Chattanooga’s Foster retires, ends career with 903 wins

CHATTANOOGA, TENN. » Jim Foster believes this is the right time for him to step away from women’s basketball.

After a four-decade career, Foster is retiring with 903 wins and the distinction of being the only women’s basketball coach to earn NCAA Tournament bids with four different schools — the last at Chattanooga.

Foster, who ranks seventh among all NCAA women’s basketball coaches in wins, said he wanted to spend more time with his family. He noted all the times his wife, Donna, has moved to accommodate his coaching pursuits.

“It was time for her to stay where she wanted to move and what she wanted to do,” Foster said at a Tuesday afternoon news conference. “This is a two-way street.”

Foster said he looks forward to spending more time with his grandchildren.

Foster began his head coaching career at Saint Joseph’s, where his assistants included Connecticut coach Geno Auriemma and Notre Dame’s Muffet McGraw.

Auriemma and McGraw are both members of the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame and the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame.

“I watched him take St. Joe’s and then Vanderbilt and then Ohio State and now Chattanooga to the NCAA Tournament and to elevate their programs,” Auriemma said in a statement. “I’m really proud to have been associated with Jim and I’m happy for him.”

Foster went 248-126 at Saint Joseph’s.

UFC fights to be streamed on ESPN Plus

LAS VEGAS » UFC and The Walt Disney Co. on Tuesday announced an agreement for live fight coverage on its new subscription streaming service beginning in January.

The agreement calls for 15 live UFC events to stream exclusively on ESPN Plus. Each event will be called “UFC on ESPN Plus Fight Night” and will feature 12 bouts.

The deal gives Disney’s new Direct-to-Consumer and International segment mixed martial arts inventory popular with young audiences. Financial terms were not disclosed.

U.S, assures FIFA on travel discrimination fear

The Trump administration has guaranteed to FIFA there will be no discrimination around entry to the United States at a World Cup in 2026.

The North American bid has faced questions about the impact of attempts by U.S. President Donald Trump to implement a ban on travel to the U.S. by residents of six majority-Muslim countries.

An independent human rights report commissioned by the bid warned there could be “some potential discrimination in relation to travel restrictions for some citizens from certain states.”