The top lawyer at the National Labor Relations Board said athletes at private universities should be considered employees under federal labor law, opening the door for college athletes to potentially unionize in the future. The memo, which was written by Jennifer A. Abruzzo and is not binding, also said universities misclassifying employees as "student-athletes" could leave them open to legal action. (The New York Times)
Tickets for the 2022 Winter Games in Beijing will be sold only to spectators from mainland China in order to have a safe event as scheduled, the International Olympic Committee said on Wednesday. Unvaccinated athletes will have to spend 21 days in quarantine before the games, which begin Feb. 4. (Reuters)
TV host Katie Nolan announced on Twitter that she no longer works for ESPN, ending a four-year stint that included hosting the late-night ESPN+ series "Always Late with Katie Nolan" and a popular podcast titled "Sports? with Katie Nolan." ESPN confirmed her departure. (Variety)
COLLEGE SPORTS
The NCAA's 'March Madness' Basketball Brand Will Now Include Women Rachel Bachman, The Wall Street Journal
The NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament next March will use the "March Madness" branding long associated with the men's tournament, the NCAA announced Wednesday, reversing the association's practice of withholding the slogan from the women's event.
Two Final Fours In One City? Tennis, Olympics Show How It Could Help Women's Tourney Rachel Bachman, The Wall Street Journal
On back-to-back days at the U.S. Open tennis tournament in early September, you could watch 18-year-old Emma Raducanu become the first player to scramble from the play-in rounds to the title; and powerhouse Novak Djokovic failing, in tears, to complete a Grand Slam.
