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EDDIE PELLS National Writer.

FILE - Benita Fitzgerald Mosley, a U.S. Olympic gold medalist, speaks during a ceremonial groundbreaking for a new Olympic museum June 9, 2017, in Colorado Springs, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)

New SafeSport CEO Fitzgerald Mosley wants to fix things quickly, saying ‘it’s a calling’

January 29, 2026

Benita Fitzgerald Mosley knows her way around Olympic organizations. Her next stop, though, will be unlike any other. The 1984 Olympic gold medalist starts her new job at the U.S. Center for SafeSport this weekend. She’s in charge of an overhaul of an abuse-fighting agency that has been bombarded by problems since it opened back in 2017. In an interview with The Associated Press, Fitzgerald Mosley says she realizes it’s a tough job but she thinks she’s particularly suited for it. Her plan is to conduct a top-to-bottom assessment of what works and what doesn’t, then go about making changes where they’re needed.

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FILE - Women's halfpipe gold medalist Chloe Kim, of the United States, poses during the medals ceremony at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, on Feb. 13, 2018. (AP Photo/Morry Gash, File)

Chloe Kim rediscovers love for Olympics. Will an injury derail quest for a 3rd straight gold medal?

January 23, 2026

Chloe Kim’s journey to a third Olympic gold is facing unexpected challenges. A shoulder injury during training has left her scrambling to prepare for the Milan Cortina Games. Kim, known for her impressive tricks, is unsure if she’ll be at full strength for the halfpipe event. She expressed disappointment about not being able to snowboard until just before the Olympics. Despite her achievements, including eight Winter X Games golds and three world championships, the pressure to perform remains. Her coach, Rick Bower, notes that fame has made snowboarding feel more like a job. Kim aims to rediscover her love for the sport while facing fierce competition from athletes like Gaon Choi and Sena Tomita.

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Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza (15) celebrates after the Peach Bowl NCAA college football playoff semifinal against Oregon, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

Miami and Indiana turned college football final into one of the toughest tickets in memory

January 19, 2026

Take a long downtrodden team that happens to have the world’s largest alumni base and another playing a home game while in search of its first national title in 25 years and the math is simple. This is the toughest ticket in town. And, in fact, Monday night’s title game between Indiana and Miami will be among the most expensive tickets in college football history, with a get-in price topping $3,600. Indiana is trying to wrap up an undefeated season with the program’s first national title. Miami, playing in its home stadium, is looking to bring the first title back to “The U” since 2001.

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FILE - The College Football Playoff National Championship Trophy is shown before the Cotton Bowl College Football Playoff semifinal game between Texas and Ohio State, Friday, Jan. 10, 2025, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Gareth Patterson, File)

College football leaders debate playoff expansion ahead of Friday deadline from ESPN

January 18, 2026

College football leaders gave every indication that they remain stuck in a yearlong debate about expanding the playoff from 12 teams to 16 or beyond. Commissioners and school presidents met on the eve of the College Football Playoff title game, facing a Friday deadline from ESPN to decide on changing or staying with the current 12-team model. ESPN bankrolls the postseason. The debate boils down to two conferences, the Big Ten and SEC, that have widely different visions of where the playoff should go. The SEC wants a 16-team playoff, the Big Ten wants 24. If they can’t agree, the playoff will stay at 12 teams for next season.

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Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza (15) kisses the trophy after the Peach Bowl NCAA college football playoff semifinal against Oregon, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

College football’s surprise: Miami and Indiana meet for a title in a matchup nobody saw coming.

January 18, 2026

Indiana and Miami are playing for the national title Monday night, and if that has you scratching your head thinking “Who?” or “What?” then you are not alone. Even though a new world of paying players and rapid-fire transfers from school to school has shuffled the deck in college sports, nobody thought it would get mixed up this much. And even though both schools have been trending upward of late, both were listed as 100-1 long shots to win the championship at some point this season. Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza and the Hoosiers head into the game being played on Miami’s home field at Hard Rock Stadium as 8 1/2-point favorites, according to BetMGM Sportsbook.

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FILE - The College Football Playoff National Championship Trophy is shown before the Cotton Bowl College Football Playoff semifinal game between Texas and Ohio State, Friday, Jan. 10, 2025, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Gareth Patterson, File)

A champion will be crowned but college football chaos will linger beyond Indiana-Miami title game

January 17, 2026

Eligibility lawsuits, the out-of-control transfer portal, bickering over congressional legislation and the decades-old dilemma over coaches and their salaries were the steady drumbeat behind a college football season where nothing felt quite settled. When either Miami or Indiana hoists the national title trophy Monday night, the season will come to an end, but there will be plenty to resolve behind the scenes.

