COLLEGE SPORTS
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - The NCAA has awarded coveted men’s basketball tournament games and other events to North Carolina, effectively ending a boycott that helped force the state to repeal parts of a law that limited protections for LGBT people.
The governing body announced decisions for events through 2022, two weeks after the NCAA said it had “reluctantly” agreed to consider North Carolina again for hosting duties. It had stripped North Carolina of seven championship events for the past sports season - including opening-weekend men’s basketball tournament games - and said it could relocate more events if there wasn’t a change in the “bathroom bill.”
The list of events included men’s basketball tournament opening-weekend games in Greensboro in 2020 and Raleigh in 2021, as well as a women’s basketball tournament regional in Greensboro in 2019. In addition, the College Cup Division I championship rounds for men’s soccer and women’s soccer will alternate years in Cary from 2018-21, and the Division I women’s field hockey championship will be held in Winston-Salem in 2019.
PRO FOOTBALL
LAS VEGAS (AP) - Taxpayers contributed more than $4.6 million for an NFL stadium in Las Vegas in the first month that a new increase on area hotel taxes went into effect- ahead of projections for the state’s share of the project.
The preliminary tax collection figures from March for the stadium that the Oakland Raiders want to call home were released Tuesday. The bulk of the money came from resorts and other lodging facilities in and around the Las Vegas Strip, where tourists are paying about $1.50 more per night on their hotel bill for an average-priced room.
“I think it validates the model in terms of what’s necessary to service the debt for the stadium,” said Steve Sisolak, commission chairman in Clark County, where the stadium is to be located. “It’s nice to see money actually collected and start to put some money in the bank for the stadium.”
The Nevada Legislature approved the tax hike last year to cover $750 million of the $1.9 billion project.
BASEBALL
ST. LOUIS (AP) - Pittsburgh Pirates All-Star outfielder Starling Marte has been suspended 80 games by Major League Baseball after testing positive for a performance-enhancing drug.
The league said Marte tested positive for the steroid Nandrolone. He will be eligible to return in mid-July.
Marte was an All-Star for the first time in his career in 2016 and moved from left field to center field in the offseason after winning his second Gold Glove. The 28-year-old from the Dominican Republic is hitting .241 with two home runs and seven RBIs this season.
Marte said in a statement that “neglect and lack of knowledge led to this mistake.”
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - San Francisco Giants manager Bruce Bochy underwent a minor heart procedure in San Diego, forcing him to miss the team’s two-game series against the Royals.
Bochy, who has a history of heart issues, had been complaining of discomfort in recent days. He told bench coach Ron Wotus on Sunday night that he was planning to go in for an exam Monday, and wound up having a procedure called an ablation to fix a heart rhythm problem.
The 62-year-old Bochy is resting at home and expects to rejoin the club in Colorado on Friday. In a text message to The Associated Press he said: “All good. … Ready to roll.”
Wotus will handle the managerial duties against the Royals.
ESPORTS
KUWAIT CITY (AP) - Video gaming will be featured as a full sport at the 2022 Asian Games, with competitors in electronic sports set to receive medals for their digital prowess.
The Olympic Council of Asia says it will introduce esports to the official program of the Asian Games at Hangzhou, China. It will also be a demonstration sport at the 2018 Asian Games in Palembang, Indonesia.
The OCA said the decision reflects “the rapid development and popularity of this new form of sports participation among the youth.”
The council is collaborating with Alisports, a unit of China’s Alibaba Group, to bring esports to the games. No details were given on which video games would be included.
The Asian Games features a wide range of traditional Olympic sports along with others containing more regional appeal. Some of the more obscure sports include sepak takraw, which combines features from soccer and volleyball, and kabaddi, a contact team sport that evolved in and is dominated by India.
BOSTON MARATHON
BOSTON (AP) - Adidas has apologized for sending out a marketing email praising customers it said “survived” this year’s Boston Marathon.
The subject line of the email sent by Adidas Running read: “Congrats, you survived the Boston Marathon!”
On social media, customers quickly reminded the company about the real survivors of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing. Three people were killed and more than 260 others were wounded when two bombs exploded near the finish line in that attack.
The sports apparel company quickly apologized, saying it was “incredibly sorry” for the “insensitive” subject line about Monday’s race.
At least two survivors of the 2013 bombing participated in this year’s race.
Adidas says the marathon is “one of the most inspirational sporting events in the world.”
BAYLOR SEXUAL ASSAULT SCANDAL
WACO, Texas (AP) - Baylor University selected a new president to guide the nation’s largest Baptist school, picking the first female leader in its 172-year history as the campus wades through a sexual assault scandal that chased out her predecessor and led to several lawsuits and investigations.
Linda Livingstone comes to Baylor from George Washington University, where she is a dean and professor of management. Her academic career includes previous administrative and teaching roles at Pepperdine University and Baylor.
Livingstone returns to Baylor at a time the school faces federal lawsuits from more than a dozen women who contend that school officials ignored or suppressed their sexual assault claims and fostered a culture of rape within the football program. The school also faces a state criminal investigation and civil rights probe by federal education officials.
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