sports

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Free Running Goes Mainstream
 Free Running
 Goes Mainstream 
Aug 3, 2008 4:58 PM CDT

Free Running Goes Mainstream

World championships raise profile of street sport

(Newser) - The underground sport of free running—which involves back-flipping, jumping, and running over obstacles—is going mainstream as London plans to host its world championships next month, the Guardian reports. Athletes will run a closed course, but most free runners still use the streets—and Britain is trying to steer...

Germany Revives Schools to Turn Out Olympians

Return to East German model to restore Olympic glory

(Newser) - Concerned over its sixth-place overall finish in the Athens Olympics, Germany is taking steps to centralize its athletic training program in a move reminiscent of the notorious East German training machine, the Wall Street Journal reports. In a country where membership in local sports clubs is the norm for athletes,...

Forget Olympics: Gladiators Takes Gold for Fun
Forget Olympics: Gladiators Takes Gold for Fun
OPINION
Aug 2, 2008 7:58 AM CDT

Forget Olympics: Gladiators Takes Gold for Fun

Rocketball and Gauntlet make better TV than all that running and swimming

(Newser) - American Gladiators wraps up just before the Olympics, and the Games will seem mighty dull by comparison, Ben Mathis-Lilley writes in the Washington Post.  Rooting for the team is what makes watching sports fun, he writes, and it's much easier to root for an ordinary joe playing Rocketball than...

Wie Snubs Women's Major, Opts to Play in Men's Event

Is it payback for being disqualified from a recent tournament?

(Newser) - Michelle Wie seems to be getting some payback on the LPGA after being disqualified from a recent tournament for failing to sign her scorecard, notes Thomas Bonk in the Los Angeles Times. It may be just a coincidence, but when the women's British Open tees off this week, the 18-year-old...

The Weirdest Sporting Events
 The Weirdest Sporting Events 
Jul 29, 2008 2:00 PM CDT

The Weirdest Sporting Events

How oddballs compete, from pole-sitting to goat polo

(Newser) - If curling strikes you as a strange sport, you've obviously never heard of wife carrying or bottle kicking. The London Times explores the weirdest pastimes from across the globe:
  1. Wife-carrying, Maine, USA: Wives hang on for dear life as husbands tote them through an obstacle course, upside-down. Winners receive the
...

Sastre Nets Spain its Third Straight Tour Victory

(Newser) - Carlos Sastre won the Tour de France today with a 58-second lead over the second-place finisher, the BBC reports. The 33-year-old is the third Spaniard in a row to win the race. "It's very moving," Sastre said after his first victory in the Tour. "I've dreamt of...

Rugged Riding Game Unlike Snooty Polo

Polo's distant cousin appeals to equestrians of every level

(Newser) - Don't mistake polocrosse for its snooty cousin, polo, the Washington Post reports. The increasingly popular riding sport is more like rugged lacrosse, because polocrosse players don't just knock a ball around—they scoop, fire, and catch a ball in a hand-held net. "No one's ever heard of it. Not...

Under Armour Masters Product Placement

From sports to film and TV, firm goes beyond advertising

(Newser) - There was a time when Baltimore sportswear maker Under Armour had to pay for advertising. No more, the Sun reports: its distinctive opposing-U shape has become ubiquitous in film and TV, prominently displayed in productions from Any Given Sunday to The Wire. During the first 3 months of 2008, Under...

As Rome Burns, Bush Plays T-Ball
 As Rome Burns,
 Bush Plays T-Ball 
OPINION
Jul 17, 2008 9:51 AM CDT

As Rome Burns, Bush Plays T-Ball

Fannie Mae, Afghanistan benched as president hosts yet another sporting event

(Newser) - With Washington roiled yesterday by economic woes and bad news from Afghanistan, George W. Bush spent an hour watching 6- and 7-year-olds play T-ball, Dana Milbank notes in the Washington Post—the 95th sports-related event he's hosted as president, to 45 cabinet meetings. "For a president facing little good...

Baseball's Youngest GM Makes His Mark

30-year-old Jon Daniels brings a new approach to baseball managership

(Newser) - Jon Daniels is 30. He’s a little geeky. The last time he played baseball was in Little League, and he wasn't very good. Jon Daniels also is in his third season as manager of the Texas Rangers, part of a new breed of sports executives sprung not from the...