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Miami football head coach Mario Cristobal speaks during an interview on the team's indoor practice field in Coral Gables, Fla., Monday, Jan. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

ACC more than survived, it thrived. Miami in the College Football Playoff final is proof

January 16, 2026

The Power 4 conference that didn’t get its champion into the College Football Playoff ended up with another team playing for the national title. So much for the demise of the Atlantic Coast Conference. The league that looked most vulnerable a few short years ago when the latest round of realignment hit suddenly is doing just fine. The best proof: Miami, which plays Indiana in the title game Monday — a matchup that, at least for now, left a debacle involving conference champion Duke in the rearview mirror.

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FILE - Bryan Seeley, a Major League Baseball senior vice president, testifies on a bill during a legislative committee hearing, March 13, 2018, at the Statehouse in Topeka, Kan. (AP Photo/Mitchell Willetts, File)

‘Time to stick out your neck,’ college CEO tells schools on contract that regulates paying players

January 14, 2026

The head of the new regulatory body for college sports said “if there was a time to stick out your neck, it’s now,” in urging schools to sign an agreement sent out nearly two months ago pledging to abide by new rules that govern how they pay players. Bryan Seeley, the CEO of the 7-month-old College Sports Commission, used his presentation at the NCAA convention Wednesday to thank leaders from four schools who put out a statement backing the agreement, while urging others to sign on.

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FILE - Benita Fitzgerald Mosley, a U.S. Olympic gold medalist, speaks during a ceremonial groundbreaking for a new Olympic museum June 9, 2017, in Colorado Springs, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)

SafeSport Center turns to Olympic gold medalist Benita Fitzgerald Mosley as new CEO

January 6, 2026

The U.S. Center for SafeSport announced Benita Fitzgerald Mosley as its new CEO, placing the 1984 Olympic gold medalist in charge of rebooting an agency that has been plagued with problems over most of its nearly nine-year history. Fitzgerald Mosley will start her job Feb. 1, saying in a statement provided to The Associated Press that it is “more than a job opportunity for me, it is a calling.”

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FILE - Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark stands on the sideline during the playing of the national anthem before the first half of a Big 12 Conference championship NCAA college football game between BYU and Texas Tech Dec. 6, 2025, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez, File)

More campus games? Big 12 commish says ‘everything is on the table’ when it comes to playoff reboot

January 1, 2026

While fans trickled into the Orange Bowl stadium where tickets were going for as little as $39, the commissioner of the Big 12 said “everything is on the table” when it comes to rebooting the College Football Playoff, including potentially moving another round of games onto campus. The commissioners have until Jan. 23 to figure out what the playoff will look like next year. Expansion and automatic bids have been the two biggest headlines in that discussion, though attendance and travel schedules for this week’s quarterfinal games could play into the thinking, as well.

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Oregon linebacker Matayo Uiagalelei (10) reacts after intercepting the football during the second half of the Orange Bowl College Football Playoff quarterfinal game against Texas Tech, Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Oregon advances to semifinals, where it looks for offense and defense to click on same day

January 1, 2026

If the offense from Week 1 of the playoffs and the defense from Week 2 show up for Oregon in the national semifinals, these Ducks could be dangerous. Oregon posted the first shutout since 2016 in the College Football Playoff — a 23-0 blanking of Texas Tech in the Orange Bowl — to move to the semifinals for a matchup against Indiana or Alabama. A week after scoring 51 points in the playoff opener against James Madison, the Ducks allowed only nine first downs and 215 yards against the Red Raiders. They joined Miami as half of college football’s final four. The Hurricanes will play Georgia or Mississippi.

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FILE - Cody Campbell walks on the field before a NCAA college football game between Texas Tech and Oregon State, Sept. 13, 2025, in Lubbock, Texas. (AP Photo/Annie Rice, File)

Texas Tech booster Cody Campbell pushes for Congress to create new entity to save college sports

December 31, 2025

Cody Campbell is a billionaire supporter of Texas Tech, his alma mater. He also has a distinct vision of where college sports needs to go if it is going to survive. In an interview with The Associated Press in advance of Tech’s College Football Playoff game against Oregon, he argued that Congress needs to create a new entity that can oversee all of college sports. He says college sports has professionalized the cost side of its business but is still generating revenue like amateurs.

