Oregon State University and the University of Oregon announced they will no longer colloquially refer to their sports rivalry as a "Civil War."
What they're saying: "Changing the name is overdue as it represents a connection to a war fought to perpetuate slavery," OSU President Ed Ray said. "...OSU sports competition should not provide any misconstrued reference to this divisive episode in American history. That we did not act before to change the name was a mistake. We do so now, along with other important actions to advance equal opportunity and justice for all and in recognition that Black Lives Matter."
Baseball players and owners struck a deal earlier this week to begin a shortened season, but there's still no guarantee that games will be played.
Axios Re:Cap, our new afternoon podcast, digs in with Boston Red Sox CEO Sam Kennedy. We also talk to the CEO of grocery giant Albertsons, which went public on Friday, and we share one surprising thing about the big Amazon announcement. All in 10 minutes.
16 of the NBA's 302 players — or 5.3% — tested positive for the coronavirus after league-wide testing, the Players Association announced Friday.
Why it matters: It's the first in a series of regular tests for the players, with the league set to restart on July 30 in Orlando, Florida. Players who participate in voluntary workouts at their team's facilities will also be tested every other day beginning next week, per ESPN.
The National Women's Soccer League will become the first U.S. team sport back in action when it kicks off its 25-game "Challenge Cup" tomorrow.
The intrigue: While leagues like the NBA, MLS and WNBA chose coronavirus-riddled Florida to host their "bubble" operations, the NWSL and two other leagues chose Utah, which has one of the lowest COVID-19 death rates in the U.S.
As universities scramble to survive the financial fallout of the coronavirus, sports teams are being cut, abruptly ending thousands of student-athletes' careers and exposing a collegiate sports model that many believe is broken.
Why it matters: With concern about the fall football season growing by the day, the fear is that the cuts have only just begun.
