Jim Jones' Grandson is Basketball Star

Movie inspires cheers, eye-rolls

(NEWSER) - More Than a Game, a documentary following LeBron James and his high school teammates, does its best to be an inspirational movie, and for some it works. For others, it inspires eye-rolling. Here’s what they’re saying:

• It’s like a classic high school sports movie, writes Owen Glieberman for Entertainment Weekly. “It's almost funny to see how many classic Hollywood tropes are replicated, with far more vivid drama.”

Teams in DC tourney push boundaries, and not everyone approves

(NEWSER) - A Washington-area basketball tournament for high school programs that operate outside the traditional mold is getting plenty of ESPN-generated publicity, the Post reports. It’s also sparked concerns about bringing the trappings of big-time athletics—near-global recruiting, travel, TV—to the high school level, with many of the teams representing schools that seem to have little mission beyond basketball. More»

Mayo scandal shocks few, and penalties remain slight

(NEWSER) - The NBA can't stop agents from scurrying around high school and college basketball these days, offering illegal gifts to sign young players. Although the players are getting younger—more go pro right out of high school—punishments for players and agents alike remain slight, the New York Times reports. More»

Polygamists, UFOs, and apocalyptic prophesies abound

(NEWSER) - Experts are debating whether the polygamist sect raided in Texas last week is a cult. Meanwhile, LiveScience has cooked up a list of bona fide cults—the top 10 craziest of them all:

1. Raëlians: Followers believe that UFOs spawned most religions and cloning can lead to reincarnation.

Phil Mushnick column makes some people angry

(NEWSER) - New York Post columnist Phil Mushnick is taking some heat for some, er, colorful comments in today's column about the Brooklyn Nets' new uniforms. "As long as the Nets are allowing Jay-Z to call their marketing shots—what a shock that he chose black and white as the new team colors to stress, as the Nets explained, their new 'urban' home—why not have him apply the full Jay-Z treatment?" Mushnick writes. "Why the Brooklyn Nets when they can be the New York N------s?" More»