ESPN announced on Wednesday that it will be removing longtime basketball reporter Rachel Nichols from all NBA coverage, and her daily show "The Jump" is getting canceled, the Sports Business Journal first reported.
Driving the news: The move comes more than a month after the New York Times released a leaked audio recording of Nichols, who is white, suggesting that her colleague Maria Taylor, who is Black, was chosen to lead ESPN's NBA finals coverage because the network was "feeling pressure" on diversity.
Amid the SEC's growing power, the ACC, Big Ten and Pac-12 announced Tuesday that they have formed an "alliance" to navigate the uncertain future of college athletics.
Details: The three conferences, which include 41 schools across 25 states, agreed to tackle specific topics together — including the future structure of the NCAA and social justice issues — all in the name of unity.
The 2021 MLS All-Star Game kicks off Wednesday night in Los Angeles (9:30p.m. ET, FS1 and Univision), and the stakes are higher than ever, with stars from MLS playing stars from Liga MX (Mexico).
Why it matters: Two leagues squaring off in an All-Star Game in the middle of their seasons is unprecedented. And these aren't any two leagues — MLS and Liga MX are regional rivals.
Cyclist Shawn Morelli won Team USA's first Tokyo Paralympic Games medal in Japan, when she snatched silver in the women's C4 3000-meter individual pursuit on Wednesday.
The big picture: It was a third Paralympics medal for Morelli, who won two golds at the 2016 Rio Games. Australia's Emily Petricola won the gold medal and Canada's Keely Shaw bronze in Wednesday's race.
The Afghanistan national flag was displayed during Tuesday's Paralympics opening ceremony as a "sign of solidarity" after the team was forced to cancel its trip due to the Taliban's takeover of the country.
Driving the news: The flag of Afghanistan was carried into the parade of athletes by a Paralympic volunteer, alongside a representative of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the New York Times reports.
The Tokyo Paralympics officially began on Tuesday as athletes representing 162 countries and a delegation of refugees processed in the parade of nations before the cauldron was lit.
Driving the news: The opening ceremony for the 16th Summer Paralympics took place in a spectator-less stadium and featured a smaller number of athletes compared to years prior as COVID-19 restrictions prohibit athletes from entering the Paralympic Village until five days before their competitions, per the New York Times.
Members of Afghanistan's national women's soccer team and other female athletes were part of an evacuation of 75 people from Kabul on Tuesday, according to international soccer players’ union FIFPRO.
Why it matters: "These young women, both as athletes and activists, have been in a position of danger and on behalf of their peers around the world we thank the international community for coming to their aid," the union said in the statement.
