Saturday 20 April 2024
"BRAVE IS UNBEATABLE" CAMPAIGN
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| Michael J. Fox. Reuters |
The Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) and national broadcaster CBC unveiled the branding campaign video "Brave is Unbeatable" on Friday with the aim of rallying the country behind athletes who will compete at the Paris Games.
Narrated by Canadian actor Michael J. Fox and Grammy winning singer Celine Dion, the first ever collaboration features the stories of nine athletes and the obstacles they must overcome to compete on the world stage.
"I'm so proud to have been part of this campaign," said five-time Emmy Award-winner and "Back to the Future" star Fox, who has been an inspirational figure himself waging a very public battle with Parkinson disease. "It's amazing to see what these athletes have overcome in order to achieve greatness.
"I think that story is so important, and we can all relate to that struggle to persevere despite the odds."
The campaign features some of Canada's top medal hopes and best known Olympians, including sprinter Andre De Grasse, swimmer Maggie Mac Neil and basketball player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Gilgeous-Alexander was cut from his high school team but has gone on to become an NBA All-Star with Oklahoma City Thunder and last year was awarded the Northern Star Award as Canada's top athlete.
In his story De Grasse, winner of six Olympic medals including 200 metres gold at the Tokyo Games, talks about dealing with doubters, including himself.
"Throughout my career, when I’ve experienced injuries and setbacks, I used to question whether I could still compete against the world’s best," said De Grasse. "But my belief in myself is stronger than any doubt I’ve ever faced.
"That resiliency helps me push through all the adversity.
"And it's worth it, because when we get to Paris, I know I'll have the support of the whole country lifting me up, too."
The Paris Olympics are scheduled for July 26 to Aug. 11.
Canada won 24 medals, including seven golds, at the COVID-19 delayed 2021 Tokyo Olympics.
- Reuters
MARIO ANDRETTI OFFENDED BY F1 REJECTION,
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| AP Photo |
LONG BEACH, Calif. (AP) — Mario Andretti said Friday he was deeply offended by the language Formula One Management used in denying his family and General Motors the opportunity to join the global motorsports series.
The 1978 Formula 1 world champion posted on social media he was “devastated” when F1 rejected Andretti and General Motors in late January in their application to expand the current grid to accommodate a two-car American team.
The F1 rejection came after a six-month review of Andretti's application and the reasoning for the denial was taken personally by both Mario and Michael Andretti, as well as GM, which plans to partner with Andretti in F1 under its Cadillac brand.
Among F1's claims were that it did not believe Andretti would be a competitive team; that the Andretti name does not bring the value to the series that Michael Andretti believes it would; and that getting on the grid in the next two years would be a challenge Andretti has never faced before.
“I was offended, actually. I don’t think we deserved that, to be honest with you,” Mario Andretti said Friday at the Long Beach Grand Prix. “It’s a big investment in the series, and you’d think they’d welcome that. Even the value of the series is more valuable with 11 teams than 10, so I don’t know. Tell us what is really wrong.”
As for F1 questioning GM's ability to provide an engine for the new team, only to also ask GM to find a team other than Andretti to partner with, Andretti took further exception.
“That’s another offensive statement there. We’re the ones that worked it out, and GM said it over and over, ‘Andretti or nothing,’ and then (F1) still tried to take it,” Andretti said. “There’s an undercurrent there that I don’t understand, quite honestly, but if they want blood, well, I’m ready.”
Andretti then pointed to his forearm and pretended to slice a vein to show his commitment to the F1 effort.
Andretti Cadillac last week opened a new facility for its F1 operation in Silverstone, England. The 48,000-square foot shop is operating and the team and GM maintain that “work continues at pace” on its attempt to enter F1. After the facility opening, the Andretti leadership group had one of its first official meetings with FOM — an email request late last year from F1's governing body to meet with Andretti went to an Andretti spam folder — and Andretti said the groups agreed to meet again next month at the Miami Grand Prix.
“We only had one meeting with them. That’s a problem. We haven’t had enough. I think that’s why I really welcome our next meeting. You know, let’s sit down,” Andretti said. "There were some opportunities missed along the way, but we’ve got to look forward, not back. I’m remaining hopeful because we never stop working towards this. It was made clear that our work is at pace, and as you can see we’re not just talking. We’re putting brick and mortar together. We’ve shown that with the team that already has a place in Silverstone.
