LSU’s Reese enjoys her homecoming in Baltimore

Soccer’s Super League revived by court ruling against FIFA, UEFA

Super League was revived on Thursday after the European Union’s top court ruled UEFA and FIFA defied competition law by blocking the breakaway project.

The ruling was praised by Real Madrid which, along with Barcelona, is leading the fight to form a rival competition to the Champions League.

“It has been fully recognized that the clubs have the right to propose and promote European competitions that modernize our sport and attract fans from all over the world,” Madrid president Florentino Pérez said.

“Today, a Europe of freedoms has triumphed, and also football and its fans have triumphed.”

However, it was a backlash by fans especially in England and Germany against the original project in April 2021 that helped to stop Super League within 48 hours, and no new clubs immediately came forward on Thursday to support Perez’s vision.

The case was heard last year at the European Court of Justice after Super League failed at launch more than two years ago. UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin called the club leaders then “snakes” and “liars.”

BALTIMORE – Luckily for Angel Reese, her hometown can easily be substituted into her alliterative nickname.

“I’m the Baltimore Barbie before I’m the Bayou Barbie,” the LSU star said.

Reese is a fan favorite in both areas, and she showed why Wednesday, bringing her seventh-ranked LSU team to Baltimore to face Coppin State in a rare marquee home game for the MEAC school. The Tigers won 80-48, with Reese scoring 26 points, and afterward everyone agreed this night was about much more than basketball.

“A lot of people came out tonight,” Reese said. “I know they were supporting Coppin, but being able to come into a historically Black college. My aunt went here, my cousin went here – so coming back here and doing a lot for this community, and them being able to see opportunity where they can be, a lot of little girls knowing they can have this opportunity, was something that was important to me.”

Reese was a high school star at Baltimore’s St. Frances Academy and played two seasons at Maryland before transferring to LSU and winning a national title last season. The Terrapins played at Coppin State a couple years ago at this time of year, but Reese has become a much bigger star since then.

“My sophomore year, I remember the first time I came here, and there weren’t that many fans here,” she said. “But then coming in tonight, just being able to see my impact and being able to see how so much has changed, and understanding my impact in this world. Baltimore has meant everything to me. I love the University of Maryland, everything that I was able to do there, and then coming to LSU, being able to continue my journey.”

Flaherty, Tigers finalize $14M, 1-year contract

DETROIT – Right-hander Jack Flaherty and the Detroit Tigers have finalized a $14 million, one-year contract in a deal that allows the 28-year-old righthander to earn an additional $1 million in performances bonuses with a franchise that has invested a lot in improving next season.

“There’s a lot of belief in this team,” Flaherty said Wednesday. “That’s one of the things that excited me about the opportunity.”

The Tigers also signed 35-year-old Japanese right-hander Kenta Maeda to a $24 million, two-year contract and left-hander Andrew Chafin to a $4.75 million, one-year deal.

—