‘The Better I Got in Sports, the Worse the Racism Got’

By BY MARC STEIN from NYT Sports Patty Mills, a star player for the San Antonio Spurs, said he developed an emotional shield from a lifetime of racial abuse, but he is using the platform of the N.B.A.’s restart to speak out against racism.https://nyti.ms/3hSUvzx

San Francisco 49ers Look to Increase Stake in Leeds United

By BY TARIQ PANJA from NYT Sports The N.F.L. team, which has owned a piece of the soccer team since 2018, is in talks to increase its investment now that Leeds is returning to the Premier League.https://nyti.ms/3jWD0A9

Antonio Brown Suspended Eight Games by the N.F.L.

By BY KEN BELSON from NYT Sports Released by two teams last September, the All-Pro receiver faced multiple accusations of sexual assault and was charged with burglary and battery in a separate 2020 incident.https://nyti.ms/2XhKzrk

John McNamara, Red Sox Skipper in ’86 Series Loss, Dies at 88

By BY RICHARD SANDOMIR from NYT Sports He led six big league teams with some success, but he’s best remembered for questionable managerial moves in a crushing (for Boston) sixth game against the Mets.https://nyti.ms/3jYN4ZC

Embracing the Value in Scarcity

By BY RORY SMITH from NYT Sports Major League Baseball is busy worrying that a 60-game season is not long enough. But that hand-wringing might offer an insight into why elite soccer is such a global phenomenon.https://nyti.ms/3jX9MBa

A Momentous First Night Back for the N.B.A.

By BY MARC STEIN from NYT Sports Close games, social justice protests and a principal role for Rudy Gobert, again.https://nyti.ms/2EEbEP9

St. Louis Cardinals Postpone Game After Positive Coronavirus Tests

By BY TYLER KEPNER from NYT Sports Baseball’s outbreak spreads to a third major league clubhouse. Three Friday night games have been postponed.https://nyti.ms/33cqrL6

A Momentous First Night for the N.B.A.

By BY MARC STEIN from NYT Sports Close games, social justice protests, and a principal role for Rudy Gobert, again.https://nyti.ms/2XvaLz9

Baseball in Empty Stadiums Is Weird. How Will It Affect Outcomes?

By BY ROBERT O’CONNELL from NYT Sports Players, coaches and analysts of all stripes are watching this season’s games to see what effect — if any — the absence of fans has on the games themselves.https://nyti.ms/3jU1ZUK

SEC Becomes Latest College Football League to Shrink Schedule

By BY BILLY WITZ from NYT Sports The Southeastern Conference, the most influential league in college football, said it would delay the start of its season and have its teams play only within the conference.https://nyti.ms/3gkb9HW

Ben Jipcho, a Runner Who Sacrificed Himself for a Teammate, Dies at 77

By BY RICHARD SANDOMIR from NYT Sports At the 1968 Summer Olympics, he set a blistering early pace in the 1,500-meter race to help his teammate beat the American Jim Ryun. Jipcho finished 10th.https://nyti.ms/3i4uQEj

Thibodeau Calls Knicks Job a ‘Dream Come True’

By BY SOPAN DEB from NYT Sports Tom Thibodeau was announced as the latest coach of the Knicks on Thursday. Eight different people have filled the role since 2011.https://nyti.ms/3f9Cc7q

N.B.A. 2020 Season Restart: Live Updates

By BY SOPAN DEB AND GILLIAN R. BRASSIL from NYT Sports The season returns with a doubleheader on TNT, featuring LeBron James and the Lakers against the Clippers in a possible preview of the Western Conference finals.https://nyti.ms/2P7hBGg

‘Bubbles’ Are Working. But How Long Can Sports Stay Inside?

By BY ANDREW KEH from NYT Sports The restricted, campuslike environments used by soccer and pro basketball have proved (mostly) impervious to the coronavirus. But not every league fits inside one.https://nyti.ms/2D6KeAV

Phillies-Blue Jays Games Postponed After 2 Staff Members Test Positive

By BY TYLER KEPNER from NYT Sports A Phillies coach and clubhouse attendant tested positive, leading to more disorder in M.L.B.’s schedule.https://nyti.ms/3f8uPx6

Sports Are Back. Here Are Some Athletes Who Are Not.

By BY VICTOR MATHER from NYT Sports Ryan Zimmerman, David Price, Buster Posey, Carlos Vela and Wilson Chandler are among the players who are opting out of playing this summer because of health concerns.https://nyti.ms/3fccVJW

August’s Arrival Brings With It an Onslaught of Sports (Hopefully)

By BY VICTOR MATHER from NYT Sports The N.H.L., Champions League, U.S. Open Tennis, and Tour de France are all slated to return this month … virus pending.https://nyti.ms/3hScje0

With Women’s Hockey in Flux, League Says It Will Play in 2021

By BY SETH BERKMAN from NYT Sports The N.W.H.L. announced that it would push back its sixth season to begin in January of next year.https://nyti.ms/30XNruC

A W.N.B.A. Coach Heard a Call to Feed the Hungry. She’s Answering It.

