Rec Sports
Texans add lifesavers to the chain of survival in Houston
The American Heart Association and the Houston Texans provided Hands-Only CPR education to youth sports coaches to improve emergency outcomes HOUSTON, JUNE 5, 2025 — The American Heart Association and Houston Texans gathered nearly 100 youth sports coaches from the Texans Showcase League, Spring Branch Memorial Sports Association for cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and automated external […]

The American Heart Association and the Houston Texans provided Hands-Only CPR education to youth sports coaches to improve emergency outcomes
HOUSTON, JUNE 5, 2025 — The American Heart Association and Houston Texans gathered nearly 100 youth sports coaches from the Texans Showcase League, Spring Branch Memorial Sports Association for cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and automated external defibrillator (AED) training on May 31 at the Houston Methodist Training Center. According to American Heart Association data, nearly 9 out of 10 people who experience cardiac arrest outside of a hospital die, in part because they do not receive immediate CPR more than half of the time.
The American Heart Association reports that as many as 23,000 people under the age of 18 experience cardiac arrest outside of a hospital every year, with nearly 40% being sports related. It is a leading cause of death for student-athletes. CPR, especially if performed immediately, can double or triple a person’s chance of survival.
The training is part of the Texans’ commitment to improve bystander CPR and support the American Heart Association’s work to double the survival rates of cardiac arrest by 2030, the goal of Nation of Lifesavers™ movement. Each participating coach also received a CPR Anytime Kit to continue the CPR education with other coaches, parents and volunteers extending the education surrounding the youth sports teams. CPR, especially if performed immediately, could double or triple a cardiac arrest victim’s chance of survival.
“We are delighted to work with the Houston Texans to help improve emergency outcomes by ensuring youth sports coaches know the lifesaving skill of CPR and AED use,” said Nancy Brown, CEO of the American Heart Association. “Each year, hundreds of thousands of cardiac arrests occur outside of hospitals, and immediate CPR can double or even triple a person’s chance of survival. That’s why we are committed to ensuring more people are trained, confident, and ready to act as a lifesaver in a cardiac emergency.”
The American Heart Association is the worldwide leader in resuscitation science, education and training, and publishes the official scientific guidelines for CPR. With nearly 3 out of 4 cardiac arrests outside of the hospital occurring in homes, knowing how to perform CPR is critically important. With more people ready to perform CPR, the chance for a positive recovery increase for the community.
Compression-only CPR, known as Hands-Only CPR, can be equally effective as traditional CPR in the first few minutes of emergency response and is a skill everyone can learn. It is as simple as calling 911 if you see a teen or adult suddenly collapse and then push hard and fast in the center of the chest.
In 2023, the NFL launched The Smart Heart Sports Coalition in collaboration with founding members including the NBA, MLB, MLS, NHL, NCAA, the American Heart Association and others. The coalition aims to advocate for all 50 states to adopt evidence-based policies to help prevent fatal outcomes from cardiac arrest among high school students.
Additional Resources:
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About the American Heart Association
The American Heart Association is a relentless force for a world of longer, healthier lives. The organization has been a leading source of health information for more than one hundred years. Supported by more than 35 million volunteers globally, we fund groundbreaking research, advocate for the public’s health, and provide critical resources to save and improve lives affected by cardiovascular disease and stroke. By driving breakthroughs and implementing proven solutions in science, policy, and care, we work tirelessly to advance health and transform lives every day. Connect with us on heart.org, Facebook, X or by calling 1-800-AHA-USA1.
For Media Inquiries:
American Heart Association: Linzy Cotaya; linzy.cotaya@heart.org
Houton Texans: Lindsey Fox; Lindsey.Fox@HoustonTexans.com, 346-646-2599
For Public Inquiries: 1-800-AHA-USA1 (242-8721)
heart.org and stroke.org
Rec Sports
Kissimmee Police Department launches first-ever Hoops with Heroes youth basketball camp
Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what’s in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience.Generate Key Takeaways The Kissimmee Police Department is launching its first-ever Hoops with Heroes Youth Basketball Camp, a free event that aims to foster positive relationships between […]

The Kissimmee Police Department is launching its first-ever Hoops with Heroes Youth Basketball Camp, a free event that aims to foster positive relationships between local youth and police officers.