“We’re trying to say ‘We’ll do whatever you ask of us. We’ll do whatever is there. Now, if you think of something, you tell us,'” Andretti continued. “But they haven’t told us yet except for some excuses like, ‘Oh we don’t want you coming on, we don’t want you to be embarrassed.’ But we don’t want to embarrass ourselves, and the fact is General Motors has made it so clear that they're excited about this project. They have a long-term commitment there, and I don’t know what else we can do.
“The rules say that 11 or 12 teams is legal,” said Andretti, who added the team is committed to fielding entries in F2 and F3 to facilitate some American talents. “We’re all-in, and I don’t know what else to do.”
Andretti, who won 12 F1 races and one championship, is considered one of the greatest drivers of all time and said he's treated with respect at F1 events. He doesn't understand why the same courtesy is not extended to his son, Michael, who ran 13 races in one ill-fated, shortened 1993 season. Michael Andretti's mark was made in American open-wheel racing, and like his father, he's considered among the greatest.
“I still don’t know what the reasons are because let’s be reasonable. We’re all racers. We all are professionals. We’re trying to advance the cause for all of us,” Andretti said. “I’ve never been disrespected as a person face-to-face, but it’s been at a distance, and I don’t think we deserve that.”
Andretti said the team goal is to be on the F1 grid in 2026 and when they told that to FOM, series representatives said they had been under the assumption the team wanted to be on the grid in 2025. Andretti said 2026 remains the goal even though this process began in 2021 with Andretti's failed attempt to purchase Sauber.
He also said that F1's refusal to admit Andretti is “definitely about the financial side, no question about it,” in that the existing 10 teams don't want to share any of the revenue with a newcomer.
- JENNA FRYER
HAMILTON SECOND IN SPRINT BUT QUALIFIES 18TH IN CHINESE GP
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| Reuters |
Seven-times world champion Lewis Hamilton failed to make it out of the first part of qualifying for the Formula One Chinese Grand Prix, despite having finished second in Saturday's sprint.
The 39-year-old Briton had told reporters after his second place finish behind Max Verstappen in the sprint race that he had missed the feeling of lining up on the front row and forgotten what it felt like to lead a race.
The Mercedes driver did not think he would be challenging for the front row on Sunday but 18th place was far worse than expected.
"I made massive changes into qualifying," Hamilton told Sky Sports.
"(The car) wasn't too bad in some places. I couldn’t stop in turn 14.
"It is what it is."
His team mate George Russell qualified eighth on the grid for Sunday, with Verstappen taking Red Bull's 100th pole in F1.
Hamilton had said he had found out a lot about the car from the sprint and would make adjustments to the setup ahead of qualifying.
"This morning George and I had very similar cars but then this afternoon, we're trying to experiment still with the car so I went one way, a long way, and then he went the other way just to see if we could find anything," Hamilton said.
Hamilton's former Mercedes team mate Nico Rosberg, the 2016 world champion, said 18th place was "seriously painful".
"He had a great lap until then," he added. "It was really unnecessary to push the limit and as a seven-time world champion that is a mistake which should be unavoidable."
- Joe Cash
VERSTAPPEN TAKES DOMINANT AT POLE AT CHINESE GRAND PRIX; PEREZ SECOND AHEAD OF ALONSO
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| Max Verstappen takes Red Bull's 100th pole position at the Chinese Grand Prix. |
Max Verstappen continued his run of pole positions with a dominant performance at the Chinese Grand Prix.
Verstappen claimed his sixth straight pole position, and his fifth from five this season, going 0.3s quicker than Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez.
Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso continued his stellar form by beating McLaren pair Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri to third, while Ferrari's Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz had to settle for sixth and seventh respectively.
Alonso said after the session: "We didn't give up, we kept pushing all the way through the lap and I set a good lap time, I think the car did improve since this morning. We made a few set-up changes, let's see tomorrow if we can translate that into points."
Red Bull has finished one-two at three of the four races so far this year and will look to do so again on Sunday.
The session was red flagged in Q2 as Sainz hit the gravel at the final corner and spun off the track, damaging his front wing. But he returned to the track for Q3 when the session resumed.
