Sports

Broncos get star wide receiver Jaylen Waddle from Dolphins in a blockbuster trade, AP sources say

The Denver Broncos have acquired standout wide receiver Jaylen Waddle in a blockbuster deal that sends three draft picks to the Miami Dolphins, including a first-rounder, according to two people with knowledge of the trade. Both spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the deal hasn’t been announced. The Dolphins will receive the 30th overall pick in next month’s NFL draft along with picks in the third and fourth rounds. Denver will get Miami’s fourth-rounder along with Waddle. Waddle gives Bo Nix another main playmaker along with Courtland Sutton, boosting a passing offense that finished 11th in the NFL last season.

Iran wants to move its World Cup matches from US to Mexico. FIFA is sticking to its schedule

GENEVA (AP) — Iran’s Embassy in Mexico has suggested the country is negotiating with FIFA to move Iran’s World Cup matches from the U.S. to Mexico after President Donald Trump discouraged the team from attending the tournament, citing safety concerns. FIFA says it is in regular contact with the Iran soccer federation and it is not changing the match schedule announced last December. Iranian officials have previously said it is up to FIFA and the U.S. to keep the team safe during the World Cup. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum was asked about it Tuesday. She said “We’ll see what FIFA decides.”

Expect a festive WBC final crowd as the US plays Venezuela at an uncomfortable political moment

MIAMI (AP) — The United States meets Venezuela for the World Baseball Classic title in a game that carries political overtones. The Americans are seeking a second championship and first since 2017 after nearly getting eliminated in the group stage last week. Nolan McLean starts against Eduardo Rodríguez. Venezuela plays for its first title in the event’s sixth edition. It reached the final after upsetting defending champion Japan on Saturday and Italy on Monday. Players and coaches have avoided politics. The U.S. military captured Venezuela President Nicolás Maduro in January.

WADA is weighing a rule to bar Trump and US officials from major events. Can it really do that?

Leaders at the World Anti-Doping Agency are considering adopting a rule that could bar President Donald Trump and all U.S. government officials from attending major international events — even if they take place on American soil. A few coming up are as big as they get: this summer’s World Cup; the LA Olympics in 2028; the Winter Games in Utah in 2034. The rule is on the agenda for WADA’s executive-committee meeting Tuesday. This is not a fight of Trump’s choosing, but rather one being pursued by WADA itself, which has been the subject of bipartisan and virtually universal disapproval in Congress, both the Trump and Biden administrations and the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency for most of this decade.

Freshman stars Cameron Boozer, AJ Dybantsa and Darius Acuff Jr. picked for AP All-America first team

Duke forward Cameron Boozer is a unanimous first-team All-American in college basketball in voting released by The Associated Press. He was joined on the first team by fellow freshmen AJ Dybantsa of BYU and Darius Acuff Jr. of Arkansas, Michigan’s Yaxel Lendeborg and JT Toppin of Texas Tech. Braden Smith of Purdue headlined the second team after he was a first-team choice last season and an honorable mention pick in 2023-24. Graham Ike of Gonzaga was a third-team pick after he was honorable mention two years ago. Jaden Bradley and Brayden Burries gave Arizona two honorable mention picks this season.

The NCAA Tournament is loaded with top NBA prospects. Consider this the March of the freshmen

The March Madness spotlight is set to lock on a long list of high-end freshman NBA prospects. This season’s potential draft class is considered to be the deepest in years. That group has now reached the NCAA Tournament with a chance to take center stage. The top freshman prospects are BYU’s AJ Dybantsa, Duke’s Cameron Boozer and Kansas’ Darryn Peterson. Others to watch include Arkansas’ Darius Acuff Jr., Houston’s Kingston Flemings and Arizona’s Brayden Burries.

Cameron Young wants to be ready for big moments. He delivered one at The Players Championship

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Cameron Young used to have wild expectations for how good he should be in golf. He’s stopped doing that and is getting some great results. The latest was his victory in The Players Championship. And he did have some expectations on one shot. Tied for the lead, Young said he was thinking only about hitting the best shot of his career. His 375-yard drive on the 18th was the longest ever on that hole. Young is an example of youth starting to emerge, such as Chris Gotterup and Jacob Bridgeman. But given how often he contends, Young is worth watching.

Champions League: Real Madrid, PSG and Bodø/Glimt protect 3-goal leads in round of 16

Tournament heavyweights Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain and tiny Norwegian club Bodø/Glimt are protecting three-goal leads as they look to clinch their places in the Champions League quarterfinals. There’s a one-sided look to the first batch of second-leg matches to be completed in the round of 16. Madrid leads Manchester City 3-0 and and PSG leads Chelsea 5-2. This could be a tough week for the much-hyped Premier League as all six of its round-of-16 representatives failed to win across the first legs. Arsenal looks best placed to advance and takes on Bayer Leverkusen in London with the score at 1-1. Champions League debutant Bodø/Glimt leads Sporting Lisbon 3-0 to continue its amazing run.

Oilers’ Leon Draisaitl out for the rest of the regular season because of injury

EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — Standout Edmonton Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl is expected to miss the rest of the NHL regular season because of what the team called a lower-body injury. Draisaitl left a game Sunday against Nashville after getting bumped hard by the Predators’ Ozzy Wiesblatt and did not return. It was not immediately clear what the injury was or whether Draisaitl will miss any time once the playoffs begin. The 30-year-old from Germany ranks fourth in the league in scoring with 97 points in 65 games. Draisaitl won the Hart Trophy as MVP in 2020 and was the runner-up last season.

March Madness wagering set to tip off with the games just 2 months after federal gambling charges

The NCAA men’s and women’s basketball tournaments generate more wagering than any other event in the United States. The American Gaming Association estimates a record $3.3 billion would be legally bet on the games this year. The proliferation of legalized sports wagering the past decade has spurred the NCAA to increase efforts to keep games on the up-and-up. Players are warned about associating with people seeking inside information about their team or offering enticements to shave points. Support is provided for players who may be targeted for abuse from angry bettors.