California Regents vote to affirm UCLA's move to Big Ten
UCLA cleared a major hurdle toward joining the Big Ten Conference in 2024, getting approval for the move from the University of California Board of Regents on Wednesday.
The regents voted 11-5 to affirm the Bruins' move during a special meeting on the university's Westwood campus. A simple majority was needed to pass.
“We've always been guided by what is best for our 25 teams and more than 700 student-athletes,” UCLA athletic director Martin Jarmond said after the vote. “The Big Ten offers exciting new competitive opportunities on a bigger national media platform for our student-athletes to compete and showcase their talent.”
The regents imposed conditions to mitigate the impact of the move on athletes, including UCLA investing an additional $12 million in nutritional support, mental health services, academic support while traveling and charter flights to reduce travel time.
Richard Leib, chair of the Board of Regents, said it was important to make a decision given UCLA's ongoing recruiting efforts and the Pac-12 Conference's negotiations for a new media rights deal.
“We spent an inordinate amount of time into trying to make a reasonable decision. I'm pleased with how we did it,” Leib said. “I think in the end people will be pleased with it and excited about it.”
UCLA will also have to pay the University of California at Berkeley between $2 million and $10 million because of how the move will affect the Cal athletic program. The regents will determine the precise total once the upcoming Pac-12 Conference media rights deals are completed.
Soccer
INQUIRY FINDS WIDESPREAD MISCONDUCT IN WOMEN'S PRO SOCCER >>
An investigation commissioned by the National Women's Soccer League and its players union found “widespread misconduct” directed at players dating back to the beginnings nearly a decade ago of the country's top women's professional league.
A report detailing the results of the year-long investigation was published Wednesday, a little over two months after the release in October of U.S. Soccer's report on a separate investigation by former acting U.S. Attorney General Sally Q. Yates that found emotional abuse and sexual misconduct were systemic in the sport, impacting multiple teams, coaches and players.
Grant
Wahl died of a ruptured blood vessel when he was stricken while covering a World Cup match last weekend, according to an autopsy of the well-known American soccer writer.
Wahl's wife, Dr. Céline Gounder, said Wednesday that an autopsy was conducted by the New York City Medical Examiner's Office.
“Grant died from the rupture of a slowly growing, undetected ascending aortic aneurysm with hemopericardium,” she wrote on her husband's website, referring to the wall that surrounds the heart. “The chest pressure he experienced shortly before his death may have represented the initial symptoms. No amount of CPR or shocks would have saved him. His death was unrelated to COVID. His death was unrelated to vaccination status. There was nothing nefarious about his death.”
MLB
METS SET TO SHATTER PAYROLL RECORDS, SOAR TO ABOUT $350M >>
Steve Cohen's New York Mets are on track to shatter spending records in his third season as owner, boosting payroll to about $350 million for purposes of the luxury tax and poised to pay a penalty of about $80 million.
New York added veteran starters Justin Verlander and Jose Quintana plus reliever David Robertson and Japanese pitcher Kodai Senga while re-signing center fielder Brandon Nimmo.
CUBS, BELLINGER FINALIZE $17.5 MILLION, 1-YEAR CONTRACT >> The Chicago Cubs and former National League MVP Cody Bellinger finalized a $17.5 million, one-year contract.
Bellinger, the 2019 NL MVP, was cut by the Los Angeles Dodgers on Nov. 18 after the 27-year-old outfielder hit .210 with 19 homers, 150 strikeouts and a .654 OPS in 144 games. He figures to play center for the Cubs.
Bellinger was limited to 95 games during the 2021 regular season when he was on the injured list three times and batted .165. He hit .353 in 12 games in that postseason and had the go-ahead RBI single in Game 5 of the NL Division Series against the rival San Francisco Giants. Bellinger also had a tying, three-run homer against Atlanta in Game 3 of the NL Championship Series. SYNDERGAARD AGREES TO $13M, 1-YEAR DEAL WITH LA >> Pitcher Noah Syndergaard and the Los Angeles Dodgers have agreed to a $13 million, one-year deal, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press.
The deal includes the opportunity to earn $1.5 million in performance bonuses.
NBA
NBA, PLAYERS FINALIZE NEW FEB. 8 DEADLINE FOR CBA OPT-OUT >>
The NBA and its players now have until Feb. 8 if either side wants to opt out of the current collective bargaining agreement, after the league's board of governors on Wednesday approved a plan to push the deadline back.
The original opt-out deadline was Thursday. The sides agreed last week to push the date back and allow more time for talks with hope of getting closer to a new CBA deal.
There are “ongoing efforts to reach a new agreement,” the league and the National Basketball Players Association said Wednesday. The deadline could be pushed back again if the sides deem it necessary. If either side opts out, the current CBA will expire on June 30.
Golf
LIV GOLF ADDS TOURNAMENTS AT 2 FORMER PGA TOUR COURSES >>
LIV Golf added three more tournaments to its 2023 schedule, two of them at courses and markets where the PGA Tour no longer plays and a third on an Oklahoma
course that previously held an LPGA Tour event.
The Saudi-funded rival league now has announced seven locations for its 14-tournament schedule next year.
LIV said it would go to The Gallery at Dove Mountain in the high desert north of Tucson, Arizona, where the Accenture Match Play Championship was held in 2007 and 2008 before moving to a different course at Dove Mountain.
College basketball
NO. 16 UCLA PULLS AWAY EARLY OVER NO. 20 MARYLAND >> Jaylen Clark scored 19 points, and No. 16 UCLA raced out to a 30-point lead in the first half before cruising to an 87-60 victory over No. 20 Maryland.
On the same day the University of California Board of Regents voted to affirm UCLA's move to the Big Ten, the Bruins (9-2) had a chance to size up a future conference foe. It wasn't much of a contest.
NO. 17 MISSISSIPPI STATE 69, JACKSON STATE 59 >> DJ Jeffries scored 15 points to lead four players in double figures as No. 17 Mississippi State overcame some struggles and beat Jackson State.
Tolu Smith and Eric Reed had 13 points and KeShawn Murphy added 10 to lead the Bulldogs (10-0). NO. 19 AUBURN 72, GEORGIA STATE 64 >> Jaylin Williams scored 20 points, Wendell Green Jr. had 17 and Auburn beat Georgia State.
The Tigers (9-1) rebounded from their first loss, 82-73 against Memphis, with a hot-shooting second half after struggling for the first 23 minutes.
Women's college basketball
NO. 13 UTAH 85, COLORADO 58 >> Alissa Pili scored 25 points, Gianna Kneepkens had 17 points, six rebounds and five assists and No. 13 Utah beat Colorado in a Pac-12 opener for both teams.