Sports

(NEW YORK) — New York Liberty star and two-time WNBA MVP Breanna Stewart has had a stellar season, leading her team to the playoffs, and hailed this moment in sports as bigger than basketball and a catalyst for all women’s sports during an interview Wednesday morning.

Stewart joined Good Morning America on Wednesday after the Liberty came back to defeat the Connecticut Sun Tuesday evening, after being down at the half in Game 2 of the WNBA semifinals.

“The energy in Barclays has been just electric all season long and we knew that they were behind us the entire time,” she said. “We obviously went down Game 1 and knew we had to take care of business in Game 2.”

For her eighth year in the league, after a successful seven in Seattle, Stewart is back in her home state and has led the Liberty to the No. 2 seed this season, also becoming the first player in team history to win the league MVP, an honor with which she was awarded Tuesday night.

“Hearing all of that and being the first Liberty player to win MVP is an amazing honor and I’m lucky to be the first,” Stewart said, adding that the season gave her “goose bumps.”

“It’s one of the founding franchises here and [we’re] continuing to put the Liberty on the map and chase a championship, because they’ve never won one and that’s our goal,” she continued. “We want to get to that point where we can have the whole city behind us and celebrate women’s basketball and the WNBA in a different way than it has before.”

Remarking on the tight race for this year’s MVP title against Las Vegas Aces star A’ja Wilson and Connecticut Sun forward Alyssa Thomas, Stewart explained that she thinks “it says how incredible this league is and how amazing all of these women basketball players are.”

“They’ve had dominant seasons,” she said. “The fact that three of us can really try to uplift this league together and continue to be great, women’s sports are going places. We’ve known that for a long time, but now everybody else is seeing it. And we’re continuing to raise the bar.”

Stewart stunned Liberty and women’s basketball fans when she started the season off by setting a league record with 45 points in 30 minutes. She also notched three games with 40 points and 10 rebounds, and averaged a career high 23 points.

“Life has changed a lot from 2018 to 2023,” Stewart said of her progression and upward trajectory on the court over the past several years, citing support from “family” including “my wife Marta [and] my daughter Ruby.”

As for what the future holds, the former University of Connecticut Husky said she hopes to “[continue] to be great no matter what happens, no matter where I am, making sure that I show everyone how it is to be great and bring greatness around me.”

Stewart said she has held onto wise words from competitors in other arenas to motivate her in her game, most recently taking wisdom from 19-year-old tennis star Coco Gauff, who took home the U.S. Open women’s title for the first time earlier this month.

“The fact that people thought they were pouring water on her fire, but they were pouring gas … that’s what I felt,” Stewart said, referencing Gauff’s comments after her win (“To those who thought they were putting water on my fire, you were really adding gas to it”).

“It’s an amazing time for women’s sports,” she added. “We’re in a spot where we want to have positive support and with that comes negative … not everybody is going to be on my side, but I’m still going to shine bright.”

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(LONDON) — Ireland’s gymnastics federation has issued an apology after footage emerged of a young Black gymnast being passed over for a medal at a presentation ceremony.

The viral video, which has re-emerged on social media, depicts an official awarding medals to a lineup of eager young gymnasts on a podium at a gymnastics event in Dublin in March 2022.

The official is captured handing out medals to all competitors while appearing to snub the only Black gymnast in the lineup before concluding the presentation, walking off with the last remaining medal in her possession.

“On behalf of the Board and staff of Gymnastics Ireland we would like to unreservedly apologise to the gymnast and her family for the upset that has been caused by the incident,” Gymnastics Ireland, the sport’s governing body, said in a statement. “What happened on the day should not have happened and for that we are deeply sorry.”

“We identified the official concerned and informed the individual in question of the complaint. The official in question accepted fully that what had happened had not been acceptable but stressed that it has not been intentional. We are committed to ensuring nothing like this will happen again,” the statement continued.

