Sports News

Swansea City beat Sheffield Wednesday in their FA Cup fifth-round replay to set up a quarter-final tie with Tottenham or Rochdale. from BBC Sport - Sport http://ift.tt/2GOkjuf

New England women's boss Phil Neville says some people would like him lose all three games at the SheBelieves Cup. from BBC Sport - Sport http://ift.tt/2EUfl2x

Real Madrid eye Bayern striker as alternative to Tottenham star, Chelsea plan goalkeeper talks, plus more. from BBC Sport - Sport http://ift.tt/2EYNgqU

Talks to introduce a winter break from February 2020 are continuing between The FA, EFL and Premier League. from BBC Sport - Sport http://ift.tt/2HMGVwm

Rangers strike four past St Johnstone to narrow the gap on Premiership leaders Celtic to six points. from BBC Sport - Sport http://ift.tt/2sWVmdM

Which striker has earned his side the most points? Why West Brom still have hope of survival, and more Premier League stats. from BBC Sport - Sport http://ift.tt/2HPjliG

Manchester City need to win the Champions League to turn an excellent season into an unbelievable one, says Match of the Day pundit Alan Shearer. from BBC Sport - Sport http://ift.tt/2GKNE8M

Of the 65 referees in the NBA this season, nine attended Historically Black Colleges and Universities. In celebration of Black History Month, we explore the unique bond that these officials have with one another and the impact that attending an HBCU had on their personal and professional lives. from NBA.com: News http://ift.tt/2Fckkef

Dwyane Wade's best days are well behind him, to the point that he's not sure if he'll return next season for what would be his 16th NBA campaign. from NBA.com: News http://ift.tt/2FDp9em

SAN ANTONIO -- The San Antonio Spurs announced Tuesday that they have recalled guard Derrick White from the Austin Spurs of the NBA G League. from NBA.com: News http://ift.tt/2t0EmmW

Tuesday marked yet another memorable night for Cavaliers legend LeBron James, who carried his team to a 129-123 victory over the Nets with 31 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists. from NBA.com: News http://ift.tt/2HSXeIa

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- An iconic Nike logo of a leaping Michael Jordan that the company has used to market billions of dollars of merchandise didn't violate the copyright of an earlier photograph of the basketball star, a federal appeals court ruled Tuesday. from NBA.com: News http://ift.tt/2BTiPzA

Arsenal host would-be Premier League champions Manchester City at the Emirates Stadium on Thursday, needing to close a 10-point gap to the top four. The Gunners are sixth, adrift of Chelsea and north London rivals Tottenham Hotspur, with the latter occupying the fourth and final qualification spot for next season's UEFA Champions League. By contrast, City are champions in waiting, thanks to a 13-point lead over neighbours Manchester United. The Citizens have even played a game less than the Red Devils. City will have the psychological advantage at the Emirates Stadium, after thrashing the Gunners 3-0 in the 2018 Carabao Cup final at Wembley on Sunday. The result has increased the pressure on embattled Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger , with numerous candidates already being named as potential successors for the 68-year-old this summer. Perhaps the biggest doubt concerns City's journey to north London. The Citizens won't change their plan to travel on Thursday, despite...

La Liga leaders Barcelona head to Las Palmas on Thursday night as they bid to maintain their seven-point lead at the top of the table.  Ernesto Valverde 's side remain unbeaten in the league and go into the game on the back of one of their most impressive attacking displays, as they hammered Girona 6-1 at Camp Nou on Saturday. Las Palmas are in the bottom three, although they have picked up some promising results of late. Paco Jemez 's side have won two of their last six, but Barcelona go into the game as huge favourites. Here's a look at how you can watch the game, followed by team news and a match preview.            Date : Thursday, March 1 Time : 8 p.m. GMT/3 p.m. ET Venue :  Estadio Gran Canaria TV Info/Live Stream :   Sky Sports   (UK),   BeIN Sports   (U.S.)           Team News Las Palmas have lost centre-back Pedro Bigas to a long-term knee injury. Midfielder Gabriel Penalb...

