FOOTBALL
Health firm drops Rodgers
A Wisconsin healthcare organization on Saturday ended a nine-year partnership with Green Bay Packers star Aaron Rodgers after the quarterback detailed his reasoning for avoiding the three COVID-19 vaccinations endorsed by the NFL. A statement posted on Twitter by Prevea Health said the company and Rodgers mutually agreed to end their partnership. The move came a day after Rodgers told The Pat McAfee Show he had sought alternative treatments to COVID-19 vaccination because he is allergic to an ingredient in two of the FDA-approved shots. Rodgers did not say what ingredient he was allergic to, or how he knows he is allergic. Rodgers found out he contracted COVID-19 on Wednesday, and cannot rejoin the Packers for 10 days. The reigning NFL MVP, whose endorsement deals include starring in commercials for insurance company State Farm, hinted that his stance on vaccination could have consequences when he on Friday described himself as a victim of “cancel culture.”
TENNIS
Djokovic breaks record
Novak Djokovic on Saturday gained some consolation for missing out on a Grand Slam sweep this year when he was crowned season-ending world No. 1 for a record seventh time. The 34-year-old Serbian had jointly held the record of six with Pete Sampras, but took sole possession when he beat Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz 3-6, 6-0, 7-6 (7/5) to reach the Paris Masters final. Djokovic had taken a seven-week break after his dreams of a Grand Slam were dashed by Daniil Medvedev in the US Open final in September. The 20-time Grand Slam champion on Friday said the main reason for his return this week was to seal the No. 1 spot and break the record. “It is a dream for me, as Pete was my idol when I was a young boy,” he said.
RUGBY UNION
Haylett-Petty retires
Wallabies fullback Dane Haylett-Petty yesterday announced his retirement after failing to fully recover from the effects of a concussion he suffered last year in a match against the All Blacks. The concussion, in a collision during a Bledisloe Cup match in October last year, left Haylett-Petty with lingering headaches. It ruled him out of the Super Rugby season with the Melbourne Rebels, where he was the team’s skipper. The 32-year-old, who has not played for the Wallabies since the injury, finishes his career with 38 test caps. “After 14 years, it’s time to hang up the boots,” Haylett-Petty wrote on Instagram. “It’s not the way I wanted to finish. I would have loved to run out just one more time, but it wasn’t to be. Rugby has given me so much and for that I am forever grateful.”
CYCLING
Lavreysen lights up opener
Flying Dutchman Harrie Lavreysen on Saturday maintained his stranglehold on men’s sprinting, as he lit up the opening round of the inaugural UCI Track Champions League in Mallorca, Spain. The reigning Olympic and world champion claimed victory and maximum points in the sprint event, although he was unable to follow that with victory in the keirin final, as Germany’s Stefan Botticher triumphed. It was an encouraging opening night for the new series that the UCI, in conjunction with broadcast partner Discovery Sports Events, believe would boost the appeal of velodrome racing.
‘DEVASTATED’: Argentina’s win was a reversal of their 28-24 defeat last week, with Australian forward Fraser McReight adding that ‘we did the same thing last week’ Argentina flyhalf Santiago Carreras punished an undisciplined Australia with 23 points off the tee as the Pumas held on grimly for a 28-26 win in Sydney yesterday to breathe new life into their Rugby Championship campaign. A try-fest beckoned in afternoon sunshine at Sydney Football Stadium, but Argentina needed only one through captain Julian Montoya, with Carreras doing the damage with seven penalties and a conversion in front of a sell-out crowd. A week after letting a 14-point lead slip in a 28-24 defeat to Australia in Townsville, Argentina saw most of a 21-point advantage erased in the final quarter as the
ELEVEN STRIKEOUTS: Blake Snell allowed two singles and two walks against the Rockies as he ended a personal three-game skid with his first win since Aug. 16 Blake Snell on Wednesday struck out a season-high 11 in six innings, while Mookie Betts hit a grand slam in the eighth as the Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the Colorado Rockies 9-0 for their fourth straight win. Helped by their third series sweep of the Rockies this MLB season, the Dodgers increased their National League West lead to three games over the San Diego Padres, who lost 2-1 at home to the Cincinnati Reds. Betts went four for five with five RBIs, capped by his seventh career slam on a 3-0 pitch from reliever Anthony Molina to make it 8-0. Andy Pages and
Captain Vijay Kumar led the way yesterday as the Hsinchu Titans claimed the Taiwan Premier League title at the Yingfeng Cricket Ground in Taipei’s Songshan District (松山), beating PCCT by 27 runs. The weather was a topic again, but not the rain that played a role in previous matches in the often-delayed tournament. Kumar, who made 80 not out from 63 deliveries, and teammate Vishwajit Kumar (58 from 43) rescued the Titans from a precarious state at the end of the power play in the T20 match. The visitors were put in to bat and struggled to 26-3 as PCCT
China’s state-run People’s Daily newspaper on Monday published an essay about Chinese basketball it said was written by LeBron James, but a representative for the NBA star said on Thursday that the article was based on a series of interviews. The paper, better known as the mouthpiece of the Chinese Communist Party, had said James authored the essay, “Basketball is a Bridge that Connects Us,” a tribute to Chinese players and fans of the sport written in the first person. “LeBron James Pens an Article in the People’s Daily,” read a post published on the newspaper’s official WeChat account. On Thursday, a representative
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