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FILE - The Chow's Gymnastics & Dance Institute is seen Aug. 4, 2025, in West Des Moines, Iowa. (AP Photo/Scott McFetridge, File)

AP sources: In ‘Nassar 2.0,’ Olympics watchdog failed to close abuse case against gymnastics coach

December 30, 2025

Young gymnasts were sounding warnings about a coach as far back as 2017. That’s the same year the U.S. Center for SafeSport was created in the wake of the Larry Nassar sexual-abuse scandal. People familiar with the case involving Sean Gardner told The Associated Press he had agreed to a permanent ban from coaching early this year but the center never closed the deal. The people spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation by SafeSport and said Gardner’s case got tangled in office politics that included allegations of retaliation. SafeSport says putting Gardner on temporary suspension was effectively the same as a permanent ban. Gardner has pleaded not guilty to federal child pornography charges and is awaiting trial.

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FILE - The Olympic rings adorn the Stadio Olimpico del Ghiaccio, which will be called Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium, venue for the curling discipline at the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Giovanni Auletta, File)

Doping at your doorstep: The next Olympic drug crisis could be coming through the mail

December 3, 2025

A new wave of peptides, often banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency, is easily available online, raising concerns about potential Olympic doping scandals. These substances, marketed for benefits like anti-aging and workout recovery, are hard to detect and can be bought on platforms like Amazon and Alibaba. With the Milan Cortina Games approaching, officials are worried about repeating past scandals involving Russia and China. The peptides, many unapproved by the FDA, are difficult to regulate. Despite efforts to remove them, listings persist.

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Europe's Shane Lowry celebrates after making the winning putt putt on the 18th hole during their singles match on the Bethpage Black golf course at the Ryder Cup golf tournament, Sunday, Sept. 28, 2025, in Farmingdale, N.Y. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Shane Lowry makes the clinching Ryder Cup putt: ‘Coolest thing I’ve done in my life’

September 28, 2025

With a sure thing slipping from Europe’s grasp at the Ryder Cup, Shane Lowry saved the day. He made a 6-foot putt to clinch a tie in his match with Russell Henley and secure the halve that gave Europe its 14th point it needed to bring the cup home. Lowry joins a solid list of Irish golfers who have come up big at the Ryder Cup, including Graeme McDowell, Paul McGinley and Darren Clarke. As a bonus, Europe will defend the cup two years from now in the Irish city of Limerick.

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United States captain Keegan Bradley watches on the 16th hole during their singles match on the Bethpage Black golf course at the Ryder Cup golf tournament, Sunday, Sept. 28, 2025, in Farmingdale, N.Y. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

In close Ryder Cup loss, Keegan Bradley singles out Bethpage Black course setup as mistake

September 28, 2025

Asked what he might have done differently in a Ryder Cup that got away early, U.S. captain Keegan Bradley focused on the way he set up the course at Bethpage Black. It was one of many decisions he made that played into a closer-than-expected 15-13 loss. Bradley’s decision to stick some strange foursomes pairings and also not to choose himself for this team could have played into the loss. In the end, though, he said not setting up Bethpage to be its typically brawny self might have given the Europeans a slight edge in their first away victory since 2012.

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United States' Collin Morikawa reacts after missing a putt on the 13th hole at Bethpage Black golf course during the Ryder Cup golf tournament, Saturday, Sept. 27, 2025, in Farmingdale, N.Y. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

In rematch vs. ‘Fleetwood Mac,’ US Ryder Cup pairing of English and Morikawa gets the same result

September 27, 2025

It might be fair to say nobody was going to beat a Ryder Cup duo on a roll — one that’s so good, it has its own nickname, “Fleetwood Mac.” But Harris English and Collin Morikawa against one of Europe’s best teams never seemed like a fair fight. American captain Keegan Bradley put those two together not once but twice, and bad luck paired them against Rory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood both times. The Americans didn’t make it past the 16th hole in either match, and their 3-and-2 loss in Saturday’s foursomes could have been worse had they not fought back to win two holes in a row toward the end.

