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In an athlete’s environment, money can be its own pollutant; you can become desensitized to the significance of what it can buy. Typically, if a person spends hundreds of dollars on arrangements to pass time with someone, that someone would be important in his life. But when you have extensive financial resources, it’s easy to send similar signals to people who are meaningful only for a moment. Even worse, you might only concern yourself with what it means to you. As the money flows in, so do the toys — cars, clothes, bling — and once in the stratosphere, a...

As an American in the biathlon, Tim Burke is used to being overlooked by the sport’s most passionate fans. His German and Norwegian rivals are celebrities in their home countries, where biathlon is broadcast live on television and races draw up to 30,000 spectators. In Germany, he is perhaps best known as the boyfriend of Andrea Henkel, a two-time Olympic gold medalist. So when Burke took first place in the World Cup standings last weekend — the first time an American has ever done so — his achievement stunned the sport’s mostly European fan base.

Playing her best at the most important events, Serena Williams re-established herself as the top player in women's tennis in 2009 and was a landslide choice as Female Athlete of the Year by members of The Associated Press. Williams received 66 of 158 votes cast by editors at U.S. newspapers that are members of the AP. No other candidate got more than 18 votes in the tally, which was announced Tuesday. Clearly, Williams' most infamous on-court episode - a tirade directed at a line judge after a foot-fault call near the end of her U.S. Open semifinal loss in September...

The NFL is partnering with Boston University brain researchers who have been critical of the league's stance on concussions, The Associated Press learned Sunday. The league now plans to encourage current and former NFL players to agree to donate their brains to the Boston University Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy, which has said it found links between repeated head trauma and brain damage in boxers, football players and, most recently, a former NHL player. "It's huge that the NFL actively gets behind this research," said Robert Cantu, a doctor who is a co-director of the BU center and...

Even after a shocking sex scandal that tarnished Tiger Woods, it was tough to ignore what he achieved on the golf course. He won 64 times around the world, including 12 majors, and hoisted a trophy on every continent golf is played. He lost only one time with the lead going into the final round. His 56 PGA Tour victories in one incomparable decade were more than anyone except four of golf's greatest players won in their careers. Woods was selected Wednesday as the Athlete of the Decade by members of The Associated Press in a vote that was more...

I Know Pro Golfers ALL Play Around - They've Tried To Score With Me By LAUREN ST JOHN 14th December 2009 Another day, another mistress. Tiger Woods's career has certainly attracted birdies in both senses of the word. But the question is how did he find the time to play golf, let alone win 14 majors and become world No1, while accumulating at least nine lovers? The answer is simple. He learned from the masters. Professional golf has a purer-than-driven-snow image - on which multi-million pound sponsors trade heavily. That reputation is deserved on course, but it's a totally different...

I didn't see a thread posted already. Heisman Trophy announcement coming within the hour. Your predictions/reactions?

University of Florida quarterback Tim Tebow didn't take home an award from the The Home Depot ESPNU College Football Awards Thursday night, but he made national news from the red carpet with his date, the young woman he brought on his arm.She was Kelly Faughnan, 20, whom he met the day before. Faughnan had been diagnosed with a brain tumor just before Thanksgiving last year. Before surgery last year, her wish was to go to Disney World during the awards show to get a glimpse of Tebow. Faughnan is from Clifton, Va., according to several news reports.Fox News reported that...

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Florida Quarterback Tim Tebow is without a doubt one of the best quarterbacks in college football in the 21st Century. Before the SEC Championship pitting undefeated and number one-ranked Florida against undefeated and number two-ranked Alabama, Tebow was a virtual lock for the Heisman Trophy. But I don't think that's going to happen because Florida lost 32 to 13 and Tebow cried. That's right, he cried.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP)—Charles Woodson(notes) wants to be known as more than a football player. Donating $2 million to the new University of Michigan Mott Children’s Hospital and Women’s Hospital gives him a chance to do that. The school announced Woodson’s gift on Thanksgiving before he played for the Green Bay Packers against the Detroit Lions. Woodson’s money will support pediatric research by The Charles Woodson Clinical Research Fund in the $754-million, 1.1-million square foot hospital slated to open in 2012. He hopes to attract the world’s best researchers who want to help children with cancer, heart disease, kidney disorders...

