Sports

The words were barely out of our friend and correspondent Ari Shapiro's mouth just after 7:30 a.m. ET this morning when the phones started ringing and emails started arriving.

Ghana qualifies for its third straight World Cup — defeating Egypt 7-3 on total goals after a 2-1 loss. This was the first international match in Cairo in two years. A bloody soccer riot there left dozens dead in 2011. It was also the first match since authorities lifted the curfew that went into effect after widespread clashes between security forces and Muslim Brotherhood supporters, protesting the ouster of President Mohammed Morsi.

College basketball seems to get started sooner every year, like puberty in American children. Why does everything have to begin so early now, before you have time to get ready for it?

Things move so fast in college basketball that there are three players this year who are being called "the next LeBron James. " In the NBA, most of the talk is already about where the superstars will be next season.

Norwegian chess player Magnus Carlsen is competing in the 2013 World Chess Championships. Melissa Block speaks with Joran Jansson, president of the Norwegian Chess Federation, for more on his rise to a number one ranking and what his popularity means for the game of chess.

Our friends over at the Two-Way recently told you about disturbing allegations against Qatar for its handling of migrant workers building the country's infrastructure for the 2022 soccer World Cup. Those revelations were first reported in The Guardian.

This year Jack Taylor "only" scored 109.

The Grinnell College basketball player, who set an NCAA record a year ago when he scored 138 points in one game, poured in 109 Sunday night during his team's 173-123 win over Crossroads College of Rochester, Minn.

After several knee operations, 66-year-old Marilyn Cowser of Greenfield, Wis., found herself no longer able to Rollerblade or ride her bike.

She was advised to try a recumbent bike, but when Cowser went to her local bike shop, she found they were selling for upwards of $1,500. Cowser wasn't willing to spend that kind of money, so she went to see a guy about a half-hour away who builds recumbents in his garage.

"When I got there, he had them all out," she says. "And I got on this one and took off. I mean, I just went."

Transcript

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

It is time now for sports.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

MARTIN: Well, we've got a whole day of football ahead of us. But let's face it, all eyes are on one game in particular. The Kansas City Chiefs go to Mile High Stadium to play the Denver Broncos. Just one loss between the two of them, seems like a big deal. But is it, really?

The man with the answers, as usual, is NPR's Mike Pesca. Good morning, Mike.

MIKE PESCA, BYLINE: Hi. You've set up this question. Will I puncture it just by saying, yeah, it's a big deal.