TAMPA, Fla. -- The Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers celebrated their victory Wednesday with a boat parade amid continued concern over the coronavirus pandemic.

The parade got started around 1 p.m. on the Hillsborough River near downtown Tampa. Thousands of fans decked out in Buccaneers gear lined the river on a sun-splashed day to cheer on stars such as quarterback Tom Brady, tight end Rob Gronkowski and many others.

After throwing two touchdown passes to Gronkowski in Super Bowl LV, Brady completed another pass Wednesday, tossing the Lombardi trophy from his boat to another boat on which the tight end was aboard.

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The team arrived by bus and boarded at least four boats.

Mayor Jane Castor again emphasized that people attending the parade must wear masks outdoors and observe social distancing rules.

It appeared many were abiding by the mask order but many others were not. There also were dozens of people on private boats, kayaks and other watercraft crowding the river to catch a glimpse of the team. They were directed to stay at least 50 feet (15 meters) from the boats carrying players.

After Tampa Bay's 31-9 win over the Kansas City Chiefs in Sunday's title game, throngs of people gathered in the city's entertainment districts. Many were seen maskless despite the orders requiring them.

Brian Ford, chief operating officer of the Buccaneers, said in a video announcement that fans should heed the rules as they celebrate the team's victory.

"It's essential we do it the right way," Ford said. "We want to do our part to ensure it's done in a safe and responsible manner."

Also Wednesday, Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis lashed out at the news media when he suggested there is bias in coverage of the pandemic, particularly the Super Bowl in Tampa.

"You don't care as much when it's a peaceful protest," he said at an appearance in the city of Venice, south of Tampa. "You don't care as much if you're celebrating a Biden election. You only care about if it's people you don't like."

DeSantis attended the Super Bowl and was photographed at times not wearing a mask despite a requirement to do so.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

One day after Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban confirmed to ESPN that his team had stopped playing the national anthem before games, the NBA on Wednesday issued a statement saying that wouldn't be the case going forward.

"With NBA teams now in the process of welcoming fans back into their arenas, all teams will play the national anthem in keeping with longstanding league policy," the league said in a statement.

Cuban on Tuesday told ESPN that he had made the decision to stop playing the national anthem before home games after consulting with NBA commissioner Adam Silver. The Mavericks did not announce the change in policy, but the national anthem has not been played before any of their 13 preseason and regular-season games at the American Airlines Center this season.

Following the NBA's announcement, the Mavericks announced that the anthem would be played prior to their game against the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday night.

In a corresponding statement, Cuban said, "We respect and always have respected the passion people have for the anthem and our country. But we also loudly hear the voices of those who feel that the anthem does not represent them. We feel that their voices need to be respected and heard, because they have not been.

"Going forward, our hope is that people will take the same passion they have for this issue and apply the same amount of energy to listen to those who feel differently from them. Only then we can move forward and have courageous conversations that move this country forward and find what unites us."

The Mavericks did not have fans for their first 10 regular-season games before allowing 1,500 vaccinated essential workers to attend Monday's game against Minnesota for free.

The NBA's rulebook requires players to stand during the national anthem, but Silver has declined to enforce that rule, particularly as kneeling during the anthem became a popular way to protest social injustice in recent years.

Cuban's decision reverberated around the country, including a question put to White House press secretary Jen Psaki during her daily briefing Wednesday. Athlete protests of social and racial injustice during the anthem became a flashpoint between then-President Donald Trump and various leagues during his administration.

Psaki said she had not spoken to President Joe Biden about the issue.

"I know he's incredibly proud to be an American and has great respect for the anthem and all that it represents,'' Psaki said. "He'd also say, of course, that part of pride in our country means recognizing where we as a country haven't lived up to our highest ideals.''

The vast majority of NBA players and many coaches kneeled during the national anthem during the NBA's restart last summer in Orlando, Florida, when the league incorporated messaging supporting the Black Lives Matter movement and other social justice causes in the court design and other ways.

