Sports

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:

Earlier this year we brought you a story about the connection between a mind-controlled robotic suit and soccer's World Cup. We have updated the story at the bottom of the page.

Original story:

The upcoming World Cup is sure to go down in the history books even before the competition starts.  This year, a paralyzed teen will use a mind-controlled robotic suit to help stand, walk and make the opening kick to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

How much money does your family spend on sports? Do you spend hundreds each your on a traveling team for a middle schooler? Perhaps your child plays in more than one of these competitive leagues. How about a private conditioning coach? How much is too much?

There's an intriguing new project about the topic. It's called Contested, and it features families in Durham, NC.

>>Browse the multimedia site.