Sports briefs
By NewsPress Now
Bulls, Blackhawks owners unveil the 1901 Project
CHICAGO | The owners of the NBA’s Chicago Bulls and NHL’s Blackhawks unveiled a $7 billion plan Tuesday to replace the parking lots surrounding the United Center with green space, mixed-income housing, a music hall and more.
The 1901 Project, touted as the largest private investment in Chicago’s West Side, is being spearheaded by the Reinsdorf and Wirtz families, who own the arena. It would be built in phases on more than 55 acres of privately owned land over about a decade-long period starting as soon as next spring if approved by the city.
“The 1901 Project represents a continuation of our families’ commitment to the future of Chicago’s West Side,” Bulls CEO Michael Reinsdorf said in a statement. “This investment will create a thriving, interconnected neighborhood, delivering significant benefits and resources to the community we have long called home.”
The first phase calls for a 6,000-seat theater, a multilevel parking facility with more than 10 acres of public green space on its rooftop, more pedestrian-friendly sidewalks and bike lanes, and hotel and retail space. Plans for future phases include housing “that spans various unit sizes and includes affordable, market rate and luxury housing” as well as transportation enhancements.
“While this is just the beginning, we have already started to engage with our neighbors and community partners to identify areas of opportunity for community wealth generation from this private investment,” Blackhawks CEO Danny Wirtz said in a statement. “We have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to expand on a legacy that makes all of Chicago proud.”
Alderman Walter Burnett said the project requires city and community feedback. He also expressed support for the plans.
“I am excited for the investment on the West Side, which is often overlooked for this level of private investment. It’s our time,” he said in a statement.
The 1901 Project bears some similarities to what the Ricketts family did with the area surrounding Wrigley Field about a decade ago. Along with the renovations to the famed ballpark, the owners of baseball’s Chicago Cubs replaced a parking lot with a plaza and constructed a hotel as well as a team office building.
The Chicago White Sox, also owned by the Reinsdorfs, are looking to move out of Guaranteed Rate Field on the South Side and construct a new stadium as part of a ballpark village in the city’s South Loop with green spaces, residences and businesses. The NFL’s Chicago Bears are trying to build an enclosed lakefront stadium next to Soldier Field as part of a reimagined museum campus, and they also own a 326-acre tract of land in suburban Arlington Heights that could also be the site of a future home. The two teams are seeking public funding for those projects.
Browns receiver Amari Cooper restructures
final year of contract
CLEVELAND | Cleveland Browns wide receiver Amari Cooper has restructured the final year of his contract, adding $5 million of incentives to his $20 million base, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press on Tuesday.
Cooper held out of mandatory minicamp to protest for more money. But he reported on time for training camp after agreeing to the new deal, said the person, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the contract was still being finalized.
He’s scheduled to be a free agent after this season.
Cooper has been the Browns’ top receiver since he was acquired in a 2022 trade from the Dallas Cowboys, who were willing to part with him after four seasons and signing him to a five-year, $100 million contract.
The 30-year-old has caught 150 passes for 2,410 yards and 14 touchdowns in his two seasons in Cleveland.
His contract situation had the potential to be a major distraction for the Browns, who made the playoffs last season and have higher expectations in 2024. But he’s in camp and will be on the field Thursday when the Browns practice for the second year in a row at the Greenbrier Resort in West Virginia.
Cooper was fined more than $100,000 for missing minicamp and was facing daily fines of $50,000 if he held out of training camp.
The former Alabama standout — and No. 4 overall pick in 2015 — caught 72 passes for a career-high 1,250 yards last season while making his fifth Pro Bowl.
Webb Simpson named Keegan Bradley’s vice captain for Ryder Cup
FRISCO, Texas | U.S. captain Keegan Bradley has selected Webb Simpson as his first vice captain for the 2025 Ryder Cup, the PGA announced Tuesday.
Simpson won the 2012 U.S. Open and is a seven-time winner on the PGA Tour. The 38-year-old North Carolinan competed in the Ryder Cup in 2012, 2014 and 2018 and has played in the Presidents Cup three times.
“Webb is someone who I have long admired and respected as a competitor and friend,” Bradley said. “He possesses a wealth of team golf experience and knows what it takes to win. Webb will be a valuable member of our leadership team and a trusted resource for me as we prepare for Bethpage Black next September.”
The Ryder Cup will be played Sept. 26-28, 2025, at Bethpage Black in Farmingdale, New York. Europe has won 10 of the last 14 competitions.
“I am honored to be chosen by Keegan to serve as a vice captain in 2025,” Simpson said. “Competing in three Ryder Cups will forever be among my career highlights. I have no doubt that Keegan will be a fantastic captain and a tremendous leader, and could not be more excited to get to work as we seek to reclaim the Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black.”
Rams rework Matthew Stafford’s contract to avoid holdout
LOS ANGELES | The Los Angeles Rams have come to a resolution with quarterback Matthew Stafford to avoid a potential holdout during training camp, which starts Wednesday at Loyola Marymount University.
Coach Sean McVay said the agreement does not include a contract extension for Stafford, who is entering the second season of a four-year, $160 million deal he signed in March 2022 shortly after leading the Rams to a Super Bowl championship.
Instead of a new deal, the Rams and the 36-year-old Stafford reworked his existing contract. Details of the modification were not immediately available. Stafford had previously been scheduled to make $31 million this season with a cap hit of $49.5 million.
“Ultimately, it was all geared towards finding a solution that really suits our team but also accommodates some of the things that represent Matthew’s worth for us,” McVay said, “and we feel like we were able to do that.”
WNBA All-Star Game has 3.44 million viewers
NEW YORK | The WNBA All-Star Game drew a record number of viewers with 3.44 million people watching the contest in Phoenix on Saturday night.
The game, which saw the WNBA All-Stars beat the U.S. Olympic team 117-109, easily topped the 1.44 million that viewed the 2003 contest. Saturday’s game peaked with more than 4 million viewers.
It was the third most viewed WNBA event ever and the largest audience for the league since its first two nationally televised games in 1997.
Last year’s game, which was also on prime time TV, drew 850,000 viewers.
This was the 17th WNBA game this season that has had more than 1 million viewers with rookie Caitlin Clark appearing in 15 of them.
The Fever rookie had four points and 10 assists in Saturday’s contest.
—From AP reports
