World Sports

0 Shares Print With an estimated $95 billion expected to be bet — mostly illegally — on NFL and college football this season, research shows that a legal sports betting market in the United States would be the largest in the world and could potentially generate as much annual revenue as the NFL itself. Calling the U.S. sports betting market a “sleeping giant,” global gaming research firm GamblingCompliance projects that…

Chinese internet giant Alibaba set up a new sports business on Wednesday as it continues to expand into areas beyond e-commerce amid growth concerns in the world’s second-largest economy. Exact details of what the Alibaba Sports Group would be doing were thin, but the New York-listed parent company said it will be involved in several different aspects of the industry. “Alibaba Sports Group expects to…

Malin Ruccolo, 3, waits patiently for another signature on her pink football at the Detroit Lions training camp in Allen Park on Aug. 3. She scored: wide receiver Calvin Johnson ended up signing it.(Photo: Daniel Mears / Detroit News) It’s official: Michigan is sports crazy. A study by WalletHub found that three of the best sports cities are in Michigan: East Lansing, Ann Arbor and Detroit. And, sorry, UM, but…

The William Hill sports bar at Monmouth Park will be the home of a sports book if sports wagering is approved in New Jersey.(Photo: File photo) For New Jersey and Monmouth Park, the battle to bring sports wagering to the state isn’t over quite yet. Just two weeks after a three-judge panel from the Third Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia rejected the state’s latest bid to allow racetracks 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…

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…