World Sports

Despite the potential, some media buyers say that much of the media and advertisers still are hesitant to commit to women’s sports coverage. One cited the lack of viewership compared with men’s sports. Another source pointed out that many media companies and brands “are full of guys who have been doing sports for the last 25 years, and they just don’t get (the appeal of women’s sports).” Even this crop…

Sports are ever-present in most Americans’ lives. There’s practically always a game on in the background at restaurants or bars, and idle chit-chat in offices or parties often turns to the latest about Steph Curry, LeBron, or the NFL — no matter the time of year. But 41 percent of Americans say they aren’t sports fans, according to a 2015 Gallup poll. To help those people navigate a sports-filled world,…

Despite the potential, some media buyers say that much of the media and advertisers still are hesitant to commit to women’s sports coverage. One cited the lack of viewership compared with men’s sports. Another source pointed out that many media companies and brands “are full of guys who have been doing sports for the last 25 years, and they just don’t get (the appeal of women’s sports).” Even this crop…

The Penguins celebrate after downing the Caps. (Photo by Toni L. Sandys/ The Washington Post) A reader of Thomas Boswell’s most recent live chat asked whether, if the Cavaliers win the NBA title and the Cubs win the World Series, Washington would become the country’s “new designated sports cursed city,” or whether we might already deserve that title. Here’s Boswell’s response. We’re nowhere remotely close. Everybody’s fixated on the last 25…

Some Russian athletes are likely to have tested positive for doping in the 2008 Olympic Games after their samples were re-examined, the Interfax news agency quoted the Russian sports minister, Vitaly Mutko, as saying on Friday. Related: Greg Rutherford fears ‘arms will be twisted’ to allow Russians to compete at Rio 2016 Thirty one athletes from six sports could be banned from this year’s Rio Olympics after failing doping tests…

1:10 PM ET print BALTIMORE — The forecast calls for rain on Saturday at Pimlico Race Course, and not in the half-committed partly cloudy/partly sunny vernacular of the typical weatherperson. No, there’s a 100 percent chance of the wet stuff by the latest calculations, with perhaps as much as an inch expected to fall. Betting guide for the 141st Preakness Stakes Handicappers Dave Tuley and Lane Gold run through their…

Some Russian athletes are likely to have tested positive for doping in the 2008 Olympic Games after their samples were re-examined, the Interfax news agency quoted the Russian sports minister, Vitaly Mutko, as saying on Friday. Related: Greg Rutherford fears ‘arms will be twisted’ to allow Russians to compete at Rio 2016 Thirty one athletes from six sports could be banned from this year’s Rio Olympics after failing doping tests…

Some Russian athletes are likely to have tested positive for doping in the 2008 Olympic Games after their samples were re-examined, the Interfax news agency quoted Russian Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko as saying on Friday. Related: Greg Rutherford fears ‘arms will be twisted’ to allow Russians to compete at Rio 2016 Thirty one athletes from six sports could be banned from this year’s Rio Olympics after failing doping tests when…

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Dick’s Sporting Goods (DKS) booked a 10% decline in first-quarter earnings, as tepid consumer spending weighed on the retailer’s bottom line. But Dick’s reiterated that consolidation, especially the bankruptcy of Sports Authority, will pave the way for sales gains in the long run. Continue Reading Below In a new bankruptcy filing Thursday, Sports Authority revealed plans to close all of its stores after a failed attempt to find a…

Burnley claimed the Football League Championship trophy this season after winning the second tier English football could be heading for its biggest shake-up since the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The Football League wants to create an extra division with 20 teams in each from 2019-20. It would mean England had 100 teams in five divisions, up from 92. Currently, there are 24 teams in the Championship, League…

Sports Authority, once the nation’s largest sporting goods retailer, will close its remaining stores after failing to find a buyer for them. The bankrupt company plans to conduct going-out-of-business sales at all of its locations that weren’t already slated to close, according to a new bankruptcy court filing in Delaware ‘; for (i = $allParagraphs.length-1; i > 0; i–) { if (i > 4) { afterParagraphFour = true; } $currentParagraph…

PRAGUE (AP) — Usain Bolt called it ”really bad news” for sport after the announcement that 31 athletes were caught doping in retests from the 2008 Beijing Olympics. ”It’s rough. It’s rough in the sport,” the Jamaican great said Wednesday. ”Something that’s been tarnishing the sport for years.” Bolt was speaking a day after the International Olympic Committee announced that the 31 athletes could be banned from competing at the…

Editor’s note: Tuesday was opening day at The Undefeated, a new ESPN website that explores the intersections of race, sports and culture. In an introductory letter, Kevin Merida, its editor-in-chief, says the site won’t shrink from covering challenging subjects with a mix of original reporting, innovative storytelling, provocative commentary, must-see video, narratives and investigations. At FiveThirtyEight, we’re so excited at having a new sibling that we’ll be running several of…

Dogs make everything better. Don’t listen to propaganda from cat people. Indian cricket fans learned this first hand when a brave Sports Dog wandered onto the field for an impromptu play date and got some of the biggest applause of the night. The Sports Dog happened early in the Indian Premier League match between the Rising Pune Supergiants and Delhi Daredevils. Fans were settling in for the match…

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Photo via Getty ESPN kicked off its annual upfront presentation for advertisers Tuesday morning with a live, original performance from two of the stars of the Broadway hit musical Hamilton. This was a hokey way for ESPN to glom onto something popular and impress the easily-impressed media buyers in the audience; it also served as a workable metaphor for the direction in which ESPN would like to head, and like…