India's Growing Riches Buoy Olympic Hopes

Billionaire bankrolls effort to increase medal haul in 2012

(Newser) - India is not a nation known for its Olympic prowess—it's never even won more than two medals in one Games—but Indian billionaire Lakshmi Mittal wants to change all that, the Christian Science Monitor reports. The Mittal Champions Trust is spending millions to train and prepare India's elite—often...

How to Be an Olympic Athlete
 How to Be an Olympic Athlete 
Jul 9, 2008 12:45 PM CDT

How to Be an Olympic Athlete

Pointers on what it takes to go for the gold

(Newser) - Before you clear a spot on the mantle for that gold medal, you may need a quick reality check: Forbes runs down the numbers behind the blood, sweat, and tears of an Olympic athlete's training.
  1. Training: 4 to 8 years to maximize lung capacity and heart strength
  2. Sessions: up to
...

Chestnut Top Dog Once Again
 Chestnut Top Dog Once Again 
UPDATED
Jul 4, 2008 1:26 PM CDT

Chestnut Top Dog Once Again

Former champion reclaims top spot from Kobayashi

(Newser) - American Joey Chestnut today reclaimed the top spot as winner of the annual hot dog eating contest in Coney Island. After tying archrival Takeru Kobayashi of Japan in a 10-minute chow-down, the Californian triumphed in a five-dog eat-off. The men defeated 19 others in tying at 59 frankfurters in regulation...

Gay Sports Leagues Net Straight Players

Recruits say gay men nicer, just as tough

(Newser) - Gay and straight men in New York are teaming up, literally: The city’s many gay-sports leagues feature scores of heterosexuals looking for competition and friendship. “I was reticent,” admitted one straight footballer. “I was used to a high level of play.” But he and others...

Celtics Win Ripples Across Globe

Boston's championship watched from London to Shanghai

(Newser) - As the buzzer sounded last night, giving the Boston Celtics the NBA Championship over the Los Angeles Lakers, it wasn't heard only in Beantown. All over the world, from London to Shanghai, basketball fans watched the Celtics take home their 17th Larry O’Brien Trophy. "It’s a global...

Nadal Tops Federer, Wins 4th French Open

Spaniard easily overcomes world's No. 1

(Newser) - Rafael Nadal won his fourth consecutive French Open title today, easily beating the world’s No. 1 player, Roger Federer. Nadal swept six early games in the match and won 6-1, 6-3, 6-0. Federer hoped to win the Open and become the sixth man to win all four major titles....

Ballroom Dancing Seeks to Step Into Olympics

TV success leads to push for IOC bosses to take on the tango

(Newser) - An explosion in the popularity of ballroom dancing has got fans hoping it can quickstep its way past golf, bridge and bowling to the top of the waiting list for new Olympic sports, the Wall Street Journal reports. Olympic honchos place a lot of importance on big audiences, and the...

Sharapova Falls to Safina
 Sharapova Falls to Safina 
french open
Jun 2, 2008 3:39 PM CDT

Sharapova Falls to Safina

Top seed falls in 3 sets

(Newser) - Dinara Safina dashed Maria Sharapova’s French Open dreams today in an all-Russian free-for-all, ESPN reports. A screaming Sharapova bungled two big leads, rankling the crowd, which booed and whistled as she made her unceremonious exit . “They paid the ticket to watch me, so they must appreciate me on...

Vintage Baseball: It's Back, It's Way Back

Throwback leagues bring the old hardball spirit to life

(Newser) - Vintage has as much of a niche in sports as in fashion: Old-timey baseball leagues are introducing short-brimmed hats and hardball attitudes to athletes across the country, NPR reports. The most important difference between games of then and now? "Vintage is without a glove. Only sissies wear a mitt,...

Sports Coverage a Tangled Web
 Sports Coverage a Tangled Web 
Apr 21, 2008 9:40 AM CDT

Sports Coverage a Tangled Web

What bloggers, media outlets put online creates friction with pro leagues

(Newser) - As bloggers multiply and media outlets aim to put more audio, video and photo content on their websites, tensions mount with professional sports leagues. Leagues argue that outlets making such content widely available steps on the toes of the broadcasters who have paid to present games—but, the New York ...

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