New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees elicited backlash on Wednesday for saying in a Yahoo News interview that NFL players who kneel during the national anthem to protest racial inequality are "disrespecting the flag of the United States of America."
Why it matters: Brees' comments come in the wake of George Floyd's killing while in police custody last week. Major cities including Washington, D.C., New York City, Los Angeles, Atlanta and Portland have had consecutive days of massive crowds protesting police-related violence against black people.
The Yomiuri Giants, Japan's most famous baseball team, called off a preseason game Wednesday after two players tested positive for coronavirus, per multiple reports.
Why it matters: The 12-team league hopes to open its delayed season on June 19 in empty stadiums, but this news puts that date at risk. And it serves as a reminder that every return-to-play proposal is subject to change based on the wobble of this virus — and that all leagues are one positive test away from their plans going up in smoke.
The world's top 100 highest-paid athletes earned a combined $3.6 billion this year, which is down 9% from last year due to the coronavirus and marks the first decline since 2016, per Forbes' latest ranking.
Roger Federer took the No. 1 spot, edging past Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi to become the first tennis player to top the rankings. He drew $100 million in endorsements from Uniqlo, Mercedes-Benz and others.
High school baseball and softball returned to Iowa on Monday, the first sanctioned high school sports to return since the coronavirus pandemic shut down sports in March.
Details: Practices have resumed with a long list of safety guidelines, including temperature checks, no use of the dugout and the required sanitizing of shared equipment after use.
74 of 123 teams (60%) across the big four American sports leagues issued statements regarding George Floyd's murder and the ensuing nationwide protests as of 12 a.m. ET today.
Why it matters: Teams should be judged by their actions more than their words, but seeing who did and did not acknowledge the biggest story in America gives a sense of what each franchise believes its role — and the role of sports more broadly — should be at a time like this.
