Opinion: A True 'Sports Hero,' Jackie Robinson At 100

I try not to say, "sports hero." An athlete may be electrifying and adored, and do much for their communities. But real heroes are people who run into burning buildings to save lives. Heroes are people who enrich the lives of others — and sometimes — move along history.

There is one athlete who has to be called a hero.

Jackie Robinson was born a hundred years ago next week, Jan. 31, 1919, in the small, segregated town of Cairo, Ga., the youngest of five children. A year later, his father left, and the Robinsons moved to southern California, where Jackie Robinson became one of the most celebrated young athletes in America.

He became 2nd Lt. Robinson in the segregated U.S. Army during World War II, but was court-martialed for refusing to move to the back of a bus on the U.S. Army base in Ft. Hood, Texas.

Jackie Robinson was proudly unapologetic and was acquitted. As he said — many times — "I am not concerned with your liking or disliking me. ... All I ask is that you respect me."

He began to play baseball in the old Negro Leagues after the war. There were many talented stars there, like Larry Doby and Satchel Paige, who could and would eventually be signed. But Branch Rickey, who ran the Brooklyn Dodgers, foresaw that the first African-American player in major league baseball would also be the star of a daily national drama.

"I had to get a man who could carry the burden," said Mr. Rickey. "I needed a man to carry the badge of martyrdom."

He signed Jackie Robinson.

He broke into the big leagues in 1947. Most Americans saw baseball then in black and white. Jackie Robinson brought fire. Bigots in the stands hurled curses — and sometimes bottles and threats. Some opposing players slid into him with their spikes. Some opposing pitchers threw at his head. Jackie Robinson played, calmly, nobly and superbly under that profane hail.

When civil rights marchers of the 1960s walked across a bridge in Selma, or the streets of Birmingham, through a blizzard of police sticks, snarling dogs and water cannons, they could hold in their minds the image of Jackie Robinson, walking brave and unbowed to home plate.

Jackie Robinson was an athlete, not Martin Luther King Jr. in baseball stripes. But his own story galvanized his life, and when he left baseball, he became an activist for integration and justice. As President Barack Obama said, "There's a direct line between Jackie Robinson and me." The history Jackie Robinson made helped make America better.

Remembering Julius Peppers the UNC basketball player before what could be his final NFL game

Before he was spending most of his Sundays every fall tracking down quarterbacks, forcing offensive linemen to stumble and ball-carriers to fumble, Julius Peppers was emptying the breadth of his athletic gifts by making hoopers on the hardwood crumble, too.

Peppers, a transcendent athlete with an array of talents, was a surefire star on the gridiron early on. There was no questioning his dominance as an edge rusher. Out of high school, he had numerous opportunities before staying close to home -- and shining -- for the North Carolina Tar Heels. And shine he did. He became a two-time All-American for the Heels before he left school early and saw the Carolina Panthers make him the No. 2 pick in the 2002 NFL Draft.

But few know he also played a role in basketball for the Tar Heels -- and one larger than you might expect. Peppers played 56 games and started in three at UNC as a hooper, and just as he's done skillfully as an elite NFL edge-rusher over the last 17 seasons, Peppers leveraged his 6-7, 290-pound frame with grace and power. He was a dynamic rebounder and rim-rocker. The same unstoppable force he's channeled to hunt down quarterbacks in the backfield for close to two decades in the NFL, is the same he used at North Carolina to power through alley-oops and putbacks.

There's some who even believe he could have pursued a professional career in basketball -- and succeeded.

"I'll tell you this, I do believe if Pep would've just focused on basketball, he could've played in the NBA," Matt Doherty, a former coach at UNC told ESPN in 2015. "[Julius] had feel. He wasn't just a rebounder or banger. He could pass the ball, make the 15-18 foot shot and had soft hands."

Peppers could be playing in his final NFL game on Sunday, fittingly, with the Carolina Panthers. The same team that drafted him, from which the same state he attended college, and the same state he was born and raised in. He says he has no doubts about which path he ultimately chose -- and if you watch his incredible UNC football highlights, you'd likely agree -- but it's incredible to think what might have been. How many high caliber players could realistically have pursued pro careers in two sports?

As Peppers races onto the turf in New Orleans on Sunday, he can do so knowing he probably made the right choice -- probably being the operative term for absolutely, positively without question. The 38-year-old has played in 265 games, started 240 and put up numbers worthy of a future Hall of Fame enshrinement: 11 interceptions, four touchdowns, 81 pass deflections, 52 forced fumbles, 720 tackles, 172 tackles for loss, and oh, 158.5 sacks for good measure. For perspective: That's more sacks than Jason Taylor (a Hall of Famer enshrined in 2017), more tackles for loss than Michael Strahan (a Hall of Famer enshrined in 2014), and excluding Taylor, more touchdowns than the four defensive linemen enshrined into the Hall ahead of him.

Peppers is a lock to one day have a Gold Jacket custom-tailored for his jumbo body, and you can bet he'll have a carefully crafted bust made and featured in the halls of Canton, Ohio, too. He's earned it all, incredibly, with basketball as no more than a footnote -- a did you know as interesting and entertaining to relive as his legendary cameo in the 'Hot in Here' music video -- to his illustrious career.

How the sports book of the year reached the right result – with a dead heat

Cricket and football matches often end as draws, and individual sporting events sometimes finish in a dead heat. The women's 100m freestyle in the 2016 summer Olympics, for example, awarded two gold medals and no silver as the first and second swimmers finished in identical times.

It has taken 30 years, though, for shared spoils to occur in the William Hill sports book of the year, with the un-splittable 2018 decision between Paul Gibson's The Lost Soul of Eamonn Magee, a biography of a troubled Ulster boxer, and A Boy in the Water, Tom Gregory's memoir of swimming the Channel at the age of 11 in 1988, the youngest person to have done so.

The consequence of this judging deadlock is that the winning writers divide the £30,000 prize. And anyone who bet on either book winning will – under dead-heat racing rules – lose half their stake money and have the other half paid as a winner at the starting price. That said, the William Hill prize doesn't really have a betting market. The sponsors don't run one because of fears that they would be accused of pressuring the judges to select short-odds favourites, and other turf accountants would likely be reluctant to promote a rival's trophy.

However, any punter who had studied form could have had a clue to what might happen with this year's prize. One of the judges had previously been part of another panel that refused at the final fence. It was me, having also served on the Man Booker jury that proved unable in 1992 to decide between Michael Ondaatje's The English Patient and Barry Unsworth's Sacred Hunger.

On that occasion, we were criticised for judicial weakness and accused – ironically, given what has now happened with the William Hill – of applying to literature a scientific inseparability that exists only in sports that are timed by the clock.

Prize-giving panels usually have an uneven number of jurors to prevent this happening. But on the William Hill, one judge was unable to take part in the final meeting, and, on the Booker, a colleague who loved both finalists equally felt unable to make the casting vote, although live TV coverage of the ceremony had already begun.

