Sports Digest: Masters to keep criteria, invite all eligible players in ’23
Augusta National will invite all eligible players for the 2023 Masters. The tournament is by invitation. 16 players with LIV Golf are among the 78 players currently eligible for this year's tournament. Six Masters champions are playing with the Liv Golf. They are Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, Patrick Reed, Sergio Garcia, Bubba Watson and Charl Schwartzel.
Atlanta Dream gave Coach Tanisha Wright and GM Dan Padover five-year contract extensions. Wright was named AP Coach of the Year following her first season in Atlanta. The Dream finished 14-22 after winning only eight games in 2021. Padovers made a trade which gave the team the No. 1 selection in the WNBA draft.
Argentina's World Cup final victory over France was the second most-watched soccer match of any kind in the United States. St. Louis City SC will begin its inaugural season on the road on February 25. The team will play at Austin FC before making its home debut in Week 2 of the 2023 season. Next season's schedule will be highlighted by the debut of St Louis, the 29th MLS franchise.
Ivan Toney has been charged by the English Football Association with 30 more breaches of betting rules. Tony has until January 4 to respond to the charges. He was charged in November with 232 alleged breaches between 2017 and 2021.
Formula One drivers will need FIA permission to display political or religious statements starting in 2023. Lewis Hamilton wore a T-shirt with the statement "Arrest the cops who killed Breonna Taylor" after the Tuscan Grand Prix in 2020. Sebastian Vettel wore the rainbow helmet with a message of diversity and inclusion at the Turkish GP in 2021. The FIA's statutes include a proclamation that the governing body “shall promote the protection of human rights and human dignity”
Kenyan marathoner Diana Kipyokei was banned for six years and stripped of her 2021 Boston Marathon title for doping and tampering. Edna Kiplagat of Kenya has been elevated to winner.