Verstappen and Red Bull's supreme pace was revealed in the sprint race held several hours before qualifying for the grand prix.
Verstappen started that event fourth but made quick work of his rivals, before cantering away to win by 13 seconds.
The Dutchman will look to do the same in Sunday's main event.
He said: "I think after the sprint race it gave us a few more ideas about the car and I think the car worked even better in qualifying now, so definitely very happy with how qualifying went, the car was really nice to drive.
"That final lap in Q3 felt really decent and also very happy to drive here as well in the dry, the conditions were pretty good and it was a lot of fun."
Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton provided the biggest shock of the session, failing to make it past the first qualifying session, Q1.
It marked a huge turnaround in fortunes for Hamilton after qualifying second for the sprint event.
He told Sky Sports after qualifying: "We [George Russell & Hamilton] were trying to experiment still with the car, so I went one way and he went the other way -- that's what we need to do at the moment -- and yeah, it didn't work.
"18th is pretty bad. When I was making the set up changes I thought, 'it can't get any worse, surely' and it did so s--- happens."
- Nate Saunders
CANCELO: PEOPLE SENT DEATH WISHES FORY FAMILY AFTER UCL LOSS
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| João Cancelo was the target of social media abuse following Barcelona's Champions League exit at the hand of PSG. Tim Clayton/Corbis via Getty Images |
João Cancelo has revealed the extent of the social media abuse he received following Barcelona's Champions League elimination at the hands of Paris Saint-Germain in midweek, including comments wishing death upon his family.
Barça led 3-2 from the first leg in Paris but lost 4-1 on Tuesday as they exited the competition at the quarterfinal stage.
"People say all sorts," Cancelo said in an interview with ESPN ahead of Sunday's trip to Real Madrid in LaLiga.
"There are comments on Instagram wishing death upon my daughter who's not even been born yet. They would not say it to me face, because we would have a problem, but in the comments they write what they want.
"They're offensive to my partner, my daughter, our unborn baby. It's a cruel world and you have to know how to live with it. I know how to, but I just don't know what to say anymore.
"Wishing death upon a baby is really serious. People don't think about the person behind the footballer they see on the television. We are humans, too. We are just the same."
Cancelo, 29, was one of the players singled out for criticism after Barça lost to PSG because it was his foul on Ousmane Dembélé that led to the French side's third goal on the night via a penalty.
The Portugal international also responded to comments made by former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand, who said Cancelo, was "silly, naive and like an inexperienced young player in panic station mode."
"Ferdinand was a great player, but I am sure he made mistakes as well," Cancelo added. "We all do. But of course, it's his job, he's an analyst and he has the right to say what he thinks.
"I accept it, it's his opinion. Maybe the way I gave the penalty away was a childish [mistake], but with how the game was, my head at the moment, well, I accept the criticism."
However Cancelo, who is on loan at Barça from Manchester City, said abuse of his family was an entirely different matter.
"Criticise my performances, I don't mind, but don't speak about my family.
"It has been a really difficult week to be honest. We were excited to go far in the Champions League. I think this club deserves it, but it's a week we have to leave behind.
- Sam Marsden and Martin Ainstein
Friday 19 April 2024
RAIN FORCES MIXED GRID FOR CHINESE GP, SPRINT AS NORRIS TAKES POLE
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| Lars Baron/Getty Images |
SHANGHAI, China -- Lando Norris will start the first sprint race of the 2024 season from first position after a wet sprint shootout session in China resulted in a mixed grid.
Norris' best time was initially deleted for exceeding track limits at the final corner of his previous lap, briefly moving Lewis Hamilton to first place, but it was reinstated by race control moments later.
Hamilton will start from second place for Mercedes on the jumbled grid ahead of Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso in third.
Championship leader Max Verstappen could only manage the fourth fastest time after two of his three attempts in the wet final session were deleted for track limits infringements.
The 19-lap sprint race will take place on Saturday morning in China ahead of qualifying for the full-length grand prix, and carries points from first place to eighth.
Although of less significance than full grand prix qualifying, the result marks the first time a McLaren has started from the front of an F1 grid this year and the first time since Norris took pole in the sprint shootout in Brazil last year.
"It was [wild]. I am extremely happy, big thanks to the team. It was tricky," Norris said afterwards. "I got a good final lap. I am happy, sad it is not for a proper qualifying, but good enough.