Former Eagles' offensive lineman Jon Runyan plans to run for Congress in South Jersey next year after finishing this football season with the San Diego Chargers. Runyan, a Mount Laurel resident who signed with the Chargers Tuesday, said he will run as a Republican in the 3rd Congressional district. Runyan, who has not been active in public politics, may face a challenge in a district where two Republican-heavy counties have battled for supremacy.

While the debate continues over whether Caster Semenya, the 18-year-old South African track sensation who blew away the field and took the gold in the women's 800-meter in Berlin in August, is a man or a woman, we soon must confront an even more complex issue: Are elite athlete humans or androids? International Association of Athletics Federations will decide Semenya's fate later this week as it announces the result of her gender test. Semenya will no longer be able to compete as a female if the association rules that a hormonal imbalance resulting from alleged intersexuality offers her an unfair...

NBA Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has a rare form of leukemia, but the Lakers legend says his long-term prognosis is very good. Abdul-Jabbar, 62, revealed during an interview Monday that he has Philadelphia chromosome-positive chronic myeloid leukemia, a cancer of the blood and bone marrow that produces cancerous blood cells.

If Government Run Health Care and High Taxes are so great, why have so many tennis legends fled their home countries for the United States, or European Countries with lower/no taxes? 1. Bjorn Borg, 11-time Grand Slam Champion from Sweden, lives in tax free Monaco 2. Martina Navratilova, 18-time Grand Slam Champion from Czechoslovakia, now a US citizen 3. Steffi Graf, 22-time Grand Slam Champion from Germany. Lives in the US. 4. Monica Seles, 9-time Grand Slam Champion from Yugoslavia, now a US citizen. 5. Ivan Lendl, 8-time Grand Slam Champion from Czechoslovakia, now a US citizen 6. Mats Wilander,...

NEW YORK — Meb Keflezighi became the first US man in more than two decades to win the New York City Marathon on Sunday, while Derartu Tulu ended Paula Radcliffe's two-year grip on the women's title. Keflezighi, the 2004 Olympic silver medalist, earned his first major marathon with a time of 2hr 09min 15sec.

NEW YORK – Meb Keflezighi became the first U.S. man to win the New York City Marathon since 1982 on Sunday, a victory that capped an outstanding day for American distance running. Derartu Tulu of Ethiopia captured the women's race, with two-time defending champ Paula Radcliffe falling back to fourth then grabbing her left leg in pain after finishing.

Andre Agassi used crystal meth while he was playing professional tennis, according to a new autobiography to be released next month. The Times of London plans to serialize the book and released details on Tuesday which describe how Agassi came to use the drug and how he avoided discipline by the ATP. In 1997, Agassi was struggling with his game and with his decision to marry actress Brooke Shields. His assistant, identified as Slim, introduced him to the drug, according to the excerpt.

Shortly before Super Bowl XXII, Clint Didier had a dream that his team, the Washington Redskins would be down, but come back to win, and that he would catch a touchdown pass. That dream came true. Later that year, Didier dreamed that he would no longer be with the the Redskins and watch from afar as they played in another Super Bowl. That dream also came true. Now, Clint dreams of going back to Washington, D.C., this time as a U.S. Senator, to rein in what he sees as a government out of countrol. Disgusted at the confirmation of Obama...

After being knocked halfway to kingdom come, Tim Tebow knew that millions of college football fans would be paying close attention to his eyes the next time he led the Florida Gators into action. Viewers would be looking for signs that the quarterback was OK after a nasty concussion. Many would also want to see which Bible reference would be written in the patches of eye black that would be visible whenever television cameras focused on the face of America's most famous muscular Christian. Tebow was wearing Isaiah 40:31 when he got hurt against Kentucky: "But they that wait upon...

The Los Angeles Galaxy star came in the top ten of what one U.S. magazine called the biggest 'busts, choke artists'. U.S. based Maxim magazine said Beckham's move to the Los Angeles team was nothing short of a 'catastrophe'. After all the publicity about his £125m move, it said the former Manchester United star has failed miserably to make football - or soccer as it is called in the US - more attractive to fans.

MSNBC contributor Touré on Wednesday continued the network's vitriolic, slanderous attacks on Rush Limbaugh. Discussing the radio host’s bid to buy the St. Louis Rams, the cable commentator smeared, "Several NFL players have already said they would not play for Rush because they know he would love to say he owns a plantation full of black men." [Audio available here.] When Morning Meeting host Dylan Ratigan mock protested, "No, they don't know that," the one-named Touré reiterated, "They feel it." Ratigan gave in and played along, "Okay, they feel that." Despite calls from the Media Research Center, MSNBC has repeatedly...

