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HAVANA Cuba will uphold its ban on baseball players that defected from the Communist-ruled island from playing for the national team at international events, a top government official told Reuters, quashing speculation that changes in the rules may be afoot. Most Cubans with big league dreams leave the island illegally given that there is no deal on formal player transfers between Cuba and Major League Baseball, the organization that runs…

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Photo via AP Ohio State’s Eli Apple is one of the top cornerbacks available in this week’s NFL draft. But he’s not, in fact, the most impressive talent to emerge from his own family. That honor is reserved for his mom, Annie Apple, who is a LeBron James-, Andrew Luck-type superstar-in-the-making at the all-important position of Sports Mom. There are many different qualities one looks for in a Sports Mom….

Everyone else at ESPN is the problem, not Curt Schilling. That was the controversial former pitcher and broadcaster’s take on Thursday. He isn’t racist or homophobic or transphobic, but others at the network are. “Some of the most racist things I’ve ever heard have come out of people that are on the air at ESPN,” Schilling said, according to Newsday. “They’re some of the biggest racists in sports commentating. “You…

Prince Harry has joined a star-studded ceremony to mark achievements in the Sports Industry at Battersea Evolution. The 31-year-old Royal brought six former and current Invictus Games competitors to the glittering event at Battersea Evolution. Looking dapper in his tuxedo, he grinned broadly as he hugged each of them before posing for pictures with JJ Chalmers, Paul Vice, Stuart Robinson, Luke Darlington, Michaela Richards and Sam Stocks. The UK team…

Skip Bayless is jumping ship from ESPN and will land at Fox Sports. (Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for Paley Center for Media) ESPN announced earlier this week that hot-take enthusiast Skip Bayless would be leaving the network when his contract is up in August, with Deadspin’s Kevin Draper and Sports Illustrated’s Richard Deitsch both reporting that Bayless would be heading for Fox Sports. It’s not yet known what Bayless’s role will…

View gallery . Blues Viral moments in social media have become calculated, work-shopped and focus-grouped. The truly organic, truly odd moments of simultaneous discovery and zeitgeist tapping are few and far between, which is why they have to be savored and celebrated.  And with that, the cult of celebrity around Anthony Holmes, a.k.a. “Tony X,” must be celebrated. As he tells it, Tony was flipping around the channels on Monday night…

Media playback is not supported on this device ‘British Cycling needs independent review’ – Ian Drake speaks to BBC sports editor Dan Roan British Cycling chief executive Ian Drake insists the organisation is not in crisis following the resignation of technical director Shane Sutton amid claims of sexism and discrimination. The governing body is investigating claims Sutton, 58, used derogatory words to describe Para-cyclists. An independent review will also look…

It was a busy night for hockey’s newest fan Tony X on the eve — and start — of the second round on Wednesday. Hockey Twitter’s darling was making friends left and right all evening, including some famous ones that even die hard fans have been unable to crack. First, it was with the not-so-secret Twitter of Panthers goaltender Roberto Luongo, who is known for his entertaining — but rare…

Again this comes as a shock, and a disappointment, 100 days before the Rio Olympics and Paralympics. A beacon sport that all others could look up to and learn from has lost its way, which is not the same as saying its problems are incurable. Anyone who persists in thinking the kind of terminology and discrimination we are hearing about is simply motivational banter is a menace to a great…

South Korea is taking no chances with the health of its athletes competing at the Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games, issuing them with uniforms that have been infused with insect repellent to keep mosquitoes carrying the Zika virus at bay. The South Korean team’s uniforms were unveiled in Seoul on Wednesday, marking 100 days until the opening ceremony in Brazil. The formal uniforms, which the Korean Olympic Committee said will be worn during…

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Curt Schilling was fired by ESPN last week more or less because he couldn’t keep his mouth shut. So he sure as heck isn’t going to do so now that he no longer works for the network. “Some of the most racist things I’ve ever heard have come out of people that are on the air at ESPN,” Schilling said on SiriusXM radio’s “Breitbart News Patriot Forum” recorded Wednesday and broadcast…

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Two female sportswriters, Julie DiCaro and Sarah Spain, took part in an on-line video in which a group of men read some of the tweets the women have received in reaction to their work. OTL examines the impact women sports journalists continue to endure. NEXT VIDEO OTL discussion: Dealing with online trolls Sarah Spain, Julie DiCaro and Jemele Hill talk about their experiences dealing with online bullying from “trolls.” Reaction…

It’s a zero-sum game for bricks-and-mortar sporting goods retailers, so the demise of Sport Chalet and now Sports Authority could be a win for the few traditional players that still remain. This month, Sport Chalet, a 57-year-old chain based in La Cañada Flintridge, said it was closing all 47 of its stores after years of financial troubles. And this week Sports Authority, which filed for bankruptcy protection in March, said…

RETAIL: Sports Authority throws in the towel Share Pin It More Galleries When struggling retailer Sports Authority filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy last month in the face of more than $1 billion in debt, the company indicated that it had two options going forward. One of those was to shed underperforming stores and emerge from bankruptcy as an intact, but pared-down company. The other was to sell everything and…

Craig Sager, former Fort Myers sportscaster, makes the cover of the May 2, 2016 issue of Sports Illustrated.(Photo: Sports Illustrated) Craig Sager, working in Detroit over the weekend, encountered some fans who handed him a copy of The News-Press from Sunday, April 10. “They gave it to me,” Sager said of the newspaper, in which he appeared on the front page. “It was nice.” The News-Press isn’t the only publication…

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) — Curt Schilling claims that “some of the biggest racists in sports commentating” work at ESPN. The former pitcher, who was fired as a baseball analyst by the network after posting an anti-transgender meme on Facebook, made the comments Thursday morning before the “Breitbart News Patriot Forum.” “Some of the most racist things that I’ve ever heard come out of people that are on the air at…

It’s a zero-sum game for bricks-and-mortar sporting goods retailers, so the demise of Sport Chalet and now Sports Authority could be a win for the few traditional players that still remain. This month, Sport Chalet, a 57-year-old chain based in La Cañada Flintridge, said it was closing all 47 of its stores after years of financial troubles. And this week Sports Authority, which filed for bankruptcy protection in March, said…