By BY GILLIAN R. BRASSIL from NYT Sports Bridget Pettis, a former W.N.B.A. player and coach, is sitting out this season and focusing on teaching her community in Phoenix about gardening and healthy eating.https://nyti.ms/3jPverT

NCAA athletes can wear messages on uniforms

NCAAW on Yahoo! Sports - News, Scores, Standings, Rumors, Fantasy Games https://yhoo.it/33acUnl

Saudi Arabia Withdraws Bid to Buy Newcastle United

By BY TARIQ PANJA from NYT Sports The proposed takeover of a Premier League club had drawn criticism from human rights groups and an important television partner.https://nyti.ms/3jXowjF

FIFA President Gianni Infantino Faces Criminal Investigation

By BY TARIQ PANJA from NYT Sports A new inquiry takes aim at undisclosed meetings with a Swiss official leading investigations into soccer corruption.https://nyti.ms/3jVveXi

No Summer Tournaments Means More Recruits Committing to Colleges

By BY ADAM ZAGORIA from NYT Sports Villanova has already received verbal commitments from enough players to build most of a starting lineup for future seasons.https://nyti.ms/39CBZbO

N.B.A. Restart Day 1 Schedule: Guide of Matchups, Tipoff Time and Channel

By BY SCOTT CACCIOLA from NYT Sports Some of the league’s biggest stars — LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard and maybe Zion Williamson — will be in action for the opening night of the resumed season.https://nyti.ms/2Dk49Mq

Report: N.B.A.’s Academies in China Abused Athletes

By BY SOPAN DEB from NYT Sports The report said athletes were struck by coaches, housed in crowded conditions and not given schooling as promised.https://nyti.ms/312J9C2

Ashleigh Barty Will Skip U.S. Open

By BY CHRISTOPHER CLAREY from NYT Sports The No. 1 women’s singles player opted out of the Grand Slam tournament over concerns about traveling to New York amid the pandemic.https://nyti.ms/3hPjsvL

N.B.A. Season Restart Preview: In the East, Where Do the Bucks Stop?

By BY SOPAN DEB from NYT Sports Milwaukee led the Eastern Conference before the season was suspended in March, but a few teams could pose challenges as Giannis Antetokounmpo tries to take the Bucks to the finals.https://nyti.ms/2P9LSUZ

‘It’s Been a Crazy Couple Days’: The Yankees’ Virus-Scrambled Week

By BY JAMES WAGNER from NYT Sports The Yankees’ plans changed seemingly by the hour this week, part of the ripple effects of the Miami Marlins’ outbreak.https://nyti.ms/30U01Lq

N.B.A. Restart Preview: The Lakers and Clippers Stare Down the West

By BY SCOTT CACCIOLA from NYT Sports Anticipation built for a Western Conference finals played entirely in one arena. It’s still possible, but in Florida instead.https://nyti.ms/39FU8FO

Lou Henson, Final Four Coach With Two Schools, Dies at 88

By BY FRANK LITSKY from NYT Sports A genial “old school” leader, he took Mexico State and then Illinois deep into the N.C.A.A. tournament. In a 42-year career, he won close to 800 games.https://nyti.ms/30Z5UXJ

Bahrain Buys Into Paris F.C., Moving In on P.S.G.’s Turf

By BY TARIQ PANJA from NYT Sports The kingdom’s investment has made it the latest Gulf country to try to improve its nation’s image by attaching it to a European soccer club.https://nyti.ms/33egaOm

Even With an Early Outbreak, Baseball Still Has a Path Forward

By BY TYLER KEPNER from NYT Sports The sport is grappling with the wisdom of continuing the season after the coronavirus infiltrated the Marlins’ roster. But many players remain committed to playing.https://nyti.ms/3jSKCUk

U.S. Open Will Play in Westchester Without Fans

By BY BILL PENNINGTON from NYT Sports The rest of the PGA Tour events and all men’s golf major championships except the Masters have announced plans to play without spectators.https://nyti.ms/3hNwGcf

Michael Phelps Says Olympic System Neglects Mental Health

By BY MATTHEW FUTTERMAN from NYT Sports In “The Weight of Gold,” Phelps presents a stark picture of the mental wear and tear Olympians endure.https://nyti.ms/2P5Rm2T

Benches Clear in First Astros-Dodgers Game Since Cheating Revelations

By BY VICTOR MATHER from NYT Sports The Dodgers lost to the Astros in the 2017 World Series and were not pleased to learn about Houston’s cheating scheme that year. When they faced off Tuesday, things got testy.https://nyti.ms/3hKrIx0

Jockeys Know the ‘Pick Yourself Up’ Mantra Well

By BY KERRY HANNON from NYT Sports Diane Crump, who in 1970 became the first woman to ride in the Kentucky Derby, has proved resilient in her career.https://nyti.ms/39IVDCX

M.L.B.’s Botched Return Could Be a Warning for the N.F.L.

