Reuters Sports News Summary

Sunday's Super Bowl TV audience lowest in 15 years Sunday's Super Bowl broadcast on CBS attracted an average television audience of about 92 million viewers, roughly 9% below last year's National Football League championship, according to Nielsen data released on Tuesday.

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs. U.S. safety board cites poor pilot decisions as likely cause of Kobe Bryant fatal crash

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) on Tuesday cited the pilot's "poor decision making" as the probable cause of the January 2020 helicopter crash that killed retired NBA star Kobe Bryant, his daughter and seven others, saying the pilot became disoriented and did not follow rules for flying in cloudy weather. The NTSB cited pilot Ara Zobayan's "poor decision to fly in excess of airspeed." It said the weather conditions were inconsistent with adverse weather training and resulted in the pilot's "spatial disorientation and loss of control." Super Bowl betting in Nevada hit by COVID-19 restrictions

The total amount of bets placed in Nevada sportsbooks on this year's Super Bowl was the lowest since 2016 due largely to indoor capacity limits related to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Nevada Gaming Control Board said on Tuesday. Sunday's clash between Tom Brady's Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Patrick Mahomes's Kansas City Chiefs was hyped as the greatest quarterback matchup in Super Bowl history, but fewer tourists in Nevada because of the virus took a toll on betting. Sunday's Super Bowl TV audience lowest in 15 years

Sunday's Super Bowl broadcast on CBS attracted an average television audience of about 92 million viewers, roughly 9% below last year's National Football League championship, according to Nielsen data released on Tuesday. The TV audience for the game on CBS, owned by ViacomCBS Inc, was the lowest since 2006. The figure includes people who watched on televisions at home and in bars and restaurants. Golf: Johnson withdraws from AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am to rest

World number one Dustin Johnson, fresh off his triumph at the European Tour's Saudi International, has withdrawn from this week's AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, his manager said on Tuesday. Johnson, whose latest win marked his ninth European Tour title, felt it would be best to enjoy a week at home before competing at the Feb. 18-21 Genesis Invitational and Feb. 25-28 World Golf Championships at The Concession. Alpine skiing: Double Olympic champion Ligety to retire after Cortina

American Ted Ligety, a double Olympic champion, announced on Tuesday he would retire after racing at the Alpine skiing world championships in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, next week. The 36-year-old said on Instagram that the Feb. 19 giant slalom would be his farewell. Former coach Marty Schottenheimer dies at 77

Longtime NFL head coach Marty Schottenheimer died Monday after a lengthy battle with Alzheimer's disease. Schottenheimer, who was 77, was diagnosed in 2014 and entered hospice care near his home in Charlotte, N.C. last week. Los Angeles Super Bowl aims to bring back hope

Following the first Super Bowl of the COVID-19 era and with vaccine distribution on the rise, preparations are underway to make next year's game in Los Angeles a triumphant return to normal. Sunday's championship game in Tampa and the week leading up to it were unlike any before, with no wacky opening media night, no highly-anticipated concert on the eve of the big game and just 25,000 mask-wearing fans in the stands. Athletics: Tsegay smashes 1500m indoor world record

Ethiopia's Gudaf Tsegay smashed the world indoor 1500m record by over two seconds in Lievin, France on Tuesday, beating Laura Muir, who became the first British woman to break the four-minute barrier when finishing second. Tsegay blew the rest of the field away at the Meeting Hauts-de-France Pas-de-Calais with a blistering time of 3:53.09, taking more than two seconds off the world indoor record set by compatriot Genzebe Dibaba in Karlsruhe in 2014. Malik Beasley sentenced to 120 days for felony conviction

Minnesota Timberwolves guard Malik Beasley on Tuesday was sentenced to 120 days in jail -- to be served following the NBA season -- after he pleaded guilty to the felony of threatening a family with a rifle in September. Beasley, 24, will serve out his sentence at the county workhouse or home confinement, Hennepin County District Judge Hilary Caligiuri ruled. In exchange for his plea to threat of violence/reckless disregard, prosecutors dropped a felony fifth-degree charge of drug possession. Golf: Ryder Cup captain Harrington tests positive for COVID-19

Padraig Harrington, who will captain Team Europe at the Ryder Cup in September, has tested positive for COVID-19 and withdrawn from this week's AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, the PGA Tour said on Tuesday. The 49-year-old Harrington, who missed the cut at last week's Waste Management Phoenix Open after carding rounds of 71 and 73, must self-isolate before he can return to competition, the PGA Tour said in a statement.