OLYMPICSCOLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- The leader of the U.S. Olympic Committee warned of turning the effort to fix the worlds broken anti-doping system into a Cold War-style showdown between East and West.Speaking to the U.S. Olympic Assembly, chairman Larry Probst reiterated his support for the International Olympic Committees near-unanimous rubber-stamping of president Thomas Bachs decision not to ban the entire Russian team from the Rio Olympics.If were going to address the inadequacies of the current anti-doping system, we cant devolve into a Cold War mentality of us versus them, Probst told the audience of U.S. Olympic leaders. The global system is broken and it needs to be fixed -- the sooner the better.While few dispute the second part of Probsts statement, the idea of framing the Russian doping problem as a political issue certainly plays much better outside the West than inside. The World Anti-Doping Agency and other anti-doping leaders called for a blanket ban of the Russians from Rio after investigations found widespread, state-sponsored doping inside the Russian sports system. Russian President Vladimir Putin has called the doping allegations a dangerous return to ... letting politics interfere with sport.WASHINGTON -- A bill moving forward in Congress would block the IRS from taxing most medals or other prizes awarded to U.S. Olympians.The U.S. Olympic Committee awards cash prizes to Olympic medal winners: $25,000 for gold, $15,000 for silver and $10,000 for bronze. Thats in addition to the cash value of the medals themselves: about $600 for gold and $300 for silver. Bronze medals have little intrinsic value.Because the money is considered earned income, it is taxed -- a practice some lawmakers refer to the victory tax.The Senate passed legislation to make the winnings tax-free just before the Summer Olympics. The House approved a similar bill on Thursday, 415-1, and the bill now goes back to the Senate.The House bill would allow Olympic taxes on high-profile athletes such as swimmer Michael Phelps who earn more than $1 million a year.PRO BASKETBALLELIZABETH, N.J. -- NBA referees will be cracking down this season on unnatural acts, such as the hit to the groin area that resulted in Draymond Greens suspension during the NBA Finals.They will also more closely monitor traveling after complaints from coaches that players are getting away with too many steps on the perimeter.The referees were informed and instructed about those items this week during their preseason meetings and training camp.The unnatural plays are a point of emphasis after a number of situations involving Green during the postseason. The All-Star forward had a habit of flailing his arms or legs and a few times made contact with opponents in the groin area.He was finally suspended after hitting LeBron James during the finals and missed Game 5. Cleveland rallied to beat Golden State for the title in seven games.CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Michael Jordan has called for peaceful demonstration and conversation in the wake of the violent protests in Charlotte.Jordan expressed condolences to the family of Keith Scott, a 43-year-old African-American man who was killed by a black police officer, and to those injured in the ensuing protests in a statement.The Hornets owner said, In light of the tragic events of the past three days, it is more important than ever that we restore calm and come together, as a community, in peaceful demonstration and conversation, and in constructive and non-violent ways.The Hornets team store was looted on Wednesday during the protests.Jordan says the Hornets are committed to working with elected leaders and law enforcement to foster more trust, transparency and understanding so we can heal and grow together as a community.TRACK AND FIELDNASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Ed Temple, the former Tennessee State track and field coach whose Tigerbelles won 13 Olympic gold medals and helped break down racial and gender barriers in the sport, died. He was 89.Temples daughter, Edwina, told Tennessee State officials that her father died after an illness. He celebrated his birthday Tuesday.Temple coached the womens track team at Tennessee State, formerly Tennessee A&I, from 1953 to 1994. He was head coach of the U.S. Olympics womens teams in 1960 and 1964 and assistant coach in 1980.One of the athletes he coached at TSU, Wilma Rudolph, became the first American woman to win three gold medals at a single Olympics, in Rome in 1960. She won the 100 and 200 meters and teamed with Martha Hudson, Lucinda Williams and Barbara Jones to win the 400 relay.BASEBALLSEATTLE -- The Mariners say they are reviewing all internal options that are available after tweets