Sports News Roundup: U.S. safety board cites poor pilot decisions as likely cause of Kobe Bryant fatal crash; Sunday's Super Bowl TV audience lowest in 15 years and more

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." 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."

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.

Andreescu dumped from Australian Open by crafty Hsieh

Bianca Andreescu's comeback after a 15-month absence from tennis ended abruptly in the second round of the Australian Open on Wednesday with a 6-3 6-2 defeat to wily Taiwanese veteran Hsieh Su-wei. Eighth seed Andreescu, one of the 72 players unable to train during hard quarantine in the leadup, attacked with her typical abandon at Rod Laver Arena but found a brick wall in the form of the double-handed Hsieh, who drove the Canadian to distraction with her defence.

Serena sees off Stojanovic to sweep into third round

Serena Williams overcame a spirited Nina Stojanovic 6-3 6-0 on a sun-drenched Rod Laver Arena to reach the third round of the Australian Open for the 19th time on Wednesday. The American, again sporting her distinctive one-legged leotard, needed to find her best game at times in the first set against a Serbian 15 years her junior who was playing in her fourth Grand Slam.

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.

Will Zalatoris 'playing with house money' seeking first PGA Tour win

Will Zalatoris couldn't imagine last summer that he'd be the first player of the week scheduled to speak with the media at one of the PGA Tour's most iconic stops. But that's where the 24-year-old found himself on Tuesday ahead of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am as one of the pre-tournament favorites. It has been a remarkable -- and rapid -- ascent for the former Wake Forest All-America.

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.

MLB adds tip hotline in wake of harassment allegations

After two recent cases of harassment charges leveled at personnel, Major League Baseball added an independently operated tip hotline Tuesday. In a post on its website, MLB wrote, in part, "MLB and its Clubs will continue to strive to create environments in which individuals feel accepted; and when they do not, they feel comfortable speaking up without fear of recrimination, retaliation, or ostracism.

(With inputs from agencies.)