Even with even-numbered panels, a draw will only happen when half the arbiters are not only passionately committed to their own choice but would be horrified if the other lot's favourite came home.

Ondaatje v Unsworth 26 years ago became a standoff between experimental and traditional storytelling; Gibson v Gregory was a similarly oppositional clash between provocative biography and uplifting autobiography. Although what happens in the jury room mainly should stay there, some judges had, from a shortlist of seven, Gregory as their favourite and Gibson as their least, or vice versa. As in Brexit, which all human actions perhaps now reflect, compromise is only possible if there is some shared ground.

Because I am the only factor common to the Booker '92 and William Hill '18 decisions, some may blame me. Certainly, some of my family have suggested that an alleged stubbornness may have played a part. However, on both occasions, it was me who first asked whether a long standoff could be resolved by sharing the prize.

Twice, the only alternative outcome would have been for both factions to peel off on to a third book, which nobody really liked. I've judged dozens of book prizes, and such results are depressingly common. Twice, in order to prevent another judge's threat to resign, I compromised by voting for books that were far from my favourite, and still regret it.

It's true that literary preference is subjective – whereas athletes and horses can be ranked by fancy watches – but sometimes a dead heat is the right result of a book prize, at least ensuring that the winners have, between them, unanimous backing.

Mexican GP: Lewis Hamilton says fifth F1 title would be his 'proudest'

The Englishman will become world champion for the fifth time in Sunday's Mexican GP, live only on Sky Sports, if he finishes in the top seven - a position he has occupied at every race since July.

Were he to do so, Hamilton would clinch the world title with two rounds to go for the second consecutive year despite a fierce rivalry with Sebastian Vettel and Ferrari.

The Mercedes driver insists when and where the title would be won is not important given the task of becoming champion is not getting any easier, a fact the 33-year-old appreciates more with age.

"Just winning the championship has always been the goal," he said in the Mexican GP paddock.

"I remember when I won my first, one of the ex-champions had said its always harder to get the second, which it felt like it was. The first one felt incredibly hard already but from then on it just got harder and harder to win a championship.

"Even though you're improving, the competition improves, different circumstances arise, but this year particularly has been one of the most enjoyable years with the things that I have been faced with.

"So if I were to win the title, I think it would definitely be one that I would be probably most proud of and be able to appreciate most.

"Just being that I'm older and that's what happens when you get old, I guess."

Hamilton has spoken repeatedly over the last 18 months of the satisfaction he takes from battling with Vettel - although, having gone through nerve-jangling final-race showdowns in the past, the Englishman said he would still much rather wrap up the title as early as he could.

Hamilton recalled how he "did not sleep in Abu Dhabi" when the title went down to the wire against Nico Rosberg in 2014 and 2016.

"In the past sitting back and watching grands prix on TV with bacon toasties in the morning, I would have wanted it to go to the end. But I'm not in that seat," he said.

"When you're in it and living it you just want to get it done. As long as you get it done."

Few are backing against Hamilton closing out the championship in Sunday evening's race to cement his place among F1's legends - but, with a new two-year contract to come at Mercedes from 2019, he has already made clear he is far from finished yet.

"I do feel like I've got quite a lot left to do, so just going to get on with it," he promised.

Hamilton credits experience

While Vettel's challenge has faltered repeatedly in recent months, Hamilton's has flourished to put him on the brink of an early title coronation for the second time in a row.

Yet despite being on the cusp of a significant piece of F1 history - only two drivers have previously won five titles - Hamilton has appeared calm and relaxed in both Austin last weekend, when he had his first outside shot at the title, and again on his arrival in the Mexican paddock.

"I've been here before," said Hamilton when asked if he could explain his calmness. "It's just the place I'm in my life I guess. Being that I'm just older, I've had the experience and know what I need to do to get myself into shape.

"I'm just really enjoying racing. I'm here to race. I'm here to win. I'm here to deliver this championship for the team. So I choose what I put my focus towards, I don't really allow any negativity in, so I'm just on a positive wave.

"If I was here and there was one point between us, I'm sure things would probably be a bit different. It would be a lot more intense. I've got a decent amount of points ahead so I guess that naturally does help a little bit, but I think it's more the experience."

There is a new set of sports stars on billboards now

There's a new breed of sportspersons on the endorsement circuit, although it may be a while before they give cricketers a run for their money. Gold medallist athlete Hima Das, the newest backer of sportswear giant Adidas, is set to be named as the face of two more brands over the next fortnight.

Table tennis player Manika Batra was signed as the brand ambassador of global nutrition company Herbalife last week and two brands are in talks with her agency. Weightlifter Mirabai Chanu is now associated with financial services company Edelweiss. "Emerging sportspersons from outside of cricket have created a new wave of success stories — they are world beaters, consistent, glamorous, humble and controversy-free," said Tuhin Mishra, managing director at sports marketing company Baseline Ventures.

Baseline Ventures represents badminton champions PV Sindhu and Kidambi Srikanth, billiards player Pankaj Advani and racing driver Arjun Maini. Although the new crop of sportspersons earn much less than leading cricketers, managers say they get good recall. "Sustainability is the key. The market value of an athlete depends on her or his performance. It's like the stock market and the market creates their valuation by itself," said Neerav Tomar, managing director of IOS Sports & Entertainment, which represents Das and Batra.

Besides the three-year contract with Adidas, IOS Sports is in talks with four brands in insurance, nutrition, banking and cement for Das. "Corporates help in promoting sports. When brands advertise with sports players, it inspires people to be part of and play sport," Das had said in an interview with ET last week. Last month, Forbes magazine named Sindhu as the world's seventh-highest paid sportswoman, with $8 million of her income from endorsements. At 23, her on-court earnings were $500,000 between June 2017 and June 2018, Forbes says. She has surpassed many cricketers, except blue chip league players Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni.

Batra, a Commonwealth Games gold medallist, joins players including Kohli as the face of Herbalife. She also endorses Edelweiss Financial Services and Stag sports equipment. Her management agency, IOS, is talking to two brands in the packaged food and energy drink space. Chanu, who won gold at the Commonwealth Games this year, may be roped in for a textile brand's CSR division and sportswear brand. Saina Nehwal has been endorsing Edelweiss, Herbalife, Huawei Honor and Savlon antiseptic.

Sports courts unveiled at Gathering Place, but park will have more sports amenities to offer

Ambassadors for Tulsa's Gathering Place on Tuesday unveiled five sports courts, revealing only about a third of the park's sports offerings.

Lee Mayberry, a Gathering Place park ambassador, shared the courts Tuesday with Tulsa media outlets. The skate park and BMX tracks were not included in the reveal.