In a June interview on ESPN's Outside the Lines, Cuban expressed support for players kneeling during the national anthem as a form of protest.

"If they were taking a knee and they were being respectful, I'd be proud of them. Hopefully I'd join them," Cuban said.

Cuban added then that he hoped the league would "allow players to do what's in their heart."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Free agent former All-Star right-hander Mike Foltynewicz has signed a $2 million, one-year contract with the Texas Rangers.

The Rangers announced the agreement with the 2018 NL All-Star on Wednesday. Outfielder Adolis Garcia was designated for assignment to make room on their roster.

Foltynewicz, 29, made only one start for Atlanta last season, allowing six runs in 3⅓ innings in a loss at Tampa Bay. He spent the rest of the season in the Braves' alternate training site.

Before that, Foltynewicz was 40-34 in 103 games for the Braves from 2016 to '19. His best season was his All-Star year in 2018, when he was 13-10 with a 2.85 ERA in 31 starts. He started four of Atlanta's nine NL Division Series games in 2018-10.

He was a first-round pick in 2010 by the Houston Astros and made his big league debut with them in 2014. He was traded the following offseason to the Braves. He has a 44-42 record and 4.33 ERA in 118 starts and 20 relief appearances in his big league career.

NEW YORK -- New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Wednesday that large sports venues around the state -- with a capacity of 10,000 people or more -- can reopen at 10% capacity.

The Brooklyn Nets have been approved to allow fans to return to Barclays Center beginning Feb. 23 against the Sacramento Kings, pending approval by the NBA.

Cuomo said that in accordance with the New York State Department of Health, anyone who plans to attend must return a negative COVID-19 test within 72 hours of the game. At games, face coverings will be required, along with temperature checks. It is also mandatory that socially distanced seating is assigned.

The New York Islanders issued a statement saying the announcement was "exciting" and that they look forward to having fans back at Nassau Coliseum "as soon as possible."

Other sports venues affected by the announcement include Yankee Stadium, Citi Field (New York Mets), Madison Square Garden (New York Knicks, New York Rangers), the Carrier Dome in Syracuse, Belmont Park, KeyBank Center in Buffalo (Buffalo Sabres), and Saratoga Race Course.

Cuomo said that the "unparalleled success" of the Buffalo Bills having 7,000 fans at games during the NFL playoffs prompted the decision to reopen.

The Nets would be the 12th NBA team to allow fans in arenas along with the Atlanta Hawks, Cleveland Cavaliers, Dallas Mavericks, Houston Rockets, Indiana Pacers, Memphis Grizzlies, Miami Heat, New Orleans Pelicans, Orlando Magic, Phoenix Suns and Utah Jazz.

Cuomo said that any other sports organization that wishes to have fans at games -- including baseball, hockey, soccer and football -- must first have its plans approved by the state. These stadiums and arenas are also eligible to be used as concert or show venues, pending state approval.

Cuomo tweeted that total COVID-19 hospitalizations in New York were at 7,593 and that of the 176,750 tests reported Tuesday, 7,101 were positive (4.02%).

We are just three days into the first Grand Slam of the season but there has been plenty to talk about.

So what is new at Melbourne Park in 2021 and what have we learned?

You can still win after 14 days in a hotel room

As preparations for a Grand Slam go, a fortnight confined to a hotel room is not ideal.

For 72 men's and women's players at the Australian Open, that was what faced them after there were confirmed cases of Covid-19 on their flights into the country.

There have been mixed results - and reactions - from those who went through that strictest quarantine.

Romania's Sorana Cirstea pulled off one of the biggest wins of the women's tournament so far, beating ninth seed Petra Kvitova 6-4 1-6 6-1 in the second round on Wednesday, while Britain's Heather Watson won her opening match on Tuesday.

"I think it's impressive to come out of 15 days without hitting a ball and competing the way I did today, I wasn't expecting it," Cirstea said.

