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It’s always hard to watch a hero fall, especially when that fall is precipitated by an injury rather than an element in their control. Venus Williams, older sister of Serena Williams, was once ranked number one in the world in women’s tennis but has now fallen to number thirty four as a result of her debilitating back injury.

Venus’s back injury isn’t the only health obstacle the athlete faces. She has publicly shared her battle with an autoimmune disease known as Sjogren’s syndrome. This condition, which is more prevalent in women, causes the body’s natural immune cells to turn on and attack the glands that are responsible for creating saliva and tears. This condition has negative effects on an individual’s energy level and can cause a number of health related complications.

Rather than letting autoimmune disease take her out of the game, Venus has fought hard to overcome the significant obstacles it presents. She feels that every win she earns on the court is not only a personal victory, but a victory for everyone who struggles to conquer an illness. If you want to place a bet on her now, you will see that the odds have tumbled due to the improvement in her health she has seen.

But now Venus has the added burden of her debilitating back pain to deal with, which she says is due to inflammation. The injury forced her and her sister Serena to pull out of the recent doubles competition in Paris. And after playing at Wimbledon for sixteen years in a row (beginning in 1997) and winning an impressive five titles there, Venus pulled out of the Grand Slam tournament this year because of her injury.  She says that her back inflammation is especially deleterious to her playing because the pain makes it impossible for her to serve forcefully, which severely limits her abilities on the court. But with Venus’s fighting spirit, she’ll no doubt battle her way back onto the court soon.…

Content Update : 4/04/2017

France Wheelchair Basketball Team Prepares to Compete in Nazareth

All fans of France men’s Wheelchair Basketball team might be really disappointed after they finished second at the World Championships last year. Now they are playing down the chances for success at the 2011 European Championships, so they are trying to focus on London 2012 qualification.

For the European crown (from 8th to 17th of September), twelve men and seven women from the Wheelchair Basketball teams are going to compete in Nazareth, Israel. There will be also five men’s and three women’s spots for the famous London 2012 Paralympic games.

After the lack of qualification for Beijing in 2008, France is motivated to get its priorities right this time by making no mistakes.

It is saying that everybody is picking France for the European Championships, but after the new ranking they will find it difficult to play teams at all. Fans are trying to convince us that France could be one of the World Basketball Leagues, but the reality is that France basketball teams are the smallest ones in Europe, and maybe even in the entire world.
The head coach of the France national basketball team Frank Belen is hoping that soon all the bad feeling of the disappointment will disappear and then he will raise his team up to a top-three or four finish in Nazareth.

Belen also expects to see tough matchups against Italy and Great Britain. In his opinion ten teams are possible to win the Championships and go to London, which just gives a hint that the tournament is going to be extremely tough. However France is preparing to play like never before, the training for Nazareth started already in the beginning of August this year…

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.…

Almost every big company is coming up with pay per view events these days. These events are not aired for free and one must pay to enjoy them. One can even order them online. Casinos are considered a good place to watch PPVs because of the ambiance and crowd.

Most companies have monthly pay per view events that cater to a certain target audience. Wrestling, boxing and mixed martial arts pay per views are very famous, not just in North America but around the world. During pay per view weekends, (they are normally held on weekends) casinos are full with fans watching their favorite sport.

Wrestling extravaganzas, such as Wrestlemania, a yearly event, is watched every year in more than 150 countries on pay per view. People pay to watch superstars slug it out in the ring. The company, World Wrestling Entertainment, comes up with unique ideas to boost purchase rates. Special promotions are done online. Casinos try to cash in on this opportunity by airing these PPVs.

At Wrestlemania XXVIII, we witnessed the epic return of the most electrifying man in sports entertainment, The Rock (Dwayne Johnson), who is now a well-known actor. The former wrestler stepped again in the squared circle to face the face of the company, John Cena. The match that won rave reviews from critics and fans brought back the nostalgia.

The event turned out to be a major money spinner, with an estimated buy rate of 1.5 million (worldwide). The gala event that was attended by people from different countries was watched live in countries like America, England, Australia, Saudi Arabia and Germany.
Now, these big corporations are not only aiming towards topping the rating charts, but also towards making money by enhancing the buy rates. They save the biggest matches for pay per view so that more and more people watch the event.

