Sports News Roundup: 2020 season likely off, league in trouble; NBA 'bubble' plan 'incarceration' and more

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

CFL commish: 2020 season likely off, league in trouble

As part of a request for balloon funding to keep the league in position to play, Canadian Football League commissioner Randy Ambrosie told the House of Commons the 2020 season would "most likely" be canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. CFL ownership and players are scheduled to meet Friday, when a final decision on the regular season could be made.

NBPA president: NBA 'bubble' plan 'incarceration'

Isolating players to resume the NBA season sounds like a closed book if National Basketball Players Association executive director Michele Roberts is telling the story. In an interview with ESPN, Roberts said the conversations around bringing players back from a two-month hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic are evolving into risk mitigation discussions. A call with players is scheduled for Friday, the date the NBA approved certain markets for reopening practice facilities on a limited basis with only a tepid response.

NHL: League postpones games in Europe due to COVID-19

The National Hockey League on Friday scrapped plans to play regular-season games in the Czech Republic and Finland this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic which has already put the current campaign in jeopardy. The NHL Global Series was supposed to have the Boston Bruins and Nashville Predators open their 2020-21 season in October in Prague and the Colorado Avalanche and Columbus Blue Jackets play two regular-season games in Finland later in the year.

NASCAR's U-turn to racing raises flags of uncertainty, change

NASCAR is back. On May 17, the roar of engines - albeit without the roar of the crowd - will return to a NASCAR Cup Series race track. And when the competitors do arrive at Darlington Raceway in South Carolina that Sunday, it will be amid an air of apprehension and uncertainty.

NBA: Raptors to resume training under strict guidelines due to COVID-19

The reigning NBA champions Toronto Raptors said on Friday they will allow players access to the team's training facilities from next week under strict guidelines amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The Raptors, who were third overall when the NBA suspended the 2019-20 season in March until further notice due to the coronavirus, made the announcement shortly after the Ontario government eased restrictions on professional sports teams in the province.

NFL has flexibility to delay '20 schedule

Plans are subject to change during a pandemic, and the NFL is armed with the ability pause or delay the start of the 2020 season. ESPN's Adam Schefter reported the NFL could delay the season by several weeks and still play a full slate. The schedule is also flexible enough to start at any point and play through the resumption of the season if needed.

On this day: Born May 9, 1968: Marie-Jose Perec, French athlete

The greatest French athlete of all time, Marie-Jose Perec will be remembered for gracing the track with her elegant stride, but also for mysteriously walking away from her last Olympics. Nicknamed 'the Gazelle' for her wiry figure and speed, she won the 400 metres gold medal at the Barcelona Olympics in 1992 before claiming a rare 200-400 metres double four years later in Atlanta.

Five substitutions per team to be allowed on temporary basis

Teams will be allowed up to five substitutions per match, instead of the usual three, as a temporary measure to help cope with potential fixture congestion in the aftermath of the novel coronavirus outbreak, FIFA said on Friday. The change in the rules will be allowed in all competitions which are due to finish by the end of this year and it will be up to individual competition organizers whether to implement it.

Michael Jordan's first Air Jordans up for auction at Sotheby's

An autographed and well-worn pair of basketball legend Michael Jordan's Nike shoes hit the auction block at Sotheby's on Friday, in a celebrity-infused test of the market for sneakers as highly-prized collectibles. The Air Jordan 1s, designed for Jordan in 1985 and the first ever signature sneakers, are expected to fetch between $100,000 to $150,000 in the online auction that closes on May 17, Sotheby's in New York said.

Former ABA commissioner Storen dies at 84

Mike Storen, a sports executive who served as commissioner of the American Basketball Association in the 1970s, died Thursday at age 84. His daughter, ESPN broadcaster Hannah Storm, said her father died in Atlanta due to complications from cancer.