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Earlier this month, tennis player Peng Shuai accused Zhang Gaoli, a former high-ranking Chinese government official, of sexual assault. Peng wrote, in a lengthy social media post, that Zhang had forced her to have sex despite repeated refusals.

The post was removed within 20 minutes from her verified account on Weibo, a leading Chinese social media platform, and Peng hasn’t posted on social media or been seen in public since.

Now, her safety and whereabouts have become a growing concern among her peers, fans and those at the WTA. Where is Peng, and what exactly happened? While many questions remain, here’s what we know — and don’t know — so far.

Peng is a 35-year-old Chinese tennis player and former world doubles No. 1. She has won two major doubles titles — at Wimbledon in 2013 and the French Open in 2014 — and reached the semifinals at the 2014 US Open in singles. She has earned 25 titles on tour and last played at the Qatar Open in February 2020.

What exactly did her social media post say and why was it taken down?

In the 1,500-character post, Peng gave a detailed account of her encounters with Zhang, now 75, which began a decade ago. Peng claims, in her post, she had an on-again, off-again affair with Zhang, who was married, starting before he rose up the party ranks and became vice premier.

About three years ago, after Zhang retired from his role, he invited her over to his house to play tennis with him and his wife. She said he then sexually assaulted her while his wife stood outside guarding the door.

Infidelity is strictly prohibited by the Communist Party and results in expulsion from the organization. Peng said he was concerned she might record their encounters and she therefore has no evidence to support her allegations. Despite that, she wanted to publicly voice what happened to her.

“I know that for someone of your eminence, Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli, you’ve said that you’re not afraid,” Peng wrote, according to The New York Times. “But even if it’s just me, like an egg hitting a rock, or a moth to the flame, courting self-destruction, I’ll tell the truth about you.”

Weibo is similar in format to Twitter and is heavily censored by the government. In addition to the deletion of the post, searches for her name and “tennis” were also blocked on the government-run internet.

What was the immediate reaction to Peng’s post?

As public allegations against high-ranking Chinese government officials are unheard of, and due to Peng’s celebrity status, screenshots of the post had already been saved and shared before it was deleted. It quickly went viral, and Peng’s accusations gained media coverage around the globe.

How did the WTA respond?

On Sunday, the organization released a statement from Steve Simon, the chairman and CEO, asking for a “full, fair and transparent investigation” into Peng’s allegations.

“Peng Shuai, and all women, deserve to be heard, not censored,” Simon said. “Her accusation about the conduct of a former Chinese leader involving a sexual assault must be treated with the utmost seriousness. In all societies, the behavior she alleges that took place needs to be investigated, not condoned or ignored.”

Why are there concerns about her whereabouts and well-being?

Peng hasn’t been active on social media since her post was removed on Nov. 2, and has not been seen in public or responded to communication attempts from the WTA. In an interview with The New York Times on Sunday, shortly after his statement was released, Simon said the Chinese Tennis Association and other local sources confirmed that Peng was safe. Yet no one from the WTA, including officials and active players, had been able to directly reach Peng.

In an interview with Time, published on Wednesday morning, Simon said the organization had tried every method at its disposal to reach her.

“Voice, digital, tweeting,” he said. “WeChat. WhatsApp. Text. There are plenty of different messaging things we all use and are all able to communicate with. And none of those have produced a result as of this point.”

Later on Wednesday, China Global Television Network, a government-affiliated media organization posted a tweet with a message reportedly from Peng, but it only furthered doubt about Peng’s whereabouts and safety.

In the message, which CGTN said was from Peng in response to the WTA’s previous statement, the sexual assault allegation is called “not true.” The message also says Peng is “resting at home and everything is fine,” and claims the WTA didn’t verify any of its information. It ends with a hope for the future of Chinese tennis.

In addition to the content of the purported email, users on social media pointed out the cursor visible on the word “and” early in the message — something that would be unlikely in an email that has been received.

Did Simon or the WTA respond to the message that was reportedly from Peng?

Simon released another statement soon after on Wednesday and made it clear he didn’t believe the message had come from her.

“I have a hard time believing that Peng Shuai actually wrote the email we received or believes what is being attributed to her,” read the statement. “Peng Shuai displayed incredible courage in describing an allegation of sexual assault against a former top official in the Chinese government. The WTA and the rest of the world need independent and verifiable proof that she is safe.”

How has the tennis community responded?

In addition to Simon and the WTA, several other active and former players have voiced their concerns and support for Peng this week.

Four-time major champion Naomi Osaka posted a note on Twitter on Tuesday, using the #WhereIsPengShuai hashtag. “Censorship is never ok at any cost, and I hope Peng Shuai and her family are safe and ok,” she wrote in part.

Earlier in the week Chris Evert, the 18-time Grand Slam victor and ESPN analyst, called the accusations “very disturbing” and asked for information about Peng’s whereabouts.

