SPORTS DIGEST | Hubbard teen competing on golf tour

Hubbard teen competing on golf tour

NEWBURY

Seamus Chrystal of Hubbard competed in the boys 16-19 division in the North Coast Junior Golf Tour. Chrystal posted a 45 on the front nine and a 44 on the back nine for a total score of 89 to finish 16th.

Louisville recruiting strong despite chaos

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Rick Pitino and Louisville officials are preparing their appeal to the sanctions the NCAA levied on them after its escorts investigation.

But one would-be elephant in the room they don’t have to deal with is a postseason ban. That is a reprieve of sorts from the NCAA that allows the program to move forward on the court and the recruiting trail.

There are other sanctions looming one day after the governing body docked the program four scholarships over the next four years, restricted recruiting and suspended Pitino for five Atlantic Coast Conference games. School officials said Thursday they will appeal the penalties.

The university’s self-imposed penalties included a 2016 postseason ban that seems to have had little effect on Louisville’s recruiting standing with an incoming class ranked in the top 10 nationally by several services.

“Everyone’s known what happened, the transgressions that took place, and Louisville’s recruiting has been just as good as it’s ever been,” 247Sports scouting director Jerry Meyer said.

“It’s kind of odd. You think it’d have a negative impact. It just seems logical. But it’s been a very counterintuitive situation.”

Louisville is ranked sixth nationally in composite rankings of recruiting services compiled by 247Sports. Its 2018 class is ranked fourth at this point.

McGregor won’t call fight a sideshow

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Conor McGregor’s fight against Floyd Mayweather Jr. on Aug. 26 has been described by critics as a novelty and a sideshow, among other things.

McGregor’s camp doesn’t care what it’s called, promising only that it’ll be a contest.

“Keep doubting us. We love it,” McGregor’s agent, Audie Attar, said in an interview Friday with Sports News Television. “The human element of sport is that anything can happen.”

Mayweather, who retired in 2015 after winning all his 49 professional fights as a boxer, is back in training at age 40 after accepting an offer he couldn’t refuse from the mixed martial arts fighter who has never had a pro boxing fight.

Las Vegas oddsmakers immediately made Mayweather an 11-1 favorite when the fight — scheduled for 12 rounds in Las Vegas at 154 pounds in a boxing ring and under boxing rules — was announced.

McGregor, the wildly popular UFC star, is 21-3 in UFC fights, and is coming off a win in November against Eddie Alvarez.

FIFA threatens to stop games over gay slurs

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In a bid to rid the World Cup of gay slurs, FIFA will get tough with Latin American fans in Russia.

FIFA has ordered tighter monitoring of offensive incidents at Confederations Cup matches which kick off Saturday, and wants referees to stop play if fans persist.

FIFA secretary general Fatma Samoura said Friday that curbing problems now is “exactly the whole purpose” of anti-discrimination work at the World Cup rehearsal tournament.

“Fans (must) understand that they will be jeopardizing the game by refusing systematically to respect fair play,” Samoura said at a briefing.

Confederations Cup teams Chile and Mexico have been sanctioned by FIFA a combined 17 times for fans’ homophobic chants in the current World Cup qualifying program.

Chants aimed at opposing goalkeepers are rife in South and Central America football, though some insist they are simply part of terrace culture.

“It’s complicated, because for Mexicans it’s not a chant with the intent to offend,” midfielder Miguel Layun said after a training session in Kazan, Russia. “It’s not about racism, it’s a chant that we even use among friends.”

Staff/wire report