Real Madrid hosts Falcons, home of world champion welcomes Bengals ahead of NFL game in Madrid
MADRID (AP) — The Atlanta Falcons have begun preparing for their NFL game in Madrid at the training center of Spanish soccer powerhouse Real Madrid. The Cincinnati Bengals start practicing Thursday at the facilities of World Cup champion Spain. Both teams traveled to Madrid on Tuesday for Sunday’s game at Real Madrid’s Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, home of the record 15-time European champion. It will be the second NFL regular-season game in the Spanish capital after the Miami Dolphins beat the Washington Commanders 16-13 in overtime in last year’s inaugural game in the country.
Ice hockey world championship main sponsor Skoda to ‘reassess’ backing if Russia plays
DUESSELDORF, Germany (AP) — The main sponsor of the men’s ice hockey world championship says it will “reassess” its backing for the tournament if Russia takes part. Skoda has been the main sponsor for more than 30 years and its stance puts more pressure on the International Ice Hockey Federation after a Court of Arbitration for Sport ruling last week obliged the IIHF to lift its exclusion of Russian national teams. Almost half of the 16 nations in the men’s championship are refusing to play Russia. The Canadian government says it will not allow Russia to compete at the world junior championship there starting next month.
Miami gets top spot in first CFP rankings, but Tide at 5 and Irish at 11 bring a collective ‘Huh?’
The undefeated Miami Hurricanes received top billing in the season’s first College Football Playoff rankings, with Georgia, undefeated Utah and defending national champion Indiana filling out the top four spots in the initial projected playoff bracket. The biggest surprise from the selection committee was its choice to rank Notre Dame 11th — seven spots lower than its spot in the AP Top 25 and the last team in the bracket if the playoffs started today. The rest of the rankings: No. 5 Alabama, No. 6 Kentucky, No. 7 Texas and undefeated UCLA at No. 8. BYU was slotted in the ninth spot, followed by Ole Miss, the Irish and Ohio State.
Major League Baseball proposes delaying salary cap start until 2028 in talks with players
NEW YORK (AP) — Major League Baseball has proposed delaying the start of a salary cap until 2028. The league says teams have too many commitments for the 2027 season to reduce spending quickly. On Tuesday, owners proposed a hard cap of $258.2 million for 2028 and a mandatory floor of $180.2 million. The proposal uses luxury tax payrolls with average annual values. MLB spokesman Glen Caplin says the delay allows a smoother transition without affecting key player benefits. These benefits include earlier free agency, a $1 million minimum salary and a 30% increase to the pre-arbitration bonus pool.
Champions League: Man United in dramatic comeback, PSG hits six, Barcelona and Bayern win
MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Manchester United has staged a dramatic comeback to recover from its worst start to a European home game by beating Roma 3-2 in the Champions League. Paris Saint-Germain has set a record as the quickest team to score four goals in European soccer’s top competition by powering into a 4-0 lead after 17 minutes against Villarreal on its way to a 6-0 win. Barcelona beat Aston Villa 3-0 and Bayern Munich won 2-0 at Atletico Madrid.
A woman running the NYC marathon for charity dies 2 miles from the finish
NEW YORK (AP) — A young Pennsylvania woman running the New York City Marathon for the first time to raise money for Parkinson’s disease research collapsed just over two miles from the finish line and later died. Authorities say 24-year-old Rachel Apa of Lewisberry, Pennsylvania, collapsed on Sunday as she approached the 24-mile marker in the 26.2-mile race. Her father told The New York Times she’d been stricken with rhabdomyolysis, a rare muscle condition in which muscles break down during exertion, poisoning the body. It was Apa’s first marathon.
NASCAR driver Carson Hocevar suspended for season finale following on-track actions at Martinsville
CONCORD, N.C. (AP) — Spire Motorsports has suspended NASCAR driver Carson Hocevar for Sunday’s season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway, saying “racing at the Cup level is a privilege, and it comes with an expected level of professionalism.” Hocevar was accused of intentionally brake-checking Austin Cindric following a restart at Martinsville Speedway last Sunday. He denied doing it on purpose. Cindric declined interviews after leaving the care center, but he radioed his team that Hocevar “had a mental breakdown” in the incidents. Earlier in the race, Hocevar was accused of intentionally spinning his No. 77 Chevrolet to bring out a caution flag and potentially catch Christopher Bell and others on pit road, disrupting their race strategies.
Stefanski prepares Falcons for Bengals’ offense in Madrid after struggles in the rain in Florida
MADRID (AP) — Last week it was bad weather. This time it will be Joe Burrow and Cincinnati’s red-hot offense. Atlanta Falcons coach Kevin Stefanski expects a different kind of challenge when his team takes on the Bengals in Madrid on Sunday after struggling in heavy rain in Florida last week. The Falcons looked dismal in a 16-0 loss at Tampa Bay as quarterback Michael Penix Jr. threw four interceptions and the Buccaneers dominated despite having no completions.
Protest turns to cheers after Man United fans delayed Champions League tie by hurling tennis balls
MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Manchester United fans have attempted to disrupt the Champions League match against Roma by throwing tennis balls onto the pitch at Old Trafford. By the end the home crowd was celebrating a rousing second-half comeback after two goals from Matheus Cunha and another from Bruno Fernandes sealed a 3-2 win. United was 2-0 down after 17 minutes but the protest had been pre-planned and flagged on social media earlier in the day as angry supporters wanted to vent their anger at the club’s ownership. It ended up causing only a brief delay with just a small number of balls being thrown from the Stretford End, which were quickly removed by players.
Jesús de Miguel, a journeyman whose death after an in-game collision stunned Spanish soccer
BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Few of Spain’s soccer fans had heard of Jesús de Miguel until the country was shocked by his death on Tuesday, a day after he was critically injured in a brutal in-game collision. Yet De Miguel’s career was like that of most soccer players. He was a journeyman who worked hard to turn a sport into a livelihood, bouncing from club to club in the lower divisions inside his home country. He passed away at age 30 on Tuesday after he had been hospitalized following a horrific impact with an opposing goalkeeper.