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United States' Harris English watches his tee shot on the third hole at Bethpage Black golf course during the Ryder Cup golf tournament, Friday, Sept. 26, 2025, in Farmingdale, N.Y. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Trailing at the Ryder Cup, America stays (mostly) the same for Day 2, Europe doesn’t change a thing

September 27, 2025

Even though he’s in a hole at the Ryder Cup, American captain Keegan Bradley is sticking with the same lineup, with only one tweak. And European captain Luke Donald isn’t changing a thing. The Americans will play seven of the same eight players for Saturday’s opening foursomes matches as played in the morning on Day 1, when they walked off the course with a 3-1 deficit. The leadoff man again is Bryson DeChambeau, who will pair with Cameron Young against Ludvig Åberg and Matt Fitzpatrick. The Europeans will run it back with all four of their teams, hoping to build on their 5 1/2-2 1/2 lead.

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Europe's Jon Rahm, Tyrrell Hatton and captain Luke Donald celebrate after their win on the 15th hole at Bethpage Black golf course during the Ryder Cup golf tournament, Friday, Sept. 26, 2025, in Farmingdale, N.Y. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

DeChambeau’s strong start erased by Rahm-Hatton as Ryder Cup’s main event turns into a big Euro win

September 26, 2025

A match that was supposed to be a tone-setter for the Americans at the Ryder Cup turned out to be just that. In a bad way. Bryson DeChambeau nearly drove the green and won the first hole in the kickoff match of foursomes. It turned out to be the only hole he and Justin Thomas would win all day. Jon Rahm and Tyrell Hatton took control of the match by winning two straight holes in on the front nine, then closed out a 4-and-3 win to help Europe take a 3-0 lead.

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Fans greets United States' Bryson DeChambeau on the 17th hole during a practice round at the Ryder Cup golf tournament, Thursday, Sept. 25, 2025, on the Bethpage Black golf course, in Farmingdale, N.Y. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Bryson DeChambeau, a man of the people, brings his show to Ryder Cup with some bickering to boot

September 25, 2025

There might not be a more watchable player at the Ryder Cup this week than Bryson DeChambeau. And for those who miss him on the course, there’s plenty of content available on YouTube. DeChambeau, who has used social media to reinvent himself as a man of the people, will be front and center for Team USA this week at Bethpage Black. The long-hitting California kid is back after missing the event two years ago and says the U.S. loss in 2023 stoked a fire for the event, which kicks off Friday.

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FILE - USA's Phil Mickelson, left, and Keegan Bradley celebrate after winning their foursomes match on the 15th hole at the Ryder Cup PGA golf tournament Friday, Sept. 28, 2012, at the Medinah Country Club in Medinah, Ill. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, File)

Phil Mickelson is an unwanted outsider in what could have been his Ryder Cup at Bethpage

September 25, 2025

This could have been Phil Mickelson’s Ryder Cup. When Bethpage Black was awarded the 2025 version of USA vs. Europe, all signs pointed toward Mickelson, who built his reputation as a fan favorite on the brawny municipal course outside New York City. Now 55 and with six major titles to his name, Mickelson would’ve been a natural to be leading the U.S. this week. His move to LIV Golf, however, turned him into an outsider in the world of “traditional golf.” In one of the ironies of this year’s event, it’s one of Mickelson’s favorite Ryder Cup partners serving as captain. Mickelson and Keegan Bradley went 4-1 as a team in 2012 and 2014.

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FILE - Europe team captain Paul McGinley, center right, and his team wear their national flags and celebrate with the trophy after winning the Ryder Cup golf tournament at Gleneagles, Scotland, Sunday, Sept. 28, 2014. (AP Photo/AP Photo/Peter Morrison, File)

Ryder Cup has power to divide — or unite — during fraught and fragile time in the US

September 24, 2025

This week’s Ryder Cup is an example of sports as an international score-settler. Could a group of pro golfers give Americans a break from the nonstop news cycles that makes their country feel fraught and fragile? Could it help bring a country together? And if so, how will fans react to two of the most-beloved golfers during a normal week, Rory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood. They’ll be representing the opposition this week, Europe. They’ll be doing it at Bethpage Black outside New York — a workingman’s golf course where fans have a reputation for behaving badly toward people they don’t like.

