AP Sports

Spain beats Sweden 2-1 with last-minute goal and advances to its first Women’s World Cup final

AUCKLAND, New Zealand (AP) — Spain will play for its first Women’s World Cup championship after Olga Carmona’s goal in the 89th minute lifted La Roja to a 2-1 victory over Sweden in the Tuesday semifinal. Spain will play the winner of tournament co-host Australia and England on Sunday in the final in Sydney. La Roja have a chance to become a first-time World Cup champion. Ranked seventh in the world by FIFA, Spain’s defeat of second-ranked Sweden makes it the highest-ranked team remaining in the tournament.

Michael Oher, former NFL tackle known for ‘The Blind Side,’ sues to end Tuohys’ conservatorship

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Former NFL tackle Michael Oher has filed a petition in a Tennessee probate court saying the couple he thought adopted him actually remain his conservators. Oher accuses Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy of lying to him nearly two decades ago by having him sign papers making them his conservators rather than his adoptive parents. The petition filed in Shelby County Probate Court asks for the conservatorship to be terminated along with asking for a full accounting of the money earned off the use of his name and story. He also asks to be paid what he’s owed with interest and damages. The Oscar-nominated movie “The Blind Side” was based on Oher’s relationship with the Tuohys.

Alex Collins, former Seahawks and Ravens running back, killed in motorcycle crash at age 28

OWINGS MILLS, Md. (AP) — Former NFL running back Alex Collins, who played five seasons for the Seattle Seahawks and Baltimore Ravens, has been killed in a motorcycle crash in South Florida. He was 28. The Broward County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release that Collins was driving a motorcycle that crashed into a sport-utility vehicle Sunday night in Lauderdale Lakes, Florida. The sheriff’s office says Collins was pronounced dead at the scene. Collins played three seasons for the Seahawks and two for the Ravens. He starred in college at Arkansas, rushing for 1,000 yards in each of his three seasons.

Track world championships the latest play by Orbán’s Hungary for global sports spotlight

BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — A country spends millions to deliver a major international sports event to the world. That money buys a chance to project strength at home and abroad and maybe even glosses over that country’s oft-dissected shortcomings. That pattern has played out in China, Russia, Qatar and other countries in the recent past. The spotlight will shine on Hungary this month in a country led by a prime minister with authoritarian leanings and a shaky human-rights record. Budapest’s latest step starts Saturday with the opening of the nine-day track and field world championships. The sparkling National Athletics Center will host more than 2,000 athletes from over 200 countries in the biggest international sports event this side of the Olympics.

Fewer college football programs are leaving campus for training camps even in portal era

PLATTEVILLE, Wis. (AP) — Players and coaches at Wisconsin and Cincinnati say getting away from campus for part of training camp helps them build camaraderie. But the number of schools training out of town has shrunk over the last decade. These off-campus training camps have gained attention in the wake of the Northwestern hazing scandal. Northwestern has announced it will no longer train at Kenosha, Wisconsin. Some of the hazing allegations that led to the filing of numerous lawsuits and the firing of football coach Pat Fitzgerald stem from those Kenosha camps.

Dominican authorities investigate Rays’ Wander Franco for an alleged relationship with a minor

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Authorities in the Dominican Republic are investigating Tampa Bay All-Star shortstop Wander Franco for an alleged relationship with a minor, according to the office of the attorney general in his native country. The Rays, meanwhile, placed the 22-year-old on the restricted list. The move will sideline Franco for at least six games while MLB investigates social media posts involving the player. The investigations follow reported social media posts suggesting Franco was in a relationship with a minor. The Associated Press has not been able to verify the reported posts. Asked about Franco’s alleged relationship with the minor, the media office of the attorney general in the Dominican Republic said in a statement “there are investigations regarding that matter.”

Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill takes to the skies with his pilot’s license

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee running back Derrick Henry is very happy that his teammate Ryan Tannehill enjoys flying and earned his pilot’s license this summer. Just don’t expect him to join his quarterback in a small plane anytime soon. Henry says he won’t be joining Tannehill in the skies and prays that he stays safe. Tannehill earned his pilot’s license for single-engine planes able to fly only over land earlier this offseason as an escape from his day job. The quarterback says he credits Titans coach Mike Vrabel with pushing him to even take his pilot skills up a step higher.

Reality Check: The truth hurts and truth is a bunch of ranked teams will break hearts in 2023

The first Reality Check of the college football season from the Associated Press can be a real bummer. The truth hurts and the truth is a bunch of ranked teams won’t be as good as the voters think. The past two seasons have been particularly volatile. Each year has seen a new record in the number of preseason ranked teams falling out of the Top 25 by the end of the season. Last year, it was 15 teams.

Australia has captured its continent as it faces England for a spot in the Women’s World Cup final

SYDNEY (AP) — Australia has captured its continent as it plays in its first semifinal match of the Women’s World Cup. The Matildas are playing European champion England. The game in Stadium Australia is a tremendous opportunity for Sam Kerr and the Australian team. The captain of the Matildas is one of the best players in the world but only now getting her due in Australia. The whole team is as more than 75,000 spectators are expected to be on hand for Wednesday’s semifinal match. Australia goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold says “to see the reaction that we’ve received from the whole country has been absolutely unreal. I think it is just the beginning.”

A Women’s World Cup semifinal is the here and now for the Australia-England rivalry, not the Ashes

BRISBANE, Australia (AP) — This is Australia’s Matildas against England’s Lionesses. The Women’s World Cup semifinals. The here and the now. Both teams want to be clear that it’s not one of those clashes for the Ashes that have come to represent an intense international sporting rivalry dating back to the 1800s. The Ashes started in a cricket context and grew to embrace rugby and other sports. But this contest is about an Australia team led by superstar striker Sam Kerr against England captain Millie Bright and her European champions. The winner in Sydney on Wednesday will advance to the championship match against first-time finalist Spain.