The field for this year's Arnold Classic, the highlight of the 2018 Arnold Sports Festival in Columbus, Ohio, is set to be one of the best the event has seen in recent years. Taking place on Saturday, March 3, three past champions will take part, while several outside contenders will also have their eye on the top prize. Pre -judging will be from noon to 4 p.m. ET, with the finals taking place between 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. ET. Both events will be at the Battelle Grand ballroom of the Columbus Convention Center. For a full list of the competitors and payouts, click here . Tickers for the Classic, as well as the other events of the festival, can be found here .         Preview Cedric McMillan finally won his first-ever Arnold Classic last year, marking the fourth consecutive edition of the event with a different winner. The 40-year-old had long been a fan favourite due to his length, classic form and remarkable symmetry, but his definition often lagged behind the...

Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade was playing for more than just another victory Tuesday when he hit the game-winning shot against the Philadelphia 76ers with 5.9 seconds remaining. ESPN.com noted the veteran scored 15 of his team's final 17 points in the 102-101 win with Joaquin Oliver's name written on his shoes. Oliver was a student at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School and one of 17 victims who died in a school shooting in Parkland, Florida, on Feb. 14. "From the standpoint of away from the game of basketball, as I continue saying, just understanding how important we are as professionals," Wade said, per ESPN.com. "And for me, it's just giving whatever I can to people who believe in me, and especially people who were happy about me coming back here [after the trade from Cleveland earlier this month] who embrace me the way that I only can dream of with me coming back home. So just paying some due respect to [Oliver] and his family tonight." Acco...

James Harden is feeling good about the Houston Rockets ' chances of contending this season. "This is the year," the guard told Jovan Buha of ESPN Tuesday. "For sure." Harden also praised the work general manager Daryl Morey and CEO Tad Brown did to bring the current group together. "This is probably the best team I've ever been a part of, from top to bottom," he added. "The chemistry that we have, included with the coaching staff—I mean, we're having a lot of fun." The Rockets certainly look the part with the best record in the NBA at 47-13. They entered Tuesday with a 13-game winning streak and are beating opponents by a league-best 8.8 points per game. Per Basketball Reference , the team ranks No. 1 in the league in offensive rating while the defensive rating remains a respectable eighth-best. Harden is playing at an MVP level while leading the NBA with 31.4 points per game, and he clearly has tons of talent around him to m...

The Washington Wizards will likely need All-Star John Wall to challenge the best teams in the Eastern Conference come playoff time, but they are hitting on all cylinders without him entering the season's stretch run. Washington improved to 10-3 since Jan. 25—the last time Wall played before being ruled out with a knee injury —with a 107-104   victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday at the BMO Harris Bradley Center. Bradley Beal led the way in the critical win with 21 points, eight assists and seven rebounds, helping counter a stat-stuffing performance from Giannis Antetokounmpo (23 points, 13 rebounds, eight assists, six blocks and three steals). Antetokounmpo had the opportunity to tie the game with less than five seconds remaining and complete Milwaukee's comeback from 21 down but rimmed out his turnaround jumper in the lane. The victory took on additional meaning since the Wizards were the No. 4 seed in the East and the Bucks were the No. 6 seed entering Tuesday...

