Sports

Dreamville — J. Cole‘s path-forging record label and multidisciplinary entertainment company — has partnered with Wilson to bring back the storied Chicago pro-am basketball tournament as The Dreamville Chi-League Powered by Wilson. Following a four-year hiatus, the celebrated basketball league will return with an updated format, featuring both a men’s and women’s bracket along with a number of live entertainment components. Dreamville’s involvement plays a crucial role in the tournament’s revival, helping to increase player interest, curate halftime performances and miscellaneous weekend entertainment, design custom team gear and create unique in-game experiences for fans. “Chicago has supported Dreamville and its artists from the beginning. It’s a privilege to infuse our brand with the ri...

With UFC 264 just around the corner, Dana White‘s mixed martial arts organization recently held a press conference for Conor McGregor vs. Dustin Poirier III. With fans packing into Las Vegas, Nevada’s T-Mobile Arena, the duo took to the stage ahead of their highly-anticipated trilogy fight. Unlike the press moments around their last meeting in the Octagon, the two Lightweight division fighters have been at odds with one another on social media and now in person. Conor McGregor looks to have returned to his signature braggadocious nature starting things off by throwing away his opponent’s hot sauce leading to a heated encounter. Throughout the conference, Dustin Poirier kept his cool, while “The Notorious” repeatedly tried to antagonize his rival and berated the press for questions he didn’...

Following news of track and field athlete Shac’Carri Richardson being left off the US Olympics Team roster after testing positive for marijuana use, the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) has announced it will change its rules on cannabis use in favor of fighters. The NSAC regulates all contests of unarmed combat in the state of Nevada including boxing, kickboxing, and MMA. “According to the World Anti-Doping Agency, WADA considers marijuana to be a substance of abuse, not a performance-enhancing drug,” NSAC executive director Bob Bennett said. “Our goal is to test for performance-enhancing drugs to ensure a level playing field. The fact that it is not a performance-enhancing drug, I do not believe we should test for it any longer.” While the commission will continue to test for canna...

Following the committee ruling that deemed Sha’Carri Richardson ineligible to compete in the Tokyo Olympics, Diddy expressed his support for the star track and field athlete on social media, writing that his “heart is broken” for her. Richardson was given a 30-day suspension after testing positive for THC, the psychoactive component found in marijuana, on June 19, a week after the death of her mother. While the suspension was set to end before the start of the relays on August 5, her name was left off of the roster that the USA Track and Field sent out on Tuesday, meaning that she won’t be competing at all in this year’s games. The decision has garnered widespread backlash, with dozens of athletes and public figures coming out in support of Richardson. Diddy spoke out on Thursday, criticiz...

A petition calling to allow Sha’Carri Richardson to run in the Tokyo Olympics has amassed over half a million supporters since its creation less than a week ago. While Richardson won a spot on the U.S. Olympic Women’s Track team, she was banned from competing due to a 30-day suspension after testing positive for THC, the main psychoactive component found in marijuana. Though marijuana is legal in Richardson’s home state of Oregon, where she qualified, the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency bans athletes from using the substance during or outside of competition. Richardson was still eligible to compete in the relays on August 5, but her name was left off of the Team USA roster released by the USA Track and Field organization. “Sha’Carri Richardson is one of the fastest athletes in the world—and would ...

The NBA is commemorating its 75th anniversary with a new league logo. The league has confirmed a new design for the Logoman identity that is based on the classic 75-year anniversary symbol – the diamond. In a statement, the league said that the logo will “appear throughout the 2021-22 season on courts and official NBA merchandise, inside arenas and in original broadcast, digital and social media content.” The NBA has kept the Jerry West-inspired silhouette for the logo, but instead, it is overlayed on top of a diamond outline as the background. The league began in 1946 and the first-ever NBA game occurred on November 1. The match saw the New York Knicks face off against the Toronto Huskies (now Toronto Raptors), coming out victorious in a close game with the final score of 68-66. Back then...

England have been charged by UEFA after a fan shone a laser pointer at Denmark goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel during Wednesday’s Euro 2020 semi-final. Images showed a green light on the goalkeeper’s face moments before Harry Kane took an extra-time penalty that was subsequently saved, before the England striker tucked away the rebound to send his side through to their first major final since 1966. BREAKING: England have been charged by UEFA after a fan shone a laser pointer in Denmark goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel’s face during Wednesday’s Euro 2020 semi-final at Wembley. — Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) July 8, 2021 England have also been charged for causing disturbance during Denmark’s national anthem, with reports of lighting fireworks and booing throughout. Gareth Southgate’...

As authorities are expected to declare a state of emergency in Tokyo to contain rising COVID cases in the capital city, Japan is considering banning all spectators from this year’s Olympics just 16 days prior to the Games’ commencement, according to Reuters. Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said his government will announce new protocol, which will determine whether or not spectators will be able to attend the Olympics, on Thursday. According to the outlet, medical experts have advised that banning spectators from the Games would pose the least risk while public concern rises surrounding the Games’ potential for fueling a surge of COVID cases. The event’s organizers have already prohibited foreign spectators from attending and limited domestic attendance to 50 percent capacity, which equates ...

Abhimanyu Mishra has become the youngest grandmaster in chess history at the age of 12. Mishra claimed his third and final norm by defeating grandmaster Leon Mendonca in the ninth round at the Vezerkepzo GM Mix tournament last week. Having earned his first two norms over the past two months, the New Jersey native had already topped the required 2500 Elo rating mark by June, which gives him the upper hand to beat the previous record that has held up for 19 years. In order to attain the title of a grandmaster, players are to attain three grandmaster norms, which are awarded for a high level of performance in a chess tournament. A player must also achieve a 2500 Elo rating decided by the Fédération Internationale des Échecs (FIDE) which are the rankings that govern international chess competi...

The UFC has signed a 10-year, $175 million USD partnership with cryptocurrency marketplace Crypto.com, according to people familiar with the terms of the agreement, CNBC reports. The deal marks the biggest sponsorship in UFC history. As UFC’s first-ever “Official Fight Kit Partner,” Crypto.com will have logo placement on UFC apparel worn by athletes during competition, as well as by corner staff in the octagon. The first Crypto.com-branded apparel will make its debut during UFC 264 on Saturday, July 10, headlined by a third fight between Dustin Poirier and Conor McGregor. The crypto company was also named the “Official Cryptocurrency Platform Partner” in an entirely new sponsorship category for the UFC. “This is a partnership between two companies that are the best at what they do,” s...