Nicolas Mahut, a former doubles No. 1, pointed out that the concern extends beyond the WTA.

During a news conference at the ATP Finals, world No. 1 Novak Djokovic called it “shocking” and expressed concern for Peng and her family.

Andrea Gaudenzi, the chairman of the ATP, has released multiple statements this week as well and expressed support for the WTA’s calls for an investigation, in addition to hopes for Peng’s safety.

What happens now?

These are perhaps the two biggest questions right now. In his interview with The New York Times on Sunday, Simon said the organization is willing to do whatever it takes to support its players — no matter what is at stake.

And when it comes to the WTA and China, there is a lot at stake. During its normal, non-pandemic-altered schedule, the WTA holds 11 tournaments in the country annually, including the year-end WTA Finals.

“If at the end of the day, we don’t see the appropriate results from this, we would be prepared to take that step and not operate our business in China if that’s what it came to,” Simon told the Times.

On Thursday, Stephen Kinnock, a member of British parliament and a shadow minister for Asia and the Pacific, called on the Chinese to prove Peng is “alive, well and free.” Kinnock said he had reached out to the foreign secretary about the case.

It remains to be seen whether the WTA’s financial threat, or the growing pressure from around the world, will force an investigation or produce tangible evidence of Peng’s safety.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

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If college football’s playoff system ain’t broke, why fix it?

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If college football's playoff system ain't broke, why fix it?

During college football’s Bowl Championship Series era, the sport’s opposition to an expanded, let alone expansive, playoff could be summarized in one colorful quote by then-Ohio State president E. Gordon Gee.

“They will wrench a playoff system out of my cold, dead hands,” Gee said in 2007.

We are happy to report that while college football does, indeed, have a playoff, Gee is still very much alive. The 81-year-old retired just this week after a second stint leading West Virginia University.

What is dead and buried, though, is college football’s staunch resistance to extending its postseason field. After decades of ignoring complaints and the promise of additional revenue to claim that just two teams was more than enough, plans to move from 12 participants to 16 were underway before last season’s inaugural 12-teamer even took place.

A once-static sport now moves at light speed, future implications be damned.

Fire. Ready. Aim.

So maybe the best bit of current news is that college football’s two ruling parties — the SEC and Big Ten — can’t agree on how the new 16-team field would be selected. It has led to a pause on playoff expansion.

Maybe, just maybe, it means no expansion will occur by 2026, as first planned, and college football can let the 12-team model cook a little to accurately assess what changes — if any — are even needed.

“We have a 12-team playoff, five conference champions,” SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said this week. “That could stay if we can’t agree.”

Good. After all, what’s the rush?

The 2025 season will play out with a 12-team format featuring automatic bids for five conference champions and seven at-large spots. Gone is last year’s clunky requirement that the top four seeds could go only to conference champs — elevating Boise State and Arizona State and unbalancing the field.

That alone was progress built on real-world experience. It should be instructive.

The SEC wants a 16-team model but with, as is currently the case, automatic bids going to the champions in the ACC, Big 12, Big Ten, SEC and the best of the so-called Group of 6. The rest of the field would be at-large selections.

The Big Ten says it will not back such a proposal until the SEC agrees to play nine conference games (up from its current eight). Instead, it wants a 16-team system that gives four automatic bids apiece to the Big Ten and SEC, two each to the ACC and Big 12, one to the Group of 6 and then three at-large spots.

It’s been dubbed the “4-4-2-2-1-3” because college athletic leaders love ridiculous parlances almost as much as they love money.

While the ACC, Big 12 and others have offered opinions — mostly siding with the SEC — legislatively, the decision rests with the sport’s two big-dog conferences.

Right now, neither side is budging. A compromise might still be made, of course. The supposed deadline to set the 2026 system is Nov. 30. And Sankey actually says he prefers the nine-game SEC schedule, even if his coaches oppose it.

However, the possibility of the status quo standing for a bit longer remains.

What the Big Ten has proposed is a dramatic shift for a sport that has been bombarded with dramatic shifts — conference realignment, the transfer portal, NIL, revenue sharing, etc.

The league wants to stage multiple “play-in” games on conference championship weekend. The top two teams in the league would meet for the league title (as is currently the case), but the third- and fourth-place teams would play the fifth- and sixth-place teams to determine the other automatic bids.

Extend this out among all the conferences and you have up to a 26-team College Football Playoff (with 22 teams in a play-in situation). This would dramatically change the way the sport works — devaluing the stakes for nonconference games, for example. And some mediocre teams would essentially get a playoff bid — in the Big Ten’s case, the sixth seed last year was an Iowa team that finished 8-5.

Each conference would have more high-value inventory to sell to broadcast partners, but it’s not some enormous windfall. Likewise, four more first-round playoff games would need to find television slots and relevance.

