As Pimlico Race Course undergoes its rebuild, the eyes of the thoroughbred racing world turn to Maryland’s Laurel Park, site of this year’s Preakness Stakes. It’s smaller (attendance will be capped at 4,800, as opposed to Pimlico’s 63,000 fans last year) and pricier — and there will be no infield party (a time-honored bacchanal in previous years).

The World Cup is set to bring star power and drama, much of which has played out before the first athlete sets foot on American soil. In Boston (yes, the same city that threatened to cancel all seven matches because of a disagreement over fees for stadium security), tailgating was ruled out, with organizers blaming FIFA (who didn’t say that).

With Memorial Day up next on the calendar, many communities are busy signing up children for swim leagues and lessons in local pools. A funding shortfall and the rising costs of chemicals, however, have hit some cities hard, has resulting in the closure of aquatic centers, leaving those swim teams (and wannabe swimmers) high and dry. Here’s more.

The last time we heard from the NFL about flag football was when pro players were trying to shake off the smackdown they suffered at the hands of Team USA Flag Football. (Long story short: Ouch.) Regardless, the NFL is all in on flag, having announced it will develop men’s and women’s pro flag leagues, an effort backed by some big names.

The increasing cost of youth sports is now getting scrutiny at the legislative level as two elected representatives have begun calling out what they see as unnecessarily high fees. However, Congressman Christian Menefee and Senator Cory Booker seem to be conflating travel sports with municipal programming — and that is an apples-to-oranges comparison.

Endurance racing isn’t for weenies but it is for tacos. At least it is during the Taco Bell 50K, during which runners had to journey (on foot, very quickly) between nine Taco Bells, ordering and eating at least one item from each one AND politely thanking the workers, within 10 hours. Optional challenges include drenching food with Diablo Sauce.