World Sports

As Serena Williams swats and backhands her way towards sports history at the U.S. Open this week, controversy has cropped up over whether she is getting a champion’s payday that’s worthy of her performance on the court. The fact at the heart of it all: Maria Sharapova, the tall, blond Russian superstar whom Williams has bested in 16 out of 17 of their matches, earned $10 million more in endorsement…

ST. LOUIS — Joaquin Andujar, a star pitcher with the St. Louis Cardinals in the 1980s who called himself “One tough Dominican,” has died in his native Dominican Republic. He was 62. “He was a joy to manage,” said former manager Whitey Herzog. “Everybody knew he didn’t operate with a full deck most of the time, but when you had Joaquin on your ballclub, you were sitting on a firecracker…

Sep 6, 2015; Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Justin Verlander (35) fist bumps with a young fan on kids day prior to the game against the Cleveland Indians at Comerica Park.(Photo: Rick Osentoski, USA TODAY Sports) You don’t need any proof that Michigan is the greatest sports state in America. But here’s a little more, just in case. WalletHub recently ranked more than 300 American cities based on comprehensive studies and…

Sep 6, 2015; Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Justin Verlander (35) fist bumps with a young fan on kids day prior to the game against the Cleveland Indians at Comerica Park.(Photo: Rick Osentoski, USA TODAY Sports) You don’t need any proof that Michigan is the greatest sports state in America. But here’s a little more, just in case. WalletHub recently ranked more than 300 American cities based on comprehensive studies and…

Sports Direct is an extraordinary company. In three decades it has shot from nothing to the largest sports retailer in the UK. It owns the grand Piccadilly store Lillywhites and the boxing-kit manufacturer Lonsdale, and has made its founder, Mike Ashley, a billionaire. It has also become a byword for a kind of discount shopping: pile ’em high, sell ’em cheap, and don’t fret about making the experience too pleasant for…

Follow Andy Gray on Twitter | Email Andy | Extra Mustard on Facebook Stephen Colbert and Sports Stephen Colbert’s new late-night talk show debuts on CBS Tuesday night and we asked our NBA writers which player would make the best talk-show host. Sadly, no one picked Marcin Gortat, even though he’s endlessly entertaining. As you prepare for tonight’s show, be sure to check out the above gallery of Stephen Colbert and Sports (click here for…

Coaches’ Poll: Alabama up to No. 2 | Dodd: Power Rankings With Cardale Jones as the starting quarterback and Braxton Miller emerging as the most dangerous offensive weapon in the country, Ohio State holds a firm grasp on the No. 1 spot in the CBS Sports 128 heading into the second week of the season. There was shuffling in the top five, with Alabama (No. 2) and TCU (No. 4)…

The story of how Petr Svancara mobilised a group of football fans into rebuilding their club’s stadium says a lot about the emotive power of old stadiums. The ground literally fell apart when FC Zbrojovka Brno were moved away from their home. The ground crumbled, the pitch became overgrown with vegetation and a pheasant moved in to take the place of the supporters on the terraces. But the supporters have…

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i You could say 36-year-old Matt Ray works in paradise — on a barrier island off the Florida’s southern coast. As athletic director of the Anna Maria Island Community Center, Ray is doing what he loves. “I grew up playing sports,” he says. “I actually played two years of college basketball. So sports have pretty much been my entire life.” The community center where Ray works offers members the chance…

Sport England’s latest participation figures suggest less than one in five Muslim females exercise at least once a week – lower than any other faith group. Could a sports hijab make a difference? A martial arts champion from east London thinks so – and the BBC Asian Network has found out more. What is a hijab? It is a veil or scarf…

For a list of all the latest deals, check out the transfers page. Paris St-Germain had a £110m bid for Real Madrid striker Cristiano Ronaldo, 30, rejected on transfer deadline day. (Daily Express via Globo Esporte)  West Brom forward Saido Berahino, 22, is set to withdraw his strike threat and will return to training this week. (Daily Mirror)  …

When the group stages of the Champions League kick off next week, anyone turning to ITV to catch a game will be disappointed. This season’s top European club tournament (and its little brother, the Europa League) will only air on BT Sport after BT paid almost £900m for exclusive rights over three seasons, more than double the £400m Sky and ITV had paid for shared rights for the previous three…

This week, a quiet, often-overlooked symbol of gender equality commenced: the start of the mixed doubles competition at the U.S. Open. The event is one of the few coed professional sporting events: two doubles teams, each composed of one man and one woman, face off for a Grand Slam title. The prize money is lower than in singles (the men’s and women’s singles winners take home $3.3 million compared with…

For a list of all the latest deals, check out the transfers page. West Brom will offer Tottenham target Saido Berahino a new contract with a £25m buyout clause, despite the 22-year-old striker apparently refusing to play for club chairman Jeremy Peace. (Sunday People)  Chelsea attempted to beat Manchester United to the signing of French teenager Anthony Martial from Monaco and…

“The legs of a 20-year-old are made to travel the world,” wrote the French poet Christian Bobin. The same can be said of the International Centre of Sports Studies (CIES), which was founded 20 years ago in Switzerland and which, through the FIFA/CIES network, has made its presence felt across the globe in working with 16 partners from South Africa and Senegal to Spain, Lebanon and Peru. The scientific institution…

Set everything you own to DEFCON 1. Tim Tebow is going to make an NFL roster. Or should anyway, after the Eagles traded Matt Barkley to the Cardinals for a conditional late-round pick, CBS Sports NFL Insider Jason La Canfora confirms. The move, first reported by Jay Glazer of FOX Sports, is a stunner in advance of Saturday’s 4 p.m. ET deadline to get rosters down to 53 and opens…

Afternoon, folks. This is it then, the last chance for these two teams to get everything rosy and perfect before IT starts. No, not that It. This is, as I probably don’t need to tell you, the final warm-up match for both of these teams before the whole World Cup thing gets underway in a little under two weeks’ time. The sense is that Ireland, despite a disappointing defeat to…

71:12 Attempt missed. Nathaniel Clyne (England) right footed shot from outside the box misses to the left. Assisted by Fabian Delph. 70:34 Attempt blocked. Ross Barkley (England) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Fabian Delph. 67:25 Goal scored Goal! Goal! San Marino 0, England 4. Theo Walcott (England) right footed shot from very close range to the bottom right corner. Assisted by Fabian Delph with…

Buy Photo File Art(Photo: News-Leader)Buy Photo Today Auto Racing Formula One: Italian Grand Prix, qualifying, at Monza, Italy, 7 a.m. — NBCSN NASCAR: XFINITY Series, qualifying, at Darlington, S.C., 10:30 a.m. — NBCSN NASCAR: Sprint Cup Series, qualifying, at Darlington, S.C., 12:30 p.m. — NBCSN NASCAR: XFINITY Series, VFW Sports Clips Help a Hero, at Darlington, S.C., 2:30 p.m. — NBC Baseball MLB: Tampa Bay at N.Y. Yankees, noon —…