Will the anti-American sentiment internationally hinder the NFL? 

When the National Football League’s 31 franchise owners along with the representative of the Green Bay Packers Board of Directors meet in Palm Beach, Florida for the annual owners meeting, there will be a discussion of the league’s global expansion. The NFL has plans to play three games in London, England, one in Dublin, Ireland, one in Madrid, Spain, one in Berlin, Germany and it will return to Brazil in 2025. But with the change in geo-politics how welcoming will Germany and Spain be to the NFL product? Then there is the British Commonwealth. Canada is a member of the British Commonwealth and while the NFL has a desire to be a regular fixture in London and British sports, the American treatment of Canada has gotten the attention of powerful people in London. The NFL also plans to stage a game in Australia in 2026. Australia is also a member of the British Commonwealth. What happens if there is a backlash and the NFL is caught in the geopolitical crosshairs? Does the NFL put a pause on its global expansion?

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell in February said.  “I do think there’s potential that someday we will have an international franchise. If we do, it would not surprise me at all if a Super Bowl follows and is played there.” Given the political climate, the Super Bowl is not going to be played outside of the United States and in fact if there was a return to normalcy, there is no way political leaders would allow the NFL to play the biggest event in American sports on foreign soil. The NFL doesn’t want to pick a fight with Congress on this one. Congress created the Super Bowl in 1966. Goodell wants to see the league play 16 international games a year. Geopolitics will dictate if that is possible.

Evan Weiner’s books are available at iTunes – https://books.apple.com/us/author/evan-weiner/id595575191

Evan can be reached at evan_weiner@hotmail.com

By Fred York and Sean Miller

With just 45 days remaining until the Kentucky Derby, the racing action heats up this weekend with a thrilling lineup at Gulfstream Park and two major Derby prep races: the Jeff Ruby Steaks at Turfway Park on Tapeta and the Louisiana Derby at Fair Grounds on dirt. Let’s dive into the late Pick 5 sequence at Gulfstream before shifting focus to these pivotal Derby qualifiers.

Let ‘Em Run Preview: Gulfstream Park Late Pick 5 & Derby Prep Races

Race 7 – 3:50 PM EST – The Texas Glitter Stakes – 115K – 5 Furlongs (Turf)

• #7 Gabaldon (7-5) – Excellent post position for Jaramillo to dictate the race. A two-back 82 BSF speaks volumes, and he broke his maiden in a stakes race at Gulfstream first out.
• #1 Turbulent Force (4-1) – Shooting for a third straight win; Dylan Davis takes over the reins from Tyler Gaffalione, who is in New Orleans.
• #6 No Evidence (2-1) – Paco Lopez stays aboard this resilient colt, who came back to win his last race impressively. His last effort was a key race, giving him a strong case here.
• Bet: $5 Exacta Key: 7 over 1,6,2 ($15 total)

Race 8 – 4:20 PM EST – Claiming 10K – 5 Furlongs (Synthetic)

• #2 Founder’s Day (3-1) – Tough to close at this distance, but Edgar Zayas knows how to do it. This horse is 4-for-11 on Tapeta but 0-for-3 at this distance.
• #4 Happy Ride (5-2) – Class drop, turn back to 5F, and Paco Lopez in the saddle all point to a strong effort. His last two Tapeta runs at Gulfstream suggest he fits well.

Race 9 – 4:50 PM EST – OC 25K/N1X – 1 1/16 Mile (Turf)

• #7 Without Cause (10-1) – Speed of the speed in the Mark Casse barn, Dylan Davis retains the mount. Should control the pace.
• #5 North End Lady (6-1) – Class dropper with closing ability, broke maiden impressively at Saratoga, working well, and gets a sharp trainer change to David Fawkes (30% off layoffs).
• #6 Vino Rogue (3-1) – Blinkers on, dropping in class, and top BSF in the field. Trainer Anthony Dutrow has her primed for a big effort.
• Bet: $20 W/P on #7

Race 10 – 5:20 PM EST – Claiming 35KB – 5 Furlongs (Synthetic)

• #5 Running Rocket (9-5) – Loves Tapeta and Gulfstream, best races on synthetic, and Junior Alvarado takes the mount. “Look Out”
• #7 Masked Man (8-1) – 28% synthetic trainer Kent Sweezey sends out a horse 2-for-2 on Tapeta.
• #3 Jolly Boss (10-1) – Saffie Joseph enters this speedster with a 7lb apprentice. Wild card.
• Bet: Single #5 in any horizontal wagers (P3, P4, P5)

