(NEW YORK) — Here are the scores from Sunday’s sports events:
INTERLEAGUE
Minnesota at Philadelphia (Canceled)
Detroit at Pittsburgh (Canceled)
Philadelphia at Toronto (Canceled)
Houston at NY Mets (Canceled)
Texas at Cincinnati (Canceled)
San Francisco at Kansas City (Canceled)
Chi Cubs at Seattle (Canceled)
AMERICAN LEAGUE
NY Yankees at Boston (Canceled)
Baltimore at Tampa Bay (Canceled)
Cleveland at Oakland (Canceled)
Chi White Sox at LA Angels (Canceled)
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Pittsburgh at Atlanta (Canceled)
Washington at St. Louis (Canceled)
Miami at Washington (Canceled)
San Diego at LA Dodgers (Canceled)
Milwaukee at Colorado (Canceled)
Arizona at Milwaukee (Canceled)
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Philadelphia 125, New York 109
Utah 118, Phoenix 114
Indiana 128, Boston 107
LA Clippers 99, Houston 98
Detroit 127, Charlotte 126 (OT)
Dallas 107, Golden State 101
Denver 124, Portland 92
New Orleans 123, LA Lakers 95
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Carolina 2, Edmonton 1
Dallas 4, Buffalo 2
St. Louis 4, Chicago 0
Winnipeg 5, Arizona 3
Pittsburgh 3, Columbus 2
Vancouver 5, NY Rangers 2
NY Islanders 4, Anaheim 0
San Jose 3, Seattle 1
TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Houston 75, SMU 61
Illinois 93, Michigan 85
UConn 86, Georgetown 77
Maryland 75, Ohio St. 60
MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER
Orlando City 2, CF Montral 0
Atlanta 3, Sporting Kansas City 1
LA Galaxy 1, New York City FC 0
Real Salt Lake 0, Houston 0 (tie)
Nashville 1, Seattle 0
(NEW YORK) — The effects of the Russian attack on Ukraine are rippling out to the sports and entertainment world, where figures have spoken out and events have been changed this week.
Alex Ovechkin, one of the highest-profile Russians in sports, who has been a supporter of Russian President Vladimir Putin and whose family is located in Russia, has been facing calls from hockey fans to address the violence as he leads the Washington Capitals. In a press session Friday, he called for “no more war” but stopped short of commenting on Putin.
“It doesn’t matter who is in the war — Russia, Ukraine, different countries, I think we live in a world, like, we have to live in peace and a great world,” he said, according to The Washington Post.
When asked about Putin, Ovechkin acknowledged him as “my president” and added: “I am not in politics. I am an athlete, and you know, how I said, I hope everything is going to be done soon. It’s hard situation right now for both sides and everything, like how I said, everything I hope is going to be end. I’m not in control of this situation.”
Meanwhile, on Friday, Russian tennis player Andrey Rublev took an opportunity to call for peace. After winning a semifinal match at the Dubai Championships, when given a marker to write on a TV camera — a new custom in tennis for match winners — he wrote, “No War Please.”
Sacramento Kings center Alex Len and Toronto Raptors forward Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk, the only two Ukrainians in the NBA, released a joint statement Thursday, writing in part, “A great tragedy befell our dear homeland Ukraine. We categorically condemn the war. Ukraine is a peaceful sovereign state inhabited by people who want to decide their own destiny.” Meanwhile, Pavlo Dziuba, a Ukrainian college basketball player at Maryland, wrote “NO WAR PEACE” and “PRAY FOR UKRAINE” on his shoes in the team’s game against Indiana Thursday night.
Elsewhere, Russian figures in the arts are facing fallout.
The conductor Valery Gergiev, who is Russian and a supporter of Putin, was replaced in a series of Vienna Philharmonic concerts taking place at New York City’s Carnegie Hall this week. No reason was given for the conductor replacement, The New York Times reported. Russian pianist Denis Matsuev, who was scheduled to perform in those shows, was also replaced. Yannick Nézet-Séguin will instead conduct the shows.
Gergiev faces continued pushback, with the mayor of Munich calling on him to distance himself from the invasion or lose his position with the city’s philharmonic while the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra made a similar statement.
“In the event that Valéry Gergiev does not openly distance himself from President Putin’s actions in Ukraine, we will be forced to cancel all concerts conducted by Valéry Gergiev including the Gergiev Festival that would take place in September,” the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra statement says.
Several big events have also been moved out of Russia.
In soccer, the UEFA Champions League final, which is supposed to take place in late May, was relocated from St. Petersburg, Russia, to Saint-Denis, France, after the organization’s executive committee “held an extraordinary meeting following the grave escalation of the security situation in Europe” on Friday.
“The UEFA Executive Committee also decided that Russian and Ukrainian clubs and national teams competing in UEFA competitions will be required to play their home matches at neutral venues until further notice,” a statement from the UEFA said.