But Grand Slam champions Victoria Azarenka, Angelique Kerber and Bianca Andreescu were among the seeds to make early exits following 'hard' quarantine, while American Tennys Sandgren called his preparations "a joke" and France's Benoit Paire described the situation as "a shambles".

The days of line judges could be numbered

There are no line judges at the Australian Open this year in an attempt to keep the tournament bio-secure and the move has been welcomed by many players so far.

Instead, ball-tracking cameras are used. Voices call out decisions in real-time, with recordings made by Australia's health workers, firefighters and other emergency services personnel as a tribute to their work.

"I feel like if they do want to continue this way, I actually have no complaints about it because I think that there's a lot of arguments that aren't going to happen because of this technology," world number three Naomi Osaka said.

American 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams added: "It's interesting, It's definitely different. I'm loving it here, so I just needed to adapt, and now I'm adapted to it. I think it's for the best.

"I think it's not too much that can be wrong - there can be some close calls that you can check, but I think it's good."

But American Frances Tiafoe was unhappy during his defeat by Novak Djokovic, joining a number of players including Nick Kyrgios who feel the technology is glitchy.

"I hate it, I cannot stand it," he said. "I'll get used to it if they carry on with it but I'm not a fan."

The courts have got faster

Novak Djokovic loves Rod Laver Arena. In fact he said it feels "like my living room".

But the eight-time Australian Open champion also thinks this year's courts are the fastest he has played on at Melbourne Park in 15 years.

"If I serve well, it does help me," said the world number one. "It is definitely more suitable to big servers.

"I'm not sure what is the reason why it keeps on getting faster and faster in terms of the speed of the court each year.

"I mean, this is the fastest it has ever been. It's not only my opinion. I've been talking to a lot of players. You just have to serve well. You can win a lot of free points there."

Former British number one Anne Keothavong also said on BBC Radio 5 Live Sport Extra that she thought the courts were playing quicker.

Crowds are back!

No tennis tournaments - nor many other events in the sporting world - have been allowed to host this number of people since the pandemic began.

But the sight of fans at Melbourne Park this week has been a welcome relief and looked almost... normal?

Organisers are allowing up to 30,000 fans in every day, split across three zones, and while numbers are falling short of this, they are rising.

There were 17,922 visitors on the opening day, compared with the 64,387 who passed through the gates last year, with on-site commentator Alison Mitchell observing that locals are "scarred" and have "had it tough" during the pandemic.

The numbers have crept up as the week has progressed, with 19,900 attending on Wednesday - and the 5,000 or so socially distanced fans who made it into the John Cain Arena to witness Nick Kyrgios' epic tussle with Ugo Humbert will be delighted they did so.

They created a boisterous atmosphere as the Australian battled back from two match points down to win in five sets, cheering the home hope over the line in a way many people have not heard for almost a year.

It's the Australian Open and we're not talking about the weather

Well, it has been surprisingly... fine.

Qualifying was disrupted for last year's tournament when bushfires in the country affected the air quality, before heavy rain hit.

In previous years the temperature has also been a factor, with players used to adhering to heat protocols, donning ice towels to combat the extreme heat.

But Wednesday was the first day that ice towels have been used this year and while it could reach 33C on Thursday, it is unlikely to get any warmer throughout the tournament.

There have, however, been any number of insects loitering on court during matches - keeping officials and ball boys and girls busy with their dustpans and brushes.

Willstrop and Perry ease through on day one of England National Championships
By ANDY PILLING – Squash Mad Correspondent

National hampions Jams Willstrop and Sara-Jane Perry eased through their opening pool matches on day one of the AJ Bell England Squash Championships at the National Squash Centre in Manchester.

Perry overcame Lucy Beecroft in straight games, but it was Julianne Courtice who finished the day top of Pool A with a 3-0 victory over Anna Kimberley.

