Commissioner David Stern doubts there will be any NBA basketball on Christmas without a labor agreement by Tuesday.

Owners and players are scheduled to meet on Tuesday with a federal mediator, and Stern believes it could be make or break.

Owners will then open two days of board meetings Wednesday, and without an agreement to bring them, Stern believes further cancellations are coming.

Stern said Thursday, said: “Right now, Tuesday, Tuesday, Tuesday, just before my owners come into town, having brought in the labor relations committee and Billy (Hunter) having brought in his executive committee, it’s time to make the deal. If we don’t make it on Tuesday, my gut this is not in my official capacity of canceling games but my gut is that we won’t be playing on Christmas Day.”

Stern canceled the first two weeks of the regular season on Monday when the sides couldn’t reach a deal before a deadline he had set.

Christmas is traditionally one of the first big days of the NBA season. This year’s three-game schedule features the NBA Finals rematch between the Dallas Mavericks and Miami Heat.

The talks have stalled over the structure of the salary cap system and the division of revenues between owners and players.

They will meet Tuesday with George Cohen, the same mediator who tried to resolve the NFL’s labor dispute months before it eventually ended.

Asked if Cohen had the ability to move the sides toward a deal, Stern said: “I’m hoping he does because I think that if we don’t make a deal by the time my owners meetings come in Wednesday and Thursday, after we’ve met with the mediator on Monday and then met with each other on Tuesday, then I despair.

“Because we will have lost two weeks for sure on our way to losing more games, offers will get worse, possibly on both sides, and the deal’s going to slip away from us, as may the season,” he added. “So this is the time to make a deal.”

Hunter is meeting with players on Friday in Los Angeles. The union has balked at owners’ proposal to replace their hard salary cap plan by making the luxury tax much more punitive. Players believe it would become such a deterrent to spending that it would essentially work as a hard cap.

The sides also have to decide how to divide up about $4 billion in annual revenues. Players were guaranteed 57 percent of basketball-related income in the previous collective bargaining agreement and have proposed lowering it to 53 percent. Owners are seeking the same 53-47 split in their favor.

The parties have discussed a 50-50 split, which the players rejected. In the radio interview, Stern repeated a claim he made Monday that the original discussion of an even split was initiated by the players.

They also are still clashing over the length of the agreement, with players not wanting to go beyond six years and owners seeking a 10-year deal but offering the players an opt-out after six. Player contract lengths, luxury tax payments and the use of spending exceptions are among the other big items remaining.

“We haven’t even addressed many of the issues,” Stern said.

With many issues still remaining perhaps the next few day will be an indication if their is any basketball before the new year.

Stern concluded: “Deal Tuesday, or we potentially spiral into situations where the worsening offers on both sides make it even harder for the parties to make a deal.”

The National Football League (NFL) confirmed on Saturday, March 12, that a lockout of its players had been enforced after the players’ union decertified on Friday when talks over a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) collapsed.

The decision made by the Players’ Association (NFLPA) means that the athletes will be entitled to file anti-trust lawsuits against the NFL. According to the expired CBA, the union had to file a petition to decertify by 5pm ET on Friday, March 11, in order to be able to immediately file an antitrust lawsuit if the NFL institutes a lockout.

If the NFLPA waited until after the expiration of the deadline to decertify, they would have to wait six months to institute an antitrust lawsuit, thought to be the main reason for the prompt move.

Without a players association to collectively bargain, the players lose all their collectively bargained rights such as medical insurance and their pension.

The decertification simply meant that there is no longer a players association, a scenario which occurred back in 1989 in order to bring an anti-trust case, which did not reform again until 1993. For that reason it does not mean that no American Football will be played during the decertification period.

However, since then the league have confirmed to a lockout of its players. If the NFL had not enforced a lockout, they could have instituted their “last and best offer.” This is where the NFL owners would unilaterally implement the last offer they gave the players association before reaching an impasse. Football would have been played while the NFL and NFLPA battled out an antitrust case in court.

Speaking after the union’s decision to decertify was announced, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell stated: “We worked hard. We didn’t reach an agreement, obviously. As you know, the union walked away from the mediation process today to decertify.

“We do believe that mediation is the fairest and fastest way to reach an agreement that works for the players and for the clubs. And we believe that ultimately this is going to be negotiated at the negotiating table. They’ve chosen to pursue another strategy, and that is their choice.”

NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith told reporters: “I’m sad for our fans, I’m sad for our players…but I’m proud of the (players) who have devoted themselves to be leaders.” He said the league’s contention that the union was more interested in litigation than negotiation all along “flies in the face of reason, flies in the face of facts and is simply untrue”.

