A popular youtube video poking fun at women playing basketball is in my view little more than a modern day incarnation of old-fashioned minstrelsy. Those lightly "comic" routines were once found funny by racist audiences who enjoyed having their attitudes confirmed in entertaining spectacles that should turn the stomach. Click to continue reading...

Admit it. It may not have been Revs commentators Greg Lalas or Brade Feldman, but you've wanted to do this at least 213 times to some announcer at one time or other. For me it was always Marv Albert; the perv is the reason I never got into basketball. Click to continue reading...

In order for Soccer to find the success it seeks in the U.S., it must make changes to the traditional rules without changing the integrity of the sport.  Soccer can be that viable alternative for sports fans in the U.S. if it plays with Amercian rules and also markets the game to U.S. sports fans [. Click to continue reading...

Wenn einer mehr oder weniger gut mit dem Ball am Fuss gut umgehen kann, heißt das noch lange nicht, dass man auch gleich für andere Ballsportarten gemacht ist. OK, Frings ist diesmal ein schlechtes Beispiel, hat er doch am Wochenende bewiesen, dass auch er mal einen Ball nicht ordentlich stoppen kann. Click to continue reading...

In 2008, Australian sport has undergone turmoil. Basketball hit the wall with at least 3 teams disappearing. Women's basketball struggled against the rise of trans-tasman netball. CEO John O'Neil declared rugby union financial dead and 'boring'. Rugby league has 'grabbed the table' in its 100th year, with fans and players deserting on mass, and government redirecting money away. Click to continue reading...

IT'S A CRUEL GAME The amazing thing about the sport of soccer remains the fact that on any given day a team can beat virtually any other team. Other sports pay this alot of lip service, but it just isn't true. In football time of possession and total yards inevitably lead to victories. The same is true of basketball and baseball where looking at shot percentage and strikeouts you can tell who Click to continue reading...

This is going to be a long one, so I've divided it up into different subjects. On the events themselves: Obviously, there really is nothing more that can be said about Michael Phelps. Right now, he's one of the top 5 greatest Olympic athletes of all time. If he just wins another gold or two in London, [. Click to continue reading...

Germany-Japan are underway and Japan is looking goo so far (17th minute). meanwhile, I can't imagine what the USWNT must be feeling right now. Hopefully they are focused and confident. Their making it to the gold medal match is a wonderful accomplishment and, at the very least, has brought the eyes [. Click to continue reading...

Stuff to read while you realize the resale value of public toilets is not all that wonderful..... Football with a basketball guy. (Unprofessional Foul) It's never too early to sound the alarm. (Reuters Soccer Blog) Big Phil's #2 is a moustachioed muscleman. (Sniffing The Touchline) Citeh fans have been packing on the winter pounds a bit early this year. Click to continue reading...

Could ESPN ever be this funny about someone like Kobe Bryant? I doubt it. Click to continue reading...

Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsey, NBA star Tony Parker and Scientologist Tom Cruise were spotted in a luxury box reportedly discussing a joint venture for a basketball-themed french restaurant. On Xenu. It'll be the biggest thing since Planet Hollywood. Click to continue reading...

TORONTO (August 14, 2008) – More hockey, more football, more golf, more auto racing, more basketball, more tennis, more soccer.  And more TSN! TSN announced today the launch of its new 24-hour sports digital network, TSN2, which hits Canadian TV airwaves on Friday, Aug. 29 at 7 p.m. ET with a jam-packed lineup featuring 800+ hours [. Click to continue reading...

Tomorrow at 6AM we'll start the next leg of the Olympic tournament journey. There's not a lot in the way of soccer news in the interim. The WNT Blog is a good place to track the USWNT's travels and preparation for tomorrow's showdown with Canada. An upbeat and determined Canadian squad is [...]SHARETHIS. Click to continue reading...

I didn't stay up late enough to actually see Michael Phelps and his relay teammates get the gold - but what a stunner as Jason Lezak anchored an amazing race! (I was aiming to watch past 9PM, but when Bob Costas started interviewing a smirking GW Bush I had to call it a night.) [...]SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Inspirational Finish . Click to continue reading...

The USWNT kicks off against Japan tomorrow morning at 5AM ET and will (hopefully) field a team with its heads screwed on more securely than on Wednesday! I like to think that Wednesday's game was a collective test, to see whether "Boom Ball" really doesn't work. Lesson learned, guys? Gayle Bryan has written about [. Click to continue reading...

The Olympics...wake me when they're over. Seriously. I don't care about political unrest in China, nor its smog. I don't care if Michael Phelps wins eight gold medals. I don't care what LeBron James & Co. redeem men's basketball in America. Frankly, I got enough sports going on in my life to worry about this stuff. Click to continue reading...

Consider this story about Mary Phyl Dwight from the KC Star today:

Dwight attended Raytown South before Title IX, and there were no organized sports teams for girls at most high schools then. Still, she played sports at every opportunity, including what used to be called "sports days" for girls, where they could compete against other schools.

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Yes, Brett Favre is going to compete for his old job ... and in this excellent commentary by Tom Curran, I find a good summary of the whole danged episode. I was too tired of Brett's familiar ambivalence to pay a lot attention to the furor. Now I am caught up ... [...]SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Back with the Pack . Click to continue reading...