San Francisco is asking basketball superstar Michael Jordan to snuff out the cigars, after he was caught on the front page of The Chronicle's Sporting Green breaking the city's ban on smoking on public golf courses. City officials sprang into action after seeing the full-color photo Tuesday of the NBA Hall of Famer enjoying a good cigar while teeing off at Harding Park's 14th hole during a Presidents Cup practice round.In an interview with PGATour.com, Jordan was asked how many cigars he planned to smoke during this week's tournament. "Well," Jordan replied, "that depends, because I heard this is a...

An Oakland Raiders cornerback claims he was penalized on Sunday for making a religious display while celebrating an interception. After picking off a Matt Schaub pass in the end zone, Oakland Raiders cornerback Chris Johnson celebrated by dropping to his knees and raising his arms in triumph. He was instantly flagged for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for excessive celebration. Johnson later complained that he was whistled for thanking God:

Just 15 months after they were married, golf star Greg Norman and tennis great Chris Evert announced they have separated. The announcement Friday comes three days before Norman is to captain the International team at the Presidents Cup in San Francisco, where wives of the captains take on a visible role. Norman and Evert, each in the Hall of Fame in their respective sports, did not say whether they planned to divorce. In a statement, the couple said only, “We will remain friends and supportive of one another’s family.” The statement said they requested privacy for them and their families....

According to Forbes, the $10 million [£6.2 million] bonus that Woods got for his recent FedEx Cup win pushed him over the $1 billion [£620 million] mark in total career earnings. Phil Mickelson with the Tour Championship trophy beside Tiger Woods, with the FedEx Cup, which earned him a $10 million (£6.3m) bonus Up to the beginning of 2009, the world's number one golfer had earned $895 million from prize money, appearance fees, sponsorship and from designing golf courses. Adding together his winnings from this year together with his annual $100 million earnings, this makes Woods the first dollar billionaire...

NEW YORK — Michael Vick is back with Nike more than two years after the company severed ties over the quarterback's involvement in a dogfighting ring. The managing director of the agency that represents Vick announced the deal Wednesday while participating on a panel at the Sports Sponsorship Symposium. Michael Principe of BEST referred questions to Vick's agent, Joel Segal, who did not return calls from The Associated Press. Segal told SportsBusiness Journal that Vick will wear Nike shoes, gear and apparel, but would not reveal the terms of the agreement "Mike has had a great relationship with Nike and...

NFL's 100 Best: How did we come up with the 100 best? Anyone who has watched Brett Favre closely and believes he should consider retirement must have a cheesehead over his eyes. In Favre, we are witnessing one of the best players of all time at any position near the pinnacle of his game. His bullet throws cut through the retirement talk. At 33, the quarterback of the Packers still gets more velocity on his passes than anyone in the known universe. Receiver Robert Ferguson knows. His finger was broken by a Favre pass last December. "It's hard to say...

NFL owners, team officials, players and coaches have overwhelmingly favored Republicans with their political contributions, according to a study released Thursday by the Center for Responsive Politics. The report, which reviewed contributions dating back to 1989, found that combined contributions from players, owners and officials on 22 of the 32 National Football League teams have given more cash to Republicans than Democrats, and that several teams have given more than 90 percent of their contributions to the GOP. The San Diego Chargers blew away the rest of the field with $2,455,200 in total money contributed, with most of that coming...

Athlete Caster Semenya has pulled out of her return to competitive sport amid growing fears over the psychological impact of rumours about her sex. The 18-year-old withdrew from a cross-country race in South Africa tomorrow after it was widely reported that a leaked sex test reveals she is a hermaphrodite. Her coach, Michael Seme, said she will not run because she is "not feeling well". South Africa condemned the international media reports as an invasion of the teenager's privacy and threatened a "third world war" if the women's 800m champion is disqualified from athletics.

