College leaders meet over football viability
The Power Five conference commissioners held a meeting Sunday to discuss mounting concern about whether a college football season can be played in a pandemic, and players took to social media to urge leaders to let them play.
Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby said no decisions on the season have been made but conceded the outlook has not improved. He cited “growing evidence and the growing pool of data around myocarditis.”
Myocarditis is inflammation of the heart, and it has been found in some COVID-19 patients. There is concern it could be a longterm complication of contracting the virus even in young, healthy people.
Also, the Big Ten’s university presidents and chancellors met Sunday night, the Associated Press reported, but no decisions on a football season were made.
All this activity comes a day after the Mid-American Conference became the first among 10 leagues that play at the highest tier of Division I college football to cancel fall sports because of concerns about keeping athletes from contracting and spreading COVID-19.
Meanwhile, players took to social media Sunday to push for the season to go on, led by Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence.
Five strokes behind with six holes to play, Danielle Kang rallied and won her second straight LPGA Tour event when Lydia Ko made a double-bogey on the par-five final hole at the Marathon Classic in Sylvania, Ohio.
Carroll Hardy, a multisport star best known as the only man ever to pinch-hit for Ted Williams, died at age 87. Hardy also was known as the football executive who helped assemble the Denver Broncos’ “Orange Crush” defense during the 1970s. The University of Colorado, where Hardy starred, said he died because of complications from dementia.
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Max Verstappen beat Lewis Hamilton to win the 70th Anniversary Grand Prix in Silverstone, England. He was 11.3 seconds clear of Hamilton, who still has a 30point Formula One lead.
In WNBA play in Bradenton, Fla., A’ja Wilson had 31 points and made a shot with seven seconds to lift the Las Vegas Aces over the New York Liberty 78-76. Also, Kelsey Mitchell scored 29 points and led the Indiana Fever past the Washington Mystics 91-84.
Blue Grass winner Art Collector won the $200,000 Ellis Park Derby by 31⁄4 lengths in Henderson, Ky., and earned 50 qualifying points for next month’s Kentucky Derby . ... Fiona Ferro upset fourth-seeded Anett Kontaveit 6-2, 7-5 in the Palermo (Italy) Ladies Open final to win the first tour-level tennis title in five months.