Ben Nuckols, Author at Daily Hampshire Gazette

PGA Tour chief operating officer Ron Price, left, testifies alongside PGA Tour board member Jimmy Dunne during a Senate Subcommittee on Investigations hearing on the proposed PGA Tour-LIV Golf partnership, Tuesday, July 11, 2023, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

Saudi investment in PGA Tour will top $1 billion. And Norman will exit as LIV’s CEO, tour exec says

by Ben Nuckols Associated PressJuly 11, 2023

WASHINGTON — Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund has agreed to invest more than $1 billion in a new commercial entity controlled by the PGA Tour, and Greg Norman will be ousted as the CEO of LIV Golf if the business deal between the Saudis and the…

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell testifies virtually, Wednesday, June 22, 2022, during a House Oversight Committee hearing on the Washington Commanders' workplace conduct, on Capitol Hill in Washington. Team owner Dan Snyder did not attend the hearing. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Congress alleges ‘shadow’ probe by Commanders owner Snyder

by Ben Nuckols Associated PressJune 22, 2022

Rory McIlroy speaks to reporters at the Wells Fargo Championship golf tournament at TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm, Wednesday, May 4, 2022, in Potomac, Md. (AP Photo/Ben Nuckols)

‘Good vibes’ for Rory McIlroy as he defends at soggy Wells Fargo Championship

by Ben Nuckols Associated PressMay 4, 2022

Giovanni Flores, a student at Rankin Elementary School, competes in the Tupelo Public School Disctict and Lee County Spelling Bee on Thursday, Jan. 14, 2021, at the Civic Auditorium of Tupelo Middle School in Tupelo, Miss. Mason Cordell, a seventh grader at Tupelo Middle School was this year's winner. (Adam Robison/The Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal via AP)

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National Spelling Bee to return in mostly virtual format

by Ben Nuckols Associated PressFebruary 22, 2021

FILE - In this Feb. 11, 2020, file photo, a panel of witnesses, from left, Big 12 Conference Commissioner Bob Bowlsby, National Collegiate Athletic Association President Mark Emmert, University of Kansas Chancellor Dr. Douglas Girod, National College Players Association Executive Director Ramogi Huma and National Collegiate Athletic Association Student-Athlete Advisory Committee Chair Kendall Spencer, listen during a Senate Commerce subcommittee hearing on intercollegiate athlete...

NCAA, Power Five conferences play defense with Democrats controlling Congress

by Ben Nuckols Associated PressJanuary 26, 2021

David Fox, from left, with his sons Dewey and Jimmy put their hands together as they wrap up practicing baseball at a nearby baseball field in northeast Washington, Friday, Aug. 23, 2019. David Fox and his wife, Mary Ann, have a rule for their sons, 11-year-old Dewey and 8-year-old Jimmy: They have to play a team sport. The kids get to choose which one. Dewey tried soccer and Jimmy had a go at flag football, but every spring and fall, their first choice is baseball. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

Put me in, coach: Youth baseball participation on the rise

by Ben Nuckols Associated PressAugust 23, 2019

The co-champions of the 2019 Scripps National Spelling Bee, from left, Sohum Sukhatankar, 13, of Dallas, Texas, Abhijay Kodali, 12, of Flower Mound, Texas, Rohan Raja, 13, of Irving, Texas, Saketh Sundar, 13, of Clarksville, Md., Christopher Serrao, 13, of Whitehouse Station, N.J., Rishik Gandhasri, 13, of San Jose, Calif., Erin Howard, 14, of Huntsville, Ala., and Shruthika Padhy, 13, of Cherry Hill, N.J., celebrate in Oxon Hill, Md., Friday, May 31, 2019. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

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National Spelling Bee too easy for octet of champs

by Ben Nuckols Associated PressJune 1, 2019

In this photograph taken with a fisheye lens, the exterior view of Capital One Arena is seen, Saturday, March 16, 2019, in Washington. As the NCAA prepares to stage its first basketball championships since the Supreme Court allowed legal sports betting in any state that wants it, the organization remains opposed to gambling on its events. But it’s not denying reality, either. The NCAA had a longtime ban on bringing its championships to places where gambling on sports was legal. That was suspended last year in the wake of the Supreme Court decision. This year, three women’s games will be played in Mississippi, where people have been betting on college sports since last summer, and men’s games will be played in Washington at Capital One Arena, which could have a full-service onsite sportsbook by this time next year under a new law. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

NCAA can’t keep tournament games away from legal gambling

by Ben Nuckols Associated PressMarch 19, 2019

FILE - In this Dec. 13, 2018, file photo, Ryan Martin, right, looks over his wager at Rivers Casino, as the new, temporary sports betting area opened in Pittsburgh. Pending Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board approval, regular operations are scheduled to begin Saturday, Dec. 15. Marton made several wagers, including placing a 100 bet on the Pittsburgh Steelers to win the Super Bowl. Anyone willing to wager that the high-scoring Patriots or Rams will get shut out in the Super Bowl can count on a big payday if that unlikely scenario occurs. Prop bets aren’t a big moneymaker for sports books during the season, but they pick up popularity as the nation is intensely focused on a single game. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic. File)

A Super Bowl shutout? Don’t bet on it

by Ben Nuckols Associated PressJanuary 25, 2019

Former Russian Olympian and anti-doping whistleblower Yuliya Stepanova, left, next to U.S. Anti-Doping Agency CEO Travis Tygart, testifies during a Helsinki Commission hearing on the impact of doping in international sport, Wednesday, July 25, 2018, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Hearing points to Putin’s role in Russian doping scandal

by Ben Nuckols Associated PressJuly 25, 2018