The video, which has been viewed over 19 million times, has drawn widespread indignation online including seven-time Olympic medalist Simone Biles. Writing on X, formerly known as Twitter, Biles says the incident broke her heart, saying “when this video was circulating, her parents reached out. It broke my heart to see.”

“There is no room for racism in any sport or at all!” said Biles.

Biles said she reached out to the young gymnast last year in a private video message, expressing her support.

The now-viral incident occurred at the Gymnastics Ireland’s GymStart event in March 2022. Gymstart is described as a program “designed to allow any gymnast, regardless of age or ability, to take part in and enjoy gymnastics.”

In a statement sent to ABC News, Ireland’s Sports Ministry says the young girl was “badly let down.”

“Minister Catherine Martin and Minister of State Thomas Byrne have written to Gymnastics Ireland expressing their disappointment that an apology from Gymnastics Ireland was not immediately forthcoming after the incident occurred and they have asked that the sporting body confirm that measures are in place to avoid any such incidents occurring in future and to ensure that people from an ethnic minority background feel included in gymnastics,” Ireland’s Sports Ministry said.

Speaking anonymously to the Irish Independent, the mother of the young gymnast says the incident was upsetting for the family.

“We are often the only black family at gymnastic events and this has been very hurtful,” she said. “Now eight million people have seen the video. From Pakistan to Ethiopia, they can see this was wrong.”

The gymnast’s mother also expressed disappointment in Gymnastics Ireland’s apology, telling the Irish Independent that they received a “one-line” written apology from the official addressed “to whom it may concern.”

Gymnastics Ireland has yet to respond to ABC News’ requests for further comment.

Speaking to ABC News, Perry Ogden, CEO of Sport Against Racism Ireland (SARI) raises the question as to why the apology took so long.

“What has been most disturbing in this particular case is the time it has taken for due process to be carried out,” says Ogden. “It is now 18 months since the incident. The board of Gymnastics Ireland finally made an apology to the family on Sunday. This is unacceptable.”

“It is not fair on the family, nor the woman who failed to give the young girl a medal,” Ogden said. “The woman was wrong, but we understand she tried to make an apology to the family and this apology was withheld by the organization.”

Following the incident, the family of the young girl have requested for the video to be taken down.

The young gymnast continues to participate in Gymnastics Ireland events.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

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

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL

INTERLEAGUE
Baltimore 1, Washington 0
Cincinnati 11, Cleveland 7
Arizona 15, Chi White Sox 4

AMERICAN LEAGUE
Seattle 6, Houston 2
Detroit 6, Kansas City 3
NY Yankees 2, Toronto 0
Tampa Bay 9, Boston 7
Minnesota 11, Oakland 3
LA Angels 9, Texas 3

NATIONAL LEAGUE
Miami at NY Mets (Postponed)
Colorado 4, LA Dodgers 1
Philadelphia 3, Pittsburgh 2
St. Louis 4, Milwaukee 1
Atlanta 7, Chi Cubs 6
L.A. Dodgers 11, Colorado 2
San Diego 4, San Francisco 0

NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE PRESEASON
Carolina 5, Tampa Bay 2
NY Rangers 4, NY Islanders 2
Buffalo 4, Boston 1
Detroit 4, Pittsburgh 3
St. Louis 3, Columbus 2
Dallas 6, Minnesota 1
Anaheim 4, San Jose 2

WOMEN’S NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION PLAYOFFS
New York 84, Connecticut 77
Las Vegas 91, Dallas 84

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

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

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL

INTERLEAGUE
Arizona at Chi White Sox (Postponed)
NY Yankees 6, Arizona 4

AMERICAN LEAGUE
Houston 5, Seattle 1
Texas 5, LA Angels 1

NATIONAL LEAGUE
San Francisco 2, San Diego 1

NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE PRESEASON
Florida 5, Nashville 0
Florida 5, Nashville 2
New Jersey 6, Philadelphia 0
New Jersey 4, Montreal 2
Ottawa 4, Toronto 3 (OT)
Winnipeg 5, Edmonton 0
Colorado 3, Vegas 2
Seattle 5, Calgary 3
Calgary 3, Seattle 2 (SO)

NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE
Philadelphia 25, Tampa Bay 11
Cincinnati 19, LA Rams 16

MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER
LA Galaxy 3, Austin FC 3 (Tie)

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(CHICAGO) — After over 200 appearances on the field with the U.S. women’s national soccer team, Megan Rapinoe played her final game Sunday.

