FLORIDA: Voters in south Florida’s Miami-Dade County will soon decide if billionaire real estate developer Stephen Ross can tap local hotel taxes to help pay for a $350m upgrade to the stadium used by his Miami Dolphins. County legislators yesterday approved a May 14 referendum asking Miami-Dade to increase a lodging tax to 7 percent from 6 percent. The added hotel taxes wo

New York:  The NFC West continued to be National Football League’s hottest division for offseason moves as the Arizona Cardinals and the San Francisco 49ers made major acquisitions yesterday. The Cardinals acquired quarterback Carson Palmer from the Oakland Raiders for a conditional pick in the 2014 draft. The Raiders will receive a seventh-round draft pick if Palmer starts 1

DALLAS, Texas: Dallas star quarterback Tony Romo has reached a six-year contract extension which would reportedly make him the highest paid player in Cowboys history. The 32-year-old Romo was offered an extension despite leading Dallas to just one NFL play-off victory in the last nine seasons. The Cowboys don’t want to risk losing Romo, who would have become an unrestricted free a

New YOrk: Quarterback Joe Flacco signed a six-year contract to remain with the Baltimore Ravens, the team said yesterday in a deal that reportedly makes the Super Bowl MVP the highest paid player in National Football League (NFL) history. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed but various media reports said it was worth $120.6m, moving him past New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Br

Vancouver: Phoenix center Kyle Chipchura scored twice as the Coyotes beat Vancouver 4-2 yesterday to prolong the Canucks’ troubles at home. Chipchura netted the first and last goals of the game, giving the visitors a lead in the opening period before closing the door on Vancouver in the final seconds of the third. The Coyotes had recently blown leads in close losses to Edmonton an

BOSTON, Massachusetts: Three-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady has agreed to a three-year contract extension with the New England Patriots, according to a report in Sports Illustrated yesterday. The 35-year-old American quarterback is set to sign an extension worth about $27m which would keep him with the team until he is 40 years of age, the magazine said. Brady was signed through the 201

Washington: Sunday’s close Super Bowl contest between the Baltimore Ravens and the San Francisco 49ers failed to beat last year’s game in total viewers, CBS Corp said yesterday. An average of 108.41 million viewers tuned in, compared with 111.3 million a year ago when the New York Giants defeated the New England Patriots on NBC. CBS said it was the third-most-watched program in

Vonta Leach (44) and Ray Lewis (52) of the Baltimore Ravens celebrate after defeating the San Francisco 49ers during Super Bowl XLVII at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana, yesterday. RIGHT: Lewis lifts the Vince Lombardi Trophy after the Super Bowl XLVII final.  NEW ORLEANS: The Baltimore Ravens survived a furious second-half rally by San Francisco and a momentum

Baltimore Ravens head Coach John Harbaugh (left) speaks alongside his brother San Francisco 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh during a joint press conference on Super Bowl XLVII in New Orleans, yesterday. The two will play each other in the Super Bowl today. NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana: The Baltimore Ravens are the closest thing anyone has seen to defensive perfection this post-season and will en

NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana: Super Bowl 47 will be the first to feature sibling coaches but come tomorrow the spotlight will be shining on Baltimore’s rock-solid defence or San Francisco’s explosive offence. The National Football League’s championship spectacular is a classic matchup of the Ray Lewis-led Ravens defence and the San Francisco air and running attack keyed by

ATLANTA, Georgia: Matt Bryant kicked a 49-yard field goal with eight seconds left as the Atlanta Falcons thwarted a fourth-quarter surge by Seattle for a 30-28 second-round NFL playoff victory yesterday. The Falcons blew a 20-point second-half lead but managed to hold off upstart Seattle and advance to the National Conference championship game. “We knew coming into it, it was goin

DENVER, Colorado: Justin Tucker booted a 47-yard field goal in the second overtime yesterday to give the Baltimore Ravens a wild 38-35 victory over the Denver Broncos in the second round of the NFL play-offs. The improbable victory means Baltimore veteran Ray Lewis -- who says he’ll retire at the end of the season -- isn’t done yet, while quarterback great Peyton Manning&rs

CANTON, Ohio: Defensive stars Warren Sapp and Michael Strahan are among the finalists announced yesterday for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2013. Sapp and Strahan are among four players eligible for the first time, along with Larry Allen and Jonathan Ogden. Eleven more candidates are eligible from the “modern era” along with two senior nominees. All 17 will be c

Washington: Washington Redskins coach Mike Shanahan came under fire yesterday for leaving an ailing Robert Griffin III in Sunday’s play-off loss to Seattle but rejected any notion that he risked the rookie quarterback’s health. Griffin only left Sunday’s 24-14 loss to the Seahawks when he injured himself while trying to grab a bad shotgun snap in the fourth quarter, but cr

LANDOVER, Maryland: Seattle’s Russell Wilson outdueled Washington’s Robert Griffin III in a clash of outstanding rookie quarterbacks to help the Seahawks overcome a 14-0 first-quarter deficit and beat the Redskins 24-14 in their NFL wildcard game yesterday. Elsewhere, the Baltimore Ravens, with emotional team leader Ray Lewis back from injury, beat the Indianapolis Colts 24

New YORK: With Robert Griffin III, Andrew Luck and Russell Wilson set to make play-off debuts, the year of the rookie continues in the National Football League (NFL). But defense and experience win championships and few know the road to the Super Bowl better than longtime quarterbacks Tom Brady and Peyton Manning. The wild-card weekend kicks off on Saturday with the Cincinnati Bengals v

LANDOVER, Maryland: The Washington Redskins defeated the Dallas Cowboys 28-18 yesterday to claim the NFC East crown for the first time since 1999 and deny their bitter rivals a spot in the postseason. Rookie running back Alfred Morris rushed for 200 yards on 33 carries and three touchdowns, while quarterback Robert Griffin III added a 10-yard TD run to lead Washington. The Redskins

Toronto: The San Francisco 49ers and the Houston Texans dominated the National Football League Pro Bowl selections yesterday, sending nine and eight players respectively to the game. Six of the 49ers named to the NFC squad were on defence, including linebackers Aldon Smith, NaVorro Bowman, Patrick Willis along with strong safety Donte Whitner and free safety Dashon Goldson. Lineman Justin S

Seattle: The Seattle Seahawks ensured the NFC West title race will go down to the final week with a play-off-clinching 42-13 home rout of the San Francisco 49ers yesterday. The Seahawks dominated the 49ers from the start in rainy Seattle to remain unbeaten at home and move within half a game of division leaders San Francisco. The 49ers entered the game with a chance to clinch the divisi

DETROIT, Michigan: Atlanta’s Matt Ryan threw four touchdown passes as the Falcons clinched a first-round National Football League playoff bye with a 31-18 victory over the Detroit Lions yesterday. Detroit’s Calvin Johnson broke the NFL record for most receiving yards in a season in a losing cause with one game to play, earning a standing ovation from home supporters who saw