Political issues
FILE - Los Angeles Rams cornerback Decobie Durant (14), who played at South Carolina State, warms up before an NFL football game against the Atlanta Falcons, Sunday, Sept. 18, 2022, in Inglewood, Calif. Four HBCU players were drafted this year, three more than the previous two years combined. (AP Photo/Kyusung Gong, File)
NFL keeping watch on return of HBCUs to national prominence

By Dave Skretta Oct. 11, 2022 12:37 PM EDT

Executive Director of the Major League Baseball Players Association Tony Clark gets emotional as he speaks during a news conference at the Press Club in Washington, Wednesday, Sept. 7, 2022. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
Major League Baseball Players Association joins AFL-CIO

By Stephen Whyno Sep. 07, 2022 11:08 AM EDT

FILE - Dan Snyder, co-owner and co-CEO of the Washington Commanders, poses for photos during an event to unveil the NFL football team's new identity, Wednesday, Feb. 2, 2022, in Landover, Md. Dan Snyder's ownership of his hometown NFL team in Washington has been full of more controversy than playoff success for more than two decades. Still, the past couple of years have been tumultuous enough to raise the question of how tight Snyder's grip is on the once-storied franchise. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)
EXPLAINER: Snyder holds tight grip as owner of Commanders

By Stephen Whyno Apr. 28, 2022 03:12 AM EDT

3-time Pro Bowl safety, activist Malcolm Jenkins retires

By Rob Maaddi Mar. 30, 2022 09:31 AM EDT
Malcolm Jenkins is retiring after a 13-year NFL career in which he established himself as one of the league’s best all-around safeties, most durable players and...

Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians speaks during a press conference at the NFL football scouting combine in Indianapolis, Tuesday, March 1, 2022. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
NFL's competition committee considers changing OT rules

By Michael Marot Mar. 01, 2022 07:41 PM EST

In this frame from video, Vladyslav Heraskevych, of Ukraine, holds a sign that reads "No War in Ukraine" after finishing a run at the men's skeleton competition at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Friday, Feb. 11, 2022, in the Yanqing district of Beijing. (NBC via AP)
Winter Olympians champion climate, peace amid muted activism

By Kelvin Chan Feb. 15, 2022 03:06 AM EST

FILE - People walk by a Nike advertisement featuring Colin Kaepernick on display, Thursday, Sept. 6, 2018, in New York. While sports have always been indivisible from politics and public conflicts, there has been a major ground shift in the years since Michael Jordan made public neutrality on all non-sports issues an essential part of his brand. Now, there is almost an expectation of advocacy, especially with the precedent set by Colin Kaepernick's protests and the embrace by many of the Black Lives Matter cause. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File)
In vaccination battles, pro athletes become proxy players

By Andrew Dalton Jan. 14, 2022 09:37 AM EST

FILE - Washington Football Team owner Daniel Snyder looks on before an NFL football game against the Buffalo Bills, Sunday, Nov. 3, 2019, in Orchard Park, N.Y. Two members of Congress are asking the NFL to provide evidence of Washington Football Team owner Daniel Snyder’s interference with an investigation into sexual harassment and other improper conduct at the club. Democrats Carolyn Maloney of New York and Raja Krishnamoorthi of Illinois already have asked the NFL for transparency about the probe. (AP Photo/Adrian Kraus, File)
Congress asks NFL about Daniel Snyder's probe interference

Dec. 14, 2021 08:49 PM EST

FILE - Tampa Bay Buccaneers inside linebacker Devin White (45) sacks Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (12) during the second half of an NFL football game in Tampa, Fla., in this Sunday, Oct. 18, 2020, file photo. Rodgers had his worst game of the season in Green Bay’s 38-10 loss at Tampa Bay Back on Oct. 18, as he threw two game-changing interceptions and completed less than half his pass attempts. Rodgers gets a chance to make amends for that performance Sunday when the top-seeded Packers host the Bucs in the NFC championship game. (AP Photo/Jason Behnken, File)
Comfort TV viewing gives ratings boost to football, dramas

By Lynn Elber Jan. 20, 2021 08:12 PM EST

FILE - In this Feb. 14, 2020, file photo, baseballs occupy a bucket after use during fielding practice during spring training baseball workouts for pitchers and catchers at Cleveland Indians camp in Avondale, Ariz. Major League Baseball is suspending all political contributions in the wake of last week's invasion of the U.S. Capitol by a mob loyal to President Donald Trump, joining a wave of major corporations rethinking their efforts to lobby Washington. “In light of the unprecedented events last week at the U.S. Capitol, MLB is suspending contributions from its Political Action Committee pending a review of our political contribution policy going forward,” the league said in a statement to The Associated Press on Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2021. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, File)
AP Exclusive: MLB suspends political donations after DC riot

