Free Republic

Prosecutors have dropped a driving under the influence charge against the wife of former Miami Heat superstar Alonzo Mourning.

Don't change the legendary Redskins name. Just change the logo," PETA writes. "By keeping the name and adopting a heart-healthy, appeeling logo, the Washington Redskins would set a powerful example on and off the field. And that's no small potatoes." PETA continues with their "ingenious" and "healthy" suggestion:

His leftist, politically-correct commentary during Sunday Night Football's halftime confirms his idiocy. He concluded that the name "Redskins" is offensive. No. It's not.NBC's removal of Keith Olbermann from SNF was not enough. Costas now must go.

According to an internal Cleveland police memo unearthed by cleveland.com the NFL’s banning off-duty cops carrying in or around FirstEnergy Stadium. What’s more, “The rule, which police said took effect Sept. 11, applies to all NFL facilities and all off-duty federal, state and local law enforcement officers .

I have seen/heard multiple sportscasters hammering Romo for trying to do too much; lack of judgement; recklessness...On the replay (from behind the pocket) Romo's left foot was clearly kicked by his lineman's right foot as he attempted the throw. Now, I am not a Cowboy fan, but he is being slammed mercilessly with no mention of what was clearly visible on replay. For goodness sakes, he threw for over 500 yds!

At our company, we work to fill our roster with “athletes.” I don’t mean this necessarily in the physical sense, although it turns out that quite a few of our members are literal athletes – we have a national-class triathlete, I have a personal interest in competitive and recreational bodybuilding, and there are multiple marathoners, bikers, soccer, and basketball players, CrossFit enthusiasts, etc. on staff. We also have a companywide interest in health and fitness, which we call “Fishbowl FIT.” But when I advise people to seek and hire athletes, what I am really referring to is the athlete traits...

Since its inception in World War II, the American Forces Network has been the medium by which many United States military personnel stationed abroad get their news, entertainment and other forms of escapism, including sports. As of Monday, AFN was airing NFL and MLB broadcasts to troops overseas. Then Tuesday came and much of the AFN airwaves went silent — a victim of the shutdown.

I’ve been captivated by the tale of the 2013 Pittsburgh Pirates. A smaller market team overcoming two decades of misfortune and misery to not only break a 20-year streak of sub-.500 futility but make the postseason for the first time since 1992, nearly winning a division title... unless you were one of the 41,000+ fans and media at PNC Park on Tuesday night, you could not watch the adoring fans welcome home their conquering heroes, exploding with emotion and gratitude. TBS, one of MLB’s three broadcast partners for the postseason, did not show the traditional pre-game player introductions, National Anthem...

"Is there - or should there be - a wall of separation between ownership of newspapers and ownership of sports franchises? Apparently some think so."

As a general rule, the names of professional sports teams, and their connotations, are of little concern. No one cares that the Chicago White Sox don't wear white socks, or that Utah, where the NBA's Jazz are based, is the last place you'd think of when you think of jazz. But the Washington Redskins are different. Their name is a big deal. A group of Native Americans is pursuing a suit to strip the name of federal trademark protection. A few publications have stopped using the term in stories about the team. In May, 10 members of Congress wrote team...

... there has been discussion as to how a three-way tie would be determined for the last clubs in: ... Cleveland would host Tampa Bay to determine one of the wild cards on Monday; the loser of that game would then play at Texas on Tuesday to determine the second wild card. The two winners would be re-seeded for the wild card game on Wednesday based on season series. Therefore, the Rangers would host the Rays after going 4-3 against them this season, and would be at Cleveland after going 1-5 against them (and Cleveland would be at Tampa Bay)....

The world’s best soccer player, Lionel Messi, arrived at a Barcelona court Friday morning to face allegations of tax fraud that could put him behind bars for six years if he's found guilty. The 26-year-old Argentinian and his father, Jorge, are charged with using foreign companies in Belize and Uruguay to sell his image rights, defrauding the Spanish taxman of 4 million euros ($5.3 million) in the process. The four-time FIFA World Player of the Year, widely known for his mastery of so-called Tiki-Taka tactics, denies the allegations, which date to 2007.

