Sports

(NEW YORK) — With four perennial powerhouse teams set to play and a legendary coach prepared to end his career win or lose, this weekend’s Final Four showdowns of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament are casting March Madness on ticket prices.

The highest-priced pair of prized near-courtside ducats for the two games at the 78,000-seat Superdome in New Orleans were going for $18,510 each on Wednesday on the mobile ticket marketplace app, Gametime.

But even tickets for the highest level of the nosebleed sections are going for more than $1,000.

“We have seen just tremendous demand for this Final Four,” Adam Budelli, a spokesperson for StubHub, a ticket exchange and resale company, told ABC News. “This is currently the second-highest average ticket price we have seen for a Final Four in StubHub history.”

Budelli said the average ticket price to the Final Four on StubHub as of Wednesday afternoon was $1,050 while the lowest get-in-the-door ticket was $280 if fans are lucky enough to snag the few left. Budelli said about 3,400 seats in total were still available with the most expensive ticket on StubHub going for a little over $13,000.

The highest average ticket price for a Final Four in the company’s 22-year history remains the $1,260 college basketball fans paid in 2015 when the Duke Blue Devils beat the Wisconsin Badgers to win a fifth national title.

Duke is once again in the Final Four for the 17th time, including 13 under legendary coach Mike Krzyzewski. Affectionately known as “Coach K,” the 75-year-old winningest men’s basketball coach in NCAA Division I history announced in June that he is retiring at the end of this season.

Krzyzewski, who has been the Blue Devils’ coach since 1980, will lead his team Saturday as they take on their home state rival the University of North Carolina for the first time ever in the annual NCAA tournament. The other Final Four game on Saturday will be between Villanova and Kansas.

The winning teams will face off on Monday night for the NCAA national title.

The combination of Coach K’s last hurrah and two games involving four of the nation’s most elite teams is providing what Budelli described as a “perfect storm” to drive up ticket sales and prices.

“There’s certainly a wide variety of factors, the biggest one being you’re talking about four traditional kind of what they call ‘blue blood’ teams that have nationwide fan bases with a history of traveling and spending money, especially on their basketball programs,” Budelli said. “And then within that, you have the match-up of Duke and North Carolina, a storied rivalry. They’ve never played (each other) in March Madness, it’s Coach K’s final year and on and on you go.”

Budelli said that all four teams have such wide fan bases that StubHub’s sales data shows people across the nation are buying tickets to the Final Four. He said that while 11% of the company’s tickets so far have been purchased by people in North Carolina, 10% of purchases have been made in New York and 9% in California and New Jersey.

“All four of these teams, regardless of their alumni base,” said Budelli, “have just a wide variety of fans because of their histories in the game.”

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(AUGUSTA, Ga.) — Could Tiger Woods be gearing up for a return to the Masters?

Citing sources, ESPN reports Woods, 46, played 18 holes at Augusta National Golf Club on Tuesday.

The five-time Masters champion played alongside his son and PGA Tour pro Justin Thomas, sources told ESPN.

Woods last played in the Masters in 2020. The following year, he was involved in a car accident that left him with several injuries, including to his right leg.

The 15-time major champion is listed as an invitee on the Masters’ website. However, Woods has not officially announced whether he will be participating in the tournament, which begins at Augusta National Golf Club next week.

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(PALM BEACH, Fla.) — After considering proposals to change overtime rules, NFL team owners on Tuesday agreed to make changes but only when it comes to the postseason.

The modified proposal that was approved by owners will require each team to have possession of the ball during overtime play in the postseason, before the game moves into a sudden death scenario.

The original rule, in which a team can win on the first possession of overtime if it scores a touchdown, will still stand for regular-season games.

The Indianapolis Colts and Philadelphia Eagles had proposed the idea of requiring each team to have possession of the ball during overtime play — both in the regular season and playoffs — but there wasn’t enough support among owners to pass the rule as is.

Once the rule was amended to apply only in the postseason, a consensus was reached and owners voted to pass it, 29-3.