Also on Friday, Formula One, the racing organization, canceled its Russian Grand Prix while “watching the developments in Ukraine with sadness and shock and hope for a swift and peaceful resolution to the present situation.”
Finally, the International Olympic Committee, after condemning Russia’s breach of the Olympic Truce — a U.N. resolution adopted in December 2021 that was supposed to be in effect until seven days after the close of the 2022 Paralympic Games, which begin next week — called on all International Sports Federations “to relocate or cancel their sports events currently planned in Russia or Belarus.”
“The IOC EB expresses its deep concerns about the safety of the members of the Olympic Community in Ukraine and stands in full solidarity,” their Friday statement reads. “It notes that the special IOC task force is in contact with the Olympic Community in the country to coordinate humanitarian assistance where possible.”
(NEW YORK) — The International Olympic Committee on Friday urged sports federations across the globe to move or cancel any events they were planning to hold in Russia or Belarus.
The move comes a day after Russia breached the Olympic Truce by invading Ukraine. Belarus also violated the truce by supporting the Russian government.
The IOC also urged sports bodies to not display the Russian or Belarussian flag and to not play either country’s anthem at events.
“The IOC [Executive Board] expresses its deep concerns about the safety of the members of the Olympic Community in Ukraine and stands in full solidarity,” it said in a statement. “It notes that the special IOC task force is in contact with the Olympic Community in the country to coordinate humanitarian assistance where possible.”
(NEW YORK) — Here are the scores from Thursday’s sports events:
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Detroit 106, Cleveland 103
Boston 129, Brooklyn 106
Phoenix 124, Oklahoma City 104
Chicago 112, Atlanta 108
Minnesota 119, Memphis 114
Denver 128, Sacramento 110
Golden State 132, Portland 95
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
New Jersey 6, Pittsburgh 1
Columbus 6, Florida 3
NY Rangers 4, Washington 1
Toronto 3, Minnesota 1
Nashville 2, Dallas 1 (SO)
Boston 3, Seattle 2 (OT)
Vancouver 7, Calgary 1
San Jose 4, NY Islanders 3 (SO)
TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Gonzaga 89, San Francisco 73
Final Oregon 68, UCLA 63
Ohio St. 86, Illinois 83
Murray St. 76, Belmont 43
Saint Mary’s (Cal.) 60, San Diego 46
Arizona 97, Utah 77
Southern Cal 94, Oregon St. 91
(FRISCO, Texas) — A day after reaching a historic agreement with the U.S. Soccer Federation in their equal pay lawsuit, the U.S. Women’s National Team scored big on the field, beating Iceland on Wednesday to win the SheBelieves Cup.
The U.S. shut out Iceland 5-0 to take home the title. It’s the team’s fifth SheBelieves Cup in seven attempts.
Midfielder Catarina Macario and forward Mallory Pugh each scored two goals for the U.S., with the fifth and final goal coming from midfielder Kristie Mewis in the 88th minute of the match, which was held in Frisco, Texas.
The victory came after the USSF agreed on Tuesday to pay $22 million to the players in the equal pay lawsuit, which will be distributed by the USWNT players and approved by the district court. USSF will also pay an additional $2 million into an account to benefit the USWNT players in their post-career goals and charitable efforts related to women’s and girls’ soccer. Each player will be able to apply for up to $50,000 from this fund, according to the settlement.
The lawsuit, which had been pending since March 2019, was filed by athletes on the world champion U.S. Women’s National Team against USSF on International Women’s Day, for gender discrimination.
(NEW YORK) — Here are the scores from Tuesday’s sports events:
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Ottawa 4, Minnesota 3
St. Louis 4, Philadelphia 1
Columbus 4 Toronto 3 (OT)
Nashville 6, Florida 4
NY Islanders 5, Seattle 2
Anaheim 4, San Jose 3 (SO)
(NEW YORK) — Professional golfer Phil Mickelson has apologized for comments he made supporting a Saudi Arabia-backed golf tour, after they appeared to cost him one his biggest sponsors.
The global tax firm KPMG said Tuesday it had dropped its sponsorship of Mickelson in the midst of Mickelson’s ongoing feud with the PGA Tour over a controversial splinter league backed by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund.
The move follows the publication earlier this month of backlash-inducing comments Mickelson made in November to author Alan Shipnuck, in which Mickelson expressed no reservations about working with the Saudis despite the 2018 murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi, which a United Nations probe determined was a “premeditated execution” for which Saudi Arabia was responsible.
“They’re scary … to get involved with,” Mickelson told Shipnuck about working with the Saudis on the new league. “We know they killed Khashoggi and have a horrible record on human rights. They execute people over there for being gay. Knowing all of this, why would I even consider it? Because this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reshape how the PGA Tour operates.”
