Sports
NFL Expects Fewer Kickoff Returns With New Fair Catch Rule Inside 25
EAGAN, Minnesota – With a focus on player safety, the NFL has driven the kickoff return even further into obscurity.
The existence of the kickoff itself is still being investigated.
The league’s owners voted Tuesday to test an upgraded touchback rule for one year, giving the receiving team the ball at its own 25 with a fair catch of a kickoff anyplace behind that yard line.
“There’ll be a lot more work to be done about how we can continue to evolve going forward,” Commissioner Roger Goodell said. “Can we keep this play exciting but, more importantly, safe?” There will be a great deal of work to be done.”
The plan was approved despite strong opposition from coaches and players across the league, who said the alteration would result in uglier plays with squib and corner kicks, making fair receptions hard.
“I’ve been doing this a long time.” “I’ve seen these types of health and safety discussions,” Atlanta Falcons CEO Rich McKay, head of the competition committee, said. “We tend to get ourselves to the right place, but it’s never that comfortable.”
According to the NFL’s statistical projections, the return rate for kickoffs in 2023 will drop from 38% to 31% under the new rule, and the rate of concussions on the sport’s most dangerous play will be cut by 15%. Concussions on kickoffs occur more than twice as frequently as on plays from scrimmage, and the percentage has increased dramatically in the last two years, according to McKay.
With a focus on player safety, the NFL has driven the kickoff return even further into obscurity.
One possible explanation for the recent rise in head injuries? Kickers’ improved ability to tactically hang the ball longer and higher in front of the goal line gives coverage more time to make a tackle and keeps the opponent’s drive starting deeper than the 25 for an end-zone touchback.
“We understand that there will be injuries in professional football and football at all levels.” “We’re just trying to mitigate those risks,” said Tennessee coach Mike Vrabel, a member of the competition committee that recommended the regulation be approved.
The NFL duplicated a regulation that had just been implemented in college football.
“Not to say there won’t be some unintended consequences, but sitting still and doing nothing was unacceptable,” said Jeff Miller, executive vice president of communications, public affairs, and policy for the NFL. “There may be more to come because both kickoff and punt continue to have higher injury rates than run or pass plays — and sometimes by a significant margin.” We need to keep an eye on those plays.”
McKay admitted there is no certainty that the kickoff will always be a game feature. The NFL will continue investigating alternatives, like those utilized in spring leagues. The XFL has only 5 yards between the kicking and returning teams, with movement prohibited until the returner has fielded the ball.
“You don’t want this play to be taken out of the game because special teams has been a really good part of our game and a really good part of the careers of a lot of players and coaches,” McKay said. “It’s popular. We just need to figure out how to make the plays safer.”
With a focus on player safety, the NFL has driven the kickoff return even further into obscurity.
In 2016, the league relocated touchbacks from the 20-yard line to the 25-yard line. Only 53 kickoff returns have resulted in touchdowns in the last 12 seasons since kickoff tees were moved up to the 35-yard line from the 30. Before the modification, there were 20 kickoff return touchdowns in 2010.
“I’m sure it’s like a good NFL rule.” “They always have their reasons for putting stuff in,” said Green Bay’s Keisean Nixon, who recorded one of the four kickoff return touchdowns in the 2022 season. “I ain’t never fair caught anything, so I don’t know.”
Coach Matt Eberflus of Chicago projected a tactical change towards squib, drop, and drive kicks.
“I suspect you’ll see more returns rather than less,” Eberflus said. “That’s just what I’m thinking right now,” she says, “but we’ll see what happens.”
GROWTH ON A GLOBAL SCALE
Goodell showed openness to teams spending more time overseas, with the Jacksonville Jaguars scheduled to play consecutive games in London this year.
“We’ll see how it affects the Jaguars,” Goodell stated. “Can we try three at some point?” Possibly.”
The NFL has expanded its global marketing program to include two additional clubs and four other nations, bringing the totals to 21 and 14, respectively. The New Orleans Saints were awarded the rights to France. Ireland and Northern Ireland were acquired by the Pittsburgh Steelers, who also acquired Mexico last year. Ireland also joined the Jaguars. The Atlanta Falcons are the fifth team to sign Germany. Austria and Switzerland were granted rights to the Kansas City Chiefs, New England Patriots, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The program was created to assist individual teams in developing their brands outside their home markets through commercial activities and fan engagement comparable to what they do at home. The league grants rights for at least five years.