The camp will take place from July 28 to July 31 at the Boys & Girls Club of Central Florida in Kissimmee.
Officers share that the youth camp is a wonderful opportunity for children aged 6 to 16 to have fun while learning basketball basics, getting coaching and building friendly connections with officers in a positive and supportive space.
“This program is part of our ongoing commitment to engage with the community in meaningful ways,” said Kissimmee Police Chief Charles Broadway.
Camp participants will get a free “Hoops with Heroes” t-shirt, daily snacks and lunch, and can earn a medal at the end of the camp. The camp has two sessions: July 28–29 for ages 6–11 and July 30–31 for ages 12–16. Both sessions run from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., with the older group extending to 2 a.m. on July 31.
Broadway continues, “It’s also about showing our kids that police officers are here to support, encourage, and stand alongside them.”
Registration is free but required due to limited space. Participants must live within Kissimmee city limits at registration time and a parent or guardian must sign a participation waiver.
Interested participants can register by visiting here or calling 407-846-3333.
Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
Rec Sports
Accused abuser, Ireland’s former swim coach, finally arrested in US
An earlier version of this article was previously published at Concussion Inc. Used by permission. The most notorious at-large sex criminal in sports history is at large no more. George Gibney, head coach of the 1984 and 1988 Irish Olympic swimming teams, who fled to the U.S. more than 30 years ago after evading prosecution […]

An earlier version of this article was previously published at Concussion Inc. Used by permission.
The most notorious at-large sex criminal in sports history is at large no more.
George Gibney, head coach of the 1984 and 1988 Irish Olympic swimming teams, who fled to the U.S. more than 30 years ago after evading prosecution in Ireland on dozens of sexual abuse charges, was arrested in Florida on July 1. Gibney now faces extradition to Ireland for prosecution on new charges.
This news was first reported by the Irish Times and other Irish media. It is not clear at this point whether Gibney’s arrest had any of the deportation theatrics associated with ICE detention under the second Trump administration, or was a more typical arrest conducted by federal agents. Gibney has lived for many years in Altamonte Springs, Florida, a suburban community near Orlando.
The swimming news site SwimSwam cited this reporter’s successful 2016-17 Freedom of Information Act lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security, which brought to daylight several key records from Gibney’s U.S. immigration file. SwimSwam also points out that Gibney’s arrest clearly resulted from the attention generated by the 2020 BBC podcast “Where Is George Gibney?“, produced and narrated by Mark Horgan.
American media, on the other hand, has barely covered the Gibney story at all. In 2016, Fox News correspondent Tamara Holder interviewed me about the FOIA case for her segment “Sports Court.” Later that year, the San Francisco Chronicle published a report focused on federal judge Charles Breyer’s criticism of federal immigration authorities. “Given Gibney’s past,” Breyer said at the time, “more should have been done,” perhaps including Gibney’s deportation.
Before ruling “mostly” in my favor, as he put it, Breyer said, “I have to assume that if somebody has been charged with the types of offenses that Mr. Gibney has been charged with, the United States, absent other circumstances, would not grant a visa. We’re not a refuge for pedophiles.”
Among the documents revealed in that case was a job offer for Gibney as a swimming coach in the U.S. That may have been engineered by the American Swimming Coaches Association, the trade group that, as Breyer said in his ruling, was suspected of having “greased the wheels for Gibney’s relocation.”
After reaching a settlement with me before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, the government also released redacted documents showing that U.S. immigration authorities had rejected Gibney’s 2010 citizenship application after he concealed information about his arrest and indictment in Ireland, and also that had ICE quashed consideration of whether Gibney’s material lies were grounds for deportation.
