Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R) announced Saturday that the Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals can host up to 6,000 fans at two home games each scheduled for September and October.
Why it matters: DeWine's approval comes after three NFL teams agreed to host spectators. The Cowboys, Chiefs and Dolphins also promised to have fans in the stands during their first games of the regular season.
As college football kicks off in earnest over the holiday weekend, 77 of the 130 major teams are playing this fall, while the other 53, including the entire Big Ten and Pac-12, have postponed their seasons, AP reports.
The state of play: Players are being COVID-tested three times a week. Positive tests will send players to isolation for at least 10 days and players deemed to be close contacts of those who test positive will face two-week quarantines. Masks must be worn on the sidelines. And with no Big Ten or Pac-12, both of which postponed their seasons and hope to make them up, there'll be no No. 2 Ohio State, No. 7 Penn State or No. 9 Oregon.
The 146th "Run for the Roses" is set for tomorrow (7:01pm ET, NBC), with Churchill Downs hosting 18 hopeful steeds — and zero fans.
The state of play: The Derby hasn't been run outside of May since 1945, and the last time it wasn't the opening Triple Crown race was all the way back in 1931.
Women's soccer will get major U.S. exposure this weekend, with the NWSL kicking off its seven-week "Fall Series" on CBS and the FA Women's Super League (England) beginning its season on NBCSN.
Why it matters: It's an exciting time for the sport, which has grown from four million players worldwide in 2006 to roughly 30 million today, and is still riding the momentum of the 2019 Women's World Cup.
