We now have more details on Sunday’s disturbing incident at Talladega Superspeedway. A noose was found in Darrell Wallace Jr’s garage stall, NASCAR announced after the postponement of the Geico 500. An investigation was launched into the matter, which sparked outrage from across the sports world. FOX Sports’ Bob Pockrass on Monday offered additional context…
We now have more details on Sunday’s disturbing incident at Talladega Superspeedway. A noose was found in Darrell Wallace Jr.’s garage stall, NASCAR announced after the postponement of the Geico 500. An investigation was launched into the matter, which sparked outrage from across the sports world. FOX Sports’ Bob Pockrass on Monday offered additional context on the story. Most notably, Pockrass reported that Wallace never saw the noose; rather, one of his crew chiefs discovered it before reporting it to NASCAR, which in turn reported it to the FBI. Here’s his report: Additional news on the noose found in Bubba Wallace’s garage stall Sunday: –Bubba Wallace did not see the noose. –Talladega County Sheriff said NASCAR reported the incident to the FBI, which would handle any criminal investigation. #nascar — Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) June 22, 2020 The incident in Wallace’s stall came hours after a plane towing a Confederate flag and “defund NASCAR” sign flew over Talladega. Multiple fans reportedly were waving the Confederate flag outside the track, as well. NASCAR recently banned the Confederate flag, a decision that proved divisive among drivers and fans alike. Wallace himself has protested racial inequality and police brutality since the death of George Floyd last month. The Geico 500 now is scheduled for 3 p.m. ET on Monday.
TALLADEGA, Ala. (AP) — A noose was found in the garage stall of Black driver Bubba Wallace at the NASCAR race in Alabama on Sunday, less than two weeks after he successfully pushed the auto racing series to ban the Confederate flag at its tracks and facilities. NASCAR announced the discovery late Sunday and said…
While there won’t be school buses of fans hoping to see a New York-bred horse make Belmont history, there is a busload of Triple Crown expectations heading into Saturday’s race. Seventeen years ago, Jack Knowlton and the other owners of Funny Cide packed into school buses and headed to Belmont Park in New York, hoping…
Coach Greg Popovich doesn’t pull punches about his take on Trump’s leadership and the danger he feels this president poses to democracy. “Pop,” as he’s widely known, grew up in my hometown of East Chicago, Indiana – an industrial melting-pot, blue- collar town near Chicago. What’s remarkable about such an experience is that unlike Chicago […]
While many professional sports leagues in the United States still have yet to resume amid the COVID-19 pandemic, NASCAR soon will allow some fans to attend select races. The league’s plan begins with the Dixie Vodka 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on June 14, where 1,000 South Florida service members will serve as honorary guests. They…
Regardless of how you feel in the aftermath of the horrific George Floyd murder, one thing is for certain: the NBA has no plans to forget about this in the coming weeks. Even though some of the riots have been taken too far, the murder of an innocent man is enough to realize that there’s […]
Regardless of how you feel in the aftermath of the horrific George Floyd murder, one thing is for certain: the NBA has no plans to forget about this in the coming weeks.
Even though some of the riots have been taken too far, the murder of an innocent man is enough to realize that there’s something off about the training of police in this country.Advertisementsabout:blankREPORT THIS AD
Although America itself is a more progressive country than most, there are many people with hate in their hearts that don’t share the same values as most Americans do. Because of this, terrible things such as police brutality occur.
Many organizations and people have been speaking out against police brutality and have made donations and used their platforms to ensure that this evil will decrease as much as possible, but sports leagues, such as the NBA, are going even further.
Sports have been a key factor in fighting racism for decades. Many look at players like Jackie Robinson and Reggie Jackson as some of the most influential African Americans in history because the Brooklyn Dodgers finally allowed Jackie to get his chance and Reggie followed soon after.
AP photo
In the NBA, players like Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain were two brilliant athletes who put basketball on the map for years to come.
Although the NBA hasn’t done as much historically as the MLB has, in recent years the NBA has become more influential and has given back to not just their own community, but to communities around the world.Advertisementsabout:blankREPORT THIS AD
The NBA Cares program has done some absolutely wonderful things for the world and has helped players like Joel Embiid find homes in the NBA.
More recently, the NBA Cares program has had hospital visits, helped with homeless shelters, and honored the Make-a-Wish foundation during the all-star game. They also have their Community Assists Award that encourages NBA players to go out and make a difference themselves like when LeBron James made the school on Ohio or Luc Richard Mbah a Moute held his basketball camp for kids in Africa.
