Becky Sullivan
Becky Sullivan is NPR’s sports correspondent. She covers professional leagues, college athletics and youth sports, with stories about the people who play them and the intersections of sports with science, business and the law.
She has reported and produced for NPR since 2011. Before becoming the network’s sports correspondent, she traveled widely around the U.S. and the world to cover conflict, natural disasters, disease, politics and protests.
In 2020, she flew to Tehran to help cover the assassination of Iranian military leader Qassem Soleimani, work that helped make NPR a Pulitzer finalist that year. Her work covering the killing of Breonna Taylor by Louisville police in 2020 won an Edward R. Murrow Award for Hard News.
She has traveled repeatedly to Israel and the Palestinian territories to cover the conflict between Israel and Hamas, and she was part of NPR’s team on the ground in Ukraine after Russia invaded in 2022. Sullivan has spoken to U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan on the anniversary of Sept. 11, reported from a military parade in Pyongyang for coverage of the regime of Kim Jong-Un, visited hospitals and pregnancy clinics in Colombia to cover the outbreak of Zika and traveled around Haiti to report on the aftermath of natural disasters.
Born and raised in Kansas City and a graduate of the University of Kansas, Sullivan has often brought coverage of the Midwest and Great Plains region to NPR. In the summer of 2023, she rode her bicycle more than 4,000 miles from Washington, D.C., to the Oregon coast.
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The NBA Playoffs begin Saturday, with the league's two best teams on the same side of the bracket. Meanwhile, for the league's worst teams, an all-time tanking season is finally over.
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The two losses — 5-2 to Belgium and 2-0 to Portugal — were a wakeup call for the USMNT and the team's ambitions for this summer's World Cup. But the Americans said they welcomed the lessons learned. -
The U.S. men's national soccer team scheduled a pair of friendly matches against two top European teams. After a 5-2 loss against Belgium, the U.S. is hoping to avoid the same against Portugal.
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The U.S. has gone unbeaten in its past five international matches. But now the team is upping the ante with games against Belgium and Portugal that could show fans whether a deep run is in the cards. -
The U.S. men's national soccer team is set to host two World Cup contenders, Belgium and Portugal, in blockbuster friendly matchups that will show whether the Americans have a chance at success.
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Major League Baseball gets underway Wednesday when the San Francisco Giants host the New York Yankees. The LA Dodgers are favorites to repeat as champions, and a labor battle could be on the horizon.
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The U.S. will face Venezuela in the final of the World Baseball Classic on Tuesday night.
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March Madness is set! The men's and women's collegiate basketball brackets were unveiled on Sunday. We discuss the surprises and who didn't make the cut.
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Duke will be the top overall seed in the men's NCAA basketball tournament. In the women's, the top-ranked UConn Huskies are undefeated and hope to repeat as champions for the first time in a decade. -
With espresso shots, kisses on the cheek and Andrea Bocelli singalongs, Team Italy has charmed the baseball world. But their mission is more ambitious: Turn Italy into a bona fide baseball factory.
