Sports Advice

Among the Greeks, fitness competitions and games were nationalistic in spirit; states were said to have been prouder of Olympic victories than of battles won. Women, foreigners, slaves, and dishonored persons were forbidden to compete. Contestants were required to train faithfully for 10 months before the games and had to take an oath that […]

Politics directly related with economic issues, influence the course of action one country might choose against another and certainly affect the role of sports, since they are a vital part of a nation’s role in the global scene. Through boycotting sports events or using athletes for propaganda purposes, individual countries have tried over past […]

Although the precise origins of the connection between sports and international relations remain obscure, all cultures have participated over the course of history in different physical contests that fostered cultural exchange and contributed to their citizens’ political discourse. The ancient Egyptians swam, raced, wrestled, and played games with balls. The ancient Greeks held large […]

During the 20th century, sports took on an increasingly international flavor; aside from the world championships for individual sports, like soccer’s World Cup, large-scale international meets, such as the Pan-American games and the Commonwealth games, were inaugurated. Sports have correspondingly become increasingly politicized, as shown in the boycott of the 1980 Moscow games by […]

What happens to Olympic medallists when they retire from competition? Well some of them get married with other gold medallists and become parents. At least this is the case for Nadia Comaneci and Bart Conner. Comaneci gave birth to their first child, a boy, named Dylan Paul, on June 3, 2006. It sounds as […]

When the announcement came out of the International Olympic Committee meetings in Singapore that softball and baseball dropped were being eliminated from the Olympic program in 2012, many, including myself, were stunned.
I could understand why baseball was eliminated. The fact that Olympic teams do not include the best players in the world was one […]

There are many sports which have recently become adaptable for individuals who are confined to wheelchairs. Individuals who are quadriplegic and paraplegic can continue to participate in sports, win championships and even take home Olympic metals. Wheelchair sports have come a long way, especially in the past few years and almost all sports have […]

This past month, as high schools and colleges kicked off their fall sports schedule, newspapers and magazines are reporting athletes calling it quits, and dropping out of sports that they perform well in. It happens every year at this time. The notable stories are the ones where an all-star quits mid-season citing that he […]

Softball has been around since a man named George Hancock first invented the game in 1887 in Chicago. It took over 100 years, but women’s fast pitch softball became an Olympic event in 1996.
Fast pitch is different from the looping, relaxed pitch often used in recreational softball leagues. Fast pitch players must hit a […]

In what could be considered a case of “deja-va” by figure skating enthusiasts, two time Olympic medalist Michelle Kwan was granted a spot on the USA Olympic figure skating team that will compete in Turin, Italy in February.
Is it fair? Was it the correct decision? To some, “no.” To others, “yes.” To most; well, […]