Eight NFL teams are looking for new coaches this offseason, and SI.com's Jenny Vrentas wondered why GMs are "getting more chances to steer a team in the right direction?" Over the "past five years there have been 34 head coaching changes compared to 20 GM changes, by unofficial count." Vrentas: "Why are head coaches disproportionately bearing more of the consequences?" (SI.com, 1/2).
MISSING A STAR: THE HOCKEY NEWS' Ken Campbell noted Capitals LW Alex Ovechkin will skip the NHL All-Star Game in San Jose despite him having an "obligation to be there." Ovechkin is a "huge draw for the All-Star Game." Anyone who is either "voted to the game by fans or selected by the league has an obligation." There is "no question" it is best for the Capitals and Ovechkin for him to "skip the All-Star Game." Campbell: "But is it what’s best for the league? Absolutely not." If the game is "supposed to be a showcase of the NHL’s superstars, how can it be anything but a detriment that one of the league’s biggest chooses not be there?" (THEHOCKEYNEWS.com, 1/2).
COWBOY STRONG: USA TODAY's Josh Peter notes about half of PBR riders "compete with a cowboy hat, taking advantage of a grandfather clause after the PBR mandated" in '13 that riders wear helmets. Bull riders like Chase Outlaw, who uses a helmet, underscore a "heightened awareness of injuries -- especially head injuries." PBR CEO Sean Gleason said that the PBR donated more than $2M to the Western Sports Foundation after the foundation that supports injured bull riders "pledged to focus more on concussion research" (USATODAY.com, 1/3).
