Sports

By ROB MAADDI AP Pro Football Writer It’s been 25 years since both NFL conference championship games were this evenly matched from an oddsmakers standpoint. The San Francisco 49ers are 2 1/2-point underdogs against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday in the NFC championship game, according to FanDuel Sportsbook. In the AFC title game, the Cincinnati

By AARON BEARD AP Sports Writer Former NBA guard J.R. Smith hopes his journey as a college golfer helps others feel comfortable taking up the sport regardless of their background. Smith is part of a new video podcast launching Wednesday designed to make the sport more accessible to young and diverse audiences. Smith joins high-end

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Spectators will not be allowed to attend the first round of the Dubai Desert Classic on Thursday because of what organizers have described as “severe weather conditions” forecast at Emirates Golf Club. The European tour says the decision had been made “with the safety of all in mind.” The

NYON, Switzerland (AP) — UEFA has stripped Russia of hosting rights on Wednesday for the season-opening Super Cup game in August. UEFA’s executive committee made the decision because of the country’s ongoing war in Ukraine. The city of Kazan was due to stage the curtain-raising game between the winners of this season’s Champions League and

By STEVE DOUGLAS AP Sports Writer Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta would prefer to go head to head with pretty much any other coach than Pep Guardiola in a bid to win the biggest trophies in English soccer. That’s not just because it means Arsenal is having to compete with Manchester City and it is a

By JAMES ROBSON AP Soccer Writer MANCHESTER, England (AP) — The spending sprees on players and hiring of big name managers haven’t stopped Everton’s slide. At this rate, one of English soccer’s most storied clubs might be playing in the second division when its new waterfront stadium opens. Everton is searching for a new manager

NEW YORK (AP) — Cincinnati tight end Hayden Hurst, San Francisco tight end George Kittle and Washington head coach Ron Rivera are the three finalists for the NFL’s Salute to Service Award. The 12th annual award is designated for exceptional effort to honor and support members of the military community. The winner will be announced

BEIJING (AP) — Relegated Chinese Super League club Wuhan Yangtze has announced that it is ceasing operations, a decision that comes just two months after it received a points deduction for failing to pay player salaries. Wuhan finished 16th out of 18 teams in the 2022 season which ended in December, and said in a

By JENNA FRYER AP Auto Racing Writer DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — As Michael Andretti awaits a decision on his bid to enter Formula One, he’s turned his attention to sports car racing in his expansive motor sports program. Andretti Autosport has partnered with Wayne Taylor Racing and will open the season Saturday at the

LONDON (AP) — Tottenham has strengthened its attacking options for the second half of the season by signing Dutch forward Arnaut Danjuma on loan from Villarreal. Danjuma joined Tottenham until the end of the season and will start his second stint in English soccer having played for Bournemouth from 2019-21. He had been expected to

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — A leading soccer referee in Germany has been awarded 48,500 euros ($52,800) after a court found he was discriminated against when he was no longer considered for games because of his age. The court in Frankfurt found Manuel Gräfe had been disadvantaged by the German soccer federation’s practice of not considering

By HOWARD FENDRICH AP Tennis Writer MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Novak Djokovic was still in the first set of his Australian Open quarterfinal against Andrey Rublev when the guy who would face the winner of that match, Tommy Paul, sat down for a news conference. “Probably have a better chance of winning if it’s Rublev,”

MUNICH (AP) — Bayern Munich sporting director Hasan Salihamidžić has criticized forward Serge Gnabry for an “amateurish” trip to Paris Fashion Week in between games as Bayern’s new year got off to a mixed start with two draws. Gnabry posted pictures of himself in various outfits on Instagram Sunday during a day off after Bayern

By JOHN LEICESTER Associated Press PARIS (AP) — The head of France’s professional handball league has resigned after pleading guilty to child corruption and child pornography charges. It’s the country’s latest sports scandal before it hosts next year’s Paris Olympics. In a plea deal reached with prosecutors, Bruno Martini was handed a 12-month suspended prison

By NOAH TRISTER AP Baseball Writer Scott Rolen is headed to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Next year, make way for another star third baseman. Adrián Beltré highlights the first-time eligibles for 2024. Rolen’s election Tuesday capped an impressive six-year rise in his vote total. But Beltré has a good chance to go in on

By JOSH DUBOW AP Pro Football Writer Patrick Mahomes will be the old man among the starting quarterbacks in the NFL conference title games. The 27-year-old All-Pro for Kansas City is the oldest member of one of the youngest groups of starting quarterbacks to make it to this round. The other three scheduled starting QBs