP) — The Peach Bowl referee declined to call a targeting penalty late in the fourth quarter for a helmet-to-helmet hit by Texas safety Michael Taaffe that could’ve given Arizona State a chance to kick a winning field goal in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals. The fourth-ranked Longhorns went on to beat the No. 10 Arizona State 39-31 in double overtime. The big hit by Taaffe came after Texas missed a field goal attempt with 1:39 remaining that left the game tied at 24-all. It led to a punt by Arizona State.