Lakers Search for Answers, With and Without LeBron James

By BY SCOTT CACCIOLA AND TANIA GANGULI from NYT Sports James could miss multiple games because of coronavirus protocols, but the Lakers have struggled even when he has played.https://nyti.ms/3pBmtp9

Even With Fewer Stars in Beal’s Orbit, the Wizards Find Their Way

By BY SOPAN DEB from NYT Sports A roster overhaul prioritized depth over big names to surround Bradley Beal in Washington. The new guys — with chips on their shoulders — have come through.https://nyti.ms/3DRkov4

After a Year Off, and an Off Year, Ivy League Crowns Familiar Champions

By BY BILLY WITZ from NYT Sports The only Division I league to not play football last season because of the pandemic, the Ivy League endured an unusual journey of virus disruptions in its return.https://nyti.ms/3kVivpQ

The N.H.L. postpones three Ottawa Senators games after a Covid outbreak.

By BY ALYSSA LUKPAT from NYT Sports https://nyti.ms/3ckHFsU

In Aaron Rodgers’s Return, Packers’ Championship Priorities Are Clear

By BY BEN SHPIGEL from NYT Sports Rodgers’s return from coronavirus isolation reinforced an N.F.L. axiom: The better the player, the more an organization is willing to endure.https://nyti.ms/3Fjp9xw

N.F.L. Fines Aaron Rodgers and Packers for Violating Covid-19 Protocols

By BY KEN BELSON from NYT Sports Rodgers, the Green Bay Packers quarterback who is not vaccinated and has voiced unfounded claims about Covid-19 vaccines, was penalized for not wearing a mask in some places.https://nyti.ms/31H3YXP

Scientists Fight a New Source of Vaccine Misinformation: Aaron Rodgers

By BY KEN BELSON AND EMILY ANTHES from NYT Sports The Green Bay Packers quarterback, one of the most visible athletes in the country, last week used anti-vaccination rhetoric as his reasoning for not getting vaccinated against Covid-19.https://nyti.ms/3oh2dbI

Novak Djokovic Gets His Groove Back in Paris

By BY CHRISTOPHER CLAREY from NYT Sports He bolstered his claim to being the best men’s player of this era by securing the year-end No. 1 ranking for a record seventh year.https://nyti.ms/3ER2kB6

New York City Marathon Returns With Fanfare and Optimism

By BY MIHIR ZAVERI from NYT Sports The marathon returned as a smaller event after it was canceled last year because of the pandemic, bringing a feeling of collective hope to New York City.https://nyti.ms/3EVy73U

Aaron Rodgers Lashes Out About N.F.L.’s Vaccine Requirements

By BY EMMANUEL MORGAN from NYT Sports In an interview given by the quarterback as he isolated because of a positive coronavirus test, he said that he was a victim of a “woke mob” and that he had unsuccessfully petitioned the N.F.L. to accept his alternative to being vaccinated.https://nyti.ms/3kaXsPx

Washington State Fires Football Coach Over Vaccine Refusal

By BY BILLY WITZ from NYT Sports Nick Rolovich said in July he would not get a Covid-19 vaccine and maintained his stance once a state mandate was announced in August. Four of his assistants were also fired.https://nyti.ms/3AUMALl

Washington State Fires Football Coach Over Vaccine Refusal

By BY BILLY WITZ from NYT Sports Nick Rolovich said in July he would not get a Covid-19 vaccine and maintained his stance once a state mandate was announced in August. Four of his assistants were also fired.https://nyti.ms/3vqOpyn

Washington State fires its football coach over his refusal to be vaccinated.

By BY BILLY WITZ from NYT Sports Nick Rolovich and four of his assistants lost their jobs because they would not comply with the state’s mandate.https://nyti.ms/3mZrOVC

Nets Bar Kyrie Irving From All Practices and Games

By BY SCOTT CACCIOLA from NYT Sports Irving already was facing the prospect of missing all home games because of a city ordinance requiring at least one vaccine dose for most people at sports arenas.https://nyti.ms/2YHmy0o

‘I Am Overjoyed’: Boston Marathon Racers Rejoice After Lost Year

By BY BRENT MCDONALD, ELLIOT DEBRUYN AND MEG FELLING from NYT Sports Thousands of competitors ran the 2021 Boston Marathon. The prestigious race restarted this year after being canceled in 2020 because of the pandemic.https://nyti.ms/3lxDqzP

N.B.A. star Kyrie Irving could lose at least $380,000 over vaccination status.

By BY SCOTT CACCIOLA from NYT Sports New York requires most teens and adults to have at least one vaccination shot to enter facilities such as sports arenas, and Irving has not practiced with the Nets in Brooklyn.https://nyti.ms/3ako8rA

Pro Tennis Finds New Cities to Play In, but Will It Return?

By BY CHRISTOPHER CLAREY from NYT Sports The pandemic caused many tennis events to be canceled or rescheduled. It also created opportunities for U.S. cities to throw one together.https://nyti.ms/3D8jjyb

China Plans ‘Closed-Loop’ Bubble for Winter Olympics

By BY ANDREW KEH from NYT Sports Athletes and visitors will face severe restrictions on their movement, Beijing 2022 organizers said, and a level of control never before seen at the Games.https://nyti.ms/39PatZx

LeBron James said he had been vaccinated, after evading questions about his vaccination status last season.

By BY SCOTT CACCIOLA from NYT Sports He also said he would not use his platform to publicly encourage others to be vaccinated.https://nyti.ms/3APfuNG

Hakuho, Sumo’s Most Decorated Champion, Exits the Ring

By BY VICTOR MATHER from NYT Sports The Mongolia-born champion, known for flouting tradition and for his sometimes rough tactics, won his final tournament in July.https://nyti.ms/3kNaFi0