SAN DIEGO -- Americas Cup officials released the full schedule for the 2017 regatta in Bermuda while continuing to remain silent about an arbitration panel decision that reportedly went against organizers and could cost them several million dollars.Racing is scheduled to begin May 26 with the double round robin qualifiers. For the first time, the defender, Oracle Team USA, will compete against challengers before the Americas Cup match itself.If the challenger that wins the qualifiers advances to the match, it will begin with a one-point advantage. Likewise, if Oracle, owned by software billionaire Larry Ellison, wins the qualifiers, it will begin the match with a one-point lead.The qualifiers originally were to be sailed in Auckland, New Zealand, but were pulled after Emirates Team New Zealand supported another syndicate in a dispute over an unprecedented midcourse downsizing of the boats.Emirates Team New Zealand, the hard-luck loser of the 2013 Americas Cup, took its case to the arbitration panel.Organizers have attempted to keep the panels deliberations shrouded in secrecy, with violators facing draconian penalties. However, Sail-World.com, citing four sources it didnt identify, reported last month that the panel ruled in favor of ETNZ against the Americas Cup Event Authority, and that a penalty phase has yet to be held. Since its too late to schedule a regatta in New Zealand, Team New Zealand likely is seeking to recoup the millions of dollars in government funding it lost when the qualifier was pulled from Auckland.San Franciscos Golden Gate Yacht Club, the cups trustee, and a majority of challengers, excluding the Kiwis, voted in June to prohibit teams and individuals from discussing or even confirming the existence of a dispute before the arbitration panel. Doing so could draw sanctions including censure and a fine of up to $1 million.On Tuesday, an Americas Cup spokesman cited the confidentiality rules in declining to say whether there has been a decision.Russell Coutts, who heads both the event authority and Oracle Team USA, didnt immediately respond to an email seeking comment about the panels decision. Coutts also is one of three people with Oracle connections on the GGYCs five-member Americas Cup Committee.The qualifiers will eliminate one of the five challengers. The remaining four will then go into the playoffs to determine which team will face two-time defending Americas Cup champion Oracle in the best-of-13 match scheduled to begin on June 17. The match is scheduled to be contested over two weekends, June 17-18 and 24-25, with racing on June 26 and 27 if necessary.The top team in the Americas Cup World Series will carry two points into the qualifiers, while the second-place team will carry one point. The final ACWS regatta is next month in Fukuoka, Japan.Britains Land Rover BAR, led by Sir Ben Ainslie, leads Oracle by 14 points in the overall standings, with Team New Zealand in third, three points behind the American-sponsored defender.Rounding out the field are SoftBank Team Japan, Swedens Artemis Racing and Groupama Team France.Oracle started the 2013 match in San Francisco with a two-point deficit against Team New Zealand as part of its punishment for being caught in a cheating scandal. After the Kiwis reached match point, Oracle won eight straight races to retain the oldest trophy in international sports. Coutts then chose to defend the Auld Mug in Bermuda rather than the United States.---Follow Bernie Wilson on Twitter at http://twitter.com/berniewilson Troy Aikman Womens Jersey .C. -- Kemba Walker and the Charlotte Bobcats got off to a fast start, and the Sacramento Kings were never quite able to catch up. Chuck Howley Jersey .ca NFL Power Rankings, overtaking the Denver Broncos and remaining ahead of NFC competition San Francisco, Carolina and New Orleans. http://www.cowboysfootballgearshop.com/tony-pollard-jersey/ . Traditional contenders Brazil, Greece and Turkey drew the other three spots to complete the 24-team field for this summers tournament in Spain, basketball governing body FIBA announced Saturday at its meeting in Barcelona. Jason Witten Cowboys Jersey . - NASCAR announced a 33-race schedule for the 2014 Nationwide Series with virtually no changes from this years slate. Ezekiel Elliott Jersey . -- Nate Robinson has played for seven teams, so beating one of them is no longer a rare occurrence. The NCAA announced Monday that it would remove seven championship events from North Carolina because of HB2, the controversial law that requires people to use the public restroom that matches the sex indicated on a persons birth certificate.Fairness is about more than the opportunity to participate in college sports, or even compete for championships, NCAA president Mark Emmert said in a statement. We believe in providing a safe and respectful environment at our events and are committed to providing the best experience possible for college athletes, fans and everyone taking part in our championships.Its great that the NCAA is making a statement about how much it values inclusion not just in sport, but in society. But the question is: what does this mean for NCAA member institutions that openly discriminate against LGBTQ students on their campuses?Its absolutely fair for the NCAA to single out North Carolina; the states law is blatantly discriminatory, and the statements made by Gov. Pat McCrory after its passage (and by the North Carolina GOP following the NCAAs announcement) underscore that fact. The law is a direct attack on gay people and trans people specifically, those most vulnerable to violence and vitriol within the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer community.But the NCAA perpetuates LGBTQ discrimination in other areas of its governance. For example, a number of the NCAA member schools have applied for and been granted Title IX exemptions -- typically religious exemptions related to the usage of campus facilities, according to the?Human Rights Campaign. In other words, religious schools are requesting (and being allowed) the right to restrict access to bathrooms, housing and sports based on gender identity. If that sounds a lot like whats happening in North Carolina, thats because it is.To be fair, the NCAA does a lot through its Office of Inclusion to address LGGBTQ equality.dddddddddddd It has a policy protecting the abilities of trans people to play at the college level, and it provides materials about how to run LGBTQ-inclusive sports programs. It has hosted webinars on intra-team dating and summits on LGBTQ identity and faith, and every year the Office of Inclusion hosts its own conference. Its not like they do nothing.Whats frustrating is that the NCAA seems to want to have its cake and eat it too. The organization will move events, inform and educate, but when it comes to holding membership institutions accountable for their own discrimination, it falls short.When asked for comment, the NCAA referred to its original statement, in which board of governors vice chairman Jay Lemons said, Our membership comprises many different types of schools -- public, private, secular, faith-based -- and we believe this action appropriately reflects the collective will of that diverse group.In July, the NBA decided to move its All-Star Game out of Charlotte because of North Carolinas law, and earlier this year, the NFL drew criticism for not moving the 2017 Super Bowl from Houston after local voters repealed an LGBTQ-inclusive human rights ordinance. Frankly, the logistics of where leagues are playing or not playing their games are getting tiring.The NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL and NCAA could affect sustainable, tangible change all the way down to youth playing sports if they committed to doing so. The major sports leagues have a long way to go before theyre able to earn anything more than a golf clap of acknowledgement.Nevertheless, this step is unprecedented for the NCAA in its recognition of LGBTQ rights. It should be applauded for it. This thinking also should filter down to college and university campuses.Only time will tell. ' ' '