Tiger Woods confirms he’s dating Lindsey Vonn – ski champ

So, the cat's out of the bag.

Golfing great Tiger Woods confirmed a very loosely kept secret Monday: that he and six-time reigning World Cup downhill skiing champion Lindsey Vonn are an item.

On his Facebook page, Woods wrote: "This season has been great so far and I'm happy with my wins at Torrey and Doral. Something nice that's happened off the course was meeting Lindsey Vonn. Lindsey and I have been friends for some time, but over the last few months we have become very close and are now dating. We thank you for your support and for respecting our privacy. We want to continue our relationship, privately, as an ordinary couple and continue to compete as athletes."

Tigers to tangle in the Midwest regional; could face MTSU

The band is warming up and the Tigers have laced their shoes. It's time to dance! The University of Memphis looks geared to win its first NCAA tournament game with Josh Pastner as head coach.

After securing the C-USA Tournament title on Saturday morning in Tulsa in a heart-pounding game not reflected by the final score (91-79), the Tigers learned Sunday evening that they were grouped in the Midwest region.

Memphis will take the floor on Thursday in Auburn Hills, Mich. (time to be announced) to take on the winner of a play-in game between Middle Tennessee State and Saint Mary's. The Tigers look to have a decisive advantage against either team, especially when the extra game for the opponent is taken into account.

Southwest lands Newell and Lurry on All-TCCAA team

Five Southwest men's and women's basketball players were voted all-conference by coaches in the Tennessee Community College Athletic Association, including first team selections Marshun Newell and Teneisha Lurry.

Newell, a 6'3"sophomore swingman from Middle College High, averaged 18 points per game this season and led the Saluqis with 4.2 assists and 2.3 steals per game. He scored double figures in all but one of the games he played, with as many as 20 points eight times, and a career-high of 28 points against Motlow State.

Also one of the team's top rebounders, Newell recorded four double-doubles and grabbed a career-high of 13 boards against Dyersburg State. In addition, he had a near triple-double against Mid-South with 15 points, nine rebounds and nine assists.

Should Bulls’ superstar Derrick Rose return this season?

Nearly one year after suffering a horrific ACL tear, Chicago Bulls point guard Derrick Rose has been cleared to return to the NBA. But after an offseason rehab campaign fueled by heavy media coverage, Rose still isn't ready to suit up for Chicago.

LeBron James and the Miami Heat are steamrolling competition as the Eastern Conference leaders, the Indiana Pacers control the NBA's Central Division – with Chicago a close second – and with every game that Rose misses, the window might be closing on a possible Finals appearance for the Bulls. However, the Bulls' faithful are still hopeful for a deep run in the Eastern conference playoffs with Rose at the helm but should the injured Bulls star bother to return this season?

‘Perfect’ Tigers roll UAB; next challenge: C-USA Tournament

The stat sheet told the story – Joe Jackson: 17 points, 10 assists, 9 rebounds, 6 steals; U of M Tigers 86, UAB Blazers 71.

A once heated rivalry between the two C-USA competitors has cooled over the years, but neither Jackson nor his Tiger teammates needed the rivalry factor for any added stimulation to get the job done at the FedExForum last Saturday. The victory sealed the Tigers' unblemished run through the C-USA regular season, as they notched a perfect 16-0 record.

First transgender MMA fighter goes public

Born a man, Fallon Fox became a woman through surgery and then trained to fight in mixed martial arts.

Now that she has won her first two bouts -- both in the first round -- she has gone public as a transgender fighter, the first on record in a popular sport that some consider as the successor to boxing.

"The reaction has been positive," said Fox, 37, who revealed her story recently to Sports Illustrated after a journalist with another publication began to investigate her private surgery. "It's just some people, some of society doesn't get it yet. And this is what we're trying to do now is to inform people and let them know about transgender athletes."

Grizz stage another comeback, this one with key men down

After the Memphis Grizzlies split a two-game road trip by losing to the Miami Heat and defeating the Orlando Magic, they eased past the Portland Trailblazers with a 91-85 victory at FedExForum on Wednesday night.

It was another comeback – the 10th when trailing by 17 or more since the start of the 2009 season. The Grizzlies (40-19) went into the half on the short end of a 50-38 score.

Grizz guard Tony Allen said going into the locker room they knew what they had to do.

Road-tested Tigers now ready for final home game

The University of Memphis has sealed a regular season conference title and a first round bye in the C-USA tournament. With three games remaining on the schedule, the Tigers are merely playing for seeding in the NCAA tournament.

After a big let down on the road last week against Xavier, Memphis knows that another loss from this point forward could substantially affect the number in front of its name when the brackets are filled. And with back-to-back road games against UCF and UTEP still left, the Tigers had to be focused to come away with wins.

Mitchell back to state after sectional win

The Mitchell High School gymnasium had the atmosphere of a NBA playoff game during the TSSAA Class AA sectional on Monday.

With music, cheerleaders, majorettes, the dance team AND the pep band in attendance to help create havoc, the Tigers (23-7) defeated visiting Liberty Tech from Jackson, Tenn. by 17 points – 59 to 42. The victory cleared the way for Mitchell's advance to the state championship game for the second consecutive year.

The Tigers' defensive pressure and balanced scoring from their big three helped to turn back a late rally by Liberty, which cut the lead to single digits late in the fourth period.

Sports Faceoff: Should Joe Flacco be the NFL’s highest paid QB

A Super Bowl run and a few wins against stellar quarterbacks Peyton Manning, Tom Brady and prize rookie Andrew Luck will certainly do something to a National Football League (NFL) resume. But should it make you the highest paid signal caller in the league?

Joe Flacco's agent certainly thinks so. The Baltimore Ravens quarterback recently agreed to a six-year agreement worth $120 million, making him the highest paid signal caller in NFL history.

While Flacco's career stats are certainly solid, are they worth $20 million a year? Stephen D. Riley and Perry Green of the AFRO Sports Desk debate the question.

Grizz comeback leaves Dallas feeling ‘punked’

During the first half of their game Wednesday against the Dallas Mavericks the Memphis Grizzlies looked and played more like "The Get Along Gang" than the grit-and-grind squad that area fans have come to love.

The FedExForum absorbed 16,041 fans for the game and when it was done, Memphis had defeated Dallas 90-84. The Mavericks made sure the Grizz worked for it.

The Grizzlies did not score a field goal until halfway through the first quarter. Austin Daye scored on a jump shot, adding to Tony Allen's points from free throws. By the end of the first quarter, the Mavericks led 38-19, with Daye's 10 points pacing Memphis.

Tigers need to do more than ‘win’ to beat stereotype

Most of us would agree that stereotypes are generally a bad thing. It's not a good practice to assume things about people or situations without knowing all the details. Even with this being said, many people have to fight preconceived notions on a daily basis.

If sterotypes are generally false, then why would people still choose to believe them? It's because although deep down stereotypes tend to be overblown exaggerations about a large group of people, sometimes – repeat sometimes – there is still a kernel of truth.

For example, everyone has heard the "dumb jock" stereotype. Now, are all athletes idiots? Certainly not. Are there some meatheads among the group? You betcha!