EA Sports Is Planning for a FIFA Without FIFA

By BY TARIQ PANJA from NYT Sports The end of a long and profitable relationship with soccer’s governing body would mean renaming one of the most popular video games of all time.https://nyti.ms/30nUErj

Why Is Everyone Talking to Ibai Llanos?

By BY RORY SMITH from NYT Sports A 26-year-old Spanish streamer counts Lionel Messi as an admirer and Gerard Piqué as a business partner. His interviews might be a glimpse into the future of sports media.https://nyti.ms/3zgiHUT

The music for the athletes was a parade of video game hits.

By BY KEVIN DRAPER from NYT Sports Final Fantasy, Sonic the Hedgehog, Kingdom Hearts. But — curiously — no Mario, Zelda or Pokemon.https://nyti.ms/3iHIXkH

A Pro E-Sports Team Is Getting $210 Million to Change Its Name

By BY KELLEN BROWNING from NYT Sports The deal between TSM, which fields competitive video game teams, and the Hong Kong-based FTX exchange, rivals the kinds of deals top sports franchises land to name arenas and stadiums.https://nyti.ms/3ck7zNZ

Meyers Leonard Will Be Away From Heat ‘Indefinitely’ After Use of Anti-Semitic Slur

By BY SOPAN DEB AND KEVIN DRAPER from NYT Sports Leonard, a reserve center for the Miami Heat, lost gaming sponsorships after a video emerged of him using the slur while playing a video game on the livestreaming site Twitch.https://nyti.ms/38qo9cW

Meyers Leonard Will Be Away From Heat ‘Indefinitely’ After Use of Anti-Semitic Slur

By BY SOPAN DEB AND KEVIN DRAPER from NYT Sports Leonard, a reserve center for the Miami Heat, lost gaming sponsorships after a video emerged of him using the slur while playing a video game on the livestreaming site Twitch.https://nyti.ms/30u8IfO

Meyers Leonard Apologizes for Using an Anti-Semitic Slur

By BY SOPAN DEB AND KEVIN DRAPER from NYT Sports Leonard, a reserve center for the Miami Heat, lost gaming sponsorships after a video emerged of him using the slur while playing a video game on the livestreaming site Twitch.https://nyti.ms/3qyRRCO

Video of Meyers Leonard Using an Anti-Semitic Slur on Twitch Surfaces

By BY SOPAN DEB AND KEVIN DRAPER from NYT Sports Leonard, a reserve center for the Miami Heat, used the epithet while playing a video game.https://nyti.ms/3epzL44

Dallas Wings Guard Allisha Gray Is a Gamer, in Every Way

By BY DOROTHY J. GENTRY from NYT Sports Gray has been making her mark on the basketball court, in video games and for real. In her fourth W.N.B.A. season, Gray said she was ready to do “whatever helps the team.”https://nyti.ms/2YuS9zo

With Real-Life Games Halted, Betting World Puts Action on E-Sports

By BY SETH SCHIESEL from NYT Sports Computer-vs.-computer games of FIFA livestream to gamblers on Twitch. Fantasy contests carry League of Legends lineups. In the coronavirus age, video games have grown into a darling for casinos.https://nyti.ms/3f4kiDE

The Best Thing About NASCAR’s Virtual Races Might Be the Real Competition

By BY JEFF ARNOLD from NYT Sports The sport’s drivers compete from home, the announcers call it like a real race, Fox Sports broadcasts it on TV and nobody gets hurt.https://nyti.ms/3bUFWIC

Online, Virtual Games Escape the New Reality

By BY KEVIN LILES from NYT Sports With their ability to be played online, e-sports are one of the last bastions of competitive sports in a world upended by the coronavirus pandemic.https://nyti.ms/2QWtMai

Can’t Actually Play Sports? Why Not Simulate Them?

By BY VICTOR MATHER from NYT Sports Not even bar sports are immune to cancellation. But many people are getting creative by simulating competitions, inviting fans and athletes to compete together.https://nyti.ms/3bfwUpy

The Mets’ Posture Improved Along With This Pitcher’s

By JAMES WAGNER from NYT Sports The relief pitcher Robert Gsellman hunched over video games and developed bad posture that affected his pitching.https://nyti.ms/2KkxntK