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FILE - Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava (8) looks to throw a pass during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Vanderbilt, on Nov. 30, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV, File)

Now at UCLA, Iamaleava tries to move beyond the drama and focus on football

July 25, 2025

College football’s future wore a baby blue suit, a gold pin that said “UCLA” and a pair of diamond-encrusted hoop earrings. He glided toward the mic, sat down, then prepared for the grilling about how much money he makes, why he left Tennessee, who betrayed who when he departed and what it all means for the college football world that his story now defines. Bottom line: If quarterback Nico Iamaleava handles the rest of the season as well as he did with his half hour of Q&A at Big Ten media days chances are, UCLA will be good — maybe even very good — in 2025.

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FILE - Ohio State head coach Ryan Day looks on before the College Football Playoff national championship game against Notre Dame, Jan. 20, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman, File)

NIL promises made to recruits, now coaches wait for key decision to learn whether they can keep them

July 23, 2025

Next week, college football coaches can put the recruiting promises they’ve made to high school seniors on paper. Then, the question becomes whether they can keep them. Uncertainty over interpretations of a key element of the lawsuit settlement that’s reshaping college sports has placed recruiters on a tightrope. They need clarity about whether the third-party collectives that ruled name, image, likeness payments over the first four years of NIL can be treated as a workaround of the $20.5 million cap on what schools can now pay players directly or whether they’ll simply become a small cog in the new system.

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FILE - Big Ten Conference commissioner Tony Petitti speaks during a news conference after meetings with the Southeastern Conference, Oct. 10, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV, File)

Big Ten’s Petitti: No support for SEC’s at-large bid preference for College Football Playoff

July 22, 2025

The Big Ten commissioner is reiterating the league’s preference for multiple automatic qualifiers in the next version of the College Football Playoff, increasing the likelihood of a showdown with the Southeastern Conference when the format for 2026 is decided. Commissioner Tony Petitti says any change that adds at-large bids and increases the discretion and role of a selection committee — a format the SEC and others have shown a preference for — “will have a difficulft time getting support of the Big Ten.”

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At US Senior Open, Harrington hangs on, wins head-to-head showdown with Cink

June 29, 2025

Padraig Harrington came out on top of a major championship that felt more like match play, closing his final round with seven straight pars at the U.S. Senior Open to top Stewart Cink by one shot. Playing alongside Cink for the fourth straight day, Harrington shot 3-under 67 to finish at 11-under 269 on the tricky, heavily sloping Broadmoor. The Irishman sealed this match by hitting his approach to 8 feet on No. 18, putting pressure on Cink, who trailed by one could not cash in with a late birdie to tie.

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Harrington’s chip-in on 18 leaves him tied (again) with Hensby, Cink at US Senior Open

June 28, 2025

Padraig Harrington chipped in from 20 yards off the green on the 18th hole to salvage a floundering round and pull back into a tie for the lead with Stewart Cink and Mark Hensby at the U.S. Senior Open. Harrington’s chip-in for birdie capped a round of 2-under 68 and put him in the same spot he was in to start — tied with the same two opponents he played with over a day at the Broadmoor that included wind, rain, even a flash of lightning that pulled the players off the course for a half-hour.

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Power pair of Cink and Harrington tied along with Hensby heading into weekend at US Senior Open

June 27, 2025

Padraig Harrington and Stewart Cink endured the ups and downs of the U.S. Senior Open together for a second straight day and found themselves tied for the lead. The payoff — sharing the final tee time to kick off the weekend at the hilly, hard-to-read Broadmoor. Cink made up five shots over the final nine holes of his head-to-head pairing against Harrington, and the players headed into the weekend tied at 6-under 134, along with late-charging Mark Hensby.

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For Harrington, one bogey outshines the birdies and keeps him in share of lead at US Senior Open

June 26, 2025

Padraig Harrington made four birdies, though it was the bogey he saved after losing a tee shot deep in a thicket of trees on the 15th hole that helped him keep a share of the first-round lead with Mark Hensby at the U.S. Senior Open. The leaders shot 3-under 67 for a one-shot advantage over a group of seven, including Stewart Cink, who hit the first 17 greens before making bogey after coming up short on No. 18.

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Marc Leishman, of Australia, celebrates after making birdie on the eighth hole during the third round of the U.S. Open golf tournament at Oakmont Country Club Saturday, June 14, 2025, in Oakmont, Pa. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

At LIV and loving it, Leishman returns to the majors and gets in the mix at the US Open

June 14, 2025

Marc Leishman’s bunker shot splashed out of the sand, took four quick bounces and rolled straight into the hole for birdie on the long, par-3 eighth hole at Oakmont. Suddenly, a name that was once no stranger to leaderboards at majors was up there once again. Not bad for a player who had every reason to wonder if he’d ever get another chance to play in one, let alone contend. The 41-year-old Australian, now on the LIV tour, shot 2-under 68 at the U.S. Open on Saturday. He’ll start the final round tied for 11th, eight shots off the lead.

