ty Page 541 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

NFL Executives Say The League Isn't Ready For Michael Sam
There are layers to former Missouri defensive end Michael Sam's coming-out. The first is that it happened, and the sun came up with no more than the expected amounts of bigotry. The second is how it happened, and OutSports has a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at the lengthy and complex preparati...

Here's How The NFL Reacted To Michael Sam Coming Out
When Michael Sam came out tonight, likely becoming the first publicly gay active NFL player next season, we knew there'd be some shocking reactions from people on Twitter, including some of those in the NFL. Here, to preserve them publicly, are those tweets:...

BBC Slopestyle Announcers Prove The U.S. Holds No Monopoly On Homerism
Coming into Sochi, the Great Britain national Olympic team had never won a medal on the snow at the Winter Games, going 0-56 in the events throughout history. That changed today when Bristol snowboarder Jenny Jones earned bronze in slopestyle. Her performance—good enough to put her, at the moment, i...

The Story About The Russian Dying Over The Botched Olympic Ring Is Fake
This post isn't necessary for all of you. Some of you have been around on the internet long enough to know that the Daily Currant is a satirical news site. For the rest of the crowd, though: Stop sharing that dumb Olympics article around. It isn't real....

Ashley Wagner's "Bullshit" Moment Is The First Meme Of The Sochi Games
It's safe to say American figure skater Ashley Wagner was expecting a better score than that. Her face—along with all pretense—dropped after seeing the judges' thoughts on her short program in ladies team competition....

Austria Is Having Problems
[A member of Austria's delegation lies on the ground after falling during the Opening Ceremony of the Sochi Winter Olympics at the Fisht Olympic Stadium. Photograph: Andrej Isakovic/AFP/Getty Images]...

Tonga's Olympic Luger Is An Underwear Marketing Stunt
To be clear, Bruno Banani deserves to be here. He qualified with a 28th-place finish at a World Cup race in December. But everything about him—from his background to his biography to his very name—is the whole-cloth creation of an underwear company....

Max Pacioretty Misses Two Penalty Shots, Scores Hat Trick Anyway
Canadiens winger Max Pacioretty became the first player in NHL history to miss two penalty shots in one game. While I can't find the specific record, I'm pretty confident in adding that he's the first player in NHL history to miss two penalty shots in one game while scoring three goals....

Meet The Underdogs Of The U.S. Figure Skating Team
The figure skating competition is already underway in Sochi, and I have to break the bad news to you: For the first time in years, no American man or woman is expected to seriously vie for an individual gold medal. Which doesn't mean this won't still be the most fascinating, nerve-wracking competiti...

Obese Fans Will Get Discounts, Special Wider Seats At The World Cup
All 12 of the stadiums hosting 2014 World Cup matches will be either new or completely renovated, and a recently passed Brazilian law requires that at least one percent of their capacity be devoted to seats for fans with disabilities, including obesity....

How To Watch The Sochi Olympics Opening Ceremony Live
The XXII Olympic Winter Games opening ceremony in Sochi starts Friday morning at 11 a.m. Eastern Time, but it won't be aired in the U.S. until more than eight hours later thanks to NBC's tape-delay policies. They aren't streaming it live online, either, so if you'd like to join the rest of the world...

Slopestyle Matryoshka Doll Lets 'Boarders 50/25/12.5/6.25/3.125 Grind
Send stories, photos, and anything else you might have to [email protected]....

Hey! The Olympics Have Started
Though the opening ceremony doesn't begin for another day, today has already seen the start of qualification in the men's and women's slopestyle snowboarding, and in a little bit, women's moguls and the first parts of the new team figure skating competition. ...

No, Pete Carroll Doesn't Have A "9/11" Tattoo On His Wrist
One photo taken immediately after Super Bowl XLVIII shows an unidentified Seattle Seahawk—with a "9/11" tattoo on his wrist—holding the Lombardi Trophy. One tipster asked if the ink belonged to head coach Pete Carroll, which would be interesting, considering his thoughts on the September 11th attack...

Skeleton Helmets Are The Coolest Thing At The Olympics
Skeleton, which has only been a regular Winter Olympic event since 2002, is every bit as fast and intense and as scary as luge. Scarier; the sliders go down face-first. But that gives the sport an aesthetic edge over its cohorts. Look at those helmets!...

Richie Incognito's Triumphant Return: A Four-Tweet Play
(Please note that the Nick Foles account is a fake.)...

Shaun White Refuses To Ride Sochi's Dangerous Slopestyle Course
Here's another feather that we can take out of the Sochi Olympics' cap: After injuring his wrist while on a practice run on the slopestyle course yesterday, Shaun White has decided to pull out of the event altogether. This is the first time slopestyle has been included as an Olympic event, and it ju...

The Dogs Of Sochi
This is not a commentary on Sochi authorities' reported (and apparently ineffective) plan to exterminate the city's stray dogs ahead of the Olympics. It is also not a condemnation of Russia, which, like most parts of the world, has strays roaming its urban areas....

Super Bowl Fans Spent A Record $94.60 Per Person On Food and Drinks
The NFL prints money; we knew this. But some of the numbers are now out on what fans spent once they got to the Super Bowl, and it's big money....

The Kansas City Royals' New Billboard Is Pretty Clever
The Kansas City Royals are decent at this advertising thing. Last season, they put up James Shields pitching to Salvador Perez over two billboards, with the ball seemingly ripping the background. This year, outfielder Alex Gordon's sliding across the billboard, collecting everything in his path. If ...