SAN FRANCISCO (KABC) -- A Dodgers fan was killed in a fight that broke out near San Francisco's AT&T Park following the Giants-Dodgers game. Police say it was the rivalry between the two teams that sparked the fight. Authorities responded to the fight in the area of 3rd and Perry streets, about six blocks from the stadium, at 11:39 p.m. Police say 24-year-old Jonathan Denver of Fort Bragg was in Dodger apparel when he and the group he was with got into an argument with another group of people, one of whom was wearing a Giants hat. The two groups...

Two boys playing on a girls’ volleyball team at a New York high school could see their playing time spiked when league officials consider modifying a rule that allows them to play with the fairer sex. Seniors Andrew Lafortezza and Jason Elbaum both played for the co-ed volleyball club last season at Horace Greeley High School in Chappaqua. But due to budgetary constraints, the Quakers were unable to field a boys’ team this year, prompting the teens to seek a spot on the girls’ squad, which they earned after receiving approval from league officials in August. ... Kim Cleary, the...

Here's something you don't see in sports every day. Phoenix Mercury guard Diana Taurasi and Minnesota Lynx guard Seimone Augustus both get hit with fouls after Taurasi kisses Augustus

Need a few more teams to round out our Freeper league!! Anyone interested?? If so....freepmail me with your e-mail address and I will send you an invite!! Have been running a Freeper League for several years....it's been a blast!

The league demands $1.5 million from the rapper-singer and a public apology, but her lawyer says "she is going to go public with an explanation of how ridiculous it was for the NFL and its fans to devote such furor to this incident."

The United States routinely spends more tax dollars per high-school athlete than per high-school math student—unlike most countries worldwide. And we wonder why we lag in international education rankings? Sports are embedded in American schools in a way they are not almost anywhere else. Yet this difference hardly ever comes up in domestic debates about America’s international mediocrity in education. (The U.S. ranks 31st on the same international math test.) The challenges we do talk about are real ones, from undertrained teachers to entrenched poverty. But what to make of this other glaring reality, and the signal it sends to...

Cheerleading 'most dangerous sport for US women' Cheerleading causes two thirds of the very serious sports injuries suffered by girls in the United States and many concussions are not reported, according to a new study. By Nick Allen, Los Angeles 5:12PM BST 15 Sep 2013 Researchers found that the number of visits to casualty resulting from high school and college cheerleading injuries rose from 4,954 in 1980 to 26,786 in 2007. The sport accounted for around 66 per cent of "catastrophic" injuries – those resulting in permanent disability or medical conditions – to girls, research published in the Journal of...

DALLAS – After only a week on the job, a former NFL star and ESPN commentator was fired from his new position at FOX Sports Southwest this week after video footage surfaced of comments he made last year expressing that homosexuals will have to “answer to the Lord for their actions.” Craig James played for the New England Patriots in the 1980′s and later became a sportscaster for ESPN. In 2011, he decided to run for the U.S. Senate, and participated in a number of debates, including the 2012 event that recently cost him his job. During the debate, Craig...

When Golf Magazine rates a course such as Bay Harbor Golf Club as one of the top in the country, that publicity comes at a cost to taxpayers. That's because every year the state puts on a tour of Michigan golf spots for a select group of national golf writers. It's part of the "Golf Writer Familiarization Tour" the state puts on, which escorts the writers to courses where green fees can cost as much as $199 a round. Shanty Creek, Grand Traverse Resort and about a dozen other elite golf courses are part of the tour that attracts writers...

