w Page 4415 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights
Wait, How Did Olympic Men's Tennis Actually Become A Fun Event?
So there was Roger Federer, beating Juan Martin del Potro in an insane Olympic semifinal: four hours and 26 minutes. A 19-17 third set. The longest three-set match in the Open era....
Adderall Is The NFL's Hot New PED Excuse
Giants safety Tyler Sash was banned four games earlier this week, after testing positive for a banned substance. But this was no ordinary failed piss test—Sash claims he was using Adderall, under a doctor's supervision, and Adderall is a drug that the NFL's totally cool with when it's prescribed for...
Learn All About The World Games, The Haven For Rejected Olympic Sports
The Olympics are often considered a great showcase for sports that really don't get any recognition in everyday life—like gymnastics. But what about the sports that don't even make the Olympics? When do Tchoukball and Fistball (which is the actual name of an actual sport) get to show the world wha...
Now Kobe Bryant Has Trouble With His Camera, Has To Be Told To Remove The Lens Cap
Like we said yesterday when we noticed a professional photographer covering the Olympics had the same sort of trouble, this kind of oopsie can happen to anyone. Including Kobe Bryant, who was caught by Bravo's cameras asking some guy for help at the Roger Federer match, only to be told right away ...
Ethiopian Steeplechaser Slams Into Race's Final Hurdle, Leaves Track In A Wheelchair
Here's pretty much the definition of "agony of defeat": Ethiopian steeplechase competitor Birhan Getahun, already far at the back of his qualifying heat at the end of the race, fails to navigate the final hurdle and slams down to the track. (Steeplechase hurdles, unlike those used in the hurdle ev...
Alex Morgan's Knee Obliterated A Kiwi Goalie's Face
It was a horrifying moment in the second half of today's women's soccer match between the U.S. and New Zealand, as American star Alex Morgan drove a knee directly into New Zealand keeper Jenny Bindon's face. It was the second blow to the head for Bindon in the match, and yet she somehow managed to...
Everything You Never Needed To Know About Trampoline
Trampolining is not just for cute foxes in viral videos—it's a crazypants real sport that made its Olympic debut in 2000. As Canadian Karen Cockburn, the bronze medalist at those games, said after winning her medal, "A lot of people don't really know what trampoline is, they think it's a toy you jum...
Olympics Field Guide: Zac Purchase & Mark Hunter: Rowing's Odd Couple
Names: Zac Purchase and Mark Hunter...
In Danger Of Falling Behind, British Cyclist Intentionally Crashes To Get A Restart
The British men won gold in the team sprint, in a world record time. But it almost didn't happen. The Brits could have been eliminated in the first round, if not for a move just as underhanded as anything pulled by those badminton women kicked out of the Olympics....
German Rower Quits Games Over Nazi Boyfriend Allegations
German rower Nadja Drygalla has left the Olympic Village following a media firestorm in her home country about her boyfriend's ties to an extremist right-wing political party. (Drygalla is the third rower from the left seen above.)...
Before Steroids And Supplements, Olympics Dopers Used Brandy And Strychnine
These days, Olympians have to pass random drug tests and steer clear of shady supplements to avoid the wrath of the IOC and World Anti-Doping Agency. But back in 1904, during the Summer Olympics in St. Louis, Thomas Hicks of the United States (pictured above, middle) secured gold in the marathon rac...
NBC Poll Finds People Love NBC's Tape-Delayed Olympics
We've all come to terms with NBC's tape-delayed Olympic broadcasts, right? After a solid week of bitching, we've accepted that NBC's not a charity, that they're in this to make money, and prime time is the only time to make money. (And the ratings are bonkers. Despite projections of a $200 million l...
Errol Morris's Short Film On Sports-Themed Funerals Is Morbidly Cool
One of the best things ESPN has ever commissioned is the fantastic 30 For 30 series, which is now available on Netflix Instant. There are more on the way this fall, but here's a short film done in that vein—directed by Oscar-winner Errol Morris (Mr. Death, The Fog of War, Standard Operating Proced...
This Is The Coolest Volleyball Play We've Ever Seen
We heard about this when it happened two days ago, but it took awhile to track down the video. When we finally saw it, it was a shock. Who knew you were allowed to kick the ball in volleyball?...
Remembering When Bill Russell Played A Corrupt Judge On <em>Miami Vice</em>
I'd love to know the backstory behind this inspired bit of casting. Who is it that looks at a script calling for a corrupt Miami judge and says, "Get me Bill Russell on the phone now!" Indeed, in a second-season episode of Miami Vice, Russell makes a star turn as a crooked judge who pays off gambl...
Yesterday's Flood Of Berserk Baseball Team Facebook Posts Were Made By A Rogue MLB Employee
We thought yesterday's series of wacky Facebook posts appearing on MLB team pages was the work of a very skilled—and very quick—hacker. As it turns out, we were wrong. Not long after we put up our post a Facebook spokesperson issued us the following statement:...
The Hussars Are Coming
Here's a Polish volleyball fan in a rather interesting outfit. I didn't actually know what this was, so I consulted Twitter who informed me of the legendary Polish Winged Hussars. I'm impressed with the build quality but mostly with the fact I'm quite sure there's a cache of beer stored in the cent...
NBC Aired A Promo Featuring A Monkey Doing Gymnastics At The Most Inopportune Time
After Bob Costas wound down tonight's Olympics coverage by editorializing about Gabby Douglas's all-around gold medal ending stereotypes and tearing down racial barriers, NBC followed it up immediately with this promo for Animal Practice featuring a monkey doing gymnastics. That's... unfortunate....
Gabby Douglas's Beam Performance Gives Us The Defining Photo Of The London Olympics
I'm just not certain how sports photography gets any better than this. Greg Bull of the Associated Press deserves every Sports Photo of the Year Award coming his way in a few months' time. Gabby Douglas gave a historic performance today in the women's gymnastics all-around, and this is a photo worth...
Women's Gymnastics: Gabby Douglas Leaves The Rest Of The World Behind
Where the Olympic men's gymnastics all-around final had been a gradual, predictable victory for favorite Kohei Uchimura, the women's final came down to the last routine and the last score. When the tabulation was done, Gabby Douglas of the United States took the title, becoming the first woman of co...