The Sport Report

We all have been to our favorite basketball team’s game, when there seems to be a timeout every 3 minutes, right? That is because there usually is a timeout or media timeout every three minutes or so in the game. Which, if logic would tell us, is a lot of money for the media companies out there. However, there might be more to the equation.

What about those time-out entertainers?

Although some would argue otherwise, a good time-out entertainer is never a bad Read the rest of this entry »

What makes a better sports fan? If you ask 50 people, you are going to get 50 different answers. There are fans who know every stat in their team’s existence, whose whole wardrobe is in their team’s colors and logos, and whose DVR is full of every game that is televised. Does this make them a better fan? Are better fans the people who show up in the snow wearing only shorts and body paint? While fans who Read the rest of this entry »

This is a common question that is asked among many people, and although many people do take this question seriously others find it to be very silly. The people who play sports are athletes, and to be considered a professional athlete you must compete in a professional sport. Since this can be any professional sport from ice skating to football, how can you say that one sport is less of a sport just because there is no physical contact involved?

Dancing is considered a professional sport and some dancers start dancing Read the rest of this entry »

Asking if the NCAA Division I Men’s Tournament Committee got it right is like asking someone who their favorite Simpson’s character is: your going to get a lot of different opinions from a lot of different people. Expanding the field to 68, the committee got to give three more teams spots in the tournament. While you don’t exactly know who those last three teams were, you can pretty much guess that their were Southern California, Virginia Commonwealth and Read the rest of this entry »

Not everyone pays attention to sporting events like the Super Bowl, the World Series, or the NBA Finals; but, even if it’s for the sole purpose of making a bracket that will score you a few bucks in your office pool, everyone pays attention to the Big Dance. It’s not because anyone particularly likes basketball more in March than any other time, though it’s possible that March Madness is indeed contagious. It’s not even a case of office-pool monetary gain, though that surely doesn’t hurt. It’s that, more than any other sporting event, the NCAA Tournament offers us a sense of drama and a sense of dreams.If you’re a fan of the Dukes and Kentuckys of the world, the Big Dance offers you a chance to see your team of 20 somethings pursue the pinnacle of athletic achievement. If you instead embrace the underdog, then you can have the pleasure of seeing the George Masons, the Northern Iowas, the Butlers of the world wreck havoc on the order of the basketball universe and achieve more than they ever dreamed possible. Even in the face of the longest odds, every team in the Big Dance knows that it just takes six or seven good games to win the prize. Maybe a 16 seed has never beat a 1 seed yet, but maybe, just maybe, this year will be that year. And, in the end, that’s what makes the Big Dance so appealing, so addicting, so wonderful; that endless air of possibility.

To put it lightly, the Carolina Panthers have had a rough season. For most casual NFL fans out there without a Direct TV plan and self-loathing sports viewership habits, it’s more than likely you haven’t actually seen a Panthers game in 2010. But as their atrocious 2-14 record will attest, little has gone right for the franchise which will most likely replace not only its head coach but a number of starters during the off-season. Among the most high profile off-season additions will be the Panthers number 1 overall draft choice, which could be used to go a number of different directions. Here’s a look ahead at some of the players who may declare, help to hurry the much maligned Panthers through the rebuilding process.1. Andrew Luck Considered by many to be the top quarterback in a potent class, perhaps the question is whether or not Luck will enter his name for consideration (still with 2 seasons of NCAA eligibility remaining). Though Carolina selected QB Jimmy Clausen with their second round pick only a year ago, a prospect of Luck’s caliber only comes along every few years, were the Cats to waiver in their commitment to the incumbent.2. A.J. Green Arguably the most talented wide receiver to come out of college since Randy Moss, Green possesses similar upside with favorable character considerations. If Carolina decides to stick with Clausen under center, the brass will still have to bring in weapons for him to work with. Steve Smith is has been the only relevant receiver in the passing game since the second coming of Muhsin Muhammad, while Green would provide a bigger target with elite level tools. Read the rest of this entry »

While LeBron James may have taken all relevant comparisons to Michael Jordan off the table with his most recent change in employer and area code, Wade’s Pippen is already seeing his team linked to the Bulls era. Jeff Van Gundy made headlines when boldly forecast the heat can win 73 games this season. 73 is a number in basketball much like 62 used to be in baseball, perhaps more accurately compared to the Dolphins’ 19-0 undefeated season in 1972. Quite simply, 72 regular season wins, a feat accomplished by the ’95-’96 Bulls then followed by an NBA Championship, is the closest any team has ever come to perfection, 73 would be one better. Most fans, players and analysts believe the number to be nearly untouchable, after all, the ’71-’72 Lakers’ 69-win total was already an intimidating mark (1972 sure was an impressive year for sports). Losing only 10 games over the course of an 82 game schedule is no small feat, arguably equally impressive to that of going undefeated in the much shorter football season. In 2007, the Patriots managed to match the Dolphins’ unscathed regular season mark (16-0) but fell victim to the Giants in the Super Bowl. Read the rest of this entry »

Come March it appears as if the NBA will be taking its talents to foggy London town. Not nearly as heartbreaking to fans in America as perhaps the last time that phrase was used to describe a newsworthy basketball relocation, if only because the NBA’s stint in the UK will last for merely 2 games. On March 4^th and 5^th the Toronto Raptors will square off against the New Jersey Nets in the city’s O2 Arena. This will mark the first two regular season contests to cross the pond, though not the first time the NBA has held games in England, or even O2 Arena for that matter. London has played host to NBA exhibition games for several seasons now, but in 2011, NBA Commissioner David Stern and his team of higher ups decided the time is right to up the ante. Read the rest of this entry »

Just days after coming off his worst career performance, finishing 79^th in an 80 man field after shooting 18-over par, Tiger Woods was forced to immediately look ahead to the fast approaching PGA Championship. For one of the first times in his career, it seemed like a long shot to say the least that Woods will win his 15^th major championship, much less any tournament in the near future, which would bring his professional win total up to 97. While his personal life bottomed out months ago in a well documented public scandal, Bridgestone represented, at least hopefully represented, the low point in his on-course performance. Tiger followed up with one more forgettable encore in the last major of the year, finishing tied for 28^th place. Read the rest of this entry »

The 2010 Hall of Fame class recently enshrined in Canton, OH, sees some of the premiere names that defined football over the course of the 1990′s, along with a few who have been waiting a little longer for their moment in the sun, immortalized with football’s highest honor. Here is a look at this year’s select few who have been recognized among the greatest football players of all time.Jerry Rice Rice was an obvious selection in his first showing on the Hall of Fame ballot. The most prolific receiver in NFL history, Rice set the standard for the position while catching passes from fellow Canton residents Steve Young and Joe Montana for the 49ers. The 13 time Pro-Bowler is the league’s all time leader in TD receptions (197), receptions (1,549) and receiving yards (22,895).Emmitt Smith The NFL’s all-time rushing leader certainly had no doubt he would find himself in the Hall of Fame as soon as he became eligible. Not only did he set the league’s high watermark for rushing yards (18,355), he is also the record holder for rushing TDs (164) and rushing attempts (4,409), spending all but the final two years of his career with the Cowboys.John Randle Once an undrafted free agent, Randle terrorized quarterbacks from the defensive tackle position for the Minnesota Vikings, made famous not only by his signature sacks but his face painting antics and a trash talking mouth that would make Gary Payton look like Mr. Rogers. Read the rest of this entry »