Sports team and league operation
Bubba Wallace, right, smiles while watching New England Patriots wide receiver Gunner Olszewski catch a football thrown by a fan during a rain delay at the NASCAR Cup Series auto race Sunday, July 18, 2021, in Loudon, N.H. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
Jordan's first year in NASCAR a missed layup with Wallace

By Dan Gelston Jul. 22, 2021 11:26 AM EDT

THIS CORRECTS THAT KIVLENIEKS DIED OF CHEST TRAUMA FROM AN ERRANT FIREWORKS MORTAR BLAST AND NOT A SUBSEQUENT FALL AS AUTHORITIES PREVIOUSLY REPORTED - FILE - Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Matiss Kivlenieks (80) is shown during the second period of an NHL hockey game in New York, in this Sunday, Jan. 19, 2020, file photo. The Columbus Blue Jackets and Latvian Hockey Federation said Monday, July 5, 2021, that 24-year-old goaltender Matiss Kivlenieks has died. A medical examiner in Michigan says an autopsy has determined that Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Matiss Kivlenieks died of chest trauma from an errant fireworks mortar blast, and not a fall as authorities previously reported. Police in Novi, Michigan, said the mortar-style firework tilted slightly and started to fire toward people nearby Sunday night, July 4. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens, File)
Columbus Blue Jackets goalie dies after fireworks accident

By Stephen Whyno And Kathleen Foody Jul. 05, 2021 11:21 AM EDT

FILE - In this Saturday, Feb. 17, 2018, file photo, Justin Marks walks through the garage during practice for the NASCAR Daytona 500 Cup Series auto race at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla. Chip Ganassi has sold his NASCAR team to Justin Marks, owner of Trackhouse Racing, and will pull out of the nation's top stock car series at the end of this season. Ganassi fields two cars in the Cup Series but will transfer his North Carolina race shop and all its assets to Marks for 2022. “He made me a great offer that required my attention,” Ganassi told The Associated Press on Wednesday, June 30, 3031, as the sale was announced (AP Photo/Terry Renna, File)
Marks bypasses charters to buy entire Ganassi NASCAR team

By Jenna Fryer Jul. 02, 2021 05:15 PM EDT

FILE - NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France, right, speaks as team owner Richard Petty, left, listens during a news conference to announce a new charter system for team owners in Charlotte, N.C., in this Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2016, file photo. A charter is essentially the same as a franchise and the 36 that exist both guarantee a spot in the 40-car field each week as well as a larger slice of the money NASCAR contractually owes its participants. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton, File)
NASCAR teams navigating chaotic charter market ahead of 2022

By Jenna Fryer Jun. 29, 2021 04:05 PM EDT

Wolverhampton Wanderers' Willy Boly, left, heads the ball away from Liverpool's Mohamed Salah during the English Premier League soccer match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Liverpool at Molineux Stadium in Wolverhampton, England, Monday, March. 15, 2021. (AP Photo/Paul Ellis,Pool)
LeBron James becomes partner in group that owns Red Sox

By Tim Reynolds Mar. 16, 2021 06:17 PM EDT

Raphael Lessard (24) beats the field to the line to win the first stage during a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series auto race Friday, Feb. 12, 2021, at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)
Camping World helps cash-strapped teams make it to Las Vegas

By Jenna Fryer Mar. 04, 2021 06:10 PM EST

New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara (41) runs past Tampa Bay Buccaneers inside linebacker Lavonte David (54) during the first half of an NFL divisional round playoff football game, Sunday, Jan. 17, 2021, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)
NFL's Kamara races into NASCAR as a team sponsor at Daytona

By Jenna Fryer Feb. 19, 2021 05:11 PM EST

Alex Bowman, left, Chase Elliott, center, and Denny Hamlin listen to the national anthem before the NASCAR Cup Series auto race Saturday, Sept. 19, 2020, in Bristol, Tenn. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)
Column: NASCAR's dizzying silly season will change landscape

By Jenna Fryer Sep. 21, 2020 09:34 PM EDT

FILE - In this Jan. 11, 2017, file photo, former NBA player and players union deputy Roger Mason, left, listens as entertainer Ice Cube, right, announces the launch of the BIG3, a new 3-on-3 professional basketball league, in New York. Hundreds of sports-related businesses got in line for the government-funded Payroll Protection Plan designed to cushion the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. None of the four North American major sports leagues — the NFL, NBA, NHL and Major League Baseball — applied, but both Major League Soccer and the National Women's Soccer League were represented. Rapper Ice Cube's 3-on-3 basketball league says it returned almost half of the $1.6 million it received, but givebacks were rare. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews, File)
Sports jumps on PPP bandwagon, but big leagues take a pass

By The Associated Press Jul. 06, 2020 10:07 PM EDT

FILE - In this March 8, 2020, file photo, Harris English hits out of a bunker onto the 14th green during the final round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational golf tournament in Orlando, Fla. Before the PGA Tour season was halted by the coronavirus, English worked his way up to No. 24 in the FedEx Cup. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack, File)
The Latest: Nets' DeAndre Jordan says he has coronavirus

