By criminalizing violations in college sports, the US Department of Justice will make it so that it is not just the NCAA who runs the market but the state as wellA bombshell was dropped on the college basketball world this week as an FBI probe into the seedy underbelly of the sport has resulted in the arrest of 10 men, including four high-level assistant coaches under charges of “bribery conspiracy, solicitation of bribes, honest services fraud conspiracy, honest service fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud and Travel Act conspiracy.”That laundry list of charges is impressive, but for those with any experience in how the world of college sports really works, it should come as no surprise. Under-the-table cash contributions to...
Now that the NFL has a full slate of Thursday games, how hard is it for football players to recover and play on three days’ rest instead of six?Running into other players at top speed is hard enough without cutting recovery time in half. Thursday night NFL games – called a ‘poopfest’ by Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman—present a challenge to players and coaching staffs as they try to prepare in three days rather than the standard six. Critics, like Sherman, claim that the quality of play suffers when teams are left with less time to prepare a game plan. And though the NFL is quick to point out that injury rates are no greater for Thursday games, players also complain...
Hall of Fame coach Rick Pitino has become the first high-profile victim in the FBI’s investigation into college basketball corruption, but he won’t be the lastRick Pitino, the Hall of Fame college basketball coach who over his 31-year head coaching career has led his teams to seven Final Fours and two national championships, has almost certainly coached his last game. The University of Louisville placed Pitino, its figurehead for the last 16 years and the highest paid head coach in all of college basketball, on unpaid administrative leave Wednesday citing allegations of corruption detailed by the acting US attorney for the southern district of New York that implicated Pitino’s program and led to the arrest of 10 people including four...
This week’s roundup also features a mascot going rogue, a shirt tribute going wrong and Roger Federer teaming up with Rafa Nadal1) Plenty of players have highlight reels of their best goals. Álvaro Recoba has a highlight reel of his best goals from corners. He wasn’t bad from more conventional angles, either. Staying with highlight reels, here’s one-man battering ram Joshua Tuisova.2) Toronto’s Ryan Goins pulls out the old hidden ball trick to make the Yankees’ Todd Frazier look rather foolish:WOW. What one word do you have to describe this play?#PITvsCHI pic.twitter.com/mkfOyUNdXU Continue reading...
New Jersey’s Liberty National course does not seem a likely venue for anti-Donald Trump statements, although because of the recent protests there will be extra focus on what is largely a pointless eventIt is the perfect or imperfect storm, depending on one’s outlook. The Presidents Cup does not create a flicker in the wider golfing consciousness through any given year, but this week focus will be intense.The swell of sporting protest last weekend ordinarily would not resonate much in golf, commonly an individual sport, but this time it’s different for a tournament normally afforded little status or interest. A competition bearing the name of the president, which Donald Trump is even likely to attend, will see USA flags raised and...