The competition was split into four events: long-term memory, words-to-remember, auditory memory, and double-deck of cards, in which competitors must memorize the exact order of two decks of cards. In between the events, MIT faculty who are experts in the science of memory provided short talks and demos about memory and how to improve it. Among the competitors was MIT's own Claire Wang, a sophomore majoring in electrical engineering and computer science. Wang has competed in memory sports for years, a hobby that has taken her around the world to learn from some of the best memorists on the planet. At the tournament, she tied for first place in the words-to-remember competition. The event commemorated the 25th anniversary of the USA Memory Championship Organization (USAMC). USAMC sponsored the event in partnership with MIT's McGovern Institute for Brain Research, the Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, the MIT Quest for Intelligence, and the company Lumosity. A: When I was in middle school, I read the book 'Moonwalking with Einstein,' which is about a journalist's journey from average memory to being named memory champion in 2006. My parents were also obsessed with this TV show where people were memorizing decks of cards and performing other feats of memory. I had already known about the concept of 'memory palaces,' so I was inspired to explore memory sports. Somehow, I convinced my parents to let me take a gap year after seventh grade, and I travelled the world going to competitions and learning from memory grandmasters. I got to know the community in that time and I got to build my memory system, which was really fun. I did a lot less of those competitions after that year and some subsequent competitions with the USA memory competition, but it's still fun to have this ability....

Sunday was supposed to be one of the greatest days of Dwyane Wade's life. Back in January, Pat Riley, the longtime president of the Miami Heat, announced the team's plans to honor Wade with a statue, and now it was finally to be unveiled. This would not be like the comically small statue of Philadelphia 76ers legend Allen Iverson that had been erected outside that team's training complex in April. This would be a monument befitting the greatest player ever to wear a Heat uniform, according to Riley. It would dominate the entrance of the Kaseya Center, where the Heat play home games. Wade recognized the significance. A couple hundred players have been inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame, he told the Today show before the event. But in the NBA, statues of this kind are reserved for all-time greats, guys even casual fans know by their first names: Kobe, Magic, Michael. At the ceremony, Wade sat in the front row with his family, smiling warmly as Udonis Haslem, his teammate of 15 years, and then Riley, paid him tribute. The Heat's home games may be packed with South Beachers, Haslem said, but Wade brought joy to all of Miami. He name-checked Liberty City and Overtown, historically Black neighborhoods. Wade's grown son took the stage and said that Wade had always put fatherhood before basketball. They embraced. Wade wiped away tears. The moment of unveiling arrived. The eight-foot bronze statue was hidden behind large black panels. They slid open, flames shot out, and for a moment, a blast of fog obscured the figure's face, adding to the suspense....

The league's franchise owners voted in favor of a rule change allowing private equity firms to buy a stake of up to 10% of a team, per Sportico, unlocking billions of committed and potential investment dollars. The NFL is a late arrival for the change, as the NBA, MLB, NHL, MLS and NWSL had all already made the jump. The specifics of the arrangement include a minimum stake of 3% for the private equity firm, funds being allowed to invest in a maximum of six teams each and a minimum holding period of six years. All funds must have $2 billion in overall capital to buy in. The league is making this change amid the continued skyrocketing of franchise values, which has made it harder for club owners to cash in on franchises that are all now worth billions of dollars. Previous rules required an ownership group to have no more than 25 people, but principal owners will now have increased flexibility in finding minority partners looking to inject cash in exchange for a cut of the profits. And it looks like NFL teams won't wait long to do so. According to CNBC, a smattering of firms including Ares Management, Sixth Street Partners and Arctos Partners have committed to raising $12 billion in capital to invest in NFL teams....

Thousands of people lined up outside Citi Field in Queens, New York, on Wednesday to watch the Mets face off with the Orioles. But outside the ticketing booth, a handful of protesters handed out flyers. They were there to protest a recent Major League Baseball program, one that's increasingly common in professional sports: using facial recognition on fans. Facial recognition companies and their customers argue that these systems save time, and therefore money, by shortening lines at stadium entrances. However, skeptics argue that the surveillance tools are never totally secure, make it easier for police to get information about fans, and fuel 'mission creep' where surveillance technology becomes more common or even required. The MLB's facial recognition program, dubbed Go-Ahead Entry, lets participating fans go on a separate security line, usually shorter than the other queues. Fans download the MLB Ballpark app, submit a selfie, and have their face matched at an in-person camera kiosk at a stadium's entrance....