College Football Players Embrace Beefcake Photos

(NEWSER) - At least two Southern universities are spending some cash this year to try to correct a historical football inequity—at least in the eyes of the South, the Wall Street Journal reports. The SEC has won more national titles than any other conference since the Heisman Trophy debuted in 1935, but its players generally get the cold shoulder from Heisman voters. “A discussion about the Heisman quickly veers from a conversation about stats to one about self-esteem,” says the author of a book on college football. More»

And maybe yours, too, NFL: Malcolm Gladwell

(NEWSER) - Author and columnist Malcolm Gladwell thinks college football—and eventually, the NFL—is headed for years of decline and possibly oblivion as concussion evidence rolls in and the lawsuits pile up . "The factor that I think will be decisive is the head-injury issue," he says in a Slate interview. "Colleges are going to get sued, and they will have to decide whether they can afford their legal exposure." More»

Jimmie Johnson leads Forbes list for second straight year

(NEWSER) - Forbes is out with its annual list of the nation's 10 most influential athletes, and NASCAR's Jimmie Johnson leads the way for the second straight year. Here are the top 5, with the results based on opinion polls commissioned by the magazine:

1. Jimmie Johnson
2. Tm Tebow
3. Peyton Manning
4. Manny Pacquiao
5. Tom Brady

Stanford quarterback will replace Manning: Indianapolis Star, ESPN

(NEWSER) - Drinking game for next week's NFL draft: Tip one every time the phrase "big shoes to fill" is used in reference to the No. 1 pick: The Indianapolis Colts have decided to select Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck, report ESPN and the Indianapolis Star . Luck, of course, will replace Peyton Manning, now with the Broncos . No pressure or anything. More»

Married dad put lover, 25, on college payroll

(NEWSER) - Arkansas Razorbacks football coach Bobby Petrino has been canned after the married dad of four confessed to having a volleyball-playing lover half his age whom he put on the college payroll. Petrino's secret life came to light following a motorcycle accident earlier this month while he was riding with lover Jessica Dorrell, 25. Petrino, 51, suffered broken ribs, abrasions, and a cracked vertebrae in his neck. He didn't tell his bosses that Dorrell was with him at the time, but they quickly found out—and connected him to her hiring and a $20,000 payment to her. Athletic director Jeff Long slammed the coach, hired four years ago, for misleading his superiors and the public, and damaging the reputation of the football program. "Coach Petrino abused his authority when he made a staff hire that benefited himself and jeopardized the integrity of the football program,” said Long. More»