In the other pool matches, Jasmine Hutton overcame Kace Bartley in straight games to go top of Pool B, while Millie Tomlinson battled to a 3-1 win over Alicia Mead to stay hot on her heels.

In the men’s event, former world No.1 Willstrop took control of Pool A with a straight-games win over Josh Masters.

George Parker and Declan James both won as per the seedings to go top of their groups.

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In Pool C, Charlie Lee produced the biggest upset of the day, beating seed Tom Richards across four games.

Unfortunately, Richards withdrew this morning from the tournament due to injury.

Richie Fallows has been awarded a walkover victory against him in the match that was due to take place at 19:45 this evening. This leaves Charlie Lee and Fallows to battle it out in the last game of the group today for top spot.

Fallows and Richards were due to play on the glass court. Declan James will meet Miles Jenkins on the glass instead.

AJ Bell England Squash Championship 2021, National Squash Centre, Manchester, England (February 9-12).

Day One First Pool Round:
Men’s Pool A
[1] James Willstrop (Yorks) bt Joshua Masters (Kent) 11-5, 11-4, 11-4 (23m)
Pool B
[4] George Parker (Leics) bt Tom Walsh (Sussex) 11-5, 9-11, 11-7, 11-7 (49m)
Pool C
Charlie Lee (Surrey) bt [3] Tom Richards (Surrey) 8-11, 11-9, 11-7, 11-6 (52m)
Pool D
[2] Declan James (Notts) bt Joe Lee (Surrey) 11-8, 11-3, 11-3 (40m)
1st pool round:
Women’s Pool A
[1] Sarah-Jane Perry (Warwicks) bt Lucy Beecroft (Northumbria) 11-9, 11-5, 11-5 (26m)
[3] Julianne Courtice (Glos) bt Anna Kimberley (Essex) 11-3, 11-3, 11-2 (23m)
Women’s Pool B
[4] Jasmine Hutton (Sussex) bt Kace Bartley (Surrey) 11-7, 11-6, 11-7 (23m)
[2] Millie Tomlinson (Derbyshire) bt Alicia Mead (Warwicks) 11-8, 9-11, 11-8, 11-7 (40m) 

Pictures courtesy of England Squash

Returning prop Mako Vunipola says England feel "refreshed" amid concerns that a lack of game time for players in recent months was partially responsible for Saturday's defeat by Scotland.

Four of Vunipola's Saracens team-mates have also not played since 2020's Autumn Nations Cup.

"The extra break was actually something I felt helped me personally," he said.

The 30-year-old is available for England's game against Italy on Saturday as Eddie Jones' side look to revive their Six Nations title hopes after last weekend's unexpected defeat.

Before the 11-6 loss to Scotland, scrum-half Ben Youngs admitted there could be "teething problems" and Jones said his side might be "a bit short".

Maro Itoje, Owen Farrell, Jamie George and Elliot Daly have not played for Saracens this season following their relegation - with the start of the Championship season delayed until March.

Billy Vunipola is the only player to have turned out for the club recently, having appeared in the Trailfinders Challenge Cup, set up by Saracens, Ealing and Doncaster to give their squads some games.

Mako Vunipola said he may be missing "some match fitness" after his time off but added that the break was beneficial, especially because of the strict coronavirus protocols required in England camp.

"There are not many times you come back from the autumn and you get two weeks off to not just physically but mentally recover - especially with the way the bubble is," he told BBC Sport.

"Not just the Sarries boys, everyone has come into this camp refreshed. They have not played as much as they usually would do.

"Going into last week, we felt like we were physically in the best condition we'd been in for a long time. It's no different this week.

"The Sarries players like myself, Jamie, Maro, Owen, Billy, they're experienced players and they know individually what they need to do to get ready for a Test match."

Johnny Sexton has hit back at comments from a French neurologist who speculated over the Ireland captain's history of concussion.

Sexton described Dr Chermann's comments as "inaccurate and highly inappropriate".