"They were conditions where you've just got to risk a lot, you've just got to push, build tyre temperature and so forth. I was a little bit nervous that I made a few mistakes, started to aquaplane quite a bit, but it's good fun.
"It gets your heart going, and to end up on top is exactly what we wanted. So a nice surprise and a good position for tomorrow," he added.
Lando Norris took pole as his flying lap time was reinstated by the stewards before the end of the session.
Meanwhile Hamilton said: "It was very tricky, tricky conditions, not a lot of grip as you saw for everyone. But yeah, so happy. As soon as I saw the rain coming, I was getting excited.
"Naturally in dry conditions, we're not quick enough, so when the rain came, and I thought I'd have a bit of a better opportunity, and that's kind of when it all came alive."
Rain started to fall at the end of SQ2 and by the start of SQ3 it had forced all drivers to switch from slick tyres to intermediates.
Charles Leclerc, who qualified seventh, went off the track at Turn 3 on the first lap out of the pits, while a number of drivers had lap times deleted due to track limit violations.
Verstappen ran off the road at Turn Six on his first attempt and again at the final corner on his second attempt. He finally completed a single clean lap before the chequered flag, but for the first time this year it was not fast enough to secure the front row of the grid.
"It was incredibly slippery," Verstappen said. "I struggled a lot to get the temperature in the tyres, it was very difficult to keep the car on-track, and it never really switched on for me.
"It was just like driving on ice. That's why I think it was quite deserved where we are in qualifying, because it's not really working for me in the wet, even though I think the dry we look quite good.
"So of course I'm quite happy with that."
Norris ran off the track at the final corner ahead of his fastest lap, which can often be seen as gaining an advantage for the following lap as well, but his best effort was quickly reinstated by the FIA in line with the race director's notes for the weekend.
Carlos Sainz will start fifth on the grid for Ferrari ahead of Sergio Perez for Red Bull, Leclerc's Ferrari in seventh and Norris' McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri in eighth.
Valtteri Bottas secured ninth on the grid for Sauber ahead of Chinese driver Zhou Guanyu, who set the tenth fastest time in front of a jubilant home crowd.
The start of the second part of qualifying was delayed after a grass fire broke out at the side of the track near Turn Five. A similar incident happened during the morning practice session at Turn Seven, with video evidence suggesting the fires were ignited by sparks from the titanium skid plates on the underside of the cars.
The short delay to Q2 coincided with the arrival of light rain, although all drivers were able to complete a flying lap on slick tyres before heavier rain arrived at the end of the session. The downpour at the end of Q2 locked positions in place from the drivers' first attempts, with Zhou beating George Russell to a place in Q3 by 0.038s.
Haas drivers Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg will line up 12th and 13th ahead of Daniel Ricciardo's RB in 14th and the Aston Martin of Lance Stroll in 15th.
Pierre Gasly missed the cut for Q2 by less than a tenth of a second but qualified 0.088s faster than Alpine teammate Esteban Ocon, whose car was fitted with the team's latest updates. The new parts and lighter chassis on Ocon's car are expected to bring a step in performance for the struggling French team, but could not be manufactured in time to be fitted to both cars this weekend.
Alex Albon was 18th fastest for Williams ahead of RB's Yuki Tsunoda in 19th and the second Williams driver, Logan Sargeant, in last.
- Laurence Edmondson
LEVERKUSEN,ROMA, ATALANTA, MARSEILLE,INTO EUROPA LEAGUE S.F.
Liverpool failed to overcome a three-goal deficit and was eliminated from the Europa League on Thursday despite beating Atalanta 1-0 in the second leg of their quarterfinal matchup.
The result officially ended Liverpool’s hopes of a treble of trophies in manager Jurgen Klopp’s final season at Anfield, though the feat had looked unlikely after the Italian team won 3-0 in the first leg in Merseyside.
“We won the game and that was the reaction we wanted to show,” Klopp told TNT Sports. “It was difficult and we knew it would be, but Atalanta deserve to go through, 100%."
Days after celebrating its first-ever Bundesliga title, Bayer Leverkusen remained on course to claim a historic treble by holding West Ham to a 1-1 draw at London Stadium to stretch its unbeaten streak to 44. Xabi Alonso's team advanced to the semifinals 3-1 on aggregate.