At the end of 2017, the outcome of my FOIA case led to an exchange on the floor of Dáil Éireann, the Irish parliament, between Maureen O’Sullivan, the opposition legislator who was leading a campaign for Gibney’s extradition and prosecution, and Simon Coveney, who was then deputy prime minister and foreign minister. There was no further U.S. coverage of the controversy until the BBC podcast appeared in 2020, and to all appearances Gibney continued to live peacefully in Florida retirement.
Start your day with essential news from Salon.
Sign up for our free morning newsletter, Crash Course.
In February 2021, I published an article on the Gibney case in the Colorado Springs Gazette, effectively the hometown newspaper of both USA Swimming and the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee. That remains the only report of any significant length on this story in any U.S. publication. (An edited version is available on my website.)
A 1998 Irish government report on abuse in youth swimming cited detailed and explicit testimony on Gibney’s systematic pattern of abuse, and found that his accusers had been “vindicated” by overwhelming evidence. But that report came three years after Gibney had fled to the U.S., following the Irish Supreme Court’s ruling that too much time had elapsed since the earliest allegations and he could not receive a fair trial.
The now-defunct alternative Irish news site Broadsheet was the only significant outlet on either side of the Atlantic to report that then-Supreme Court Justice Susan Denham did not recuse herself from the Gibney ruling even though her brother, Patrick Gageby, was acting as Gibney’s lawyer.
The Gibney story takes up two chapters in my 2024 book “Underwater: The Greed-Soaked Tale of Sexual Abuse in USA Swimming and Around the Globe,” portions of which were previously published on Salon.
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The Akron Legal News
Families and businesses concerned about effect of tariffs on youth sports Karli Casamento, watches of her 15-year-old son, Jax’s youth baseball game with her son seven-year-old Colt in Aston, Pa., Tuesday, May 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke) JAY COHEN AP Sports Writer Published: July 7, 2025 CHICAGO (AP) — Youth sports are a big […]
Families and businesses concerned about effect of tariffs on youth sports
Karli Casamento, watches of her 15-year-old son, Jax’s youth baseball game with her son seven-year-old Colt in Aston, Pa., Tuesday, May 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
JAY COHEN
AP Sports Writer
Published: July 7, 2025
CHICAGO (AP) — Youth sports are a big part of Karli Casamento’s life. Her son, Jax, 15, golfs and plays on three baseball teams. Her youngest son, Colt, 6, plays baseball and basketball.
The costs, especially for Jax, add up in a hurry. That’s why Casamento, 48, and her husband, Michael, 46, are watching closely for the ramifications of tariffs on their rising youth sports budget.
“All of their equipment I’m sure comes from China,” said Karli Casamento, a second-grade teacher in suburban Philadelphia. “As they get bigger, they need new equipment. So that is definitely a concern.”
For families like the Casamentos and businesses in the marketplace, there is continued uncertainty surrounding the possible effects of President Donald Trump’s tariffs — the 10% baseline tariffs, along with a 30% rate on Chinese goods — on youth sports.
Nike, Adidas, Under Armour and Puma were among 76 companies that signed an April 29 letter to Trump asking for a footwear exemption from reciprocal tariffs. The Footwear Distributors & Retailers of America letter warned tariffs would “become a major impact at the cash register for every family.”
Amer Sports, the parent company of Wilson Sporting Goods and Louisville Slugger, downplayed the effect of tariffs when it announced its first-quarter earnings on May 20. But looking beyond this year, chief financial officer Andrew Page mentioned pricing as one way the company could offset higher import tariffs.
Dick’s Sporting Goods reaffirmed its earnings guidance for 2025 when it provided its first-quarter update on May 28. CEO Lauren Hobart said Dick’s had no plans to trim its product assortment in response to tariff costs, and that its guidance confirmation was based on its belief it can manage the situation.
“We are constantly assessing our pricing down to the item level, SKU level, and we do that based on consumer demand and the profitability of the business,” Hobart said in response to a question on possible price increases. “We have a very advanced pricing capability, much more advanced than we used to have, and much more enabled to make real time and quick decisions.”
