Reuters Sports News Summary

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Red Wings owner responds to fan backlash: ‘I understand it’

The Detroit Red Wings entered Thursday near the bottom of the NHL standings at 1-3-2 (4 points). Captain Dylan Larkin requested a ​trade this summer, and one of their top defensemen remains without a contract. They still don't have a permanent general manager after removing franchise legend ​Steve Yzerman from the role in July.

Shohei Ohtani, homer drought over, eyes return to mound in 2027

LOS ANGELES -- ‌After ending ​his homer drought with a massive blast in his final game of the year, Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani announced his intention to become a two-way player again next season. Dropped to No. 6 in the batting order on Wednesday, Ohtani moved back to the leadoff spot and went deep for the first time since Aug. 18 on Thursday in Game 4 of the National League Championship Series.

NHL roundup: Panthers' Brady Tkachuk caps 2nd straight hat trick in OT

Brady Tkachuk scored twice ‌in the final nine minutes of regulation, then completed his second straight natural hat trick 2:23 into overtime, leading the Florida Panthers to a 3-2 come-from-behind victory over the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday in Sunrise, Fla. Tkachuk is the first player since the Toronto Maple Leafs' Auston Matthews in February 2024 to record a hat trick in back-to-back games. He is the third Panther with a hat trick in consecutive games (Noel Acciari and Pavel Bure) and the second to complete a hat trick in overtime (Aleksander Barkov).

NBA-Knicks chase back-to-back banner in NBA built to stop dynasties

New York has barely stopped celebrating its first NBA title in 53 years, and the Knicks are already chasing a repeat in a league that is ‌built to stop one. The NBA has crowned a record eight different champions in the last eight seasons. Rules that make it tougher to stack a roster with superstars have turned the league into a free-for-all.

Olympics-Dispersed Games to become increasingly common, says USOPC CEO Hirshland

Geographically dispersed Games are well on their way to becoming the ‌norm, USOPC CEO Sarah Hirshland said on Thursday, as the growing scale of the Olympics complicates infrastructure plans for hosts. IOC officials hailed the most recent Milano Cortina Games as a success, despite early concerns over the first spread-out Winter Olympics that had venues scattered over 22,000 kilometres.

Basketball-Euroleague expects rise in value of clubs, competition as NBA eyes Europe

Euroleague Basketball unveiled a 10-year business plan on Friday that forecasts a sharp increase in the value of its clubs and the competition as it presses ahead with expansion after turning down an NBA collaboration offer at a shareholders' assembly this month. Under the plan, which includes a shift to a franchise-based model, the collective value of Euroleague's licensed clubs is projected to triple to €5.4 billion ($6.07 billion) from an estimated €1.8 billion, while the league itself is expected to rise in value to €7.98 billion from €1.4 billion, or 5.7 times ⁠its current estimated value, ​over the next decade.

Vegas bettor pleads guilty to game-fixing, point-shaving schemes

A Las Vegas-based sports bettor, ⁠who was indicted in three high-profile federal gambling cases, pleaded guilty to multiple charges related to betting schemes on Wednesday in federal court in Philadelphia. Shane Hennen's indictments concerned point-shaving and game-fixing schemes for NBA, NCAA and Chinese Basketball Association games between 2022 and 2025.

Amar'e Stoudemire goes from Miami Heat to Miami police officer

Amar'e Stoudemire has traded in his jersey and shorts for a dress uniform and a badge. Now ⁠43, the former All-NBA player and recent enshrinee to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, graduated from the Miami Dade College School of Justice's Basic Law Enforcement Academy on Thursday. He will move into a position as an officer with the county's school police department.

Packers' Josh Jacobs sues to block release of documents, video in case

Attorneys for Green Bay Packers running back Josh Jacobs filed a ​civil suit on Wednesday that seeks a permanent injunction to restrict access to surveillance video and other documents stemming from his May 23 altercation with a woman at his home, according to multiple reports. The suit was filed in Brown County Circuit Court one day after the Hobart- Lawrence (Wis.) Police ⁠Department announced that it had approved the release of certain records, albeit with appropriate redactions, but that a party or parties had appealed that ruling.

Four arrested in shooting of 49ers DE Keion White

Four men have been arrested in connection with February's shooting of 49ers defensive end Keion White at a San Francisco nightclub. San Francisco Police Chief Derrick Lew announced the arrests Wednesday in the incident that occurred around 4 a.m. on Feb. ⁠9 ​at a crowded club in the city's Mission District.

Baseball-Home of MLB's Blue Jays swaps bats for clubs as ballpark transforms into nine-hole golf course

Home runs will be swapped for holes-in-one at the home of Major League Baseball's Toronto Blue Jays when the domed stadium is transformed into a temporary nine-hole golf course in January with shots launched from the stands at greens on the field below. From January 20 to 24, golfers will have the chance to hit from tee blocks set up on various levels of the stadium where last year the Los Angeles Dodgers won a second consecutive World Series.

Soccer-FIFA to amend Article 27 of disciplinary code after Balogun case

FIFA will amend ⁠its disciplinary regulations after controversy over its decision to suspend U.S. forward Folarin Balogun’s automatic World Cup ban, the Belgian Football Association (RBFA) said on Thursday after raising the issue with soccer’s governing body. The decision follows criticism of FIFA’s move to suspend Balogun’s automatic one-match ban for a red card, allowing the striker to play against ⁠Belgium in their last-16 clash.

NFL-League pouring resources into flag football training, development ahead of LA28

The NFL ⁠is developing a tech platform geared toward flag football training, the league's senior vice president for global flag football Brian Flinn said on Thursday, as it continues an aggressive push into the game. The platform will address the training and development gap in the sport, said Flinn, with the non-tackle form of the game seeing a surge in participation ahead of its Olympic debut at LA28.

Golf-Asian Tour postpone Saudi International after Riyadh attacks

The Asian Tour postponed its season-ending Saudi International indefinitely on Friday in the aftermath ‌of a deadly attack on the international airport in Riyadh, ‌where the tournament was scheduled to take place next month. Yemen's Houthi movement has been firing ballistic missiles and drones at Saudi airports, ports and oil installations, including last weekend's attack on ​the capital that killed at least 12 people and wounded more than 300.