Leverkusen will face Roma in the last four after the capital club beat AC Milan 2-1 in an all-Italian quarterfinal to advance 3-1 on aggregate.
Michail Antonio put West Ham ahead early, heading in a cross from Vladimir Coufal. Jeremie Frimpong came off the bench and equalized in the 89th minute to clinch the aggregate victory and extend the team's unbeaten run.
Alonso’s team will play second-division Kaiserslautern in the German Cup final in Berlin on May 25, three days after the Europa League final in Dublin.
In Bergamo, Liverpool had a dream start after Trent Alexander-Arnold’s cross hit Matteo Ruggeri’s hand. Mohamed Salah sent goalkeeper Juan Musso the wrong way from the penalty spot for an early lead in the seventh minute.
But the Reds failed to convert any other chances — a long way off from their 5-0 win at Atalanta in the Champions League in 2020.
Atalanta will meet Marseille after the French team topped Benfica 4-2 in a shootout after winning 1-0 to level the aggregate score at 2-2.
With the English League Cup already secured, Liverpool still hopes for a second Premier League title under its German manager but is now in third and two points adrift of first-place Manchester City.
Inconsistent in Serie A, Atalanta has been shining in the second-tier continental league this season. Thursday’s loss was its first in the campaign after six wins and three draws.
It’s only the second time the Italian club reached the semifinals of a European competition.
In Rome, Roma coach Daniele De Rossi marked an extension of his contract announced earlier Thursday by reaching the last four with his team reduced to 10 men.
Gianluca Mancini put the hosts 1-0 up early at Stadio Olimpico after Lorenzo Pellegrini’s shot bounced off the post and the defender was in the right place to net. Mancini also scored the winner in the first leg at San Siro last week.
Paulo Dybala doubled the advantage in the 22nd.
Roma defender Zeki Celik received a red card on the half-hour mark for fouling Rafael Leão but Milan only halved the deficit with a Matteo Gabbia header five minutes from time.
Milan, the seven-time European champion, is second in the Serie A, trailing leader Inter by 14 points on the way to finish the season without a trophy after it was knocked out of the Italian Cup.
After Arsenal and Manchester City were eliminated from the Champions League on Wednesday, the Premier League clubs were knocked out also from second-tier Europa League.
Aston Villa remains the only English club in Europe in the third-tier Europa Conference League.
EUROPA CONFERENCE LEAGUE
Emiliano Martínez saved two spot kicks and Douglas Luiz converted the decisive penalty for Villa to prevail 4-3 in a shootout over Lille and advance to the Europa Conference League semifinals.
After Villa won the first leg of their quarterfinals 2-1 last week, Yusuf Yazıcı and Benjamin André scored in each half for Lille's 2-0 lead before defender Matty Cash's 87th-minute goal evened the aggregate score 3-3 to force extra time.
Villa is into its first European semifinal since 1982 and will face Olympiakos which beat Fenerbahce 3-2 on penalties for a spot in the May 29 final in Athens.
Fiorentina, last year's runnerup, also reached the semifinals after Nicolás González and Cristiano Biraghi both scored in extra time to edge 10-man Viktoria Plzeň 2-0 in the second leg. The opening leg was a goalless draw. The Italian team will face Club Brugge, which won 2-0 at PAOK to advance 3-0 on aggregate, Plzeň’s Brazilian midfielder Cadu received a red card in the 66th minute.
JULIAN NAGELSMANN SIGNS NEW DEAL WITH GERMANY
🇩🇪 OFFICIAL: Julian Nagelsmann has signed new deal as German national team head coach until World Cup 2026.
“This is a decision of the heart. It is a great honour to be able to coach the national team. We can ispire the country”.
GROUP CONDEMNS 'HUMILIATING SEARCHES' BY SECURITY AT BARCELONA STADIUM
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| AP Photo |
PARIS (AP) — The director of a group that advocates for female sports fans says she and other Paris Saint-Germain supporters were subjected to “abusive” searches while entering Barcelona's stadium for a Champions League match earlier this week.
Anoush Morel, the director of Her Game Too France, told L'Equipe and RMC Sport that her breasts, buttocks and groin were touched by a female security officer during a pat-down at the Lluís Companys Olympic Stadium on Tuesday night. Other women reported similarly aggressive searches, she said.