Many of the US’s most popular sports rely on imported equipment
The U.S. has been the largest importer of sporting goods since 2010, accounting for 31% of the world’s imports in 2022, according to a 2024 World Trade Organization report. Boosted by racket sports, China is the most significant exporter of sporting goods at 43% in 2022.
Fueled by golf, badminton and tennis equipment, Vietnam and Taiwan experienced rapid expansion in exporting outdoor sports equipment to the U.S. from 2018 to 2024, according to data from the consulting firm, AlixPartners. Vietnam increased 340% to $705 million, and Taiwan was up 16% to $946 million.
Tariffs of 46% for Vietnam and 32% for Taiwan could go into effect next month after a 90-day pause.
Hockey skates, sticks and protective gear are often imported. Same for baseball gloves and composite and aluminum bats, which are often imported or use materials that are imported, according to the National Sporting Goods Association. Soccer goals, lacrosse nets and cones are often sourced from low-cost labor markets.
“You can’t get around the fact that a lot the stuff that we use in youth sports is coming from abroad,” said Travis Dorsch, the founding director of the Families in Sport Lab at Utah State University. “So surely if the tariffs go into effect and in any long-term or meaningful way, it’s going to affect youth sports.”
The Casamento family cheers for the Philadelphia Phillies, and that’s how Jax and Colt got into baseball. Karli Casamento called sports “a safe way to socialize, and it gets them active.”
But equipment has become a major expense for the family. Jax has a $400 bat and a $300 glove, Karli Casamento said, and his catching equipment is $700. There is an additional cost for registration for his travel team, in addition to what it costs to travel to tournaments.
“We’ve tried to say to Jax, ‘Well, you’re in ninth grade now, do you really need to play tournament ball? You’re not going to grow up and be, you know, the next Mike Schmidt,’ things like that,” Karli Casamento said, “because it’s just, it’s $5,000 a year and now we have two kids in sports.”
Tariffs may not impact all sports families equally
That effect most likely will be felt by middle- and low-income families, threatening recent gains in participation rates for youth sports.
The Sports & Fitness Industry Association, which tracks youth participation by sport, found in 2023 there was a 6% increase in young people who regularly participated in a team sport, which it said was the highest rate (39.8%) since 2015. An Aspen Institute study released in October showed participation for girls was at its highest levels since at least 2012.
“I’m really concerned that we’re going to spike this great momentum because families, who are already saying that sports is getting increasingly more expensive, equipment’s getting more expensive and they’re continuing to stretch to make that work, like this might be the one that just kind of puts them over the sidelines,” said Todd Smith, the president and CEO of the Sports & Fitness Industry Association.
Smith was in China in April for a World Federation of Sporting Good Industries board meeting. He visited some manufacturing facilities while he was in the country.
“The ones that I went to are really, really impressive,” Smith said. “First class, high tech, like highly skilled. And the thought that tariffs are all of a sudden just going to allow a 10-plus million dollar facility to just pop up the next day in the U.S. is just, it’s not feasible.”
Low-income families were already feeling a financial strain with youth sports before Trump was elected to a second term. According to the Aspen Institute study, 25.1% of children ages 6-17 from households earning under $25,000 played a sport on a regular basis in 2023, down slightly from 25.8% in 2022. That’s compared to 43.5% of children from households earning at least $100,000, up slightly from 42.7% in 2022.
Youth sports participation has a wide range of ramifications for public health, said Tom Farrey, the founder and executive director of the Aspen Institute’s Sports & Society Program.
“This incredibly virtuous cycle can be engaged if you can simply get kids off their phones and off their couches and into the game and they have a sustained experience into adolescence,” Farrey said. “And if you don’t, then you’re at risk for a range of health consequences, including obesity.”
Going along with playing on three baseball teams, Jax Casamento has workouts for his travel squad and also takes hitting lessons. The Casamentos turned a baseball trip to South Carolina into a family vacation last year.
Michael Casamento is a physical education teacher in an elementary school, so the family’s concerns about the effect of tariffs on the cost of youth sports go beyond their two boys.
