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Can football be bigger than futbol?

By Rob Maaddi The Associated Press NEW YORK — The king of American sports wants to take over the world. The NFL’s desire to become a global powerhouse is no secret. Growing the brand internationally was a major theme brought up this week at the league meetings. It started with the official announcement that flag football will be part of the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. That’s a big victory for the NFL, which worked hard to grow the sport’s popularity and pushed for its inclusion. “That is an exciting development for us, one that we think will bring a lot of momentum ...

Braves’ fans have seen this before

ATLANTA — The 2020s are starting to feel like the 1990s for the Atlanta Braves. Another dazzling regular season. Another flop in the postseason. After tying a major league record with 307 homers, the slugging Braves went down meekly to the rival Philadelphia Phillies in the National League Division Series for the second year in a row. Other than a stunning comeback in Game 2, when the Braves overcame a four-run deficit with a pair of two-run homers and a remarkable double play for a 5-4 victory, the Phillies dominated the best-of-five series. They handed the Braves their ...

Can Swift bring NFL more fans?

By Howard Fendrich The Associated Press Eager as the National Football League has been to cater to the recent public fixation with Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce, it’s certainly not taking any credit for creating the outsized storyline that has emerged around the pop superstar and the Kansas City Chiefs tight end. “Not orchestrated by the NFL,” league spokesman Brian McCarthy assured The Associated Press with a chuckle during a chat on the phone about what is becoming known as “ Tay Tay and Trav,” a topic few seemed to be able to get enough of initially, whether football ...

NFL needs to address fan violence

By Jim Caltagirone For the Mirror The NFL has a public relations problem. The initial response has been typical. Following a series of high-profile brawls and assorted physical altercations among fans attending games during week two of the season, the television networks began packaging reports on fan violence at NFL stadiums. In textbook fashion, the image-conscious executives in league headquarters recycled the canned press release that emphasizes fan safety as a top priority. The hope is that all the fuss will soon fade away and attention can return to television ...

Braves star will get his shot in spotlight

By Paul Newberry The Associated Press ATLANTA — The last time the Braves made a run to the World Series championship, Ronald Acuna Jr. could only watch. Now, after a historic season that defied all conventional norms of the national pastime, Atlanta’s slugging speedster — or should we say speedy slugger? — has a chance to really shine in the playoffs. October, after all, is where reputations are made for the ages. Acuna has already established himself as baseball’s most thrilling performer, a guy who stormed right on through the 40-40 club — a group occupied by only ...

Pittsburgh offenses submerged

By Bill Contz For the Mirror PITTSBURGH — Here in the Steel City two teams, one college and one pro, share the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex as their practice facility, a venue which lists Water Street as its address. Based on recent performances from Pitt’s Panthers and Pittsburgh’s Steelers, local fans now openly question whether or not both clubs are taking on water. Striking similarities exist between the two, and most are well, downright offensive. Let’s start with these team’s offensive coordinators — gents I’ll refer to as the C&C boys — the Panthers’ ...