Government and politics
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

New York considers allowing some fans at Bills playoff game

By Marina Villeneuve And John Wawrow Dec. 23, 2020 03:35 PM EST
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — The New York health commissioner is considering whether to allow 6,700 fans to attend a rare Buffalo Bills home playoff game if all...

FILE - In this Oct. 26, 2020, file photo, Los Angeles Rams offensive tackle Andrew Whitworth during an NFL football game against the Chicago Bears in Inglewood, Calif. In the wake of the civil unrest this year, Rams players established a social justice fund and veteran tackle Andrew Whitworth pledged to match all his teammates’ contributions. (AP Photo/Kyusung Gong, File)
NFL players take leading role on social justice front

By Barry Wilner Dec. 22, 2020 03:06 PM EST

Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Gardner Minshew II (15) throws a pass as Baltimore Ravens defensive end Derek Wolfe (95) applies pressure during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 20, 2020, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Mayor: Jets' win could be defining moment for woeful Jaguars

By Mark Long Dec. 21, 2020 01:08 PM EST

Green Bay Packers wide receiver Davante Adams (17) catches a pass as Indianapolis Colts cornerback Rock Ya-Sin (26) defends during an NFL game against the Indianapolis Colts, Sunday, Nov. 22, 2020 in Indianapolis. The Colts defeated the Packers 34-31. (Margaret Bowles via AP)
The best clutch coach in the NFL? Look to Kansas City

By The Associated Press Dec. 18, 2020 12:06 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

Green Bay Packers' Aaron Rodgers wears a mask after an NFL football game against the Philadelphia Eagles Sunday, Dec. 6, 2020, in Green Bay, Wis. The Packers won 30-16. (AP Photo/Mike Roemer)
The Latest: SEC championship game to have crowd of 16,500

By The Associated Press Dec. 09, 2020 08:33 AM EST

Former football coach Lou Holtz smiles after receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Donald Trump, in the Oval Office of the White House, Thursday, Dec. 3, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Trump honors football coach Holtz as 'one of the greatest'

By Kevin Freking Dec. 03, 2020 09:46 AM EST

FILE - In this Feb. 19, 2019, file photo, a sign is posted outside of Orchids of Asia Day Spa, in Jupiter, Fla. A Florida appeals court ruled Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2020, that police violated the rights of New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft and others when they secretly video recorded them paying for massage parlor sex acts, barring the tapes' use at trial and dealing a potentially deadly blow to their prosecution. (Hannah Morse/Palm Beach Post via AP, File)
Women plead guilty in sex sting involving Patriots owner

Dec. 01, 2020 05:57 PM EST