Littlefield On Sports: Wrestling Nixed

Wrestling is one of the original Olympic sports, all the way back to...Olympia. But the 2016 games in Rio de Janeiro may be the end of the road for competitive grappling on the world stage. The International Olympic Committee executive board voted this week to cut the sport from the 2020 program.

The sport could yet be included, but it now has to compete with baseball and softball, karate, squash, roller sports, sport climbing, wake boarding and the martial art of wushu — for the last remaining spot in the games.

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ESPN: "The board voted after reviewing a report by the IOC program commission that analyzed 39 criteria, including TV ratings, ticket sales, anti-doping policy and global participation and popularity. With no official rankings or recommendations contained in the report, the final decision by the 15-member board may have included political and sentimental factors."

Boston Herald: "Rumors surfaced last year that Henry and chairman Tom Werner were thinking of selling the team. They have owned the Red Sox since 2002, during which time the team has won two World Series and made six playoff appearances. But it has been three seasons since the Red Sox went to the postseason, four since they won a playoff game. Last year, the Sox endured their worst season in nearly a half-century, losing 93 games and finishing last in the AL East."