State of the Sporting World
The Champions League quarterfinals will be set after Saturday; The first 2020 card in Dana White's Contender Series will be later today; In the NHL, the Blackhawks have banned costume headdresses at all United Center events; Canadian Football League team Edmonton has moved from the Edmonton Eskimos to the Edmonton Football Team until they decide on a new team name; Leicester City will be joined in the 2020-21 Europa League by FA Cup winner Arsenal; The MLS is Back semifinals will be tomorrow and Thursday with the final next week- the overall winner will qualify for the 2021 CONCACAF Champions League; Chiefs RB Damien Williams and Giants OT Nate Solder have both opted out of the NFL season restart; Coventry City, Rotherham United and Wycombe Wanderers will move from English League One to the English League Championship- they will be replaced in League One by Charlton Athletic, Wigan Athletic and Hull City; The PGA Championship in golf will start on Thursday; Rafael Nadal has joined Nick Kyrgios and Ashleigh Barty in withdrawing from the U.S. Open in tennis; The Europe qualifier tournament in Olympic boxing will resume in March; Six of eight spots in the Europa League quarterfinals will be set after Thursday; The 2020-21 Premier League season will start on September 12; Surfing at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris will take place in Tahiti; Aston Martin will join the Formula 1 manufacturer fold next season; Luka Garza has withdrawn from the NBA Draft and is returning to Iowa; Khabib Nurmagomedov v. Justin Gaethje for the UFC lightweight title on October 24