Sports
Figure skating legend Dick Button dies at 95
Skating legend Dick Button, shown at the 2006 Games in Torino, Italy, was a longtime commentator for the sport. Dick Button, an Olympic champion figure skater who became one of the voices of the sport for decades, died Thursday at age 95 in North Salem, N.Y., his daughter told The Washington Post.
Button became the first U.S. skater and youngest American man to capture Olympic gold in 1948 at age 18, then successfully defending his title in 1952. He is the only U.S. figure skater to win two Olympic gold medals and was the first competitor to land a double axel and a triple jump. Button also won seven U.S. championships from 1946-52 and five world titles from 1948-52.
He entered the World Figure Skating Hall of Fame in 1976 and the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame in 2015.
“He was the guy that changed the sport forever,” Scott Hamilton, another U.S. skater who won Olympic gold in 1984, said last year in an interview posted by U.S. Figure Skating. “So many people that came after him learned from him. … His presence and his greatness and the explosive nature of his athletic ability was beyond spectacular. And he did it all outdoors — all of it outdoors. I can’t even imagine skating at that level, outdoors, and he did it in 1948 all the way through 1952.”
U.S. Figure Skating posted online Thursday a tribute to “the legendary Dick Button. The two-time Olympic champion’s pioneering style & award-winning television commentary revolutionized figure skating. His legacy will live on forever. We extend our deepest condolences to his family & loved ones.”
U.S. Figure Skating mourns the loss of the legendary Dick Button. The two-time Olympic champion’s pioneering style and award-winning television commentary revolutionized figure skating. His legacy will live on forever. We extend our deepest condolences to his family and loved ones.
— U.S. Figure Skating (@USFigureSkating) January 31, 2025
Button, a Harvard-educated New Jersey native, went on from his skating career to become a beloved and decorated broadcaster. After first working for CBS, he moved to ABC in 1962 and remained there for decades, winning an Emmy in 1991 for Outstanding Sports Personality.
In addition to serving as an authoritative voice on figure skating broadcasts, Button founded the popular television reality show “The Superstars” in 1973, with athletes squaring off against one another in multiple sports. A spinoff, “Battle of the Network Stars,” with actors engaging in multi-sport competition, was another big hit.
“No other figure skater embodies the sport as much as Dick Button,” 1998 Olympic champion Tara Lipinski said in 2015. “He is, and always will be, the godfather of this sport.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Ryan McMahon the unlikely hero as Yankees edge Royals
Apr 4, 2026; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees third baseman Ryan McMahon (19) runs out a ground ball and is safe on a fielding error by the Miami Marlins during the third inning at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images Ryan McMahon hit a tiebreaking two-run homer with two outs in the eighth inning and the New York Yankees earned a 4-2 victory over the visiting Kansas City Royals on Friday night.
After not starting the game, McMahon entered at third base for Amed Rosario. Ben Rice kept the inning going with a two-out single, and McMahon snapped a 2-2 tie by sending a 2-1 changeup from Alex Lange (0-1) into the left field seats. McMahon’s homer sent left fielder Starling Marte back, but the wind appeared to carry it over the fence.
It was McMahon’s sixth hit in 43 at-bats this season — his first extra-base hit — and it occurred after manager Aaron Boone said the left-handed hitting McMahon was working on some things with his swing behind the scenes.
The Yankees have won five games in their final at-bat this year, which are their five most recent victories. McMahon drew a walk on Monday when Jose Caballero scored on a wild pitch by Jordan Romano in an 11-10 win over the Los Angeles Angels.
McMahon delivered his clutch homer after Camilo Doval (1-0) allowed a tying homer down the right field line by Vinnie Pasquantino. Doval quickly got the final out and David Bednar notched his sixth save.
Rice hit a two-run homer in the fourth off Michael Wacha as the Yankees did enough with five hits to win for just the third time in their past 10 games.
Before Doval faltered, New York’s Cam Schlittler allowed an unearned run on three hits in six-plus innings. The right-hander struck out six and walked two while throwing mostly four-seam fastballs, sinkers and cutters among his season-high 93 pitches.
Schlittler pitched around a dropped fly ball by center fielder Trent Grisham in the sixth.
With one out and Maikel Garcia on first, Bobby Witt Jr. hit a fly to the warning track in center field in front of the New York bullpen. As Grisham settled under it, the ball caromed off his glove for a two-base error and Garcia advanced to third.
After allowing Pasquantino’s RBI grounder, Schlittler struck out Salvador Perez to end the sixth.
The Royals lost for the fifth game in a row and the eighth time in 10 games. Nine of those games have been decided by two runs or fewer.
