Sports News

Katie Meyer, the goalkeeper of Stanford’s women’s soccer team, died at a campus residence, the school said Wednesday.

“Katie was extremely committed to everything and everyone in her world,” Stanford Vice Vice President of Student Affairs Susie Brubaker-Cole and Athletic Director Bernard Muer said in a statement to the campus community on the university’s communications website. “Her friends describe her as a team player bigger than life in all her pursuits, from choosing an academic discipline, which she said changed ‘my view of the world and the very important challenges we must work together to overcome. “She brought passion to Cardinal’s women’s football program and to women’s sports in general. Fiercely competitive, Katie made two critical saves in penalties against North Carolina to help Stanford win her third NCAA Women’s Football Championship in 2019. Katie was a bright shining line for so many on the field and in our community.

“There are no words to express the emptiness we feel at the moment. We appeal to all of you in our community because it affects us all. Please know that you are not alone. ”

The cause of death is not specified.

Mayer, senior, majoring in international relations and minor in history. She was captain of the Stanford team. Born in Burbank, California, Mayer has two sisters, Samantha and Sienna.

In a statement, Brubaker-Cole and Muir said counselors were on site at Mayer’s residence and working with student athletes.

The IPC says athletes can compete as neutrals, despite calls for a ban following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Russian and Belarusian Paralympic athletes have been allowed to participate in the Beijing Winter Paralympics as neutrals, despite growing pressure for a ban following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) announced the decision on Wednesday, saying athletes from both countries will compete under the Paralympic flag and will not be included in the medal table.

The decision came when Moscow’s offensive in Ukraine entered its seventh day. Belarus, an important ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, has offered strategic assistance to deploy troops by accepting Russian troops and allowing them to cross their southern border.

Last week, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) advised sports federations and organizers not to invite or allow Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials to participate in international competitions. If time or legal restrictions do not allow such actions, the IOC called on sports organizations to accept Russian and Belarusian athletes only as neutral.

The IOC Executive Board does not recommend the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials https://t.co/XZyLIi11XR

– IOC MEDIA (@iocmedia) February 28, 2022

At least 400 civilians have been killed and more than 800,000 have fled Ukraine since Russia launched the invasion last week, sparking widespread reaction from the international community, including the sports world.

UK Culture Minister Nadine Doris, who is in charge of the sport, denied the IPC’s decision, saying she was “extremely disappointed”.

“This is the wrong decision and I urge them to reconsider it urgently,” she said in a statement posted on Twitter. “They must join the rest of the world in condemning this barbaric invasion by banning Russian and Belarusian athletes from competing,” she added.

Doris added that she would consider options to protest the decision.

My statement on the decision of the International Paralympic Committee 👇 pic.twitter.com/HwxoXsrJMe

– Nadine Doris (@NadineDorries) March 2, 2022

The Canadian Paralympic Committee has said it supports sanctions against Russia and Belarus, but would like the two countries to be expelled immediately. The CPC added that it is awaiting a special meeting to review the membership status of the IPC.

The Canadian Paralympic Committee supports the sanctions imposed on Russia and Belarus today by the International Paralympic Committee for their attacks on Ukraine. ➡️
https://t.co/qa76QW6S5i pic.twitter.com/36gepb1dj9

– Canadian Paralympic Committee (@CDNParalympics) March 2, 2022

The United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee said it was “disappointed” that the IPC decision “excuses Russia’s disregard for not only the Olympic truce but also the victims of a senseless war,” a statement said Wednesday.

The IPC will also host an extraordinary meeting on “whether to suspend or terminate membership in the Russian Paralympic Committee and the Belarusian Paralympic Committee”, the statement said, adding that it would not hold any events in Russia or Belarus until further notice. .

The move of the IPC came after FIFA and UEFA, respectively the world and European football governing bodies, banned athletes from Russia and Belarus, while depriving them of the Champions League final this season.

Abramovich himself has not been sanctioned by the United Kingdom, according to the sanctions list’s website.

“I will not want any loans to be repaid,” the statement said.

“It was never about business or money for me, but about pure passion for the game and the club. I also instructed my team to set up a charity where all net sales proceeds would be donated. The foundation will benefit all victims of the war in Ukraine. This includes providing critical resources for the urgent and urgent needs of victims, as well as supporting long-term recovery work. “

Chelsea won two Champions League trophies – including 2021 – and five English Premier League trophies since Abramovich took ownership of the club in 2003 after paying $ 233 million.

Chelsea are on the field on Wednesday night in the match of the fifth round of the FA Cup away to Luton Town.

Following an extension of Monday’s unofficial deadline, Major League Baseball and the MLB Players’ Association failed to reach a new collective bargaining agreement to end the owner’s lockout on Tuesday. MLB, which set a 17:00 ET deadline for the deal, made what it called its “best and final offer” on Tuesday afternoon, which was unanimously rejected by the union. Shortly afterwards, Commissioner Rob Manfred announced at a press conference that regular season matches would be canceled.

