Because Slate just had to find out why more white people aren't winning sprinting medals, the folks there turned to the old argument that West Africans are genetically predisposed to running better than whites.
Michael Phelps won eight gold medals over the weekend, which officially sent the media into a frenzy, dubbing him the greatest athlete of all time and whatnot. It's not really surprising, but after the miraculous finish from Friday night's 100m fly we were admittedly a little nervous.
Know what helps pumps millions into the university athletics umbrella NCAA? The same thing that pumps millions into magazine publishers and criminal defense attorneys: booze! Though the NCAA supposedly has the interests of college athletes in mind as it sucks in huge broadcasting revenues for its games — they've got a $11 billion deal with CBS — they also allowed alcohol sponsors to advertise during games. This upsets some people, like college presidents, who pointed to beer sponsorships during the NCAA men's basketball tournament "embarrassingly prominent." Too bad there's nothing the NCAA can do! Or so it says. CONTINUED »
These shots are for a new Olympic advertising campaign in the U.K. from Powerade, the sports drink owned by the Coca-Cola Company. The spots feature athletes like jumper Phillips Idowu and swimmer Gregor Tait all sorts of naked performing their sport of choice. Says the company's marketing director Cathryn Sleight: "Everyone is used to seeing athletes in competition or winning, but we wanted to give people the chance to see the real make-up of an athlete and their muscle and power, celebrating the body and spirit and the hard work that goes into training for all athletes whatever your level." And also to show that Michael Phelps isn't the only sex symbol who can shill. [DM]
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For its fourth season of Hard Knocks, HBO insists it won't give in to the tabloidization of everything in life, and that its sports show about a professional football team during training camp — this season it's the the Dallas Cowboys — won't make much of, say, Tony Romo and Jessica Simpson's relationship. Instead, insists NFL Films president Steve Sabol, "Ninety-five percent of our efforts will be focused on what happens on the field and in the locker room." And don't think that means frontal shots of Terrell Owens.
So why pick a team like the Cowboys, which is rife with gossip page nuances — Romo-Simpson, Vegas stripper shooting personality Adam "Pacman" Jones, larger than life owner Jerry Jones — and not deliver the gossip-y footage? Because, says Sabol, "there is good drama with these characters, and there are arresting personalities from the administration down to the field."
Alas, so many missed opportunities! No chance to see Jones try and negotiate his way back into the NFL. No chance to see Jones try to buy Cowboys.com. And no chance to see Simpson lead Romo around by the hand before throwing him in the back of a SUV and darting off to their separate hotel — to stay out of the team's spotlight — for an evening of tabloid speculation.
Looking to "Ruin Romo" for inspiration, the most asshole-y of Blue Jays fans enjoyed torturing Alex Rodriguez as the Yankees played the Toronto team up north over the weekend. To their credit, they did not use the scariest of all Madonna photos. [Mollygood]
Though it's losing Project Runway to Lifetime, Bravo is still home to the most robust, and formulaic, set of reality shows out there. Top Chef is a runaway hit with legions of fans; Make Me A Supermodel, though featuring the annoying Tyson Beckford and equally plain Nikki Taylor, was a drama-filled vamp-fest; Step It Up & Dance, the So You Think You Can Dance knock off, was decent (we're told); the new season of Shear Genius promises more haircare drama; and Top Design is coming back with new producers.
The format for all these shows goes like this: Line up a trio of industry experts to act as judges (there must be at least one Simon Cowell character); employ an attractive, personable, and mostly vanilla host(s); then roll out casting calls to New York, Los Angeles, and anywhere in between where wannabe actors can mingle with genuine talent in a house where cameras roll 24/7, all in an effort to win a modest cash prize and an industry gig where you won't become too famous to overshadow the next season's cast.
So what are Bravo execs going to do now that nearly every niche — yes, even real estate — have been covered? CONTINUED »
Tommie Smith, the Olympic gold medalist who, along with fellow Olympian John Carlos, staged the Olympics’ most infamous political protest, the iconic image of which can be seen plastered on dorm room walls from coast to coast, has changed his tune about mixing politics and the Olympic Games. International disapproval of the Chinese government has led to numerous protests and threats of protests over the upcoming games in Beijing, but the former track and field medalist says athletes should focus on their events.
According to a study performed by AdAge, "In a survey of 907 people, 37% said they believe it is somewhat or very likely [the National Basketball Associated] rigs its games, and the number jumps to 41% among fans who describe themselves as "casual" or "avid" followers of professional basketball." And that's before the FBI investigation of referee Timothy Donaghy, who was accused of passing along inside information to gamblers. [NYS]
Former New York Giants defensive end Michael Strahan, who once auctioned himself off on a date with two other men, announced his retirement earlier this month. Now, he's headed to out to pasture where many high-profile ex-athletes end up: television sports. He's signed with Fox to be an analyst on Fox NFL Sunday, where he'll be paid to take the shit-talking out of the locker room and into the living room.
To promote justhowclose to the action it gets, and its impressive ratings, ESPN sent media buyers in Asia these "You can't get closer" eyeball packages, created from actual basketballs, footballs (sorry, soccer balls), and baseballs. The direct marketing campaign supposedly drew "extremely positive" reactions from recipients, who promptly kicked the thing down their office stairwells because it kept staring at them.
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Ed McMahon could lose his Beverly Hills mansion if he doesn't make good on $4.8 million in mortgage loans. Evander Holyfield's 54,000-square-foot home in Georgia could be repossessed if he doesn't meet his $10 million loan obligation. (He's not broke, he insists, just not liquid.) The housing market and the recession aren't just affecting normal people like non-New Yorkers; they're affecting celebrities too. But a quick trip down memory lane reveals that, uh, celebrities go broke all the time. Especially athletes! CONTINUED »
Brace yourself.
This is a photo of Ogden Standard-Examiner photographer Ryan McGeeney. With a javelin spear through his leg.
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It landed there during the Utah state high school track tournament, with student Anthony Miles behind the throw. McGeeney, an ex-Marine who completed a six month tour in Afghanistan, did what any experienced news photog would: He got out his camera and snapped away. (No matter than it was probably McGeeney's fault; he's said to have wandered into an off-limits area.) [AP]
The spear went through one part of the leg and exited another. Most of the javelin was removed at the scene, the rest at the hospital, and McGeeney is recovering nicely.
Miles, meanwhile, went on to win the state title. CONTINUED »
Twenty-eight-year-old Sean Avery, the New York Rangers hockey player who knows at least eight different ways to fold a pocket square, began his Vogue internship on Monday, where he'll pick up a cool $5,000 for his work this summer. "Observers say he's involved in all sections of the magazine, including features and accessories, and attends edit meetings." [WWD] Last month, Avery managed to lacerate his spleen during a game against the Pittsburgh Penguins, though he played through it. Teammates thought he had suffered cardiac arrest when reports surfaced that he wasn't breathing when he arrived at the hospital. So you can tell he's quite the dramatic type, so he should fit in quite nicely.
Blog hater and Friday Night Lights author Buzz Bissinger is kinda sorry for being a douche on HBO: "I believe in what I said (although the emails I received have also directed me to some excellent information-based sports blogs I was not aware of). But I made a terrible mistake in the manner in which I said it. I am a man of passion and my passion truly got the better of me. I should have considerably toned it down, in particular in terms of my treatment of Will Leitch. Without going into details, I have taken steps to remedy that. I have also publicly apologized on several radio shows that have been widely disseminated. Those apologies are sincere, just as my passion was sincere if terribly misplaced. I treated Mister Leitch like the worst kind of blogger." [TBL]
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