The Ireland captain is going through return-to-play protocols having been taken off following a clash of heads in the second half of Ireland's defeat by Wales on Sunday, after which he received a head injury assessment.

Should he pass the next stage of the process, he will be allowed to take part in non-contact training with the team on Thursday, before returning to full-contact training if he receives approval on Friday.

What was said?

Dr Chermann recommended Sexton's three-month break in 2014 after the fly-half sustained a series of head injuries in a short space of time.

Sexton played for Paris-based side Racing from 2013 to 2015.

"The doctor's part, fundamental to this story, is... if there are symptoms, if his tests are disturbed, the doctor must stop him from playing on Sunday," Dr Chermann said on Tuesday.

"Conversely, if there are no symptoms, if the tests are perfect, the fact that he has had many concussions before is a problem. But I think we do not have enough obvious elements to prevent him from continuing his rugby career."

Speaking to the media on Wednesday, Sexton said he was "shocked and saddened" by Dr Chermann's comments.

"I just think it's totally inappropriate that a doctor who I last saw many years ago now felt it was appropriate to come out and talk to whoever it was and say those things," Sexton said.

"I'm pretty disappointed but I'm so used to it that it's sort of like water off a duck's back - but for my wife and mum, it's very upsetting but that's the world we live in.

"I thought there was patient-doctor confidentiality; I'm pretty sure that exists in the world.

"I just can't get over the fact that someone thought it was appropriate to just come out of nowhere and start saying things that weren't even accurate, that's the most hurtful thing.

"We've been here before and could sit here talking about it for 20 minutes, but I'm never going to win out of it.

"Last time I did it, this has happened twice before, I tried to give facts and defend myself and I'm in the papers for being selfish and not looking after younger players going through the system."

'Sometimes it can wear you down'

Having endured a generally disappointing spell in France, Sexton often becomes the focal point of the build-up to Ireland and France's annual Six Nations meeting.

Should Sexton fail the return-to-play protocols, head coach Andy Farrell will call upon either Billy Burns or Ross Byrne to fill in for the captain.

"It seems to be always the French game coming up where something happens, either before or after," Sexton said.

"You get used to dealing with these type of things when you're captain of your country.

"It's a privileged position to be in. Sometimes it can wear down on you and you need to be reminded that there's a lot of people that would swap in for your job, so try to enjoy it."

Having lost to Wales, Ireland's hopes of winning the tournament realistically require them to win their four remaining games.

France dismantled Italy in their opening Six Nations game and come to Dublin as favourites to win this year's competition.

GAFFNEY, S.C. — Ryan Vargas and his JD Motorsports No. 6 Chevrolet will be carrying Swann Communications livery for four races, starting with Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series season opener at Daytona Int’l Speedway.

Swann Communications, a veteran in global security camera market, will adorn the car as Vargas embarks on his first full-time season with JD Motorsports and his first start at Daytona.

“It’s an honor and privilege to bring Swann on board for four races this season, including the first race of the year at Daytona,” said Vargas. “It’s always a great feeling to bring new partners to the sport! I’m excited to showcase their products including their line of Enforcer branded products.”

In addition to the season opener at Daytona, Swann Communications will serve as the primary partner in races at North Carolina’s Charlotte Motor Speedway in May, Wisconsin’s Road America in July, and Texas Motor Speedway in October — the site of Vargas’ first Top 10 finish. Swann will also be an associate sponsor for the entire 33-race season.

Swann Communications will also sponsor the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series entry piloted by Jordan Anderson. 

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Up until the green flag waved to begin Tuesday night’s Busch Clash at Daytona Int’l Speedway, detractors of all kinds questioned the decision to move the race from its long-held place on the track’s 2.5-mile oval to the 3.61-mile layout integrating both the oval and the infield road course.

Fans said, sometimes loudly, that the racing wouldn’t be entertaining. Industry insiders believed the allure of the event — often a no-holds-barred free-for-all in the draft — wouldn’t be present.