By Jake Seiner Jan. 13, 2021 05:58 PM EST

FILE - In this Sunday, Nov. 22, 2020 file photo, Minnesota Vikings middle linebacker Eric Kendricks (54) readies for the play in the second quarter during an NFL football game against the Dallas Cowboys in Minneapolis. Eric Kendricks and the Minnesota Vikings have had a rough year between the lines, but the 2019 All-Pro linebacker, whose 2020 season has been shortened by a calf injury, has made quite an impact off the field. He’s the team’s nominee for the Walter Payton Man of the Year award, for his community work focused on criminal justice reform. (AP Photo/David Berding, File)
Vikings LB Kendricks has done vital work on and off field

By Dave Campbell Dec. 31, 2020 02:46 PM EST

FILE - James Watson, left, protests before a baseball game between the Chicago White Sox and the Cleveland Indians, Monday, April 1, 2019, in Cleveland. The Cleveland Indians are changing their name _ they just don't know to what or when. Expressing that “it's time," team owner Paul Dolan said that after months of internal discussions and meetings with groups, including Native Americans who have sought to have the team stop using a moniker many deem racist, the American League franchise is dropping the name it has been known by since 1915. In an exclusive interview with The Associated Press on Monday, Dec. 14, 2020, Dolan said: “The name is no longer acceptable in our world.”(AP Photo/Tony Dejak, File)
Teams say Indian names show respect, history says otherwise

By Jim Litke Dec. 16, 2020 06:12 PM EST

FILE - In this Sept. 25, 2016, file photo, San Francisco 49ers' Colin Kaepernick kneels during the national anthem before an NFL football game against the Seattle Seahawks in Seattle. The NFL, which has raised $44 million in donations through its Inspire Change program, announced the additional $206 million commitment Thursday, June 11, 2020. Kaepernick and others began kneeling during the national anthem in 2016 to protest social injustice and police brutality. He has not found an NFL job the last three seasons. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File)
NFL to spend $250 million on social justice initiatives

By Barry Wilner Jun. 11, 2020 07:19 PM EDT

This undated image provided by PepsiCo shows Missy Elliott, right, and H.E.R. in a scene from the company's 2020 Super Bowl NFL football spot. Pepsi tries to reignite the Cola Wars with Missy Elliott and H.E.R. performing an updated version of “Paint it Black” that starts with a red cola can that looks like a Coke changing into a black can of Pepsi Zero Sugar to the lyrics of “I see a red door and I want it painted black.” (PepsiCo via AP)
10 ads to watch for on Super Bowl Sunday

By Mae Anderson Jan. 31, 2020 10:33 AM EST

Democratic presidential candidate and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, center, greets supporters at a campaign office, Monday, Jan. 27, 2020, in Scarborough, Maine. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
Bloomberg, Trump detail campaign ads to air on Super Bowl

By Jill Colvin Jan. 30, 2020 07:21 AM EST

FILE - In this Oct. 23, 2009, file photo, Peter Fonda, poses atop a Harley-Davidson motorcycle in Glendale, Calif. Fonda, the son of a Hollywood legend who became a movie star in his own right both writing and starring in counterculture classics like "Easy Rider," has died. His family says in a statement that Fonda died Aug. 16, 2019, at his home in Los Angeles. He was 79. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, File)
Final goodbye: Recalling influential people who died in 2019

By Bernard Mcghee Dec. 23, 2019 10:13 AM EST

FILE - In this May 15, 2019, file photo, Juice WRLD performs in concert during his "Death Race for Love Tour" at The Skyline Stage at The Mann Center for the Performing Arts in Philadelphia. The Chicago-area rapper, whose real name is Jarad A. Higgins, was pronounced dead Dec. 8 after a "medical emergency'' at Chicago's Midway International Airport, according to authorities. (Photo by Owen Sweeney/Invision/AP, File)
Final goodbye: Recalling influential people who died in 2019

By Bernard Mcghee Dec. 16, 2019 12:47 PM EST

Michael Cohen, President Donald Trump's former personal lawyer, listens as he finishes a day of testimony to the House Oversight and Reform Committee, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2019. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Cohen says Trump inflated his wealth in bid to buy Bills

By Jim Mustian, Bernard Condon And John Wawrow Feb. 27, 2019 10:52 PM EST

New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, left, listens as Victory Boyd performs on stage at the launch of a partnership of entertainment moguls, recording artists, business and sports leaders who hope to transform the American criminal justice system, Wednesday, Jan. 23, 2019, in New York. The group is called REFORM Alliance. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)
Meek Mill, Jay-Z and sports owners back justice reforms

By Deepti Hajela Jan. 23, 2019 02:58 PM EST