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AKRON, Ohio -- Japanese star Hideki Matsuyama said Sunday that he was withdrawing from the Olympics because of the Zika virus. That makes him the seventh golfer to cite the mosquito-borne virus as his reason for sitting out golfs return to the Olympics after 112 years.Matsuyama, who won the Phoenix Open earlier this year in a playoff for his second PGA Tour victory, told Japanese reporters of his decision after he finished the Bridgestone Invitational. He later issued a statement through his management company.Although I am excited that golf is returning to the Olympics and I realize that my potential success would help grow the game in Japan, I have come to the conclusion that I cannot put myself or my team members health at risk, he said.That makes seven players from the top 25 in the world who have said they are not going to Rio. The others are Jason Day and Adam Scott of Australia, Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland and the South African trio of Branden Grace, Louis Oosthuizen and Charl Schwartzel.Of the 11 golfers who said they would not go, seven specifically cited Zika.Brazil has been the hardest hit of the approximately 60 countries that have reported outbreaks of Zika, the mosquito-borne virus linked to severe birth defects and possible neurological problems in adults.I have been getting information from all the concerned parties as well as my doctors about the situation in Rio, but I cannot be 100 percent sure about my safety, and my teams safety, from the Zika virus, Matsuyama said. Additionally, my body has a tendency to react strongly to insect bites.He called the choice to not go to the Olympics heart-wrenching.His announcement capped a tough week for golf, which was most recently part of the Olympics in 1904. Day is the No. 1 player in the world and said Tuesday that he would not be going. Shane Lowry said Wednesday that he was too concerned about the Zika risk because he married in April and wants to start a family.Jordan Spieth said he remained undecided.Golf is assured of being part of the Tokyo Games, though the International Olympic Committee votes next year to determine if the sport will be part of the program beyond 2020.With one week remaining before qualifying ends through the world ranking, Japans two spots currently would go to Hideto Tanihara and Yuka Ikeda. Tanihara won on the Japan Golf Tour on Sunday and moved into the No. 2 spot among Japanese players even before Matsuyama withdrew.Each country is allowed two players until the 60-man field is set, with a maximum of four players, provided they are among the top 15 in the world. Cheap New Orleans Saints Jerseys . The Canadian squad, skipped by Jennifer Jones of Winnipeg, got on the board first with two in the second end, and followed that with two more apiece in the fourth and sixth ends. Cheap New York Giants Jerseys . Gerald Green and Miles Plumlee? Green had bounced around the NBA when he wasnt playing overseas. The Pacers gave up on Plumlee after just one season. Now Green and Plumlee are key cogs in the Suns surprising breakout season. http://www.cheapjerseystb.com/ . Paul Pierce couldnt believe he missed at the end. Young scored a season-high 26 points to spark a huge effort from the leagues most productive bench, and Los Angeles beat the Brooklyn Nets 99-94 on Wednesday night after blowing a 27-point lead. Cheap Pittsburgh Steelers Jerseys . -- Lou Brocks shoulder-to-shoulder collision with Bill Freehan during the 1968 World Series and Pete Roses bruising hit on Ray Fosse in the 1970 All-Star game could become relics of baseball history, like the dead-ball era. Cheap Indianapolis Colts Jerseys . The (11-11-4) Jets are seventh in the Central Division with 26 points. Fifth place Dallas and sixth-seeded Nashville also have 26 points, but the Stars have three games in hand on Winnipeg while Nashville has two. Over the past five years, a number of great WWE promos that didnt come directly from the mouth of Paul Heyman have garnered significant attention, despite how much his recent run makes it easy to forget that anyone can possibly approach his level.But no one has been as consistently entertaining and impassioned on the microphone as this veteran salesman, whose mad scientist brain owes its genius to his constant evolution. From his days as a teenage photographer to high-profile roles as manager, commentator, writer and promoter for just about every organization that has mattered, Heyman has seen it all over the course of 35-plus years (and counting) in pro wrestling.His legacy has largely been built upon the iconography of his rebelliousness, which