2722 Damn Yankees. :)

Lifestyles of the hip and famous keep on rolling for the world-champion Chula Vista Park View Little Leaguers. The boys were bused to Burbank yesterday for an appearance last night on “The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien.” Never mind that most of the 12- and 13-year-olds didn't know Conan O'Brien from Conan the Barbarian. “Nope,” said Park View second baseman Bulla Graft. “Never heard of him.” After O'Brien's monologue and Sandra Bullock's appearance to promote her new movie, up to the stage stepped all 12 players, wearing baby-blue T-shirts and gray baseball pants — and earning the audience's hearty applause.

Here is inspiring video of a Mississippi High School Quarterback who potentially saved 22 children on a school bus by tackling a 14 year-old girl wielding a loaded gun and threatening to kill students. Kaleb Eulls was on the bus, and when he realized she had the gun he tackled the girl getting the gun away from her. He is now being hailed as a hero for his bravery. The video is grainy, but shows him tackling the girl, and also contains an interview with the hero. . . . (Watch Video)

New twist in Semenya gender saga By Gordon Farquhar BBC sports news correspondent Tests have revealed Caster Semenya's testosterone level to be three times higher than those normally expected in a female sample, BBC Sport understands. Analysis prior to the World Athletics Championships and the 18-year-old's big improvement prompted calls for a gender test from the sport's governing body. It was made public only hours before the South African, who has been backed by her nation, won the 800m in Berlin. A high level of the hormone does not always equate to a failed drugs test. But the news will...

Expert: Tests Extra-Complicated and Could Well Prove Inconclusive; South African Champ's Backers Call Probe Racist, SexistSouth Africans planned to rally in support of track champion Caster Semenya - celebrating her win in the 800 meters at the world championship, and denouncing questions about whether she should be allowed to compete as a woman as racist and sexist. The International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF) has initiated gender tests on Semenya. The tests are expected to take weeks to complete. They are extremely complex, involving a physical medical evaluation and including reports from a gynecologist, endocrinologist, psychologist, internal medicine specialist and gender...

The family and friends of the teenager who struck gold in the women's 800 metres at the World Athletics Championships but now faces sex tests hit out yesterday at claims she could be a man. And South African Caster Semenya was also backed by her government, who called her the country's 'golden girl' and a role model for young athletes. Caster, whose rapid improvement over the last year raised eyebrows, won the women's title with a crushing performance in Berlin on Wednesday. The governing body of world athletics, the IAAF, has asked South Africa to test their star 18-year-old's gender...

Here is a video report on the controversy over whether South African teenager Caster Semenya is actually a female - important because she just won the Gold Medal for the 800-meter World Championship race in Berlin. She won the race by a massive 2.5 seconds. A "gender test" has been ordered. At the end of the video, Semenya was asked directly about the accusation she was "born a man": "The South African teenager caught up in the gender-test flap has received her gold medal for winning the 800-meter win at the world championships. Caster Semenya won by a huge margin...

This time, he didn't catch a pass. In a surprise move, former Giants superstar Plaxico Burress pleaded guilty today to attempted gun possession -- agreeing to a two-year prison term rather than face a guaranteed higher sentence if convicted at trial. VACCARO: PLAXICO RECEIVED THE EVERY-MAN TREATMENT The time behind bars -- which will work out to 20 months with good behavior -- is his penance for accidently shooting himself in the thigh with his own Glock at a crowded Midtown nightclub last November.

A South African teenager will be forced to take a test to prove she is a woman after storming to victory Wednesday in the 800-meter sprint at the world championships. Caster Semenya's dominating run, which she won by a massive 2.45 seconds, came on the same day track and field's ruling body said she was undergoing a gender test because of concerns she does not meet requirements to compete as a woman. About three weeks ago, the international federation asked South African track and field authorities to conduct the verification test. Semenya had burst onto the scene by posting a...

A female runner accused of being a man tonight took gold in the 800m World Athletics Championship. South African Caster Semenya, 18, had to take a gender test after doubts were raised about her sex. But despite the furore, she easily took gold in the final in Berlin. The teenage sensation has sparked controversy over her strikingly muscular physique. Today officials at the world athletics body, the IAAF, revealed that it ordered her to take a gender test three weeks ago. If Semenya was proven to be a male she would be the latest in a string of gender fraud...

A female runner accused of being a man tonight took gold in the 800m World Athletics Championship. South African Caster Semenya, 18, had to take a gender test after doubts were raised about her sex. But despite the furore, she easily took gold in the final in Berlin. The teenage sensation has sparked controversy over her strikingly muscular physique. Today officials at the world athletics body, the IAAF, revealed that it ordered her to take a gender test three weeks ago. IAAF spokesman Nick Davies confirmed the tests were taking place, though he said the results would not be confirmed...

