Sports

By AMY TAXIN Associated Press California has approved a plan to make flag football a girls’ high school sport amid soaring popularity of the game and a push to get more female athletes on the field. The California Interscholastic Federation’s federated council voted Friday to make flag football an official high school sport for girls

By NOAH TRISTER AP Baseball Writer BALTIMORE (AP) — Orioles general manager Mike Elias is happy to accept some of the blame if expectations are a little harder to manage this season. He figures he’s part of the reason hopes are so high. Baltimore has a lot of potential for the future, and Elias hasn’t

NEW YORK (AP) — ESPN and The Athletic have reported that All-Star guard Kyrie Irving asked the Brooklyn Nets for a trade. The outlets reported Friday that Irving made the request after talks about a new contract did not go to his liking. The NBA’s trade deadline is Thursday. A tweet was posted to Irving’s

MADRID (AP) — Valencia defender Gabriel Paulista will miss two games for his dangerous foul of Vinícius Júnior after the Spanish soccer federation’s disciplinary committee added another game to his suspension. Paulista kicked at Vinícius’ legs after the Brazil forward got past him with the ball in the 72nd minute of Madrid’s 2-0 win over

By AARON BEARD AP Basketball Writer DURHAM, N.C. (AP) — Duke’s famously rowdy students have spent weeks camping out and getting ready for Saturday’s annual rivalry game with North Carolina. This one is the first since Hall of Fame coach Mike Krzyzewski retired. Yet “Krzyzewskiville” remained full in recent weeks. And everyone from successor Jon

By GREG BEACHAM AP Sports Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — Fedor Emelianenko says his 23-year mixed martial arts career is ending this weekend when he fights Ryan Bader for the Bellator heavyweight title. The unassuming heavyweight became a combat sports legend while forging a unique path through the MMA jungle. Emelianenko insisted his final fight

By RONALD BLUM AP Sports Writer NEW YORK (AP) — The first English-language television broadcast of the U.S. men’s soccer team in its new media contract was seen by 416,000 viewers on TNT. Last Saturday’s 0-0 exhibition draw against Colombia was seen by 540,000 in its Spanish-language broadcast on Telemundo for a combined audience of

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Max Fried is headed to to salary arbitration with the Atlanta Braves for the second straight year. He is asking for $15 million. The team offered $13.5 million. The 29-year-old left-hander went 14-7 in 2022 for the second straight season and lowered his ERA to 2.48. He also was a

LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) — A contest that could define the 2024 Paris Olympics is playing out 18 months before medals are awarded. It’s giving the International Olympic Committee a political challenge with echoes of the 1980s boycott era. Ukraine fired up its campaign on Friday to have Russia and military ally Belarus excluded from the

By DOUG FEINBERG AP Basketball Writer Azurá Stevens is signing with the Los Angeles Sparks. The 6-foot-6 forward won a WNBA title with the Chicago Sky in 2021 and has averaged 9.0 points and 4.4 rebounds in her career. She was drafted by Dallas in 2018. Chicago is replacing Stevens with free-agent center Elizabeth Williams,

By RONALD BLUM AP Baseball Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Major League Baseball has formed a new economic study committee in light of a possible bankruptcy for the company that owns local broadcasting rights to 14 of 30 teams. The committee will gather next week at the owners’ meetings in Palm Beach, Florida. The committee

CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago White Sox have acquired reliever Franklin German in a trade with the Boston Red Sox. The White Sox sent minor league right-hander Theo Denlinger to Boston for German, who made his major league debut in September. Right-hander Jason Bilous was designated for assignment to make room for German on Chicago’s

By JOHN MARSHALL AP Basketball Writer Perennial powers frontloaded the final poll of the 2012-13 college basketball season. Flash forward 10 years and the AP Top 25 has a different look and feel. New programs have risen to the top tier. Upsets have turned up the madness in March even more. A few bluebloods have

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) — Alabama coach Nate Oats has agreed to a new six-year, $30 million contract amid the program’s best regular season in decades. Oats will average $5 million plus incentives over the deal running through the 2028-29 season under a deal approved by the University of Alabama System Board of Trustees Compensation Committee.

RAS AL KHAIMAH, United Arab Emirates (AP) — David Law’s strong finish has give the Scot a share of the lead with Adrian Meronk and Rasmus Højgaard at the halfway point of the Ras Al Khaimah Championship. Law’s bogey-free 8-under 64 included an eagle and three birdies over the last five holes at Al Hamra

By HANNA ARHIROVA Associated Press KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — With next year’s Paris Olympics on the horizon and Russia’s invasion looking more like a prolonged conflict, Ukraine’s sports minister on Friday renewed a threat to boycott the games if Russia and Belarus are allowed to compete and said Kyiv would lobby other nations to join.

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) — Alabama coach Nate Oats has agreed to a new six-year, $30 million contract amid the program’s best regular season in decades. Oats will average $5 million plus incentives over the deal running through the 2028-29 season under a deal approved by the University of Alabama System Board of Trustees Compensation Committee.

CLEMSON, S.C. (AP) — Clemson gave raises to special teams coordinator and cornerbacks coach Mike Reed and defensive tackles coach Nick Eason on Friday. The school’s board of trustees compensation committee approved increases of $50,000 to Reed and Eason, upping their salaries to $800,000 a year. Reed, Eason and seven other members of the on-field

By JAMES ROBSON AP Soccer Writer Chelsea manager Graham Potter was always going to have a job squeezing new signings in after around $357 million was spent during the January transfer window. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is a high-profile casualty of the midseason shopping spree after being cut from Chelsea’s squad for the Champions League knockout stages.