SOURCE – (AP)
The opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics promises to be unlike any other.
In a novelty for the Games, the show will be held on Paris’ famed River Seine rather than in a stadium.
Here is everything you need know about the ceremony…
What to expect from the spectacular opening ceremony.
The eye-catching celebration will take place over a 6km stretch of the Seine. It will start at Austerlitz Bridge and culminate among the gardens, fountains, and palaces in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower at Trocadero.
Almost 100 boats will carry over 10,000 athletes and dignitaries as they cruise past Paris’ prominent monuments such as Notre Dame Cathedral and Pont Neuf.
The boats will transport the parade’s participants as well as the artistic portion of the celebration, which will highlight Paris and France’s history and culture.
The performers’ identities, however, have been kept a mystery.
Thousands of people are still expected to line the river and streets, with millions more watching on television all over the world.
“I’d like to show France in all its diversity,” said Thomas Jolly, the French actor and theatre director appointed as the ceremony’s creative director, a post previously played by Danny Boyle in London 2012.
“Illustrate the richness and plurality shaped by its history, which has been influenced and inspired by the diverse cultures that have passed through it, while itself serving as a source of inspiration.”
The ceremony will also involve the ceremonial opening of the Games, led by French President Emmanuel Macron, as well as the lighting of the Olympic cauldron.
Many of the finer elements have been maintained as a surprise.
What is the date and time of the opening ceremony?
The ceremony will commence at 19:30 local time (18:30 BST) on Friday, July 26.
It is scheduled to take little under four hours, with the last parts taking place as the sun sets over the French city.
Fortunately, the Paris weather forecast for Friday evening is positive.
In what sequence will the nations be introduced?
In accordance with tradition, Greece will be the first nation introduced during the ceremony.
Giannis Antetokounmpo, an NBA star, is one of their flagbearers for the games.
Greece will be followed by the Refugee Olympic Team, with hosts France being the last to be unveiled.
Because of their countries’ involvement in the Ukrainian conflict, Russian and Belarussian athletes participating as individuals will not participate.
How to follow the opening ceremony on BBC.
The opening ceremony will begin live at 17:45 BST on BBC One, BBC iPlayer, and the BBC Sport website and app.
BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Sounds will provide radio coverage beginning at 19:00 BST.
There will also be live text coverage on the BBC Sport website and app, bringing you all the action from Paris.
Source: BBC
Sports
Coco Gauff To Be Female Flag Bearer For US Team At Olympic Opening Ceremony, Joining LeBron James
PARIS — Coco Gauff, a tennis player, will join LeBron James as a flag bearer for the United States Olympic team at Friday’s opening ceremony.
Coco, the reigning US Open winner, is ready to make her Olympic debut at the Paris Games, becoming the first tennis player to carry the American flag. Team USA athletes selected her and James.
“I believe the Olympics are the priority. It’s equal to the Grand Slams. I wouldn’t put it above or below because I’d never played before. “This is my first time,” Gauff explained earlier this year. “I always want to do well and get a medal.”
Coco Gauff | AP News Image
Coco Gauff To Be Female Flag Bearer For US Team At Olympic Opening Ceremony, Joining LeBron James
Coco and James, the 39-year-old NBA’s all-time top scorer, engage in sports outside the traditional Olympic realm and receive media attention year-round rather than every four years.
Coco, 20, joined the American team for the Tokyo Olympics as a youngster three years ago but had to withdraw because she tested positive for COVID-19 just before flying to Japan.
Coco, who now lives in Florida, has won Grand Slam titles in both singles and doubles. She earned her first major triumph in New York in September, defeating Aryna Sabalenka in the singles final of the U.S. Open, and then won her first Grand Slam doubles title at the French Open in June with Czech Republic’s Katerina Siniakova.
The Paris Olympics will be played on the same clay courts at Roland Garros used for the French Open. The bracket draw will take place on Thursday, and play will begin on Saturday.
