Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Eminem, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Kendrick Lamar, Mary J. Blige to perform at Super Bowl

Rappers Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, Dr Dre, and Snoop Dogg, along with R&B singer Mary J. Blige will play the halftime show at next year’s Super Bowl in Southern California, the National Football League (NFL) announced on Thursday. “The opportunity to perform at the Super Bowl halftime show, and to do it in my own backyard, will be one of the biggest thrills of my career,” Dr. Dre said in a statement.

MLB roundup: Braves, Astros clinch division titles

The Atlanta Braves and Houston Astros kept alive their division dominance with clinching victories Thursday. The Braves got six strong innings from starter Ian Anderson and home runs from Jorge Soler and Austin Riley to beat the visiting Philadelphia Phillies 5-3, clinching their fourth consecutive National League East championship.

Drawings by boxing legend Muhammad Ali up for auction

A rare collection of sketches and paintings by American boxer Muhammad Ali – who loved to draw between fights – is going up for auction in New York next week. The 24-piece collection, many of them in cartoon style and some of them signed, reflect Ali’s interest in religion and social justice, but there are also some that pictures him in the ring.

Canadiens, CF Montreal allowed full capacity at home games

The Montreal Canadiens and CF Montreal will be allowed to expand to 100 percent capacity following Quebec’s latest health directives related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The province’s health minister announced Thursday that capacity restrictions on “venues with assigned seating,” which includes the Canadiens’ Bell Centre and CF Montreal’s Stade Saputo, were being lifted Oct. 8.

Tom Brady on Patriots: ‘I want to kick their butt’

As he prepares for his return to New England as a member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the first time, Tom Brady reflected on his career Thursday. But he isn’t letting nostalgia dampen his competitiveness. “I still have a lot of great friends there, but they know I want to kick their butt this week,” Brady said at his weekly news conference in advance of Sunday night’s highly anticipated game between the Bucs and Patriots in Foxboro, Mass. “They’ll know exactly how I’m feeling once I’m out there.”

Brazil soccer legend Pele leaves hospital, undergoing chemotherapy

Brazilian soccer legend Pele left a Sao Paulo hospital after several weeks on Thursday, and a hospital bulletin said he would undergo chemotherapy following the removal of a colon tumor. Pele had been hospitalized for nearly a month, checking in for routine exams before undergoing a Sept. 4 operation to remove the tumor.

Boxing-Bout manipulation existed at Rio 2016 Olympics says independent report

About manipulation system existed in boxing at the 2016 Rio Olympics, Richard McLaren, the head of the independent investigation commissioned by the sport’s world governing AIBA, said in his report on Thursday. McLaren said the first of three stages of the investigation looked into the refereeing and judging at Rio were controversial decisions in certain bouts made the headlines.

NBA vaccination rate reaches 95 percent

As a few notable NBA players continue to make headlines for their anti-vaccination stances, the vast majority of the league has been vaccinated against COVID-19. NBA executive director Michele Roberts revealed this week that over 90 percent of the league’s players are fully vaccinated, while ESPN reported Thursday that 95 percent of players have now received at least one shot.

Tennis-Clijsters, Murray handed wildcards for Indian Wells

Former world number ones Kim Clijsters and Andy Murray were on Thursday awarded wildcards into the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells. Four-times major winner Clijsters will continue her career comeback after a seven-year hiatus that ended in 2019 at the tournament she has won twice.

Olympics-China tells fans ‘chase stars rationally’

The Chinese Olympic Committee said athletes should play a role in dampening what authorities have called the country’s “chaotic” celebrity fan culture amid recent instances of “excessive” fan behaviour in the sports world. With Beijing hosting the Winter Olympics in February, the Committee said in a statement on its official Weibo account on Thursday that fans should “chase stars rationally and avoid improper words and deeds”.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)