“I work with a lot of kids that are a lower socio-economic status,” Karli Casamento said. “It really makes it harder for those types of families to be able to afford to play sports.”
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AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports
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President Trump announces ‘Patriot Games’ for high school athletes
When the United States celebrates the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 2026, top high school athletes from around the country will gather at the nation’s capital to compete in a youth sports competition called the ‘Patriot Games.’ President Donald Trump announced on Thursday that this event will feature athletes from […]

When the United States celebrates the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 2026, top high school athletes from around the country will gather at the nation’s capital to compete in a youth sports competition called the ‘Patriot Games.’
President Donald Trump announced on Thursday that this event will feature athletes from all 50 states as part of America’s semiquincentennial festivities. Per the White House, Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. will be in charge of the nationally-televised games.
Details on the types of competitions involved or how athletes will be selected have not yet been disclosed by the White House.
“[This is] something that I think that all Americans can come together to celebrate and honor our history as well as our present and our future,” official Monica Crowley said in an interview.
Trump’s announcement of the Patriot Games, along with other events planned for next July 4th, was made at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines, Iowa. He said the competition would “show off the best of American skill, sportsmanship and competitive spirit.”
Next year’s Independence Day celebration is set to begin with a Great American State Fair that starts in Iowa and visits state fairs across the United States. This tour will culminate with celebrations at the National Mall on July 4.
Rec Sports
Lincoln team advances to US Youth Soccer Nationals
LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) – The summer soccer season isn’t done yet for the 402 DA 16-and-under team. The local squad, which is comprised of 18 players from across the 10/11 viewing area, is heading to the US Soccer Youth Nationals later this month. 402 DA qualified while becoming just the second team from Lincoln to […]

LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) – The summer soccer season isn’t done yet for the 402 DA 16-and-under team. The local squad, which is comprised of 18 players from across the 10/11 viewing area, is heading to the US Soccer Youth Nationals later this month.
402 DA qualified while becoming just the second team from Lincoln to win a US Youth Soccer Midwest Regional Championship.
402 DA players said they’ve been training hard with the goal of reaching nationals. Six schools from Lincoln are represented on the talented club squad, including four from Lincoln Southwest. The Silver Hawks won the Girls Class A Championship in May.
US Youth Soccer Nationals are held at ESPN Wide World of Sports in Orlando, Florida. The tournament runs July 23 to July 27.
402 DA is raising funds to offset upcoming travel costs and expenses for their upcoming trip to Orlando. Supporters of the team can contribute via GoFundMe.

*Only second team in history to do so from Lincoln.”(Lindsay A Tweten (Viewer Submission))
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Copyright 2025 KOLN. All rights reserved.
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Butte Sports Weekly (Through July 12)
Butte Sports SlateJuly 6-12WednesdayLegion baseball — 5 p.m., Helena Reps at Butte Miners (doubleheader, 3 Legends Stadium).ThursdayLegion baseball — 5 p.m., Dillon Cubs at Butte Miners (doubleheader, 3 Legends Stadium).FridayLegion baseball — 3 p.m., Bozeman Bucks B at Butte Muckers (tripleheader, 3 Legends Stadium).SaturdayLegion baseball — Noon, Belgrade Bandits at Butte Miners (doubleheader, 3 Legends […]

Butte Sports Slate
July 6-12
Wednesday
Legion baseball — 5 p.m., Helena Reps at Butte Miners (doubleheader, 3 Legends Stadium).
Thursday
Legion baseball — 5 p.m., Dillon Cubs at Butte Miners (doubleheader, 3 Legends Stadium).
Friday
Legion baseball — 3 p.m., Bozeman Bucks B at Butte Muckers (tripleheader, 3 Legends Stadium).
Saturday
Legion baseball — Noon, Belgrade Bandits at Butte Miners (doubleheader, 3 Legends Stadium).
Legion baseball — 5 p.m., Butte Muckers at Anaconda A’s (doubleheader, Washoe Park).
Sunday, July 13
Legion baseball — Noon, Libby Loggers at Butte Miners (doubleheader, 3 Legends Stadium).
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