UCLA shoplifting case resolved
According to ESPN, UCLA’s men’s basketball freshman players LiAngelo Ball, Cody Riley and Jalen Hill were accused of shoplifting sunglasses from a Louis Vuitton store in Hangzhou, China on Nov. 7. During President Trump’s two-day visit to Beijing, he asked Xi Jinping, president of China, to look into the case. After a week of investigations, the UCLA freshman were released, returned to Los Angeles on Tuesday Nov. 14 and have since gone back to the university campus. However, following the boys’ release, media personality LaVar Ball, a father of one of the athletes, stated that President Trump did not have as much to do with their release as he’d like Americans to think. Later, on Nov. 19, President Trump iterated his disdain for Ball’s comments by tweeting that he “should have left them in jail!” The Hill reported that on Nov. 25, Ball fired back at the leader stating that he would offer President Trump some shoes so that he could “calm down a little bit.” According to the Washington Post, as of Nov. 15, the athletes have been suspended from the team.
Carlos Beltran announces retirement after 20-year career
On Nov. 13, Carlos Beltran, outfielder for the Houston Astros, announced his retirement in a blogpost on The Players’ Tribune. Throughout his career, Beltran was a nine-time All-Star and hit 435 career home runs. He played for seven professional teams including the Astros, Kansas City Royals and New York Mets. Beltran wrote, “… I am blessed to be a champion. But, now my time as a player has come to an end.”
Timberwolves’ Karl-Anthony Towns advocates for medical marijuana usage
In a Q&A with ESPN, Minnesota Timberwolves power forward, Karl-Anthony Towns, stated the NBA should allow players to use marijuana for medicinal purposes. He brought up this topic when asked what the NBA commissioner should improve upon. “That’s something that Adam Silver has to do … not fully legal, where people are chimneys, but using [marijuana] as a beneficial factor as an athlete, as a person living daily,” Towns said. He mentioned that he hopes to see the legalization of medicinal marijuana usage within the league and in the daily lives of NBA athletes who need it.
Red Sox hall-of-famer Bobby Doerr dies at 99
On Nov. 13, the Red Sox announced that Bobby Doerr, Hall of Fame member, passed away at the age of 99. Doerr was a member of the Pacific Coast League and had his MLB debut in 1937 playing for the Boston Red Sox. After a 14-season career, Doerr retired from the league in 1951. This legendary second baseman was named an All-Star on nine separate occasions including his penultimate season in 1950. Doerr was elected into the Hall of Fame in 1986 and received a World Series ring from the Red Sox in 2004.
Danica Patrick announces her retirement from NASCAR
NASCAR’s best female driver Danica Patrick announced in a conference she is quitting after five full season in the racing circuits. According to The Washington Post, the 35-year-old driver said in between tears that there were some “nudges” that led her to this decision. One of them being some sponsorship issues she faced earlier this year. “I definitely faced situations at the beginning of the year that I’ve never faced before,” Patrick said in her conference. “It made me think about things,” However, she also announced she won’t be fully retired until next year since she is set to participate in the Daytona 500 and Indianapolis 500.
Papa John’s apologizes for recent NFL anthem criticism
On Nov. 13, a representative for Papa John’s pizza responded to the recent interpretations of the company’s opinion regarding the NFL’s management over the “anthem” debate. The company released an informative apology on Twitter stating that, “[they] believe in the right to protest inequality and support the players’ movement to create a new platform for change.” They also iterated their hopes to work with players and the league to find a positive way to move forward. This was all in response to their recent statements where the company’s CEO, John Schnatter, stated that the protests have negatively affected their recent profit margins.
