GLOBAL NEWS

Lindsay Hecox sued the state for the right to compete—putting the Boise State student on the leading edge of the battle for transgender rights. Every night around 7 or 8, Lindsay Hecox goes for a run. As she jogs along the winding, 25-mile Greenbelt path through Boise, her tight blond curls bobbing, she sometimes waves to a group of women, also running. They’ve never met, but the women often return her eye contact. Some smile. “I just recognize the fact that they know , based on their facial expression. This is sort of awkward because I know some of them by face and don’t really know anything about them, like name or personality,” she says. “But they know a lot about me.” Hecox is running past the Boise State women’s cross-country team, the group she’s fighting hard to be able to join when she starts her sophomore year this fall (assuming all goes according to plan with the school’s reopening). As a transgender woman, Hecox, 19, will soon be barred by Idaho from participating in w

Desmond: "With a pregnant wife and four young children who have a lot of questions about what's going on in the world, home is where I need to be." Rockies outfielder Ian Desmond announced on Monday he will sit out the 2020 season, citing family concerns amid the coronavirus pandemic.  Desmond's post also included his "thoughts and experiences as a biracial man in America," noting his responsibility to answer questions from his children regarding "coronavirus and civil rights and life." "The COVID-19 pandemic has made this baseball season one that is a risk that I am not comfortable taking,” Desmond wrote . "With a pregnant wife and four young children who have lots of questions about what's going on in the world, home is where I need to be right now." "Home for my wife, Chelsey. Home to help. Home to guide. Home to answer my older three boys' questions about Coronavirus, Civil Rights and life. Home to be their dad

State Farm Arena will serve as a polling station for Georgia's primary runoff election on Aug. 11. The Hawks will use State Farm Arena as a polling station for Georgia's primary runoff election on Aug. 11, according to ESPN's Kevin Arnovitz . State Farm Arena will also serve as a polling station for early voting before the general election in 2020.  "We were casually brainstorming since our whole world turned about what we can do internally as an organization," Hawks head coach Lloyd Pierce told Aronvitz . "We were trying to figure out how we can take care of home first, and [Atlanta CEO Steve Koonin] pitched the idea." Pierce plans to "encourage" coaches and organizations across the NBA to consider using their arenas as polling stations ahead of the 2020 election. The second-year head coach is a member of the National Basketball Coaches Association's committee on racial injustice and reform. "The focal point tonight is what the

Does 2011 offer a hint about Bill Belichick's interest in Cam Newton? Plus, notes on the QB market, the Patriots' latest penalties, Colin Kaepernick's Netflix doc and Johnny Manziel's comments. Camp opens for most teams a month from yesterday. Or at least it’s supposed to. Here’s what we’ve got for you this afternoon. … • Someone who has worked in New England made a pretty interesting point to me about the Cam Newton signing , as it relates to Bill Belichick’s brand of logic. He told me that in 2011, Belichick told everyone that the one thing that would kill the team early on, post-lockout, was being out of shape, and giving up big plays as a result of it. This guy then said, regarding Newton, “So what better way to pressure on a tired defense than have Cam back there?” And then there’s this—if the Patriots feel like they needed to be a little simpler to play fast on offense, Newton can facilitate that in allowing New England to build more off its run game. Now, I

The Golden Gophers were one of college football’s feel-good stories of 2019 after starting the season 9-0. SI Gambling insider Frankie Taddeo previews the Gophers’ upcoming season win total, Big Ten odds, and reveals his best bet. The Minnesota Gophers had a very successful 11–2 season, culminated by a 31-24 upset victory over SEC power Auburn in the Outback Bowl . Head coach P.J. Fleck piloted the club to a strong 2019 season that has galvanized hefty aspirations in 2020.  On the offensive side of the ball, Minnesota’s will be led by star wideout Rashod Bateman and quarterback Tanner Morgan. The success of the 2020 season will hinge upon the shoulders of Morgan, who sees his name as a sleeper in Heisman Trophy wagering. Morgan will undoubtedly focus on getting the ball to one of the elite receivers in the country in Bateman; as he looks to build on his 60 receptions for 1,219 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2019. Minnesota will have tremendous holes to fill on the defense side of

Even in a down year, the Chicago Bears squeaked out an 8-8 record. In 2020, they could seek a new direction by putting Nick Foles in the huddle over former No. 1 pick Mitch Trubisky. Coaching Staff After a breakthrough season in 2018 (12-4), the Chicago Bears slipped to 8-8 last year because a fade offensively (29th in points scored – 280 and yards gained). They scored 141 fewer points than in 2018 (421). Chicago brought in Matt Nagy to be the head coach after a successful 2017 season as the offensive coordinator for the Chiefs. Nagy had ten seasons of NFL experience working under Andy Reid. He has a 20-12 record over two years as a head coach with one appearance in the playoffs. Bill Lazor takes over as the offensive coordinator after spending 2019 as an analyst for Penn State. He has four seasons of offensive coordinator experience. His NFL career started in 2003 while coaching in the league for 13 years. The Bears’ defense slipped to fourth in points allowed (298) and eighth

Manziel last played football with the AAF's Memphis Express in 2019 before the league folded. Johnny Manziel's days as Johnny Football are likely over. Although he has not officially retired, Manziel told the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal over the weekend that he may never play football again. "In the past, probably, is the way I'd characterize it,” Manziel said of his career. "I've finally got to a point where I'm trying to achieve happiness in life, not happiness on the football field. "I know a lot of people probably want me to come back and play and give it another chance, but I don't know, as far as being a person and figuring out life as a young adult—trying to make it and figure it out—if I've ever been in a better place than I'm in right now. I can honestly say I'm happy and I'm doing the right things to try and put a smile on my face every day, and that means more to me than going out and grinding on a football field.&quo