AP National Sports

By WILL GRAVES AP Sports Writer AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — The home of the Masters is making an effort to reach a younger generation of golfers as the tournament nears its 100th birthday. Augusta National allowed Youtube stars Dude Perfect to play a portion of the course along with golf star Bryson DeChambeau using sports

CHICAGO (AP) — The United States will host Grenada on June 11 and play at El Salvador three days later in World Cup prep matches. The matches will follow exhibitions on June 1 and 5, one possibly against Uruguay. The U.S. also is planning exhibitions for Sept. 23 and 27. Back in the World Cup

By The Associated Press Outside linebacker Whitney Mercilus says he’s retiring, ending a 10-year career in which he made 58 sacks. The 31-year-old Mercilus announced his decision Wednesday via Instagram. The 2012 first-round draft pick from Illinois spent nearly his entire career with the Houston Texans before playing four regular-season games and one playoff contest

By HANNAH FINGERHUT and RONALD BLUM Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — About 1 in 4 fans of Major League Baseball feel at least some anger toward the sport after its first work stoppage in a generation, according to a new poll, but the vast majority are still excited about the new season. That’s according

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The Sun Belt Conference is reviving men’s soccer this fall. The nine-team league will include new members James Madison, Marshall and Old Dominion along with soccer-only members Kentucky, South Carolina and West Virginia. They’ll join existing Sun Belt schools Coastal Carolina, Georgia Southern and Georgia State. Marshall won the 2020 NCAA

AUGSBURG, Germany (AP) — Augsburg pushed further clear of relegation danger in the Bundesliga by beating Mainz 2-1. Swiss midfielder Ruben Vargas scored what proved to be the winning goal in the 56th minute, securing Augsburg’s third victory in its last four league games. It lifted the team above Wolfsburg and into 13th place, six

By BRIAN WITTE Associated Press ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — To encourage the Washington Commanders to stay in Maryland, the Maryland House has approved a measure with a $400 million plan to develop the area around FedEx Field in the suburbs of the nation’s capital. The bill approved Wednesday doesn’t include money for a new stadium

NEW YORK (AP) — Former All-Star CC Sabathia was hired as a special assistant to baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred. The 41-year-old, who retired after the 2019 season, is tasked with addressing player relations, diversity, equity and inclusion, social responsibility, youth participation and broadcasting. Sabathia will work with The Players Alliance. He is a vice president

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — South Carolina lawmakers paused Wednesday to honor the University of South Carolina’s national championship women’s basketball team in a raucous celebration. The party included Gamecocks chants and the team’s unofficial anthem blaring through the House chamber. South Carolina won the national championship Sunday with a 64-49 victory over UConn. The accomplishment

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. (AP) — The budget-conscious Atlanta Falcons signed former first-round picks Rashaan Evans and offensive lineman Germain Ifedi to one-year contracts. Evans bolsters the Falcons at linebacker after spending the past four seasons with the Tennessee Titans. He was the 22nd overall pick in the 2018 draft from Alabama, Ifedi gives Atlanta additional

By TIM REYNOLDS AP Sports Writer AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — It was a sunny and warm afternoon, only a few people were lucky enough to be playing golf at Augusta National and heavy equipment was being driven onto the course. That work crew’s mission: to remove a massive tree from the left side of the

NEW YORK (AP) — The attorneys general of six states have written to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell , expressing concern over the league’s treatment of female employees and admonishing him for a lack of improvement to the league’s workplace culture. Without improvement, the attorneys general warned of potential legal action. The letter outlines concerns of

By JAKE SEINER AP Baseball Writer There’s a lot to catch up on from a bizarre baseball offseason before the 2022 season officially begins with first pitch at Wrigley Field. Certainly, the sport is ready to move forward and wash off a winter when owners and players fought fiercely and occasionally publicly over how to

CHICAGO (AP) — Chicago Bulls point guard Lonzo Ball will miss the rest of the season following another setback in his recovery from surgery for a torn meniscus in his left knee. Ball’s final game was Jan. 14, and he had surgery two weeks later. The Bulls hoped a recent 10-day shutdown in activities after

BRISTOL, Conn. (AP) — Alex Rodriguez hopes to rebound in Hall of Fame voting after falling far short in his first try on the ballot. The three-time MVP appeared on 34.3% of ballots in January. He says “I hope I get in one day. It would be an incredible honor. I’d be terribly disappointed if

By JONATHAN LANDRUM Jr. AP Entertainment Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — John C. Reilly knew about the “Showtime” basketball displayed by the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1980s. But the actor never knew the backstory behind the influential contributors to the franchise’s dynasty. He quickly found out after stepping into his role as late Laker

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Six-time MotoGP champion Marc Marquez says he has been medically cleared to return to racing this week at the Grand Prix of the Americas in Texas after vision problems sidelined him for the previous two races. Marquez crashed hard in warm-ups for the Indonesian Grand Prix which caused him to experience

By JENNA FRYER AP Auto Racing Writer CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Kevin Harvick is a fading star trying to keep pace in a NASCAR that now seems more suited for younger drivers. He’s 46 years old, in his 22nd full NASCAR season and hasn’t won a race since 2020. So a slow start in NASCAR’s