"I was a kid who went to B.C. Franklin Recreation Center; that's where I learned how to play," Mayberry said. "This is like B.C. Franklin on steroids — the awesome slides and swings, and all of these basketball courts, soccer fields — it's nothing like we have ever seen in Tulsa before."

The courts sit near 31st Street, off of Riverside Drive. They are tucked in among tall grass and wildflower landscaping with a multi-use trail meandering by.

As for the skate park and BMX tracks, Gathering Place officials have provided little detail thus far. The park's website indicates little about the skatepark except for a name, "Skate Bowl." As for the BMX tracks, the park will feature three different levels: expert, intermediate and beginner. Both will feature the river as a backdrop, according to park officials.

Mayberry, who is an assistant women's basketball coach at Oral Roberts University, said the location will draw Tulsa together in a tighter community. Gathering Place, he said, will bring together the city's north, west, east and south sides, and midtown, at a convenient focal point on the Arkansas River.

“The excitement is going to be there," Mayberry said. "I think it has everything to offer."

Each sports court is marked in white lines for volleyball, basketball, hockey and soccer. Park officials said equipment rentals will be available. The volleyball net can be taken down and put back up. It was not clear Tuesday whether park visitors would be able to do that themselves.

About five people took the opportunity to shoot hoops, and occasionally challenge each other to one-on-one, at the new courts. Greg Jones Jr., also known as Tulsa Hype Man, eagerly dropped what he was doing to burn some calories on the two-tone blue court.

"There's nothing like this in Tulsa," he said.

For the time being, those five courts will be first come, first serve. At night, the courts get lit for quick pickup games or organized, long-standing rivalries.

Gathering Place officials have already scheduled programing during the next three months as part of the 100-day celebration of the park, including 3-on-3 games, exhibitions and fitness classes.

The park will open Sept. 8. Officials broke ground on the $465 million Gathering Place in September 2014. The sports courts bear the name of $5 million donor SemGroup, a global energy services company, to recognize their contribution to the park.

Peter Bevacqua Named President of NBC Sports

NBC Sports named Pete Bevacqua, the former CEO of the Professional Golf Association, as the new president of the NBCUniversal unit – the first time it has had an executive in that role since the unit was reorganized in 2011 in the wake of Comcast taking control of NBCU  in 2011.

Bevacqua is expected to oversee programming, marketing, digital, NBC's regional sports networks and business related to golf. He will report to Mark Lazarus, chairman of NBC Broadcasting and Sports, and will start at the company in September.

Bevacqua steps aboard after NBC Sports has expanded into several new areas. The unit now operates NBC Sports Gold, a subscription video service, and SportsEngine, an online community centered on youth and amateur sports leagues. In a sign of the amount of sports inventory within NBC's reach, NBC Sports so far this year has televised not only the Winter Olympics, but also the most recent Super Bowl and Spanish-language broadcasts of the World Cup tournament. Meanwhile, NBC Sports' top executive, Mark Lazarus, has also taken on responsibility for NBCUniversal's owned and operated stations.

NBC Sports has not had a president since Ken Schanzer, a veteran who supervised many of the company's negotiations for sports rights, left in the wake of legendary former NBC Sports chief Dick Ebersol stepping down from his post after Comcast bought a majority stake in NBCU.

“With the expansion of NBC Sports Group over the last seven years, and our continuing investments in new and existing businesses, adding Pete to our already strong management team will help us organize for future growth,” said Lazarus, in a prepared statement. “We are thrilled to have someone with his experience and reputation join our organization.”

Bevacqua had served as CEO of the PGA,which supervises the PGA Championship and the Ryder Cup and serves more than 29,000 members,, since 2012. Prior to his PGA role, Bevacqua served as the global head of golf at Creative Artists Agency.

F1 France: Three-way blame game after Gasly, Ocon's wild first lap crash

THREE French drivers started Sunday's revived French Grand Prix full of dreams — but they soon turned to nightmares as they accused each other of a self-inflicted first lap crash.

Pierre Gasly of Toro Rosso blamed compatriot Esteban Ocon of Force India for their collision.

Ocon disagreed and, instead, blamed Romain Grosjean of Haas. The first two were forced to retire by the incident at Turn Three of the opening lap, but Grosjean — the instigator of the carnage, according to the race stewards — escaped lightly and went on to finish the race.

Alas, for him, he came home 11th and extended his unwanted record as the only driver in the paddock not to have scored a point in 2018.

He was also given a five seconds penalty for his first lap misdemeanour. Worse still, perhaps, for all of them, Monegasque Charles Leclerc took a point again for the unfancied Sauber team by finishing 10th.

Ocon declared himself to be "very disappointed" by it all.

"I was alongside Romain for half of the straight and already I was on the edge of the track, one wheel outside the white line," he explained. "He had nobody on his side on the right and, suddenly, he turned into me.

"It was a massive hit, which launched me on the kerb and damaged by side. I kept going, but then, in Turn Three, Pierre finished the job.

"And it has been so long for me that I have wanted to race here. To finish, after three corners, it's just silly." Gasly said Ocon was the culprit.

"I was behind Esteban and I saw he had damage on the car.

"Then in Turn Three, I went on the inside and I thought he had seen me and would leave me space, but he just took the corner like there was nobody there -- it was impossible to avoid the contact.

"I'm sure he didn't do it on purpose, but it's a very difficult moment now. To have a collision between two French drivers at the comeback of the French GP..." The stewards launched an investigation, which was resolved during the race. Grosjean was blamed and handed a five seconds penalty.

"For what?" he said. "It's a joke." For the French fans, there was something to cheer -- the two Renault cars, driven by a Spaniard and a German, finished in the points.

Opinion: 'Stick To Sports Lads'

What is your expectation of sport? Entertainment? Distraction? A pastime? A sanctuary?

There is no other vehicle capable of transcending age, nationality, religion, or class like sport. Even the most cynical figure can be inspired and delighted in its presence.

For many, the process of even engaging in it, of engulfing oneself in an afternoon's viewing or partaking in the pilgrimage to an arena and watching stars do battle on hallowed turf functions as a means to profess an “Open Sesame” to an alternative universe. A world capable of anything, where we expect the dogs of corruption and injustice to wait at the door. Sport is capable of transferring us to our individual happy place, and it is a place worth preserving.

That is the expectation for many a sports fan. And like so many other expectations, it is liable to fall short of reality.

To truly exist in a functioning, multi-fractious, and diverse society is a curious condition. Sport does not function as an alternative, it co-exists alongside the rest of the world's mystifying and extraordinary features. A life where sport becomes an alternative to reality is categorically a limited one.

Modern existence is liable to do just about anything, particularly yield a moment that exists as the intersection between sports and politics. Make no mistake, despite the wails of 'stick to sports lads' that intersection exists. It is undeniable.