Is anyone sure this is necessary? Do we need 16 at all, let alone with multibids?

In the 12-team format, the first round wasn’t particularly competitive — with a 19.3-point average margin of victory. It’s much like the first round of the NFL playoffs, designed mostly to make sure no true contender is left out.

Perhaps last year was an outlier. And maybe future games will be close. Or maybe they’ll be even more lopsided. Wouldn’t it be prudent to find out?

While there were complaints about the selection committee picking SMU and/or Indiana over Alabama, it wasn’t some egregious slight. Arguments will happen no matter how big the field. Besides, the Crimson Tide lost to two 6-6 teams last year. Expansion means a team with a similar résumé can cruise in.

Is that a good thing?

Whatever the decision, it is being made with little to no real-world data — pro or con. Letting a few 12-team fields play out, providing context and potentially unexpected consequences, sure wouldn’t hurt.

You don’t have to be Gordon Gee circa 2007 to favor letting this simmer and be studied before leaping toward another round of expansion.

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Arch to victory? Texas preseason pick to win SEC

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Arch to victory? Texas preseason pick to win SEC

Texas, with Heisman Trophy candidate Arch Manning set to take over as starting quarterback, is the preseason pick to win the Southeastern Conference championship.

The Longhorns received 96 of the 204 votes cast from media members covering the SEC media days this week to be crowned SEC champion on Dec. 6 in Atlanta at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Georgia, with 44 votes, received the second-most votes.

If that scenario plays out, it would mean a rematch of the 2024 SEC championship game, which Georgia won in an overtime thriller. The SEC championship game pits the two teams with the best regular-season conference record against one another.

Alabama was third with 29 votes, while LSU got 20. South Carolina was next with five, while Oklahoma received three and Vanderbilt and Florida each got two votes. Tennessee, Ole Miss and Auburn each received one vote.

Since 1992, only 10 times has the predicted champion in the preseason poll gone on to win the SEC championship.

The 2024 SEC title game averaged 16.6 million viewers across ABC and ESPN, the fourth-largest audience on record for the game. The overtime win for Georgia, which peaked with 19.7 million viewers, delivered the largest audience of the college football season.

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NASCAR nixes ’26 Chicago race, eyes ’27 return

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NASCAR nixes '26 Chicago race, eyes '27 return

CHICAGO — NASCAR is pressing pause on its Chicago Street Race, answering at least one major question about its schedule for next season.

NASCAR raced on a street course in downtown Chicago on the first weekend in July each of the last three years. But it had a three-year contract with the city, leaving the future of the event in question.

Writing to Mayor Brandon Johnson on Friday, race president Julie Giese said the plan is to explore the potential of a new event weekend with his office and other community leaders while also working on a more efficient course build and breakdown.

“Our goal is for the Chicago Street Race to return in 2027 with an event that further enhances the experience for residents and visitors alike, as we work together towards a new potential date, shorter build schedule, and additional tourism draws,” Giese wrote in her letter to Johnson.

Giese said NASCAR is keeping its Chicago Street Race office and plans to continue its community partnerships.

“We deeply value our relationship with the City of Chicago and remain steadfast in our commitment to being a good neighbor and partner,” she said in the letter.

NASCAR is replacing its Chicago stop with a street race in San Diego.

A message was left Friday seeking comment from Johnson’s office.

NASCAR’s Chicago weekend featured Xfinity and Cup Series races on a 12-turn, 2.2-mile course against the backdrop of Lake Michigan and Grant Park – to go along with a festival-like atmosphere with music and entertainment options.

The goal was an event that appealed to both a new audience in one of NASCAR’s most important regions and the most ardent racing fans. NASCAR used to race at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, a 45-mile drive from downtown, but it pulled out after the 2019 season.

Johnson’s predecessor, Lori Lightfoot, was in charge when the three-year contract for the downtown weekend was finalized.

It wasn’t exactly a popular move in Chicago. Local businesses and residents were frustrated by the street closures in a heavily trafficked area for tourists in the summer. But organizers shrunk the construction schedule from 43 days in 2023 to 25 this year, winning over some of the race’s critics.

Drivers and their teams had some concerns about the course ahead of the first weekend. But the setup was widely praised by the time the third year rolled around – both the course and the ability to walk to the circuit from their downtown hotel.

Hendrick Motorsports driver Kyle Larson called Chicago “probably my favorite event in NASCAR each year.”

The racing in downtown Chicago has been dominated by Shane van Gisbergen, who won the Xfinity and Cup races this year from the pole. He also won in Chicago in his Cup debut in 2023 and last year’s Xfinity Series race.

“I love the track,” he said after this year’s Cup win. “It’s a cool place to come to. You feel a nice vibe. You feel a good vibe in the mornings walking to the track with the fans. It’s pretty unique like that.”

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