Sports

The New England Patriots have reached an agreement with former Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton, a person with knowledge of the deal told The Associated Press.

The Pats are bringing the 2015 NFL Most Valuable Player aboard to help the team move on from three-time MVP Tom Brady, who joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers earlier this off-season.

The owner of a North Carolina racetrack advertised “Bubba Rope” for sale in a social media marketplace just days after a noose had been found in the garage stall of Bubba Wallace, the only Black driver in NASCAR’s top division, at Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama.

The Atlantic Coast Conference announced Thursday that Commissioner John Swofford — who oversaw the expansion of the conference and the launch of its own television network — will retire after the 2020-21 academic year, ending his tenure after 24 years.

Ally Watt is a newcomer to the North Carolina Courage, having been selected sixth overall in the National Women’s Soccer League’s college draft back in January. Her new teammates have years of experience flourishing at the professional level, as many have played in — and won — Olympics, World Cups and NWSL titles. 

But Watt has played on one rare stage that most other Courage players haven’t.

Big changes hit the Triangle’s soccer world Tuesday as the owner of the local professional team proposed plans to push for a Major League Soccer bid, form a women’s professional team and seek a new stadium with a capacity of more than 20,000 seats.

Major League Baseball broke ground Wednesday on a ballpark at Fort Bragg. The ballpark will host a televised, official game between the Atlanta Braves and the Florida Marlins on July 3.

Eric Hill heads the Community Recreation Division on Fort Bragg. He says the MLB suggested the game as a way to thank military service members, and says the game is stirring up excitement on base.

A new Duke University study reveals that most die-hard fans did not attend the universities they support. 

Charles Clotfelter researched which college sports teams were mentioned in obituaries. He is a professor of public policy at Duke University. 

Clotfelter says only about a third of what he calls "true believers" were alumni of their teams' universities.

Update January 7, 2015:

In the summer of 2014, we heard about a vintage photo that was found tucked away in one of the books at the Chapel Hill Public Library. No one knew how long the picture had been there, but the photo caught our imagination. Who was this Duke Blue Devil?

For a time, the mystery appeared to be solved.  The son of a Duke alum, Donald Brandon, wrote to say, "It looks like Bill Werber."

Katherine Perry never won a tournament when she was on scholarship for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's women's golf team. But she's made it through the first two phases of the LPGA Qualifying School. Today is the start of the third and final phase. If Perry is one of the top 20 women, she will earn a spot on the LPGA Tour.

A 17-year-old Charlotte girl is continuing her march towards the U.S. Olympic Trials in marathon running.

Alana Hadley set a course record this past weekend at the Indianapolis Monumental Marathon. At 2:38:34, Hadley solidified her time as the second youngest female to ever qualify for the U.S. Trials.

In NFL action, the Carolina Panthers lost again last night, 28-to-10, to the New Orleans Saints.

The Saints' defense sacked Carolina Quarterback Cam Newton four times and forced two turnovers. Newton spent much of the night under heavy pressure playing behind an offensive line without three of its regular starters. He was limited to 151 yards passing.

After the game, Newton responded to questions about whether he was pressing, or trying to do too much.

In the NFL, the Carolina Panthers lost to the Baltimore Ravens yesterday, 38-10.

Coach Ron Rivera was vocal about his disappointment.

The Panthers' offense was weakened to begin with. Two running backs were sidelined with injuries before the game, and DeAngelo Williams injured his ankle during a rush in the first half.

Rivera said that's no excuse.

“It doesn't matter who the running back is; we've still got to block,” Rivera said. “And we're going to be looking to do some things differently and do things the right way.”

Duke University announced today three new projects for modernizing it's football facility, the 85-year-old Wallace Wade Stadium.

Three Wallace Wade projects include a new tower, new video board & concourse enhancements. pic.twitter.com/16I0sR2tVa

— Duke Athletics (@Duke_ATHLETICS) September 24, 2014

In the NFL, the Carolina Panthers lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers last night, 37-19.

Cam before the storm. #PITvsCAR pic.twitter.com/rPNZCbQuzp

— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) September 21, 2014

Last year more than a dozen creative types - writers, photographers and filmmakers descended on the Durham Bulls Athletic Park for an unprecedented in-depth look at minor league baseball. Someone was at the stadium for every inning -- of every game -- all summer long. All of the work of Bull City Summer has been reviewed and now the very best is on display at several area locations.

WUNC's Carol Jackson has the story: