NEWS

NEWS

Primetime: NASCAR set for first Wednesday start since 1984

May 20, 2020 Associated Press

DARLINGTON, S.C. (AP) — Whenever Joey Logano doesn’t cross the finish line first at a NASCAR Cup Series race, he says he tends to have the same thought: “Golly, I wish I could do that again.” The 2018 NASCAR champion and rest of the field will get to do it again: They will run the […]

NEWS

NFL teams can reopen training facilities with government OK

May 19, 2020 Associated Press

A limited number of NFL teams are reopening their training facilities Tuesday, while many are prohibited by government restrictions during the coronavirus pandemic. Commissioner Roger Goodell gave the 32 clubs the go-ahead for limited reopenings as long as state and local municipalities allow them. Coaching staffs and all players except those undergoing injury rehabilitation are […]

NEWS

No universal playbook for virus testing in pro sports

May 19, 2020 Associated Press

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — There is no universal playbook for coronavirus testing in professional sports. Protocols and procedures, guidelines and handbooks — they could be as different as rulebooks. There’s plenty of common ground, though, which explains why executives and doctors from various leagues have consulted with each other while moving closer to at least […]

COLLEGE

AP Exclusive: Power Five spend big on lobbying Congress

May 19, 2020 Associated Press

The Power Five conferences spent $350,000 on lobbying in the first three months of 2020, more than they had previously spent in any full year, as part of a coordinated effort to influence Congress on legislation affecting the ability of college athletes to earn endorsement money. The Southeastern Conference was the biggest spender, hiring three […]

NEWS

Bull riding may be 1st US professional sport to welcome fans

May 18, 2020 Associated Press

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — One of the first professional athletic sports to allow spectators to attend as states gradually lift restrictions imposed due to the coronavirus is known for its wild, dangerous action: bull riding. Professional Bull Riders has announced a new competition that will culminate in South Dakota on July 10-12 with live […]

NEWS

AP Sources: Rooney Rule to require for more interviews

May 18, 2020 Associated Press

The NFL is amending the Rooney Rule to require more interviews of minority candidates for head coaching and coordinator positions, two people familiar with the decision tell The Associated Press. Reacting to a lack of diversity progress in hirings for those jobs, the league will require teams to interview at least two minority candidates from […]

COLLEGE

Virus has NFL prospects pondering threat of a lost season

May 18, 2020 Associated Press

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Joe Burrow was a competent if unspectacular quarterback as a backup at Ohio State and during his first post-transfer season at LSU. In 2019, he transformed into Super Joe. Imagine if a pandemic had shortened or wiped out that last, golden season for Burrow, who won the Heisman Trophy and led […]

MLB

New MLB rules: shower at home, don’t spit, Mr Met stay away

May 18, 2020 Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — Major League Baseball will look somewhat like high school ball this year under protocols to deal with the new coronavirus, with showers at ballparks discouraged and players possibly arriving in uniform, like they did when they were teenagers. Team personnel will be banned from eating at restaurants on road trips. Even […]

morning updates

Harvick wins at Darlington as NASCAR returns to racing

May 18, 2020 Associated Press

DARLINGTON, S.C. (AP) — This was a 400-mile drive unlike any other in modern day NASCAR. The grandstands were completely empty. There wasn’t a single tailgate inside the track. Everyone wore face coverings — some with the team logos, others opting for plain disposable medical masks. It was nothing close to the corporate sponsorship, pomp […]

NEWS

A look at the La Crosse Area YMCA’s preliminary plan to reopening June 1

May 15, 2020 Rick Solem

Wisconsin businesses can reopen but for some, it’s not quite that simple. The La Crosse Area YMCA is coordinating phased plan to getting members back in its facilities while taking every precaution to stop the spread COVID-19. This isn’t quite set in stone yet, according to La Crosse Area YMCA CEO Bill Soper, but the […]