UFC, a mixed-martial arts company, is giving wrestling tough competition. A legit sport, it ousted WWE from the game by giving bigger matches and using better marketing strategies. Brock Lesnar, a former WWE performer who just made his return to the ‘E, turned out to be one of the biggest draws in UFC history.
Pay per view events are equally famous in boxing too. However, they are not that dramatized. The WWE and UFC use tactics to gain people’s attention; whereas, boxing rests solely on the competition and the matches. However, looking at current trends, this is bound to change soon, as boxing is also planning to widen its horizon and cater to the masses by introducing gimmicks and other attractions.

Companies use celebrities, special promotions and performances by big names to attract more people. Wrestling, undoubtedly, tops the charts when it comes to glamorizing the events. This is more due to the presence of divas and the fact that it is scripted, which allows more fun play.
Given the big money it offers, it’s predicted that soon more sports will enter the pay per view market, giving tough competition to others.…

With the Premier League about to begin, everyone is busy preparing their prediction charts. People are gambling in online casinos about the winner. The EURO Cup 2012 proved that predictions can always be wrong, as Spain was never the hot favorite to take the crown home.

This season, one team that tops fans’ list is the defending champion, Manchester City. It has only improved in the last year and is ready to take on whatever comes its way. The last year’s victory is still fresh in people’s minds, and everyone is expecting the City to repeat history again.
One look at the stats, and you’ll see why people think so. It has some of the best sportsmen today. The presence of David Silva, the man whom many credit for Spain’s win in the 2012 Euro Cup alone puts the City in a strong position this year. His techniques have only improved in the last few months and he is prepared to win it again for his team.

A lot is resting on Silva’s capable shoulders. He has proven time and again that he is a reliable player and has it all in him to rise against the odds. On most online casino websites, people are putting their money on Silva.

This season, Manchester City seems to be in great form with another experienced player, Carlos Tevez, in the team, who is capable of changing the game any moment. The presence of such key players, including Sergio Aguero puts Manchester City at top ranks.

However, it is going to face tough competition from Chelsea and Manchester United. Both teams are eager to take the trophy home and strengthen their position with a victory. Chelsea, already termed as the uncrowned winner by fans, has been performing at an extraordinary level for quite some time now. The team that is capable of winning against anyone is fans’ favorite this season.

With the 2011-2012 UEFA Champions League victory in its hands, Chelsea has proven that it is prepared to take on the big challenge. The presence of biggies such as Ryan Bertrand, John Terry and Ashley Cole puts Chelsea in an enviable position.

However, one more team that is in the race is Manchester United. It is the team that has always played well and is inching towards the cup slowly by improving its game. The recent changes made prove that it is planning well for the matches and is ready to put its best game.

Players like Nani, Michael Carrick and Nemanja Vidic are all capable of hitting the bull’s eye and winning it for the team. It is obvious that it’s going to be an exciting season this year.

Whose prediction will come true? Wait till the finale arrives! You can watch it at home, online, in casino or at your friend’s place.…

Basketball is one of the most popular sports in the world, but for those of you who are just learning the sport, there are some fundamental rules you need to know in order to participate in the sport, wither as a player or a spectator. Basketball is a ten-player game with two teams of five players each. In professional teams, there are more than five players, but only that many on the court at any one time. Additional players will substitute in for each other during the game, either during a time out or between quarters of the game. If you are into sports such as basketball, football or cricket, that require a team spirit, some casino games might interest you. We found really good games thanks to www.bestonlinecasino.bet and also great tips on how to play.

The whole point of basketball is to shoot a ball through a hoop while following certain rules. Some of these include no traveling, no technical fouls, or a free-throw ensues, allowing the opposing team or player to shoot from a free throw line without any interference from other players. A basketball net is hung 10 feet from the ground. If certain rules of the game are followed, a player may attempt to shoot the ball through the hoop from almost anywhere on the court, as long as it is inside the boundary lines and within a certain time. There is a shot clock for each time, allotting a team a set period to attempt to make a basket. There are field goals, where a shot is worth 3 points, and lay-ups or other basket attempts made close to the net which are worth two points. If a basketball goes into the net during the time and boundaries specified, then the team who made the basket get points.

Basketball has been around since 1891 and has seen different variations depending on casual league play, professional play, and street ball played, for instance on the streets of Venice Beach and New York City. The general rules are the same with only slight variations no matter the type of basketball being played.…