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(NEW YORK) — Here are the scores from Tuesday’s sports events:

NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Chicago 107, Washington 94
Milwaukee 118, Philadelphia 116
Dallas 128, LA Lakers 110
Brooklyn 130, Detroit 123
LA Clippers 121, Utah 115

NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
NY Rangers 3, Pittsburgh 2
NY Islanders 4, Columbus 3
Toronto 6, Boston 4
Tampa Bay 4, Carolina 3 (OT)
Florida 7, Montreal 4
Minnesota 4, Philadelphia 1
Nashville 4, Ottawa 1
Colorado 2, Calgary 1
Dallas 3, Anaheim 2

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(NEW YORK) — The National Football League announced a new rule on Monday that requires all 32 teams to hire an offensive coach who is “a female or a member of an ethnic or racial minority” for the 2022 season.

Pittsburgh Steelers owner Art Rooney II, the chairman of the NFL Diversity, Equity and Inclusion committee, said on Monday that the rule is designed to increase opportunities for women and people of color to get hired in top positions because offensive coordinator jobs have been “stepping stones” to top positions in the league, including head coach.

“We clearly do not have as many minorities in the offensive coordinator [job],” Rooney said.

“It’s really an effort to try to bring more talented minority coaches to the offensive side of the ball, both within the league and hopefully attract those talented individuals from the college ranks,” he added.

NFL chief administrative officer Dasha Smith said teams that already have a woman or a person of color in similar roles will count towards that policy, ESPN reported.

The new policy is part of a series of moves designed to boost the league’s diversity amid criticism that the league’s efforts over the past few years have fallen flat.

Since 2003, NFL teams have been required to interview at least two minority candidates when hiring for prominent positions through a policy known as the Rooney Rule. But the policy was newly expanded to include women “on all levels,” according to ESPN.

The rule does not require that the female candidates interviewed be women of color, so a team could potentially interview two white female candidates to meet the requirement.

Rooney said that since women are in the “early stages” of entering the coaching ranks, it “may be a little ways away” before including women to the definition of “minority” candidates could hinder opportunities for people of color.

“The truth of the matter is that as of today, at least, there aren’t many women in the pool in terms of head coach,” he said, according to ESPN. “We hope that is going to change over the years, but for that reason we didn’t see it as inhibiting the number of interviews for racial minorities at this point in time. Obviously, we can address that as time goes on, but for now we didn’t see that as an issue.”

In addition to the hiring mandate, The NFL announced on Monday the formation of a new diversity advisory committee to review club hiring policies and issued a statement from the 32 teams addressing efforts to diversify club ownership.

“The membership will regard it as a positive and meaningful factor if the group includes diverse individuals who would have a significant equity stake in and involvement with the club, including serving as the controlling owner of the club,” the statement said.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell issued a memo last month, saying that the results of the NFL’s efforts to diversify the coaching staff are “unacceptable.”

“We have made significant efforts to promote diversity and adopted numerous policies and programs which have produced positive change in many areas, however we must acknowledge that particularly with respect to head coaches the results have been unacceptable,” Goodell said in the Feb. 5 memo. “We will reevaluate and examine all policies, guidelines and initiatives relating to diversity, equity and inclusions.”

The memo also acknowledged concerns expressed by former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores, who announced on Feb. 1 that he is suing the NFL over alleged racial discrimination after being fired in January, despite an 8-1 finish to the season.

Flores was hired by the Pittsburgh Steelers last month as their senior defensive assistant/linebackers coach for next season, but has vowed to continue his lawsuit against the NFL in which he alleges that the league has a history of racist hiring practices, particularly when it comes to the hiring and retention of Black head coaches.

Goodell said the NFL understands Flores’ concerns and as “the legal process moves forward, we will not wait to reassess and modify our strategies to ensure that they are consistent with our values and longstanding commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion.”

But in its initial response to Flores’ lawsuit, the NFL said in a Feb. 1 statement that “diversity is core to everything we do” and claimed that his allegations are “without merit.”

In a league where players are more than 70% Black, there are only two minority owners and only five minority head coaches, including two Black head coaches – the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Mike Tomlin and the Houston Texans’ Lovie Smith.

Tomlin, who has been outspoken on the NFL’s lack of diversity, expressed doubt at an owners meeting on Monday that the new hiring practices will lead to change, according to ESPN.