Kudos to Nancy Lieberman who, at age 50, showed her stuff in an appearance for the suspension and injury-depleted Detroit Shock last night. She scored no points, but made a no-look pass that brought the house down! The Shock and the LA Sparks were both seriously understaffed due to suspensions and both lost their games [. Click to continue reading...

Chav-King Wanye Rooney is on his honeymoon in Las Vegas, a place wear the word "romance" means jello-shots, evening meals at Wendy's and a going-out shirt. It also means ballin' out of control at the Wynn hotel's Blush bar --a place wear I once had Pamela Anderson nearly spill champagne on me and was literally shoved aside by Paris Hilton's people all in the same night-- with Cleveland Cavalier LeBron James. Click to continue reading...

Folks, I'm getting old. And back in my day – I can use that phrase because I'm getting old – the only soccer "tricks" I knew about were juggling and the rainbow.

I long ago mastered juggling and the rainbow but for some reason, this "around the world" ball trick was something I'd never seen before! Click to continue reading...

Yesterday, Matthew Yglesia's political blog took a brief and (as usual) dubious detour into the Americans-don't-like-soccer-why-is-that-oh-yes-they-do-oh-no-they-don't-it's-because-of-the-low-scoring-well-actually-are-other-sports-really-so-different-I-hate-the-diving-I-don't-like-nil-nil-draws-but-actually-nil-nil-draws-can be-quite-compelling-et-cetera-ad-nauseum debate. Click to continue reading...

I never thought I would see Soloman Kalou score off a Jason Kidd assist, but I did today. I never thought I would see Jozy Altidore play in New York again, but I did today. Sh*t, I never thought I would see Claudio Reyna score in New York, but I did today. That's the kind of fantasy world Steve Nash & Claudio Reyna's "Showdown in Chinatown" was. Click to continue reading...

Photo by ISI Photos

Several stars from the soccer and basketball worlds will gather in Manhattan on Wednesday evening for a charity event that should be a sight to behold.

Steve Nash and Claudio Reyna have organized a charity 8-on-8 soccer game that will feature international soccer star Thierry Henry as well as several NBA stars.

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Apologies for the lack of posts; the wife and I are sick as dogs and life at TOR Towers is not unlike that inside a leper colony. Except in the leper colony they probably still don't have to go to work.

Hopefully I feel better soon so that I can make down to SoHo tomorrow evening for what's swiftly becoming "Steve Nash's Soccer-Basketball Mutual Appreciation Society All-Star Rich Guy Fest". Click to continue reading...

The soccer-basketball mutual appreciation society rears it's random head again. But shouldn't Kevin Garnett be a Celtic supporter? I'm just saying. But I think the kit was free so I can't hate on that being that free is my preferred price-point. What I can turn my nose up a little at though is Didier Drogba slacking on his gentlemanly returns. Click to continue reading...

Today's New York Times has features a now-fashionable piece on the soccer-basketball mutual appreciation society. It's good stuff and more than anything highlights the growing international look of the NBA. There is one quote that warms my fatherly soul:

In all, six Lakers were reared overseas: Vladimir Radmanovic (Serbia), Sasha Vujacic (Slovenia), D. Click to continue reading...

Some folks may not know it but Kobe grew up in Italy and spent his youth on the pitch emulating the moves of his boyhood favorites, AC Milan. At a recent press conference he testified as to how footie saved his life. Well maybe that was a bit of embellishment, but he does say some good things and I would like to believe that at the very least it helped him avoid be another _________ (insert crap basketball player here). Click to continue reading...

NBA star Richard Jefferson has been charged with assault. No word yet as to whether or not his victim provoked the attack by throwing streamers at him. But if so Michael Wilbon feels the attack was justified. Click to continue reading...

Is Cobi making a play to be the new Bo Jackson? First he does the Joga Bonito ad for Nike. Then he follows that up with making appearances with Ronaldinho. Last week he gets spotted hanging in a skybox at the Home Depot Center, and now he's juggling ball's during the warm up of the other LA Derby (with Becks once again court-side). Click to continue reading...

Just a little public service announcement to help you adjust your DVR's accordingly. The Wizards game vs. Colorado has been bumped up to 4pm CST. Why? Because against my best advise people like to watch basketball and the state of Kansas is currently lodged firmly within the grip of March Madness. Click to continue reading...

Another day, another soccer-basketball love in. Today's subject is David Beckham who sought comfort in the arms of Kobe's Lakers Sunday night at the Staples Center, where they defeated "the other Wizards" in OT. Said Bryant about the Galaxy's Rocky Mountain beatdown, "They had a tough first game, so I'm sure they're looking to bounce back. Click to continue reading...

The new Women's Professional Soccer league gained some high-profile support last week when basketball star Steve Nash, of the Phoenix Suns, was announced as an investor and part-owner of the league. Click to continue reading...

The new Women's Professional Soccer league gained some high-profile support last week when basketball star Steve Nash, of the Phoenix Suns, was announced as an investor and part-owner of the league. Click to continue reading...

The new Women's Professional Soccer league gained some high-profile support last week when basketball star Steve Nash, of the Phoenix Suns, was announced as an investor and part-owner of the league. Click to continue reading...