Jun. 29, 2020 03:02 PM EDT

FILE - In this May 31, 2020, file photo, cars speed past empty stands during a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tenn. Tennis and golf tournaments could be in real financial trouble if they are held without spectators because of the coronavirus pandemic. The biggest team leagues such as the NFL and NBA seem to be in good shape because they derive most of their money from TV contracts worth billions each season. NASCAR also relies mainly on broadcast rights fees. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey, File)
For tennis and golf, tournaments without fans come at a cost

By Howard Fendrich Jun. 11, 2020 02:58 AM EDT

The gates of St. Edwards' Lewis-Chen Family Soccer Field are locked and marked closed due to the coronavirus outbreak, Tuesday, May 5, 2020, in Austin, Texas. In response to the economic impact of COVID-19, St. Edwards says they are cutting cut six sports programs including men's and women's tennis, men's and women's golf and men's soccer. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
The Latest: West Indies cricket cutting pay by 50%

By The Associated Press May. 29, 2020 07:36 AM EDT

FILE - In this Feb. 17, 2019, file photo, New Jersey Devils right wing Kurtis Gabriel works out prior to an NHL hockey game against the Buffalo Sabres in Newark, N.J. The NHL is hoping to move to Phase 2 of its return-to-play protocol, including the opening of practice facilities and allowing small group workouts, early next month. The league, which was forced to pause its season on March 12 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, released a 22-page memo detailing the plan Monday, May 25, 2020. The document stresses there's no exact date for the start of Phase 2 or a timetable for how long it will last. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez, File)
The Latest: NHL players will get daily tests if play resumes

By The Associated Press May. 26, 2020 10:52 AM EDT

FILE - In this Feb. 18, 2017 file photo, players challenge for the ball in front of the empty south tribune because of a ban following fan trouble during the German Bundesliga soccer match between Borussia Dortmund and VfL Wolfsburg at Germany's biggest stadium in Dortmund, Germany. Bundesliga will now restart on May 16, 2020 when Dortmund will play the derby against Schalke at home without spectators due to the coronavirus outbreak. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner, file)
The Latest: China's football association to cut pay

By The Associated Press May. 07, 2020 07:41 AM EDT

FILE - In this Nov. 4, 2019, file photo, the main gate of Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis is shown. It is finally May and acceptable to declare this a crummy year for Roger Penske to have purchased Indianapolis Motor Speedway. (AP Photo/AJ Mast, File)
The Latest: Indy high school to hold graduation at Speedway

By The Associated Press May. 05, 2020 04:50 PM EDT

FILE - In this March 25, 2020, fikle photo, medical personnel from BayCare test people for the coronavirus in the parking lot outside Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla. Nobody can say with precise certainty how many coronavirus tests that the NBA, NHL and Major League Baseball would need before those leagues can resume playing games. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara, File)
For sports, coronavirus testing remains a major hurdle

By Tim Reynolds May. 01, 2020 04:17 PM EDT

FILE - In this May 5, 2018, file photo, Mike Smith rides Justify to victory during the 144th running of the Kentucky Derby horse race at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky. The move of the Triple Crown’s first leg to Labor Day weekend due to the coronavirus pandemic will mark the first time the Derby won’t run on the first Saturday in May since 1945. (AP Photo/Morry Gash, File)
The Latest: North Carolina considering allowing NASCAR race

By The Associated Press Apr. 23, 2020 04:33 PM EDT

FILE - In this May 18, 2019, file photo, jockey Tyler Gaffalione, right, reacts aboard War of Will, as they crosses the finish line first to win the Preakness Stakes horse race at Pimlico Race Course, in Baltimore. A measure in Maryland to redevelop Pimlico Race Course to keep the second leg of horse racing's Triple Crown in Baltimore is scheduled for a hearing before state lawmakers. The “Racing and Community Development Act of 2020” is set for a hearing before the House Ways and Means Committee on Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2020. (AP Photo/Steve Helber, File)
The Latest: NCAA suspends infraction hearings, arguments

By The Associated Press Apr. 03, 2020 04:09 PM EDT

Driver Joey Logano stands on his race car at the start-finish line as he celebrates after winning the NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Phoenix Raceway, Sunday, March 8, 2020, in Avondale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ralph Freso)
The Latest: NASCAR's Logano sets up $1 million recovery fund

By The Associated Press Mar. 31, 2020 02:59 PM EDT

FILE - In this Oct. 8, 2019 file photo, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver is introduced during an NBA preseason basketball game between the Houston Rockets and the Toronto Raptors in Saitama, near Tokyo. Silver said in an interview Saturday, March 21, 2020 that the league is considering all options, best-case, worst-case and countless ideas in between, as it tries to come to grips with the coronavirus pandemic. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)
AP Source: 20% base salary reductions for top NBA executives

By Brian Mahoney Mar. 26, 2020 06:59 PM EDT