A look ahead to top enterprise and feature stories planned globally by AP Sports. New digests will go out each Thursday and Monday and will be repeated on other weekdays. Please note that story plans may change depending on news and other issues.
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As with all our operations, we welcome and want your feedback. If you have thoughts or questions about the Sports Showcase Digest or the material listed, please reach out to Oskar Garcia, deputy sports editor for presentation and storytelling, at 215-446-6632 or at ogarcia@ap.org.
All times are Eastern.
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FRIDAY, Oct. 12
BKN--NBA-INTERNATIONAL FOOTPRINT
There was a game earlier this month where an Australian drove past a Slovenian and passed the ball to a man from Cameroon, and all that happened in China. This is what the NBA always envisioned when taking the game to different corners of the globe, and there's no end in sight to the international growth for basketball. By Basketball Writer Tim Reynolds. By Basketball Writer Tim Reynolds. UPCOMING: 900 words, photos by 4 a.m. Friday.
— With: BKN--NBA-International Footprint-Rising Stars. A look at the next wave of international players. By Basketball Writer Tim Reynolds.
SUNDAY, Oct. 14
OLY--SMITH & CARLOS-50 YEARS LATER
When Tommie Smith and John Carlos raised their fists 50 years ago at the Mexico City Olympics, they had a captive audience, back in the age when TV was king and the entire audience was rapt. A half-century later, many of the messages our athletes disseminate are every bit as powerful, but the audience is much more distracted. By National Writer Eddie Pells. UPCOMING: 900 words, photos by 3 a.m. Sunday.
OLY--SMITH & CARLOS-A DIFFERENT CEREMONY
Fifty years ago, Madeline Manning Mims became the first black woman to win the Olympic 800 meters. Her story got overshadowed at the 1968 Mexico City Games by Tommie Smith and John Carlos, who raised black-gloved fists on the medal stand during the national anthem to protest America's social injustices. "That doesn't bother me. It was part of my experience," said Mims, who's now a sports chaplain. By Pat Graham. UPCOMING: 800 words, photos by 3 a.m. Sunday.
MONDAY, Oct. 15
FBC--CONTRACT EXTENSIONS
In the past year, 35 FBS schools have extended the contract of their football coach. Some of those new deals included huge raises, like the $49 million, seven-year contract given to Auburn Coach Gus Malzahn. Others have simply added a year or two with no significant raise. Often extensions are based on an overreaction to results that unlikely to repeated, and schools are overvalue the current coach because searching for a new one is a laborious and risky task. By College Football Writer Ralph D. Russo. UPCOMING: 800 words, photos by 3 a.m. Monday.
WEDNESDAY, Oct. 17
HKN_WOMEN IN HOCKEY
The only issue Sabres president Kim Pegula has with Hayley Wickenheiser becoming the first female hired to an NHL hockey operations job in Toronto is how the Maple Leafs beat Buffalo to the punch. Wickenheiser's hiring last summer and Pegula taking over as hockey's first female team president in May are clear signs women are finally making inroads into what has predominantly been a men-only league. By Hockey Writer John Wawrow. UPCOMING: 950 words, photos by 5 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 17.
HKO--EXPECTING OLYMPIANS
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Everything about 2018 is going almost exactly to plan for Monique Lamoureux-Morando and twin sister Jocelyne Lamoureux-Davidson. First, the sisters helped the United States end a 20-year championship drought at the Olympics by scoring the final goals to clinch gold. Now the twins from North Dakota are expecting their first children and enjoying the maternity leave benefits that are still new for some of the nation's top women's national teams. By Teresa M. Walker. UPCOMING: 820 words, photos, video by 5 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 17.
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Again, if you have questions about the Sports Showcase Digest or the material listed, please reach out to Oskar Garcia at 215-446-6632 or ogarcia@ap.org.
Thanks,
AP Sports