John Cena 's mission to fight his way onto the WrestleMania stage continued on WWE SmackDown . After not earning a marquee match at The Show of Shows on Monday night, Cena remembered that he was a free agent and traveled to the blue brand. That's where he found a familiar opponent in AJ Styles and where he claimed a spot in the upcoming WWE Championship bout. Thanks to a win over the WWE champ, Cena forced his way into what is now a Six-Pack Challenge at the Fastlane pay-per-view on March 11. Los Angeles hosted that part of Cena 's tale as well as The Usos killing it on the mic, Rusev Day not getting the proper respect and SmackDown 's authority figures again dampening the action. This was one of the better episodes in weeks, but the show's flaws aren't fixed by any means. Read on for a full breakdown of Tuesday's SmackDown , complete with highlights and letter grades. Begin Slideshow from Bleacher Report - Front Page http://ift.tt/2oFGiw2

WWE fans may have the chance to watch Rey Mysterio battle John Cena at WrestleMania on April 8. According to a report from Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated on Tuesday, Mysterio was working on the potential upcoming showdown with Cena while backstage at SmackDown. Mysterio is 43 years old and hasn't made a WWE appearance since 2015, but he has been in the headlines recently since making a surprise entrance in the 2018 Royal Rumble in January. Alfred Konuwa of Forbes said he "appeared to be in great shape while rocking his vintage gear circa WCW Nitro," and the fans greeted him with a thundering ovation. Neil Docking of the Mirror noted Raw in April 2015 was Mysterio's last WWE appearance, ending his 13-year tenure with the company. However, matching him up with one of the most famous wrestlers in WWE at the company's main event would serve as a monster stage to reintroduce him to some of the sport's fans. It appears as if Cena will be the one s...

The United States is making a bid for the 2026 World Cup as part of a North America contingent, but  Morocco  is reportedly winning the race to host the international event, according to Sam Borden of ESPN. FIFA is expected to announce the host for the 2026 games on June 13. The United States, Mexico and Canada   announced a joint bid  last April to host the World Cup, with 60 of the 80 games set to take place in the U.S., including the finals, semifinals and quarterfinals. The other two countries would feature 10 matches apiece. According to   ESPN , hosting this event could bring $5 billion in economic activity to the three countries. "Our assessment found that if the United Bid Committee is successful in its bid to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup , it could generate significant short-term economic activity and numerous other benefits across Canada, Mexico and the United States,"  Cliff Grevler of the  Boston Consulting Group said. However, the 20...

Michael Crabtree will reportedly be back for a fourth season with the Oakland Raiders . Vic Tafur of The Athletic reported the team is not planning to release Crabtree despite his $7.7 million cap hit for 2018, per Spotrac . The Raiders would not incur dead cap charges for releasing Crabtree, which means they could free $7.7 million if they chose to move on. The 2017 season was a major disappointment for Crabtree, as he recorded just 58 receptions for 618 yards and eight touchdowns in 14 games. His receptions were his fewest over a full season since 2010, and his yards were the lowest full-season total of his career. Crabtree was also suspended for a game in November after he got into a brawl with Denver Broncos corner Aqib Tailb. After the last game of the season, Crabtree talked about getting few targets in Weeks 16 and 17. "If I react, then I'm a bad guy, you know what I'm saying?" he told reporters . "I done played 60 minutes every time we play. Game-...

After missing most of the season with a foot fracture, Notre Dame star Bonzie Colson will return to the court Wednesday against Pittsburgh, according to Jeff Goodman of ESPN. "I was going to put him out there to start the game, even if the doctors didn't clear him, and foul right away just to see the place go crazy," head coach Mike Brey said. "Now I don't have to foul. He'll start, and I'm hoping he can play 20 minutes." Wednesday is the last home game of the season for the Fighting Irish and Senior Night for six players on the roster, including Colson. Any playing time for Colson would be a huge boost to Notre Dame, which has gone 6-9 without its star player. At 17-12 (7-9 in the ACC), the squad isn't quite out of the NCAA tournament picture, but it has a lot of work left to do. Bleacher Report's Kerry Miller currently doesn't even have the team listed in his "First Five Out." However, Colson is a difference-maker on th...

