All posts tagged: leagues

Blumenthal presses sports leagues over betting ties and new integrity concerns

Blumenthal presses sports leagues over betting ties and new integrity concerns

Published by skeptic

U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal is stepping up scrutiny of how deeply betting companies are now woven into professional and college sports, warning that the trend could threaten both competitive fairness and fan safety. In a fresh round of letters, he asked major organizations, including the National Football League, National Basketball Association, Major League Baseball, National Hockey League, and the National Collegiate Athletic Association, to spell out exactly how they work with sportsbooks and newer prediction market platforms. The pervasive spread of sports betting is leading to addiction, personal bankruptcies, & mental health challenges. I'm proud to see young people speaking out on this rapidly growing issue impacting communities in CT & across the country. pic.twitter.com/u9m7nuJAKc — Richard Blumenthal (@SenBlumenthal) March 30, 2026 His inquiry focuses on issues including game integrity, addiction, athlete safety, and compliance with state laws as gambling becomes more deeply embedded in sports. Blumenthal shares concerns about betting companies’ influence on sports integrity In a letter to MLB Commissioner Robert Dean Manfred Jr., Blumenthal sharply criticized the league’s ties to betting-related companies. …

Vegas and Seattle a Step Closer to Getting NBA Teams. League’s Owners Approve Expansion Exploration

Vegas and Seattle a Step Closer to Getting NBA Teams. League’s Owners Approve Expansion Exploration

Published by Sam Flores

NEW YORK (AP) — Seattle and Las Vegas are one step closer to having NBA teams. The league’s board of governors voted Wednesday to approve a plan that will allow NBA officials to “formally explore potential team expansion” to those two cities, which have long been thought of as the front-runners to land franchises. “Today’s vote reflects our Board’s interest in exploring potential expansion to Las Vegas and Seattle — two markets with a long history of support for NBA basketball,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said. “We look forward to taking this next step and engaging with interested parties.” Silver will hold a news conference later Wednesday to discuss next steps. The league said investment bank PJT Partners has been brought on “as a strategic adviser to evaluate prospective markets, ownership groups, arena infrastructure, and the broader economic implications of expansion.” Expansion isn’t a done deal. But it’s not just a dream anymore, either. New Orleans guard Dejounte Murray was 11 years old when Seattle last had an NBA team. He grew up with hopes …

The House | From ‘Workington Man’ To Clubs On The Brink: Rugby League’s Fight To Survive

The House | From ‘Workington Man’ To Clubs On The Brink: Rugby League’s Fight To Survive

Published by Sam Flores

12 min read13 min Rugby league is cherished by many of the ‘left behind’ towns that become central to Britain’s electoral politics. But now community clubs are fighting to stay afloat, reports Adam Payne In the run-up to Boris Johnson’s red wall landslide in 2019, rugby league found itself in a peculiar position. Its fans, based mostly in northern England, generally regard the London class, its politicians and media, as having little interest in their sport.  To generations of supporters, it is an ignored and underappreciated game, played a long way from the corridors of Westminster in mileage and in mind, in the towns of Yorkshire, Lancashire and Cumbria.  “Rugby union has always been the sport of the establishment, the media, Westminster, big businesses, even the Royal Family. Rugby league, like most things in the North, it had to fight just to be heard,” says Anthony Broxton, author of Hope and Glory: Rugby League in Thatcher’s Britain.  Naturally, then, there was some bemusement when, in autumn 2019, the spotlight of British politics landed on the Cumbrian …

Tottenham are in the Premier League’s most farcical relegation fight

Tottenham are in the Premier League’s most farcical relegation fight

Published by Sam Flores

Igor Tudor has made four changes from Tottenham’s loss at Fulham. Kevin Danso, Souza, Pape Sarr and Mathys Tel come into the starting XI. The likes of Xavi Simons, Conor Gallagher and Richarlison are on the bench. Tottenham: Vicario, Porro, Danso, Van de Ven, Gray; Palhinha, Sarr, Kolo Muani, Tel, Souza, Solanke.Substitutes: Kinsky, Austin, Simons, Bissouma, Richarlison, Gallagher, Olusesi, Kyerematen, Roswell. Oliver Glasner has made two alterations from Palace’s defeat at Manchester United. Chadi Riad and Evann Guessand come into the starting XI. Maxence Lacroix is suspended whilst Brennan Johnson is on the bench against the club that sold him to Palace in January. Crystal Palace: Henderson, Munoz, Canvot, Richards, Riad, Mitchell, Wharton, Kamada, Sarr, Guessand, Strand Larsen.Substitutes: Benitez, Lerma, Pino, Johnson, Uche, Clyne, Hughes, Sosa, Devenny. Source link

Brentford’s Igor Thiago might just be the league’s best striker not called Erling Haaland

Brentford’s Igor Thiago might just be the league’s best striker not called Erling Haaland

Published by Sam Flores

Everton should be looking to emulate Brentford’s canny recruitment off the pitch. Thiago cost marginally more than Barry or Beto but has scored nine more league goals than the pair combined and organised yet effective on it. The fact Kevin Schade opted for Brentford when there was interest from Everton two summers ago showed how low the club’s reputation had dropped in the wake of off-field financial problems and several relegation battles. But even taking into account a threadbare squad, manager David Moyes is not getting value for money from a number of individuals while suffering a heavy defeat on a day when both his under-performing strikers scored. Jack Grealish, on loan from Manchester City, provided both assists and would have had another in first-half added time had Caoimhin Kelleher not kept out Barry’s diving header, but with Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall injured and Iliman Ndiaye at the Africa Cup of Nations the burden is all on him to carry the attacking threat. The £40m spent on 19-year-old Tyler Dibling, making his third consecutive start, was a …