This week the NFL elected to implement a policy that would see any player who protests during the national anthem punished. For the past two years, certain players have chosen to kneel or raise their fists during the anthem as a means of protesting police brutality. A select group of extraordinarily rich white men has now made a rule change for an organisation that is 70% black. They will have to pay tribute to the military, war and stay silent on the denial of basic civil rights to a much-maligned and marginalised class.

A move portrayed as apolitical is very much political in its nature. This is nothing new. Sport has always been this way.

Those that cry “keep politics out of sports” are generally motivated to do so when it concerns a view they do not agree with. NFL owners did not have an issue with Tom Brady displaying Trump memorabilia within Gillete Stadium, or Rex Ryan's public endorsements of him as a candidate, or Richie Incognito's policy praise. Rich, white men support a system designed to keep it that way. Water will stay wet, the sky remains blue.

Within America, the practice of white men using sport to generate political goodwill dates back to the American revolution. It only truly became a problem when black men threatened to utilise the same vehicle.

Thomas Jefferson generated support by sponsoring shooting contests, horses named after Andrew Jackson raced in Virginia, Republican Congressman Joshua Giddings protested slavery by playing in a baseball game that included African-Americans.

In response to the anti-war movement that saw over 3 million Americans taking to the street in protest, Richard Nixon became the first sitting president to attend a regular-season NFL game. He requested a red, white and blue half-time theme that saw 'God Bless America' played repeatedly. It was a move that a White House memo labeled “pro-administration propaganda.”

It became increasingly more problematic when Muhammad Ali refused a draft to the Vietnam War, Tommie Smith and John Carlos made the 'black salute' on the podium at the Olympics or Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf refused to stand for the national anthem. Then the 'keep politics out of sport brigade' pipped up. Ali was stripped of his title and arrested. Black track athletes Vince Matthews and Wayne Collett were barred from the following Olympics for a similar protest to Smith and Carlos and the NBA suspended Abdul-Rauf.

No one should be more familiar with the impossibility to separate sport and politics than the Irish. After all, our national game was one forged with the explicit intention of rekindling Irish nationality. Two of the seven men in attendance at the GAA's founding were known IRB members. GAA secretary Luke O'Toole spoke on stage when the Dublin Irish Volunteers were formally established and President James Nowlan told every member to join the volunteers and “learn to shoot straight.”

At Frongoch internment camp in north Wales, they played Gaelic football daily, with teams named after the Rising's leaders. Eventually, inter-county contests developed and the main pitch in Frongoch was renamed Croke Park.

To this day, clubs are named after prominent Republicans: Liam Mellows, Austin Stack, Patrick Pearse.

The GAA is in a fundamental tenant of the state's soul. Sport itself is part of our national identity. Its finger is on the pulse of the nation and inevitably it will become involved in current affairs.

Recently Peter O'Mahony, Brian O'Driscoll, Mickey Harte, Eamon McGee, AnneMarie McDonagh and many more prominent, Irish athletes have voiced their political opinion - capitalising on the power of sport to have their say. At times it seems incomprehensible, but players are people too and are deeply affected by the same real-world concerns as us all. Every aspect of modern existence is in some way political, to deny this fact is a critical delusion.

That is not to say said delusion isn't monumentally more attractive. In silence there is refuge, to speak out brings scrutiny. These figures have made a bold move.

You are of course free to engage with their view. Criticise the opinion, offering a stinging rebuttal, demonstrate flaws in their argument. Stripe it off rhetorical nicety and expose it for the strawman, prejudiced sentiment you believe it to be.

But to implement a restriction on their contribution based on sporting commitments is to try and restrict their right to speak. Denying them a political opinion is an intensely political move.

Alternatively, we could collectively elect to stick to sports and prepare to enjoy a World Cup in Putin's Russia, a Giro D'Italia that launched from Israel occupied Jerusalem and an NFL season that ensures misbehaving black men are kept out of sight. You know, the non-political stuff.

Introducing the Mount Rushmore of Maryland sports

When The Baltimore Sun and Babe Ruth Museum teamed up to create the Mount Rushmore of Maryland sports, the goal was to identify the state's four most enduring athletic icons.

As it turns out, that's not as easy as it sounds. After a group of local sports experts and online voting helped winnow a group of about 250 contenders to 10 finalists, the Mount Rushmore committee could not settle on just four athletes. So it went with six: Ray Lewis, Michael Phelps, Cal Ripken Jr., Brooks Robinson, Babe Ruth and Johnny Unitas.

The Babe Ruth Museum exhibit honoring the selections opens to the public at 10 a.m. Saturday and will run through March. The cost of admission to the museum is $10 for adults, $8 for seniors and military members and $5 for children ages 5 to 16. Group rates are also available. The museum is open daily through September from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (and 7 p.m. for Orioles home night games).

"We think that every community has a Mount Rushmore of local sports," said Mike Gibbons, the museum's former executive director and its current director emeritus and historian. "That is a discussion that goes on casually in bars and man caves and stuff like that on a constant basis: 'If you could pick your top guys, who would they be?' And that's a pretty intriguing discussion typically. But we think here in Maryland that we have a tremendous and unique sports tradition, sports heritage, as is represented by the six athletes who we are honoring as our Mount Rushmore of local sports."

During his 17 years with the Ravens, Lewis was honored as NFL Defensive Player of the Year twice, selected to the Pro Bowl 13 times and voted a first-team All-Pro linebacker seven times. He will be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in August.

Phelps, a Baltimore native, is the most successful Olympian of all time, with 28 overall swimming medals and 23 golds, including eight at his historic 2008 Summer Games. Of his 23 gold medals, 13 came in individual events.

Ripken, a Harford County native, won a World Series and two Most Valuable Player awards in his 21 seasons with the Orioles. The Baseball Hall of Fame shortstop also played in 2,632 consecutive games, setting a record that might prove unbreakable.

Robinson won 16 Gold Glove Awards during his 23 seasons with the Orioles, the most ever by a position player. The third baseman, an 18-time All-Star and Hall of Fame selection, was the first Oriole named the American League's Most Valuable Player, and also earned MVP honors in the 1970 World Series.

Ruth is considered by many to be the greatest baseball player of all time. The pitcher-turned-outfielder from Baltimore hit 60 home runs for the New York Yankees in 1927, then the single-season record, and finished with 714 overall in his Hall of Fame career.

Unitas, also a Pro Football Hall of Fame selection, set 22 NFL records, passed for more than 40,000 yards and for 290 touchdowns, led the Baltimore Colts to championships in 1958 and 1959, and completed at least one touchdown pass in 47 straight games.

"I would put our list up against anybody's, and I think that these are supremely talented and celebrated athletes, and they're ours," Gibbons said. "And we thought it was time to honor them collectively, bring them together and let fans enjoy looking at these top six guys."