Paris Saint-Germain won the match 4-1 and advanced to the Champions League semifinals.
In a letter Thursday, the organization condemned the practice and called on “relevant authorities” to take action.
“It's unacceptable that spectators, fans and women in general were particularly targeted by these intrusive and humiliating searches that constitute sexual aggression,” the letter read.
The group said there have been similar complaints at other stadiums in Europe, usually impacting visiting fans. It called on teams, organizers of the games and stadiums to ensure their security protocols avoid the “unfair treatment” of supporters.
It asks UEFA to provide answers on whether visiting fans in particular are being subjected to more aggressive searches.
A request for comment from UEFA sent on Thursday evening was not immediately answered.
GOALKEEPER NAHUEL GUZMÁN SUSPENDED FOEN11 GAMES, FINED FOR POINTING LASER AT RIVAL IN LIGA MX MATCH
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Nahuel Guzmán, a goalkeeper for the Mexican club Tigres of Nuevo Leon, was suspended 11 games and fined for pointing a laser at fellow goalie Esteban Andrada during a tournament match last weekend, Liga MX announced Thursday.
The 38-year-old Guzmán is recovering from right knee surgery and was in the visiting team’s box at the BBVA stadium in Monterrey last Saturday during the first half when he pointed the laser in the direction of Andrada, a fellow Argentine and the starting goalkeeper for Rayados.
Monterrey's sports president, Jose Antonio Noriega, went to the box and took away the laser in the first half of the match, which ended in a 3-3 draw.
In addition to the suspension and fine, Guzmán must do unspecified community work.
This is the first time in the history of Mexican soccer that a player has been sanctioned for pointing a laser at a rival. The 2014 Apertura final between América and Tigres was stopped momentarily because a fan was aiming a laser at players.
Guzmán, who was on Argentina's roster for the 2018 World Cup in Russia, will miss the rest of the Clausura tournament because of the suspension. It's not clear when he will be healthy enough to play.
The fine of Guzmán was one of several stemming from the match.
Tigres was fined an unspecified amount for the behavior of its fans. A Tigres fan could be seen urinating in a glass and throwing it on Rayados fans in video posted on social media.
Andrada received a fine for a post on his Instagram account in which he made homophobic comments about Guzmán.
And Monterrey was also fined over fan behavior. A video posted on social media showed a Rayados fan throwing liquid at forward André-Pierre Gignac and making an obscene gesture.
Without revealing names or the teams they supported, the Disciplinary Commission of Liga MX said two fans would be banned from attending league matches, although it did not say for how long.
VIRGINIA LAW ALLOWS THE STATE'S COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES TO DIRECTLY PAY ATHLETES THROUGH NIL DEALS
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| AP |
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed measure into law Thursday that allows state colleges and universities to directly pay their athletes through name, image and likeness compensation deals, a measure believed to be the first of its kind.
The law, which takes effect July 1, was signed one day after the NCAA eased some of its NIL restrictions but noted that its longstanding “prohibitions against pay-for-play and schools compensating student-athletes for use of their NIL remain in place.”
Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel said other states may follow Virginia's lead. Several states have legislation pending, including Oklahoma, Nebraska and Louisiana.
“The Virginia decision — by the lawmakers there and the governor to sign it — I think really kickstarts it and puts it right at all of our doorsteps,” Manuel said in an interview with The Associated Press.
The NCAA in July 2021 allowed college athletes to earn money from deals with brands or businesses that compensate them for such things as endorsements or personal appearances. That has made millions of dollars available to athletes and prompted many states to put laws in place preventing the NCAA from restricting NIL revenue, seen by most as a recruiting enticement.
“If this law gets us closer to a federal or a national solution for college athletics then it will be more than worthwhile,” University of Virginia athletic director Carla Williams told ESPN. “Until then, we have an obligation to ensure we maintain an elite athletics program at UVA.”
Earlier this week, the NCAA moved forward on legislation that would allow its 1,100 member schools to be more actively involved in securing sponsorship and endorsement deals for their athletes, including facilitating opportunities between third parties and athletes.