Rapinoe, a former USWNT co-captain, donned the captain’s armband one last time on Sunday and helped lead her team to a 2-0 victory against South Africa at Chicago’s Soldier Field, ending her international soccer career on a high note.

“I know that I am a liked player, and I know that I mean a lot to the game,” Rapinoe said, addressing the crowd after the game, according to the Associated Press. “But to have this night come and to actually feel it and see it — from my teammates, from our staff and certainly from the fans, who have been such a huge part of our success on and off the field, really — it was very special.”

On Sunday, when Rapinoe exited the game in the 54th minute, she hugged her teammates as the crowd at Soldier Field gave her a standing ovation.

After the game, Rapinoe’s teammates spoke about what she has meant to them personally and to the sport.

“It’s really hard for me because I’m losing, just, an idol,” midfielder Lindsey Horan said of Rapinoe, according to the AP. “It’s hard. That’s what you’ve looked up to. It’s another reason why you fall in love with the game, those kinds of players that you watch on TV do those things. And you come in and now you’re training with them everyday? It’s freakin’ wild.”

“She radiates acceptance and love,” added Midge Purce, forward for the USWNT.

Rapinoe, 38, announced in July that she would retire from professional soccer at the end of this season.

During her history-making career, Rapinoe scored over 60 goals and made over 70 assists in USWNT games. She also won two World Cups, gold and bronze Olympic Medals, and the FIFA Women’s World Cup Golden Ball and Golden Boot.

Off the field, Rapinoe helped lead the fight for gender equity, a fight that culminated in a landmark deal that now sees the U.S. men’s and women’s national teams receiving the same pay and being provided the same working conditions.

Rapinoe and the rest of the women’s team fell short of winning a third World Cup earlier this summer with the team’s heartbreaking loss to Sweden early in the tournament.

Following that loss, Rapinoe reflected on the sport she loves and the teammates she competed with.

“This game is so beautiful, even in its cruelest moments,” Rapinoe wrote on Instagram at the time. “This group was so very special, and I am immensely proud of every single one of us. This team is in special hands as I walk away, just like it always was, and always will be. Because that is what this team is all about.”

She ended her post with a note of gratitude, writing, “It has been my honor to play for our country, with so many incredible woman, for so many years,” she said. “Thank you, a million times over.”

Rapinoe has three more games to play with Seattle’s OL Reign through the end of the National Women’s Soccer League season.

She is scheduled to play her final home game in Seattle on Oct. 6, and her final regular season NWSL game on Oct. 15, back in Chicago against the Chicago Red Stars.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

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

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL

INTERLEAGUE
Arizona 7, NY Yankees 1

AMERICAN LEAGUE
Chi White Sox 3, Boston 2
Toronto 9, Tampa Bay 5
Baltimore 5, Cleveland 1
Minnesota 9, LA Angels 3
Kansas City 6, Houston 5
Texas 9, Seattle 8
Detroit 2, Oakland 0

NATIONAL LEAGUE
Washington 3, Atlanta 2
Cincinnati 4, Pittsburgh 2
Miami 6, Milwaukee 1
Chi Cubs 4, Colorado 3
San Diego 12, St. Louis 2
Philadelphia 5, NY Mets 2
Atlanta 8, Washington 5
Final L.A. Dodgers 3 San Francisco 2

NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE PRESEASON
Pittsburgh 3, Columbus 2 (SO)
Ottawa 3, Toronto 2
Buffalo 4, Washington 3 (SO)
Minnesota 4, Colorado 3
Dallas 7, Arizona 0
Boston 3, NY Rangers 0
Winnipeg 2, Edmonton 1 (SO)
Columbus 4, Pittsburgh 3 (OT)
San Jose 5, Vegas 2
Anaheim 3 Los Angeles 2 (OT)
Calgary 10, Vancouver 0

NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE
Buffalo 37, Washington 3
Cleveland 27, Tennessee 3
Detroit 20, Atlanta 6
Green Bay 18, New Orleans 17
Houston 37, Jacksonville 17
Indianapolis 22 Baltimore 19 (OT)
LA Chargers 28, Minnesota 24
Miami 70, Denver 20
New England 15, NY Jets 10
Seattle 37, Carolina 27
Arizona 28, Dallas 16
Kansas City 41, Chicago 10
Pittsburgh 23, Las Vegas 18

MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER
New York City FC, 3 Toronto FC 0
Miami 1, Orlando City 1 (Tie)

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

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

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL

AMERICAN LEAGUE
Tampa Bay 5, LA Angels 4
NY Yankees 5, Toronto 3
Cleveland 5, Baltimore 2
Detroit 7, Oakland 3

NATIONAL LEAGUE
LA Dodgers 7, San Francisco 2
Milwaukee 6, St. Louis 0
Philadelphia 5, NY Mets 4
Atlanta 10, Washington 3
Pittsburgh 8, Chi Cubs 6

NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE
San Francisco 30, NY Giants 12

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(LOS ANGELES) — A Los Angeles Dodgers star who spent the past seven years playing baseball in the United States while his mom lived in Venezuela saw his dream come true Wednesday night.

Brusdar Graterol pitched at Dodger Stadium in front of a packed crowd that included his mom Ysmalia Graterol.

“My wife actually took a picture of where they were sitting, and then I was able to signal exactly where she was when I was pitching,” Graterol said through an interpreter after the game, according to a video shared by Major League Baseball. “[There was] so much emotion going through me, obviously, just happy tears the whole time.”

Brusdar Graterol was first reunited with his mom on Sunday, when she arrived from Venezuela after spending seven years trying to get to the U.S. to see her son.

“I was paralyzed in that moment when I first saw her. I didn’t really know what to say. I didn’t know what to do,” he said. “[I] just embraced her as much as I could. And obviously she would say how beautiful I am, how big I’ve gotten. And then I just remember telling her how it felt like home.”

Brusdar Graterol, 25, was born in Calabozo, Venezuela, and made his Major League Baseball debut in 2019 with the Minnesota Twins, according to his MLB profile.

He said that after working for so many years for his mom to be allowed into the U.S., there was finally forward movement that happened in the last two weeks that brought her to Los Angeles.

“We got a document that helped her get here,” Brusdar Graterol said. “We obviously wanted to move this as fast as possible. Luckily, we were able to do it this past weekend.”

Brusdar Graterol was brought out to pitch in the eighth inning in Wednesday’s game against the Detroit Tigers, which the Dodgers went onto win 3-2.

He said he was “emotional” until the music started and he prepared to throw his first pitch, which got him to focus back on the game.

After pitching, an emotional Brusdar Graterol was seen hugging a member of the Dodgers coaching staff in the dugout and then both pointing to his mom, who blew a kiss back to her son.

“Me and my mom grew up together. We went through all of it together,” Brusdar Graterol said. “She was a mom and dad figure for me the whole time, and I’ve always wanted to be an example for her and for her to be proud of me.”

In addition to watching her son pitch for the Dodgers, Ysmalia Graterol also got to see her daughter-in-law Allison Landa Graterol — Brusdar Graterol’s wife — and her granddaughter Aria, whom the couple welcomed earlier this year.

Brusdar Graterol said his mom is planning to stay for several more weeks, hopefully through the World Series, which will end in early November.

“She’ll be with us for the end of this season and then hopefully she’ll be with us to celebrate the World Series,” he said.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(NEW YORK) — “Coach Prime” Deion Sanders has led the Colorado Buffaloes to a winning start this season — ranked 19th in the nation — and with it comes a new level of excitement for college football fans.

