OLYMPICS

The U.S. won’t be sending any officials to the Olympic Games in China as a protest of human rights abuses. U.S. athletes will be able to compete, however.

HORSE RACING

Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit died from a heart attack after a workout at the Santa Anita racetrack. Medina Spirit, trained by Bob Buffett, tested positive for an anti-inflammatory drug after the Derby. The investigation has been ongoing, and the Derby winner was never disqualified.

FOOTBALL

The New England Patriots threw only three passes (due to 60 mph wind gusts) in their win over the Buffalo Bills on Monday Night Football. Patriots 14, Bills 10

The four finalists for the Heisman Trophy have been announced, with Alabama quarterback Bryce Young as the standout favorite to win. The other finalists are Pittsburgh quarterback Kenny Pickett, Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud, and Michigan defensive lineman Aidan Hutchinson. The winner will be announced Saturday evening at 8:00 pm. ET.

BASKETBALL

Eight teams remain in the NBA Playoffs. In the West, it’s the Jazz vs Clippers and Nuggets vs Suns. In the East, it’s the 76ers vs Hawks (Hawks lead 1-0) and Bucks vs Nets (Nets lead 1-0).

FOOTBALL

The Atlanta Falcons traded receiver Julio Jones to the Tennessee Titans for a selection of draft picks.

BASEBALL

Team USA beat Venezuela and qualified for the Tokyo Olympics. They will join Israel, Japan, Korea, and Mexico in the six-team field on July 27th.

BOXING

YouTube star Logan Paul lasted eight rounds with boxing legend Floyd Mayweather in a pay-per-view exhibition match at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami. The match was purely for entertainment, as there were no judges. Paul weighed in at 189.5 pounds and Mayweather clocked in at 155 pounds.

HORSE RACING

Essential Quality, the betting favorite, won the Belmont Stakes.

BASKETBALL

The legendary college basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski will retire after next season. At 74 years old and with 1,179 wins, 5 national titles, and 12 final fours under his belt, Coach K is known as they winningest coach in college basketball. Jon Scheyer, the current associate head coach, has been named the coach-in-waiting.

In the NBA playoffs, Portland Trailblazer Damian Lillard became the first player in NBA history to score 50 points with 10 assists and 10 three-pointers in a game in a double-overtime loss to the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday night. Lillard ended the night with 55 points and 12 threes, but the team still lost and fell down 3-2 in the series.

In other playoff news, in the Eastern Conference, the Brooklyn Nets, Philadelphia 76ers, Atlanta Hawks and Milwaukee Bucks move on to the second round.

HORSE RACING

Medina Spirit failed a second drug test and could get disqualified as the Kentucky Derby winner.  Trainer Bob Baffert has also been suspended from Churchill Downs and won’t be able to enter any horses at the track for two years.

FOOTBALL

Kelly Kleine signed with the Denver Broncos as the team’s Executive Director of Football Operations, becoming the highest-ranking woman in scouting in the history of the NFL.

Tom Brady will have to look for new digs as the home he’s been renting (from Yankees superstar Derek Jeter) has been sold for $22.5 million.

HORSE RACING

The Belmont racing officials have suspended trainer Bob Baffert from entering any of his horses in the June 5th Stakes race due to allegations of using performance-enhancing drugs on Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit.

HORSE RACING

Rombauer, an 11-1 underdog who did not run in the Kentucky Derby, won the Preakness Stakes on Saturday, beating out controversial Medina Spirit and favorite Midnight Bourbon. The third leg of the Triple Crown, the Belmont Stakes, is June 5th.

BASKETBALL

The NBA regular season is complete and the playoffs begin this week with the play-in rounds. Here’s a link to everything you need to know about the teams. In other NBA news, Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry became the NBA’s scoring leader for the 2020-21 season.

Check out the hysterical Saturday Night Live parody of Michael Jordan (played by Keegan-Michael Key) losing a quarter’s game against bodyguard John Michael Wozniak from the wildly successful documentary Last Dance.

HOCKEY

The NHL playoffs began over the weekend. Here’s a link to the teams and matchups.

TENNIS

Rafael Nadal won his 10th Italian Open by beating Novak Djokovic.

BASKETBALL

Alex Rodriguez and Marc Lore were unable to finalize a deal during their 30-day negotiating window to purchase the Minnesota Timberwolves. The purchase price was set at $1.5 billion, but reports claim that owner Glen Taylor could not agree on a timeline to hand over complete ownership.

HORSE RACING

Medina Spirit’s trainer Bob Baffert claims the Kentucky Derby winner tested positive for a banned anti-inflammatory drug because he was unsuspectingly using an ointment with traces of the drug to treat the horse’s dermatitis. Medina Spirit got permission to run in the second leg of the Triple Crown series, The Preakness Stakes, this Saturday.