from the account of reserve catcher Steve Clevenger regarding a recent police shooting in Charlotte, North Carolina and the Black Lives Matter movement.General manager Jerry Dipoto issued a brief statement saying the club is very disappointed and that while Clevenger is free to express himself, his tweets do not in any way represent the opinions of the Seattle Mariners. We strongly disagree with the language and tone of his comments.Clevengers Twitter account was changed to private Thursday night. Screen shots of the tweets showed Clevenger made disparaging comments about protesters and President Barack Obama, saying everyone involved should be locked behind bars like animals!Clevenger released a statement to Fox Sports late Thursday night apologizing for the distraction my tweets on my personal twitter page caused when they went public earlier today. Custom Soccer Jerseys China . "It doesnt get any better than that," Giambi said. "Im speechless." The Indians are roaring toward October. Giambi belted a two-run, pinch-hit homer with two outs in the ninth inning to give Cleveland a shocking 5-4 win over the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday night, keeping the Indians up with the lead pack in the AL wild-card race. Clearance Custom Soccer Jerseys . -- The goal posts lying flat on the field, Arizonas fans lingered on the field, congregating around the locker room entrance nearly 30 minutes after rushing out of the stands. http://www.customjerseyssoccer.com/ . -- Stanfords Kevin Danser knelt on one knee and hardly moved on the sideline as Michigan State celebrated its Rose Bowl victory and his Cardinal teammates made their way to the locker room. Custom Soccer Jerseys Store . There was no hesitation from the 40th-ranked Pospisil, from Vernon, B.C., who admitted that he cut back on his training sessions over the last few days to conserve energy as the long ATP season finishes next week at the Paris Masters. Custom Soccer Jerseys Outlet . -- The goal posts lying flat on the field, Arizonas fans lingered on the field, congregating around the locker room entrance nearly 30 minutes after rushing out of the stands. With the RLCS Grand Finals now only five days away, teams are fully preparing for the chance at Rocket League glory to end the year. With the lions share of the prize pool and the World Champion title on the line, the best teams in the world will duke it out. Whether its the favorites FlipSid3 or the surging two seeds, the biggest tournament of the year will see a high-flying end to a year of Rocket League esports. Heres a look at Europes number two seed, Northern Gaming.Northern Gaming have a stereotype built around them: They like tossing the ball off the backboard until they get easy shots.Although the stats are lacking, its still accepted as a major key to their playstyle. Their shooting percentage reflects this high-pressure style, scoring almost 33 percent of all shots taken (the next closest is 29 percent). They also score an astounding 2.48 goals per game, putting them comfortably at the top in Europe.Northern are no slouches defensively either, conceding the fewest goals in Europe. If you never let the other team have the ball, how can they score? Allowing only 6.11 shots against per game puts them almost two shots per game better than any other team in Europe. Northern might not do well when forced into their own goal, with the second lowest save percentage in Europe, but they will have to transfer that offensive pressure to the big stage. When they ccome up against teams that can break their high pressure, they are very vulnerable, especially to the likes of FlipSid3 Tactics.ddddddddddddOne possible worry for Northern will be coming up against teams from North America such as NRG and Genesis, teams that tend to shoot from range. Done well and that means they can catch out the high pressure from Northern. If FlipSid3 Tactics run into Northern, expect one of the best games of the tournament, both stylistically and skill-wise. Whether this is a winners final or a grand final, or both, Northern vs FlipSid3 is the premier matchup of RLCS Grand FinalsNortherns final hurdle separating them from Rocket League Championship Series glory will be their big game performances. Northern stomp games they win -- by big, embarrassing margins -- and they keep the games they lose very close. The problem is they lose games to the big teams and thats worrying in a tournament with only the best involved. If Northern can get over that hurdle and win the big games by one goal instead of losing by one, theyll quickly become one of the favorites to win RLCS. Whether or not they can overcome their big game demons, Northerns high-pressure style will be one of the most exciting to watch at the Grand Finals. ' ' '