AP National Sports

By CHARLES ODUM AP Sports Writer FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. (AP) — Desmond Ridder’s four-game audition as the Atlanta Falcons’ starting quarterback at the end of the 2022 season was crucial. Jake Matthews, a 10th-year left tackle, says those four games provided an important transition to the leader of a young core on offense that now

PRAGUE (AP) — Fiorentina captain Cristiano Biraghi was hit in the head by objects thrown from the stands by West Ham supporters during the first half of the Europa Conference League final on Wednesday, leaving him bleeding from a gash in his scalp. The game was briefly held up after Biraghi was struck by empty

By TERESA M. WALKER AP Pro Football Writer NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The Tennessee Titans will be the first NFL team to bring three-time All-Pro wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins in for a free agent visit. Hopkins turned 31 on Tuesday. He still would have led Tennessee last season with 64 catches for 717 yards despite

By ALANIS THAMES AP Sports Writer MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Miami Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel wanted to see a “graduation” from Tua Tagovailoa entering his fourth year in the NFL and second in McDaniel’s system. In Year One, the Dolphins starting quarterback had to learn and adapt weekly. In Year Two, McDaniel expects more

By GRAHAM DUNBAR AP Sports Writer GENEVA (AP) — Every player at the Women’s World Cup will be paid at least $30,000 by FIFA and all 23 in the title-winning team will each get $270,000. The details confirmed Wednesday fulfils FIFA’s promise to directly reward all 732 players taking part in the tournament that starts

By WILL GRAVES AP Sports Writer PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Oakland Athletics won back-to-back games for just the third time season as Ryan Noda homered and reached base four times in a 9-5 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates. Oakland’s first seven batters reached against Roansy Contreras. All seven scored to give Oakland its second road

By MIKE FITZPATRICK AP Baseball Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Major League Baseball has postponed games in New York and Philadelphia on Wednesday night because of poor air quality caused by smoke from Canadian wildfires. A National Women’s Soccer League game in New Jersey and an indoor WNBA game set for Brooklyn were also called

By ELLEN KNICKMEYER Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — After years of isolation over his human rights abuses, Saudi Arabia’s crown prince is elevating his standing in the United States in part by diving into American sports, business and culture. And no example has been as striking as his bold entry into professional golf — the

By GARY D. ROBERTSON Associated Press RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina legislation to authorize statewide and regulate sports and horse-race wagering is heading to Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper’s desk. The Republican-controlled General Assembly gave final approval to the legislation on Wednesday with a House vote. The Senate OK’d the measure last week. Cooper is

By STEPHEN WHYNO AP Sports Writer Horse racing has come a long way since it was known as the sport of kings. It no longer captures national attention in the U.S. or worldwide the way it did when horses like Seabiscuit, Man o’ War and Secretariat were racing. Fan interest in the 21st century has

By ADRIAN SAINZ Associated Press The Iron Sheik, a former pro wrestler who relished playing a burly, bombastic villain in 1980s battles with some of the sport’s biggest stars and later became a popular Twitter personality, died Wednesday, the WWE said. He was 81. The wrestling organization posted an article confirming his death, and a

By CHARLES ODUM AP Sports Writer FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. (AP) — Atlanta Falcons running back and return specialist Avery Williams is expected to miss the 2023 season after suffering a knee injury in a non-contact drill. Falcons coach Arthur Smith said Wednesday that Williams is expected to have season-ending surgery on Thursday to repair a

By TIM REYNOLDS AP Sports Writer SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — The Panthers need a miracle. Again. The Panthers needed a furious late-season push just to get into the playoffs as the lowest seed, then needed to win three consecutive elimination games to oust a record-setting Boston team in Round 1. And now, another huge challenge

By DOUG FERGUSON AP Golf Writer Rory McIlroy, the strongest voice against Saudi-funded LIV Golf that caused so much disruption in golf, said Wednesday he now feels like a “sacrificial lamb” with the stunning reversal of the PGA Tour becoming partners with Saudi Arabia’s enormous wealth fund. It was McIlroy who helped lead a players-only

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Vanderbilt will be celebrating its latest national bowling championship at the White House on Monday. The Commodores announced Wednesday the 10-women team will attend the White House’s College Athlete Day Celebration. Vanderbilt won its third national title in bowling April 15 in Las Vegas. Coach John Williamson said it’s a tremendous

PARIS (AP) — An IOC inspection team has given a resounding thumbs-up to Paris’ preparations for the 2024 Olympic Games. The IOC says Paris organizers are where they should be in their planning with 415 days to go before the opening ceremony. Wrapping up a three-day visit, the team said they were leaving with “a

By JENNA FRYER AP Auto Racing Writer Ed Carpenter Racing says it has ended its relationship with driver Conor Daly effective immediately and will announce a replacement for the No. 20 Chevrolet by IndyCar’s next race. Daly has been working with ECR since 2020, but did not run a full season with the team until

By GABE STERN Associated Press/Report for America CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) — The Oakland Athletics’ search for a new home has drawn Nevada lawmakers into a special legislative session Wednesday to weigh whether the state should cover $380 million of the $1.5 billion stadium planned for the Las Vegas Strip. A’s representatives and some tourism

By GRAHAM DUNBAR AP Sports Writer GENEVA (AP) — The IOC finally ran out of patience with the International Boxing Federation and has set a date to terminate its Olympic status this month. Boxing will still be on the program at the 2024 Paris Olympics, but the International Olympic Committee said its executive board has