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Patrick Reed tees off on the 13th hole during the first round of the U.S. Open golf tournament at Oakmont Country Club Thursday, June 12, 2025, in Oakmont, Pa. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

At the US Open, Patrick Reed hits the rarest of shots — an albatross

June 12, 2025

Patrick Reed made only the fourth double-eagle since the U.S. Open started keeping records some four decades ago, dunking in his second shot from 286 yards on the par-5 fourth hole at Oakmont. The so-called albatross is considered the rarest shot in golf, with only a few hundred being made a year across the world, compared to more than 30,000 holes-in-one. The 2018 Masters champion joins T.C. Chen (1985 at Oakland Hills), Shaun Micheel (2010 at Pebble Beach) and Nick Watney (2012 at Olympic) as the only players to make an albatross at the U.S. Open since the event started keeping such records in 1983..

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Chase Johnson lines up a putt on the fifth hole during a practice round ahead of the U.S. Open golf tournament at Oakmont Country Club Tuesday, June 10, 2025, in Oakmont, Pa. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

25 years after Tiger’s romp, a huge fan, Chase Johnson, is US Open’s only player of Black heritage

June 11, 2025

On the 25-year anniversary of Woods’ historic dismantling of Pebble Beach in the U.S. Open  — a milestone win that some thought might puncture golf’s stereotype as a sport for rich, white men — Chase Johnson is the only player of Black heritage in the 156-man field at Oakmont. The last man to qualify for this year’s Open, Johnson says he’s trying to build his profile so maybe he can inspire young players the way Woods once inspired him.

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Rory McIlroy, of Northern Ireland, is seen during a practice round ahead of the U.S. Open golf tournament at Oakmont Country Club Tuesday, June 10, 2025, in Oakmont, Pa. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Heading into US Open, McIlroy still looking for motivation after historic Masters win

June 10, 2025

Heading into the U.S. Open this week, Rory McIlroy has been disabused of any notion that life once he completed the career Grand Slam with that win at the Masters would be smooth sailing. McIlroy conceded he’s had some trouble finding motivation after conquering his biggest goal. The results have showed. He finished 47th at the PGA Championship last month and missed the cut at the Canadian Open last week. In the meantime, he’s had to adjust to a new driver after the old one was declared nonconforming in a routine test before the PGA.

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FILE - Vanderbilt fans climb a goalpost as they celebrate on the field after defeating Alabama in an NCAA football game, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/John Amis, File)

SEC amps up fines to $500,000 for rushing field, storming court

May 29, 2025

The Southeastern Conference is ratcheting up penalties on schools whose fans storm the field or rush the court, doing away with an escalating fine system and now charging $500,000 per incident. The conference also has the authority to wave the fine if the visiting team and officials are allowed to get to the locker room before fans descend onto the field or court. The new policy replaces an old one that called for an escalating fine structure that started with $100,000 for the first offense, raised to $250,000 for the second then hit $500,000 for the third.

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FILE - In this photo taken with a slow shutter speed, Wichita State's Ron Baker runs during practice for the NCAA college basketball tournament, March 20, 2014, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, file)

College sports lurches forward, hoping to find a level playing field with fewer lawsuits

May 29, 2025

On the one hand, what this new version of cash-infused college sports needs are rules that everybody follows. On the other, they need to be able to enforce those rules without getting sued into oblivion. The newly created College Sports Commission will be in charge of counting the money, deciding what a “fair market” deal for players looks like and, if things go well, helping everyone in the system avoid trips to court whenever a decision comes down that someone doesn’t like.

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FILE - Southeastern Conference commissioner Greg Sankey speaks during SEC NCAA college football media days, July 15, 2024, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Jeffrey McWhorter, File)

SEC’s spring meetings: The future of college sports is in the balance at Florida resort

May 28, 2025

Nothing less than the future of college sports is being hashed this week at the Southeastern Conference’s annual spring meetings in Florida. Among the topics are the future of the College Football Playoff, the SEC’s own schedule, the transfer portal and the NCAA itself. All are influenced by the fate of a multibillion-dollar lawsuit settlement that hovers over almost every corner of college athletics.

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