Wacha allowed two runs on three hits in six innings. The right-hander struck out six and walked three.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Team Spirit, Team Vitality punch tickets to IEM Rio semifinals
A backlit keyboard is part of the gear online video game streamer Jordan Woodruff uses in his Gilbert home.
Jordan Woodruff
Team Spirit and Team Vitality kicked off the playoff stage at the $300,000 Intel Extreme Masters Rio event with quarterfinal victories Friday, moving into the final four in Brazil.
Spirit blanked MOUZ 2-0 and Vitality did the same to Natus Vincere. While the losing sides were eliminated, Spirit will meet Team Falcons and Vitality will oppose FURIA in the semifinals Saturday.
Sixteen Counter-Strike 2 teams are competing this week for a top prize of $125,000.
The double-elimination group stage began with two groups of eight teams, with all matches best-of-three. The group winners advanced to the playoff semifinals, with the group runners-up entering the quarterfinals as high seeds and the third-place teams entering the quarterfinals as low seeds.
In the single-elimination playoffs, all matches are best-of-three until Sunday’s best-of-five grand final.
On Friday, Spirit defeated MOUZ 13-5 on Dust II and 13-8 on Mirage. Andrey “tN1R” Tatarinovich of Belarus paced the winning side with 39 kills and a 1.86 match rating. Dorian “xertioN” Berman of Israel had 25 kills to lead MOUZ.
Meanwhile, Vitality rolled past NaVi 13-4 on Mirage and 13-6 on Dust II. Frenchman Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut starred for Vitality with 44 kills and a 1.92 rating. Ukraine’s Ihor “w0nderful” Zhdanov had a team-high 25 kills for NaVi.
Play continues Saturday with the two semifinal matches:
–Team Falcons vs. Team Spirit
–FURIA vs. Team Vitality
IEM Rio prize pool:
1. $125,000
2. $50,000
3. $30,000
4. $20,000
5-6. $12,500 — MOUZ, Natus Vincere
7-8. $7,000 — G2 Esports, Aurora Gaming
9-12. $5,000 — RED Canids, 3DMAX, B8, HOTU
13-16. $4,000 — Gentle Mates, Team Liquid, Passion UA, Legacy
–Field Level Media
Sports
Sei Young Kim grabs lead at midpoint of LA Championship
Jun 20, 2025; Frisco, Texas, USA; Sei Young Kim plays her shot from the sixth tee during the second round of the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship. Mandatory Credit: Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images World No. 10 Sei Young Kim of South Korea carded a bogey-free 7-under-par 65 on Friday and took a one-shot lead after two rounds at the JM Eagle LA Championship in Tarzana, Calif.
Kim sits at 14-under 130 at El Caballero Country Club, just ahead of first-round leader Chizzy Iwai of Japan. Coming off a course-record-tying 63 on Thursday, Iwai carded a 68 on Friday, leaving her at 13 under.
South Korea’s Ina Yoon holds third place at 12 under following a 64. Tied for fourth at 9 under are Melanie Green and South Korea’s Jin Hee Im, who each shot 68 on Friday, and Jessica Porvasnik, who logged a 69.
Jenny Bae (second-round 68), Japan’s Minami Katsu (69), Australia’s Hannah Green (69) and Thailand’s Suvichaya Vinijchaitham (71) are level at 8 under, tied for seventh.
Kim birdied two of the first three holes and was 2 under at the turn. She then reeled off five birdies in a seven-hole span on the back nine.
“Little less windy today, because yesterday (it was a) very dry golf condition because (I started in the) afternoon,” Kim said. “So today … I can attack to the pin more than yesterday.”
Kim owns 13 career LPGA victories, but just one in the past six years, at the BMW Ladies Championship last October.
“This course (offers) a lot of the opportunity if you play well, so I think some players or couple players (will) play good and we’ll see, yeah, what’s going on,” Kim said. “Yeah, (I) like my position so I just want to keep (moving) forward (the) next two days.”
Iwai had another good round, albeit nowhere near as good as her first-round 63. She had two birdies and one bogey through the first 12 holes, then added three birdies in a four-hole stretch starting at No. 13.
“My front nine, I didn’t make … short birdie putts, but my driver and my second shot was all consistent, my swing,” Iwai said. “Yeah, my shot is pretty good.”
Yoon charged into contention with a sizzling start to her round, making seven birdies and two pars on the back nine. She then played the front nine and cooled off, adding only one more birdie in a bogey-free day.
“First nine holes was awesome,” Yoon said. “I never shoot 29 for nine hole in my life. It was unbelievable.
“The back nine was little bummer, but I had pretty good shot on the back nine as well. Some tricky putts on there. I made some. But it was good overall.”
–Field Level Media
Ryan McMahon the unlikely hero as Yankees edge Royals
Team Spirit, Team Vitality punch tickets to IEM Rio semifinals
