Boycott: NBA Playoff Games Called Off Amid Player Protest

All three NBA playoff games scheduled for Wednesday have been postponed, with players around the league choosing to boycott in their strongest statement yet against racial injustice.

Called off: Games between Milwaukee and Orlando, Houston and Oklahoma City and the Los Angeles Lakers and Portland. The NBA said all three games would be rescheduled, yet did not say when.

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Ohio Sports Are a Go, Will Have Restrictions.

Ohio will be allowing all sports this fall.

Governor Mike Dewine said in a press conference Tuesday that sports instill “discipline, brings order, structure in the lives of student-athletes, and certainly brings joy to those athletes and certainly to their families as well.” Other concerns mentioned were the mental health of students not allowed to play sports, and the importance of a final season for many student-athletes graduating next year.

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Gov. Mike DeWine Permits Sports This Fall

Governor Mike DeWine announced all sports will be allowed this fall, as long as teams meet guidelines laid out by Ohio High School Athletic Association and the Ohio Department of Health (ODH).

The governor said in a press conference Tuesday that his office would release the specific health guidelines soon. Guidelines will include social distancing restrictions, limiting the number of spectators allowed in stadiums, and having health inspectors enforce the rules.

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Governor Lee Signs Executive Order Allowing Contact Sports, Extending Local Authority to Mandate Masks

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee has signed an executive order that permits contact and noncontact sports in the state, extends the authority of local governments to mandate face coverings, and extends liability protections for health care providers.

No sports are now prohibited in Tennessee, as long as participants follow safety guidelines from their governing bodies or Tennessee Pledge COVID-19 safety guidelines.

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Commentary: New Evidence Shows Key Fans Unhappy with Sports Leagues Kowtowing to Black Lives Matter

If anyone was hoping that the return of the long-awaited Major League season would lift our spirits and bring us together, they had to be disappointed to learn that we are more divided than ever over the National Anthem kneeling debate. And although President Trump has not chosen to join the burgeoning #BoycottMLB movement on Twitter, the president has joined a growing number of disheartened baseball fans who are unhappy that their favorite teams are taking the knee. Even before the start of the season, President Trump tweeted that he was “looking forward to live sports, but any time I witness a player kneeling during the National Anthem, a sign of great disrespect for our Country and our Flag, the game is over for me!”

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Host Leahy and Tennessee State Senator Jack Johnson Discuss Gov. Lee’s State of Emergency Extension

Live from Music Row Thursday morning on The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. –  host Leahy welcomed Tennessee Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson to the studio.

At the end of the third hour, Leahy and Johnson answered calls from concerned parents about Governor Lee’s state of emergency extension that will last until August 29 and touched upon the potentiality of spreading COVID-19 through elementary and high school students.

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Michigan Governor Signs Executive Order Creating ‘Task Force on Women in Sports’

  Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed an executive order Monday establishing a new Task Force on Women in Sports. “Multiple studies have documented that women who play sports are more likely to seek and fill leadership roles in other sectors. Yet even with the enactment of Title IX nearly fifty years ago, opportunities for girls and women in sports, while improved, remain severely limited,” the executive order states. In the executive order, Whitmer suggests that “limitations” on female athletes “intersect with what is now a pivotal moment for gender equality and opportunity in Michigan.” “Female athletes defy gender stereotypes, serve as role models, and widen perspectives,” the executive order continues. “This inequity in access and opportunity prevents girls and women in this state from fully accessing the benefits in leadership development that sports can provide—to the detriment of not only these girls and women, but also this state, which stands to gain from their leadership.” The executive order establishes the “creation of the Task Force on Women in Sports,” which will be overseen by Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson. The task force is charged with assessing “the history of and current landscape for girls and women in sports in…

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Tennessee House Expected to Provide Oversight to State’s Thriving Sports Betting Industry

A bill that would legalize online sports betting, subject to regulations limiting access and directing the expected $50 million in new annual tax revenue to education and mental health initiatives, is headed for a House floor vote on Wednesday. The U.S. Supreme Court opened the door for states like Tennessee to legalize sports betting last year.  Tennessee Attorney General Herb Slatery kicked it wider when he issued an opinion that sports betting could be legalized by legislative action rather than requiring a Constitutional amendment. Supporters of the legislation point out that HB0001 would stem the flow of dollars already being bet in online sights of dubious origin and traveling to casinos just south of Memphis where on-site sports betting has already been legalized by the State of Mississippi.  They also point to the easy access to sports betting sites online right now, but which don’t put any revenue into Tennessee-based companies or the state’s tax coffers. In fact, advertising of online sports betting sites is a booming business despite there being relatively few legal avenues to place bets in the U.S.  The sports networks clearly see more states coming online with legal betting, and they are right — with Montana…

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The Tennessee Star Names Nashville Sports Journalist Scott Wallace as Sports Editor

