Friedkin Group completes purchase of Everton and becomes 10th US owner in Premier League
The Texas-based Friedkin Group has completed its 98.8% purchase of Everton. Friedkin has added the storied Premier League club on Thursday to its wide-ranging portfolio of investments that includes Italian team Roma. It ends a long period of huge uncertainty at Everton. It is a nine-time English champion which has been an ever-present in the top division since 1954 but is without a major trophy since 1995. Fronted by Dan Friedkin and his son, Ryan, the group has investments in the automotive industry, entertainment, hospitality and sports. The Friedkins made a fortune distributing Toyotas in Texas. They take over from Everton's majority shareholder, Farhad Moshiri.
Scandals, some changes in public perception highlighted the year for sports betting
Sports bettors in the U.S. are expected to set another record in 2024 for the amount of money wagered legally. That coincides with what has been a year of reckoning for U.S. sports betting, which was rocked by scandals. The bad publicity included Jontay Porter's lifetime ban from the NBA for trading on inside information to fix prop bets, and MLB star Shohei Ohtani's interpreter pleading guilty to bank and tax fraud after prosecutors said he stole nearly $17 million from Ohtani to pay off illegal gambling debts. That, along with an oversaturation of advertising and some low tax benefits in the 38 states that currently allow betting, has contributed to what one expert says is an ongoing moral reboot surrounding the public's attitude about sports betting.
Lindsey Vonn hits back at critics who think she's crazy to return to ski racing at age 40
ST. MORITZ, Switzerland (AP) -- Lindsey Vonn didn't just pop into the hospital one day for a new titanium knee and then decide on the way out that she wanted to return to downhill ski racing. It's been a long and calculated process involving several minor and some major knee surgeries with careful vetting of the medical issues involved. So she's getting fed up with how several of her fellow skiing champions are questioning why she would return to the sport's most dangerous disciplines at such an advanced age. The 40-year-old Vonn says she's "getting pretty tired of people predicting negative things about my future."
AP Exclusive: Pro tennis player Jenson Brooksby talks about living with autism
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) -- American professional tennis player Jenson Brooksby tells The Associated Press he was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder when he was nonverbal at about 2 1/2 years old. Brooksby is getting ready to get back on the tennis tour next month after missing nearly two full years because of injuries, operations and a suspension connected to missed drug tests. He is planning to make his Grand Slam return at the Australian Open, which starts Jan. 12. That was the last tournament he played, back in January 2023, when he upset three-time major finalist Casper Ruud. Brooksby was ranked No. 33 at age 21 in 2022.
Usyk vs. Fury 2: How to watch, betting odds and more about heavyweight title rematch
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) -- The rematch is days away. Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury will go at it again on Saturday night in Saudi Arabia. Usyk won a split decision the first time and became boxing's first undisputed heavyweight champion in 24 years. Since then, Usyk gave up the IBF title now held by Daniel Dubois. So, Usyk's WBC, WBA and WBO belts will be on the line at Kingdom Arena -- the same Riyadh venue that hosted the first meeting in May.
SMU eyes validation, Penn State eyes a breakthrough in College Football Playoff opener
Eleventh-seeded SMU and sixth-seeded Penn State both have plenty to prove when they meet in the first round of the College Football Playoff. The Mustangs stormed their way into the playoff by going unbeaten in conference play in their first year in the ACC. The Nittany Lions are making their first CFP appearance after regularly being just outside the playoff mix for the last decade. The winner advances to face Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl on New Year's Eve.
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.
Pro Picks: Eagles will cruise past the Commanders and Seahawks will upset the Vikings
The setup for two Christmas Day games means two games on Saturday in Week 16. They'll be potential playoff previews. Patrick Mahomes and the two-time defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs host C.J. Stroud and the AFC South champion Texans in the first game Saturday. Then, it's Russell Wilson and the Steelers visiting Lamar Jackson and the Ravens in a battle for the AFC North. Pro Picks likes the favorites in both matchups.
IOC publishes manifestos of 7 candidates running to be president and lead Olympics
GENEVA (AP) -- The International Olympic Committee has published manifestos of the seven candidates running to be its next president. One contender offers to take just half of the eight-year mandate and stand again in 2029. World Athletics president Sebastian Coe pledges to embed "transformative change" then seek re-election ahead of schedule. IOC members elect their president at a March 18-21 meeting in Greece. IOC executive board members Juan Antonio Samaranch Jr. and Prince Feisal al Hussein also want to empower the 111 members and restore their role in choosing Olympic host cities. Also standing are Kirsty Coventry, Johan Eliasch, David Lappartient and Morinari Watanabe.
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.