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☆ MLB, WNBA and NWSL games postponed due to poor air quality in U.S.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] Jun 7, 2023; Bronx, New York, USA; Members of the Yankee Stadium grounds crew wait for word on the status of a game against the Chicago White Sox before the game was ultimately rescheduled due to poor air quality. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY SportsNEW YORK, June 7 (Reuters) - Poor air quality conditions forced the cancellation of Major League Baseball (MLB), National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) and Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) games on Wednesday, as smoke from Canadian wildfires drifted south. MLB postponed games in Philadelphia between the Detroit Tigers and the Phillies and in New York between the Chicago White Sox at the Yankees. "These postponements were determined following conversations throughout the day with medical and weather experts and all of the impacted Clubs regarding clearly hazardous air quality conditions in both cities," MLB said in a statement. A WNBA game in Brooklyn between the Minnesota Lynx and the New York Liberty, which was set to tip off at 7 p.m.

Persons: Brad Penner, Amy Tennery, Toby Davis Organizations: Yankee, Chicago White Sox, YORK, Major League Baseball, Women's Soccer League, National Basketball Association, U.S ., MLB, Detroit Tigers, Phillies, Yankees, Washington Nationals, Arizona Diamondbacks, Gotham FC, Orlando Pride, Aviation Administration, Newark Liberty International, WNBA, Minnesota Lynx, New York Liberty, Thomson Locations: Bronx , New York, USA, U.S, U.S . East Coast, Ohio, Kansas, Philadelphia, New York, Harrison , New Jersey, Brooklyn

☆ ChatGPT, AI Tech Will Worsen America's Loneliness Crisis, Friendship Recession
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( Daniel Cox | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +14 min

And there are definitely areas where AI chatbots could be useful — especially when it comes to business. Artificial IntimacyThe shift toward AI relationships isn't just a theoretical possibility: Some entrepreneurs and companies are already working to create chatbot-driven connections. While it has garnered a lot of attention, CarynAI isn't the first attempt at providing people with companionship through an AI chatbot. Snap recently deployed its own AI chatbot, called My AI, aimed at supplementing social interactions on the app. In researching new AI chatbots, I was struck by the missed opportunity for disconnected people to forge new connections.

Persons: ChatGPT, Derek Thompson, —, you've, Eric Klinenberg, Jenny Leigh, isn't, Caryn Marjorie, Marjorie, Caryn, CarynAI, Replika, Evan Spiegel, Joshua Bote, Zers, Brent Orrell, Daniel Cox Organizations: Pew Research Center, University of Pennsylvania, Software, New York, Washington Post, San Francisco Chronicle, Brown University, Hasbro, Science Foundation, Survey Center, American Enterprise Institute Locations: New York City

☆ AI Tech Like ChatGPT Will Make Americans More Lonely
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( Daniel Cox | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +14 min

☆ PGA Tour-LIV Golf merger is a major win for the Saudis — and Americans are slamming it
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( Natasha Turak | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

It's lured some of the biggest golf stars away from the PGA Tour with huge paychecks, spurring antitrust lawsuits with the American organization. "This is Saudi Arabia buying the PGA tour," sports talk show host Rich Eisen said in his broadcast after hearing the news. USA Today sports columnist Christine Brennan called the move "a total wimp-out by the PGA Tour. Glyn Kirk | AFP | Getty ImagesSocial media was rife with self-described golf fans vowing to never again watch the PGA Tour. Pro golfer Phil Mickelson, another member of the LIV Tour, tweeted "Awesome day today" in response to the news.

Persons: LIV Golf, that's, —, LIV, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, It's, Jay Monahan, Rich Eisen, Pat Welter, it's, Christine Brennan, Tiger Woods, Glyn Kirk, Ron Wyden, Chris Murphy, Jamal Khashoggi, Saudi LIV, Monahan, Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Jim Watson, Bryson DeChambeau, DeChambeau, Phil Mickelson, Jeffries, Yasir Al, Cristiano Ronaldo, Saudi Arabia's, Al Organizations: PGA Tour, Saudi, LIV Players, PGA, Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, Saudi Crown, CNBC, Twitter, 150th, St, AFP, Getty, LIV, Washington Post, Amnesty, Saudi Arabian Crown, Saudi Embassy, Washington D.C, Saudi Foreign Ministry, CNN, Royal, Anadolu Agency, Getty Images Investment, Rumayyan, Nassr Football Club, Al Nassr Football Locations: Saudi Arabia, North Carolina, Saudi, Scotland, Oregon, Connecticut, American, Washington ,, Washington, videoconference, Riyadh, PIF, Portuguese