A team of nine players, including Drew Brees, Vincent Jackson, Ben Leber, Logan Mankins, Peyton Manning, Brian Robison, Osi Umenyiora, Mike Vrabel, and led by New England Patriots quarterback Peyton Manning, moved to represent all current and future NFL players before the NFL’s lockout was announced, seeking to enjoin the NFL from locking players out, among other things.

The lawsuit sought an injunction to prevent the NFL and its clubs “from agreeing to deprive the players of the ability to work as professional football players.” It also sought declarations that the lockout, the draft and the salary cap, among other things, are violations of the Sherman Act. It further seeks an injunction to prevent NFL clubs from “agreeing to withhold contractually-owed amounts to players under contract for the 2011 NFL season and beyond.”

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson will join the line-up of major sports stars at the inaugural Aspire4Sport Conference and Expo, decease it has been confirmed.

Ferguson will participate in a special on-to-one and will give an insight into his career and thoughts on management.

He visited the Aspire academy in Qatar earlier this year when he took the United team to the Middle East for warm weather training.

After the trip Ferguson said: “Aspire’s complex is without question the best I have ever seen. Not only that, the operation is so well managed that it has made our stay very easy and relaxed. We hope that this journey is not our last here and that it will initiate a true bond between Manchester United and our friends at Aspire and in Qatar.”

Other confirmed speakers at the event include Barcelona president Sandro Rosell, Inter Milan CEO Ernesto Paolillo, Olympic champion Michael Johnson and tennis legend John McEnroe.

The event will take place in Doha, Qatar, from 15 to 18 November.

California Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom has been appointed Executive Chairman of the Leadership Committee of the 2015 Special Olympics World Games in Los Angeles.

“Gavin will be a tremendous asset to this amazing event, cough ” said Rob Friedman, there Chairman of the Board for 2015 Special Olympics World Games. “His relationships on both a national and regional level will help expand awareness and tap into needed resources in support of the efforts of these fine athletes coming to Los Angeles next summer. We are all thrilled to have him on the team.”

The largest sports-and-humanitarian event anywhere in the world in 2015, doctor the Special Olympics World Games will be held July 25 – August 2, 2015, featuring 25 Olympic-style athletic competitions in 27 venues throughout the Los Angeles region.

“I am inspired by the achievements of the Special Olympics movement, and the personal dedication of the Shriver family,” said Newsom. “The World Games provides a stage for over 7,000 accomplished athletes to pursue their passion, and California has an incredible opportunity to expand and elevate this work. I am honored to serve the thousands of individuals that will benefit from this event.“

Zebra Technologies Corporation today announced it has entered into an agreement to partner with Michael Waltrip Racing to deploy a first-of-its-kind pit crew evaluation system.

Combining the racing expertise of the Michael Waltrip team and the real-time locating systems (RTLS) technology expertise of Zebra, the application will be using the Zebra MotionWorks Motor Sports Solution, a next-generation motor sports statistics, event and visualization platform.

“Michael Waltrip Racing has been dedicated to improving racing through quality and innovation,” said Tom German, Chief Technical Officer, Michael Waltrip Racing. “Our partnership with Zebra further cements our commitment to the industry through cutting-edge technology advancements that will enhance the fan experience and improve pit crew and driver performance.”

The Michael Waltrip engineering staff will partner with Zebra’s Location Solutions team to deploy an application that will use the Zebra MotionWorks Motor Sports Solution to accurately track the location, speed and direction of the pit crew and support equipment during practice. The solution will include the use of real-time location solution (RTLS) tags that will be placed on the cars, pit crew uniforms and equipment, which feed data in real time to receivers located throughout the practice track. The data will then be processed through the custom application to provide pit crew leads and management with actionable insights to improve performance.

“We are thrilled to partner with Michael Waltrip Racing on this project and help the racing industry realize the significant benefits of real-time visibility,” said Jill Stelfox, General Manager of Location Solutions at Zebra. “The talented engineering staff of Michael Waltrip Racing paired with Zebra’s innovative Location Solutions team will allow us to deploy an application that will help racing teams better evaluate and optimize pit crew performance, changing competitive racing as we know it.”

BADMINTONscotland have revealed today they have formed an official bid to bring the Sudirman Cup back to Europe in 2017 for the first time since Glasgow staged the World Mixed Team Championships in 2007.

