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Flag football catching on and will be featured at the 2028 LA Games, maybe even with NFL players

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:17:06 GMT

DENVER (AP) — Imagine Tyreek Hill catching passes again from Patrick Mahomes. Not in a Super Bowl, either, but with a gold medal on the line for Team USA.Anything’s about to become possible after flag football was elevated to Olympic status. The non-contact sport was added to the program for the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles. Miami’s Hill and Kansas City’s Mahomes are among the NFL players who’ve shown an interest in possibly wearing the red, white and blue in the Olympics.Flag football is a sport many may have grown up playing in the backyard or at recess in elementary school or in gym class or through leagues. In this version of American football, everyone is eligible to catch a pass on offense. And on defense, ending up with a flag is a good thing (it’s how you stop a player). The NFL has jumped on board, too, adding flag football to the league’s Pro Bowl activities. What are the rules?The standard style of the game is five-on-five with no linemen...

Mexico QB Diana Flores leads the charge as women’s flag football makes gains internationally

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:17:06 GMT

Diana Flores has starred in a Super Bowl halftime ad, signed a deal with Under Armour, and even coached girls at a clinic in Morocco.Mexico’s flag football quarterback did not see this coming.“For a Mexican girl who fell in love with a very American sport at the age of 8, I never imagined that all of this could even be a possibility for me,” she said.The possibilities — for Flores and other young women around the world — now also include the Los Angeles Games in 2028 since flag football has been added to the Olympic program.When it comes to gold medals, the women’s side seems better positioned to crack American dominance as NFL fans pencil in Patrick Mahomes and Tyreek Hill for a U.S. dream team in Los Angeles.Mexico routed the United States 39-6 in the women’s final of the 2022 World Games in Birmingham, Alabama, though quarterback Vanita Krouch and the Americans gained some revenge in July with a 26-21 win over Mexico for gold in the Americas tournament of the In...

Football’s top dog: Kirk Herbstreit’s golden retriever Ben has become a fan favorite

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:17:06 GMT

Move over Uga, there’s a new top dog in football.Ben, a golden retriever owned by Kirk Herbstreit, became an instant fan favorite throughout college football and the NFL this season. “It’s crazy, right. It’s been fun. He’s so welcoming to people because it’s been great,” Herbstreit said as he was taking Ben on a walk around the hotel before the Dec. 14 game between the Los Angeles Chargers and Las Vegas Raiders.Football’s two most beloved canines got to meet before the SEC Championship game on Dec. 2. Uga XI and Ben exchanged greetings and got to sniff each other on the sideline in Atlanta.This is the second year Herbstreit has been football’s busiest announcer as the analyst on Amazon Prime Video’s “Thursday Night Football”, part of the crew for ESPN’s “GameDay” and then calling Saturday night college football games on either ESPN or ABC.Besides the hectic schedule, the 10-year-old, 95-pound golden retriever has provided a piece...

North Korea’s Kim vows to bolster war readiness to repel US-led confrontations

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:17:06 GMT

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un called for bolstered war readiness to repel what he said were unprecedented United States-led confrontational moves, state media reported Thursday, as rival South Korea vowed a stern retaliation against any provocations by the North.Kim’s comments during the key political meeting tasked with setting state objectives for 2024 indicated North Korea will likely continue weapons tests to modernize its nuclear arsenal. Observers say Kim likely hopes to eventually use his boosted arsenal as leverage in potential diplomacy with Washington, possibly after the 2024 U.S. presidential election in November.During Wednesday’s second-day session of the ruling party’s plenary meeting, Kim set forth unspecified tasks for the military and the munitions industry to “further accelerate the war preparations” in the face of anti-North Korea “confrontation moves by the U.S. and its vassal forces unprecedented in history,” the official Korean...

China’s Alibaba must face a US toymaker’s lawsuit over sales of allegedly fake Squishmallows

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:17:06 GMT

A judge in New York has ruled that Alibaba must face a lawsuit by a U.S. toymaker alleging that the Chinese ecommerce giant’s online platforms were used to sell counterfeit Squishmallows. Judge Jesse Furman of the Southern District Court of New York refused Alibaba’s request to dismiss the case filed by Kelly Toys Holdings, which makes the popular plush toys. Kelly Toys is owned by Jazwares, a toy company whose parent company Alleghany Corp. is controlled by billionaire Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway. There was no immediate comment by Alibaba, China’s biggest ecommerce company. Among other things, Alibaba based its motion to dismiss on how it was named in the lawsuit as Alibaba.com instead of its formal corporate name. In its complaint, Kelly Toys said sales of faked Squishmallows by merchants using Alibaba sites continued despite earlier lawsuits demanding they be stopped. The company had earlier filed the case to stop about 90 ecommerce companies from selling counterfeit vers...

