Medill Reports

PHOENIX — Nominees for the NFL’s Walter Payton Man of the Year Award gave 12 children in the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Valley tickets to the Super Bowl for their efforts in the Valley community on Feb. 10.

The 12 children earned the tickets, along with their own Arizona Cardinals jerseys, as the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Valley’s “Youth of the Year,” recognized for their volunteer efforts assisting the club with their peers.

The players worked in collaboration with the organization to provide

PHOENIX — Boys & Girls Clubs of the Valley worked in collaboration with the NFL to inspire local youth to get active, both in their community and on the football field. On Feb. 10, Walter Payton Man of the Year award winner Dak Prescott and several runners-up came to the Bob and Renee Parsons branch to spend time with the kids and inspire physical wellness through the Play 60 initiative.

The NFL formed Play 60 15 years ago and, according to the league’s website, it is “the NFL’s commitment to y

First-year guard Caroline Lau burst onto the scene for Northwestern University’s women’s basketball team, emphasized by her career outing against Chicago State on Jan. 25, and never looked back.

Lau set career highs in points, field goals, free throws, rebounds, assists and blocks in the 87-64 win. Then, in an improbable comeback win against Wisconsin on Jan. 29, Lau hit the biggest shot of her career to give Northwestern a fourth-quarter lead and its first winning streak since mid-December.

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Loyola Ramblers women’s basketball players, who volunteered this fall for Care for Real, said they feel inspired to continue volunteer efforts after their collegiate careers end.

Several players spoke about their experiences recently in interviews. Nonprofit Care for Real helps individuals overcome food insecurity. Senior forwards Emma and Sophia Nolan, and freshman guards Mallory Ramage, Whitney Dunn and Kira Chivers all spent time working with the organization for a class and helped people me

Chicago’s Whiskey Girl Tavern on North Clark Street is one of the only bars in the country where you can regularly catch women’s sports on the big screens along with a drink with friends.

Owners Heather and Christina Roberts aim to make the space inclusive for everyone and try to meet everyone’s sports tastes. The couple opened the tavern in July 2022.

“For us, Christina and I were both athletes and we both love sports, all kind of sports, and I think that it’s not so much that our focus is pl

GLENDALE, Ariz. — For the Kansas City Chiefs, winning Super Bowl LVII didn’t come down to a last-second penalty; the real difference-maker was head coach Andy Reid.

In many ways, Reid’s coaching master class signaled a full-circle moment for the 24-year NFL head coach. Reid, the all-time wins leader for the Philadelphia Eagles, took the Eagles to the Super Bowl in 2005. In Super Bowl XXXIX, then-45-year-old Reid’s Eagles lost a three-point game to championship veteran Bill Belichick.

At the en

PHOENIX — Following an ACL tear, NFL defensive ends on average put up two sacks in a given year, according to a 2017 study. Philadelphia Eagles defensive end Brandon Graham had 11 after his tear, a career high for the 34-year-old in his 13th season.

Although Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith was named AP Comeback Player of the Year, there’s little doubt Graham deserved equal consideration. Graham, a member of the Eagles’ 2018 Super Bowl-winning squad, suffered his ACL tear in Week 3 of th