Veteran Nashville sports reporter Scott Wallace has been named Sports Editor of The Tennessee Star. Tennessee Star CEO and Editor-in-chief Michael Patrick Leahy praised Wallace for his credentials in sports journalism and his commitment to covering local high school and college athletes. “We are thrilled to announce that Scott Wallace has accepted our offer to serve as Sports Editor of The Tennessee Star. Since our launch almost two years ago in February 2016, we’ve been looking for the right person to fill this important position for us. Scott is the right man at the right time,” Leahy said. “Our team at The Tennessee Star has followed Scott’s career in local sports journalism for some time. We look forward to the in-depth coverage and inside details of the sports scene here in Tennessee Scott will be providing our readers,” he added. Wallace tweeted the news Tuesday, saying, “New year new opportunity Blessed & honored 2 b named sports editor for @TheTNStar Another way 2 get local athletes recognized nationally Here is a link to my 1st story https://tennesseestar.com/2018/12/22/atlanta-suburb-honors-hometown-hero-injured-tennessee-state-football-player-christion-abercrombie/ … Thanks @GillReport and @michaelpleahy for the opportunity #ItsOn.” New year new opportunity Blessed & honored 2 b named sports editor for @TheTNStar Another…

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Haslam Family Buys Columbus Soccer Club to Keep Them in Ohio

Friday, Ohio soccer fans were relieved to hear that the Columbus Crew Soccer Club would remain in Ohio following the decision to transfer ownership to the Haslam and Edwards families. This decision comes after a year of uncertainty, fan outrage, and statewide protests. On October 17, 2017,  Precourt Sports Ventures, a group that has owned the Columbus Soccer Club since 2013, announced they were considering “remaining in Columbus at a new stadium or potentially relocating the Club to the city of Austin, Texas.” Major League Soccer (MLS) Commissioner Don Garber supported the decision, noting that “the Club’s stadium is no longer competitive with other venues across MLS.” This announcement left many Columbus Crew fans stunned and infuriated. Many felt Precourt was attempting to extort a free, or heavily subsidized, stadium from the city with the threat of relocation. The hashtag “#SaveTheCrew” quickly went viral on social media platforms. Multiple public protests were held throughout Ohio. The backlash from fans was so extensive that Precourt Sports Ventures CEO Anthony Precourt made a public apology via Twitter: I really do feel for you Crew fans. Its an uncertain time I recognize, and I take full responsibility for the situation I have put us in.…

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President Trump Withdraws Philadelphia Eagles Invite, Plans Patriotic Celebration with Fans Anyway

President Trump

President Donald Trump said, in a statement, that the Philadelphia Eagles team is “unable” to attend a White House ceremony this afternoon because they don’t agree with his belief that NFL players should “proudly stand for the National Anthem, hand on heart, in honor of the great men and women of our military and the people of our country.” The president’s announcement was made Monday evening, just under 24 hours before the 3 p.m. scheduled meeting, Fox News reported. Players Brandon Graham, Malcolm Jenkins, Chris Long and Torrey Smith previously said they would not attend. “The Eagles wanted to send a smaller delegation, but the 1,000 fans planning to attend the event deserve better,” the president said in a statement. “These fans are still invited to the White House to be part of a different type of ceremony—one that will honor our great country, pay tribute to the heroes who fight to protect it, and loudly and proudly play the National Anthem.  I will be there at 3:00 p.m. with the United States Marine Band and the United States Army Chorus to celebrate America.” Monday night, President Trump and first lady Melania Trump hosted Gold Star families at the White House…

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The International Olympic Committee Says Video Games Are Indeed … Sports

They may apparently require no more than a comfortable chair, decent knowledge of a computer screen and nimble mastery of controllers, but the International Olympic Committee insisted Saturday that eSports are indeed…sports. An Olympic Summit, under the guidance of IOC president Thomas Bach, meeting in Lausanne hailed the phenomenal growth of video games. In a statement,…

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NFL May Flag Players Who Kneel For Anthem

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell may signal a penalty on players who disrespect the flag and national anthem. Goodell sent a letter to all 32 NFL teams on Tuesday, Oct. 10 saying the league needs to move on, Business Insider reports. “Like many of our fans, we believe that everyone should stand for the National Anthem,” Goodell wrote. “It is an important moment in our game. We want to honor our flag and our country, and our fans expect that of us.” The topic will be discussed at a league meeting next week. Owners may allow players to give input, but they can make a decision without the union’s approval, the Daily Mail reports. The NFL may have already quietly changed its national anthem policy to allow teams to directly players instead of relying on the league to do so, the Daily Mail quotes ESPN reporter Chris Mortensen as saying. The policy now reads, “'[Players’ f]ailure to be on the field by the start of the National Anthem may result in discipline, such as fines, suspensions, and/or the forfeiture of draft choice(s) for violations of the above, including first offenses.’” Goodell does, however, plan to provide players a “platform,” Business Insider reports.…

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ESPN Pulls Announcer Robert Lee — With Asian Heritage — from University of Virginia Football Game in Charlottesville

Apparently, even being Asian doesn’t mean people won’t take you for being a white nationalist. According to the popular college-football blog Outkick the Coverage, ESPN pulled an Asian announcer from calling a University of Virginia football game. The announcer’s name is Robert Lee. “Did I mention that Robert Lee is Asian?” blogger Clay Travis asked rhetorically…

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