The 2018 NFL schedule isn't out yet, but one Oakland Raiders game has already been scheduled.
The NFL announced Thursday that the Raiders will be hosting the Seattle Seahawks in London at the new stadium for Tottenham Hotspur f the English Premier League in Week 6.
The Raiders spun Thursday's news as a positive, expressing how exciting it is to host one of the first games at the new stadium, which is set to open this summer.
The key word in all of this is "host." The Raiders, who will play the next two seasons in Oakland before moving to Las Vegas, are sacrificing a home game in California to play it in London.
Why?
The Tottenham game will mark the third consecutive season and the fourth time in the past five years that the Raiders have played a "home" game outside of the United States.
The Raiders are the only team the NFL asks to sacrifice home games on an annual basis -- the Jaguars, who play a home game in London every year, do so by choice -- but it makes sense why that's the case: no other team owes the league as much as the Raiders.
"If the NFL says the Raiders need to host a home game in Siberia, Mark Davis might mutter something bad under his breath, but then he's going to buy a parka," wrote Dieter Kurtenbach of the Bay Area News Group. "After all, the Raiders owner has taken out hundreds of millions of dollars loans and received more than a bit of help from the NFL to help build his new stadium in Las Vegas.
"Davis took a $200 million loan from the NFL as a repayment for the Raiders being passed over for relocation to Los Angeles twice. ... They are no doubt favorable terms to the team, but it also provides the NFL incredible leverage over Davis. Leverage that can be used to force the team to give up a home game every year."
Having heart
Golfer Rory McIlroy says his rib is fine, but an MRI revealed a viral infection has led to a heart problem.
"I suffered a really bad viral infection in China 18 months ago," McIlroy told James Corrigan of the Telegraph. "And they told me that's the reason that I have this thickening of my left ventricle and there's a bit of scar tissue. For now, I just need to stay on top of it and have to stay fit. Hey, I was planning on doing that anyway."
McIlroy missed a substantial amount of time last year due to a rib injury he suffered at the South African Open in January and fell to No. 11 in the world golf rankings by the end of the season. The Northern Irishman elected to put the clubs away for six weeks after the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship in October but is eager to begin his 2018 season.
"I needed the reset that I've just had," McIlroy said. "Let's just say that between now and when I signed off last year, I feel way more optimistic, focused, motivated, purposeful. I know exactly what I can do."
Quick thinking
Dubuque assistant women's basketball coach Justin Smith was hailed as a hero for rushing up from his seat and slamming on the brakes of the team bus after the driver passed out while going 70 mph on a Kentucky freeway.
Wrote Dwight Perry of The Seattle Times: "Basketball purists can't decide whether to call it a textbook fast brake -- or getting a much-needed stop."
Sports quiz
What two teams played the first NFL game at Wembley Stadium in London?
Sports answer
The Minnesota Vikings and St. Louis Cardinals in a preseason game on Aug. 6, 1983. The Vikings won 28-10.
Sports on 01/14/2018