AWARDS

Deion Sanders reinvigorated a fanbase and put a downtrodden football program back on the map in his first season at Colorado.

For that, the Buffaloes’ coach was named Sportsperson of the Year by Sports Illustrated.

It was a roller-coaster inaugural season as Sanders took over a 1-11 Colorado team. But it was an entertaining ride, complete with sellouts, celebrities showing up on the Folsom Field sideline, media visits from major networks and of course progress on the field.

The Buffaloes sprinted out of the gate, going 3-0 and becoming the the talk of college football. They finished by losing eight of their last nine to wind up 4-8.

Sanders did things his way, too. He overhauled his roster after his arrival from Jackson State and turned to the transfer portal in order to quickly rebuild. That rubbed some the wrong way.

Not that Sanders cared. He once quipped, “Your opinion of me is not the opinion that I have for myself.” Sanders frequently wears a Colorado sweatshirt that reads: “I ain’t hard 2 find,” a message to highly touted recruits that his door was open.

The Buffaloes are moving from the Pac-12 to the Big 12 next season.

Sanders will be featured on the cover in the Dec. 15 issue.

This marks the seventh time Deion Sanders has appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated, five times as a player and one other time when he was coach at Jackson State.

BASKETBALL

WOMEN’S HALL OF FAME: Former Minnesota Lynx and USA Basketball teammates Maya Moore and Seimone Augustus headline the 2024 Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame class that was announced.

The pair won four WNBA championships with the Lynx and helped the U.S. to Olympic gold medals in 2012 and 2016. Augustus was also part of the 2008 Olympic team that won gold.

Other inductees include former players Taj McWilliams-Franklin and Rita Gail Easterling; former official Violet Palmer, the first woman to referee an NBA game; and coaches Sue Phillips and Mary Scovel.

The Hall of Fame will also recognize Cheyney University as its recipient of the “Trailblazer of the Game.” The Afghan Resettlement Program will receive the “For the Love of the Game” award.

GOLF

LIV: Former PGA champion Jason Dufner, Kevin Chappell and Kyle Stanley are among 73 players who signed up for the LIV Golf Promotions qualifier next week in Abu Dhabi, where three spots are up for grabs to be part of the 2024 rosters.

The PGA Tour had said players would not be suspended for playing the qualifier, although they would need to get a media rights release. Players have to request a release 45 days in advance, which left them no time from when the LIV dates were set and the start of the event.

No players are believed to have received a release for the Dec. 8-10 LIV qualifier.

Still unclear was what punishment, if any, PGA Tour members would face for simply trying to qualify. The media rights release was required because unlike European tour qualifying school, the LIV Golf Promotions events is being streamed by LIV Golf Plus and the LIV Golf YouTube channel.

EUROPEAN TOUR: Swedish golfer Joakim Lagergren shot a bogey-free 7-under 65 to take a one-stroke lead after the first round of the South African Open Championship at Johannesburg.

Lagergren, ranked No. 417, had seven birdies around the Blair Atholl Golf & Equestrian Estate — including a long one at No. 8, his 17th hole, to move into the outright lead.

Casey Jarvis was alone in second place after a 66 and two more South Africans — No. 1,193-ranked Jovan Rebula and Louis de Jager — were in a share of third place a stroke further back with Andy Sullivan of England.

AUSTRALIAN OPEN: Teenage amateur Rachel Lee was almost late to the first tee but finished the first round in a tie for the lead with American Jenny Shin at Sydney.

Lee, 16, had to hurry to start her round after getting the times confused, and she carried momentum to a 6-under 67 at The Lakes Golf Club in a tournament that has men’s and women’s fields and a two-venue format.

Jenny Shin was also 6 under after a 66 at The Australian Golf Club. The pair had a one shot lead over two-time major winner Jiyai Shin of South Korea.
Ashleigh Buhai of South Africa and local Stephanie Kyriacou were in fourth place at 4 under.

Cameron Davis led the men’s field by a stroke at 9 under after an opening 63 at The Lakes. The 2017 champion had an eagle at the par-5 14th and seven birdies to finish one ahead of American Patrick Rodgers. Scotland’s Connor Syme was tied with Rodgers.

FIGURE SKATING

DOPING: There could be yet another delay in the doping case of Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva, with a ruling now potentially coming more than two years since her positive test rocked the Beijing Winter Olympics.

The International Skating Union said in a statement that the Court of Arbitration for Sport “expects to publish its decision” by Feb. 12. After a five-day hearing ended earlier this month, CAS indicated it would publish the verdict in January. No reason was given for the apparent change.

Valieva, who was 15 at the time, tested positive for a banned heart medication in a sample she gave in December 2021, but the result from a lab in Sweden only came back after she had helped the Russian team win gold in the figure skating team event.

The medal ceremony was delayed pending resolution of the case, meaning no medals have yet been awarded to any of the athletes. The United States took silver, Japan the bronze and Canada placed fourth. They could be upgraded if Valieva is disqualified.

SOCCER

MLS: Vancouver Coach Vanni Sartini was suspended by Major League Soccer for the first six games of next season and fined $20,000 for his actions and comments about referee Tim Ford following a 1-0 loss to Los Angeles FC on Nov. 5 that eliminated the Whitecaps from the playoffs.

Sartini called Ford’s performance “disgraceful” and made a joke about being a suspect if Ford were to be found dead. Santini had been given a red card in the fifth minute of second-half stoppage time, triggering an automatic one-game suspension.

Sartini later apologized for his comments.

The league said Sartini must complete a league-approved behavioral assessment and comply with any recommended treatment. He may ask the league to reduce the penalty based on compliance with any recommended treatment.