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Miami casino works to save beloved jai alai from extinction

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The world’s quickest ball sport has been dying a sluggish demise for many years.

Now, a gaggle of dedicated lovers is doing all it will possibly to avoid wasting jai alai, a recreation that originated within the Basque area of Spain and France however took root in Miami throughout the go-go days of the Seventies and ’80s.

What might be jai alai’s curtain name is enjoying out at Magic Metropolis On line casino, the final place the sport is performed as knowledgeable sport. Gone are the celebrities like Paul Newman and John Travolta who used to crowd into sweaty, smoke-filled grandstands on a Saturday evening to look at elite athletes fling a goatskin ball known as a pelota in a three-walled fronton, or courtroom, at 130 mph (210 km/h).

As a substitute, only a few dozen members of the family and die-hard followers turned out for a latest match. Reside wagering, which lengthy drove the game, has dried up within the period of YouTube and on-line playing. And lots of the recreation’s prime gamers who used to make the journey throughout the Atlantic have hung up their wicker cestas — curved baskets for catching and throwing — leaving a void {that a} roster of native, homegrown expertise is hard-pressed to fill.

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Chris Bueno returns a ball in a Jai Alai match on the Magic Metropolis On line casino fronton, Sunday, March 13, 2022, in Miami.
(AP Photograph/Rebecca Blackwell)

However the one benefit of getting fallen up to now is that the one course left to go is up.

“We’re fairly assured there’s a future,” mentioned Scott Savin, the chief working officer of Magic Metropolis. “At the least there’s a gift, so meaning we’ve got a combating probability at a future.”

The destiny of the game relies on the shoulders — and overextended rotator cuffs — of Magic Metropolis’s roster of 28 athletes. Seven of them — from Spain, France and the Philippines — had been employed after close by Dania Seaside On line casino’s fronton ended its seven-decade run final 12 months.

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One of many overseas gamers, Inaki Goitiandia, took up the game at age 10. Jai alai was a favourite pastime rising up within the small city of Markina-Xemein in northern Spain. However as an grownup, he and his brother Julen adopted their father and grandfather’s footsteps to Miami, which for many years was a magnet for the sport’s prime expertise.

“That is the one place the place you may make a residing enjoying jai alai,” Goitiandia mentioned, wiping his forehead after profitable an exhausting round-robin doubles match.

The remaining gamers are former highschool and faculty athletes who discovered the sport as adults and nonetheless battle with fundamentals like catching the ball.

Tanard Davis, who was signed by the Indianapolis Colts after enjoying soccer at College of Miami, noticed his NFL profession fizzle and moved to Atlanta to pursue a profession in regulation enforcement. In 2018, he was among the many Hurricanes alumni who answered an e-mail blast searching for volunteers from Magic Metropolis’s house owners, the Havenick household, who’re additionally main donors to UM athletics.

Davis is grateful for the chance to placed on a uniform and get the adrenaline flowing once more.

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“It’s like a highschool basketball participant dealing with off towards Lebron James,” mentioned Davis, who at 39 is without doubt one of the oldest however most bodily match gamers. “I don’t stand an opportunity in the long term, however I need to play as arduous as I can.”

To hurry up the game, Magic Metropolis has diminished the normal fronton by almost 60 ft (18 meters) and changed the goatskin ball — as arduous as a hockey puck — with a bouncier pelota that ricochets towards plexiglass as an alternative of the normal granite wall. Magic Metropolis can also be experimenting with the foundations, creating so-called Battle Courtroom matches resembling head-to-head singles tennis.

The purpose is to succeed in youthful, on-line bettors for whom win-place-show wagering is a bygone period. Content material offers on free, advertising-supported platforms means video games are reaching a possible viewers of 115 million households and Magic Metropolis has teamed with platform BetRivers for on-line betting in seven states.

Need your individual sports activities franchise? Sponsoring a staff with catchy names just like the Wall Warriors and Cesta Cyclones prices $100,000 — a cut price, Savin mentioned, for a distinct segment sport whose pure fan base is someplace between the WNBA and Canadian soccer.

“It’s crawl, stroll, run — however I believe we acquired previous crawl,” he mentioned.

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The primary jai alai fronton within the U.S. was inbuilt St. Louis, for the 1904 World’s Truthful, and in its heyday the sport was performed in a number of states. But it surely was at all times strongest in Florida, the place pari-mutuel betting on horse racing, greyhounds and jai alai has been authorized because the Thirties, and particularly Miami.

Its lengthy decline started within the Nineteen Eighties, when Florida licensed the lottery. A gamers’ strike lasting greater than two years adopted. And competitors from federally protected Indian reservations has taken a toll.

