Sports

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

By The Associated Press Cubs veteran Kyle Hendricks is set to deliver the first pitch of the season against Corbin Burnes and Milwaukee at Wrigley Field just past 2:20 p.m. EDT, the first of seven games still on the calendar amid rainy forecasts across the country. The World Series champion Atlanta Braves open at home

By DAVE SKRETTA AP Sports Writer KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Every big leaguer thinks their team has a chance when they arrive to spring training. The old “hope springs eternal” cliché is, after all, more apropos to Major League Baseball than perhaps any other professional sport. It’s been a few years, though, since the

ATLANTA (AP) — Jonas Hayes, who as interim coach led Xavier to its first NIT championship in 64 years, has been hired as Georgia State’s coach. Hayes, an Atlanta native and University of Georgia alumnus, replaces Rob Lanier, who left Georgia State to lead SMU’s program. Hayes was an assistant coach at Xavier before being

By TOM WITHERS AP Sports Writer LeBron James ends weeks of speculation over his future by announcing his decision on an ESPN special that he has decided to leave the Cleveland Cavaliers and his home state of Ohio after seven years to join Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh at the Miami Heat seeking his first