Cleveland Cavaliers star LeBron James is hitting his stride as the 2017-18 campaign approaches the stretch run. Thanks to his production in the first three quarters of Tuesday's game against the Brooklyn Nets (23 points, eight assists and seven rebounds), James ensured he will average a triple-double for the month of February. Yahoo Sports NBA reported the news and noted it is the first time in James' 15 seasons he has done so, while Fox Sports Ohio passed along some of the statistical dominance by Cleveland's leader: James has always been a dominant scorer who can also facilitate and contribute on the boards, but he has taken on even more statistical responsibility following Cleveland's dramatic reshaping of its roster early this month. The Cavaliers traded Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, Dwyane Wade , Iman Shumpert, Derrick Rose and Channing Frye and added George Hill, Rodney Hood, Jordan Clarkson and Larry Nance Jr. While all four additions bring something to the...

Manchester City are expected to hand 17-year-old midfield talent Phil Foden a new contract worth £40,000 per week, according to MailOnline 's Chris Wheeler . The proposed new deal, set to run for five years, would double Foden 's wages, a reflection of how well he is thought of by the Premier League leaders. Wheeler noted how the Citizens are "keen to reward" Foden to make sure " one of the hottest prospects in English football commits his future to the club." Foden has enjoyed a rapid rise since the summer. The teenage playmaker appeared for City against derby rivals Manchester United during a preseason tour of the U.S. His debut left manager Pep Guardiola without words, per Alex Martin of MailOnline . Foden has since gone from strength to strength. Back in December, the Stockport native won the BBC Young Sport Personality of the Year after helping England win the U17 World Cup, per Sky Sports . Foden was the player of the tournament for the ...

Charlotte Hornets forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist exited Tuesday night's game against the Chicago Bulls after suffering a left hamstring strain, the team announced . Kidd-Gilchrist started the game and played six minutes before leaving. Injuries limited Kidd-Gilchrist early in his NBA career. He played 62 games in 2013-14 and 55 a year later. In 2015-16, he suffered a torn labrum in October and then made it through seven games upon his return in January before suffering the same injury and missing the remainder of the campaign. Durability wasn't a problem for Kidd-Gilchrist in 2016-17, though, as he appeared in 81 games. His performance was the biggest issue, as he continued to struggle on the offensive end. He averaged 9.2 points on 47.7 percent shooting. Kidd-Gilchrist remained indispensable on the defensive end, however. According to NBA.com , the Hornets allowed 5.8 fewer points per 100 possessions when he was on the court than when he was on the bench. That rema...

Minnesota Twins star Miguel Sano reportedly met with MLB investigators Tuesday about an alleged assault from 2015, according to La Velle E. Neal and Phil Miller of the Star Tribune .  Freelance photographer Betsy Bissen accused the 24-year-old of assault in December through a detailed account on Twitter, via Mark W. Sanchez of the New York Post . Sano denied the incident took place. "I unequivocally deny the allegation made against me today—it never happened," Sano said in a statement through his agent,   Kyle Thousand of Roc Nation, via   Miller . "I have the utmost respect for women, especially those working in professional sports, and I deeply sympathize with anyone who has experienced sexual harassment. There is no place for it in our society." Despite the denial,  Bissen's account needed to be taken seriously. She said Sano "tried repeatedly to kiss her and attempted to forcibly take her into a room after an autograph signing in 2015," pe...

The Green Bay Packers are already on their way to signing Aaron Rodgers to another extension, according to Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com. General manager Brian Gutekunst , executive vice president Russ Ball and team  president Mark Murphy have been involved in the process of finalizing a new deal. "We've had discussions with his representative," Murphy said Tuesday. "I have a lot of confidence in Brian and Russ and Aaron as well. We want to create a win-win." Rodgers still has two years remaining on the five-year, $110 million deal he signed in 2013, per   Spotrac . He is set to make $39.8 million in base salary, plus roster and workout bonuses, through 2019. While his 2018 base salary leads the NFL , his average annual cost of $22 million is only eighth highest among quarterbacks, per  Spotrac . This could be considered a discount for a player who has earned six Pro Bowl appearances and two MVP awards. His 103.8 career passer rating is the highest in NFL his...

