In a trial underway in California, the NCAA is arguing that college ball players should not be paid. But every coach knows that many players are not typical students, says commentator Frank Deford.

The 21-year-old rookie defender became an instant sensation when he scored the game-winning goal versus Ghana, giving the U.S. a chance to advance in the tournament.

The football league says the 2016 championship will depart from tradition by not using the Roman numeral L (50) because it doesn't work well on the logo.

For decades, the speed of racehorses and dogs has stagnated. But humans keep getting faster. On the 60th anniversary of the first time a human ran a mile in under 4 minutes, we ponder why.

The contrast between the racial makeup of the league's ownership class and its players usually goes unmentioned. But the Donald Sterling fracas has pushed that not-quite-subtext to the fore.

Major changes are expected for the NCAA, whose board meets Thursday. Directors will consider giving the five power conferences more autonomy, as well as changing the way scholarships are administered.

A ruling this week that football players at Northwestern University could join a union has prompted dire warnings, but the most popular college sports probably wouldn't change much at all.

After the Civil War, Horace Wilson left his farm for Japan, where he introduced baseball. He's a legend there, something his relatives, including NPR's Theo Balcomb, didn't know for generations.

The National Labor Relations Board says Northwestern University football players can unionize. It's a win for student athletes, but the university says it will appeal.

The Black Fives were African-American basketball teams that played in America before the NBA was integrated in 1950. Their lost history is making a comeback.