In what gave the impression to be the demise knell for the sport, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a deal final 12 months giving the Seminole tribe, which already runs the state’s greatest casinos, a monopoly over on-line sports activities betting. To degree the enjoying area, casinos are now not required to hold pricey pari-mutuel sports activities in change for being allowed to supply slot machines and poker.

Benny Bueno, a former jai alai participant who oversees participant operations at Dania Seaside, attributes the decline to the game’s antiquated betting mannequin, with casinos counting on dwell audiences to drive earnings.

He hopes jai alai could make a comeback on less complicated, if much less profitable, grounds. Lower than a 12 months after internet hosting its closing regulation recreation, Dania Seaside will maintain a 10-day exhibition event subsequent month that he hopes will revive a full-fledged season there in time for the fronton’s seventieth anniversary in December.

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Bueno mentioned the outpouring of assist from followers saddened to see a part of South Florida’s wealthy historical past die pushed the on line casino’s house owners to provide it one other attempt.

In the meantime, Bueno’s son is doing his finest to maintain the sport alive at Magic Metropolis. Chris Bueno pursued sports activities like baseball and basketball as a child and solely tried his hand at jai alai on the age of 27, whereas working as a supervisor at UPS.

“Like my dad at all times says: Everybody loves jai alai — some individuals simply don’t understand it but,” the youthful Bueno mentioned.

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Kentucky nightclub shooting leaves 1 dead, 7 hospitalized

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An early morning shooting at a Louisville, Kentucky, nightclub Saturday left one man dead and seven others hospitalized, police confirmed to Fox News Digital, adding that there are no suspects.

The man was suffering from gunshot wounds when first responders arrived, the Louisville Metro Police Department said in a release, and was pronounced dead at the scene. 

The deceased was identified as Joseph D. Bowers of Indianapolis, The Associated Press reported. 

Another adult who was shot was taken to the hospital with critical and life-threatening wounds following the 12:47 a.m. shooting. 

SHOOTING OUTSIDE ARKANSAS GROCERY STORE LEAVES 3 DEAD, MULTIPLE WOUNDED, INCLUDING 2 LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS

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An early morning shooting at a Louisville, Kentucky, nightclub Saturday left one man dead and seven others hospitalized, police confirmed to Fox News Digital. (WDRB)

Six other victims with non-life-threatening injuries had also taken themselves to the hospital.

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crime scene tape at shooting scene

Louisville police said they have no suspects in the early Saturday shooting. (WDRB)

The H20 club, located at 25th and Broadway, decided to close after the shooting, the Louisville Courier Journal reported, citing a statement from the Louisville Metro Alcoholic Beverage Control. 

police at the scene

The shooting happened at a nightclub called H20. (WDRB)

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“This decision, made in light of our shared concerns for public safety, allows them time to mourn the tragic loss of their employee while ensuring the community’s well-being,” the statement stated. “The relationship of the victims, if any, is not known at this time.”

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NASCAR's Daniel Suarez, from Mexico, becomes American citizen: 'I did it my way'

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NASCAR driver Daniel Suarez is now an American citizen.

Suarez, from Mexico, took the oath at the field office of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services in Charlotte, North Carolina.

It wasn’t just the nearly 50 people becoming citizens there for the special day – even NASCAR president Steve Phelps was there, along with members of the rackhouse Racing team, as well as his fiancee.

All of that took Suarez by surprise.

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NASCAR driver Daniel Suarez waves an American flag during a naturalization ceremony, June 18, 2024, in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Noah Watts/Daylon Barr Photography, Trackhouse Racing via AP)

“The most special part of everything was, you see so many people there,” Suarez said Saturday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. “I was not expecting it. I was not expecting to see so many people.”

“I didn’t think many people were going to really care about it,” Suarez said. “A lot of people really did.”

Suarez’s parents had actually thought about traveling to the United States for his birth, but it wound up being too expensive.

“It’s really funny how my parents, they had that thought before I was born, about being born in the United States, I guess to have more opportunities. They didn’t do it,” he said. “And now, I guess I did it my way.”

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Daniel Suarez taking oath

NASCAR driver Daniel Suarez stands for the “oath of allegiance” during a naturalization ceremony, June 18, 2024, in Charlotte. (Noah Watts/Daylon Barr Photography, Trackhouse Racing via AP)

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Suarez admitted that becoming a citizen wasn’t originally a thought.

“It wasn’t a dream of mine,” Suarez said. “I came to this country to race and compete. I had been working really hard to try and go to the next step and be more competitive. In a blink of an eye, I’ve been already here 12 years.”

