npr Page 11 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

WWE Wants to Replace John Cena With Japan's Shinsuke Nakamura, And It Might Actually Work<em></em><em></em>
This Sunday night’s Backlash show marks the beginning of a new era in WWE, one that would have been shocking even two years ago. For the first time in its history, the world’s largest professional wrestling promotion is attempting to turn a Japanese wrestler into one of its top stars—the top star, i...

Hawk Harrelson Has Invaded The Indian Premier League
So there I was, kindly minding my own business on a usual Sunday (a dozen MLB games on various screens, but mostly paying attention to the Wizards-Celtics game) when an unmistakable voice came barreling into my skull like an ice pick through my tympanic membrane....

Batsman Destroys Tactical Laptop
Kolkata Knight Riders beat Sunrisers Hyderabad today in the IPL by 17 runs, and the losers might be able to blame a destroyed laptop for their offensive failures....

The Detroit Tigers Will Offer You Aging Stars And A Terrible Bullpen
This is part of an occasional series comprising MLB season previews....

The Pittsburgh Pirates Will Be Frustratingly Competent
This is part of an occasional series comprising MLB season previews....

Do You Really Want To Know Anything About The Marlins?
Last year was a fun one for the Miami Marlins, until it really, really wasn’t. José Fernández’s death may not actually cast a pall over the Marlins’ entire 2017 season, but it certainly feels that way now. It will definitely feel that way whenever I have to watch Dan Straily pitch....

The Baltimore Orioles Will Just Keep Swinging
This is part of an occasional series comprising MLB season previews....

The Mets Are Trying The Same Thing And Hoping For Better Results
This is part of an occasional series comprising MLB season previews....

The NHL's Weird Superhero Project Is Still Finding Ways To Fail
If you have a soft spot for ridiculous comic book concepts, you may remember the NHL’s failed superhero tie-in from a few years ago. (If not, never fear, the full set of team-themed heroes is still available here and includes such glorious taglines as “underworld maverick of the Garden State” for th...

The Oakland A's Are Lonely
This is part of an occasional series comprising MLB season previews....

Netherlands Baseball Player, Busy Gloating Over A Single, Gets Thrown Out At First
In the World Baseball Classic semifinal between Puerto Rico and the Netherlands, Dutchman Jurickson Profar got ahead of himself while celebrating a first-inning single to right field. Puerto Rico’s right fielder threw a rocket to catcher Yadier Molina to hold up the runner at third, and then, as Pro...

The Rockies Think They Can Win, Now They Just Have To Go Do It
This is part of an occasional series comprising MLB season previews....

South African Soccer Player Accidentally Thanks Both Wife And Girlfriend In Post-Game Talk
The South African Premier League’s Mohammed Anas won Man of the Match for his two goals in yesterday’s Free State-Cape Town game. Good stuff! Except for his acceptance speech, in which he thanked both his wife and girlfriend (before backtracking to assure his wife that, really, he loves her so much)...

The Red Sox Have Chris Sale And That's Really All That Matters
This is part of an occasional series comprising MLB season previews....

The Dodgers Somehow Pull Off The Trick Of Being Rich And Charming
This is part of an occasional series comprising MLB season previews....

The San Francisco Giants Just Need To Stop Yakking Up Wins
This is the first in what will be an occasional series comprising MLB season previews....

USADA Report Says Alberto Salazar, Mo Farah, And Other Nike Runners "Almost Certainly" Violated Anti-Doping Rules
England’s The Sunday Times reports that they have seen a document prepared by the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) detailing use of the legal amino acid L-carnitine in “sometimes potentially unlawful” ways by British Olympian Mo Farah and six American members of the Nike Oregon Project—under...

Keeper Scores Amazing, Last-Second Bicycle Kick, Caps It With Even Better Celebration
Goalkeeper goals are always special for the simple fact that it’s always great when a goalkeeper scores. But Baroka FC keeper Oscarine Masuluke’s stoppage-time equalizer that he knocked in with a crazy overhead kick, coupled with his crotch-grabbing celebration, deserves a spot in the goalie goal ha...

Las Palmas' Exquisite Team Goal Will Make You Drool
A chipped through ball. A volleyed backheel assist. A leaping, volleyed scissor-kick for a shot. Goals don’t get much better than this....

The NFL And NFLPA Remind Us How Meaningless The League's Brain Damage Protocols Are
The NFL and NFLPA have released a joint statement explaining why Cam Newton wasn’t removed from the game to be evaluated for symptoms of brain damage after taking multiple blows to the head in Week 1. What the statement says, essentially, is that the things that millions of people saw happen to Newt...