<p>The Tennis Channel has lost its bid for a review of a pivotal court decision in its marathon legal match against cable giant Comcast Corp.</p> <p>On Wednesday, the District of Columbia Circuit Court of Appeals denied the Tennis Channel's petition that asked the full panel of judges to hear its case accusing Comcast of anti-competitive behavior.</p>

The Craig James era at Fox Sports Southwest will be a short one. SI.com has learned that the veteran broadcaster will no longer appear on the network. Fox Sports executives were not happy with the hire by the regional network, according to sources, and the hire had not been fully vetted at the highest levels of Fox Sports management. A formal agreement had not been finalized, even though James appeared on FSS on Saturday night. "Craig James will not be making any further appearances on Fox Sports Southwest's football coverage this season," said a Fox Sports spokesperson, when asked for...

NEW YORK -- After LeBron James won his second NBA championship this year, he talked about the improbability of his journey -- ascending to world fame despite growing up with challenge after challenge in the inner city. Now James plans to explore that theme as part of "Survivor's Remorse," a new show he's developing with Starz. While he won't star in the half-hour sitcom, the Miami Heat superstar will be one of the executive producers of the show, which will explore the lives of two men from the streets who attain fame -- one is an NBA star and one...

FOXBOROUGH -- This preseason has been an up and down ride for third-string quarterback Tim Tebow. He started with an iffy opening against the Eagles, finishing 4 of 12 passing for 55 yards and three sacks. He followed it up with an outing to forget against the Buccaneers (1 for 7, minus-1 yard, interception). And then he was forced to watch from the sideline as his team went through what was widely considered a dress rehearsal for the regular season against the Lions. On Thursday, he provided a bit more of a mixed performance against the Giants. While the starters...

A Florida high school football coach has been suspended for two weeks of athletics activities after video of him aggressively slapping a player’s helmet following a bad play went viral.

Jean King, Bobby Riggs an 'elaborate mob setup' Tennis star Bobby Riggs, top, and Billie Jean King are shown in action during the "Battle of the Sexes" match in the Astrodome in Houston, on Sept. 20, 1973. The ultimate “Battle of the Sexes” — a 1973 match between the No. 2 -ranked woman tennis player and a retired male Wimbledon champion — was rigged so Mafia bosses could cash in on the betting, a new report claims. The incredible claims have been lobbed at the reputation of the late hard-court hustler Bobby Riggs, by one of his former country club...

Broward County school officials are looking into an incident Sunday where an angry high school football coach was captured on national television smacking his star quarterback on the side of the head.

"HELLO AGAIN EVERYONE, I'm Howard Cosell. We're delighted to be able to bring you this very, very quaint, unique event." On Thursday night, Sept. 20, 1973, 50 million Americans, fatigued by Vietnam and Watergate, tuned in to see whether a woman could defeat a man on a tennis court. Dubbed "The Battle of the Sexes," the match pitted Billie Jean King, the 29-year-old champion of that summer's Wimbledon and a crusader for the women's liberation movement, against Bobby Riggs, the 55-year-old gambler, hustler and long-ago tennis champ who had willingly become America's bespectacled caricature of male chauvinism. Before 30,472 at...

DETROIT – Tim Tebow spent most of this Thursday night – perhaps one of his fleeting few remaining as an NFL quarterback – standing near the 50-yard line of the New England Patriots sideline. When the Pats were on defense, he'd sometimes casually flip a ball around by himself. When they were on offense, he'd put his helmet on, ready to go in – whether at QB or any other position the coaching staff might request. "You just prepare yourself and be ready for whenever your number is called," Tebow said. Tebow's number was never called.

(Reuters) - The controversy over Russia's law banning the promotion of homosexuality is an "invented problem" focused on by Western media, Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko said on Sunday. The law, which parliament passed in June, bans "propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations" and imposes fines on those holding gay pride rallies. It has attracted international condemnation and cast a shadow over the athletics world championships in Moscow, with questions raised over whether it will apply to athletes and spectators at next year's Winter Olympics in the Russian Black Sea resort of Sochi. The International Olympic Committee is seeking clarification from Russia...

Espn host and former Jets defensive star Hugh Douglas hit a co-host below the belt in a drunken tirade at a Florida bar — calling him “Uncle Tom’’ and a “house n----r,’’ sources said. The hulking Douglas, 41, spit the slurs at “Numbers Never Lie’’ colleague Michael Smith after the boozed-up Douglas made a move to the deejay’s microphone at the House of Blues on Friday in Orlando, and Smith tried to stop Douglas from embarrassing himself, according to the Web site Deadspin.