He learned, and dedicated himself to, the process of becoming a citizen about six years ago – his team even quizzed him in April in Dover ahead of his citizenship test.

“I felt like it was the right time to start this process. Slowly, I’m getting more and more responsibilities in my life. It was the right time to feel more secure; that I belong here.” 

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Daniel Suarez pre-race

Daniel Suarez walks the grid during qualifying for the NASCAR Cup Series Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway on June 8, 2024, in California. (Logan Riely/Getty Images)

Suarez has two career Cup wins – including the closest finish ever at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.



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On this day in history, June 23, 1948, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas is born in Georgia

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Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas was born in Pin Point, Georgia on this day in history, June 23, 1948. 

His entire family grappled with extreme poverty. His parents divorced when he was a toddler; Thomas’ father left the family when young Clarence was only two years old. 

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Eventually, Clarence Thomas was sent to live with his maternal grandfather following a house fire, multiple sources note. 

Thomas’ grandfather had a profound impact on his life: Thomas even titled his 2008 memoir “My Grandfather’s Son.” 

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“I even called him Daddy,” wrote Thomas in his book, “because that was what my mother called him … He was dark, strong, proud and determined to mold me in his image … He was the one hero in my life.”

Said Thomas in a September 2021 speech at the University of Notre Dame, “The single biggest event in my early life was going to live with my grandparents in 1955.”

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Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas was born on June 23, 1948, in Pin Point, Georgia. In his personal memoir, he wrote that his maternal grandfather was “the one hero in my life.” (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

As a young child, Thomas attended segregated Catholic schools for Black children.

He became the first Black student to be admitted to St. John Vianney, a Catholic minor seminary, said the website Oyez. 

“My nuns and my grandparents lived out their sacred vocation in a time of stark racial animus, and did so with pride with dignity and with honor,” said Thomas at Notre Dame. 

“To this day I revere, admire and love my nuns. They were devout, courageous and principled women,” he said. 

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Despite his academic success at St. John Vianney, Thomas was the recipient of racially charged bullying, said Oyez. 

Following graduation from St. John Vianney, Thomas intended on becoming a Catholic priest. He entered Immaculate Conception Seminary from 1967 to 1968.

He left seminary after again experiencing racism from classmates — and transferred to the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts. 

Clarence Thomas official portrait

Justice Clarence Thomas, appointed by President George H. W. Bush, took his seat on the Supreme Court on Oct. 23, 1991. (AP Images)

He graduated cum laude in 1971, said Oyez. 

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In 1974, he graduated from Yale Law School and was admitted to law practice in Missouri of that same year, the Supreme Court’s website notes. 

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Thomas worked in various roles throughout the 1970s and 1980s, including doing a stint as assistant secretary for civil rights at the U.S. Department of Education and as chairman of the U.S. Equal Opportunity Commission from 1982 until 1990. 

In 1990 until 1991, Thomas was a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. 

Clarence and Ginni Thomas laugh

Clarence Thomas and his wife, Virginia “Ginni” Thomas. Thomas was born on this day in history, June 23, 1948. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

President George H. W. Bush appointed Thomas as an associate Supreme Court justice following the retirement of Justice Thurgood Marshall. 

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Marshall was the first Black member of the Supreme Court; Thomas was the second. 

After a highly contentious confirmation hearing, the Senate voted 52-48 to approve Clarence Thomas to the high court, History.com noted.

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He was seated at the court on Oct. 23, 1991, at age 43. 

During his time on the Supreme Court, Thomas has typically associated with the court’s conservative wing. 

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Group picture of the members of the Supreme Court

Members of the Supreme Court pose for a photo in Washington, D.C., on April 23, 2021. Seated, second from left, is Associate Justice Clarence Thomas.  (Erin Schaff-Pool/Getty Images)

Thomas’ Martin-Quinn score — (or MQ score, referring to metrics used to gauge the ideology of Supreme Court justices based on their voting record) — of 3.05 during the 2021-2022 term was the most conservative of anyone on the court, the website Ballotpedia noted.

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Thomas is married to Virginia “Ginni” Thomas. 

He has one son, Jamal, from a previous marriage, said Oyez.

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Mark Paoletta, an attorney, close friend and co-author of the 2022 book, “Created Equal: Clarence Thomas in His Own Words,” told Fox News Digital two years ago of Thomas, “I think he is going to be considered one of our greatest justices. And he’s an originalist who had the courage to apply the Constitution and be faithful to the Constitution into the text of statute, come what may.”

He added, “His legacy is a courageous justice who faithfully applied the Constitution.”

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