The Virginia law clears the way for donors to work directly with a school on paying athletes. One of the bill's sponsors, Del. Terry Austin, told the Richmond Times-Dispatch, that the bipartisan measure was drafted by a University of Virginia deputy athletic director.
Virginia Tech athletic director Whit Babcock told ESPN the school is considering different options for NIL payments, from contracting with a marketing agency or booster-backed collective to pay the athletes rather than money directly from the athletic department.
In December, when NCAA President Charlie Baker proposed a new subdivision of Division I athletics, he said all D-I schools should attempt to bring most NIL activities in-house and consider joint licensing deals with their athletes that would allow schools to pay the athletes.
State lawmakers have been a recent catalyst in prompting changes to NCAA rules around player compensation. In 2019, California lawmakers passed a bill that allowed college athletes to cash in on their fame, other states quickly followed suit and the NCAA was forced to lift its regulations. What remains is a patchwork of rules across the country.
Since then, the NCAA has suffered a number of losses in court tied to its basic model of amateurism amid growing support for empowering athletes.
Last month, it halted investigations into booster-backed collectives or other third parties making NIL deals with D-I athletes. A few days later, Dartmouth men’s basketball players took an early step toward forming the first union in college sports.
“I do think the time is upon us where student-athletes either are going to be employees or are going to be allowed to receive money, even if they’re not employees,” Manuel told the AP.
LIVERPOOL COMEBACK FALLS SHORT AS ATALANTA REACH SEMIFINALS
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| Mohamed Salah and Liverpool couldn't get the goals they needed to deny Atalanta |
Atalanta progressed to the Europa League semifinals despite losing 1-0 to Liverpool on Thursday as they triumphed 3-1 on aggregate to move one step closer to a first ever European final for the Serie A side.
Atalanta had stunned the Premier League club 3-0 in the first leg of their quarterfinal last week at Anfield, levelling another huge blow to Liverpool's dreams of a fairytale ending in manager Jurgen Klopp's final season.
"We gave ourselves a massive hurdle [in the first leg], but I liked the game a lot for a long time, the commitment, the desire, the power the boys showed was incredible," Klopp told TNT Sports.
"It is mixed emotions. We would have wished that we could have gone to Dublin [for the final], but that hasn't happened.
"We now have one competition left [Premier League] and we will throw ourselves into that completely."
Mohamed Salah and Liverpool couldn't get the goals they needed to deny Atalanta.
Timothy Rogers/Getty Images
Liverpool got off to a quick start in Italy as talisman Mohammed Salah scored from the penalty spot in the seventh minute, fuelling hope that a remarkable comeback was in the making.
But while Klopp's men looked little like the shaky side who were steamrolled by Atalanta at Anfield, particularly in the first half, Gian Piero Gasperini's team held on in what the manager had called the biggest game in the team's history to earn a semi-final place against Olympique de Marseille.
"If you don't win without danger, there's no glory to your triumph," Gasperini said.
"The fans always ask us for the shirt to be soaked in sweat, and that's one thing we must have at a minimum."
Salah had Liverpool's best chance at a second goal when he was sent in one-on-one against goalkeeper Juan Musso, but he chipped the ball well wide.
Later in the first half, Salah almost set up Luis Díaz with a ball over the top into the area, but it hit the arm of Isak Hien. Liverpool screamed for a penalty to no avail, and Diaz was booked for dissent.
"Last week we were very poor and they had a good game," Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk told TNT Sports. "They deserved to go through because we made it far too difficult for ourselves.
"Tonight was a good game and we showed great fight. It was an improvement but the reality is we are out. We are disappointed to be out of the competition as we really wanted to win it."
Liverpool, who won the League Cup earlier this season, now turn their attention back to the Premier League. They are level on 71 points with second-placed Arsenal and two points behind leaders Manchester City.
They play at Fulham on Sunday in a quick turnaround.
"We won tonight and we kept a clean sheet, so there are so many more positives we can take. Yes, it is a bad feeling to be out so we have to get back up," Van Dijk added.
"We have been through difficult moments all together, so showing maturity and togetherness is the key to this. We need everyone now for the last push in the league."
- Reuters
Thursday 18 April 2024
BUCKEYE NATION MAKES HOT DOG 🌭 HISTORY
Buckeye Nation ate a record 3,113 hot dogs at last night's game vs. Wright State at Bill Davis Stadium!
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