After weeks of waiting, MLB has finally announced its Biogenesis suspensions. Twelve players have been hit with 50-game suspensions, and Alex Rodriguez has been issued a suspension through the 2014 season for a total 211 games. Because A-Rod’s suspension will come under the Joint Drug Agreement, he can still play while he appeals the punishment and will be in the New York Yankees’ lineup tonight for the first time this season. Many have questioned how the suspension will impact Rodriguez’s “legacy” (see here, here and here), and it’s a subject that will undoubtedly be debated for years to come. What’s...

Sarah Thomas is currently a line judge in college football, but next year she is expected to be working as an official in the NFL. And the NFL knows a good story when it sees one. So when CNN profiled Thomas on its State of the Union Sunday morning show, it was interesting to hear that the league approached CNN to ask the network to tell the story of Thomas, who is slated to become the first full-time official in NFL history. “Thomas is being pushed aggressively to the media by the NFL,” CNN’s Candy Crowley said. (The NFL will...

This plan was proposed for the Boston South Station area in 1965. It consisted of a retractable dome for football and baseball along an arena for basketball, hockey, and dog racing.

Chief competitor Fox Sports 1 is not expected to launch until mid-August, but ESPN is already rapidly losing viewers. Ratings show that the 24/7 sports network saw a double-digit drop in Q2 and saw an 8% drop in day viewership and a 12% drop in prime time audience comparing July 2013 to July 2012. While the network did not feature the NBA Draft or College World Series this July as it had the previous year, many conservative viewers have turned off the network due to its embrace of liberal viewpoints and the impending return of left-wing pundit Keith Olbermann. The...

Unwisely taking a page from the NHL All-Star Game, the National Football League announced today that it will further cheapen its annual Pro Bowl by scrapping the AFC vs. NFC format adapted in 1971. Players will be selected without regard to conference in voting by fans, coaches and players. Deion Sanders and Jerry Rice will serve as alumni team captains for the teams. The league is crediting (read: blaming) NFL Players Association president Domonique Foxworth for the idea. Players will be assigned to teams through the Pro Bowl Draft, in which two leading vote getters will join two NFL.com fantasy...

Saying he was "ashamed and disgusted" with himself, Eagles wide receiver Riley Cooper apologized repeatedly for making a racial slur at a Kenny Chesney concert that was caught on video and led to him getting fined. The video of Cooper using the N-word surfaced Wednesday on the Internet. Cooper issued a statement of apology then met with reporters outside the team's practice facility. "This is the lowest of lows," Cooper said. "This is not the type of person I want to be portrayed as. This isn't the type of person I am. I'm extremely sorry."

Team Jay Z is going to bat for beleaguered Yankee star Alex Rodriguez. As the drama surrounding the ailing $275 million third baseman’s return to the lineup and a looming Major League Baseball suspension play out, associates of the entertainment mogul-turned-sports agent have been helping Rodriguez behind the scenes. Last week, Jordan Siev, a lawyer for Jay Z’s superstar wife, Beyoncé, represented A-Rod in a telephone conference with Yankee brass. On the call, Bomber General Manager Brian Cashman, President Randy Levine and Tampa-based trainer Tim Lentych discussed with Siev the time frame for A-Rod’s return to the team.

The Patriots conducted their first training camp practice on Friday, and Tebow, operating at quarterback, didn’t have the best outing, according to multiple reporters.

From left, members of Game Elite: John Carlos Reyes, Avery Patterson, Antonio Lang, Shawntrez DavisLAS VEGAS -- They strolled into the auxiliary gym at Rancho High School with backpacks on and the message clear on their shirts: I AM TRAYVON. Every player on Game Elite's 17U squad was donning the T-shirts during warm-ups and didn't remove them until it was time to tip. The AAU program based out of Atlanta first displayed the shirts Wednesday night, and per program co-director Ryan Falker, they'll wear the shirts before and after games for the duration of their stay for tournament play in...

