Bulls hire Donovan as coach

Billy Donovan wasn’t on the market for long — hardly a shocker given he’s won everywhere he’s coached.

That he’s headed to Chicago might be a surprise, only because big and bold moves have been few and far between for the team. Then again, these aren’t the same old Bulls.

Chicago struck it big, hiring Donovan and landing one of the top candidates on the market to lead a rebuilding team with an overhauled front office.

The 55-year-old Donovan spent the past five seasons with the Thunder. He replaces Jim Boylen, who was fired after the Bulls finished 2243 and were one of the eight teams that didn’t qualify for the NBA’s restart at Walt Disney World.

College football

MINNESOTA WR OPTS BACK IN » Minnesota wide receiver Rashod Bateman has decided to opt back in for the 2020 football season in light of the Big Ten’s resumption of fall competition, contingent on the star junior gaining the necessary eligibility clearance.

Coach P.J. Fleck confirmed Bateman, who won the conference’s receiver of the year award in 2019, has rejoined the Gophers for practice.

Because Bateman previously signed with an agent — Blake Baratz of the Minneapolisbased Institute for Athletes — in anticipation of declaring for the next NFL draft, his playing status remains tenuous. The university obtained permission from the NCAA’s student athlete reinstatement staff for Bateman, who made his opt-out announcement Aug. 4, to practice. Now the two sides must work toward a resolution for him to potentially regain eligibility this fall.

Soccer

EPL WARNS OF DIRE CONSEQUENCES OF NO FANS » Even the world’s richest soccer league is worried that it can’t function as normal much longer without fans in the stands.

After the British government imposed new pandemic restrictions, the English Premier League warned of the “devastating” financial impact it could have on clubs as supporters faced being locked out of games for another six months.

Sports — including football, rugby and horse racing — have asked the government for financial assistance after Prime Minister Boris Johnson halted plans to allow the phased return of spectators into sporting venues in England from Oct. 1 because of a spike in coronavirus cases.

“Football is not the same without attending fans and the football economy is unsustainable without them,” the Premier League said in a statement. “Last season, Premier League clubs suffered 700 million pounds ($897 million) in losses and at present, our national game is losing more than 100 million pounds ($128 million) per month. This is starting to have a devastating impact on clubs and their communities.”