In recent years, the NBA has been at the front of improving the world and they don’t plan to stop now.Advertisementsabout:blankREPORT THIS AD
NBA players and personnel alike including Greg Popovich, JR Smith, Michael Jordan, Steve Nash and so many more have spoken out against police brutality and there is so much more that the NBA can and will do to help black and all communities in America.
Because of the NBA’s influence and the placement of their teams (big cities), the NBA has the greatest opportunity out of anyone to help with police brutality. 29 teams have already stated how horrible Floyd’s death was and plan to put a stop to it.Advertisementsabout:blankREPORT THIS AD
The NBA’s voice is unlike any other voice in the world because although it is a lot of people, they somehow are able to remain unified, unlike any other organization. The NBA has already announced that they plan to work with their respective cities to help stop all police brutality wherever it is.
Players like LeBron James and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar are going to make change happen.
Marcio Jose Sanchez/Associated Press
The NBA and its players have a lot of money they can spend in order to help. Whether it’s focusing on more intensive training for police in order to make sure they know how horrible it is, donating to help memorials such as Floyd’s or anyone else who is going to be murdered unjustly, or just using their incredible, unified platform to reach out to millions of fans to make sure they know this isn’t okay.
The change will come to America, and the NBA will be a huge voice in all of it.
Mike Singletary was a Hall of Famer on the football field, but duplicating that success while standing on the sideline has been difficult for the former 49ers head coach. The 61-year-old’s latest coaching struggles ended with him resigning as a high school head coach in Texas after leading Trinity Christian-Addison to a 1-21 record over…
Formula E driver Daniel Abt was disqualified after finishing third in a virtual race after it turned out he had been cheating by using a stand-in driver. Like most sports, Formula E events had been canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic, but the organization turned to virtual races using some of its drivers. Saturday’s Formula…
The funk/rock band Earth, Wind & Fire sang about September and Ontario horse racing fans will also be singing the month’s praises this year. For the first time in the history of Woodbine Racetrack, The Queen’s Plate (Sept. 12) and the Grade 1 Ricoh Woodbine Mile (Sept. 19) are scheduled for September, on back-to-back weekends, […]
By Steve Buffery For the first time in the history of Woodbine Racetrack, The Queen’s Plate (Sept. 12) and the Grade 1 Ricoh Woodbine Mile (Sept. 19) are scheduled for September, on back-to-back weekends, in fact — changes necessitated as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Queen’s Plate, North America’s oldest continuously run horse race, was originally scheduled for June 27. Woodbine Entertainment announced a revised 2020 stakes schedule on Wednesday. The thoroughbred season is now scheduled to open on June 6 and will run through Dec. 13. The 2020 stakes program includes $13.8 million in purses across 75 stakes and features. “It’s been an unprecedented year which has led to a unique stakes schedule that we are very excited about,” said Jim Lawson, CEO of Woodbine Entertainment. “The summer stakes schedule will build the anticipation for a very busy and exciting fall at Woodbine Racetrack highlighted by the running of our two biggest stakes races on back-to-back Saturdays.” However, with the promise of a 2020 Woodbine season also came some bad news on Wednesday. WE also announced that due to complications with international travel, the Pattison Canadian International (Grade 1) has been cancelled for the 2020 season. Some highlights of this year’s Woodbine stakes schedule include: — The Canadian Triple Crown will get underway with the 161st running of The Queen’s Plate on Sept. 12, followed by the Prince of Wales at Fort Erie racetrack on Tuesday, Sept. 29, and concluding on the turf at Woodbine Racetrack with the $400,000 Breeders’ Stakes on Oct. 24. — Designated as Breeders’ Cup “Win And You’re In” races, the Ricoh Woodbine Mile will be followed by the Grade 1 Summer Stakes and the filly companion Grade 1 Natalma Stakes for two-year-olds on Sept. 20. — The Woodbine Cares and Ontario Racing Stakes, new juvenile inner turf stakes that launched in 2019, will be contested on Sept. 19 with purses increased to $135,000 each. — The $600,000 E.P. Taylor Stakes (Grade 1), the $300,000 Northern Dancer (Grade 1) presented by Pattison and the $250,000 Nearctic Stakes (Grade 2) will be featured on Oct.18. — Woodbine’s Ladies of the Lawn Series, which provides the winner with a $75,000 bonus, returns in 2020 