has proved as much a blessing as a curse in each stop along the journey. Heyman has managed to tone down a few key aspects of that act, and has thrived in focusing his attention exclusively on?Brock Lesnar.For the many chapters in the book of Heymans unique career, hes writing his masterpiece in this current incarnation of advocate. In an era where managers are all but extinct, and creative liberties on the microphone are stingily rationed by WWE, Heyman stands out as something significantly different, not to mention brilliant.At 51, hes the best in the world at what he does. Quite unabashedly, he knows it.Test him with the formalities of asking whos the best talker in pro wrestling and Heyman fails to break stride in saying himself. Ask him who is No. 2 and he just as quickly says Lesnar, before stamping on a vainglorious qualifier.You know why? Because he lets Paul Heyman talk for him, Heyman told ESPN.com.To talk about the art of the promo with Paul Heyman is to summon from deep within him the passion that fuels everything he does -- a passion that acts as the medium to connect with his on-screen alter ego.Id say that Im probably possessed by that character at times, and need an exorcist to pull me -- the dad at home -- back out of him, Heyman said. And Id say at times that I possess him. Theres a balance. Theres no tug of war for my soul -- my soul is condemned as it is. But we have a relationship and we kind of learn how to co-exist.Explaining his artistry creates a measured tone in the speech of the often bombastic Heyman as he intently describes what goes into making a great promo.Credibility. Authenticity. Believing in everything that you are saying, Heyman said. Its something that some people are born with and dont know how to tap into. And its something some people are not born with, but once they feel the affirmation of the crowd ... [they] get that rush.The pop and electricity of a reaction from a live crowd has long been an unquenchable drug that has called many pro wrestlers back into the ring long after their bodies told them to stop. Heyman is just as much of a junkie to that phenomenon, describing that synergistic moment with an audience with an almost lustful tone.Its sex. Its music, Heyman said. And theres a rhythm to it, and theres an interaction to it. Theres something very deeply personal about it as well. So once you tap into that youre hooked, and you seek that every time you dare open your mouth in a public forum.Only Heyman could make talking about the process of talking this interesting. As effortless as it looks when he delivers a promo, theres an obsessive journey unseen by the audience before the finished product, with Heyman stressing over every word, inflection and moment of the time afforded to him to sell a particular message.The competitor within Heyman, the same guy who improbably built ECW into a revolutionary promotion in the late 1990s, is still present within him, but hes largely competing with himself these days as he challenges himself to stay on such a high level.There are many different kinds of promos, and Heyman has delivered them all well. He can incite a crowd with his wit and delivery, or ad-lib off of their emotions like a great jazz player. At the end of the day, he says, nothing matters if his message doesnt lead to the company making money.Unlike most performers, Heyman is allowed to write his own scripts and put together the salesmanship of it after being told the mission of each promo. The reason hes afforded such freedom, he says, goes back to WWE chairman Vince McMahons willingness to honor those who boldly reach for the brass ring.While its clear that Heyman is trusted by WWE despite an, at-times, rocky 15-year relationship (which includes a sizable gap of employment from 2006 to 2012 following creative disagreements), his freedom comes with tremendous responsibility and pressure.If you truly want to reach for the brass ring, you need to put your balls on the table, Heyman said. I can go off-point, I can go off-word, I can go off-paragraph, but I can never go off message. Because when I come back through that curtain, if I havent sold [McMahon] tickets or pay-per-views or merchandise or network subscriptions, its not about reaching for the brasss ring -- my balls are getting chopped off.ddddddddddddnd you have to be willing to put your balls on the line with that. Now if you are, hell let you do it. Its your funeral. Or its you reaching for the brass ring. Either way, its a risk that you have to take.Heyman defends the WWEs reliance on scripted dialogue with a reminder that the company is putting out a live show on worldwide television