TALKING POINTS

Los Angeles FC arena changes its name to BMO Stadium

LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles FC’s home arena is changing its name from Banc of California Stadium to BMO Stadium.

LAFC announced the new naming rights deal Thursday for the fiveyear-old arena, which was built by the expansion Major League Soccer Club. The stadium also is the home of the NWSL’s Angel City FC.

BMO, also known as the Bank of Montreal, is a Canadian financial firm moving aggressively into the U.S. with a proposed takeover of California-based Bank of the West. BMO also owns the naming rights to Toronto FC’s home arena, BMO Field.

The name change in Los Angeles has been brewing since 2020, when Banc of California backed out of its reported 15-year naming rights deal first signed in 2016. The stadium continued to use its old name for the past 2½ seasons while searching for a new sponsor.

LAFC won its first MLS Cup championship on the field last fall, beating Philadelphia on penalty kicks to claim the title. LAFC also has won two Supporters’ Shield titles as the league’s best regular-season team during its five years in the stadium, including last year.

BMO also announced a partnership deal with Angel City.

LAFC’s stadium has been sold out for every MLS regular-season and playoff match since its opening in 2018, according to the club. The stadium has been widely praised for its style, amenities and an atmosphere created largely by the raucous and most ardent supporters who stand in a section of the famed North End of the arena.

The stadium is next door to the 99-year-old Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Exposition Park, immediately south of downtown Los Angeles.

Antetokounmpo passes Durant for East All-Star voting lead

PARIS — Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo has passed Brooklyn’s Kevin Durant for the All-Star Game voting lead among Eastern Conference players, now putting him on track to be a captain for the Feb. 19 game in Salt Lake City.

Antetokounmpo had 5,970,196 votes entering Thursday, the NBA said in the third update of the All-Star balloting. Durant is 132,014 votes behind, with 5,838,182.

LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers remains the overall voting leader, with 6,506,682 votes. James has been a captain in all five of the NBA’s previous uses of the format where the leading vote-getters from the Eastern and Western conferences get to pick their rosters from the other selections. James’ teams are 5-0 in All-Star games when

he is a captain.

Durant — who was the voting leader from the East at each of the first two balloting updates this year, but has been sidelined of late with a sprained knee ligament — has been the captain as the East’s voting leader in each of the past two years. Antetokounmpo was in the previous two years, 2019 and 2020.

The top three frontcourt players and top two guards in each conference will be chosen as starters, with the leading overall vote-getters from each conference serving as captains and choosing their teams.

James tops the list of West frontcourt players. Denver’s Nikola Jokic remained in second (4,718,218) and the Lakers’ Anthony Davis remained third (3,838,171).

LIV Golf announces TV partnership with The CW

Saudi-funded LIV Golf has a television partner five weeks before the start of its second season, announcing Thursday it has an agreement with The CW to air tournaments on the weekend and stream the first rounds on The CW’s app.

A U.S. television deal was seen as critical for the rival league, which last year was available only through streaming on its website and on YouTube.

The next season of LIV Golf League, with an emphasis on the 12 four-man teams it hopes to create as franchises, starts Feb. 24-26 on the Gulf coast of Mexico at Mayakoba, which hosted a fall PGA Tour event.

“This is a momentous day for LIV Golf as this partnership is about more than just media rights,” LIV CEO and Commissioner Greg Norman said in a statement. “The CW will provide accessibility for our fans and maximum exposure for our athletes and partners as their reach includes more than 120 million households across the United States.”

LIV Golf did not disclose details of the partnership, but several media outlets have reported that The CW will not pay for media rights to LIV Golf in the traditional sense, nor would it buy time on the network. Instead, the proposed agreement would be to share advertising revenue.

LIV also said it would be producing the coverage with its own team.

The CW is the fifth-largest U.S. network and of those five has the second-youngest audience based on media age, trailing only Fox.

South Dakota State’s Stiegelmeier retires, goes out on top

BROOKINGS, S.D. — Longtime South Dakota State coach John Stiegelmeier announced his retirement Thursday, less than two weeks after the school won its first Football Championship Subdivision title.

Defensive coordinator Jimmy Rogers was named Stiegelmeier’s successor and will be introduced at a news conference Friday.

Stiegelmeier had been head coach since 1997, when the Jackrabbits were NCAA Division II members, and he shepherded the football program’s move to Division I beginning in 2004.

He compiled a record of 199-112 over 26 years and led the Jackrabbits to 12 FCS playoff appearances beginning in 2009.

Stiegelmeier wrapped up his career with a 45-21 win over rival North Dakota State in the championship game Jan. 8 in Frisco, Texas.

“Laurie and I, with our family, want to thank South Dakota State University and SDSU Athletics for being blessed to serve as the head football coach,” Stiegelmeier said, referring to his wife. “During our 26 years in this role, a lifetime of memories have occurred. The support of so many, including three university presidents, numerous assistant coaches, countless student-athletes, two athletic directors and the Jackrabbit fan base has been so special. Thank you to each and every one who have believed in us.”

Stiegelmeier’s teams posted winning records in 22 of his 26 seasons. The Jackrabbits began their current streak of 11 FCS playoff appearances in 2012, and advanced to at least the semifinal round in five of the last six seasons. SDSU reached its first title game in the 2020-21 pandemic season, losing to Sam Houston State.

AP source: Michigan’s Harbaugh refuses to agree on charge

Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh told NCAA investigators in multiple meetings this week that he will not agree to an unethical conduct charge, according to a person familiar with the situation.

The person spoke to The Associated Press on Thursday night on condition of anonymity because details of the investigation have not been shared publicly.

Michigan announced two weeks ago that it received a notice of allegations from the NCAA that the governing body is looking into potential rules infractions within the football program.

The investigation involves impermissible texts and calls — including some by Harbaugh — to high school prospects during part of a pandemic-related dead period for contact with potential recruits. The NCAA also is looking at whether a member of Michigan’s off-field football staff violated rules by doing on-the-field coaching during practice.

Harbaugh is accused of not being forthcoming about the potential violations, and the NCAA considers that unethical conduct and a Level I infraction. A text message was sent to Harbaugh on Thursday night, seeking comment.

While the football program is dealing with an NCAA investigation, co-offensive coordinator Matt Weiss is on leave amid an investigation by university police into a report of computer access crimes over a three-day span last month at the team’s training facility.

Weiss is accused of accessing email accounts at the school without proper authorization, according to another person familiar with the situation. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the police investigation is ongoing.