AN Movie

Less than a week ago, World Cup organizers had to tell major FIFA sponsor Budweiser that their alcohol tents needed to be moved to less visible areas. On Thursday, just three days before the games begin in Qatar, The Times reported that beer will "likely" be banned from all eight stadiums at the request of the Qatari royal family. Alcohol is not technically banned in Qatar, but it is very tightly regulated. If Budweiser can't have any visibility during games, FIFA could be breaching their multimillion dollar contract with Budweiser -- a company that has had a relationship with FIFA since 1985. Before the latest restrictions, beer was expected to be sold at stadiums at around $14 each, and there was going to be a limit of four drinks per order to try to limit binge drinking, as previously reported by The Guardian. Qatar has a zero tolerance policy for drinking in public and being drunk in public.  For now, it seems beer will be available to all fans at the Doha fan parks. ...

For the first time in eight years, the NFL has made the decision to move a regular-season game due to snow.  With an epic snowstorm on the verge of hitting western New York, Sunday's game between the Browns and Bills will be moved from Buffalo to Detroit, the NFL announced Thursday. The game, which will be played at Ford Field, will remain at 1 p.m. ET. The NFL hasn't moved the location of a regular-season game due to snow since November 2014. Eight years ago, a Sunday game between the Jets and Bills got moved to Monday night in Detroit. However, this year's game won't be switching days. The reason the date of the game isn't changing is because there was no way the league was going to be able to make it work with Buffalo's schedule. After their Week 10 game against the Browns, the Bills have to turn around and play a Thanksgiving game against the Lions in Detroit. With the Bills playing just four days later, that means moving the Browns game back to Monday or Tu...

WNBA star Brittney Griner has been taken to a penal colony in the Russian region of Mordovia, her lawyers confirmed Thursday. Griner was sentenced to nine and a half years in August after being found guilty of drug charges. Before Thursday's update, it was known that Griner was being moved from the detention center, but her new location had not been disclosed. "Brittney is doing as well as could be expected and trying to stay strong as she adapts to a new environment," Griner's attorneys, Maria Blagovolina and Alexander Boykov, said in a statement, via CBS News.  They also added that "this is a very challenging period" for Griner.  The Phoenix Mercury center was detained in Russia on Feb. 17 after custom services at an airport found a marijuana concentrate in her luggage. Here is a full explainer on the situation. Reuters was the first outlet to give an update, reporting that a source said she was recently taken to a Female Penal Colony IK-2 in Yavas, about ...

The Devils led by two points in the Hawks’ final possession, and held off the hosts, improving to 3-1 on the season. A pair of freshmen led the Fredonia State offense, as Sarah Seaman put in a 14-point effort, and Amber Louis added 12. Sophomore Renee Park added 11 and five rebounds. Caitlin Snyder grabbed seven boards. The first half was pretty even, with the Hawks holding a 25-23 lead at the break. Hilbert held slight edges in rebounding (23-21), field goals (8-7) and free throws (8-7). The Devils hit two 3-pointers compared to one by the Hawks. Neither team would lead by more than five points. Fredonia State would grab the lead for good midway through the third. Seaman would convert a layup with just over six minutes remaining to give the Devils a 32-31 advantage. The Devils led the entire fourth quarter, but Hilbert would pull within one point on three occasions — the last coming in the final minute. Ashley Schroeder’s layup with 33 ticks left on the clock cut the Fredonia State le...

It's a tranquil fall morning at Shorehaven Golf Club—just not on the patio where Chris Russo is ranting to the delight of a long-time listener, first-time caller. Only I’m not holding a phone but rather sitting next to one of the most popular—and animated—sports-talk-show hosts ever. Russo, better known as “Mad Dog,” has been talking mostly about golf for an hour, but as we start to wrap up a lively conversation, we begin riffing on topics like the recent retirements of Roger Federer and Serena Williams, the greatest NBA teams of all time, and Chris Paul versus Bob Cousy. We disagree on the latter—let’s just say Russo is a staunch defender of the old guard, including old point guards—but I still emerge smiling from the spirited back-and-forth chat like countless callers who have interacted with him through the years. The radio legend’s career first took off in the New York market alongside Mike Francesa on WFAN’s “Mike and the Mad Dog” show. But after that pair’s iconic 19-year run...

More than two years after Maryland voters approved a sports gambling referendum, state officials finally appear poised to allow wagering via mobile device. The Sports Wagering Application Review Commission announced on Monday that it will consider 10 mobile wagering applications at its meeting on Wednesday. Any applicants who are approved — and who satisfy a few final operational requirements — will be allowed to make their apps available to the public and accept online wagers. A date for that has not been set, though officials are hopeful of being ready by Thanksgiving, when three NFL games will be watched by tens of millions of Americans. The 10 applicants up for a vote on Wednesday represent nearly all of the big-name players. Maryland voters approved sports wagering by a 2-1 margin in 2020, but the rollout has been hampered by implementation. Wanting to avoid a repeat of medical cannabis, where white entrepreneurs scooped up all the licenses, state lawmakers crafted legislation in ...

Qatar's decision to launch itself into hosting the 2022 World Cup was a head-scratcher from the start. Why, some wondered, would a Middle Eastern kingdom with fewer than 3 million people and little soccer tradition want to host the sport's biggest event?  Skeptics say the country wanted to use the prestige of the World Cup, which starts Sunday, to remake its image as an oil producer with few international connections and a shaky human-rights record. They viewed the move, which will cost the country some $220 billion, as a classic case of “sportswashing” — using sports as a forum to cast a country or company as different than many people perceive. It is hardly a new concept, and Middle Eastern oil money has long been a major player. Where many see rich nations spending money to join the global elite, other see nefarious attempts to hide undesired reputations. “The Qatar World Cup kickstarted discussion about sportswashing and human rights in football and it has been very steep l...