The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) announced on Wednesday that college athletes at private institutions should be considered employees under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA).
Why it matters: This would allow college athletes to unionize and receive protections from the NLRB, dealing another blow to the NCAA's business model of amateurism.
American swimmer Klete Keller, a two-time Olympic gold medalist, pled guilty in federal court Wednesday to a single charge in connection to his appearance at the Jan. 6 Capitol riot as part of a plea deal, NBC News reports.
Driving the news: Keller, who faced seven federal charges for participating in the Capitol riot, pled guilty to a felony charge of obstructing an official proceeding in exchange for prosecutors dismissing the six other charges, per CNBC.
The NBA announced that unvaccinated players who do not comply with local vaccine mandates will not be paid for the games they miss, ESPN reports.
Why it matters: San Francisco and New York — where the Golden State Warriors, New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets are based — have vaccine mandates in place that require players to be vaccinated before playing in their home arena. Players on those teams who are not vaccinated could miss up to 41 home games next season.
The NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament in 2022 will use the "March Madness" branding that has long been used only for the men's tournament, the NCAA announced Wednesday.
Why it matters: The announcement comes after gender inequities at the men's and women's NCAA basketball tournaments in 2021 sparked national outrage.
Sheriff Tiraspol stunned Real Madrid, 2-1, in Spain's capital on Tuesday, improving to 2-0 in its Champions League debut.
Why it matters: Nobody predicted this from the little-known Moldovan champions. Suddenly, a club from Europe's poorest country is the star of its richest sports competition.
Manny Pacquiao announced Wednesday his retirement from boxing ahead of his run for president of the Philippines next year.
The big picture: The 42-year-old, who's also a Philippines senator, said in a video posted on his Facebook page that it's "difficult for me to accept that my time as a boxer is over." Pacquiao won 12 world titles in a 72-fight career, with 62 wins. He's the only boxer ever to win titles in eight different weight divisions.
The NBA released its tentative health and safety protocols for next season to teams on Tuesday, detailing how different it could be for vaccinated and unvaccinated players, ESPN reports.
Why it matters: Roughly 90% of NBA players are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, per an earlier statement from National Basketball Players Association (NBPA). They would have fewer restrictions under the NBA's plan, but unvaccinated players would have to undergo daily testing including before games, per ESPN.