The most talked abut and controversial sports story surrounds the signing of Michael Vick by the Philadelphia Eagles. Before I weigh in, I should disclose a few things. First, Vick was a favorite of mine in fantasy football. That's because his out of this world talent made him the perfect, potentially, fantasy football player. There was nothing more exciting in fantasy football than watching Michael Vick when he was on your team. Also, I am not especially an animal lover. I don't have any pets and I never have had any pets. (as I say, I have enough trouble taking...

"60 Minutes" just announced that Michael Vick will sit down for his first interview since admitting to dogfighting and serving time in prison for the crime. The interview is not being done by one of the "60 Minutes" regulars, but rather by CBS Sports NFL TODAY anchor James Brown. The segment will also include interviews with Wayne Pacelle, head of the Humane Society of the U.S., and Tony Dungy, the former NFL coach who will be a special adviser to Vick. The former Atlanta Falcon's quarterback was released from federal custody last month and was given a conditional reinstatement to...

Tim Tebow LifeSiteNews.com) - Last week Florida Gators Quarterback Tim Tebow's photo may have graced the cover of Sports Illustrated, the same magazine that is best known for its annual "swimsuit issue," but the contrast between the two cover stories couldn't have been more glaring.At 21 years of age and graced with boyish good looks, Tebow is one of the most talked about rising stars of the NCAA; but the football superstar literally left reporters speechless last week when he answered a question during a press conference about whether or not he is "saving himself" for marriage. quot;Yes I...

The most popular player in SEC history is saving himself for marriage. Unbelievable. I asked him this afternoon, and he didn't even blink before responding

German Paul Biedermann has ended Michael Phelps's domination of the men's 200-metre freestyle, smashing the American's world record on Tuesday en route to a gold medal at the World Aquatics Championships in Rome. Biedermann raced to a time of 1 minute, 42 seconds, eclipsing the mark of 1:42.96 the American set at last year's Beijing Olympics. Phelps finished a full body length behind the German in 1:43.22. Russia's Danila Izotov took the bronze in 1:43.90. -Phelps is coming off a long layoff that included a three-month suspension resulting from a photo fallout showing the Olympic great inhaling from a marijuana...

(CNN) -- Tour de France winner Alberto Contador has launched a stinging attack on Astana teammate Lance Armstrong after returning as a hero to his native town of Pinto near Madrid. Lance Armstrong (right) looks on after Alberto Contador is handed the Tour de France trophy in Paris. Contador told a news conference that relations between the two riders were tense throughout the race, making the atmosphere very difficult for the team as a whole. Although not giving specific reasons why, Contador admitted the situation has affected his relationship with the American. "My relationship with Lance Armstrong is non-existent. Even...

Lance Armstrong is teaming up with RadioShack to form a new Tour de France cycling team next year, and it appears that the electronics retail chain may even sponsor the seven-time tour winner in other events outside of cycling. "Beginning in 2010, Lance Armstrong will compete for Team RadioShack as a cyclist, runner and triathlete in events around the world, including the 2010 Tour de France," said a statement posted at the Web site of Armstrong's foundation.

David Beckham received a rude welcome from disgruntled Galaxy fans in his return to Los Angeles, confronting one who leapt out of the stands at halftime of Galaxy's friendly against AC Milan. The English star, who missed the first half of the Major League Soccer season while on loan to AC Milan, was booed roundly during introductions, and again on his first several touches of the ball. Some of those who were angered by Beckham's stated desire to remain in Italy, and his belated return to his US club, made their feelings felt with banners and gestures such as holding...

'Keep God out of football' - Fifa tells Brazil's soccer superstars DANIEL KING 12th July 2009 Football’s governing body has sparked controversy after disciplining the Brazilian team for overt displays of Christianity during a match. Stars including £56million Real Madrid forward Kaka and captain Lucio revealed T-shirts with devout slogans such as ‘I Belong to Jesus’ and ‘I Love God’ during the Confederations Cup final last month. Now Fifa has risked accusations of being ‘anti-religious’ by reminding Brazil of its guidelines banning players from making displays of a personal, religious or political nature on the football pitch. AC Milan star...