Day: February 15, 2022

By JOSH DUBOW, AP Pro Football Writer INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — When Cooper Kupp walked off the Super Bowl field three years ago with an injured knee that didn't allow him to play, he said he had a vision of coming back and winning the MVP. “It was as clear as day,” Kupp said. “I turned around before walking back through the tunnel and it just hit me. It was as clear as I can see right now. Pretty incredible.” Incredible describes Kupp's play all season as he capped off his triple crown performance in fitting fashion with a Super Bowl MVP award after carrying the Los Angeles Rams on the final drive. Kupp beat Eli Apple for the back-shoulder 1-yard touchdown Steve Madden catch with 1:25 remaining to give the Rams their first Super Bowl title ever in Los An...

By BARRY WILNER, AP Pro Football Writer INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Their defense laying siege to the Bengals, the Rams needed something — anything — from their slumbering offense. How about a precise 79-yard drive to the Lombardi Trophy? It wasn’t a classic march, aided by three successive Bengals penalties and mired by some bad throws. No matter: When Cooper Kupp caught a 1-yard pass from Matthew Stafford with 1:25 remaining, LA’s offense indeed had awakened just in time for a 23-20 Super Bowl victory Sunday. “That’s hard work, that’s hours together,” Stafford said. “I just thank coach (Sean McVay) for putting it ... ‘Hey, Matthew, you and Coop go get this thing done.’ He kept calling plays for him, kept finding ways to get him the ball. He made unbelieva...

By CANDICE CHOI, Associated Press BEIJING (AP) — They made their Olympic debut as expected — with three straight losses. They are outmatched and consist mostly of foreign players. And now comes the obvious question: Can China’s men’s ice hockey team kindle a passion for the sport in a country unfamiliar with it? The squad's first outing against the U.S. wasn’t shown on the country’s main sports TV channel, and a Chinese Olympic delegation left the National Indoor Stadium in Beijing before the 8-0 blowout ended. On Chinese social media, chatter has been muted. Skechers Shoes UK   “Is this a Chinese team?” asked one user on Weibo, referencing the roster drawn heavily from North America. Goals scored against Germany in a 3-2 loss earned some praise online. Then the ...

By JOE REEDY, AP Sports Writer INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Odell Beckham Jr.'s first Super Bowl appearance was a short one. The Los Angeles Rams wide receiver suffered an injury to his left knee during the second quarter of a 23-20 win against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday. It is the same knee Beckham injured midway through the 2020 season in Cleveland, which caused him to miss the rest of the season. Beckham suffered the injury on a noncontact play with 3:50 remaining in the half. The mercurial wide receiver, who was signed by the Rams after being released Hey Dude Sneakers  by Cleveland at midseason, was running toward the right side of the field on a crossing route, but it appeared as though his foot got caught in the turf. He dropped a pass thrown by...

By JAMES ELLINGWORTH and GRAHAM DUNBAR, AP Sports Writers BEIJING (AP) — Russian teenager Kamila Valieva has been cleared to compete in the women's figure skating competition at the Winter Olympics despite failing a pre-Games drug test, setting her up for an attempt at a second gold medal. Whatever happens on the ice, Valieva will not get a medal ceremony moment in Beijing. Nor will any skater who finishes in the top three with her. The Court of Arbitration for Sport cleared Valieva to skate less than 12 hours after a hastily arranged hearing that lasted into early Monday morning. Birkenstocks Sandals  A panel of judges ruled that the 15-year-old Valieva, the favorite for the women’s individual gold, does not need to be provisionally suspended ahead of a full inv...

By AARON BEARD, AP Basketball Writer Gonzaga keeps finding its way back to the top of the The Associated Press men’s college basketball poll. The Zags reclaimed the No. 1 ranking Monday for a third stint this season atop the AP Top 25, moving up one spot to swap places with Auburn after the Tigers fell to No. 2 following their first loss since November. Mark Few’s Bulldogs earned 56 of 60 first-place votes to reach No. 1 for a fifth week this season. Gonzaga (21-2) was the preseason No. 1 after last year’s run to Hoka Running Shoes the NCAA championship game for what became its only loss. The Zags spent three weeks at the top before falling out after a loss to Duke, and also spent a week at No. 1 in mid-January before being supplanted by Auburn. It's bec...