AP Sports

Isiah Pacheco’s ‘angry’ running style could help lift Chiefs past 49ers in the Super Bowl

HENDERSON, Nev. (AP) — Kansas City Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco was relaxed Wednesday as reporters peppered him with questions. It’s the opposite of his running style that has commonly been described as angry. Coach Andy Reid called Pacheco “a violent runner.” If any player could actually run through a wall, it would be Pacheco. He punishes linebackers and defensive backs trying to bring him down. The Chiefs will need Pacheco’s ability to move the chains to balance Patrick Mahomes’ passing attack when they play the San Francisco 49ers in the Super Bowl on Sunday.

The Paris Olympics medals are monumental. They’re embedded with pieces of the Eiffel Tower

PARIS (AP) — When they make history at the Paris Games, Olympic medalists will take a bit of France and its history home, too. A hexagonal, polished piece of iron taken from the Eiffel Tower is being embedded in the gold, silver and bronze medals that will be hung around athletes’ necks at this year’s Summer Games and Paralympics. Games organizers revealed the design on Thursday. The pieces of the Eiffel Tower each weigh 18 grams. They were cut from girders and other bits that were swapped out during renovations of the tower and stored for safekeeping. Paris jewelry house Chaumet designed the medals and the Paris Mint is manufacturing 5,084 of them.

The game. The ads. The music. The puppies. Here’s why millions are excited for Super Bowl Sunday

Millions of Americans will find something to be excited about when it comes to Super Bowl Sunday. That’s before even factoring in the influence of Taylor Swift. Four in 10 U.S. adults are extremely or very excited for at least one part of the Super Bowl day’s festivities. That could be the game, commercials, halftime show or the Puppy Bowl, according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. The Kansas City Chiefs will play the San Francisco 49ers in Las Vegas.

Former NBA player and Survivor contestant Scot Pollard waits in hospital for heart transplant

BOSTON (AP) — At 6-foot-11, Scot Pollard’s size helped him play more than a decade in the NBA and earn him a championship ring with the 2008 Boston Celtics. Now it may be killing him. Pollard needs a heart transplant and the already dire predicament is made more difficult by the fact so few donors can provide him with a pump big and strong enough to supply blood to his body. He was admitted to intensive care at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center and will wait there until a donor surfaces who was big enough to be a match. Pollard said in text messages to The Associated Press doctors hope it will be a matter of weeks, not months.

Auriemma reaches 1,200 wins, joining exclusive group of coaches

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Geno Auriemma becomes third Division I coach to win 1,200 games. Auriemma joined former Duke men’s coach Mike Krzyzewski and Stanford’s Tara VanDerveer, who received widespread acclaim last month when she became the winningest coach in college basketball history. But Auriemma will reach the win plateau in his 39th season. Krzyzewski coached for 47 years and VanDerveer is in her 45th season as a head coach.

Pro Picks: Purdy will lead the 49ers to another comeback win, ruining Chiefs’ repeat bid

LAS VEGAS (AP) — The underdog Kansas City Chiefs are playing for history against the San Francisco 49ers. No team has been the underdog in consecutive Super Bowls and won both games. The two previous defending champions to return as an underdog both lost. But the Chiefs have been defying the odds throughout the postseason. They were underdogs in victories at Buffalo and Baltimore. Now, they’ve got to do it again to become the first repeat champions in 19 years. The 49ers are 2 1/2-point favorites on Sunday, according to FanDuel Sportsbook. They’re quite familiar with that role having been favored to win each game this season.

Montreal Canadiens’ Juraj Slafkovsky is learning to trust his shot early in his NHL career

WASHINGTON (AP) — Juraj Slafkovsky became the top pick in the 2022 NHL draft in part because he showed in the months leading up that he could score goals with an impeccable release. Now a season and a half into his pro career with the Montreal Canadiens, the 19-year-old from Slovakia is still learning to trust his shot. He says “everyone” around him is telling him he should shoot the puck more. After three goals in two games sandwiched around the All-Star break, Slafkovsky is building the kind of confidence that teammates hope will allow him to let it fly.

Tiger Woods makes it official: His 2024 debut will come next week at Riviera

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Tiger Woods has been pointing to Riviera for his 2024 debut. He made it official with a statement on X saying he looks forward to being a playing host next week at the Genesis Invitational. The tournament he hosts is another $20 million signature event. Woods will be playing on a sponsor exemption. Riviera is among the best courses on tour, but it has confounded Woods. He has played it 12 times as a pro without winning, the most of any course on the PGA Tour. Woods hasn’t played a PGA Tour event since the Masters because of ankle surgery.

Sports leagues promise the White House they will provide more opportunities for people to exercise

WASHINGTON (AP) — More than a dozen sports leagues and players associations have promised the White House that they will provide more opportunities for people to exercise and learn about nutrition and healthy lifestyles. The White House announced Thursday that the leagues and associations representing football, hockey, baseball, basketball, soccer and golf have all signed agreements with the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition. Officials say the agreements are part of a national strategy that President Joe Biden set in 2022 to end hunger and reduce diet-related diseases by 2030.

Nick Saban joining ESPN’s ‘College GameDay’ road show

Nick Saban is joining ESPN’s “College GameDay,” the long-running Saturday pregame road show he appeared on as a guest so frequently during his 17 seasons as Alabama coach. The network announced Saban will be an on-set analyst for “GameDay,” joining host Rece Davis and regulars Kirk Herbstreit, Lee Corso, Desmond Howard and Pat McAfee. The 72-year-old Saban retired last month after 28 years as a college head coach. He won seven national championships, including six with Alabama and one with LSU.