sports

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George Michael of Sports Machine Fame Dead at 70

DC legend pioneered use of game highlights

(Newser) - George Michael, whose syndicated Sports Machine show helped introduce viewers to the magic of game highlights years before ESPN made it obsolete, died today in Washington. He was 70 and suffering from leukemia. At WRC in Washington from 1980 to 2008, Michael became a legend during the heyday of the...

Forget Soccer Moms— Meet Ping-Pong Parents

Immigrants' kids dominate table tennis scene

(Newser) - Good old-fashioned American sports parenting meets immigrant drive at the India Community Center in the Silicon Valley town of Milpitas, Calif., which is churning out the country’s best young ping-pong players. Top coaches from India and China are schooling the children of high-tech workers who know the drill for...

Serena Williams Named AP's Female Athlete of Year
Serena Williams Named AP's Female Athlete of Year
what tirade?
Dec 22, 2009 1:37 PM CST

Serena Williams Named AP's Female Athlete of Year

US Open tirade seems to not have influenced editors

(Newser) - Playing her best at the most important events, Serena Williams re-established herself as the top player in women's tennis in 2009 and was the landslide choice as Female Athlete of the Year by members of the AP. She received 66 of 158 votes cast by editors; no other candidate got...

Worst Sports Excesses of the Decade
 Worst Sports 
 Excesses of 
 the Decade 
Aughts in review
Dec 20, 2009 2:30 PM CST

Worst Sports Excesses of the Decade

Pacman Jones' strip club behavior typifies the sad new culture

(Newser) - American sports culture descended into sheer decadence this decade, and no single incident sums it better than Pacman Jones' "making it rain" with cash in a Vegas strip club in 2007, writes Clay Travis for Fanhouse. The chaos that ensued after he tossed around the money—reportedly about $100,...

How I Quit Sports, Cold Turkey
 How I Quit Sports, Cold Turkey 
OPINION
Dec 14, 2009 1:51 PM CST

How I Quit Sports, Cold Turkey

It takes too long to be a modern fan

(Newser) - Several months ago, without warning, John Swansburg found he was no longer a sports fan. He just quit cold turkey and never looked back. “Somewhat to my surprise, I don’t miss any of it,” he writes for Slate . Being a sports fan in 2009 simply takes up...

What Happened to Our Basketballer-in-Chief?
What Happened to Our
Basketballer-in-Chief?
Golf well? No, he can't
Nov 24, 2009 11:07 AM CST

What Happened to Our Basketballer-in-Chief?

Obama has traded basketball for golf

(Newser) - The old Obama played hoops—and he did it quite well. So why do we keep seeing him on golf courses? Since he took office, the one-time "Baller-in-Chief" has played basketball about seven times, compared to 25 rounds of golf. The White House has remained mum on what's behind...

Domestic Violence Linked to Football Upsets

Local-team upsets match to an 8% upswing in abuse

(Newser) - Losses by local NFL teams may trigger episodes of domestic violence among their fans, a new study suggests. Researchers examined domestic violence reports in 1995-2006 and found that upsets of home teams matched up with an 8% bump in incidents of domestic violence. The surge in violence almost doubled when...

'I'm Like, That Is Not Me:' Dirty Soccer Player

Elizabeth Lambert confused, remorseful about hair-pulling episode

(Newser) - Elizabeth Lambert is confused, remorseful, and a little defensive about some much-publicized bad behavior on the soccer field that got her suspended from the University of New Mexico team. “There were times in the game where I was literally like, ‘All right, Elizabeth, you’ve got to get...

Quidditch Scores Big on College Campuses

Inability to fly on broomsticks doesn't stop undergrads

(Newser) - Heads up, NCAA: Quidditch has cast its spell on America's campuses. Technically known as Muggle Quidditch—due to the lack of actual flying brooms—the game looks like "a mixture between ultimate Frisbee and dodgeball," one player tells the Chicago Sun-Times . And if it sounds like a fringe...

For Owners, Horse Racing a Sure Bet (to Lose)

The ponies are a labor of love with small stakes, high costs

(Newser) - Thoroughbred racehorses aren’t cheap to buy—and then you have to house them, feed them, pay the vet, the trainer, the jockey, etc. And if you actually intend to make money, they have to win. And even then, since most horses never make the elite high-stakes races, owners have...

