World Sports

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…

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 »

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…

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…

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…

More than 450 youth sports advocates, professional league officials and academic researchers gathered Tuesday in Washington to examine declines in participation among children linked to rising costs, parental pressures and increased emphasis on kids specializing in one sport. As part of the day-long conference, Project Play, the Aspen Institute’s youth sports initiative, released a draft of its annual State of Play report, analyzing participation trends and highlighting innovative programs to…

ENLARGE Sports media giant ESPN is rolling out a new advertising product that allows marketers to deliver banner ads tailored to the interests of sports fans by using data the company has collected on visitors to its website. The offering, called Live Connect, lets marketers serve ads on ESPN.com that can reflect a visitor’s favorite team or player. The ad can also reflect the outcome of a particular game. For…

ENLARGE Oakland, Calif. Stephen Curry walked onto the court for his warmups before Monday night’s Golden State Warriors game, and Luke and Johnny de Grosz were already in their seats, waiting for their favorite NBA player. Luke is 12, Johnny is 16 and both play basketball for their schools. It’s the sport they like the most, they said, but it’s not the only sport they play. They’re also on the…

ENLARGE Sports media giant ESPN is rolling out a new advertising product that allows marketers to deliver banner ads tailored to the interests of sports fans by using data the company has collected on visitors to its website. The offering, called Live Connect, lets marketers serve ads on ESPN.com that can reflect a visitor’s favorite team or player. The ad can also reflect the outcome of a particular game. For…

This is Strength in Numbers, a new column exploring the science of sports and athleticism. As this feature takes shape, I welcome your feedback, suggestions and news tips. Email me, leave suggestions in the comments section or tweet to me @CragCrest. When concussions make the news, it’s usually about football. But head injuries happen in other sports too, and not just to men. During a congressional hearing on concussions in…

ENLARGE Sports media giant ESPN is rolling out a new advertising product that allows marketers to deliver banner ads tailored to the interests of sports fans by using data the company has collected on visitors to its website. The offering, called Live Connect, lets marketers serve ads on ESPN.com that can reflect a visitor’s favorite team or player. The ad can also reflect the outcome of a particular game. For…

It’s been a rough month for the women of the Seattle City Council. They’ve gotten vicious online abuse from trolls inviting “those BITCHES” to “BURN IN HELL,” or speculating that their “cycles must have synced up.” What did they do to deserve this, asked Samantha Bee on Monday night’s Full Frontal? They dared to vote down a proposal for a new sports arena in Seattle. The vote against…

ENLARGE Sports media giant ESPN is rolling out a new advertising product that allows marketers to deliver banner ads tailored to the interests of sports fans by using data the company has collected on visitors to its website. The offering, called Live Connect, lets marketers serve ads on ESPN.com that can reflect a visitor’s favorite team or player. The ad can also reflect the outcome of a particular game. For…

A consortium of liquidators that includes Tiger Capital Group, Hilco Global and Gordon Brothers prevailed in an auction for Sports Authority Holdings Inc.’s assets, according to people familiar with the matter. The winning bidders topped a rival offer from a second group of liquidators that included Yellen Partners, SB Capital Group and 360 Merchant Solutions. Great American Group, originally a part of this group of liquidators,…

It’s been a rough month for the women of the Seattle City Council. They’ve gotten vicious online abuse from trolls inviting “those BITCHES” to “BURN IN HELL,” or speculating that their “cycles must have synced up.” What did they do to deserve this, asked Samantha Bee on Monday night’s Full Frontal? They dared to vote down a proposal for a new sports arena in Seattle. The vote against…

The Rio Games begin on 5 August and run until 21 August Up to 31 athletes from six sports could be banned from competing at the Rio Games, Olympic chiefs have said. The announcement comes after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) retested 454 selected doping samples from the 2008 Games in Beijing. The IOC said the retests were conducted using the very latest scientific analysis methods. It also revealed it…

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 »

It’s upfront season in the US, the time when broadcast and cable networks make their glitzy annual pitches to marketers, and secure half their advertising sales for the year. As the highest-rated US cable network, the sports-focused Disney-owned channel ESPN has historically held an enviable position during the upfronts. But on Tuesday (May 17) when it makes its presentation amid uncertainty and increasing competition from younger rivals such as NBCSN…