College Athletics

Pac-12 passes reforms for all of its student-athletes

SAN FRANCISCO – The Pac-12 passed sweeping changes for athletes in all of the conference’s sports Monday, guaranteeing four-year scholarships, improving health care benefits and liberalizing transfer rules.

The changes announced by the Pac-12 presidents and chancellors include many of the same proposals outlined in a letter to university leaders in the five major football conferences in May. The conference also said its chancellors and presidents reaffirmed their support for stipends to cover the full cost of attendance.

Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott said that figure likely will range between $2,000 and $5,000 per athlete depending on the university. The 65 institutions in the five major football conferences – granted autonomy by the NCAA earlier this year – and 15 representative athletes will vote on the issue at the group’s inaugural meeting in January.

College Football

Bulldogs, Seminoles top first playoff rankings

Mississippi State, Florida State, Auburn and Mississippi are the top four teams in the first College Football Playoff rankings.

The first of seven top-25 rankings done by a 12-member selection committee was released Tuesday night. The selection committee will pick the four teams to play in the national semifinals and set the matchups for other four marquee New Year’s Day bowls that are part of the playoff rotation.

Oregon was fifth and Alabama sixth, giving the Southeastern Conference’s West Division four of the top six teams.

The final rankings will be released Dec. 7, the day after most of the conference championships are decided.

Olympics

Stockholm wants a do-over for 2022 Games bid

LONDON – If the International Olympic Committee is willing to reopen the bidding to host the 2022 Winter Games, Stockholm would be happy to jump back into the race.

The Swedish capital pulled out in January after politicians refused to give financial backing, becoming the first of four cities to withdraw from a field that now only has two contenders – Almaty, Kazakhstan, and Beijing – in the running.

Stefan Lindeberg, president of the Swedish Olympic Committee, said Tuesday that Stockholm would not have dropped out if it knew then about the changes in the bidding process that currently are being put into place by the IOC.

Soccer

Hamm, Neely nominated for Roma’s board

ROME – Retired women’s soccer star Mia Hamm and Boston Bruins president Cam Neely were nominated Monday to Italian club Roma’s board of directors.

Roma is traded on the Milan stock exchange, and the nominations were made at a club shareholder meeting.

The 42-year-old Hamm helped the United States to two World Cup titles, including the inaugural edition in 1991 in China, and won the women’s FIFA world player of the year award in 2001 and 2002 – the first two times that honor was given.

Hamm is not a club investor, Roma said.

The 49-year-old Neely was a forward for the Boston Bruins and Vancouver Canucks. He became the Bruins’ president in 2010.

Roma was bought by a group of four Boston executives three years ago, and Richard D’Amore, a member of that group, rejoined the board. Former club president Thomas DiBenedetto and New York lawyer Joe Tacopina, who recently became president of second-division club Bologna, left the board.

American investor Stanley Gold also was nominated.

The 13 board members will serve three-year terms.

Associated Press