BASEBALL

Major League Baseball is urging the city of Oakland to approve a new ballpark for the Athletics. If the city turns them down, MLB suggested the Athletics leave town in search of a better venue. The MLB statement said, “The Oakland Coliseum site is not a viable option for the future vision of baseball. We have instructed the Athletics to begin to explore other markets while they continue to pursue a waterfront ballpark in Oakland. The Athletics need a new ballpark to remain competitive, so it is now in our best interest to also consider other markets.”

BASEBALL

Ex-Mets Manager Bobby Valentine announced he’s running for Mayor of his hometown, Stamford, CT. He stated that his experience leading teams has given him the experience of “navigating challenging circumstances.”

HORSE RACING

The Kentucky Derby winner, Medina Spirit, tested positive for betamethasone, an anti-inflammatory steroid that is only permitted in sanctioned amounts. Trainer Bob Baffert denies the horse has ever been treated with this drug, but if the test is confirmed, Medina Spirit will be stripped of the win (and his chances of winning the Triple Crown), and Mandaloun will be declared the Derby winner.

FOOTBALL

To no one’s surprise, the Jacksonville Jaguars took quarterback Trevor Lawrence with the number one pick in the NFL draft. What many may not know is Lawrence is planning on using his signing bonus ($22,630,055) to invest in cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin, ether, and dogecoin.

In other draft news, the New York Jets shocked many by taking quarterback Zach Wilson, while the San Francisco 49ers also grabbed a quarterback with the #3 pick in Trey Lance. In a big surprise, quarterback Mac Jones dropped from the top five, then was grabbed by the New England Patriots at #15 to back up Cam Newton (who signed a one-year deal this offseason).  For a full recap of the 1st round of the draft, click here.

In an impressive stat for Alabama, the team tied a record set by Miami in 2004 by having six first-round picks.

The big surprise of the draft was when all-star quarterback Aaron Rodgers told the Green Bay Packers he doesn’t want to return to the team. The Packers stated they won’t trade him, but the announcement is causing a major stir.

HORSE RACING

The 147th running of the Kentucky Derby (the first leg of the Triple Crown) will take place on Saturday, May 1st at 6:57 pm ET. In the field of 20 horses, Essential Quality goes off at 2-1 odds. The owners of Hot Rod Charlie, another favorite, have a great story. A group of five college friends from Brown wanted to find a hobby after graduation as a way to keep in touch. They randomly decided to buy a horse, and crazily enough their horse is running in one of the most prestigious sporting events in the world. For the full story, click here.

FOOTBALL

Green Bay Packers’ quarterback Aaron Rodgers went on a tear throwing for four touchdowns in a 34-17 blowout win over the San Francisco 49ers. Unfortunately, the Niners have been racked by injuries and COVID-19 issues and are likely to continue to struggle this season.

The Las Vegas Raiders have been fined a total of $1,185 million in fines so far this season for violations related to COVID-19. Coach Jon Gruden has been fined an additional $150,000 for what ESPN reported as “brazen and repeated violations of [COVID-19] protocols.” Multiple teammates including quarterback Derek Carr were also fined for appearing at a Darren Waller Foundation charity event without masks. The NFL is taking these violations seriously and have even taken away one of their draft picks.

BASKETBALL

The NBA Players Association approved a 72-game season to begin on December 22nd and finish before the start of the Tokyo Olympics this summer.

HORSE RACING

The end of the season $6 million Breeders’ Cup Classic takes place on Saturday night at 5:18 pm ET. Tiz the Law, the winner of the Belmont Stakes and The Travers will be running at 3-1 odds, while the Kentucky Derby winner, Authentic, goes off at 6-1 odds.

FOOTBALL

The New England Patriots vs Kansas City Chiefs game was postponed when it was revealed on Friday night that Pats quarterback Cam Newton tested positive for COVID-19. It’s possible Newton could return in week 5 if after 10 days he tests negative twice or is symptom-free. The Pats/Chiefs came will be played Monday night at 7:05 pm ET.

The Pittsburgh Steelers and Tennessee Titans game was moved to to week 7 after 20 members of the Titans tested positive.

HORSE RACING

Swiss Skydiver won the 145th running of the Preakness Stakes in a dramatic photo finish. The filly is the first female horse to win this event since 2009. Skydiver beat out Kentucky Derby winner Authentic.

BASKETBALL

Jimmy Butler led Miami to a big win over the Lakers on Sunday cutting their deficit to 2-1 and making the series more competitive.  Game 4 will be played on Tuesday.