To Boost Sports Performance (and Annoy Your Opponents), Grunt

Emitting a high-decibel grunt or squeal while striking a backhand or uncorking a swirling roundhouse kick could substantially increase the power of that movement and sneakily bedevil your opponent.

A revelatory new study finds that yelling during sports could have greater benefits for performance than many of us might expect, even if it might cause spectators to look aghast and cover their ears.

Grunting during physical activities that demand sudden short, sharp bursts of power, such as weight training, is common and probably has been used since our prehistoric ancestors hefted stones or heaved projectiles.

Tennis players are particularly famous for grunting. Their shouts with each serve and stroke can be so loud that some players, including Martina Navratilova, have declared that the noise is a form of cheating, meant to confound the other player and not to increase the power of a stroke.

But there has been limited past scientific scrutiny of the impacts of grunting. A 2014 study of college tennis players determined that grunting could indeed increase the power of players' groundstrokes and serves. And a study from 2010 found that such sounds can be distracting for others. In that study, participants watched videos of a tennis player striking the ball while a loud, grunt-like yell played or did not. The viewers pressed keys to indicate their snap judgments about which side of the court, right or left, the ball was heading toward. When the stroke coincided with the noise, the viewers were noticeably slower and more inaccurate in their picks.

But those studies could not determine whether the usefulness of grunting was confined only to tennis or how the ballistic squawks were affecting onlookers and opponents. Were the screams masking the sound of the racket striking the ball, making it difficult for people to judge the right trajectories? Or were the sounds more directly distracting people, drawing their attention away from the onrushing ball and befuddling their reactions?

To learn more, some of the same scientists decided, for the new experiment, which was published last month in PLOS One, to look closely at mixed martial arts and grunting.

They chose that sport for several reasons, the first being that, like tennis, it demands sudden, explosive movements, meaning punches and kicks, to which grunting conceivably could add power.

Perhaps even more important, martial arts moves do not involve inherent noise, unlike the ping of a tennis racket meeting a ball. So if an onlooker proved to be worse at judging a fast-approaching kick when someone grunted, it would be because the yell had directly confused the watcher, not because it had masked some other noise.

The researchers began by recruiting 20 local recreational martial arts practitioners, both male and female, and having them kick a specially prepared heavy bag. The bag contained a device that measured force.

In separate sessions, the athletes kicked the bag multiple times while producing a mighty, oomphing yell or remaining silent.

The researchers also videotaped some of the kicks in close-up.

Then they gathered 22 undergraduate students and had them watch the videos, which showed the athletes' feet advancing toward the viewers at intimidating speed. The students had to rapidly decide whether the kick would land high or low and press a corresponding computer key.

During about half of the kicks, a sound like a grunt (standardized to avoid changes in volume or pitch) accompanied the motion. Otherwise the videos were quiet.

The researchers then checked all of the data.

They found that grunting while kicking had definitely improved the martial artists' power. They had generated about 10 percent more force with each kick while yelling.

The noise also had affected viewers, although not favorably. They had proven to be much slower in responding and more prone to errors in judging direction when the kick had come with a grunt.

These results indicate that "the advantage that a grunter gains" in terms of impacts on an opponent "are due to distraction" and not to other, useful sounds being drowned out, says Scott Sinnett, an associate professor of psychology at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, who led this study and one of the earlier experiments with tennis players.

The findings also show that grunting is beneficial for upping power, he says, which undercuts the argument that it is a kind of cheating. If it only bothered opponents, he says, it might be considered unfair.

But making a noise does amplify force and is not banned by sports governing bodies, so can be considered a useful and sporting competitive tool.

Of course, this experiment was conducted in a laboratory, not a real-world competition, and with martial-arts athletes. The results do not show whether grunting loudly in other situations and sports would produce the same results.

It is unlikely, for instance, that grunting would be beneficial in long-distance running or walking, which require little explosive force, Dr. Sinnett says (although yelling at random moments would be likely to surprise and worry your training partners).

This study also cannot tell us whether consciously deciding to scream during sports would be beneficial, if noise is not natural to you. You might wind up distracting yourself with your grunts and playing worse, Dr. Sinnett says.

Peninah Kabenge’s life of sports

Kampala, Uganda | AGNES NANTABA | Peninah Kabenge is smiley most times. Perhaps it is the reason she doesn't dwell on regrets even when she has been portrayed in negative light. She loves to keep on the positive side of life and being a sports woman, she cheers up often.

She says, "Life is full of challenges but it still doesn't help to dwell on them because we have to move on".

Kabenge is the head of sports and recreation department at Makerere University, a position she has held for the longest time. She is also the Principal sports tutor at the institution. But aside from that, she also holds other titles; including the General Secretary of Federation of Africa University Sports (FASU), Executive Board member of International university sports and the president of National University Sports Federation of Uganda. She is also the serving president of International Wood Ball Federation.

But even with all these roles, some of which are continental and global, Kabenge mostly prides in her role at Makerere University.

"All the other roles stem from Makerere University; so I am proud to be part of the oldest and best institution in the country," she says.

Sports has always been part of her life stemming from the early days of primary school when sports was part of life's menu. The eighth born of the 11 children of Mr and Mrs. Aligaweesa, having a sports field at home meant being an active sports person. Back home in Luwero were both parents were head teachers, Kabenge had the privilege to participate in different games some of which were male dominated such as football, netball as well as track and field athletics.

Kabenge schooled at Kiyenje Home School which started as a home school and eventually grew as it became open to the neighbors and the village community. And schooling from such an environment meant adjusting to be tolerant, competitive, and survive in all backgrounds without discrimination.

"At home, we have a big football pitch where the community comes to participate in different outdoor games so we had no choice but to engage in the games," says Kabenge.

"We however took on mainly male dominated sports where the competition was big," she says.

Upon completion of primary education, Kabenge joined Bugema Adventist from where she built on her sports career. The war would soon break out forcing the family to relocate to Eastern Uganda as fate landed her into Namasagali College where she completed advanced level. And while she had previously participated in sports, it was a notch higher at Namasagali where participation meant extra marks. Participation earned her the title of netball team captain and sports prefect.

A year later, Kabenge was among the lucky few to be admitted to Makerere, the only university at the time. Months after admission, Kabenge took part in the inter-hall competitions for the first time playing basketball something that earned her trip to the East Africa University Games in Morogoro. She later qualified to represent Uganda at World University Games playing Track and Field athletics and sports minister representing Mary Stuart hall.

With such active participation, Kabenge caught the eye of then University sports leaders who invited her to start working with the department in 1988 as a graduate fellow. The new role pushed her to enroll for training in sports.

She says, "I did a post graduate diploma in education with physical education and whenever opportunity came up, I did more coaching and sports administrative courses".

In 1999, she took over as head of department, sports and recreation a post she holds to date. For sports in Uganda, Kabenge points to growth in terms of numbers and professionalism. And at the university level, she prides in Makerere producing some of the best swimmers and athletics for the country.