The head coach for the University of Colorado Boulder joined ABC News’ Good Morning America on Wednesday and credited God, first and foremost, who he said is “at the helm of this thing.”

“We’re just enjoying life. We’re getting smart, tough, fast, disciplined like-minded young men, like-minded coaches who love kids and who enjoy the company of kids, and we’ve created something that is hard to identify and it’s hard to really articulate,” Sanders said. “It’s a beautiful thing from our alumni, from the student body and everyone. It’s just pandemonium and we love it.”

Sanders has made his new home turf a family affair, coaching two of his sons, quarterback Shedeur Sanders, 21, and defensive back Shilo Sanders, 23.

“His nickname is ‘Grown’ because he’s been grown ever since he was a young man — he’s always been mature,” Sanders said of Shedeur.

He added, “We differ so much, but he really thinks he’s me right now and that’s the problem.”

“Coach Prime” said that being surrounded by his family, and team that feels like family, there is “no way that I can even have a remotely bad day.”

“I’m here with 120 athletes that I love them to life, I treat them like they’re my sons,” he said. “But I am here with my sons, three of my sons, two play on the team, one runs social media, and my daughter plays for the CU [women’s] basketball team. I am loving life and I love the life I live.”

Even Sanders’ mother Connie Knight has gotten involved with the fanfare, addressing comments from Colorado State head coach Jay Norvell to fire up the team last game day.

“There was controversy last week because a gentleman we coached against said his mother didn’t raise him a certain way — not to wear a hat and shades in an interview,” Sanders — who has worn both during interviews — recalled. “That was insinuating that my mother raised me the wrong way. And that rubbed my mother wrong. She wanted to have her say. She said, ‘I raised him the right way and also I raised you to be true to who you are. Also, I raised you, if somebody bothers you, to kick some you-know-what.”

Sanders and the Buffs have garnered a serious fandom and spurred on Colorado pride early this season, even attracting A-listers like Lil Wayne and The Rock to the sidelines to catch a CU game in person.

For the NFL veteran and eight-time Pro Bowler, Sanders said the biggest challenge of having a dream season is “consistency.”

“Everyone’s not used to success — some of the coaches have been coaching with me for 20 years, so we understand this. We understand this and we expect this,” he said. “So, getting everybody on the right page to understand that this is real, this is authentic, and when you work your butt off, you study and you prepare, these are the results that you can have.”

He added, “We want everybody in the country to start believing in themselves.”

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

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

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL

INTERLEAGUE
Detroit 4, LA Dodgers 2
Minnesota 5, Cincinnati 3
Washington 13, Chi White Sox 3

AMERICAN LEAGUE
Texas 15, Boston 5
Kansas City 6, Cleveland 2
Houston 2, Baltimore 1
Seattle 6, Oakland 3
LA Angels 8, Tampa Bay 3
Toronto 6, NY Yankees 1

NATIONAL LEAGUE
Philadelphia 6, Atlanta 5
Arizona 7, San Francisco 1
San Diego 3, Colorado 2
NY Mets 8, Miami 3
Milwaukee 8, St. Louis 2
Pittsburgh 13, Chi Cubs 7

WOMEN’S NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION PLAYOFFS
Connecticut 90, Minnesota 75

MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER
Philadelphia 2, Charlotte FC 2 (Tie)
Columbus 3, Chicago 0
Atlanta 1, D.C. United 1 (Tie)
Miami 4, Toronto FC 0
Cincinnati 1, CF Montreal 1 (Tie)
Austin FC 1, New York 1 (Tie)
New York City FC 2, Orlando City 0
Houston 4, Vancouver 1
Nashville 3, Sporting Kansas City 0
Los Angeles FC 0, Saint Louis City SC 0 (Tie)
Seattle 2, Colorado 1
FC Dallas 3, Real Salt Lake 1
LA Galaxy 4, Minnesota 3
Portland 2, San Jose 1

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.