Beekman scores 17 and Virginia eases past shorthanded Morgan State 79-44

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:17:06 GMT

Virginia guard Reece Beekman (2) plays during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Memphis Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2023, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/Brandon Dill)(AP/Brandon Dill) Virginia guard Reece Beekman (2) plays during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Memphis Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2023, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/Brandon Dill)(AP/Brandon Dill) CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) — Reece Beekman had 17 points and seven assists as Virginia beat shorthanded Morgan State 79-44 on Wednesday night.Beekman had 11 points and five assists in the first half to help build a 43-16 lead. The Cavaliers opened on a 14-5 run as Morgan State went 2 of 9 from the field in the first seven minutes....

OG Anonuby, Pascal Siakam help Raptors snap road slide with 132-102 rout of Wizards

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:17:06 GMT

Washington Wizards guard Bilal Coulibaly, left, Toronto Raptors guard Dennis Schroder, and Washington Wizards forward Eugene Omoruyi try to control the loose ball during the second half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, Dec. 27, 2023, in Washington. Raptors won 132-102. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)(AP/Alex Brandon) Washington Wizards guard Bilal Coulibaly, left, Toronto Raptors guard Dennis Schroder, and Washington Wizards forward Eugene Omoruyi try to control the loose ball during the second half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, Dec. 27, 2023, in Washington. Raptors won 132-102. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)(AP/Alex Brandon) WASHINGTON (AP) — OG Anonuby scored 26 points, Pascal Siakam had 22 points and 11 assists, an...

K’Andre Miller’s 3 points lead Rangers to 5-1 rout of Capitals

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:17:06 GMT

New York Rangers defenseman Braden Schneider (4) works for the puck against Washington Capitals center Evgeny Kuznetsov during the third period of an NHL hockey game Wednesday, Dec. 27, 2023, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)(AP/Adam Hunger) New York Rangers defenseman Braden Schneider (4) works for the puck against Washington Capitals center Evgeny Kuznetsov during the third period of an NHL hockey game Wednesday, Dec. 27, 2023, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)(AP/Adam Hunger) NEW YORK (AP) — K’Andre Miller scored two goals and added an assist to lead the New York Rangers to a 5-1 win over the Washington Capitals on Wednesday night.Igor Shesterkin made 26 saves for New York (24-8-1), which has won five of it...

Denver weather: More sunshine and melting

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:17:06 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) - Thursday will bring mainly sunny skies to most of the state, as mild highs in the 40s in Denver will allow for more melting.Weather today: Mild with sunny skiesMainly sunny skies over the Front Range will help highs climb into the middle 40s, putting temperatures a few degrees above average. Winds will be light through most of the day. Snow from earlier in the week will continue to melt. What does Denver’s weather look like for New Year’s Eve? Pinpoint Weather forecast on Dec. 28, 2023 (KDVR)Weather tonight: Clear and chillySkies are clear Thursday night as chilly lows dip into the lower 20s. Winds are light overnight, out of the southwest at 5-10 mph.Looking ahead: Slight warming, staying dryFriday keeps the abundant sunshine in the forecast with temperatures making it into the lower 50s. Saturday stays the same with plenty of sunshine and mild highs in the lower 50s. Sunday will add a few extra clouds with some light snow in the central mountains (only a few inch...

‘This Barbie is the president,’ says Kosovo’s Vjosa Osmani

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:17:06 GMT

President Barbie might be the real deal after all.Sporting a bright pink blazer on Wednesday, Kosovo’s President Vjosa Osmani had a message to close out a press conference for journalists.“This Barbie is the president,” she said, gesturing at herself as the room erupted in applause.Osmani — who was elected as Kosovo’s second female president in 2021 — has been an advocate for gender equality in the small Balkan country, speaking out against violence against women and presiding over the most gender-equal Cabinet in Kosovo’s history.“In education, sports, culture, business, science or politics, women have demonstrated that they are capable of reaching the heights of success … To all the women and girls of the republic, today and every day: Never stop dreaming, but most importantly, never stop believing,” Osmani said in a statement on International Women’s Day this year.Barbie, the summer 2023 Hollywood blockbuster, has another surprising link to Pristina....