Major League Baseball has suspended Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Ryan Braun for the remainder of the 2013 season in what could be the first of a long list of suspensions arising from the league’s investigation into its players’ links to Biogenesis. Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reports that Braun will accept the ban and will not appeal. The Brewers have 65 games left in their season in which they are 41-56 and in last place in the National League Central Division.... ...Biogenesis is a now-closed anti-aging clinic that is alleged to have provided major-league players with performance-enhancing drugs. The clinic’s...

Barely a month ago, The Stew posted about a man who spilled beer on himself and others at a Philadelphia Phillies game after he flinched when a ball was fouled back to the screen behind home plate. The post made fun of him. Perhaps he's owed an apology. A woman sitting in the front row behind home plate at Nationals Park on Saturday night was hit in the left shoulder by a foul ball after the net failed. Jerry Hairston of the Los Angeles Dodgers was batting against Rafael Soriano.

ESPN will reportedly announce next week that it has hired Nate Silver to contribute to Keith Olbermann's new late-night talk show. The numbers-crunching baseball geek gained national fame when he correctly projected the outcomes of the 2008 and 2012 presidential elections. The New York Times, which reported the news on Friday, hired Silver, who brought his FiveThirtyEight franchise with him, in 2009.

Embattled Jets rookie Oday Aboushi lashed back yesterday at accusations he is a fundamentalist Muslim who associates with radicals opposed to Israel, labeling the charges “lies and smears.” In an exclusive interview with The Post, the fifth-round pick — a Brooklyn native who is believed to be the first Palestinian-American ever drafted by an NFL team — adamantly denied charges leveled by a conservative website this week that Aboushi is anti-Semitic and uses social media to endorse what they consider Palestinian terrorist groups.

Network Says Full Court Needs to Weigh in on Whether Economic Loss is Required for Finding As expected, the Tennis Channel has filed a petition for full court (en banc) review by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit of a three-judge panel decision May 28 that Comcast did not violate the FCC's program carriage rules. That panel concluded that the FCC and Tennis had failed to make the discrimination case against the cable operator. In its petition, filed Friday july 15, Tennis Channel says that the ruling "departed from well-settled anti-discrimination law' and "ignored congressional intent and...

Alhambra High School officials have dismissed the institution’s football coaching staff after it emerged players had been given nutritional supplement Creatine to enhance their performance on the field. Head coach Chuck Leonardis told the Pasadena Star News seven players had been given the organic acid by his staff after the students had asked about it. Athletic director Jerry DeSantis confirmed the school was “in the process of a coaching change”. Leonardis denied doing anything wrong. He said players were given “extremely low dosages” of Creatine, which is naturally synthesized in the human body for muscle use. He also said he...

A new study gives college sports a B grade for racial and gender hiring practices, though the overall numbers have dipped slightly from last year. The 2012 College Sport Racial and Gender Report Card was issued Wednesday by the University of Central Florida's Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport. The mark for gender hiring rose slightly to 81.3 points from 80.7 a year ago, while the number for racial hiring dipped to 81 points from 82.2. The overall score fell to 81.1 points from 81.5.

Anna Benson and former major league pitcher Kris Benson have been working through a divorce for the past year, and apparently its not going very well. The “Baseball Wives” star was arrested on Monday after she allegedly donned a bulletproof vest, barged into her estranged husband's Marietta, Ga. home, and threatened him with a gun and a metal baton unless he ponied up some cash.

Now that California looks set to mandate that transgender children be allowed to choose which bathrooms they use and which sports teams they join, it would seem an appropriate time to press for the purging of the remnants of a reactionary age. Indeed, now that gender is, according to the courts, nothing more than an attitude of mind, could we dispense with all the talk of ‘women’s rights’? Such terminology was minted in an era when the silly assumption was made that physiology and genetics had some determinate connection to gender. A good place to start might be women’s sports...