NCAA makes move to pay athletes for fame, likeness

The NCAA Board of Directors approved one of the biggest changes in the history of college athletics Wednesday, clearing the way for nearly a half-million athletes to start earning money based on their fame and celebrity without fear of endangering their eligibility or putting their school in jeopardy of violating amateurism rules that have stood for decades.

The decision, expected for months as state after state passed laws intended to render NCAA rules moot on the topic, came on the eve of the market opening today for athletes in a dozen states, including giants like Texas and Florida.

“This is an important day for college athletes since they all are now able to take advantage of name, image and likeness opportunities,” NCAA President Mark Emmert said.

The decision effectively suspends NCAA restrictions on payments to athletes for things such as sponsorship deals, online endorsements and personal appearances. It applies to all three divisions or some 460,000 athletes.

The NCAA will also allow athletes to enter into agreements with agents, though all athletes are expected to keep their school informed of any and all NIL arrangements. The NCAA said schools are responsible “for determining whether those activities are consistent with state law.”

Ganassi sells NASCAR team, N.C. race shop

Chip Ganassi sold his NASCAR team to Justin Marks, owner of Trackhouse Racing, declaring that he will pull out of the nation’s top stock car series at the end of this season.

Ganassi fields two cars in the Cup Series but will transfer his North Carolina race shop and all its assets to Marks for 2022.

“(Marks) made me a great offer that required my attention. The team wasn’t for sale,” Ganassi said.

“I’m not out of racing, I’m just out of NASCAR,” Ganassi said. “I still have an IndyCar team. I still have an IMSA sports car team. I still have a Formula E team. I had an offer that I was required to consider.”

The sale was announced at the NASCAR Hall of Fame, where Ganassi said “if I was trying to sell my team, I would have talked to everybody that was looking for a charter or looking for a team or looking to get involved in the sport. I did not. I talked to one person.”

Marks said he called Ganassi out of the blue to make his pitch.

“I think there’s a lesson here that sometimes you just have to make the call and that’s what I did. I said, ‘I’m in the process right now, we’re at a point in time where I’m trying to identify opportunities to grow in this space and to a create a great future for Trackhouse,’” Marks said.

Marks, who drove 22 Xfinity Series races for Ganassi from 2016 through 2018, said the team owner was intrigued.

“He was interested in hearing what I had to say,” Marks said. “I think maybe he didn’t know how serious I was. We had a great conversation that day.”

A pair of charters went for at least $10 million each two weeks ago, but in addition to two charters Marks also gets the Ganassi shop and assets inside the building. Marks declined to discuss terms of the deal, which was completed last week.

WNBA stars to face U.S. Olympic team

Candace Parker will headline a WNBA All-Star team that will face the U.S. Olympic squad in Las Vegas on July 14.

Parker, who was not chosen for the 2016 Olympic team after helping the U.S. win gold medals in 2008 and 2012, was chosen for her sixth All-Star appearance.

Joining the Chicago forward are Sky teammates Courtney Vandersloot and Kahleah Copper, who is one of eight players making their All-Star debuts.

Other All-Stars announced include Las Vegas’ Liz Cambage and Dearica Hamby, Connecticut’s DeWanna Bonner, Jonquel Jones and Brionna Jones, New York’s Betnijah Laney, Dallas’ Arike Ogunbowale and Satou Sabally and Atlanta’s Courtney Williams.

The WNBA team will be co-coached by Lisa Leslie and Tina Thompson.

Blackhawks’ Toews talks missed season

Chicago Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews revealed that he missed this past season while dealing with a chronic immune response syndrome.

Toews, in late December, said he was feeling symptoms that left him feeling “drained and lethargic,” so the team sidelined indefinitely with an “undisclosed illness.”

“I just think there’s a lot of things that just kind of piled up where my body just fell apart,” said Toews, who is back on the ice. “I just couldn’t quite recover and my immune system was reacting to everything. Anything that I would do throughout the day, there was always kind of that stress response, so it took some time.

“I’m excited to get back in the United Center and play and just go out there and have fun,” Toews said. “I think my best is going to come through, and I’m excited it get back.”

Saints’ Ramczyk now highest-paid OL

Saints right tackle Ryan Ramczyk, who once quit football during college to pursue a career in welding, has agreed to a five-year contract extension making him one of the highestpaid offensive linemen in the NFL.

“It’s a huge relief,” Ramczyk said. “Extremely happy with how everything played out.”

The new contract for the 2019 All-Pro selection is worth up to $96 million ($60 million) guaranteed.

Female boxing champ allowed into Olympics

Canadian boxer Mandy Bujold won her appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, allowing her to compete in the Tokyo Olympics.

CAS ruled that the International Olympic Committee’s boxing task force must include an accommodation for women who were pregnant or postpartum during the qualifying period.

“We did it!” the 11-time national flyweight champion said in announcing the news on Twitter.

After a competitive year erased by COVID-19, Bujold was confident she’d clinch an Olympic berth at the qualifier in Buenos Aires, but after that event was canceled, boxers were selected on a revised ranking system that used three events between 2018 and 2019 — events she missed because they conflicted with her maternity leave.

• Maryland guard Eric Ayala announced that he will withdraw his name from the NBA draft and return for his senior season Ayala, the Terrapins’ top scorer in 2020-21, averaged 15.1 points a game.

Tottenham, of the English Premier soccer league, hired manager Nuno Espirito Santo as Jose Mourinho’s successor.

• Rafa Benitez secured his latest return to the Premier League, getting hired on as manager of Premier League team Everton.

• World champion sprinter Salwa Eid Naser was banned for two years and will miss the Tokyo Olympics after sport’s highest court overturned a ruling that had cleared the Bahraini on a technicality for doping tests she missed.