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The 2016 Olympics tips off in Rio on Friday, and one of the prime events for the United States is the basketball portion of the games. USA Basketball has dominated nearly every year they’ve been in it, especially since allowing professional players to take part in 1992. It’s been legitimately shocking when the U.S. is challenged, let alone when they completely blew the 2004 Olympics and went home with the…

x Embed x Share Olympic boxer Carlos Balderas explains how boxing in Rio might be different than what you’re used to watching on pay-per-view. usa today sports Devin Haney had hoped to box in the Olympics, but a new age restriction sent him into the pros, including this bout in April in Las Vegas.(Photo: Mark J. Rebilas, USA TODAY Sports) Neither Jonathan Esquivel nor Devin Haney are the types to…

Hi, my name is Chris Chase and I’m an Olympics junkie. Over the fortnight beginning Friday, I will spend approximately  384-straight hours on various spots on my couch, watching some of my favorite (and most popular) Olympic sports (such as swimming and track), mixing that with sports I love but only see during the Summer Games (indoor cycling, kayaking, rowing, Bob Costas-eye anatomy), combining that with sports that are enjoyable solely because there’s…

Jesus Gamez (left), Adebayo Akinfenwa (centre) and Nick Powell make up the spine of our EFL free transfers XI During every transfer window, fans of clubs up and down the country urge their team to ‘splash the cash’ on new players. But while the likes of Newcastle United have been forking out millions of pounds since coming down from the Premier League, who could you have signed without having to…

Some people definitely have an opinion when it comes to what sports should be included in the Olympics. Synchronized swimming and rhythmic gymnastics are popular targets, but non-TV-friendly sports like flat-water canoeing and the modern pentathlon also take some heat. But what about the sports that didn’t make it into this year’s Summer Games? The inclusion of golf and rugby sevens in the Rio Olympics shows that the International Olympic…

RELATED: Results | Standings | Chase GridSHOP: Buescher gear LONG POND, Pa. — Chris Buescher sat in his car on pit road, dreaming of the possibilities. NASCAR had just red-flagged Monday’s rain-delayed Pennsylvania 400 when a heavy fog settled over Pocono Raceway after 138 of a scheduled 160 laps, and Buescher was the unlikely race leader. “I’m thinking of every kind of rain dance I can,” Buescher said on his radio….

The Summer Olympic Games serve as a grand podium for the belief that a nation’s best athletes can bolster its sense of pride and honor for another four years—setting the stage for real-world superheroes who defy the odds and challenge the capabilities of the human body. It’s a tradition the globe is unlikely to kick. But 80 years ago, when the Summer Olympics opened on Aug. 1, 1936, in Berlin,…

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comment () Devon Fowler is a father of four. When he realized his only son’s birthday was coming up, he knew he had to do something special. Fowler’s son, Braheim, 12, dreams of becoming a professional baseball player. But in the meantime, he just loves to play the game. “He’s been playing baseball since he was 9 years old,” Fowler told TODAY. “He’s always loved it.” Devon Fowler Fowler, who…

Cliff Floyd is a MLB Network Studio Analyst and former outfielder who played 17 years in the bigs with seven teams. Floyd had the misfortune of being traded twice, from the Florida Marlins to the Montreal Expos to the Boston Red Sox, in a 19-day span during the 2002 season that tested his wife’s patience. “It was crazy. When I got to Montreal from Florida, Frank…

Hall of Fame outfielder, Reggie Jackson once said about Griffey, “We love Ken Griffey, Jr. because he is everything we would like to be. He’s young, he’s good-looking, he’s got the best smile in the world, and he’s a heroic athlete. There hasn’t been anyone like that since…Reggie Jackson.” In 2000, Griffey was traded to his hometown Reds. The president of his former team said about the trade, “We gave…

Andrew Miller appeared in 44 games for the Yankees this season, averaging 15.3 strikeouts per nine innings. (Mike Nelson/European Pressphoto Agency) The Cleveland Indians went all-in at the trade deadline, acquiring all-star left-hander Andrew Miller from the New York Yankees for a package that includes outfielder Clint Frazier, left-hander Justus Sheffield, and right-handers Ben Heller and J.P. Feyereisen. [Nationals acquire closer Mark Melancon from the Pirates] According to Fangraphs, the Indians were…

The U.S. has won nearly a third of all Olympic swimming medals ever awarded and look to add to their 500-plus medals at the 2016 Rio Games. Team USA swimmers have dominated a number of events – their gold-medal streaks date back to the ’90s or even earlier in some cases. The U.S. swimmers hope to continue this legacy, but other countries are in the hunt to disrupt the U.S….

Skip Bayless, a circus clown who peddles shitty sports takes on TV, will debut a new show on Fox Sports 1 on September 6, he told The Hollywood Reporter this morning. It will go head-to-head with First Take, and Bayless says the takes will be even spicier. Like fellow Bristol refugee Bill Simmons, Bayless went to THR to complain about how ESPN’s conservatism got in the way of presenting his…

This week, Rio will make way for more than 10,000 athletes and half a million visitors. But not everyone gets to participate in the glitz and glamour of the Olympics when it arrives in their city. Brazil’s poorest have reportedly been subject to widespread human-rights abuses. A report compiled by academics and nongovernmental organizations labelled the event the “Exclusion Games.” It claims that 4,120 families have lost their homes and…

When I asked Mauro how he wound up winning the contract to build the Olympic golf course, he said Paes had approached him. He had known the mayor—a “hard worker”—since his term as Barra’s subprefeito in the 1990s. He warmed to Paes’s idea, he claimed, because of his vision of a golf course open to the public, where underprivileged youngsters could learn the sport. “Anything I can do for my…

Photo: YASUYOSHI CHIBA One week before the 2016 Summer Olympics even begin, everyone paying attention seems to be girding themselves for a disaster. Despite promises from officials that Rio de Janeiro would undergo dramatic environmental cleanup ahead of the games, waterways where some athletes will be performing are still teeming with pollution — prompting one local doctor to tell the New York Times that “foreign athletes will literally be swimming…

It’s a natural desire for parents to support their child’s dreams, no matter the cost. But experts say there are ways parents can make their kids’ participation in sports more positive and avoid sacrificing their own financial security. —ENCOURAGE MULTIPLE SPORTS: Parents are often told that a child with potential should participate in intense or year-round programs to build that skill. But studies show early specialization does more harm than…

<!– FOOTBALL GOSSIP Celtic are lining up a fifth bid for Aston Villa forward Scott Sinclair with the Scottish champions hoping the offer of around £3m will be enough. (Daily Record) Galatasaray will this week reignite their interest in Celtic midfielder Stefan Johansen. (Sun) Burnley have joined Celtic in the race to sign Manchester United midfielder Paddy McNair. (Daily Record) <!– McNair, 21, has made over 20 appearances for United…

Inside sports business Nary a week goes by when we aren’t discussing some new proposal to use public money to finance the construction of sports venues. We’ve seen plenty here, with the pitch for an arena in Sodo District stalled in May by a 5-4 Seattle City Council vote denying the vacation of a block of Occidental Avenue South to entrepreneur Chris Hansen. Several years ago, there was the construction…