Changes to the qualification rules for next season's UEFA Champions League mean the team finishing fourth in the Premier League will no longer have to play a qualifier, but will instead go straight into the group stage. It's the most notable of a series of changes made by UEFA and detailed on the competition's official website on Tuesday. The rules come into effect ahead of the 2018/19 Champions League, meaning the teams who finish in the top four in the Premier League, La Liga, Serie A and the Bundesliga will earn automatic qualification to the last 32. Winners of the previous season's Champions League and Europa League will also be in the groups. However, the numbers from other leagues were reduced: "Top two from associations ranked 5th and 6th: France, Russia (4). Champions of associations ranked 7th to 10th: Portugal, Ukraine, Belgium, Turkey (4)." This is based on the UEFA   access list   and  association coefficients   from the end of the 2016/17 c...

Shaquille O'Neal won three championships with the Los Angeles Lakers, and his son is reported to be heading to La-La Land to play college basketball. Josh Gershon of 247Sports reported Shareef O'Neal has committed to UCLA  after he decommitted from Arizona in the wake of reports the Wildcats are a key part of the FBI's investigation into alleged corruption in college basketball. TMZ Sports  first reported O'Neal, was "leaning toward signing with UCLA." The decommittment came after  Mark Schlabach of ESPN.com reported, "FBI wiretaps intercepted telephone conversations between Arizona coach Sean Miller and Christian Dawkins, a key figure in the FBI's investigation into college basketball corruption, in which Miller discussed paying $100,000 to ensure star freshman Deandre Ayton signed with the Wildcats." O'Neal revealed his decision to reopen his recruitment on his Twitter page: The 6'9", 205-pound playmaker is a 4-star prospe...

Luis Figo has warned Harry Kane about the pressure of playing at Real Madrid , amid rumours the Tottenham Hotspur striker could move to Los Blancos, per James Benge of the London Evening Standard .  Former Real ace Figo has preached caution, but ex-Barcelona star Ronaldinho believes Kane could "walk into any team in Europe," including Los Merengues or Manchester City , per the Daily Mirror 's Adrian Kajumba . Figo talked up both Kane and Dele Alli, per Benge, labelling them "top players." However, the man who moved from Barca to Real for a then-world record fee in 2000 also spelled out the differences between life at Tottenham and a career at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium. The 45-year-old said it is "one thing is to play for Tottenham and the other thing is to play for Real Madrid, you know? And this is not missing of respect of Tottenham. It is what is like. Real Madrid is different, eh?" Getting more specific, Figo emphasised the higher stake...

According to the NFL Competition Committee, the controversial non-catch by Dallas Cowboys wide receiver  Dez Bryant  in the 2015 NFC Divisional Round against the Green Bay Packers  should have been ruled complete. Per ESPN.com's Kevin Seifert , New York Giants owner and competition committee member John Mara cited the Bryant play when discussing a possible change to the league's catch rule.  "I think where we are unanimous [are] plays like the Dez Bryant play in Green Bay, going to the ground, the Calvin Johnson play from a couple of years ago," Mara said Tuesday. "I think all of us agree that those should be completions. So let's write the language to make them completions." Mara's comments come after  Mark Maske   of the  Washington Post  reported Tuesday the competition committee was looking into eliminating the rule requiring receivers to maintain possession of the football after hitting the ground.  Three years ago, Bryant appeared...

San Diego State reportedly cleared senior Malik Pope to play in Tuesday's game against Boise State despite his appearance in a report from Yahoo Sports detailing alleged corruption in college basketball.  Mark Zeigler of the San Diego Union-Tribune reported the news Tuesday, noting San Diego State suspended Pope four days prior when documents from ASM Sports agency  included in the Yahoo story listed a $1,400 loan next to his name. According to Zeigler, San Diego State kept Pope out of Saturday's victory over San Jose State after the Yahoo story broke Friday. Andy Humes, the director of compliance for SDSU's athletic department, released a statement saying the school didn't find any evidence of wrongdoing on Pope's behalf after internally investigating the incident, which freed him up to be reinstated. "I, along with my family, have never had contact nor accepted anything from the two people named in the story," Pope said when discussing agent Andy ...

