Sports briefs
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NFL ends
Pro Bowl
ATLANTA (AP) -- The Pro Bowl is no more. The NFL announced the move Wednesday, bringing an end to an exhibition of the league’s top players that was held in some form almost every year since 1951.
The game wasn’t played in 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but that was the only pause in the postseason event. The league said 88 players will still be named as Pro Bowlers and honored in Los Angeles after this season.
Several flag football events also will take place at that time. The Pro Bowl has waned in popularity in recent years.
Seahawks
sale approved
ATLANTA (AP) -- NFL owners on Wednesday unanimously approved the sale of the Seattle Seahawks to the Khosla family. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell congratulated the family for having “great timing” in purchasing the team that is coming off its second Super Bowl victory in franchise history.
The sale agreement for $9.612 billion was announced on July 11 and awaited Wednesday’s approval at a special meeting of the owners to become final. The sale was in accordance with the wishes of late team owner Paul Allen.
Castellanos gets
fifth season
LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) -- Quarterback Tommy Castellanos plans to play this season for No. 12 Texas Tech. The Red Raiders expect returner Will Hammond to be their starter after transfer Brendan Sorsby was declared ineligible this summer because of gambling.
Castellanos told ESPN that Wednesday had committed to the Red Raiders. The decision comes after Castellanos last Friday was among 10 athletes granted a temporary restraining order by a Kentucky judge to get a fifth season of college football.
After last season at Florida State, Castellanos went undrafted by the NFL before a tryout as a receiver with the Miami Dolphins during their rookie minicamp.
WNBA gains
more viewers
(AP) -- The Indiana Fever-Chicago Sky game Sunday averaged 3.31 million viewers on NBC and Peacock to make it the most-watched regular-season WNBA game since the league’s inaugural season in 1997. It also was the third-most watched regular-season game ever and peaked at 3.82 million viewers.
That is behind only the June 21-22, 1997 opening weekend games that featured the New York Liberty-Los Angeles Sparks with 5.04 million viewers and Charlotte Sting-Phoenix Mercury with 3.59 million.
Caitlin Clark and the Fever also have set all-time viewing records this season for games on CBS, ESPN and Amazon Prime Video.