athletics

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Is She a Man? Is Phelps a Fish?
 Is She a Man? 
 Is Phelps a Fish? 
OPINION
Aug 21, 2009 8:55 AM CDT

Is She a Man? Is Phelps a Fish?

(Newser) - It's wrong to be subjecting South African sprinter Caster Semenya to "a public slaying," writes Antonia Senior, who says that debating her gender has no more credibility than asking if "Michael Phelps is really a fish." For the Times of London columnist, sports are now "...

Night Owls Outmuscle Early Birds: Study

(Newser) - Night owls may have a tough time conforming to normal work schedules, but they do have one advantage in athletic ability that early birds can’t match, CNN reports. A new study tested leg strength at various times during the day and found that morning people were consistent while late...

Feds Mull Taxing College Sports, but Pickings Are Slim

(Newser) - The Congressional Budget Office, eager for new sources of income, is considering taxation options for the nation’s collegiate athletic franchises, the Economist reports. Among the proposals are curtailing deductions for charitable donations to college sports programs; limiting tax-exempt bonds; and, most drastically, stripping the programs of their traditional tax-exempt...

Saudi Crackdown Sends Female Gym Rats to Sidelines

Religious leaders say sports are unfeminine

(Newser) - Though obesity and diabetes are on the rise in Saudi Arabia, officials there are cracking down on women-only sports clubs because they lack licenses—which no government body will actually issue. Leaders say their opposition is based on Islam, but, Caryle Murphy writes for GlobalPost, it stems as much from...

US Woman First to Swim Atlantic

56-year-old American churns from Africa to Trinidad in 24 days

(Newser) - A 56-year-old American became the first woman to swim across the Atlantic, completing a 24-day journey from Africa's Cape Verde Islands to Trinidad, reports the BBC. Jennifer Figge of Colorado swam up to 8 hours at a stretch, protected by a cage to fend off sharks. She swam approximately 2,...

Obama's Sportswear 'Endorsements' Worth Millions

Nike, North Face get free pub from prez-elect

(Newser) - The latest high-profile sportswear-endorser doesn’t charge brands like Nike and North Face a thing to be seen wearing their logos, but his fashion choices may be worth millions, the Times of London reports. Barack Obama’s love of the gym and the basketball court is famous, and companies are...

US Finishes Strong, Sweeps 1600 Relays

(Newser) - The US men's and women's teams swept the 1600-meter relays today, ending a string of frustrations for the Americans that included dropped batons in two earlier races. For the women, Sanya Richards anchored her team in a come-from-behind victory over Russia in 3:18.54, the world's fastest time since...

How the Decathlon Got Stuck in the Mud
 How the Decathlon
 Got Stuck in the Mud
OPINION
Aug 21, 2008 8:25 PM CDT

How the Decathlon Got Stuck in the Mud

Drugs, fan demand for broken records to blame of 10-discipline event

(Newser) - Once upon a time, the decathlon was it: The king of Sweden called 1912 Olympic champ Jim Thorpe “the world’s greatest athlete, and gold medalists such as Bruce Jenner became superstars. So what happened? Drugs, Robert Weintraub writes in Slate: Track events occupy the same space as the...

Women Will Never Outpace Men in Distance Running

(Newser) - Women will never run a marathon faster than men, a sports scientist tells Time. Although women have higher body-fat ratios and presumably a larger emergency energy store, females do not have the muscular power that males have, and that may be the "differentiating factor." When matched for weight,...

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...

Double Dutch Made NYC School Sport

Jump-rope league expected to draw big interest

(Newser) - New York City schools will offer a new sport this spring: competitive double dutch jump-roping. The first school district to start official teams has done so in recognition of the sport's popularity among the city's youth—and to promote fitness, AP reports. "It's something that builds stamina," explains...

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...

New Swimsuits Unfair; Stick to Birthday Suits

Time to bring back Olympic tradition of competing naked, says columnist

(Newser) - No sporting record lasts forever, but these days, writes Bloomberg columnist Scott Soshnick, athletes are demolishing them with almost ridiculous frequency. At the US Olympic swimming trials this year, no fewer than nine records were broken or equaled—a function less of talent than of technology. Perhaps it's time to...

Road to NFL Often Starts at High School Bowl Game

Small company identifies future stars

(Newser) - For many of the top prospects in this year’s NFL draft, the path to stardom didn’t begin in college. Instead, it started at the US Army All-American Bowl, an annual high-school all-star game that’s been remarkably good at spotting future NFL talent. Since 2005, 69 participants have...

Marion Jones Reports to Jail
Marion Jones Reports to Jail
Mar 8, 2008 6:09 AM CST

Marion Jones Reports to Jail

Former Olympic medalist starts 6-month sentence

(Newser) - Marion Jones has entered a federal prison in Texas, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports. The disgraced former sprinter is beginning a 6-month sentence for lying to investigators about her use of performance-enhancing drugs and about her role in a check-fraud scam. She has already returned her Olympic gold medals and...

Marion Jones Falls Further
Marion Jones Falls Further
Nov 24, 2007 2:44 AM CST

Marion Jones Falls Further

Shamed sprinter's records to be taken off books

(Newser) - Disgraced sprinter Marion Jones will have her results in races dating back to September 2000 wiped from the record books, reports the AP, under orders from track and field's world governing body. She's also been ordered to give back $700,000 in prize money. The IAAF council decided to retroactively...

See Jane Realize She Can Run Circles Around You

Younger women are intimidated to behave like athletes

(Newser) - When it comes to men, most women just don’t try—try, that is, to be as good as them in sports. After examining several running competitions, the New York Times discovered that while men slow as they age, older women were seemingly doing laps around their younger counterparts. One...

Top 10 US HS Athletic Programs
Top 10 US HS Athletic Programs
Jun 19, 2007 9:59 PM CDT

Top 10 US HS Athletic Programs

(Newser) -
  1. Jesuit (Portland, Ore.)
  2. DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.)
  3. Warren Central (Indianapolis)
  4. Miami (Fla.) Northwestern
  5. Archbishop Mitty (San Jose, Calif.)

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