Jerry Jones is once again separating himself from the NFL . The Dallas Cowboys owner has decided to opt out of the league's ticketing deal with Ticketmaster and instead signed an exclusive provider contract with SeatGeek, per ESPN's Darren Rovell . The New Orleans Saints chose to opt out of the NFL deal in favor of SeatGeek in November. The Cowboys and Saints are the only two NFL franchises not under the league's agreement with Ticketmaster. The Detroit Lions had a partnership with Veritix but are reuniting with Ticketmaster for the 2018 season, per Rovell. The move is not related to Jones' frayed relationship with the NFL league office. Roger Goodell has requested that Jones pay the more than $2 million in legal fees incurred by the league when the Cowboys owner challenged the commissioner's contract extension. Jones threatened to sue the NFL to block Goodell's extension, in part because of his displeasure over Goodell's handling of the suspension of...

Papa John's has ended its sponsorship agreement with the NFL , according to Darren Rovell of ESPN. Rovell shared a joint statement noting the mutual decision to end the deal: Per Rovell, Papa John's sales dropped 3.9 percent from October through December compared to 2016. Founder John Schnatter ripped the league in November for its lack of response to players kneeling during the national anthem. "The NFL has been a long and valued partner over the years. But we're certainly disappointed that the NFL and its leadership did not resolve the ongoing situation to the satisfaction of all parties long ago," Schnatter said, per  Zlati Meyer of USA Today . "This should've been nipped in the bud a year-and-a-half ago." He stepped down as CEO of the company on January 1. As   Charles Gasparino   of Fox Business reported, the player protests were at the "heart of the breakup" with the NFL. Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones   defended Schnatter...

Real Madrid remain 14 points behind La Liga leaders Barcelona after losing 1-0 to Espanyol at the RCDE  Stadium on Tuesday night. Los Blancos were beaten by a stoppage-timer winner from Gerard Moreno. The night also saw Catalan side Girona beat Celta Vigo at home, courtesy of a Christian Portu goal. It was a result good enough to move the debutants in Spain's top flight up to seventh. Here are the updated standings after Tuesday's matches:       1. Barcelona: 65 2. Atletico Madrid: 58 3. Real Madrid: 51 4. Valencia: 49 5. Villarreal: 41 6. Sevilla: 39 7. Girona: 37 8. Real Betis: 36 9. Celta Vigo: 35 10. Eibar: 35 11. Getafe: 33 12. Athletic Bilbao: 31 13. Espanyol: 31 14. Leganes: 30 15. Real Sociedad: 29 16. Alaves: 28 17. Levante: 20 18. Las Palmas: 19 19. Deportivo La Coruna: 18 20. Malaga: 13       Full standings are available, per BBC Sport .        Moreno snapped Real's five-match winning sequence b...

Former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones had his license revoked and received a $205,000 fine from the  California State Athletic Commission after he tested positive for a banned substance prior to his victory over Daniel Cormier at UFC 214 last July. MMA Fighting's Ariel Helwani provided the context for what the CSAC's ruling means: As Helwani noted, the process for Jones doesn't stop with the CSAC. The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency issued a  one-year suspension  to Jones in November 2016 for a positive drug test, and his punishment this time around could be even lengthier. Although Helwani said Jones can reapply for his license in March 2019, ESPN.com's   Brett Okamoto   reported the revocation was backdated to August 2017. As a result, Jones can apply for reinstatement as early as this August. A USADA suspension could, however, push that date back even further. At the very least, CSAC's ruling puts a dream match between Jones and Brock Lesnar in seri...