By BY KEN BELSON from NYT Sports Baseball’s coronavirus outbreak is a cautionary tale for a league returning without sequestering players. It may be too late for the N.F.L. to change plans.https://nyti.ms/31biIdR

8 Factors in the N.B.A.’s Return That May Upend Expectations

By BY MARC STEIN from NYT Sports In this week’s newsletter, Marc Stein discusses a threat to the Lakers’ championship hopes, Lou Williams and the latest in his quest for the perfect cup of coffee.https://nyti.ms/3hOE8UO

Divergent Paths Bring Rangers and Islanders to Same Postseason Start

By BY ALLAN KREDA from NYT Sports The two teams were going in opposite directions when the N.H.L.’s regular season was halted in mid-March. Both will try to speed into playoff mode, starting with an exhibition game on Wednesday.https://nyti.ms/39Ny9Nf

Miami Marlins Will Halt Play Through Sunday After Outbreak

By BY TYLER KEPNER from NYT Sports The Marlins now have 17 confirmed positive cases of the virus on the team. The Philadelphia Phillies, who played the Marlins in three games over the weekend, will stop playing until Friday.https://nyti.ms/2P5FkXe

Fathers, Sons and Soccer: Reflections on the Family Business

By BY RORY SMITH from NYT Sports Erling Haaland, Gio Reyna, Marcus Thuram and their famous fathers discuss lineage, legacy and the weight of carrying a famous name on the back of your jersey.https://nyti.ms/2Etkbo1

How Does the Coronavirus Affect Sports Betting?

By BY VICTOR MATHER from NYT Sports No more home-field advantage, and some teams have better shots at a title given changes to playoff formats.https://nyti.ms/3gahg1n

Another Yankees-Phillies Game Is Postponed Over Virus Concerns

By BY JAMES WAGNER from NYT Sports An outbreak of the coronavirus among the Miami Marlins, who played at the Phillies’ ballpark over the weekend, forced the Yankees and Phillies to call off their game for the second straight day.https://nyti.ms/30NLfpi

After Marlins’ Outbreak, Yankees Stay Inside and Wait for Phillies

By BY JAMES WAGNER from NYT Sports The positive coronavirus tests for the Miami Marlins disrupted the first road trip of the season for the Yankees, who were scheduled to play in Philadelphia on Monday night.https://nyti.ms/331DP4Q

Eddie Shack, Feisty Wing for Powerful Maple Leafs, Dies at 83

By BY RICHARD GOLDSTEIN from NYT Sports He helped Toronto win four Stanley Cups in the ’60s, his pugnacity earning love in Toronto (and, no surprise, hatred in rival Montreal).https://nyti.ms/3jF6fYd

That Almost Apology for the 1980 Olympic Boycott Helps. A Little.

By BY MATTHEW FUTTERMAN from NYT Sports In the past 40 years, the would-be Olympians of the summer of 1980 have heard a lot of words, but not a full-throated mea culpa for a boycott that accomplished very little.https://nyti.ms/39v6dxm

Miami Marlins Game Postponed After Several Positive Virus Tests

By BY TYLER KEPNER from NYT Sports At least 14 members of the team, including 12 players, have tested positive after playing three games in Philadelphia this weekend. The Yankees’ game at the Phillies was also called off.https://nyti.ms/2OWzlnE

For the N.B.A., a Long, Strange Road Trip to the Finals

By BY MARC STEIN from NYT Sports The league has transported 22 of its 30 teams to a complex in Disney World in Florida to play out the season in a worsening pandemic. Can it succeed without the virus piercing the bubble?https://nyti.ms/2CJP33c

N.H.L. Award Races Bode Well for a Compelling Restart

By BY ANDREW KNOLL from NYT Sports When hockey’s postseason starts this weekend, finalists for the league’s top awards — like Edmonton’s Leon Draisaitl — will get a long-delayed chance to shine.https://nyti.ms/2EoFbwb

An All-Day Journey Through Baseball’s Weird New Season

By BY TYLER KEPNER from NYT Sports Deserved or not, the first weekend of M.L.B. brought some familiar, comforting scenes — as well as plenty of bizarre ones.https://nyti.ms/3hCFgdR