with the first leg on June 27 with the $175,000 Nassau Stakes (Grade 2), followed by the $175,000 Dance Smartly Stakes (Grade 2) on Aug. 15, the $250,000 Canadian Stakes (Grade 2) on Sept. 12, before culminating with the Grade 1 E.P. Taylor Stakes. The inaugural winner of the 2019 Ladies of the Lawn Series was Starship Jubilee. — The $500,000 Woodbine Oaks Presented by Budweiser, first leg of the Canadian Triple Tiara, headlines another major race card on Aug. 15 which will include the $150,000 Plate Trial, which is one of six Canadian-foaled classics to receive a purse boost for 2020. — The Greenwood Stakes has been shifted to Aug. 1 and is one of three Ontario-bred stakes on the calendar with purses increased from $125,000 to $150,000. — The other classics for horses foaled in Canada with purse increases, from $225,000 to $250,000, are the Bison City (Sept. 12), Cup & Saucer (Oct. 10), Wonder Where (Oct. 25), Princess Elizabeth (Oct. 31) and Coronation Futurity (Nov. 1). — This year’s Yearling Sales Stakes set for Aug. 30 will feature four stakes including a pair of two-year-old events (Simcoe and Muskoka) with purse increases to $250,000 and a pair of three-year-old events (Elgin and Algoma) with purses of $135,000.
Sydney Wiese was on her way home March 13, summoned back to the U.S. from her duties in Spain’s women’s basketball league as the novel coronavirus began to spread. And, well, something just didn’t feel right. “I had a feeling, when I was traveling back from Spain, that I wasn’t 100 percent,” the Sparks’ guard…
The Belmont Stakes will be run June 20 in New York without fans and serve as the opening leg of horse racing’s Triple Crown for the first time in the sport’s history. The New York Racing Association on Tuesday unveiled the rescheduled date for the Belmont, which will also be contested at a shorter distance…
The Belmont Stakes will be run June 20 in New York without fans and serve as the opening leg of horse racing’s Triple Crown for the first time in the sport’s history.
The New York Racing Association on Tuesday unveiled the rescheduled date for the Belmont, which will also be contested at a shorter distance than usual. The 2020 Belmont will be 1 1/8 miles instead of the 1 1/2-mile “test of the champion” that has been the race’s trademark for almost a century.
“The Belmont Stakes is a New York institution that will provide world-class entertainment for sports fans during these challenging times,” NYRA president and CEO Dave O’Rourke said. “While this will certainly be a unique running of this historic race, we are grateful to be able to hold the Belmont Stakes in 2020.”
This is the first time the Belmont will lead off the Triple Crown ahead of the Kentucky Derby and Preakness. The Kentucky Derby was moved from May 2 to Sept. 5 and the Preakness from May 16 to Oct. 3 amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The Belmont was originally scheduled for June 6. But racing in New York halted in late March after a backstretch worker tested positive for COVID-19, and Gov. Andrew Cuomo didn’t give the green light to resume until Saturday.
Live racing is gradually ramping up operations across North America because tracks feel they can operate safely and still make money without fans on site because of online betting and TV revenue. More than $90 million was wagered off track last year on Belmont day, and NYRA gets a cut of that money along with revenue from NBC.
Horse racing officials have grappled with the complexities of a shifted Triple Crown season that doesn’t require the same of 3-year-olds in contention as it has in years past. The Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont are usually run during a six-week span in the spring.
“Everything’s going to be different this year, right?” trainer Mark Casse said. “If well-planned out, it can be just as exciting. Why not? I don’t know if it’s necessarily the time of year. It’s just the events, and you’re still going to have great events.”
The Belmont is only being run two weeks after it was scheduled, but the shorter distance changes the complexion of the race and the Triple Crown. It has been run at 1 1/2 miles each year dating to 1926 and last ran at 1 1/8 miles in 1894.
NYRA said the distance adjustment was made “to properly account for the schedule adjustments to the Triple Crown series and overall calendar for 3-year-olds in training.”
Just 13 horses have won the Triple Crown, most recently Justify in 2018 and American Pharoah in 2015. –The Associated Press.
Rejoice, sports fans, their return to California may not be far off. Well, maybe. Gov. Gavin Newsom said the state is eyeing the first week of June to begin to allow live pro sporting events, as well as “a number of other sectors” of the economy, “if we hold these trend lines.” But upon being…
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The view from left field 