Reuters Sports News Summary
Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.
Javelin champion Barber keeping husband-coach busy in lockdown
Home isolation during the coronavirus pandemic has left javelin world champion Kelsey-Lee Barber with fewer chances to practise and none to compete, but the Australian is taking it all in her stride with the help of her husband-coach. Her husband Mike Barber is now much more than a coach and confidant, becoming the 28-year-old's physio, massage therapist and training partner because of social distancing rules preventing her from spending time with anyone else.
UFC announces three comeback cards in Florida after coronavirus hiatus
After several recent cancellations due to the spread of the coronavirus, the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) has announced its comeback with three fight cards in the space of a week at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida. The first event will be the postponed UFC 249 card which was originally scheduled to take place in Brooklyn, New York, on April 18. The main event will feature a much-anticipated interim lightweight title fight between Tony Ferguson and Justin Gaethje, and there will also be a matchup between current holder Henry Cejudo and former champ Dominick Cruz for the bantamweight belt.
Bengals' Burrow ready to compete for starting job
Veteran quarterback Andy Dalton remains on the Cincinnati Bengals roster, for now, but No. 1 overall draft pick Joe Burrow said he's ready to make a run at the starting job. "I'm going to come in and compete and try to be the best player I can be," Burrow said in a teleconference with Cincinnati-area reporters after the Bengals selected him in the draft Thursday night, per ESPN.
First night of draft breaks records for TV viewership, league says
Television viewership for the first round of the NFL Draft broke records, the league said on Friday, with an average of more than 15.6 million tuning in for one of the rare few live sports events left on a professional calendar otherwise frozen during the coronavirus pandemic. Viewership was up 37% over the previous year as Louisiana State University's Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Joe Burrow went first overall to the Cincinnati Bengals, as expected.
Report: Kobe hired camera crew to document final season
A camera crew followed Kobe Bryant in his final season with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2015-16, filming him and teammates in locker rooms on the road and at home, in the training room, at practice and on the team plane, ESPN's Baxter Holmes reported Friday. The videos have started to be edited for a future documentary, similar to "The Last Dance," which chronicles Michael Jordan's final season with the Chicago Bills. According to the report, Bryant reviewed the edited work in progress and gave his input before his death in a helicopter crash on Jan. 26.
Rookie Nadal facing tough test at 'virtual' Madrid Open
When discussing the favourites to win the Madrid Open the first name on most people's lips would usually be claycourt king Rafa Nadal. Things are a little different this year though. The Spaniard, who has won the tournament five times, will have his work cut out when play begins next week, not on the Caja Magica's three red dust courts, but on gaming consoles.
Packers' Bakhtiari on Love pick: Rodgers 'about to be on fire'
Green Bay Packers left tackle David Bakhtiari said he believes the team's selection of quarterback Jordan Love in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft is going to ignite a spark in Aaron Rodgers. In fact, Bakhtiari contends, it's going to do more than that.
2020 NFL Draft: Best available entering Day two
Running backs went nearly untouched during the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft, but the position figures to be a popular one when the draft resumes on Friday night. The top 20 available prospects entering Round 2, per Field Level Media's pre-draft rankings.
Unique 2020 NFL Draft drives record betting handle
The first round of the 2020 NFL Draft shattered viewing records and saw sports-starved bettors flock to get in on Thursday's action. While the telecast of the event conducted remotely due to the coronavirus pandemic averaged more than 15.6 million viewers across platforms, PointsBet USA saw nearly eight times the total bet compared to 2019. Meanwhile, PlaySugarHouse saw more than triple the handle and bet counts in New Jersey on Thursday night than it did for the entirety of last year's draft.
Wilander says time for re-branding of tennis
Seven-time Grand Slam champion Mats Wilander has thrown his support behind Roger Federer's suggestion that the men's ATP Tour and women's WTA Tour could merge. The Swede, now a respected analyst with broadcaster Eurosport, also believes the enforced stoppage of tennis because of the COVID-19 pandemic is the ideal time for some re-branding to attract a new generation of fans.
