N.F.L. Requires Masks and Increases Coronavirus Testing for Thanksgiving

By BY KEN BELSON from NYT Sports After N.F.L. cases more than doubled, the league strengthened its Covid-19 protocols and recommended teams help set up testing for families of players and team staff ahead of the holiday.https://nyti.ms/3ctk3lX

Black N.F.L. Players Want New Advocate in Concussion Settlement

By BY KEN BELSON from NYT Sports Players said the lawyer for the N.F.L. retiree class knew that race-based criteria were used to deny Black players’ dementia claims. A review of eight such rejections seems to support their argument.https://nyti.ms/3luoeBN

Doctors Enter College Football’s Politics, but Maybe Just for Show

By BY BILLY WITZ from NYT Sports Universities have had mixed messages, competing agendas and a lack of transparency as they consider whether to hold college football in the fall, with billions of dollars at stake.https://nyti.ms/2YnKumA

Novak Djokovic On Coronavirus, Vaccines, and His Ill-Fated Adria Tour

By BY CHRISTOPHER CLAREY from NYT Sports He’s monitoring his health closely in the run up to the United States Open. He’s not against all vaccines but wouldn’t want to be forced to take one to play. And he says he had good intentions with his tour that became a coronavirus cluster.https://nyti.ms/322nryA

As M.L.B. Stumbles Out of the Gate, Player Pushback Gets Louder

By BY TYLER KEPNER from NYT Sports Several teams had to cancel their workouts because of delays in virus testing results, and even some club executives had pointed words for the league’s handling of the process.https://nyti.ms/2ZK6FU0

With or Without the Say of Players, College Football Moves Toward a Return

By Unknown Author from NYT Sports “Players don’t have a strong voice and have a union. Their voice is always suppressed,” said Camren McDonald, a tight end at Florida State.https://nyti.ms/2TIO4oY

He Thought He Was Getting Football Physicals. He Was Being Abused.

By BY ALAN BLINDER from NYT Sports Chuck Christian was on some of Bo Schembechler’s best Michigan teams. More than 40 years later, he sees a connection between a university doctor’s assaults and a dire prognosis.https://nyti.ms/3ge5HXz

N.B.A. Opens for Practice, but Few Show Up

By BY MARC STEIN from NYT Sports About half of the league’s 30 teams were allowed to open their facilities Friday, but only two did. Players and teams wonder if it’s worth the risk.https://nyti.ms/2YNmESc

The World’s Stadiums Become a Lifeline

By Unknown Author from NYT Sports Soccer fields, football stadiums, tennis courts and martial arts arenas have been filling gaps in health care systems overwhelmed by the coronavirus pandemic.https://nyti.ms/2SqoK6v

The Mavericks’ Key to Keeping Players Fresh? Blood Samples

By MARC STEIN from NYT Sports Dallas works with Orreco, a company that proposes individualized remedies to combat fatigue while trying to identify increased risk for injury and illness.https://nyti.ms/2C3ZQRq