“I was hoping without hope that I would not need this press conference to cancel some regular season games,” said Manfred. “We worked hard to avoid a result that is bad for our fans, bad for our players and bad for our clubs. Our failure to reach an agreement is not due to a lack of effort on either side.”

Manfred added that the first two series of the 2022 season will not be played on schedule. The opening day was originally scheduled for Thursday, March 31, and was postponed at least a week. Manfred laughed and joked as he worked his way through part of Tuesday’s press conference, and that was not lost on the players.

“Today is a sad day. We came to Florida to find our way and negotiate fair collective bargaining. Despite daily meetings, there is still significant work to be done,” MLBPA CEO Tony Clark said on Tuesday. “The reason we don’t play is simple: the lockout is the best economic weapon. In a $ 10 billion industry, owners have decided to use this weapon against their biggest asset: the players.

The MLBPA issued the following statement Tuesday night:

Rob Manfred and MLB owners have canceled the start of the season. Players and fans around the world who love baseball are disgusted, but unfortunately not surprised.

Since the beginning of these negotiations, the players’ goals have been consistent – to promote competition, to provide fair remuneration for young players and to maintain the integrity of our market system. Against the background of growing revenues and record profits, we are looking for nothing more than a fair agreement.

What Rob Manfred describes as a “defensive lockout” is actually the culmination of decades of ownership by the owners to break up our brotherhood of players. As in the past, this effort will fail. We are united and committed to negotiating a fair deal that will improve the sport for players, fans and everyone who loves our game.

“They have set a deadline here. We are ready to stay here and have a conversation tomorrow,” Clark said. “We want to return to New York. We are ready to go where we need to go back to the room and continue the dialogue that has begun.”

Tuesday marked three months since the lockout and the next step is uncertain. Manfred said the two sides would regroup at some point and continue talks, although “no agreement is possible until Thursday”. In all likelihood, the MLB and MLBPA will wait at least a few days before scheduling their next negotiating session.

“If it was only in my power or the ability of the clubs to reach an agreement, we would have an agreement,” said Manfred, who often emphasizes his ability to make deals, he said on Tuesday. “The difficult thing in this process is that we have to get an agreement from both sides.”

Representatives from both sides arrived on the scene in Jupiter, Florida, around 10 a.m. ET on Tuesday. They met face to face for the first time around 1:30 p.m., after the players held a conference call to discuss their proposal, according to Evan Drelic of The Athletic. Although optimism prevailed after Monday’s marathon 16-hour bargaining session, Tuesday led to a step back.

MLB initially set a deadline on Monday (February 28th) to reach an agreement before canceling regular season matches. CBS Sports has provided a timetable for the block here, but the short version is that the owners put the padlocks on when the previous CBA expired on December 1st. . The league then waited more than six weeks to make its first offer.

Here are five excerpts now that the owner’s deadline on Tuesday has come and gone.

1. Regular games will be skipped

To repeat, the Opening Day will be fun and regular season games will be missed now that MLB’s informal deadline has expired. This will be the first time baseball has lost regular season games due to a work stoppage following a 1994-95 strike. So far, a total of 90 games have been canceled.

“And what’s next? The calendar dictates that we will not be able to play the first two series of the regular season and these matches have been officially canceled,” Manfred said on Tuesday. “… Our position is games that will not be played, players will not be paid.”

It should be noted the length of the season, the method of payment of players and the schedule itself are the conditions of the workplace, subject to negotiation between MLB and MLBPA. Manfred cannot unilaterally declare that players will not be paid for missed games. In 2020, the union gave Manfred this power under their March agreement amid the pandemic, but it was a one-off move.

“Our position would be in the event of a cancellation of matches – this is a feature of any deal to get us back – we will want compensation and / or these games to be rescheduled,” MLBPA chief negotiator Bruce Meyer said on Tuesday.

2. The extended postseason may be off the table

The MLB and MLBPA reportedly agreed to an extended post-season framework with 12 teams on Monday, although the union had previously warned it would not agree to an extended post-season if players do not receive their full salaries in 2022. Now When regular season games (and potentially payroll) are missed, MLB may have to wait for an extended postseason.

It is important to note that MLB may agree to pay players their full salary for a reduced season, in which case the union is likely to agree to an extended field after the season. Ultimately, players can also benefit from the extended postseason. More post-season games equate to more ticket and door revenue, which equates to a larger post-season pool for players.

For now, expect to get the MLBPA to deal with the threat of withdrawing an extended postseason from the table now that regular season games will be missed. This does not mean that the two sides cannot reach an agreement that expands the post-season, it is just likely that the alliance will deepen and play hard with this lucrative item.

