npr Page 8 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

Zenit Supporters Unfurl Racist Banner To Protest The Signing Of A Black Player
During a match between Zenit St. Petersburg and FC Krasnodar, Zenit supporters revealed a banner with a message to those at the head of their club that read (roughly translated): “Thank you leadership for loyalty to traditions.” The sarcastic statement was made in response to the club signing ex-Bar...

Dean Ambrose Is Dead, But Jon Moxley Is Alive And Well
Dean Ambrose is dead. Long live Jon Moxley. ...

Christen Press On Her Ill-Conceived Partnership With Barstool Sports: "I Wasn't Familiar With The Site"
After a week of ducking questions about the origins of her regrettable World Cup victory parade partnership with the racist and misogynist clown show that is Barstool Sports, Christen Press finally responded last night. It will surprise no one that Barstool’s version of events was misleading....

USWNT Press Officer On Christen Press's Barstool Sports Partnership: "Something Seems Amiss!"
During Wednesday’s victory parade for the USWNT, Christen Press briefly took over the Barstool Sports Instagram account, where she posted videos of her and her teammates celebrating. Later that day, Barstool Sports published a post under the headline “Confirmed: The USWNT Loves Barstool Sports,” in ...

Does NJPW Understand Why American Fans Like NJPW?
New Japan Pro Wrestling’s Dallas show on Saturday was another step in its attempt at international expansion, but it carried a particular significance: It was the opening night of the promotion’s 29th annual G1 Climax round robin tournament, where some of the finest wrestlers in the world try to out...

A Guide To New Japan Pro Wrestling's G1 Climax, The Best Wrestling Event In The World
Every summer, the best wrestling on the planet happens half a world away from the sterile confines of WWE. Starting on Saturday, New Japan Pro Wrestling puts on its mammoth undertaking of a tournament, the G1 Climax. (Yes, Climax is part of the name, let’s all just try to be adults about this.) Over...

Should WWE Actually Be Worried About AEW?
There’s panic in the streets of Stamford, Connecticut. Or, anyway, there’s a sense that change is coming for the famously change-averse WWE after a ten-day period that could signal the start of a new era in professional wrestling. All it took to rattle WWE was for a new promotion—in this case, All E...

Soccer Referee Dies After Suffering Heart Attack During A Match In Bolivia
Víctor Hugo Hurtado was refereeing Sunday’s Bolivian first division match between Always Ready and Oriente Petrolero when he collapsed on the pitch midgame due to a reported heart attack. Stadium support staff took Hurtado to a local hospital, where the 31-year-old suffered another heart attack and ...

Ryan Pressly Seals MLB Record For Scoreless Appearances With Athletic Diving Throw
Over his last 39 consecutive appearances on the mound, Houston reliever Ryan Pressly’s ERA has been an utterly absurd 0.00. It’s a streak that started back in Aug. 15, 2018 against the Rockies (eat shit, Ley), and officially reached MLB-record heights on Friday against the Boston Red Sox. The scorel...

Jushin Thunder Liger, Japan's Greatest Wrestling Export, Is Set For One Last Ride
On Thursday, Jushin Thunder Liger, inarguably one of the most influential figures in the history of the global wrestling business, announced his retirement at a press conference in Japan. The 54-year-old masked wrestler, whose real name is Keichi Yamada, will travel the world on a farewell tour slat...

This Little Kid's Spinning Backheel Volley Goal Is Cooler Than Anything You've Ever Done In Your Life
I don’t think goals in Polish U11 futsal tournaments qualify for the Puskás Award, but if they did then this unreal dink from little Bartosz Kuśmierczyk would make for a hell of a contender:...

Barcelona's Bizarre Kevin-Prince Boateng Purchase Actually Makes All The Sense In The World
In 2019's most bizarre transfer move, Barcelona nabbed up Sassuolo’s bulky attacking whirlwind Kevin-Prince Boateng on a loan deal until the end of the season, with a reported $9 million option to buy in the summer. When soccer enthusiasts woke up on Monday, KPB was still a fun curio, a “remember wh...

Jaylon Smith Somehow Not Flagged For This Devastating Helmet-To-Helmet Hit On Alvin Kamara
Early in the fourth quarter of Thursday night’s Saints-Cowboys game, Drew Brees threw a third-and-long screen pass underneath to Alvin Kamara. Kamara scampered eight yards up the right side, where he was met by Cowboys linebacker Jaylon Smith, who launched himself head-first at Kamara’s helmet....

A Timely Preview Of The 2018-19 NBA Season, Which, Ah, Hm, Appears To Have Begun Already
Well hello there, fellow basketball enthusiast! It’s that time again: Time for the NBA season to have begun literally over two hours ago, when the Celtics and Sixers tipped off in Boston. There could be no better time than this to look ahead to what the 2018-19 season has in store for us, except may...

No Flags Thrown After Helmet-To-Helmet Hit On Amari Cooper
Amari Cooper was taken into the locker room after being on the wrong end of a helmet-to-helmet hit from Seahawks safety Bradley McDougald. On 2nd-and-20, Derek Carr sent an errant throw down towards Cooper’s shins, leaving him in an exposed position to get blown up the way that he did. No penalties ...

Astros Reliever Ryan Pressly Confronts Cleveland Fan Taunting Roberto Osuna About Domestic Violence
Houston reliever Roberto Osuna didn’t see the mound in the Astros’ lone road game against the Indians in the ALDS—the 11-3 win that clinched the series—but he drew attention from at least one Cleveland fan all the same. From above the Astros bullpen, an Indians fan trash-talked Osuna about allegatio...

Are The NHL's Mini-Dynasties Dead?
Until the Capitals broke through to win their first Cup, the Penguins, Blackhawks, and Kings dominated the NHL as the most effective triumvirate since Roman times. Instead of ending with stabbings and civil war, the modern NHL version collapsed for more mundane reasons involving salary caps and agin...

A 2018–19 NHL Season Preview Of Every Team, From Best To Islanders
Hell yeah, hockey is back! After suffering through three months of sports that do not involve ice, and night after night of 90-degree temperatures with no A/C (though that one might just be me), the most beautiful and fun game in the world has returned to save you from five-hour ALDS games and lopsi...

All You Need Is Spite: A Very Emotional NHL Season Preview
Boys and girls and babes, we all learned so much during the 2017–2018 NHL season. For example, I learned that chaos rules the universe, sports predictions are horoscopes but less accurate, and hockey games are won by pure, defiant, you-said-I-couldn’t-do-it spite and very little else....

How Patrick Chung's Concussion Fell Through The Cracks
The NFL and the NFLPA on Thursday concluded their joint investigation of Patriots safety Patrick Chung’s concussion. The inquiry found that there were no protocol violations even though Chung was initially not tested for a brain injury after being sent off the field by a game official. This appears ...