WNBA players, officials defy Atlanta Dream owner

Players are pushing for the WNBA to remove Kelly Loeffler as co-owner of the Atlanta Dream.

Loeffler, the Atlanta Dream co-owner, is not in favor of the WNBA’s social justice plans and has sent a letter to commissioner Cathy Engelbert objecting to the league’s initiatives to honor the Black Lives Matter movement.

Loeffler, who is also a Republican U.S. senator running for re-election in Georgia, asked the league commissioner to scrap plans for players to wear warmup jerseys with “Black Lives Matter” and “Say Her Name” and instead put an American flag on all uniforms and apparel.

“The truth is, we need less — not more politics in sports. In a time when polarizing politics is as divisive as ever, sports has the power to be a unifying antidote,” wrote Loeffler. “And now more than ever, we should be united in our goal to remove politics from sports.”

In the letter, Loeffler, a Dream owner since 2011, said she wasn’t consulted about the league’s new social justice policy.

Engelbert issued a statement in response to Loeffler in a statement.

“The WNBA is based on the principle of equal and fair treatment of all people and we, along with the teams and players, will continue to use our platforms to vigorously advocate for social justice,” the commissioner said. “Sen. Kelly Loeffler has not served as a Governor of the Atlanta Dream since October 2019 and is no longer involved in the day-to-day business of the team.”

The WNBA players union put out a tweet Tuesday saying “E-N-O-U-G-H! O-U-T!” in response.

The league announced on Monday that players would wear special uniforms during the opening weekend that had Breonna Taylor’s name on the back of them.

LIBERTY’S DURR WILL SIT OUT AFTER POSITIVE TEST >>

New York Liberty guard Asia Durr will miss the upcoming WNBA season after testing positive for the coronavirus on June 8. Durr detailed her struggles with COVID-19 in a post on Instagram. The former Louisville star says she hasn’t fully recovered.

The second pick of the 2019 WNBA draft averaged 6.7 points in her rookie season, starting 15 of her 18 appearances before being sidelined for the season with a hip injury.

Soccer

NASHVILLE MATCH AGAINST CHICAGO CALLED OFF >>

Major League Soccer has postponed the second match of the MLS is Back tournament after five Nashville players tested positive for

COVID-19, the league announced.

The match between Nashville and Chicago was initially scheduled for today. The league said two Nashville players tested positive last weekend and three more positive tests were confirmed Monday night. Four more players received inconclusive results and are requiring further testing.

The tournament is still set to open today with a nationally televised match between Orlando City and expansion Inter Miami at ESPN’s Wide World of Sports Complex at Disney World near Orlando, Florida. The match between Toronto and D.C. United scheduled for Friday was pushed back to Sunday. That change was made because Toronto did not arrive in Florida until Monday.

With the Toronto-D.C. United match changed, the league moved the start time of Friday’s match between Seattle and the San Jose Earthquakes to 6 p.m. PDT. It’s currently the only match scheduled for Friday.

WHITECAPS’ MONTERO, RSL’S ONUOHA TO SIT OUT RETURN >>

Vancouver Whitecaps FC forward Fredy Montero and Real Salt Lake defender Nedum Onuoha have cited family concerns for their reasons against playing in the MLS is Back Tournament.

PULISIC SCORES AGAIN AS CHELSEA BEATS PALACE >>

Christian Pulisic kept up his impressive form for Chelsea since the restart of the Premier League with a wellstruck goal to help his team beat Crystal Palace 3-2 and maintain its push for Champions League qualification.

The American winger collected a pass from Willian on the left side, drifted outside a defender and fired a rising left-footed shot into the net at the near post in the 27th minute for his third goal in five matches since the resumption.

Chelsea, which has won four of its last five games, provisionally climbed above Leicester into third place and stayed in a strong position to seal one of the four qualifying positions for next season’s Champions League.

NHL

LEAGUE’S NEW DEAL INCLUDES POTENTIAL RETURN TO OLYMPICS IN 2022 >>

International Ice Hockey Federation chief Rene’ Fasel is encouraged after learning the NHL’s pending labor deal opens the possibility of the world’s best players returning to the Olympics. Aside from the uncertainty raised by the coronavirus pandemic, Fasel said he doesn’t foresee any major stumbling blocks that could derail negotiations leading up to the 2022 Beijing

Games.

Fasel spoke a day after the NHL and NHL Players’ Association tentatively agreed to extend the collective bargaining agreement for four years, which would run through the 2025-26 season.

A person with direct knowledge of the agreement told the AP it includes a provision that would allow NHL players to compete at the next two Winter Games, including the 2026 Olympics in Italy. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because the contents of the CBA were not released.

The league participated in five consecutive Olympics before skipping the 2018 Games in South Korea.

The NHL and union have declined to discuss the proposed CBA until it is approved, which could happen Friday.

College basketball

LOUISVILLE SUSPENDS

PRACTICE >> Two members of Louisville’s men’s basketball program have tested positive for COVID-19 and the team has suspended voluntary activities for two weeks.

A news release from the school did not specify whether it was players or staff members who tested positive. It added that those impacted are being quarantined and proper protocols are being followed.

College football

ALABAMA’S SARKISIAN UNDERGOES HEART PROCEDURE >>

Alabama offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian has undergone a procedure to correct a congenital cardiovascular anomaly. The university said in a statement Tuesday that the anomaly was uncovered in an annual executive physical last week. Sarkisian had what the school described as a successful procedure Thursday, July 2 in Birmingham.

The former USC and Washington head coach is recuperating at home in Tuscaloosa and is expected to make a full recovery.

Golf

REPORT: PGA TO POSTPONE

RYDER CUP >> The Ryder Cup will be postponed until 2021 because of the coronavirus pandemic, according to a published ESPN report.

The network reported that an official announcement to postpone the tournament will come today from PGA of America and the European Tour. The Presidents Cup subsequently will be pushed back to 2022 as the events remain on track to alternate every other year.