with a multimillion-dollar-a-week contract to deliver. As he puts it, You cant just let people go out there and do whatever the hell they want to do, saying its a violation of WWEs responsibility to shareholders not to control everything that goes out under its brand.Its at least worth questioning, however, whether Heymans gifts as a persuasive communicator wouldve been better served in a different field, with his same ability to challenge your core beliefs and turn them upside down often found in preachers, lawyers and politicians.I would probably confess that I was the greatest disappointment of my mothers life, but my father only admired his sons moxie, drive, hustle and wherewithal to pursue his dreams no matter how I achieve them, he said, describing his late parents in the 2014 WWE documentary titled Ladies and Gentleman, My Name is Paul Heyman.He credits his ability to deliver a message to his father, Richard, calling him the most ethical, honest personal injury attorney in the history of the Bronx. His mother, Sulamita, was a Holocaust survivor and the single most intense, driven individual he said he has ever met.One of the biggest keys to Heymans pro wrestling education was the opportunity to learn from some of the brightest minds and best talkers in history; core concepts like how to get heat as a heel, and the difference between just being entertaining and drawing money. He credits his time spent riding in the car or in the announcing booth alongside the likes of Freddie Blassie, Austin Idol, Dusty Rhodes and Jim Ross for helping him create the character he is today.Heyman believes he has lived multiple careers within the same industry; the loudmouth Paul E. Dangerously, the cult leader of ECW, and the celebrated head writer of WWE SmackDown, to name a few. But hes steadfast in his unwillingness to compare his accomplishments or attempt to identify his contribution to the genre.Sharks only move forward -- they cant go back, cant move sideways, Heyman said. I dont want to be that old boxer sitting downstairs in the basement watching that grainy footage saying, So you see, thats when I was relevant. I want to be more relevant tomorrow than I am today.Heyman maintains that relevance, in part, by constantly staying ahead of the social curve and using his accomplishments as a means to add credibility to the next thing hes trying to sell. Its a mindset that has helped make his day job running his viral marketing agency Looking4Larry and his Heyman Hustle website so profitable.Theres also the fact that Heyman says he rarely sleeps more than three to four hours per night and often churns out 18- to 20-hour workdays between pro wrestling and his business.Im involved with projects that strike up a passion with me, that stir up completion inside of me, Heyman said. People come at me and go, My job makes me feel alive. OK, well good for you. My job doesnt make me feel alive, my job makes me feel alive! I love what I do. Im passionate about what I do. I live for what I do. And every morning I cant wait to stop sleeping and to jump up and get out of bed and start doing what I do.An insatiable work ethic and a disdain for sleep -- that sounds a lot like another sports entertainment visionary, Vince McMahon, doesnt it?Yeah, but hes insane, Heyman said. At least Im rather sane about it. Then again, Im sane and Im a thousandaire, and hes insane and hes a billionaire.Could it be a case of kindred spirits?I dont think Vince would be flattered by the comparison, but in my little synagogue of life, I could see where maybe we could kibitz a little about that, he said.Heyman has no plans to walk away from wrestling, not with how much fun his cushy and lucrative 14-year run alongside his friend Lesnar continues to be. But he readily admits he would be surprised had someone told him 20 years ago that he would be a featured and valued performer with WWE at this stage, not to mention someone who McMahon trusts and respects.I dont know what explains my longevity, Heyman said. I think Im kind of like the cockroach of the sports entertainment industry. You could drop a nuclear bomb somewhere but who is going to survive? The cockroaches are always going to survive. They are going to be the last things on earth.Ive survived it all. And you know what? Why would they want to get rid of me by now? This guy is still alive? No one has killed him yet? Put him on television, he must have something to offer!Ladies and gentleman, his name is Paul Heyman. ' ' 'rest in St. Louis as a potential expansion site, but only if a stadium is built.---AP reporter David A. Lieb in Jefferson City, Missouri, contributed to this report. ' ' '