The Mid-American Conference, the first major college football league to postpone its season because of the pandemic, was the final one to jump back in, making it 10 out of 10 conferences that will play in the fall. As university presidents in the Big Ten, Pac-12, and Mountain West have done over the last 10 days, MAC leaders on Friday voted to reverse their August decision to kick football to spring. The MAC cited advancements in COVID-19 antigen testing as key to the change of direction. The conference will begin testing athletes four times per week, starting Oct 5. Play will start Nov. 4, and the championship game will be played Dec. 18 or 19. A full schedule will be released later, along with the conference’s full medical protocols. With UMass saying earlier this week it would attempt to play a small schedule of games this fall, only UConn, New Mexico State, and Old Dominion are on the sideline out of 130 Bowl Subdivision programs. The SEC starts Saturday and the Big Ten is set to kick off Oct. 24.
Swafford rides string of birdies to two-shot lead
A bunch of birdies late carried Hudson Swafford to a 5-under-par 67 for a two-shot lead going into the weekend of the PGA Corales Puntacana Resort and Club Championship at Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. Swafford started on the back nine and it was a largely uneventful morning, except for the hornet that stung him on the joint of his pinky finger while he reached for his putter after playing one hole. After a pair of birdies on the back nine, Swafford ran off three birdies at the end of his round to finish at 12-under 132. Two shots behind were Sean O’Hair (67), a four-time PGA Tour winner who missed an entire year with a torn oblique, former Southern Cal star Justin Suh (67), and Luke List (65). Suh chipped in for birdie on the 17th, and then made an 18-foot par putt on the 18th when his approach rolled off the side of the green into a collection area. Elevated to a full FedEx Cup event for this year, the winner this week gets an invitation to the Masters next April.
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French Open caps spectators at 1,000 per day
With play scheduled to start Sunday, and with COVID-19 infections soaring across France, French Open organizers' plans to have thousands of spectators there each day to cheer for 12-time champion Rafael Nadal, Serena Williams, and others have been drastically scaled back to allow just 1,000 daily visitors. Last Sunday, tournament director Guy Forget appeared on French TV, looking forward to welcoming 5,000 spectators per day. Instead, the office of the French prime minister confirmed that new crowd-size limits introduced this week in Paris and other cities would also apply to Roland Garros … Former Top 10 player Fernando Verdasco said he has been dropped from the French Open because of what he believes is a false positive result on a coronavirus test. The 36-year-old from Spain, currently ranked 58th, had played in 67 consecutive Grand Slam tournaments until missing this year’s US Open. Verdasco wrote on Twitter that he had COVID-19 in August and did not have symptoms. He said that was followed by negative results until he tested positive this week. Verdasco said he asked for another test, but French Open organizers refused. He said he took other, unofficial tests on his own that came up negative … Sixth-ranked Stefanos Tsitsipas reached his first clay-court semifinal in 16 months after beating Dusan Lajovic, 7-6 (7-5), 6-2, at the Hamburg Open in Germany. Tsitsipas will play Christian Garin, a 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 winner over Alexander Bublik.
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Messi continues spat with Barcelona
Lionel Messi criticized the exit of teammate and good friend Luis Suárez, another blow to the damaged relationship between the Argentine soccer star and Barcelona’s leadership. Messi posted a photo of himself with Suárez on Instagram with a message expressing his sadness for his friend’s departure and his anger at how the club transferred him to Atlético Madrid for up to $7 million. Suárez signed a two-year deal with the club after passing a medical exam Friday. He is Barcelona’s third leading scorer with 198 goals and helped the club win 13 titles since arriving in 2014 from Liverpool, including four Spanish league trophies, and the Champions League in 2015.
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MISCELLANY
Japan’s prime minister vows to host Olympics
Japan’s new prime minister said is determined to host the Tokyo Olympic Games next summer as “proof that humanity has defeated the pandemic.” Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said in a prerecorded speech at the United Nations General Assembly that he will “spare no effort in order to welcome you to Games that are safe and secure.” The 2020 Games were postponed as the coronavirus spread worldwide, and there’s been widespread doubt about their future. Surveys have shown that a majority of Japanese companies and the public don’t think the Olympics will, or should, happen next year … Jockeys riding in the Preakness Stakes and other races at Pimlico next weekend in Baltimore must undergo a COVID-19 test within 72 hours of their first mount, the Maryland Jockey Club announced. Riders from out of town will have to leave the track after being tested and self-isolate until notified of their results. Anyone with positive results will be barred from the track. The three days include 16 stakes worth $3.35 million in purses, highlighted by the Preakness on Oct. 3, the final leg of this year’s Triple Crown series … Former Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicali will replace Chase Carey as president and CEO of Formula One from next year. Carey will move into a non-executive chairman role.
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First one out, last one in: MAC announces six-game season - The Boston Globe
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