North America

The owners of Columbus Crew have today (Tuesday) confirmed they are exploring the option of moving the Major League Soccer (MLS) franchise to Austin, stating that its current business model is unsustainable.

A consortium has lodged a bid to form a New York-based rugby league team that would begin competing in the third tier of the English game.

The United States Olympic Committee (USOC) has confirmed that it is interested in bidding for the winter Olympic and Paralympic Games, but has admitted that it would prefer to stage the 2030 event so as not to interfere with Los Angeles’ hosting of the 2028 summer Games.

E-commerce giant Rakuten is making waves in the world of sport having recently signed off on sponsorship deals with the NBA, Barcelona FC and the Golden State Warriors. Ben Cronin spoke to the company’s global marketing director, Rahul Kadavakolu, at the recent Leaders business conference.

The US city of Portland will return to the IndyCar schedule in 2018 after an 11-year absence, the North American motor-racing series has announced.

The World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) has awarded hosting rights for next year’s Women’s Baseball World Cup to the United States Specialty Sports Association (USSSA).

The US division of Sportradar, the sports data and digital content provider, has completed a deal to acquire data-tracking technology company Mocap Analytics.

The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) has appointed former US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to lead a commission designed to investigate reform of the college sports system in the wake of the inducements scandal that emerged last month.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has announced that only one athlete was found to have used banned substances following re-analysis of samples taken during the 2010 winter Olympic Games in Vancouver.

The man behind Toronto Wolfpack, the world’s first transatlantic rugby league club, has said he is in talks to launch two more teams in North America, with Boston and Hamilton reported to be in contention for the new franchises.

The Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) has extended the bidding deadline for the 2022 Commonwealth Games until November 30.

NHL ice hockey franchise the New Jersey Devils has become the first club in the North American league to form a strategic partnership with a National Women’s Hockey League (NWHL) team.

The New York Yacht Club (NYYC) has announced that it will challenge for the 2021 edition of the America’s Cup sailing event.

The committee behind the joint bid from the United States, Canada and Mexico for the 2026 edition of football’s Fifa World Cup has narrowed down the list of potential host cities as it moves to the next stage of the application process.

Laurene Powell Jobs, the widow of the co-founder of US technology giant Apple, Steve Jobs, and one of the wealthiest women in the world, has reached a deal to acquire a significant stake in Monumental Sports & Entertainment.

Major League Baseball has confirmed that its clubs have unanimously approved the $1.2bn (€1.02bn) takeover of the Miami Marlins franchise by a group led by billionaire businessman Bruce Sherman and New York Yankees legend Derek Jeter.