AP National Sports

By TERESA M. WALKER AP Sports Writer NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee State announced it will become the first historically Black college and university to introduce ice hockey. The school plans to have a men’s team playing at the club level in 2024, with a goal of having Division I men’s and women’s teams eventually.

By JAMES ROBSON AP Soccer Writer MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Lionel Messi and Karim Benzema kicked off the transfer window in spectacular fashion and more of soccer’s biggest stars could also be on the mover. Kylian Mbappe has told Paris Saint-Germain he will not sign a 12-month extension on his current contract. That is expected

NEW YORK (AP) — The 2024 Major League Soccer All-Star Game will be played at the Columbus Crew’s Lower.com Field on July 17. Columbus hosted the game in 2000 and 2005 at its previous stadium. This year’s All-Star Game, in which MLS All-Stars play Arsenal, is at Audi Feld in Washington, D.C., on July 19.

By WILL GRAVES AP Sports Writer Simone Biles is back. The gymnastics superstar plans to return to competition at the U.S. Classic outside Chicago in early August. The meet will be Biles’ first since the pandemic-delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Biles made headlines at the 2020 Games when she removed herself from several events to focus

By TIM REYNOLDS AP Basketball Writer Victor Wembanyama’s official height is 7 feet, 3 1/2 inches. That’s according to the San Antonio Spurs, who got the actual measurement over the weekend. It ends months of speculation about how tall Wembanyama is. Some sites have listed him as tall as 7-foot-5. Also Wednesday, it was announced

GENEVA (AP) — No worries about spectators getting a beer at the stadium when Australia hosts the 2032 Olympics. Brisbane organizing committee president Andrew Liveris says “we’ll serve a beer because we can.” Liveris was asked about the alcohol prohibition for ordinary fans at the 2024 Paris Olympics. That’s the law for stadiums in France.

By JAMES ROBSON AP Soccer Writer MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Declan Rice is turning into one of the biggest stories of the transfer window. The England international has been linked with many of Europe’s biggest clubs after establishing himself at West Ham. But it is Arsenal that appears to be closing in on a deal

EASTBOURNE, England (AP) — Mackenzie McDonald advanced to the quarterfinals at the Eastbourne International by upsetting top-seeded Taylor Fritz 7-6 (3), 7-6 (8). McDonald rebounded from a service break down in each at the Wimbledon warm-up tournament. Coco Cauff reached the women’s quarterfinals with a 6-1, 6-1 win over Jodie Burrage. The American will next

By PAT EATON-ROBB Associated Press STORRS, Conn. (AP) — University of Connecticut officials welcomed a new celebrity on Wednesday, and they say he’s a very good boy. Jonathan XV is a 2-month old Siberian husky who will take over as the official UConn Husky mascot this fall. The puppy was born in Ontario, Canada, on

By NICHOLAS RICCARDI Associated Press The United States is about to start the countdown to its 250th anniversary. The buildup begins this July 4 at a Major League Baseball game between the Milwaukee Brewers and the Chicago Cubs at American Family Field in Milwaukee, where the organization created by Congress to oversee the party will

By GRAHAM DUNBAR AP Sports Writer LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) — Ukrainian high jumper Yaroslava Mahuchikh has said since the start of the war that all Russian and Belarusian athletes should be excluded from the 2024 Paris Olympics. Mahuchikh does not understand why opinions have now changed at the International Olympic Committee. The Olympic bronze medalist

PARIS (AP) — Kylian Mbappé and other prominent French soccer players have expressed their indignation after a 17-year-old delivery driver was shot and killed during a police check. Mbappé writes “I feel bad for my France” in a Twitter message accompanied by broken hearts emoticons. The death prompted nationwide concern and triggered unrest in multiple

By HOWARD FENDRICH AP Tennis Writer Iga Swiatek is coming off her third title in the past four years on the French Open’s red clay. She also won a championship on the U.S. Open’s hard courts and reached the semifinals on that surface at the Australian Open. And what about on grass courts? Wimbledon has

By STEPHEN WHYNO AP Hockey Writer Recent Stanley Cup champions Alex Killorn, J.T. Compher and Patrick Kane are among the top players to watch when NHL free agency begins Saturday. The crop of available forwards also includes longtime Chicago captain Jonathan Toews. Veterans Frederik Andersen and Tristan Jarry headline an unusually intriguing class of free

By ANNE M. PETERSON AP Sports Writer When Olivia Moultrie was just 13, her family moved from California to Oregon so she could train with the Portland Thorns. The National Women’s Soccer League had a rule at the time that all players had to be at least 18, so Moultrie could only practice with the

WIMBLEDON, England (AP) — Carlos Alcaraz and Iga Swiatek are seeded No. 1 for Wimbledon. Alcaraz and Swiatek were expected to lead the fields because the All England Club adhered to the latest ATP and WTA rankings. Alcaraz overtook Novak Djokovic atop the men’s rankings on Monday. Djokovic has not played since collecting his men’s-record

MUNICH (AP) — Bayern Munich and Qatar Airways say they are not going to renew a sponsorship deal which caused tension between the German soccer champion and its fans. Bayern and the Qatari state-owned airline say in a joint statement that the sponsorship “ends by mutual agreement on 30 June 2023 after five very exciting