• IOC: The lighting of the Olympic flame is a symbolic moment that has been a tradition of the Olympic Games since 1936. The Olympic flame that will burn throughout the Olympic Games Paris 2024 will be lit during a ceremony on Tuesday April 16 in a ritual that harks back to the traditions of Ancient Greece. Coverage of the flame lighting ceremony is scheduled to start 4:15 AM EST (10:15 CEST).
• AP Sports: Arizona Coyotes players have been informed the NHL club is expected to relocate to Salt Lake City. The news comes amid buzz that Ryan Smith, owner of the NBA’s Utah Jazz, has been working to acquire an NHL team, a move that could include the league buying the Coyotes from Alex Meruelo and flipping it. The team would play in the Delta Center, home of the NBA’s Jazz, until a new arena could be built. (Full story here.) MLS NYCFC New $800M Pitch
• The WNBA said Iowa guard Caitlin Clark, Stanford forward Cameron Brink, South Carolina center Kamilla Cardoso, Tennessee forward Rickea Jackson and LSU forward Angel Reese headline the list of 15 prospects scheduled to attend the WNBA Draft 2024 presented by State Farm April 15 in the Brooklyn Academy of Music, New York. Other prospects scheduled to attend include guard Marquesha Davis (Mississippi), forward Aaliyah Edwards (Connecticut), guard Dyaisha Fair (Syracuse), center Elizabeth Kitley (Virginia Tech), guard Nika Mühl (Connecticut), guard Charisma Osborne (UCLA), forward Alissa Pili (Utah), forward-center Nyadiew Puoch (Australia), guard Jacy Sheldon (Ohio State), and guard Celeste Taylor (Ohio State).
• CBS Sports and the WNBA have signed a new multi-year agreement that features the most broadcast games for the Network. CBS Sports will present eight regular season games per year on the CBS Television Network beginning with the 2024 season. An additional 12 games will air on CBS Sports Network for the duration of the deal. The new agreement extends the existing five-year partnership with the league.
• ESPN: Tara VanDerveer, the NCAA's winningest basketball coach with 1,216 victories across 45 years, is retiring, Stanford announced Tuesday evening. VanDerveer, 70, has been one of the most illustrious coaches in the sport, winning three national championships (1990, 1992 and 2021) in her 38 seasons at Stanford and guiding them to 14 Final Fours. The Naismith and Women's Basketball Hall of Famer previously coached at Idaho (1978 to 1980) and Ohio State (1980 to 1985).
• The NFL said the Green Bay Packers woud play the Philadelphia Eagles in the legue's first regular season game in Brazil, as part of the 2024 International Games, on Friday, Sept. 6, 2024, also marking the first time the NFL has played a game on Friday night of their opening weekend since 1970 (Cardinals at Rams, Sept. 18, 1970).
The game will be played in São Paulo in the Corinthians Arena, home to Brazilian soccer team SC Corinthians, and will be each team's first game of the 2024 regular season.
NFL Helmets A Head Of The Game NWSL Chicago Red Stars Swing Into Wrigley WrestleMania XL Excels Opill begins the alliance as an associate partner of the 2024 WNBA Draft presented by State Farm on April 15. Baseball Hall Statue To Honor Hank, USPS Stamp To Follow • The NFL will play two games on Christmas 2024 on a rare Wednesday schedule for the league, Hans Schroeder, NFL evp-media distribution, said at the Annual League Meeting. Teams are TBD. • The Chicago Bears will face the Houston Texans in the 2024 Hall of Fame Game on Aug. 1 to begin the NFL’s pre-season during then Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement Week in Canton, Ohio. Broadcast partner is TBD. NWSL, Liga MX Femenil Join For Summer Cup
• Shellee Brown, has launched the James Nathaniel Brown Foundation to honor the legacy of her father, Jim Brown. The JNB Foundation stays consistent with Jim Brown's mission to spur economic progress for African Americans.
• ESPN: Over 150 players at the 2023 Women's World Cup received targeted abuse on social media, with a FIFA report showing that the United States women's national team squad received more than twice the number of discriminatory or threatening posts of any other competing nation. Full story here.
Survey: More Brands Should Increase Support For Women’s Sports
• Robert Kraft, owner of the New England Patriots, has launched through his Foundation to Combat Antisemitism “Stand Up to Jewish Hate,” a $25 million multi-media campaign to “raise awareness nationwide about soaring incidents of antisemitism online and in person.” • AP: Attempted book bans and restrictions at school and public libraries continue to surge, setting a record in 2023, according to a new report from the American Library Assn. Full story here.
