The darker side of the rise of women's sports: With more visibility comes more online harassment

NEW YORK (AP) -- As women's sports set new records for attendance and viewership this year, longtime fans have watched with both optimism and unease. The meteoric rise in popularity propelled by stars like the WNBA's Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese has also revealed strong backlash to this success. It's a cycle female athletes and fans of women's sports have come to recognize: With the increased and sought-after visibility also comes added scrutiny and, often, harassment and online abuse targeting some players. Much of it has been racially motivated and directed at players of color across the sports landscape.

Donald Trump said he wants to ban trans athletes from competing. The reality is more nuanced

President-elect Donald Trump's campaign promise to 'ban' transgender athletes struck a chord with voters. It's uncertain, however, what exactly Trump will do once his second term begins in January. The most immediate action could be to remove Title IX protections for trans-athletes that were introduced by the Biden administration. Several ongoing court battles about the participation of trans-athletes could also shape the near future of the issue.

Brr! Winter adds an old-school challenge to the CFP. Visiting teams insist it's 'snow' problem

Besides first-round games at on-campus sites, the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff also serves up something now for this postseason: cold-weather northern venues as opposed to bowl games in warm, sunny climates. Whether that provides a home-field advantage for sixth-seeded Penn State, No. 7 seed Notre Dame and No. 8 Ohio State remains to be seen, but it's a factor southern schools such No. 11 SMU and No. 9 Tennessee must prepare for. Tenth-seeded Indiana only has to travel a couple hundred miles north to South Bend but December football will be new to the Hoosiers, especially at No. 7 seed Notre Dame.

Caitlin Clark's No. 22 to be retired during February ceremony at Iowa's Carver-Hawkeye Arena

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) -- Caitlin Clark's No. 22 will be retired in a ceremony Feb. 2 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City. Clark finished her college career last season as the all-time leading men's or women's scorer in NCAA Division I history and is widely regarded as a transformational figure in the women's game. The flair of her game and long-distance 3-point shots spawned a legion of fans adorned in her No. 22 jersey at games both home and away. Clark grew up in the Des Moines area and said Iowa holds a place in her heart bigger than just basketball.

23XI Racing and Front Row can compete in NASCAR's 2025 season as chartered teams in legal victory

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- The two teams suing NASCAR over an antitrust complaint have been granted a preliminary injunction that will allow them to compete as chartered teams in 2025. U.S. District Court Judge Kenneth D. Bell says NASCAR fans have an interest in watching all the teams compete with "their best drivers and most competitive teams." 23XI Racing, owned by NBA Hall of Famer Michael Jordan and three-time Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin, and Front Row Motorsports refused in September to sign take-it-or-leave it revenue sharing offers made by NASCAR just 48 hours before the start of the playoffs. NASCAR could appeal.

Formula 1 team Red Bull drops driver Sergio Perez after four seasons

Formula 1 team Red Bull has dropped Sergio Perez after months of poor results. Perez has not won a race since April 2023, even as his teammate Max Verstappen has dominated F1, and the 34-year-old Mexican was rarely competitive this season. Red Bull announced the move Wednesday, terminating Perez's contract two years early, and said a replacement will be announced "in due course." Nicknamed "Checo," Perez started the 2024 season with four podium finishes from the first five races, but he wasn't in the top three since. His last race finish higher than sixth was in May. Verstappen won nine races and his fourth consecutive title this year.

College Football Playoff picks: SMU, Clemson, Vols, Hoosiers beware as CFP opens on campus

SMU could face the biggest adjustment playing in the cold in the College Football Playoff. A 10- to 15-mph northwest wind will make temperatures in the 20s feel like it's in the mid teens in State College, Pennsylvania, on Saturday for SMU's game against Penn State. Cold weather also is in the forecast for Indiana at Notre Dame and Tennessee at Ohio State. Temperatures in the 60s are expected for Clemson's game at Texas. For SMU, its game could be its coldest ever. The lowest temperature at kickoff for the Mustangs was 24 degrees for games in 2013 and 1983.

NFL has a record number of playoff clinches and bottom dwellers with 3 weeks to go

There might by more intrigue in the race for the No. 1 pick than in the race to make the playoffs in the final three weeks. There's already a record number of teams that have clinched a playoff spot with three weeks to play in the NFL season and a record number of teams with three or fewer wins after Week 15 as a league built on parity has become one of haves and have nots. Seven playoff spots have been clinched at this point in the season for the first time ever and the 50% of playoff berths filled are the most with three weeks remaining.

Fred Lorenzen, a NASCAR Hall of Famer and the 1965 Daytona champion, dies at 89

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- Fred Lorenzen, a NASCAR Hall of Famer and the 1965 Daytona champion, died Wednesday. He was 89. NASCAR released a statement saying Lorenzen had died. A cause of death wasn't given, but Lorenzen had been in declining health for years. In 1998, he was named one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers. Lorenzen battled dementia in his later years and pledged his brain to the Concussion Legacy Foundation. The Elmhurst, Illinois, native was one of NASCAR's first stars to hail from outside the sport's Southern roots.

Notre Dame and Indiana get 1st taste of playoff football under the Friday night lights

Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman and Indiana coach Curt Cignetti are football junkies at heart. They enjoy studying film, game prep and Saturday afternoons. They're also deeply fond of playing underneath the Friday night lights. They'll get a chance to relive that memory this week when the 10th-seeded Hoosiers visit the seventh-seeded Fighting Irish in the first Friday night game ever played at Notre Dame Stadium. Freeman will be making his playoff debut as a head coach. Cignetti has playoff experience at different college levels but is making his first appearance in the College Football Playoff.