Sporting Digest: American Football

FOR THE first time since 1982, the National Football League and its players' union have agreed on a collective bargaining agreement. If ratified, the seven-year pact will bring to an end the labour disputes that have affected the league since 1987. The agreement, announced on Thursday, gives the players substantial increases in pensions, introduces greater freedom-of-contract arrangements, and boosts payments to players who have suffered football-related injuries.