A partnership between badminton’s national governing body, sale Glasgow City Council, UK Sport’s Gold Event Series and EventScotland will deliver the bid to host the Cup in Scotland for the third time.

Glasgow first staged the Sudirman Cup in 1997, in a two-week spectacle at Scotstoun which also featured the World Individual Championships. Since then the Cup has become a stand-alone event.

BADMINTONscotland Chief Executive Anne Smillie said: “BADMINTONscotland and our funding partners have a strong track record of running world-class events in Glasgow ever since we staged the European Championships at the Kelvin Hall International Sports Arena back in 1992.

“Today we have a fabulous new arena which is perfect for world-class badminton. The Emirates Arena has already played host to the Scottish Open Grand Prix and badminton fans coming to the Commonwealth Games this summer will be able to see first-hand just how good the facilities are there.

“The Arena is certainly big enough to stage the Sudirman Cup and we all know that Glasgow have the hotels and restaurants of a high standard to meet the needs of the visiting teams as well as the many fans who follow them.

“We will have to wait until the October meeting of the Badminton World Federation Council to know if our bid has been successful but the BWF are well aware of our track record in organising and staging major events.

“But the bid team will be working hard during the Commonwealth Games and at the World Championships in Copenhagen in late August to showcase everything that Glasgow can offer in staging world-class badminton.”

UK Sport is investing around £27million to bring up to 70 major championships to the UK through its Gold Event Series by 2019 to build a strong legacy from hosting the London 2012 and the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games.

Paul Bush OBE, Chief Operating Officer for EventScotland said:“Scotland is the perfect stage for major events and this partnership is focused on bringing the Sudirman Cup back to Glasgow. We have a strong global reputation as a major events destination and a passion for badminton that will provide the ideal platform for the world’s greatest players to excel.

“Over the past decade, Scotland has hosted some of the biggest properties in world sport, and we are working hard to ensure that there is a continuing programme of major events post-2014. We have already secured three World and two European Championships for Scotland in 2015, and the Sudirman Cup is one of our main targets for the following years.”

This year Glasgow will of course host the XX Commonwealth Games, as well as a leg of the prestigious IAAF Diamond League. Next year the city will welcome the World Gymnastics Championships, the IPC Swimming World Championships and the European Judo Championships.

The International Triathlon Union (ITU) has confirmed today the addition of four events to the 2014 World Cup calendar.

In addition to five previously announced races, order stops in Jiayuguan, clinic Alanya, Cozumel and Tongyeong have been secured.

2014 World Cup calendar to date:

March 15-16: Mooloolaba, Australia

March 22-23: New Plymouth, New Zealand

May 10-11: Chengdu, China

June 14-15: Huatulco, Mexico

July 26-27: Jiayuguan, China

August 9-10: Tiszaujvaros, Hungary

September 27-28: Alanya, Turkey

October 4-5: Cozumel, Mexico

November 1-2: Tongyeong, South Korea

ITU also revealed they expected to add one additional World Cup race in Europe and two more in the Americas, all of which are to be confirmed later this year.

FIFA has given Egypt a deadline of October 28 to provide “comprehensive security assurances” for their World Cup playoff in Cairo next month, according to the Ghana Football Association.

The GFA says the world body also has indicated it will consider switching the venue for their November 19 second leg if not satisfied with security arrangements.

The GFA says FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke has sent a letter to Egyptian authorities asking them to give written guarantees that Ghana’s delegation and the match officials will be safe when they travel to Cairo, which has been shaken by new violence. The GFA last week asked FIFA to move the game because of fears over security.

The Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) committee has rejected a proposal that recommended building on a strip of land at the Nursery End of Lord’s.

The Rifkind Levy Partnership (RLP), ampoule who lease the aforementioned land to MCC, discount made a presentation to the club’s ground working party.

However, ed in a letter to MCC members, president Mike Griffith underlined the reasons for turning down the proposal.

“The committee believes that the size of the Nursery Ground is sacrosanct, both for the staging of cricket matches and as a practice area of international standard,” Griffith said in a letter.

“A development such as that proposed by RLP would lead to a loss of operational space essential for the running of the ground on major match days.

“(In addition,) the visual and environmental impact of the proposed RLP scheme would damage the character and ambience of Lord’s.”

Griffith added: “The committee received a presentation from the chairman of the ground working party, Colin Maber, on the club’s masterplan, part of which was a presentation from the treasurer, Robert Leigh, on the funding of that plan.

“The committee supported both presentations. At the Annual General Meeting on May 1, similar presentations will be made to members on both the RLP and the club’s proposals.”