Golden Gate Fields racetrack in East Bay will close this fall
In another blow to the Bay Area sporting scene, Golden Gate Fields will permanently close at the end of the season in December.
The closure of the Albany-based horse track, which opened in 1941, will leave Northern California without a major track. Bay Meadows, the San Mateobased track that opened in 1934, closed in 2008.
Like the Raiders and presumably the A's, horseracing in the Bay Area will exist only in history.
The Stronach Group, which owns Golden Gate Fields, said Sunday it will “double down” on its racing at Santa Anita and training at San Luis Rey Downs.
The track has meets scheduled for Aug. 23-Oct. 3 and Oct. 18-Dec. 19.
After the second meet ends, The Stronach Group said it will focus on moving horses from the Bay Area to Arcadia, with a goal of increasing field sizes and adding a fourth day of racing to the weekly schedule at Santa Anita beginning in January.
NHL
BLACKHAWKS AND NO. 1 OVERALL DRAFT PICK BEDARD AGREE TO 3-YEAR CONTRACT >> The Chicago Blackhawks and forward Connor Bedard have agreed to terms on a three-year, entry-level contract for the No. 1 overall draft pick.
The team said the deal through the 2025-26 season will mean a $950,000 annual salary cap hit, the maximum allowed. It was announced on Bedard's 18th birthday.
Bedard became the second No. 1 pick in Blackhawks history, joining Patrick Kane, who went first overall in 2007 and helped form the core of a team that won three Stanley Cups from 2010 to 2015. Kane's tenure in Chicago ended in February when he was traded to the New York Rangers.
NFL JACOBS AND THE RAIDERS FAIL TO REACH LONG-TERM
DEAL >> Josh Jacobs of the Las Vegas Raiders, who led the NFL in rushing last season, failed to reach an agreement on a long-term extension by Monday's deadline, according to someone with knowledge of the situation.
The person spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly on the matter.
The failure of the two sides to reach a deal could prompt Jacob to sit out training camp and perhaps even this season. Jacobs doesn't have anything to lose financially by missing camp, but he would be forfeiting paychecks by not playing games.
RODGERS' CAMP DEBUT WITH THE NEW YORK JETS IS GETTING A `HARD KNOCKS' CLOSEUP >> The New York Jets made it official: their first training camp with new quarterback Aaron Rodgers is getting the “Hard Knocks” treatment.
The team announced its featured role in the longrunning HBO and NFL Films show, which offers a behind-the-scenes look at preseason work for an NFL team. The premiere for the 18th edition of the show is Aug. 8.
Rodgers' arrival after 18 stellar seasons with Green Bay certainly made the Jets an appealing subject for the show.
Colleges
SEC COMMISSIONER CALLS ON CONGRESS TO SET NATIONAL STANDARDS FOR ATHLETE COMPENSATION >> Southeastern Conference Commissioner Greg Sankey made clear Monday that only Congress can truly set a national standard for name, image and likeness compensation in college athletics.
Sankey said NIL isn't a partisan issue and that state legislatures haven't yet enforced their NIL laws, some of which would bar the NCAA and conferences from adopting and enforcing their own standards.
“Congressional action is then the only way to provide a national uniform standard for name, image, and likeness activity and to draw the lines around the boundaries that do not become simply pay for play,” said Sankey, echoing the stance of the NCAA on one of the most divisive issues in college sports. FORMER NORTHWESTERN FOOTBALL PLAYERS HIRE CIVIL RIGHTS ATTORNEY TO INVESTIGATE HAZING >> Eight former Northwestern football players have retained attorneys following a hazing scandal that led to the firing of coach Pat Fitzgerald and criticism of university leadership for its initial response to the allegations.
Civil rights attorney Ben Crump and the Chicagobased Levin & Perconti personal injury law firm announced Monday that they have “uncovered a vast array of incidents of abuse in the Northwestern football program.” They also said more athletes are expected to join the legal action and it will expand beyond Northwestern football to other college athletic programs.
Crump has represented the families of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd and others in high-profile civil rights cases.