The one thing about sports that did appeal to me was, you don’t really have to be an adult. You can be Peter Pan for a good long while. | | Serena and Venus Williams showed us the future in 1998. (Greg Wood/AFP/Getty Images) | | | | “The one thing about sports that did appeal to me was, you don’t really have to be an adult. You can be Peter Pan for a good long while.” |
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| rantnrave:// The all-WILLIAMS final in the AUSTRALIAN OPEN should be cherished. The greatness with which VENUS and SERENA have played over their careers is special and their longevity is remarkable. Their first match in a GRAND SLAM was in 1998. I was in middle school. Now, they're playing in the final in MELBOURNE again. It's as good a reason as any to be up at 3:30 a.m. ET Saturday morning to watch on ESPN... How much attention will FOX pay to the PATRIOTS' TRUMP ties during the SUPER BOWL? Because, as much as TOM BRADY wants to deny it and BILL BELICHICK ignores it, the backlash to their political affiliation is gaining critical mass. When it seems like every event and action is seen through a political prism, is it possible to ignore people's allegiances? Will JOE BUCK mention it? Will FOX, a part of RUPERT MURDOCH's media empire, want to go there?... Is this the year we’re supposed to feel bad for DUKE fans? Nah... CARL EDWARDS retired from NASCAR. Is a political run his next race?... Probably not a good reflection for the NFL on seriously their concussion policy is being taken... MARK CUBAN got cheeky about NBA ALL-STAR GAME voting. “There must have been voter fraud... I know I was registered with five different teams, and I’m not eligible to vote"... RAJON RONDO has mastered the passive-aggressive INSTAGRAM post. Wait, actually, that's pretty damn aggressive in calling out DWYANE WADE and JIMMY BUTLER after they lambasted their teammates. Ouch... A fascinating battle involving an ENGLISH soccer team just came to an end. MILLWALL, a third-tier club, fought off its own borough council to maintain its stadium and home. By using the English equivalent of eminent domain, the government had tried to get the club to sell its land, which is near the center of LONDON, to a developer. If Millwall had lost, the ramifications could have been unsettling for many low-tier clubs. Will other English clubs face this problem if towns come looking for new land to gentrify? And can it happen in the U.S., where local governments consider professional sports teams and their stadiums to be more protected (and often the hub of supposed urban renewal plans)? It's not an even comparison as the EPL is the end-all be-all in England, while even lower-tier leagues like the MLS produce teams with publicly-financed stadiums, but it is worth wondering about. | | - Mike Vorkunov, curator |
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| Fraught post-Soviet geopolitics are finding their way into MMA thanks to a dictator's violent whims. | |
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He's the most volatile player on the NBA's most dysfunctional team. But is DeMarcus Cousins undoing Sacramento, or is Sacramento undoing Cousins? | |
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Heidar Logi overcame a troubled childhood to become Iceland's first professional surfer. | |
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It goes beyond bias in officiating, soccer culture has some major flaws. | |
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On Wednesday (Jan 25), advocacy organizations Athlete Ally and Shirzanan published an open letter demanding that FIBA “defend religious freedom and immediately lift the ban on religious headgear” when the organization holds meetings this weekend. | |
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The bruising back who won Super Bowl XVII MVP honors has settled into a more peaceful lifestyle after a long search for meaning after his NFL career. | |
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A nearly full house at the Hammer Theatre heard a fascinating array of perspectives, from Jim Brown explaining why he met with then-President-elect Donald Trump, Chris Webber discussing the exploitation of young athletes, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar calling for economic cooperation among athletes, and Takeo Spikes and Anquan Boldin explaining why they played the violent game of football. | |
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A shared love of competition leads to love for the racer and the polo player Ashley Van Metre. | |
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"Pokémon Duel" has arrived, seemingly out of nowhere, much to the confusion and curiosity of fans. What is this game, exactly, and why has it arrived with such little fanfare? | |
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Wimbledon’s home game against Everton on this day in 1993 garnered the lowest attendance in Premier League history -- but those who were there saw a game to remember. | |
| We shouldn't be encouraging biased industries to fund the science behind it. | |
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Kendall Coyne, the third pick in the NWHL's 2015 draft, and No. 2 pick Hannah Brandt of Minnesota chose paths that united them on the same line with the Minnesota Whitecaps -- with no regrets. | |
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Alexis Sanchezs carrying both Arsenal and Chile-but how long can he keep up his relentless work rate? | |
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You are listening live from the South Point sports book, which will serve as the hub of Brent Musburger’s new sports betting network in Las Vegas. | |
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Drake talks about how he got his start, his biggest fear in life, upcoming projects, who he'd love to work with, his relationship with his mother and his future plans. | |
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The trinity of Keith Jackson, Verne Lundquist and Musburger -- the voices that defined college football in the last generation -- are gone from the booth. | |
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Tom Brady needs to get a clue. | |
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His beloved bike was stolen after an enlightening cross-country ride, then karma intervened to restore all faith in humanity. | |
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No team inspires loathing like the Blue Devils. But in a season of what passes for disappointment at Duke, even haters could show some compassion. Maybe. | |
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Perhaps the most interesting way to view Tom Brady in the autumn of his career is by acknowledging how improbable it is that he became the most reliable lightning rod in football. | |
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