Sports fans can pursue U.S. antitrust case over programs

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A federal judge on Wednesday allowed sports fans to pursue a lawsuit accusing Major League Baseball, the National Hockey League and various networks of antitrust violations in how they package games for broadcast on television or the Internet.U.S. District Judge Shira Scheindlin in Manhattan said the subscribers could pursue claims that the packaging has reduced competition,...

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Rule changes may be best way to curb hockey aggression

(Reuters) - Trying to prevent fights and hockey injuries by teaching young hockey players about the dangers of aggression on the ice are less effective than rule changes, which adjust both culture and behavior at once, according to a Canadian study.The researchers, whose findings appeared in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, concluded after reviewing past research on the subject that rules...

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Owners and players to meet without feuding leaders present

NEW YORK (Reuters) - National Hockey League (NHL) owners and players will meet face-to-face on Tuesday in an attempt to broker a deal to end their bitter dispute that threatens to wipe out the season.The meeting will take place in New York with the heads of the two feuding sides, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and NHL Players Association (NHLPA) Executive Director Don Fehr both agreeing to skip the...

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UPDATE 1-Soccer-Valencia, Malaga through to King's Cup quarters

* Valencia see off La Liga rivals Osasuna* Malaga suffer scare against third-tier Eibar (Adds Valencia-Osasuna, quotes, byline)MADRID, Jan 8 (Reuters) - Valencia eased past La Liga rivals Osasuna into the quarter-finals of the King's Cup on Tuesday, while Malaga flirted with danger against third-tier Eibar before a flurry of late goals put them safely into the last eight.Valencia will play 2011 winners...

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Brazilian prostitutes keen to "learn the lingo" for 2014 World Cup

SAO PAULO (Reuters) - Prostitutes in the Brazilian city of Belo Horizonte are signing up in droves for free language classes in order to be ready for a barrage of foreign visitors to the tropical country during the 2014 soccer World Cup.The women join many others in Brazilian society, from politicians to construction workers, who are racing the clock to prepare 12 host cities throughout the nation...

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Soccer-Youthful Villa playing dangerous game

LONDON, Jan 8 (Reuters) - Pioneers Aston Villa have put almost all their faith in young players this season but the bold policy is at risk of badly backfiring for the Premier League club after Tuesday's defeat at fourth tier Bradford City.The 3-1 reverse in their Capital One (League) Cup semi-final first leg was the latest in a string of woeful displays from the 1982 European champions and damage...

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Tennis-Murray knows must do more to become 'Sir Andy'

BRISBANE, Jan 1 (Reuters) - Andy Murray is coming off a season in which he became the first British man in 76 years to win a Grand Slam singles title and won Olympic gold at the London Games but the Scot does not think he has done enough to deserve a knighthood yet.The 25-year-old received the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in a special U.K. New year Honours list, though some of his supporters...

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Murray knows must do more to become 'Sir Andy'

BRISBANE (Reuters) - Andy Murray is coming off a season in which he became the first British man in 76 years to win a Grand Slam singles title and won Olympic gold at the London Games but the Scot does not think he has done enough to deserve a knighthood yet.The 25-year-old received the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in a special U.K. New year Honours list, though some of his supporters thought...

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