World Sports

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST: Tonight’s deciding game of the NBA playoffs pits the defending champion Golden State Warriors against their 2015 opponents, the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Cavs are also battling a disappointing Cleveland sports legacy. It’s been five decades since a Cleveland professional team has won a championship. David C. Barnett of WCPN Ideastream says fans are desperate to break that losing streak. DAVID BARNETT, BYLINE: Linda Marshall dresses the part…

A decade ago, Madden NFL still published on PC. EA Sports took a chance on a management simulation called NFL Head Coach, not only for that platform but also on consoles. It published MVP NCAA Baseball 06, still the only licensed video game for a non-revenue (i.e. not football or basketball) college sport. And, thanks largely to the persistence of an Australian who is now the CEO for all of Electronic…

MOSCOW Russian Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko said on Sunday the world athletics’ governing body, IAAF, had unfairly shifted blame for the doping scandal to Russia’s athletics federation and should be disbanded, R-Sport agency reported. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Saturday backed the IAAF’s decision to extend its ban on Russia for systematic doping, ending any slim hopes that Russian athletes might have had of competing at the Rio Games…

Playing a sport can help children in many ways. But poor children often cannot play sports because their families do not have the money to buy the equipment their children need. Max Levitt wanted to change that. He had worked in college athletics and youth sports. These experiences helped him find a solution to the problem. Levitt created a group called Leveling the Playing Field four years ago. The non-profit…

Image copyright EPA Image caption Accused of doping: Russia’s Mariya Savinova (right) won the Olympic 800m at London 2012 and Ekaterina Poistogova came third When I used to live in central Moscow quite often I would visit the giant swimming pool built for the 1980 Moscow Olympics. And as I used to breast-stroke or crawl my way – embarrassingly slowly I have to say – up and down the lane,…

The burgeoning fantasy-sports industry got a lift from the New York legislature, which passed a bill early Saturday that explicitly would legalize and regulate the practice in the state. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo hasn’t indicated whether he will sign the bill. The decision could have broad implications for an industry that has undertaken a major push this year to pass bills in statehouses that would validate its contention the practice…

ALBANY, N.Y. Fantasy sports moved a step closer to being legal in New York on Saturday when lawmakers approved the daily and season-long games, clearing a path for FanDuel, DraftKings and others to offer them to millions of players in the state. The multibillion-dollar industry, where players draft fantasy teams for sports including football, basketball and baseball, has drawn increased scrutiny since last year with the attorneys general of several…

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Image copyright EPA Image caption Accused of doping: Russia’s Mariya Savinova (right) won the Olympic 800m at London 2012 and Ekaterina Poistogova came third When I used to live in central Moscow quite often I would visit the giant swimming pool built for the 1980 Moscow Olympics. And as I used to breast-stroke or crawl my way – embarrassingly slowly I have to say – up and down the lane,…

Media playback is not supported on this device Flares thrown on pitch during Croatia-Czech Republic draw Croatia boss Ante Cacic has called the supporters who threw flares on to the pitch in their Euro 2016 draw with the Czech Republic “sports terrorists”. The match, which ended 2-2, was halted in the 86th minute when flares from the Croatia end rained down on the Saint-Etienne pitch. Uefa has confirmed it will…

Image copyright EPA Image caption Accused of doping: Russia’s Mariya Savinova (right) won the Olympic 800m at London 2012 and Ekaterina Poistogova came third When I used to live in central Moscow quite often I would visit the giant swimming pool built for the 1980 Moscow Olympics. And as I used to breast-stroke or crawl my way – embarrassingly slowly I have to say – up and down the lane,…

Media playback is not supported on this device Flares thrown on pitch during Croatia-Czech Republic draw Croatia boss Ante Cacic has called the supporters who threw flares on to the pitch in their Euro 2016 draw with the Czech Republic “sports terrorists”. The match, which ended 2-2, was halted in the 86th minute when flares from the Croatia end rained down on the Saint-Etienne pitch. Uefa has confirmed it will…

(Image: Sony) Gran Turismo Sport, the latest in Sony’s epic racing sim series, is supposed to take multiplayer gaming to a new level with FIA-sanctioned online racing available to everyone. So how do you keep things civil and competitive? Anyone who’s ever played a video game online knows that no matter how well organized and professional the game’s interface is, you’re still going to encounter jerks breaking the rules and…

Russia were banned in November following accusations of state-sponsored doping Russian athletes remain banned from international competition including the 2016 Olympics in Rio. Athletics chiefs have decided not to lift the suspension, which was imposed in November following accusations of state-sponsored doping. But individual athletes can compete as neutrals if they prove they are clean. Meanwhile, Russian pole vaulter Yelena Isinbayeva said she would challenge the IAAF’s decision in court,…

Shortly after settling on Cape Cod in 2014, Mike Sherman, the former Green Bay Packers head coach and general manager, captured national headlines for accepting the head coaching gig at Nauset Regional High School for the 2015 season. Now Sherman is taking his experience in a more entrepreneurial direction: He’s going to build a nine-acre complex for youth and teen sports in partnership with Warren Nighan, a Cape Cod businessman who previously worked in…

“Sports metaphors really started to hit their stride at the beginning of the 20th century. We had a period where you had really literate sports writers,” says Chetwynd. “The three big sports that probably the largest number of sports metaphors come from are horse racing, boxing, and baseball, because those were the three big sports of the century and it sort of crossed over from there.” While researching his book…

NBA CLEVELAND (AP) From the edge of elimination to the brink of history. LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers have pushed the NBA Finals to their limit. Game 7 is necessary. James scored 41 points, delivering another magnificent performance with no margin for error, Kyrie Irving added 23 and the Cavs sent the finals packing for California by beating the rattled Golden State Warriors 115-101 to even this unpredictable series…

To save articles or get newsletters, alerts or recommendations – all free. Don’t have an account yet?Create an account » Subscribed through iTunes and need an NYTimes.com account?Learn more » Need to connect your Home Delivery subscription to NYTimes.com?Link your subscription »

To save articles or get newsletters, alerts or recommendations – all free. Don’t have an account yet?Create an account » Subscribed through iTunes and need an NYTimes.com account?Learn more » Need to connect your Home Delivery subscription to NYTimes.com?Link your subscription »

To save articles or get newsletters, alerts or recommendations – all free. Don’t have an account yet?Create an account » Subscribed through iTunes and need an NYTimes.com account?Learn more » Need to connect your Home Delivery subscription to NYTimes.com?Link your subscription »