PinnedThe PGA Tour and LIV Golf, the insurgent league bankrolled by billions of dollars from Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, said on Tuesday that they had agreed to a merger, ending a bitter and costly fight for supremacy of men’s professional golf that had divided top players, everyday fans and corporate sponsors. Now, by merging with the PGA Tour, it has gained a foothold that guarantees it outsize influence in the game’s future. The PIF also will have right of first refusal on new investments in the merged tour, according to the statement announcing the merger. “Going forward, PIF will have the exclusive right to further invest in the new entity, including a right of first refusal on any capital that may be invested in the new entity, including into the PGA Tour, LIV Golf and DP World Tour.” The PGA Tour will appoint a majority of the board, the statement said, and hold a majority voting interest in the combined entity. In a memorandum to PGA Tour players on Tuesday, Monahan said the wealth fund would have a minority position in the new for-profit company that will control men’s golf.

Persons: LIV Golf, bankrolling LIV, “, PIF, LIV, Jay Monahan, we’ve, LIV . Monahan, Yasir al, Monahan, Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson, LIV signees, Graeme McDowell, “ It’s, ” Organizations: PGA, Premier League soccer, Public Investment Fund, PGA Tour, ”, Public Investment, U.S Locations: Saudi, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

☆ PGA and LIV Merger PGA Tour and LIV Golf Agree to Merger
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( Alan Blinder | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

PinnedThe PGA Tour and LIV Golf, the insurgent league bankrolled by billions of dollars from Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, said Tuesday that they had agreed to a merger, ending a bitter fight for supremacy of men’s professional golf that had divided top players, everyday fans and corporate sponsors. The governor of the Saudi fund will become chairman of the joined organization. Monahan is expected to be the new group’s chief executive, with Yasir al-Rumayyan, the wealth fund’s governor, installed as its chairman. The PGA Tour, long the dominant force in professional golf, retaliated by banning any players who joined the new tour from its events. But by midday Tuesday, golf’s era of high-dollar brinkmanship had ended, with promises of “a fair and objective process for any players” looking to return to good standing with the PGA Tour or its European counterpart.

Persons: LIV Golf, LIV, we’ve, ” Jay Monahan, LIV . Monahan, Yasir al, Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson Organizations: PGA, Saudi, Public Investment Fund, PGA Tour, Public Investment Locations: Saudi

☆ A Negro Leagues Star Is Still Sharing His Story
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-04 | by ( Louie Lazar | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The older pastor, wearing a long purple robe, ascended the steps to the pulpit. “God has always had a plan and a purpose for each of our lives,” the Rev. In his dark, silent study down the hall at Bethel Baptist, on a shelf stuffed with old theological books, is a photograph of the 1948 pennant celebration of the Birmingham Black Barons of baseball’s Negro leagues. Greason, 98, is one of baseball’s “forgotten heroes,” according to the Center for Negro League Baseball Research. Seventy-five years ago, he shut down the Kansas City Monarchs in the Negro American League’s championship series and then earned the Black Barons’ only win in the final Negro World Series, which the Black Barons lost to the Homestead Grays.

Persons: William H, Greason, ’, Long, “, Barons ’ Organizations: Bethel Baptist Church, Bethel Baptist, Birmingham Black Barons, baseball’s Negro, Center for Negro League Baseball Research, Kansas City Monarchs, Negro American, Barons, Black Barons, Grays Locations: Birmingham, Ala, Bethel, baseball’s

☆ The Dodgers and the Yankees Finally Look Like Themselves
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-03 | by ( Scott Miller | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The juggernaut franchises faced off in the World Series 11 times between 1941 and 1981. But since then, they had been limited to 16 interleague games against each other heading into this weekend. And the last time they met, the Yankees and the Dodgers didn’t even look the part. The Yankees ripped through the past month, winning 19 of 29 games before Friday and constructing the best record in Major League Baseball since May 2. The Dodgers, after beating the Yankees, 8-4, in Friday night’s series opener, were tied with Arizona for the best record in the National League (35-23).

