Several of the top male golfers -- Jason Day and Rory McIlroy among them -- have declared they will not compete in the Olympics due to concern about the Zika virus. But if golf legend Annika Sorenstam still was on the LPGA Tour, she would definitely play in Rio. Both to be an Olympian and to benefit the sport.Its sad because I was in the presentation to the IOC to get golf in the Olympics, said Sorenstam, a 10-time major champion. For them, it was, OK, we need to get the best players to play, and this was the first time in several years that all the organizations had lined up and were ready to commit ... So now when you see the players not competing, its certainly disappointing for whatever reason.Concerns over Zika might be overblown. Epidemiologist Mikkel Quam recently estimated that just one in 31,000 people might get the virus during the Olympics. Your chances of being killed in a car accident in the United States this year are substantially higher. Yet we still rent cars and drive around, Sorenstam said.Thus, Sorenstam isnt worried about going to Brazil as an analyst for NBC.As far as I understand, this is a good time of the year to go there, its more dormant, she said. Im going. Im not concerned about that. I may cover myself a little more with mosquito repellent and long sleeves maybe, but other than that, the Olympics is a one-time opportunity.Zika worries are not the only reason for withdrawals, what with the always-demanding professional tour schedules.Some players feel like theyre exhausted, Sorenstam said. They dont see the Olympics as that big of a deal in golf. But when you go to other countries, like Korea and China, thats all they live for. So its cultural.If Sorenstam was playing in Rio rather than broadcasting, just how competitive would she be at age 45 when the average age of players regularly winning LPGA tournaments is around 21 these days?The game is changing, she said. I think a lot of players are better at younger ages. A lot of them dont go to college anymore. Its become very global, so you have players from other parts of the world coming in early. We always talk about experience and how important that is, but we havent seen ... that this year, with people with lots of years of experience behind them.More opportunities for junior golfers is one factor. Sorenstam says her foundation, for instance, holds six junior tournaments around the world annually.We have kids who are 12 or 13 years old or 14 and you watch them and say, they play like they might be 19-year-olds, she said. There are different opportunities that they have early on that are preparing them for pro golf sooner than it used to.It will be interesting to see how long their careers span. Theyre 20; will they be done before theyre 30? Or will their careers be longer? I have a feeling their careers will be shorter if they start sooner. But right now were just starting this phenomenon, so well have to see how many of the 30-year-olds will continue.It will also be interesting to see how the growth of Asian golfers and champions continues.We havent seen the China invasion yet. We have had a few good players, but theyre coming and I think the Olympics will escalate that, said Sorenstam, who retired eight years ago. Were at the beginning of that, but I think other countries will connect and follow and try. There might be another resurgence of U.S. players, there might be a resurgence of European players.While several top male golfers are dropping out, only one woman has withdrawn.I would want to represent my country in the Olympics to be all around these other athletes and be among the elite few that get to do it, Sorenstam said. That is the premier [event] of sports. I know we have majors and our history, but the Olympics have a lot of history. That would be a privilege. An honor. Jack May Jersey Store . Hey!" The lower tier of the School End of Queens Park Rangers Loftus Road was packed solid with a very festive-sounding Chelsea choral section in this particular part of South Africa Road London, W12. Emanuel King Jersey Store . LOUIS -- St. https://www.chinacheapjerseys.net/morgan-tiller-jersey-store/ . Breaking three of his own world records on his way to winning in Paris, Chan silenced the critics and left the audiences standing in appreciation and awe. Alfred Malone Jersey Store . Aside from the trilogy main event title fight, there are a number of intriguing matchups in the heavyweight, welterweight and lightweight divisions. Cosmo Iacavazzi Jersey Store .ca looks back at the stories and moments that made the year memorable. FARGO, N.D. -- About the only thing that can stop the Bison buzz is a bye week.North Dakota State has a break in its schedule after enjoying an unprecedented three-day stretch on the national stage. The Bison first knocked off another big-time football power when they defeated Iowa on the road with a last-second field goal in a nationally televised game. The next day, they nearly became the first Football Championship Subdivision team to crack the Top 25 .And finally, the Bison faithful watched their prized alumnus, Philadelphia Eagles rookie quarterback Carson Wentz, dominate both the airtime and the Chicago Bears in a Monday night win.I was trying to count how many times North Dakota State was uttered during the Monday night broadcast, said Bison athletic director Matt Larsen, but there were so many that I lost track.Wentz, of course, has been watching his Bison and he saw the Iowa upset.I had it recorded, he said. I got home and watched the whole thing. I was pretty excited. Pretty excited for those guys. You know, a lot of those guys are my best friends so I was really excited for those guys and at the same time I really wasnt surprised.No one should be, not by now.The 23-21 victory at Iowa was North Dakota States sixth in a row over a Bowl Subdivision team and the fifth over a Power Five conference school. While college football pundits have for years been warning FBS teams about scheduling the five-time defending FCS champion, this one came against a ranked team that had playoff hopes.Larsen, Bison coach Chris Klieman and others associated say beating the Hawkeyes is the high-water mark of FBS wins for the Fargo school.Given where their program is, the year they had last year coming off the Rose Bowl appearance, and being ranked as high as they were, and it was televised in over 100 million homes ... all those things combined, really does make it the biggest FBS win that North Dakota State has had to date, Larsen said.Mike Kern, associate commissioner of the conference, said the game had the look and feel of the teams previous signature win, over Kansas State in 2013. Both times, the Bison used ball control and a dominating fourth quarter to come from behind.The K-State game was ann eye-opener in that it announced to the world that Bison nation has arrived, Kern said.dddddddddddd This past weekends game was more of a statement of, `We are still here and as good as ever.The Bison received 74 points in the AP poll, the 27th highest total for the week and most ever for an FCS program. Ten FCS teams have received votes in the poll since 2007, after Appalachian States victory at Michigan prompted the AP to declare that voters could include teams playing in what was once called I-AA.It was also only the fourth time that an FCS program has beaten an FBS team -- and the first time for the Missouri Valley Football Conference, which last season sent five teams to the playoffs that have long been a staple in the FCS.With the Bison entering conference play, they likely wont have a chance for another eye-popping win this season. Still, Larsen said it was humbling to receive the recognition and called it more of a bonus than anything.It also revived the usual round of questions.Are the Bison considering a move up to FBS? They are not. Have the FBS teams on the Bison schedule -- Oregon in 2020 and Colorado in 2024 -- asked to buy out their contracts? Not yet. And will this allow the Bison to steal a bevy of recruits from FBS teams in the region?Probably not, Klieman said.Lets be real on this. Were still not beating Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, Wisconsin on recruits, the coach said. You would like to think were in the conversation, but its still difficult. Its just hard to beat a Big Ten school. You hope it allows us to compete better with the people we need to compete with, which are the high level mid-majors.For now, though, Klieman and his team will enjoy the weekend off -- and the hoopla.From a football standpoint, its as big as its been, he said. Not as big as the Carson Wentz of last year, throughout the winter and the spring and the draft. But obviously our players and our coaches deserve all the attention theyre getting because of how well the plans were and how well the guys played.---AP freelance writer Patrick Rose contributed to this report. ' ' '