The New York Yankees have amended a decades-old policy that stated that players must always be clean-shaven when representing the baseball team. The policy was implemented in the 1970s by former team owner George Steinbrenner.

Now, George’s son and the current managing partner Hal, has changed the policy so that the players are allowed to maintain a “well-groomed beard”.

While some fans might claim that shaving off the old policy is parting ways with tradition, I have a feeling the new policy might just grow on them.

200
The number of people English Premier League club Manchester United could fire, as part of cost-cutting measures. In a statement released on Monday (local time), club CEO Omar Berrada said: "We have a responsibility to put Manchester United in the strongest position to win… we are initiating a wide-ranging series of measures that will transform and renew the club.” Berrada added the club has recorded financial losses for five consecutive years.

"Things got a bit out of hand on Thursday night. I’m happy to move on. I’m embarrassed for myself, our teammates and the NRL. We've dealt with it internally as a club. [Coach Ricky Stuart has] been on the front foot and everything has been dealt with."
Canberra Raiders player Hudson Young after he and his teammate Morgan Smithies were briefly kicked out of a Las Vegas hotel for a scuffle regarding an issue with their rooms. The Raiders are in Las Vegas ahead of this weekend’s fixture against the Warriors, one of four games in the NRL’s U.S. showcase. 

The record for the longest consecutive string of 30+ point NBA games is 65. It’s been held by Wilt Chamberlain since the 1961/62 season. The record held by an active player (and second-best overall) belongs to James Harden, who had a streak of 32 games during the 2018/19 season.

Australian cricketer Ellyse Perry came close to becoming the first player in India’s Women’s Premier League (WPL) to score a century. Perry scored 90 runs off 56 balls as her team, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, were beaten by the Uttar Pradesh Warriorz. The score is the equal fourth-highest in WPL history and marks Perry’s second top-10 score within four days. 

Australian basketball coach Sandy Brondello has committed to coaching the Opals through to the LA 2028 Olympics. Brondello had a stellar 2024, helping the Opals win a bronze medal at the Paris Olympics and guiding the New York Liberty to their first-ever WNBA Championship. Brondello started coaching the Opals in 2017. She said in a statement: "Having represented at six Olympics as a player and now coach, the Opals is such a big part of my life and one that I am most proud of". 

Russian ice hockey player Alex Ovechkin is now just 13 goals shy of breaking the all-time NHL scoring record held by Wayne Gretzky. The 39-year-old moved three goals closer to surpassing the long-standing record with a hat-trick for the Washington Capitals in their 7-3 victory against the Edmonton Oilers on Sunday. The Capitals, who have won 16 consecutive home games, lead the league. Ovechkin has scored 29 goals in 41 games this season. 

Kenyan marathon runner Brimin Kipkorir has been provisionally suspended from competition following a positive test for banned substances.

The suspension comes after a string of impressive results from Kipkorir, including victories at the 2024 Sydney Marathon and two successive titles at the Frankfurt Marathon in 2023 and 2024.

The Athletics Integrity Unit released a statement saying that the 35-year-old had been handed a provisional suspension after he tested positive for two banned substances in an out-of-competition test in November last year. The two substances are EPO, a hormone that stimulates red blood cell production, and furosemide, a diuretic that Sport Integrity Australia says can “flush the system” before an anti-doping test.

Kipkorir is not the only high-profile marathon runner to have failed anti-doping tests in recent years. Fellow Kenyan Diana Kipyokei was banned for six years in 2022 and stripped of her 2021 Boston Marathon title after testing positive for a banned substance.

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The ICC Champions Trophy’s Group Stage continued last night with New Zealand cruising to a five-wicket victory over Bangladesh, claiming their place in the semi-finals. Tonight, Australia will play South Africa in their second of three group-stage matches.

New Zealand won the toss and elected to field. Bangladesh set a total of 237. The Kiwis began by losing the wickets of their top-order batsmen, Will Young (0) and Kane Williamson (5), but were able to correct the innings mainly through Rachin Ravindra’s guidance. Ravindra scored 112 runs off 105 balls and New Zealand reached the required total with just under four overs to spare.

Spin bowler Michael Bracewell was named the Player of the Match for his superb effort with the ball, taking four wickets and conceding just 26 runs.

New Zealand’s victory means that both India and New Zealand will advance from Group A, while Bangladesh and defending champions Pakistan have been eliminated.

The winner of tonight’s match will likely secure the top spot in Group B and a place in the semi-finals. Both teams won their opening matches of the tournament.

Australia will enter the match full of confidence after beating England with a record-setting run chase on the weekend. South Africa faced a less daunting task against Afghanistan but showed their prowess with a dominant 107-run victory.

The last time the two sides played each other was in November 2023, when Australia won by three wickets. That being said, South Africa has won four of the last five matches between the two teams and Australia will be expecting this one to go down to the wire.

The ICC Champions Trophy is held every four years and is contested by the top eight teams in the ICC one-day rankings. The group stage consists of two groups of four teams who play a round-robin. The top two teams in each group then advance to the semi-finals.

The ICC Champions Trophy is being streamed on Amazon Prime in Australia.

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