“I haven’t been in any discussions and no, I don’t have a level of confidence that would lead me to believe that things are going to be better,” Tomlin said. ”I’m more of a show me guy as opposed to a guy that sits around and talks about things.”

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(NEW YORK) — The NFL on Monday announced new rules to guarantee more opportunities for minorities and women.

Beginning this upcoming season, all 32 teams will be required to hire a minority or woman in a prominent offensive coaching position.

The move comes as the league has been facing increasing pressure and criticism that its minority initiatives have not been doing enough.

ABC News’ Trevor Ault appeared on Good Morning America Tuesday to detail the changes:

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(BRIDGEPORT, Conn.) — The UConn’s women’s basketball team is headed to its 14th straight Final Four appearance after defeating No. 1 seed NC State in a tough battle Monday night.

It took two overtimes but the No. 2 seed Huskies were able to top the Wolfpack 91-87 in the Elite Eight matchup at Total Mortgage Arena in Bridgeport, Connecticut.

UConn guard Paige Bueckers led the team with 27 points, followed by guard Christyn Williams, who scored 21.

The Huskies will now go up against No. 1 seed Stanford on Friday. Tip off begins at 9:30 p.m. ET at the Target Center in Minneapolis.

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(NEW YORK) — Here are the scores from Monday’s sports events:

NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Cleveland 107, Orlando 101
Atlanta 132, Indiana 123
Denver 113, Charlotte 109
Miami 123, Sacramento 100
New York 109, Chicago 104
Toronto 115, Boston 112 (OT)
San Antonio 123, Houston 120
Memphis 123, Golden State 95
Oklahoma City 134, Portland 131 (OT)

NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Carolina 6, Washington 1
St. Louis 4, Vancouver 1
Buffalo 6, Chicago 5
Edmonton 6, Arizona 1
Seattle 6, Los Angeles 1

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(NEW YORK) — Albert Pujols is reportedly returning to the St. Louis Cardinals, the team with which his career in the majors began.

Sources tell ESPN that the 42-year-old first baseman and the Cardinals reached an agreement Sunday night on a one-year deal worth $2.5 million for this upcoming season.  His official return to the team is pending a physical.

Pujols’ time in St. Louis began in 2001. During his 11 seasons with the team, he won two World Series titles, was named the National League MVP three times and was chosen to appear in the All-Star Game nine times.

During the 2011 offseason, Pujols left St. Louis to play with the Los Angeles Angels, signing a 10-year contract with the team. In 2021, he was released from the Angels and ended up signing with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

In his MLB career, Pujols has compiled a .297 batting average with 679 home runs and 2,150 RBIs.

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(PHILADELPHIA) — The underdog Saint Peter’s University basketball squad ended its unprecedented March Madness run Sunday afternoon with a loss to the University of North Carolina.

The Peacocks were aiming to do what no 15th seed team has done before — make it to the Final Four of the men’s NCAA Tournament.

But after the matchup against the No. 8 seed Tar Heels in Philadelphia, the team heads home with a 69-49 loss.

Saint Peter’s was already the first No. 15 seed ever to make the Elite Eight in the annual tournament’s 83-year history.

The Peacocks on Friday went into a Sweet 16 game against the No. 3 seed Purdue Boilermakers as a 13-point underdog and secured a 67-64 victory, the latest in a string of wins over top-seeded teams.

This was only Saint Peter’s fourth appearance in the tournament, its first since 2011, when Purdue knocked them out in the first round.

But this year has been like no other for the team from Jersey City, New Jersey.

In the first round, they shocked No. 2 seed Kentucky with an 85-79 overtime victory despite the Wildcats being favored by 18.5 points. They were an eight-point underdog to No. 7 seed Murray State but pulled off a 70-60 second-round win.

The University of North Carolina, which has won the NCAA men’s basketball tournament six times, entered Sunday’s game as an 8.5-point favorite over the Peacocks. The Tar Heels upset No. 4 UCLA to make it to the Elite Eight after knocking off top-seed Baylor in the second-round play.

The Tar Heels will next face archrival No. 2-seeded Duke next Saturday.

“I got guys from New Jersey and New York City. You think we’re scared of anything?” Saint Peter’s coach Shaheen Holloway said during a post-game press conference following the Murray State win.

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