Then the 35-lap race began and the complaints quickly turned into wide smiles.

Cars were sliding around on a slick Daytona surface, made complicated by dirt that was kicked onto the track in the bus-stop chicane throughout the race thanks to drivers trying to cut the curbs in that section of the race track.

Goodyear tires that last speed as they deteriorated, along with teams being limited to three sets of tires for the event, led to varying strategies that shook up the running order multiple times.

And the challenge of the Daytona road course — technical on the drivers compared to the oval, where the art of drafting was always king — led to many overdriven corners, forced mistakes and several game-changing incidents.

It was a race that had a little bit of everything, but most of all, it was vastly entertaining.

For those who complained there wouldn’t be much passing, if any, there were 13 lead changes among eight drivers. That included a stretch of eight lead changes during a nine-lap span.

For those who thought that one driver would run away and dominate the proceedings, there was never a lead of more than three seconds all night long.

For those who believed there would be a lack of action and intensity, the last lap spoke volumes.

Even before the scuffle between Ryan Blaney and Chase Elliott that defined the closing moments of the Busch Clash and paved the way for Kyle Busch to steal the victory, the battle between two of the young stars of the NASCAR Cup Series had fans on the edge of their seats in anticipation.

Yes, Blaney chased Elliott down and passed him, but Elliott never let Blaney get away. He chucked his car through the 14 turns of the Daytona road course, closing on Blaney’s bumper multiple times and putting himself on the ragged edge in an attempt to come home with the victory.

Then, in his own words, Elliott “did what I had to do” on the final lap to try and win the race. It didn’t work out in his favor, but it was incredibly fun to watch Elliott go for broke.

It was Merriam-Webster’s definition of a show, “something exhibited especially for wonder.”

Asked after the event by SPEED SPORT if they felt the new-look Busch Clash delivered for the fans, several drivers lit up and offered affirmatives, enthusiasm clear in their voices.

“It did live up to the hype,” said Team Penske’s Joey Logano. “Any time you have an all-star type of race, and the Clash is one of those … where there’s nothing to lose, everyone is just going to go and fight for the win. Second place nobody cares about. That’s what the Clash is about. We’ve seen that happen plenty of times on the superspeedway. On the road course, the tire strategy is probably what made it such a great race, the fact that there was a limited amount of tires. I think that was a really smart move by NASCAR to limit the tires just to those three sets. I think that made it a good race because you had comers and goers.”

“It was an exciting finish. I’ll bet it was fun to watch,” added Blaney. “Obviously, it wasn’t fun for me to be a part of at the end there. We had kind of an up-and-down night. We had a fast car up front, then I blew by turn one on the restart and we kind of had to work our way back (forward), but it was definitely a different feel. I think it came down to an exciting finish for the fans to take in, for sure.”

Busch elected to reserve his judgement somewhat, having not seen the TV broadcast, but nodded to NASCAR needing to entertain the fans and recognizing some of the big moments from behind the wheel.

“As far as the show goes, I’m not sure what the show looked like on television, but hopefully it was a good one,” Busch noted. “We always want to put on a great race, whether it’s at the Daytona road course or on the Daytona oval, or at Phoenix or Martinsville. We’re an entertainment business.

“Hopefully, it was a good race. I know there was a lot of excitement here and there,” Busch added. “Leaders crashed out of the lead here and there. That kind of shows you how treacherous and tricky this place is.”

After a year in which everything in the sports world was upended by the COVID-19 pandemic, NASCAR needed a big moment to kick-start a new season, one that TV partner FOX is billing as “the best season ever.”

They got that big moment in the form of a successful and entertaining Busch Clash.

It was a race that few expected to work out well at all. In the end, not only did it work out, but the buzz was palpable and gave a positive vibe for the rest of Daytona Speedweeks at the World Center of Racing.

That positivity is something that fans and media can all get behind, and something we’ve all desperately needed.