Coco is seeded second in singles, matching her current WTA ranking behind Poland’s No. 1 Iga Swiatek, and will be one of the medal favorites.
Coco Gauff | AP news Image
Coco Gauff To Be Female Flag Bearer For US Team At Olympic Opening Ceremony, Joining LeBron James
She and her normal doubles partner, Jessica Pegula, are seeded first in the women’s doubles. Gauff may also compete in mixed doubles; however, those pairs have yet to be determined.
“I’m not putting too much pressure on it, because I want to fully enjoy the experience,” Gauff said of her Olympic debut. “Hopefully I can have the experience multiple times in my lifetime, (but) I’ll treat it as a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”
SOURCE | AP
When LeBron James was chosen for his first Olympics in 2004, he was unsure what the opening ceremony entailed.
This time, he’ll be a star of the show.
His fellow American Olympians chose James to be the male flagbearer for the United States at the opening ceremony of the Paris Games on Friday night. He is the third basketball player — and the first men’s player — to carry the United States flag at the start of an Olympics, following Dawn Staley in 2004 and Sue Bird in 2021.
“It’s an incredible honor to represent the United States on this global stage, especially in a moment that can bring the whole world together,” James told reporters. “As a kid from Akron, this responsibility means everything to not only me, but to my family, all the kids in my community, my teammates, other Olympians, and so many more people throughout the country with huge dreams. Sports have the capacity to unite us all, and I’m honored to be a part of this historic occasion.”
The 39-year-old James learned of the distinction Monday in London, just hours before the United States men’s team was supposed to play its final pre-Olympics exhibition game against World Cup champion Germany.
“We understand how much of an honor it is to be in that position and I think Bron’s entire career, on and off the court, speaks for itself as him being worthy of that honor,” Curry said on the video announcing his nomination.
“He has represented what it means to be excellent both on and off the court in his commitment to service and to uplifting the community in all ways that he knows how has been a lifelong passion,” Curry pointed out. “And the work speaks for itself.”
LeBron James Selected As Team USA Male Flagbearer For Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony
The female U.S. flagbearer is anticipated to be revealed on Tuesday. In 2020, the International Olympic Committee announced that country delegations would have two flagbearers at the Olympics’ opening ceremony, one male and one female, to encourage gender equality. The United States is set to send around 600 competitors to the Paris Games, with approximately 53% women.
“Being chosen by your teammates to carry the flag is a tremendous honor—and a testament to LeBron’s passion for Team USA and dedication to his sport,” U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee CEO Sarah Hirshland said.
James, a global icon, four-time NBA champion, and the league’s all-time leading scorer about to begin his record-tying 22nd NBA season, is set to compete in the Olympics for the fourth time, having previously won bronze in 2004, gold in Beijing in 2008, and gold again in London in 2012. He participated in the opening ceremony at his previous three Olympics.
This will be an unprecedented Olympic opening ceremony, with thousands of participants sailing along the River Seine at nightfall toward the Eiffel Tower. According to Olympic officials, the route is a 6-kilometer (3.7-mile) one, with some 320,000 spectators expected to watch from the river bank and an estimated 1 billion more watching on televisions around the world.
LeBron James Selected As Team USA Male Flagbearer For Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony
Not all Olympic athletes attend the opening ceremony; many miss it for logistical reasons, such as having to compete the next day. James and the four-time defending gold champion U.S. men shall begin Olympic competition on Sunday, when they face Serbia in Lille, France.
James and the American Olympians will have to wait longer than virtually any other nation for their voyage on the Seine. According to IOC protocol, Greece will lead the march, with NBA star Giannis Antetokounmpo serving as one of its two flagbearers. The Refugee Olympic Team and over 200 more national delegations will follow. The United States is slated to be next-to-last in the procession because Los Angeles will host the next Summer Olympics in 2028.
As the host, France will be the last nation to participate in the opening ceremony procession. Its men’s basketball team, which includes reigning NBA rookie of the year Victor Wembanyama, begins Olympic competition on Saturday and is not scheduled to attend the opening ceremony.
SOURCE | AP
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