3. MLB is trying to deflect guilt

If you paid attention during the lockout, you may have noticed that MLB invariably describes its offerings as “productive” while portraying MLBPA’s offers as backward or excessive. The league is carefully playing the PR game, and that was true again late Monday night, after which they said the two sides were close to a deal, while the union warned they were still far from each other.

“We were also clear and consistent that there are big issues that we are very far from,” Mayer said. “That hasn’t changed. There have been and still are serious problems.”

Then, after receiving the MLBPA offer on Tuesday, the league said the players had a “decidedly different tone today and made proposals incompatible with previous discussions”. It was a transparent attempt to shift the blame for the lockout – the lockout started and continued from ownership – onto the players in the public opinion court. Understandably, the players were not happy.

Player’s agent Alan Walsh explained NHL Commissioner Gary Batman used the same tactic in 2005, arguing that the two sides were close to an agreement in an attempt to pressure players to accept a deal, even after the 2004-05 NHL season was canceled.

The entire MLB season has not yet been canceled, although it is clear that MLB is trying to shift the blame to the players. In the end, the owners chose to block the players, chose to wait 43 days to make their first offer, and chose to set artificial deadlines on Monday and Tuesday. This was (and still is) avoided, but instead the games will be skipped because the owners and Manfred say so.

4. MLB barely moves on the thresholds of the luxury tax

Perhaps the biggest problem at the table is the tax on the competitive balance (ie the tax on luxury) or the soft ceiling on baseball salaries. MLB rejected its proposal to increase penalties in the last 48 hours, although the countries remained very far from each other on the thresholds. Here is each party’s final proposal for a luxury tax:

The luxury tax threshold was $ 210 million in 2021. MLB, offering a zero increase in 2023 and 2024, is a frivolous offer, given how much extra revenue the league is expected to accrue through the extended postseason and new national television contracts. starting this year (assuming baseball is played). “Slap in the face”, one player told Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.

MLB and MLBPA still differ on other issues – there is a difference of $ 55 million in the new pool of pre-arbitration bonuses and a difference of $ 25,000 in the minimum wage – although these gaps are considered more insurmountable than the luxury tax threshold. MLB’s revenue has increased by an average of eight percent annually since 2002, and their proposed increase in the luxury tax threshold from 2022-26 is a total of 4.5 percent.

“It’s important to look at CBT increase models over the last few agreements,” Manfred said on Tuesday, although those models are what the union opposes because the threshold has not risen as fast as revenue.

5. MLB did not issue a “last, best offer”

MLB described Tuesday’s offer as their “best and last offer” and not as “last, best offer” and there is an important distinction. “Last, best offer” is a phrase management used before declaring a legal stalemate, and a dead end would allow MLB to unilaterally implement Tuesday’s offer.

“We have never used the phrase ‘last, best final offer’ with the union,” Manfred said on Tuesday. “We said this was our best offer before the cancellation deadline. Our negotiations are deadlocked at the moment, but this is different from using the legal term “deadlock” and I will not do it right now. ”

In the event that Manfred declares a dead end, the MLBPA will no doubt respond by accusing him of unfair employment practices, and the National Labor Relations Council may file a complaint of failure to negotiate in good faith. In essence, a stalemate would lead both sides to appear before a judge.

So far, Manfred has not taken the necessary steps to declare a legal stalemate, instead saying that the owners “like to keep the idea that we are ready to return to the table and reach an agreement.”

CBS Sports provided live updates for Tuesday’s talks below.

Electronic arts there is announcements that it is in the process of removing both the Russian national teams and the country’s professional clubs from some of its biggest sports games.

This will include NHL 22, FIFA 22, FIFA Onlineand FIFA Mobile; it is not clear when the teams will be withdrawn from the game, but the publisher says he has “initiated proceedings” to remove them. EA says the decision was made “in line with our FIFA and UEFA partners” as well as the IIHF. These governing bodies – which govern global and European football and international hockey, respectively – recently banned Russian teams from all competitions “until further notice.” Apart from the Russian teams, NHL 22 it will also eliminate Belarusian clubs. The decision does not seem to affect the presence of Russian players in either sport.

“EA Sports stands in solidarity with the Ukrainian people and, like many other voices in the football world, calls for peace and an end to the invasion of Ukraine,” the company said in a statement. In addition to eliminating teams, EA says it is “actively assessing related changes in other areas of our games.” EA joins other technology companies, including Apple, Facebook and YouTube, in changing or eliminating their services in connection with the Russian invasion.

This is not the first time EA has changed its sports games due to real-world events. In 2020, he was forced to change the offensive name of Washington’s current commanders Maddenand last year removed Las Vegas Raiders coach John Gruden from the game following an email scandal.