Persons: “ I’m, ” Gerrit Cole Organizations: Yankees, Dodgers, grays, Major League Baseball, Arizona, National League Locations: New York, Los Angeles

☆ Diamond Sports must pay four MLB teams in full, bankruptcy judge says
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( Lillian Rizzo | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Diamond Sports, the owner of regional sports networks, was ordered this week by a bankruptcy judge to make full media rights payments to four Major League Baseball teams. Diamond had already paid the teams up to 75% of the payments owed earlier in its bankruptcy, court papers show. If Diamond doesn't make the remainder of the payments owed to the teams, those teams can walk away from their contracts with the company, a judge ruled. In particular, Diamond has been pushing to hold the direct-to-consumer streaming rights to all MLB teams that air on its networks. Currently, Diamond has deals with all its NBA and NHL teams, plus a handful of MLB teams for the streaming rights.

Persons: Diamond, Rob Manfred Organizations: Ohio, Bally Sports, Cincinnati Reds, Cleveland Guardians, Progressive, Diamond Sports, Major League Baseball, MLB, Arizona Diamondbacks, Texas Rangers, Minnesota Twins, San Diego Padres, Padres, Federal, Court, Diamond, NBA, NHL, The Athletic, Sinclair Broadcast, Sinclair Locations: Cleveland, Houston

☆ MLB will broadcast San Diego Padres games after Diamond Sports stops payments
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( Lillian Rizzo | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Daniel Camarena of the San Diego Padres hits a grand slam during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Washington Nationals at Petco Park in San Diego, July 8, 2021. The San Diego Padres have a new home base on TV. Major League Baseball will broadcast and produce the team's local games beginning Wednesday, after the owner of Bally Sports San Diego, its regional sports network for local in-market games, dropped the team. On cable TV, Padres games will be available through four providers: Charter Communications ' Spectrum, Cox Communications, DirecTV and AT&T U-verse. MLB said it would increase the reach of local Padres games from about 1.13 million homes to roughly 3.3 million homes.

Persons: Daniel Camarena, Diamond, Manfred, Noah Garden Organizations: San Diego Padres, Washington Nationals, Major League Baseball, Bally Sports San Diego, Diamond Sports, Bally Sports San, Padres, MLB, Diamond, Miami Marlins, Diamond Sports Group, Club, Communications, Cox Communications, DirecTV, Fox Sports, Disney, Fox, Bally Sports, Sinclair Broadcast Group, Sinclair, NBA, NHL, Arizona Diamondbacks Locations: San Diego, Bally Sports San Diego

☆ Amazon introduces palm-scanning technology that would let customers buy a beer without reaching for their wallet at the bar
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( Jordan Hart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Amazon has announced that its Amazon One feature will soon be used to purchase alcohol. The technology allows customers to have their age and payment information accessed by their palm. Irish Haven was a cash-only bar for decades before introducing digital payments in 2020, so Hogan is hesitant to implement palm payments and age verification. Amazon One, Hogan said, could eliminate an important conversation between a bartender and patrons to determine if a person has been drinking prior to visiting his bar. In 2022, Amazon's falter with brick-and-mortar stores led the retail giant to shift its focus to licensing its cashierless technology to third-party retailers.

Persons: —, John McKay, isn't, Matt Hogan, Hogan, hasn't Organizations: Amazon, Coors, Service, Foods, Coors Field, Colorado Rockies Major League Baseball, Colorado Rockies Locations: Denver, Haven

☆ Liam Hendriks returns to the mound after cancer battle
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-30 | by ( Ben Morse | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Chicago White Sox pitcher Liam Hendriks returned to baseball on Monday night after a battle with cancer. I felt good, I felt strong, I felt comfortable out there. Finally, on Monday, the White Sox activated Hendriks from his injury rehabilitation assignment allowing him to return to Major League Baseball action. “Again, this is bigger than baseball, right?” White Sox manager Pedro Grifol said. And how good he was prior to [it] and how good he’s going to be afterward.

