Government and politics
American poet Amanda Gorman reads a poem during the 59th Presidential Inauguration at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2021. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, Pool)
NFL picks 3 honorary captains, Amanda Gorman for coin toss

5 hrs ago

AP Sportlight

By The Associated Press 8 hrs ago
Jan. 28 1901 — The American League is founded. The league plans for a 140-game schedule, set player rosters at 14 and recognizes the...

FILE - In this Feb. 2, 2020, file photo, New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft walks on the field before the NFL Super Bowl 54 football game between the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs, in Miami Gardens, Fla. Florida prosecutors dropped a misdemeanor charge against New England Patriots owner Kraft on Thursday, Sept. 24, 2020, saying they couldn't go forward after courts blocked their use of video that allegedly shows him paying for massage parlor sex. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee, File)
Judge: Destroy massage parlor video of Patriots owner

Jan. 25, 2021 07:37 PM EST

Hank Aaron of the Atlanta Braves reacts Saturday, July 21, 1973, in Atlanta after hitting 700th career home run against the Philadelphia Phillies. (AP Photo)
Aaron's death prompts call to change name: Braves to Hammers

By Paul Newberry Jan. 23, 2021 02:29 PM EST

AP-Sportlight-Week Ahead

By The Associated Press Jan. 21, 2021 12:55 PM EST
Jan. 27 1937 — Tris Speaker and Cy Young are elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. 1969 — The Pittsburgh Steelers name...

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 March 4, 2020 file photo, Casey Urlacher walks out of the Dirksen Federal Courthouse, in Chicago. Urlacher, mayor of the tiny Chicago suburb of Mettawa and brother of Chicago Bears Hall of Fame linebacker Brian Urbacher, received a pardon by President Donald Trump, Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2020, for pending federal charges that he recruited for a multi-million dollar illegal offshore gambling ring. (Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Chicago Sun-Times via AP)
Football great Brian Urlacher's brother pardoned by Trump

Jan. 20, 2021 02:43 PM EST

FILE - Kareem Abdul-Jabbar arrives at WE Day California at The Forum on Thursday, April 25, 2019, in Inglewood, Calif. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has revealed that he received the COVID-19 vaccine and is encouraging others to consider doing the same. The Basketball Hall of Famer and NBA’s leading all-time scorer has taped a short message that will be aired beginning Monday during broadcasts of games played on the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP)
The Latest: 76ers-Thunder game postponed

By The Associated Press Jan. 17, 2021 05:38 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

Split verdict conviction tossed for ex-NFL star's killer

By Kevin Mcgill Jan. 12, 2021 01:11 PM EST
The U.S. Supreme Court has thrown out the manslaughter conviction for the man who shot former New Orleans Saints star Will Smith to death in 2016. ...

FILE - In this Thursday, Dec. 10, 2020, file photo, New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick yells from the sideline during the second half of an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Rams in Inglewood, Calif. President Donald Trump will present one of the nation’s highest civilian honors to Bill Belichick, the football coach of the New England Patriots and the only coach to win six Super Bowl titles. The presentation of the Presidential Medal of Freedom is expected Thursday, Jan. 14, 2021. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis, File)
Trump to honor Belichick with Presidential Medal of Freedom

By Kevin Freking Jan. 10, 2021 08:19 PM EST

The seats in the end zone are empty at Lambeau Field during the national anthem before an NFL football game between the Green Bay Packers and the Tennessee Titans Sunday, Dec. 27, 2020, in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)
NFL increasing inventory for ad sales during playoff games

By Joe Reedy Jan. 08, 2021 05:22 PM EST

Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski looks on from the sidelines during an NFL football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Sunday, Oct. 18, 2020, in Pittsburgh. Positive COVID-19 tests have knocked Stefanski out of Cleveland's wild-card game at Pittsburgh on Sunday night — the Browns' first playoff appearance since the 2002 season. (AP Photo/Justin Berl, File)
The Latest: 3 Mavericks players out under COVID-19 protocols

By The Associated Press Jan. 08, 2021 10:33 AM EST

A worker cleans seats in Arrowhead Stadium before an NFL football game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Los Angeles Chargers, Sunday, Jan. 3, 2021, in Kansas City. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
Even with empty stadiums, NFL still a ratings monster

By Joe Reedy Jan. 07, 2021 07:01 PM EST

FILE - Fans arrive to tailgate before an NFL football game between the Buffalo Bills and the Jacksonville Jaguars in Orchard Park, N.Y., in this Sunday, Nov. 27, 2016, file photo. Testing will replace tailgating in the Bills Stadium's expansive parking lot starting Wednesday, when some 6,700 fans will be required to be tested for the coronavirus in order to be allowed to attend Buffalo's AFC wild-card playoff game against the Indianapolis Colts on Saturday. (AP Photo/Bill Wippert, File)
Testing replaces tailgating as Bills set to welcome fans

By John Wawrow Jan. 05, 2021 07:44 PM EST

The Galen Arena is closed due to a confirmed case of COVID-19 as the Southern California men's basketball team canceled an NCAA college basketball game against Stanford in Los Angeles, Sunday, Dec. 13, 2020. (AP Photo/Alex Gallardo)
The Latest: Cardinals place WR Christian Kirk on COVID list

By The Associated Press Jan. 02, 2021 11:14 AM EST

Virginia coach Tony Bennett claps for the team during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Notre Dame on Wednesday, Dec. 30, 2020, in South Bend, Ind. Virginia won 66-57. (AP Photo/Robert Franklin)
The Latest: Duke-Florida State basketball game postponed

By The Associated Press Jan. 01, 2021 11:44 AM 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 - Driver Bubba Wallace wears a Black Lives Matter shirt as he prepares for a NASCAR Cup Series auto race in Martinsville, Va., in this Wednesday, June 10, 2020, file photo. In a most unusual year already thrown into chaos by the coronavirus pandemic, many athletes took unprecedented steps when a nationwide reckoning on race spilled into the streets of American cities after the killing of George Floyd, a Black man, while in Minneapolis police custody. (AP Photo/Steve Helber, File)
Athletes act: Stars rise up against racial injustice in 2020

By Cliff Brunt Dec. 29, 2020 01:41 PM EST

FILE - In this Monday, Dec. 16, 2019, file photo, Curtis Flowers flanked by sister Priscilla Ward, right, exits the Winston Choctaw Regional Correctional Facility in Louisville, Miss. The NFL says it is honoring Flowers, a Black man from Mississippi who was imprisoned more than 22 years. He was freed in late 2019, months after the U.S. Supreme Court threw out the last of his several convictions in a quadruple murder case. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis, File)
NFL honors Mississippi man freed after 22 years in prison

By Emily Wagster Pettus Dec. 24, 2020 03:06 PM EST