AP Sports

LA’s Olympic venues were spared by wildfires, but the city’s rebuild could impact the Games’ runup

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The deadly wildfires that have ravaged sections of Los Angeles left an indelible imprint on the region’s landscape and psyche. The runup to the city hosting the 2028 Olympics and Paralympics will coincide with massive rebuilding of housing and infrastructure at a time when the region’s resources figure to be stretched to the max. LA28 president and chairman Casey Wasserman has met with President-elect Donald Trump to shore up support, and he says Trump has offered his “unwavering commitment.” The region’s ability to recover will be sorely tested as it prepares to host World Cup soccer games in 2026, the Super Bowl in 2027 and then the Olympics for a third time.

‘Juuuust a bit outside!’ Uecker’s acting and broadcasting ability came together in ‘Major League’

Milwaukee fans could listen to Bob Uecker broadcast Brewers games for over a half-century. But he showed off his play-by-play skills — and comedic talent — for more of a national audience when he appeared in the 1989 classic “Major League” as Cleveland announcer Harry Doyle. Like many of the characters that made “Major League” a hit, Doyle was a caricature. He wore his hopes and frustrations on his sleeve as the home team bumbled through the start of the season and then stormed into contention. Uecker’s deadpanned delivery made his lines particularly humorous — and added some authenticity to the baseball scenes.

Unrivaled, the new 3-on-3 women’s basketball league, set for debut

MIAMI (AP) — Unrivaled is ready for its closeup. The new 3-on-3 women’s basketball league co-founded by WNBA stars Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier will debut Friday night. The idea for the domestic league was first discussed a couple of years ago and now it’s come to fruition. The league features 36 of the best players in the WNBA, including the two co-founders, whose teams will play against each other on opening night. Sensational WNBA rookie Angel Reese’s team plays in the second contest.

I love it! Novak Djokovic backs Danielle Collins in her back-and-forth with Australian Open fans

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Count Novak Djokovic as being in Danielle Collins’ corner. He thinks her response to booing fans at the Australian Open was absolutely fine — which should come as no surprise, given the way Djokovic gets into back-and-forths with hecklers at his matches, including Friday night at Rod Laver Arena. So often stereotyped as a genteel, country club sport, tennis is letting loose lately. Some spectators are louder and more confrontational than ever, and some players increasingly are giving as good as they get, willing to engage with the folks in the seats and not just let things go.

Tsarukyan drops, Makhachev to face replacement Moicano at UFC 311 in pursuit of record title defense

Islam Makhachev said he isn’t concerned with being known as the greatest lightweight of all time. He does value setting records and earning his way into the UFC Hall of Fame. He has a chance to do something Saturday night in Inglewood, California, that no other fighter in his division has ever accomplished — successfully defend his belt four times. Four others have done it three times. Standing in his way is 10th-ranked challenger Renato Moicano. He is a late-hour replacement for top-ranked challenger Arman Tsarukyan, who pulled out because of back pain.

Security a priority at Unrivaled with cyber stalking on the rise toward women’s basketball players

MIAMI (AP) — On the eve of its debut, Unrivaled held a security meeting with its players about their safety. In the past few months, women’s basketball players in college and the WNBA have had to deal with three separate cyber-stalking cases that have gone public. The most recent involved Rookie of the Year Caitlin Clark. A man was charged with felony stalking of the Indiana Fever star this week. The 36 players competing in the new 3-on-3 league discussed not posting anything that shows where they are living and not posting in real time where they may be, for instance at the beach or restaurants.

No. 3 Duke’s romp-filled ACC start has Scheyer pushing Blue Devils to keep ‘foot on the gas’

DURHAM, N.C. (AP) — No. 3 Duke is rolling through the first chunk of its Atlantic Coast Conference schedule. That has third-year coach Jon Scheyer pushing the Blue Devils to keep their “foot on the gas” and show a “killer instinct.” Duke enters Saturday’s trip to Boston College with six of its seven ACC wins coming by double-figure margins. Five of those have come by at least 23 points. Analytics rankings like KenPom show a massive gap between Duke and the rest of the ACC. Duke also enters the weekend alongside top-ranked Auburn as the betting favorite to win the NCAA title.

IMSA brings 27 STEM-focused high school students to Daytona to learn about jobs in motorsports

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — IMSA arranged for 27 high school students who excel in STEM programs to come to the speedway to educate the teens on how many opportunities exist in motorsports for those interested in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. It is the debut year for the program in IMSA sports car racing, but series president John Doonan ran a similar STEM experience when he was head of Mazda. It took sponsorship from Gainbridge, Konica Minolta and EVERFi, which is working to develop the curriculum to continue the program.

Dawn Staley’s $25M extension is richest salary in women’s college hoops history, South Carolina says

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Coach Dawn Staley has received a contract extension that South Carolina said will make her the highest paid college women’s basketball coach of all time at a total value of about $25 million. Staley is signed through the 2029-30 season, earning $4 million a year to start with an annual $250,000 escalator. There’s also a $500,000 signing bonus. The school announced the extension on Friday. Staley has led South Carolina to six of the last nine Final Fours, including each of the last four. The Gamecocks won titles in 2017, 2022 and 2024. She is a five-time Coach of the Year.

CFP championship by the numbers: Ohio State could give Big Ten 1st back-to-back titles since 1942

The Big Ten could puff out its chest over having two of its teams in the College Football Playoff semifinals. The conference will have another point of pride if Ohio State beats Notre Dame for the championship Monday night. A Buckeyes win would give the Big Ten back-to-back national champions for the first time since 1942, when the league was called the Western Conference. Paul Brown-coached Ohio State went 9-1 that year and was the third straight national champion from the conference. Voters crowned Minnesota in 1940 and ’41. Michigan won the title last year.