☆ DirecTV reaches deal to provide NFL 'Sunday Ticket' to bars and restaurants
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-25 | by ( Alex Sherman | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

DirecTV has struck a multiyear deal to continue broadcasting the National Football League's "Sunday Ticket" package to commercial establishments, including bars and restaurants. The NFL sold the "Sunday Ticket" commercial rights to EverPass Media, a joint venture owned by private equity firm RedBird Capital Partners and the NFL, earlier this year. The companies confirmed the "Sunday Ticket" deal on Thursday afternoon. Bars and restaurants, such as Buffalo Wild Wings and Hooters, rely on "Sunday Ticket" to bring in big crowds on Sundays during the NFL season. The NFL signed a seven-year deal with Google 's YouTube TV for the residential "Sunday Ticket" broadcast rights in December.

☆ It’s Finally (Almost) Summer! Here’s What to Do in New York in June.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-25 | by ( Joshua Needelman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Memorial Day is here, and with it, the unofficial start of summer. Summer is just around the corner, and we’re here to help you navigate all the city has to offer — with some help from expert New Yorkers. (A scheduling note: Unlike in previous years, the Summer in the City newsletter will be monthly this season, with editions coming in late June, July and August that will cover the month following each of those dates. We’ll also be featuring photos by Daniel Arnold, a photographer based in New York. And for eating recommendations, head over to the Where to Eat: New York City newsletter, written by Nikita Richardson, one of our Food editors.)

☆ Manchester City: Pep Guardiola's side lays claim to being Premier League's greatest ever team
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-21 | by ( Matias Grez | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —When all is said and done, it is looking increasingly likely that this iteration of Manchester City will go down as the greatest team in Premier League history. A 'Premier League Champions' banner is revealed outside Manchester City's stadium on Saturday. Catherine Ivill/Getty Images Europe/Getty ImagesIndeed, defender Rúben Dias recently called Guardiola the “main piece” of this City team. Back in February, the Premier League accused Manchester City of more than 100 breaches of the league’s finance rules and referred the club to an independent commission. The Premier League told CNN it had no comment to make on the issue, while Rosen said he wasn’t taking press inquiries.

☆ Analysis: Qatar takes diplomatic back seat as Saudi flexes political muscle
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Andrew Mills | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Qatar has been steadily mending ties with Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. Qatar cast the Syrian National Coalition as a government-in-exile, handing them Syria's Arab League seat and opening the Doha mission in a villa nearby other embassies. Several Gulf states including Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates began backing rebel groups fighting to oust Assad from power. As Syria's anti-Assad movement lost ground, "Saudi Arabia and the UAE shifted their policy most dramatically but Qatar has not," Kamrava said. Qatar initially opposed efforts this spring by Saudi Arabia to galvanise support to readmit Syria to the Arab League following its 2011 suspension.

CNN —South Korean soccer star Son Jun-ho has been arrested in China for allegedly accepting bribes as Beijing clamps down on alleged corruption in the upper ranks of Chinese football. A South Korean Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Tuesday the ministry was aware of Son’s situation and that local Korean diplomatic missions were providing consular assistance. Wang said China would provide South Korean officials with the “necessary facilitation” to perform their consular duties. The Korea Football Association (KFA) said it had written to the Chinese Football Association and the Asian Football Confederation regarding the player on Tuesday but had not yet heard back. Vice President Kim Jeong-bae was checking on Son’s condition with the South Korean Foreign and Sports Ministries, a KFA official told CNN.

☆ Champions League Live Updates: Manchester City vs. Real Madrid
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Tariq Panja | Andrew Das | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Cup and the Champions League. If it is found to have violated those rules, City could be stripped of a string of Premier League triumphs. But that inquiry — ongoing, and cloaked in the strictest secrecy — is specifically related to Premier League rules. That means there appears to be little risk that City would lose the Champions League title if it manages to finally win it. UEFA’s greater enmity these days is actually toward City’s opponent on Wednesday, Real Madrid, which remains a proponent of creating a Super League that would rival the Champions League.

