27 horse racing employees (trainers, veterinarians and others) were charged Monday in a "widespread, corrupt" doping scheme that cheated the betting public and likely contributed to the rise in racetrack fatalities.
The state of play: Among those charged was Jason Servis, the trainer of Maximum Security, the horse that won last year's Kentucky Derby but was disqualified for impeding the path of two other horses.
With TV viewership down, the NBA is weighing all kinds of ideas to rejuvenate its regular season — like fewer games or a midseason tournament — and it's even open to making basketball more of a summer sport.
Driving the news: During a panel at this past weekend's MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference, Atlanta Hawks CEO Steve Koonin proposed starting the NBA season in mid-December rather than mid-October.
The PGA Tour has struck a 9-year rights deal with CBS Sports, NBC Sports and ESPN for around $680 million, Variety reports.
Why it matters: The value of distributing professional golf in the U.S. is increasing as more TV networks clamor to hold live sports rights. In the streaming era, live sports are keeping traditional TV alive.
Pro athletes are diversifying into private equity, after years of focusing most of their alternative investment activities on real estate and tech startups.
The state of play: The driving financier is Mark Patricof, who previously led a media and entertainment-focused investment bank that he sold in 2015 to Houlihan Lokey. His inspiration struck several years ago, when co-hosting a "Shark Tank"-like show with former New England Patriots star Rob Gronkowski, in which winning founders received pro athlete endorsements.
11-year-old Syrian table tennis player Hend Zaza is set to become the youngest athlete at the Tokyo Olympics — and fifth-youngest Olympian in history — after winning a qualification tournament last week.
Fun fact: Hend will likely not be the only 11-year-old at the Games, with pro skateboarder Sky Brown — who is about five months older — expected to compete for Team Great Britain.
The Athletic's Andrew Baggarly caught up with 55-year-old Barry Bonds, who was a guest instructor at the Giants' camp last week.
Why it matters: For much of his public life, the controversial slugger ran from his vulnerable moments, but Baggarly discovered a changed Bonds — "feeling older, feeling ostracized, feeling less relevant" — who was ready to open up.
LeBron James led the Lakers to season-defining wins over the NBA-best Bucks and rival Clippers this weekend, all while playing lockdown defense on reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo and reigning Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard — the two strongest challengers to his throne in recent years.
Why it matters: James' weekend statement may have changed the course of the MVP race, which Antetokounmpo — who will miss at least two games with a sprained knee — has been heavily favored to win for months.
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