2021 Pro Bowl to be played at new Las Vegas stadium

LAS VEGAS (AP) » The Pro Bowl is headed to Las Vegas.

The NFL announced Tuesday that the 2021 all-star game will be played at the new Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on Sunday, Jan. 31 — one week before the Super Bowl in Tampa.

Plans include what the league calls a week-long celebration of football, and will include NFL FLAG Championship games and a Pro Bowl skills showdown in which players compete in a variety of events. There will be community and charity initiatives as well.

The game was played in Orlando the past four years.

All NFL activities during Pro Bowl week will adhere to the latest public safety guidelines set by medical and public health officials, as well as operate in full compliance with all local and federal government regulations, the league said.

NEW YORK (AP) » Major League Baseball has delayed the start of the new international signings period from July 2 until Jan. 15, a move that will cause teams to push back deals for 16- and 17-year-old Latin American prospects.

MLB said the current signings year, scheduled to end Monday, had been extended until 5 p.m. EDT on Oct. 15. There has been a transaction freeze since March 28, and any agreements between the end of the freeze and Oct. 15 will count for the 2019-20 signings year.

No international amateurs can be signed from Oct. 15 until the new period opens on Jan. 15 at 9 a.m. EST. The 2020-21 signings period will extend until Dec. 15, 2021.

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND (AP) » With the Premier League set to resume after a 100-day shutdown, it is already making plans for what to do if a second spike of coronavirus infections prevents games being played again.

The league’s priority for now is staging the remaining 92 games by July 26, starting Wednesday with Aston Villa hosting Sheffield United and Manchester City playing Arsenal. There is even hope the government will allow fans back into stadium when next season is scheduled to begin in September.

What the league is yet to resolve is securing agreement among clubs on how to conclude the season — this one or in the future — if it cannot be completed.

The league, like the rest of Britain, will be assessing the trajectory of COVID-19 cases and the rate of infection as lockdown measures are eased.