Kabenge now looks at a humble retirement as she completes her PhD also related to sports. In her almost 25 year marriage tenure, Kabenge was blessed with two children.

Brady, Belichick And The Bigger Issue With Sports Training Gurus

Guerrero doesn't play for the New England Patriots, but if you ask Tom Brady, Guerrero is a critical piece of his game.

The Boston Globe reported that Belichick had revoked Guerrero's privileges earlier this season. Guerrero, Brady's friend, trainer and business partner, had been allowed to fly on the team charter. He had a sideline pass for game days. Guerrero set up an office in the team's facility, near the Patriots' locker room. He still has the office, but he can only treat Brady there, not the other Patriots who had begun to use his services. The seat on the plane is gone and so is the primo credential.

"Alex has been a huge part of what I do and I'm so fortunate to have him not only as a friend, but with everything we've been able to do together," Brady said when asked about the situation on WEEI. "It takes a lot of people for an NFL player to achieve. Your career and teammates and coaches and family and support and friends, and Alex has been a huge, huge reason why I'm still playing."

There is no shortage of material being spoken and written about this. From Brady being compared to the Scientology-driven couch-jumping Tom Cruise to Belichick fielding strange questions about paternal triangulation between coach, quarterback and trainer. There's plenty out there on Guerrero, too. Those stories center on his qualifications or lack thereof.

Oh, the drama. Grab your popcorn, sit back and enjoy. We'll speculate about a breakup between Yoda and Luke Skywalker. (Yes, I peg them as the good guys, the winners.) But Brady and Belichick will do what they do. They will shut down that line of questioning. They'll say nothing publicly. Both of these guys are too smart and they like to win too much to let this stop what they've already created.

This isn't really about the melodrama. Stay woke, friends. Guerrero's setup with the Patriots isn't that strange. It shouldn't be. The office in the team facility, the treating more than half the team, that's different, but it shouldn't be surprising. Almost everybody has a guy outside of the team's sports medicine and training staff. The New England situation is getting a lot of attention because Brady is Brady. He's built his personal brand on getting older and somehow still looking fabulous and playing like he's 25 years old. With Guerrero at his side, Brady turned the brand into a commercialized product with a brick and mortar shop.

Having a personal sports guru is not new. Remember, Barry Bonds had Greg Anderson. Kristaps Porzingis, the Latvian basketball-playing unicorn, has a Dr. Dan Colker, "a man of movement and some mystery," according to the New York Daily News.

Players will always look for the edge. They want that thing, whatever it is that will have them perform better than the next guy. They want to recover quicker, execute faster, and last longer. This goes back decades. In Jeff Passan's The Arm, there is the story about 20-year-old Jim Palmer and his injured rotator cuff. Palmer went to a sports medicine pioneer who was associated with the Los Angeles Dodgers. The advice: pitch and hope the arm gets better. Palmer also had a friend in the pharmaceutical industry who suggested the young pitcher take the anti-inflammatory drug Indocin. Palmer did. He started throwing 95 mph and he pitched 18 more seasons. There have always been outsiders offering a hybrid of medicinal/training options for athletes.

This isn't going away. Players have grown in power. That's why a player of Brady's caliber could have his sports guru business partner planted in the Patriots' building. What organizations across sports have to figure out is how to maintain trust with the players and balance the relationships between the players' personal trainers and the team's in-house training and medical staff.

Beneath the histrionics of the Brady-Belichick-Guerrero fuss is the tension between the Patriots' medical and training staff, which complained about Guerrero a couple years ago. If teams take the hardline, they risk alienating the player. At the same time, teams view themselves as the standard bearer for treatments and training. They question alternative methods, which is healthy and the right thing to do so long as it is an inquiry versus automatic disregard.

The future is now with sports gurus and teams will either succeed or fail at figuring out relationships with them.

Want to gamble on virtual sports? One firm is betting on it

The virtual sports events might not be real, but the bets are backed by actual money.

The company behind internet gambling website PlaySugarHouse.com became the first in the U.S. to let gamblers bet real money online on the outcome of virtual sports events.

Chicago-based Rush Street Interactive recently received approval from New Jersey regulators to let patrons bet online on the outcome of virtual computer-generated sporting "events," including soccer, horse, dog and vehicle racing. Its site and mobile app launched Wednesday, and is only available to people physically in New Jersey.

The approval comes as the U.S. Supreme Court gears up to hear New Jersey's case next month seeking to legalize sports betting in the 46 states where it is not permitted.

Company president Richard Schwartz told The Associated Press the games are a good way to prepare for the possibility that the high court could legalize real-world sports betting.

"It's computer-generated, and not based on any current active live sports event, so it's not legally considered sports betting," he said. "You can acquire a database of people with an interest in sports betting."

The technology already exists in some Nevada casinos and is widely used throughout Europe, but this is the first time it will be available over the internet in the U.S.

Schwartz said virtual sports betting is popular in Europe, and can account for as much as 20 percent of a sports book's revenue.

"We expect the same results in the New Jersey market," he said. "Virtual sports betting is used effectively to fill in time between races and in time periods where there are no real time sporting events."

He said virtual sports betting is a good way to attract a younger demographic who like sports as well as computer games.

Inspired Entertainment, a technology company that offers virtual sports, created the product, which relies on random number generation technology to select a winner in each game.

It is the same technology behind slot machines, and was tested by New Jersey gambling regulators before they approved it, said Robert Moncrief, deputy chief of the Technical Services Bureau at the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement.

Soccer is the first virtual team game to be offered, but others are expected to follow shortly, Schwartz said.

Rush Street plans to keep the games in place even if real-world sports betting is approved in the U.S.

Mauricio Pochettino says the Premier League and Champions League are Tottenham's priority

Mauricio Pochettino insists winning the FA Cup or Carabao Cup would not be enough for Tottenham this season.

Spurs have made an impressive start to the domestic campaign, having lost just once in the league, while Pochettino's side sit top of their Group H in Europe - above defending champions Real Madrid.

However, the Argentine is yet to win a single piece of silverware at Spurs, whose last major honour came back in 2008 following a League Cup final win over London rivals Chelsea.

Tottenham host West Ham in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday night, live on Sky Sports Football, but Pochettino admits he could rest a number of key players at Wembley.

"Our objective is to win the Premier League, to win the Champions League," he said.

"And then there is the FA Cup, of course, I would like to win and I would like to win the Carabao Cup, but if you want to be a big team and fight for big things, I think it is impossible if you don't use all the squad and rotate in England."

Pochettino added: "The manager always wants to win. To win the Carabao Cup? Yes, of course, but it would not change the life of Tottenham.

"The FA Cup? Fantastic, I would love to win all the competitions in the world but it really changes your life if you win the Premier League or the Champions League. That is the truth."