For Female Umps, No Field of Dreams
 For Female Umps, 
 No Field of Dreams 
MLB'S GLASS CEILING
Nov 2, 2009 11:38 AM CST

For Female Umps, No Field of Dreams

Female umpire speaks out against baseball's 'stained-grass ceiling'

(Newser) - Forget blown calls. The real problem with umpires in the MLB, says Perry Barber: A complete lack of females. Barber, who has been in the business since 1981, works high school, college, spring training, and Independent League games—and tells DoubleX , “ We’re just going to have to storm...

Umps Under Fire After Rash of Botched Calls

 Umps Under Fire 
 After Rash of 
 Botched Calls 

mlb playoffs
Oct 23, 2009 5:10 PM CDT

Umps Under Fire After Rash of Botched Calls

Postseason miscues have MLB considering drastic changes

(Newser) - This year’s postseason has featured the usual thrills—pitchers' duels, come-from-behind victories—and an outbreak of something unusual: botched calls by umpires. The threat of more gaffes in next week’s World Series has the tradition-bound sport considering expanding the use of instant replay beyond the verification of home...

ESPN Must Fire Steve Phillips
 ESPN Must Fire Steve Phillips 
foul balls
Oct 22, 2009 2:47 PM CDT

ESPN Must Fire Steve Phillips

Network knew what it was getting in scandal-plagued analyst

(Newser) - ESPN knew exactly what it was getting in Steve Phillips, and it has to know that it's time to cut him loose. When the network hired him, "ESPN, already having gained a well-earned reputation as the Sodom and Gomorrah of sports television, must have informed Phillips of the World...

Michael Jordan's Son Could Cost College $3M

Adidas deal predates player with inherited preference for Nike

(Newser) - Michael Jordan’s son wants to wear the shoes his dad made famous when he plays college basketball this season—but if he does, he could wind up costing the University of Central Florida $3 million. Marcus Jordan insists on wearing Nike Air Jordans, but UCF has a deal with...

Tailgating: The New Picnic
 Tailgating: The New Picnic 
asphalt is the new grass
Oct 21, 2009 12:17 PM CDT

Tailgating: The New Picnic

No more lounging in a meadow—we picnic in parking lots now

(Newser) - The good old-fashioned picnic—a blanket, a thermos, the countryside—is a thing of the past. Its replacement: Tailgating, “jammed together, on asphalt, amid exhaust fumes and exhausting vulgarities,” writes Frank Deford for NPR. This new American tradition “crosses all ethnic, racial, and religious lines. You just...

Lingerie Football: Beyond Demeaning
 Lingerie Football: 
 Beyond Demeaning 
OPINION
Oct 16, 2009 10:43 AM CDT

Lingerie Football: Beyond Demeaning

Nearly naked ball a better place for the pretty-but-talentless than, say, politics

(Newser) - Critics of the Lingerie Football League were vindicated when the highlight of the very first game was a quarterback getting her bra ripped off. “No doubt about it—the Lingerie Football League is demeaning to women, demeaning to football, and even demeaning to lingerie,” writes Greg Beato for...

Phelps to Competition: Lose the Speed Suits

Swimmer challenges others to switch before ban takes effect

(Newser) - Michael Phelps challenged his competitors at the upcoming FINA/Arena World Cup meets to race without the full-body technical suits recently banned by swimming authorities for providing an unfair advantage in speed. The ban doesn’t go into effect until January, but Phelps said he was “getting ready for where...

11 Reasons to Stop Hating the WNBA

It's no NBA—but it shouldn't be, argues blogger. Plus, some players are hot.

(Newser) - The WNBA finals are going on, which has—in the past—led Sam Greenspan to joke, “Man I hope one of the players lands a one-handed breakaway dunk to seal the best-of-one series!” The league is “universally ripped on,” he writes for 11points.com, but the...

Most Underpaid Athletes
 Most Underpaid Athletes 
Oct 3, 2009 6:27 AM CDT

Most Underpaid Athletes

Even LeBron James makes the list—relatively speaking, of course

(Newser) - If you set aside the fact that even the minimum-earning NBA player ($457,558) is still in the top 1% of American earners, you can appreciate that some sports standouts are relatively underpaid. Yahoo! Sports lists some of the biggies:
  • Tim Lincecum, MLB, San Francisco Giants: Though he’s set
...

South Africa: Ax Lying Semenya Official

His coverup hurt runner, says sports minister

(Newser) - South African government officials are calling for the firing of an athletic director who admitted lying about gender tests before Caster Semenya entered her controversial World Championship race last month. "His lies were to Ms. Semenya's detriment," said a statement from the nation's sports minister, reports the BBC....

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