Yearly Archive: 2013

A Major League basketball player for the Boston Celtics has publicly come out as a gay man in the latest issue of Sports Illustrated; after calling off his wedding to his girlfriend. Though many people have welcomed the move of the trailblazer, who is the first active pro athlete to publicly come out among the top four sports leagues, there are many who have slammed his decision. It was always an outside bet that he was going to reveal his sexual preference, and now he has the mixed reactions are widespread.

President Barrack Obama has welcomed the move, calling it “Just one more step in this ongoing recognition that we treat everybody fairly… and we judge people on the basis of their character and their performance, not their sexual orientation.”

It is a well known fact that the President is an avid basketball fan. So it is no surprise that the he has come out in support of Collins. The First Lady also tweeted her support for the basketball player.

Some others, like the ESPN reporter who covers NBA, Chris Broussard called it a “walking in open rebellion to God, and to Jesus Christ.” Broussard called himself a ‘Christian’, and called homosexuality a ‘sin’. This prompted the network to come out in support of the basketball player, claiming that ‘ESPN is fully committed to diversity and welcomes Jason Collins’ announcement’. The sports network also went on to ‘regret’ the ‘distractions’ which result when on-air-talents express and discuss their personal view points.

Jason Collins’ news has received warm support from most fans, proving that slowly but surely we are moving towards an inclusive society where everyone enjoys equal rights, and not just on paper, but in practice as well.…

Yohan Blake has suffered a hamstring injury last Saturday as he competed at the UTECH Track and Field Classic in Kingston. The injury sustained during 100m race seemed minor at first, and Blake even tweeted to let his fans know it’s only a leg cramp. Unfortunately, his optimism was misplaced. Injuries can’t be taken lightly, and you sure can’t just redeal your cards like in the latest Microgaming blackjack game.

Subsequent MRI scan has shown the injury might be serious enough to demand a break from the upcoming competitions. At the moment, the likely outcome is that Blake will have to recuperate for several weeks, and possibly miss the next two meetings, including the 200m race in Shangai.

With the track and field season getting in its full swing, it will be a pity if the second fastest man on Earth has to miss a few races, but the most important thing is that the injury heals up perfectly!

Blake’s compatriot Asafa Powell is another top class sprinter who recently suffered a similar injury. A hamstring injury caused him to withdraw from IAAF World Challenge in Melbourne, where he was scheduled to run. He was also forced to pull out of Stawell Gift, a traditional grass race held in Australia’s Victoria state.

Powell, another one of the fastest sprinters of all time, had a difficult time at the last year’s London Olympics, when he suffered a groin injury during the 100m finals. Despite this string of bad luck, the 30-year-old sprinter seems to be adamant to keep his top shape, even if these days his younger compatriots – Bolt and Blake – are spending more time in spotlight.

Just recently, Powell showed his optimistic attitude and is determined to make a big comeback. It’s difficult to say if his expectations are realistic or far fetched – time will tell – but either way, his determination to stay in the game is great news!…

Jamaican track hero Usain Bolt came in third in his first race of 2013, a 400m dash in Kingston, Jamaica. However, this shouldn’t have fans of the triple gold medalist—or the man himself—worried. He’s not drifting off to playing baccarat online everyday, not just yet (but if you’re interested, check out play-baccarat-online-for-money.com)

Bolt regularly competes in low-key 400m events early in each season, even though this is not one of the star’s winning races. The 400m helps him build up fitness for the shorter 100m and 200m races in which he regularly dominates. Perhaps he also competes in this longer race to help him keep his humility.

The track star certainly has managed to keep an even keel and a sense of perspective about his success at the 2008 and 2012 Olympics, and the international fame it has brought him. Obviously he is looking forward to the next Olympics, where he hopes to continue his streak of winning gold in the 100m, 200m, and 4x100m relay. He’s training hard to ensure that he continues to hold the world record in the 100m and 200m. However, in the meantime he has to have some fun.

Bolt is excited about stepping onto the basketball court for the Celebrity Game held during the NBA’s All-Star weekend Feb 15-17. The 6 foot 5 inch sprinter remarked with typical good humor that he can’t shoot very well, but he can definitely dunk. Fans of track and basketball alike will surely have a treat in store when Bolt flies down the court, snags a pass, and slams home a dunk.

Who knows, maybe Usain Bolt is also an expert in playing casino games. He might even play at Zodiac Casino! If you’re a sport betting expert, you must certainly be aware that you can learn new strategies from online gambling? Check worldcasinosguide.com to find out more info!…

New Orleans’ triumphant return to Superbowl hosting was marred by a 34-minute blackout this past Sunday (while I was sitting in front of freevideopokerlist.com to check the latest games, suddenly it all went black!). The blackout, which affected about half of the Superdome’s lights, brought game play to a halt and interrupted the Baltimore Ravens’ momentum just as they had secured a 28-6 lead over the 49ers. When the lights came back on, the 49ers grabbed control of the game, scored two touchdowns, and very nearly ran away with the game. The Ravens barely hung on to their lead to pull out a 34-31 win.

This was the first Superbowl held in New Orleans since Katrina, and many city officials had hoped it would be an opportunity to showcase the new and improved Big Easy, including a Superdome freshly refurbished to the tune of $336 million.

Though the investigation is not yet complete, experts are now pointing to the point where electric provider Entergy’s lines feed into the Superdome’s power grid. Shifting the blame from the Superdome to the city of New Orleans may make sports fans feel better, but how will it affect New Orleans’ future chances of hosting another Superbowl?

As of today, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell is saying that the blackout will not be a factor in making future game day location decisions. What matters most is the fact that Superdome staff handled the situation well and no one panicked. New Orleans is still expected to be a contender for the 2018 Superbowl, which it hopes to host in conjunction with the city’s 300^th anniversary. Thank goodness the Ravens pulled out the win, or the commissioner might be singing a different tune!…

You may have a hard time recalling the name Bradley Wiggins. This is probably because Wiggins was beaten numerous times over the years by cycling champion Lance Armstrong, including a famous third place finish in 2009 against Armstrong’s first place victory. But after the scandal broke of Armstrong abusing drugs for years, including steroids, Wiggins was heartbroken as well as prideful. Upon viewing the hour and a half Oprah interview with Armstrong, Wiggins had this to say: “There’s this element of being quite smug about the whole thing. Watching him suddenly cave in after all these years of lying so convincingly, there was a lot of anger, a lot of sadness and I was slightly emotional as well, if I’m honest.”

Wiggins shows a balance between despair and smugness upon hearing the news, but was largely unsympathetic to his situation. “By the end of the hour and a half, I had the best feeling in the world. Part of me didn’t want to watch it. The fan in me didn’t want that perception of him as an amazing athlete to be broken. Then I thought, ‘You deserve everything you got.’ So within two hours of watching the whole thing, the emotions were up and down. By the end I didn’t feel any sympathy for him at all.”

            Wiggins hopes that people will look at Armstrong as well as drug abuse in sports differently, a situation that may have held back Wiggins career from his unwillingness to cheat the system like a poker game. Wiggins goes on to say that he feels proud that he never had to explain to his son what all this means.

Armstrong was stripped of all seven of his Tour De France title victories in October of last year.…