Danny Rose could make his first start for Tottenham in almost nine months against the Hammers, after a making a late substitute appearance in the 1-1 draw with Real Madrid last week.

When asked at his pre-match press conference if Rose could start on Wednesday, Pochettino said: "Yes, we need to wait until tomorrow. But in my head maybe there is a possibility for him to start the game tomorrow, yes."

Amazon's Big NFL Play Could Kick Off a Shake-Up in TV Sports Rights

 

TV network execs likely aren't losing sleep over any serious ratings drop because of Amazon's blitz into pro football: This week, the e-commerce kingpin kicks off its live-streaming of 11 NFL “Thursday Night Football” games to customers across the globe.

Amazon's first “Thursday Night Football” live-stream will be Sept. 28, in a classic face-off between the Chicago Bears and the Green Bay Packers. The run concludes with a Christmas Day meeting between Pittsburgh and Houston.

The games will be available to Prime Video members in more than 200 countries and territories (excluding China, where Amazon hasn't launched video) — a global reach that Amazon execs say was critical for the NFL. “There aren't many companies that can deliver a worldwide live event like this,” says Jim DeLorenzo, head of sports for Amazon Video.

But the Amazonian gridiron foray could mark just the earliest days of deep-pocketed technology giants pursuing the TV rights to league deals that for years have served as the glue that holds together the TV bundle. “Imagine the scenario when Amazon is joined by Google, Facebook and Apple at the table in direct opposition to the networks that have historically battled for the prize,” says Mike Bloxham, senior VP at research firm Magid.

That's already starting to happen. Facebook earlier this month entered a losing bid of $600 million for five-year rights to Indian Premier League cricket matches (Star India paid $2.6 billion for broadcast and streaming rights). Both Amazon and Facebook have been rumored to be interested in English Premiere League soccer rights, while Twitter (which lost the NFL “Thursday Night Football” digital package to Amazon) has begun streaming weekly MLB games and a bouquet of second-tier live sports.

However, compared with its tech brethren, Amazon stands apart.

That's because its key objective with the NFL deal — along with the rest of the Prime Video service, for which it's spending an estimated $4.5 billion this year on content — is to drive new subscribers to the Amazon Prime membership program. It was widely reported that Amazon is paying $50 million for the “TNF” rights, which would be five times what Twitter paid last year. Sources familiar with the pact say the outlay is actually much lower; in any case, it's little more than a rounding error for Amazon, which generated $136 billion in sales in 2016.

Even at the high end, consider that 500,000 new Prime subscribers, paying $99 annually, would offset the reported $50 million price tag for NFL rights. And that doesn't even include sales of advertising for the games or purchases by Prime members, who spend more on products and services than non-Prime users.

“They can monetize [the NFL rights] through additional transactions,” says Wall Street analyst Michael Nathanson. “That's unlike anything that Facebook or YouTube could do.”

And while the game is being played, Amazon could one day use its massive shopping engine to sell fans team merchandise, tickets and media — or even game-day snacks from Whole Foods (now part of the Amazon empire), says Craig Howe, CEO of sports digital-media consulting firm Rebel Ventures. “Amazon can capture a more meaningful relationship with sports organizations with their proven ability to transact commerce,” he says.

With the NFL deal, Amazon is able to take advantage of its existing video-delivery infrastructure, including apps for connected TVs, game consoles and set-top boxes including Amazon Fire TV. It's also using the mammoth AWS worldwide cloud-based services to live-stream “Thursday Night Football.”

And it only makes sense that, in its football pitch to advertisers, Big Data is part of the Amazon playbook. The company has access to a portion of the ad inventory in the broadcasts of the game provided by “TNF” TV rights holders CBS and NBC. For the advertisers in the Amazon stream — which in the U.S. include Showtime, Pepsi, Under Armour and Gillette — the e-tailer will report the actual purchase data of Prime users who saw their ads and then bought the sponsor's goods or services.

That, the company says, represents the first time anyone's brought together e-commerce metrics and TV. Amazon also is planning to slot in its own ads during the games.

DeLorenzo calls the NFL the “gold standard” of sports, and Amazon's belief is that it will attract a healthy number of viewers: “Sports fans are super passionate … and we have so many people already engaged with Amazon Video.” Amazon doesn't disclose how many Prime members it has, but estimates put the number at 54 million in the U.S. alone.

One of the data points that persuaded Amazon to do the “TNF” deal, according to DeLorenzo, was customer demand for “All or Nothing,” an original docuseries from NFL Films that followed the Arizona Cardinals over an entire season. Season 2 tracked the L.A. Rams, in their first year back in the City of Angels, and Amazon has greenlit another installment about the University of Michigan football team.

Amazon has some other tricks up its sleeve to spur Prime users to stream the NFL games. It's added an Alexa voice-recognition skill to let Fire TV and Echo users just say, “Alexa, watch ‘Thursday Night Football'” to launch the live stream. Along with the CBS and NBC play-by-play audio, Amazon will offer three other audio feeds: one with U.K. announcers for those not familiar with American football, as well as commentary in Spanish and Brazilian Portuguese. And this fall, it plans to ship out 10 million boxes in the U.S. for Prime orders with a football-shaped design to drive “TNF” tune-in.

Meanwhile, more sports is streaming its way onto Prime Video. Last week, Amazon announced a pact with the Assn. of Tennis Professionals, under which it nabbed worldwide distribution of the Next Gen ATP Finals men's youth tennis tournament, starting with the inaugural event in Italy in November. The deal runs through the end of 2018.

What are Amazon's plans for other sports? DeLorenzo is cagey, saying the company will analyze the results of “TNF” before deciding to pull the trigger on football next year or engage in future bids. “We're always looking to see what our customers find compelling,” he says.

Today, sports leagues still put top value on broadcast television for maximum reach, Nathanson notes. But going forward, “I think you'll see Amazon at the bidding table,” he says. By grabbing NFL rights, Amazon is showing that it's willing to “move up [in] the stack of premium entertainment and go to sports rights.”

What should worry the likes of ESPN-ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox and Turner is that the Seattle colossus may be willing to write much bigger checks — if the data shows live sports moves the Prime shopping needle.

Missy Dress – Handmade & Beauty Couture Wedding Dresses

I'm here to introduce you to a fabulous British designer and her absolutely glorious handmade couture bridal gowns. Without further ado, let's say hello to Missy Dress.

Created by designer Missy Dress is a name you most definitely need to know if you're looking for an elegant couture wedding dress. Missy Dress has been designing and hand-making couture bridalwear for over 25 years and her wedding dresses are shipped all over the New Zealand and Europe. The collections themselves are also available at a select number of stockists so if you fall in love with a Missy Dress Wedding Gown in this feature, rest assured that wherever you are, your dream dress will be able to get to you!

