Simon Kuper thinks hockey is starting to slip as Canada's number one sport, as Canadians fall for soccer: It's a ridiculous assertion, but still worth reading for an outsider's perspective.
posted by Steve-o to hockey at 04:09 PM - 8 comments
Why sports documentaries are no longer one-dimensional fan-fests.: A new breed of sports documentaries are receiving critical acclaim. Following in the footsteps of Hoop Dreams are films like Zidane: A 21st Century Portrait and now, Tyson.
posted by Steve-o to culture at 02:30 AM - 4 comments
The Globalization of Sport.: David Stern has made efforts to grow the NBA into a global league. The British Empire exported soccer so well that it is often called The World's Game. Simon Kuper contrasts the ways the British and American empires have exported their sports.
posted by Steve-o to soccer at 03:26 PM - 15 comments
Is the English Premiership the best in the world?: With two teams in the Champions League semi-finals, Oliver Holt thinks so. The EuroFootsie rankings seem to tell a different story. With 12 Spanish teams in their top 22, their model shows Spain to be the best.
Does England deserve a fifth Champions League place if Liverpool can't finish fourth in the EPL, but win the European Cup?
posted by Steve-o to soccer at 09:57 PM - 16 comments
Paula Radcliffe takes a dump on the streets of London: and still wins the London marathon by more than five minutes, with the third fastest women's marathon time ever. "I didn't really want to resort to that in front of hundreds of thousands of people."
posted by Steve-o to other at 12:10 PM - 24 comments
Frozen out, many NHL players try breaking new ice.: As the NHL lockout drags on, most Europeans have returned to their home leagues to play, and many North Americans are joining them. Some are playing in charming places like small-town France and Sweden but the big money is in Russia where conditions are less than ideal.
Manager gives goalkeeper an earful.: A Belgian goalkeeper wore an earpiece to get instructions from his manager. Managers shrieking at players from the dug-out may soon be a thing of the past. Will giving earpieces to soccer players transform the game?
posted by Steve-o to soccer at 02:53 AM - 15 comments
Real Madrid wins the Intercontinental Cup 2-0,: emblematic of the world club championship, over Olimpia of Paraguay. Real's Brazilians, Ronaldo (with a goal on seven shots) and Roberto Carlos (four shots and an assist), were their best players, bringing back memories of Brazil's victory at the World Cup in the same Yokohama stadium. Olimpia made a good showing in a game that, for financial reasons, is becoming increasingly difficult for South American teams to compete on equal terms.
posted by Steve-o to soccer at 06:10 PM - 3 comments
End of offside controversies in soccer?: German researchers have invented a computer system that will make offside calls. It sounds like a great use of technology to make one of the most difficult calls in sports. The offside rule is almost impossible enforce properly as it requires officials to watch two places at the the same time.
Tennis has used the Cyclops system for years to make line calls on serves. Will this system be the next to make referees jobs easier?
posted by Steve-o to soccer at 04:42 PM - 8 comments