On Tuesday, Mickelson apologized for those comments even as he suggested they had been taken out of context.
“I’m deeply sorry for my choice of words,” Mickelson in a statement on social media. “I apologize for anything I said that was taken out of context.”
“The specific people I have worked with are visionaries and have only been supportive,” he said. “My intent was never to hurt anyone and I’m so sorry to the people I have negatively impacted.”
“The past 10 years I have felt the pressure and stress slowly affecting me at a deeper level,” he added. “I desperately need some time away to prioritize the ones I love and work on being the man I want to be.”
A spokesperson for KPMG told ABC News on Tuesday that the company and Mickelson have decided to part ways.
“KPMG U.S. and Phil Mickelson have mutually agreed to end our sponsorship effective immediately,” said Ichiro Kawasaki in a statement. “We wish him the best.”
Representatives of the Saudi Public Investment Fund did not immediately respond to ABC News’ request for comment.
None of the other sponsors listed on Mickelson’s website, including Workday, Callaway, and Rolex, have commented on the matter.
(NEW YORK) — The U.S. Soccer Federation and the U.S. Women’s National Team have reached a historic agreement in the equal pay lawsuit, which was filed three years ago.
The lawsuit, which has been pending since March 2019, was filed by athletes on the world champion U.S. Women’s National Team against USSF on International Women’s Day, for gender discrimination.
The lawsuit blasted the sport’s governing body for allegedly paying mere “lip service” to gender equality and dishing out higher pay to the men’s team.
“We can’t go back and undo the injustices that we’ve faced,” USWNT player Megan Rapinoe told ABC News’ Good Morning America following the settlement announcement. “The only justice coming out of this is that we know that something like this is never going to happen again and we can move forward in making soccer the best sport that we possibly can in this country and setting up the next generation so much better than we ever had it.”
According to the settlement, USSF will pay $22 million to the players in the case, which will be distributed by the USWNT players and approved by the district court. USSF will also pay an additional $2 million into an account to benefit the USWNT players in their post-career goals and charitable efforts related to women’s and girls’ soccer. Each player will be able to apply for up to $50,000 from this fund, according to the settlement.
“This is a huge win for for all women,” Rapinoe said. “I think we’re going to see that in the coming days and hopefully this will be a day we look back on in a number of years when we’re a little bit older and say that’s the moment that everything changed.”
“This is just such a monumental step forward in feeling valued, feeling respected, and just mending our relationship with U.S. Soccer,” USWNT player Alex Morgan told GMA. “I not only see this as a win for our team or women’s sports but women in general. It’s just an incredible day and a day that we’re all really proud of.”
While the lawsuit was filed in 2019, the USWNT players’ fight for equal pay has been years in the making. In 2016, a group of players filed an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission complaint against the USWNT over inequality in pay and treatment.
The following year, the women’s team reached an agreement with the USSF for the EEOC complaint. The agreement included direct and bonus pay increases and per diems equal to the men’s team, according to ESPNW, as well as improved travel and financial support for pregnant players or players looking to adopt children. While it was an improvement, it was still unequal.
The equal pay lawsuit, which was filed in 2019 on International Women’s Day, came three months before USWNT prepared to defend its title at the FIFA World Cup in France. Along with pay disparities, the suit also cited the denial of “at least equal playing, training, and travel conditions; equal promotion of their games; equal support and development for their games; and other terms and conditions of employment.”
“Obviously [pay equity] is the hot button issue but in order to have I think a fair and a balanced conversation around compensation, we need to look at everything,” Rapinoe told GMA in 2019.
Now that the settlement has been reached, USSF President Cindy Parlow Cone told GMA, “We’re focused on moving the game forward. So this is actually a great transition moment. We still have a lot of work to do with repairing the relationship with our players but we’re on the road to that. Looking forward, they’re not only the best players in the world, they’re great ambassadors for our sport.”
(NEW YORK) — Juwan Howard, the head coach of the Michigan men’s basketball team, has been suspended for the final five games of the Wolverines’ regular season for hitting Wisconsin assistant coach Joe Krabbenhoft after Sunday’s game, the Big Ten Conference announced on Monday.
Howard, 49, was also fined $40,000 for the altercation.
“Big Ten Conference coaches and student-athletes are expected to display the highest level of sportsmanship conduct,” conference commissioner Kevin Warren said in a statement Monday. “I am grateful for the partnership with Michigan Athletics Director, Warde Manuel and Wisconsin Athletics Director, Chris McIntosh. Our expectation is that the incident yesterday will provide our coaches and student-athletes with the opportunity to reflect, learn and move forward in a manner that demonstrates decorum and leadership on and off of the court.”
Wisconsin Badgers head coach was also fined $10,000 for violating the conference’s sportsmanship policy, while Michigan forwards Terrance Williams and Moussa Diabate and Wisconsin guard Jahcobi Neath each received a one-game suspension.