My styling is based on timeless elegance with an emphasis on inner structure. I only work with quality fabrics and accessories because a high standard of workmanship is a key part of my work. I produce one off designs that are a million miles away from the dresses that are mass manufactured overseas. You can have your very own made to measure wedding gown, now that is special.

Everything is done in house and this gives us a wonderful opportunity to offer a unique and bespoke service to our brides. We've had so many women come to us wanting bespoke changes to designs and, where other designers have said no, we can say yes.

We understand how important your dress wedding dress is and that's why we offer two different services, our phone consultation and a one-to-one appointment. The only thing we want is for our brides to love their Missy Dress wedding gown.

The latest collection from Missy Dress will launch at the prestigious White Gallery bridal show in London later this month. In this new collection, you'll find 11 new designs that have a real fashion-forward edge. There are slender silhouettes and glam ball gowns plus plenty of finishing touches that you're just going to adore. Delicate laces, encrusted beaded tulles and soft fabrics.

Dublin's newest sports store in hot water over planning issues

Dublin City Council has issued an enforcement notice against sports retail chain Sports Direct over planning permission and signage issues.

The chain, which is owned by Newcastle United's owner Mike Ashley, opened a store in Dublin in May of this year.

The six-storey shop is located at the former home of Boyers on North Earl Street in the city centre.

However, the council has taken issue with a number of elements of the store's appearance.

Issues highlighted by the council included a new entrance on Cathedral Street, which didn't have planning permission; blue, red and white Sports Direct.com lettering attached to the store's front entrance; and further brand names and logos on the same sign.

Entrance

A number of other brands and advertising panels were also mentioned in a list of 10 issues raised by the council.

"Dublin City Council also requires the reinstatement of the shop front/entrance on ­Cathedral Street to its ­condition prior to its unauthorised ­removal and alteration," the enforcement document said.

However, no specific ­direction was given to Sports Direct in relation to the signage issues raised. The council has also said that the costs of the investigation will have to be paid by the company.

"You are required by Dublin City Council to refund the costs and expenses incurred by the local authority in relation to the investigation, detection and issue of this enforcement notice," the council said.

A deadline of Thursday, ­September, 28 has been given for the company's compliance.

The council warned that if steps were not taken within the deadline or within an extended deadline - which is a maximum of six months - then further action would be taken.

Enforcement

This could result in the council entering the lands and removing, demolishing or altering the structure.

Sports Direct did not reply to a request for comment.

Dublin City Council was also unavailable for comment on the matter.

Fifa looking into Russia football doping claims from McLaren report

 Fifa says "it is still investigating allegations" that footballers were involved in a state-sponsored doping programme in Russia.

At least 30 sports, including football, covered up samples involving more than 1,000 athletes between 2011 and 2015, according to the McLaren report.

The Mail on Sunday has said Fifa was investigating if Russia's 2014 World Cup squad were part of the programme.

However Fifa says no players from the competition returned a positive test.

"Fifa has simply confirmed that, in close collaboration with Wada [World Anti-Doping Agency], it is still investigating the allegations involving football players in the so-called McLaren report," said a spokesman from world football's governing body.

"However, Fifa did not refer to any particular players, since it cannot comment on the status of ongoing investigations."

Wada added that they "eagerly awaits the outcomes" and that they have "the right to appeal against any decision" where a governing body chooses not to raise an anti-doping rules violation.

The second of two McLaren reports, led by Canadian law professor and sports lawyer Dr Richard McLaren, was published in December 2016.

It alleged that Russian authorities assisted athletes taking banned drugs by swapping their positive samples for clean ones.

But Fifa said that samples taken from players at the 2014 World Cup, including the full Russian squad, were sent to a Wada-accredited laboratory in Lausanne, Switzerland.

It added that the same procedure is being applied for this year's Confederations Cup, which is being held in Russia as a dress rehearsal for the 2018 World Cup.

"As far as the Fifa Confederations Cup is concerned, every participating player has been tested through blood and urine in unannounced controls," added Fifa.

"Both the results of the unannounced and the post-match tests have been negative so far."

Russia went out at the group stage of the 2014 World Cup after two draws and a defeat.

Professor McLaren confirmed that 33 football players, including some foreigners, were listed in his report, although no other details were revealed with information passed on to federations and regulatory bodies.

"There have never been and will never be any problems with doping in our football - our team are permanently being tested, they undergo doping tests after every match," Russia's deputy prime minister Vitaly Mutko told TASS news agency.

The McLaren reports looked into allegations made by Dr Grigory Rodchenkov, a director of the anti-doping laboratory at the Sochi Winter Olympics in 2014.

The first McLaren report said positive drug tests were secreted through "mouse holes" and swapped for clean negative ones.

Wada recommended all Russian competitors be banned from Rio 2016, but the International Olympic Committee (IOC) left it up to individual sports' governing bodies to decide.

Only the International Association of Athletics Federations enforced a blanket ban, which is still in force for this summer's World Athletics Championships in London.

Brandon Jacobs: Jim Harbaugh knows nothing about football

 

Brandon Jacobs won't be sending Jim Harbaugh a Christmas card any time soon.

The former Giants running back played just one season for Harbaugh with the San Francisco 49ers in 2012, but the lone season didn't leave Jacobs with a lasting impression.

"Jim, I had a lot of respect for Jim when I was there — before I got to know him," Jacobs said on CBS Sports Radio. "I enjoyed my time there, but we didn't see eye-to-eye. I knew a little bit more about football than what they led on."

Jacobs and Harbaugh probably never met eye-to-eye because Jacobs practically did nothing to contribute during his lone season in San Francisco. After missing the first two months of the season with a knee injury, Jacobs played sparingly where had just five carries for seven yards in two games for the 49ers. He was then suspended for bashing the team on Instagram and released before the postseason.

The 49ers went 11-4-1 and lost in the Super Bowl XLVII to the Baltimore Ravens, 34-31. But despite the team's immensely successful season, Jacobs said that Harbaugh had no clue what he was really doing.

"Going somewhere where they don't have route conversions into certain coverages was just absurd," said Jacobs, who won two Super Bowls with the Giants. "They're just running routes in the defense, getting people killed. Size and strength is what they had, and that's why they won. Let's be real. They had great assistant coaches, but Jim didn't know what he was doing. Jim had no idea. Jim is throwing slants into Cover-2 safeties, getting people hurt. That guy knew nothing, man."

Harbaugh has been successful everywhere he's stopped in his coaching career. His first head coaching position was with the University of San Diego, where he led the Toreros to back-to-back eleven win seasons in 2005-2006. Harbaugh then had a revelatory three-year stint at Stanford University where he made a program not known for its football team into a Pac-12 title contender.

After his stop with the 49ers, which included two NFC Championship game trips and that Super Bowl run, Harbaugh returned to the college ranks to coach his alma mater Michigan. The Wolverines are 20-6 in his first two seasons.