Race 11 – 5:52 PM EST – MSW 94K – 1 1/16 Mile (Turf)

• #7 Buzz Rocket (6-1) – Big post improvement from last time (post 12). He showed tremendous fight in his last start.
• #6 Golden Channel (3-1) – Strong turf pedigree, had a rough trip last out, and Jersey Joe Bravo stays aboard.
• Bet: $2 Exacta Box: 1,6,7,12

LOUISIANA DERBY/JEFF RUBY PREP RACES

Turfway Park – Race 12 – 6:25 PM EST – Jeff Ruby Steaks – 1 1/8 Mile (All Weather)

This prep race features an overflow field of 13 runners on the Tapeta surface. The morning line favorite, #9 Poster (3-1)with John Velazquez, will likely attract heavy betting. However, I’m taking a shot with #4 Final Gambit (10-1), trained by Brad Cox. He’s a closer who should benefit from a lively pace, and underrated jockey Luan Machado rides him well.

Fair Grounds – Race 12 – 6:42 PM EST – The Louisiana Derby – 1 3/16 Mile (Dirt – G2 – $1M Purse)

This field features familiar names like #1 John Hancock (7-2) and #6 Built (4-1), both expected to be strong contenders. However, I’m siding with #2 Chunk of Gold, a $2,500 purchase who ran a phenomenal race last out despite a rough trip. He finished second behind Built and has the ability to improve.

Final Thoughts

Be sure to tune in on Saturday, 3/22/25, as Sean “The Genius” Miller and Fred York will break down these races further after scratches on our podcast. Thanks for your support, and best of luck at the races!

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Talaysia Cooper had 20 points, six rebounds and four assists, Samara Spencer scored 15 points and fifth-seeded Tennessee routed 12th-seeded South Florida 101-66 on Friday night in a women’s NCAA Tournament first-round game.

Zee Spearman added 13 points and Jewel Spear had 11 for Tennessee (23-9), which advanced to play No. 4 seed Ohio State (26-6) on Sunday. The winner will move on to the Birmingham 3 Regional.

“Our team is at our best when we are playing as a team,” Tennessee coach Kim Caldwell said. “We were able to get something from everyone. I think we had fun. It was a really good stepping stone for us. We had been a little bit off track, and so we needed to kind of get our juice back.”

NCAA South Florida Tennessee Basketball© Joe Maiorana

The Volunteers held a 26-25 lead after the first quarter, which included four ties and six lead changes. But Tennessee outscored South Florida 29-9 in the second quarter to grab control of the game. Spearman and Cooper each had 11 points, with Spearman going 3 for 3 on 3-pointers during the period.

“We just turned our pressure up,” Spencer said of the Vols’ second quarter success. “We knew coming into the game that they really only had one solid ballhandler who was comfortable handling the ball. So we made her turn the ball over some, and then we just made other people have to dribble the ball up the court. That was to our advantage.”

NCAA South Florida Tennessee Basketball© Joe Maiorana

The Vols eventually built their lead as high as 35 points in the fourth quarter. They shot 50% from the floor and 43% on 3s (16 of 37). Eight Tennessee players made at least one 3.

“We’ve had to guard people who have multiple people who can shoot, and sometimes we have a hard time doing that,” Spencer said. “So I know for other people who have to play us, it’s really hard. And especially, we have a lot of people who shoot very high percentages.”

Sammie Puisis had 28 points and seven rebounds for South Florida (23-11). L’or Mputu scored 12 points.

“The first quarter was probably really fun to watch on TV, and then you’ve got to hand it to Tennessee,” South Florida coach Jose Fernandez said. “They shot the ball really well. We’re down one point after a quarter and we had 10 turnovers. When we go into halftime, it’s 16. That’s really tough. You’re giving a very good offensive team extra possessions.”

NCAA South Florida Tennessee Basketball© Joe Maiorana

This was Tennessee’s 164th all-time NCAA Tournament game. The Vols set new school records for made 3s (16) and attempted 3s (37) in an NCAA Tournament game.

NCAA South Florida Tennessee Basketball© Joe Maiorana

Tennessee’s season total of 328 made 3s is also a new Southeastern Conference single-season record.

Takeaways

South Florida: This was USF’s 10th NCAA berth and the program’s fourth in the last five years. The Bulls dropped to 5-10 all-time in NCAA action. They got into the field by winning the American Athletic Conference tournament championship. They had won 12 of their last 14 games.

AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-womens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here.