☆ LaLiga in the bag, but Barcelona still face huge problems
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-14 | by ( Fernando Kallas | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

BARCELONA, May 14 (Reuters) - Barcelona may have won the LaLiga title on Sunday, but their outstanding domestic campaign has been somewhat overshadowed by turmoil off the pitch including deepening financial problems and a refereeing scandal that could drag on for years. Spanish prosecutors in March filed a complaint over alleged payments Barcelona made from 2001 to 2018 totalling 7.3 million euros ($8 million) to firms owned by former refereeing official Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira. A Barcelona court has agreed to take on the case. Also in March, European soccer's governing body UEFA opened its own formal investigation into the club, looking into the same payments. FINANCIAL HEADACHESAnd it comes at a time when Barcelona are already facing huge accounting problems related to their massive wage bill, to the COVID-19 pandemic and to the club's 1.6 billion-euro renovation project.

☆ US bankruptcy judge blocks NBA team Phoenix Suns' new TV deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Dietrich Knauth | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

NEW YORK, May 10 (Reuters) - A U.S. bankruptcy judge on Wednesday blocked the NBA's Phoenix Suns from moving ahead with a television and streaming rights deal for its basketball games, saying the team violated the rights of its current broadcast partner, the bankrupt Diamond Sports Group. The Phoenix Suns last month announced they would broadcast future games to television and online streaming through a partnership with Gray Television Inc (GTN.N) and video technology startup Kiswe. The Suns' attorneys argued that its TV deal with Diamond expired with the end of the 2022-2023 regular season, and that the new deal would not interfere with Diamond's rights under its existing contract. "The Suns are saying one thing outside the court and another thing inside it," Lopez said. Financial terms of the Phoenix Suns' contracts with Diamond Sports and with Gray TV were kept sealed in bankruptcy court.

☆ Mets, Phillies set to play series in London next year
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

NEW YORK, May 9 (Reuters) - Major League Baseball (MLB) is expected to send the New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies across the Atlantic Ocean next year for their annual London Series of games, a source with knowledge of the plans told Reuters on Tuesday. The World Series runners up Phillies and their NL East rivals Mets have not officially been announced and plans are still being finalized. Sports Illustrated first reported the two teams would take part in the London Series. The St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago Cubs are expected to play next month at London Stadium, after the league agreed last year to hold "major events" in the UK capital over a span of five years. Reporting by Amy Tennery in New York; Editing by Christian SchmollingerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Joe Kapp, Quarterback Who Led Vikings to Super Bowl IV, Dies at 85
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Richard Goldstein | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Joe Kapp, the rugged quarterback who spent eight seasons in the Canadian Football League before making it to the N.F.L. with the 1967 Minnesota Vikings, then took them to Super Bowl IV in January 1970, died on Monday in San Jose, Calif. His son, J.J. Kapp, said the death, at an assisted living facility, was caused by complications of dementia. In the N.F.L., he gained a reputation for resilience in the face of injury. “I’ve played with cracked ribs and a punctured lung and a torn knee and separated shoulder and a half-dozen other injuries,” he wrote in a first-person article.

☆ As Minor Leaguers Unionized, One Went to Law School
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Scott Miller | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Rowley was 30 and trying to get back to the majors when he realized his improbable journey had run its course. Disappointment over being bypassed in all 40 rounds of the amateur baseball draft after a sterling career at West Point hadn’t stopped him. Nor had a two-year hiatus from baseball while he served as a first lieutenant in the U.S. Army. game for the first time in his life and was the starting — and winning — pitcher for the Toronto Blue Jays. Typically, law school is not one of them.

☆ Sebastian Steudtner has turned to science as he chases the world’s biggest waves
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( Matt Majendie | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +15 min

CNN —Sebastian Steudtner holds the world record for the biggest wave ever surfed. Steudtner holds the world record for the biggest wave ever surfed. Win, win, win or perform, perform, perform. How boring is it to win and win and win? If I want to catch waves, I don’t think about you because you’re in my way, so you’re naturally competitive.

☆ Phoenix homeless camp to be cleared after neighbors sued. What happens to vulnerable residents remains unclear
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( Gabe Cohen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Rayann Denny lives in a tent in a homeless encampment in Phoenix. So for now, the crew of helpers has stepped up its years-old effort to try to get residents off the streets. Katie Hobbs this year vetoed one such bill, saying it only served to make homelessness “less visible.”Debbie and Joe Faillace own the Old Station Sub Shop near where a homeless encampment developed. A person walks through a homeless encampment on April 18 in Phoenix. “I think we have a lot of work to do.”Stefanie Powell, right, lives in a tent at a homeless encampment in Phoenix.

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