sports news stories on Newser

Can Greece Afford Olympic Teams?

Mary Papenfuss — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 03:30:52 CDT

The birthplace of the Olympics might no longer be able to afford participation in the games. Crushing austerity measures mean there's not enough state funds to pay coaches and training staff, so Greece's Athletic Federation is now suspending all domestic track and field events until the government coughs up some...

The 25 Worst Sore Losers in Sports

Dustin Lushing — Sun, 11 Mar 2012 10:19:46 CDT

Losing stinks, but being a gracious loser is always more honorable than throwing a tantrum. Bad sportsmanship, however, did not stop these people—the 25 biggest sore losers in sports history, according to Bleacher Report . A sample:

Tim Tebow Breaks Bread With Taylor Swift

Mary Papenfuss — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 00:02:00 CST

Quarterback Tim Tebow and country singer Taylor Swift could be a match made in good-guy/good-girl heaven. But it seems like they're just friends—even though they were spotted together at a Los Angeles-area restaurant. There wasn't any hanky panky, says a witness, though the two were "quite flirty" with one...

Obama: I Knew About Jeremy Lin Before You

Kevin Spak — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 10:02:39 CST

President Obama wants you to know that he had his eye on Jeremy Lin before it was cool. Obama sat down with Bill Simmons for a half-hour of sports talk on today's BS Report (audio here ), and the first question was how he felt about being America's second most...

Olympic Ban Urged for Sexist Saudi Arabia

Mary Papenfuss — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 04:10:00 CST

Saudi Arabia should be banned from participating in the London Olympics unless it includes a female athlete, says a scathing new report from Human Rights Watch. The nation is one of three that regularly participate in the games that has yet to send a women to the Olympics. Saudi Arabia's...

Hey, Fans: Players Don't Care as Much as You

John Johnson — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 15:44:10 CST

For all the Patriots fans out there still crying in the beer and assuming their favorite players are doing the same, sportswriter Bill Plaschke has a "dirty little secret" to reveal: "The players don't care as much as you do," he writes in the Los Angeles Times . Sure there are...

Special Skier's Underwear Banned at World Cup

Dustin Lushing — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 16:37:10 CST

The newest suspicions of cheating in sports come not from the use of performance enhancing drugs but from the wearing of special underwear. Professional skiers who will compete in the upcoming World Cup in Switzerland were bluntly told by officials they cannot don a "full-bodied, plastic-neoprene hybrid sheath" worn under...

Major Leaguer Hits Ump in Face

Neal Colgrass — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 16:55:05 CST

For any non-baseball fans out there, this is a huge no-no. Texas Rangers catcher Yorvit Torrealba was playing in the Venezuelan League on Friday when he struck out badly and began yelling at the home plate umpire—probably over a strike call earlier in the at-bat. The two of them...

More Ex-Players Sue NFL Over Brain Damage

Dustin Lushing — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 16:42:05 CST

Another lawsuit is being leveled against the NFL over brain damage suffered by former players. Ex-Miami Dolphins team members Patrick Surtain and Oronde Gadsden, along with 19 other players, have filed suit in Miami and are charging that the NFL deliberately omitted or concealed evidence connecting concussions to long-term neurological...