Stories related to: sports

American Joey Chestnut today reclaimed the top spot as winner of the annual hot dog eating contest in Coney Island. After tying archrival Takeru Kobayashi of Japan in a 10-minute chow-down, the Californian triumphed in a five-dog eat-off. The men defeated 19 others in tying at 59 frankfurters in regulation before going to the tiebreaker. More »

Gay and straight men in New York are teaming up, literally: The city’s many gay-sports leagues feature scores of heterosexuals looking for competition and friendship. “I was reticent,” admitted one straight footballer. “I was used to a high level of play.” But he and others have since sidelined their hesitance, saying gay leagues are just as tough as mainstream clubs. More »

As the buzzer sounded last night, giving the Boston Celtics the NBA Championship over the Los Angeles Lakers, it wasn't heard only in Beantown. All over the world, from London to Shanghai, basketball fans watched the Celtics take home their 17th Larry O’Brien Trophy. "It’s a global world," said a team partner and investment banker. "So when a team does so well like this with such a storied franchise, people know right away." More »

Rafael Nadal won his fourth consecutive French Open title today, easily beating the world’s No. 1 player, Roger Federer. Nadal swept six early games in the match and won 6-1, 6-3, 6-0. Federer hoped to win the Open and become the sixth man to win all four major titles. Instead, the usually stoic player was literally kicking and screaming during the match, the Telegraph reports. More »

An explosion in the popularity of ballroom dancing has got fans hoping it can quickstep its way past golf, bridge and bowling to the top of the waiting list for new Olympic sports, the Wall Street Journal reports. Olympic honchos place a lot of importance on big audiences, and the global success of Dancing With the Stars has pulled in tens of millions of viewers. More »

Dinara Safina dashed Maria Sharapova’s French Open dreams today in an all-Russian free-for-all, ESPN reports. A screaming Sharapova bungled two big leads, rankling the crowd, which booed and whistled as she made her unceremonious exit . “They paid the ticket to watch me, so they must appreciate me on some level, right?” the top seed asked after her 6-7, 7-6, 6-3 ouster. More »

Vintage has as much of a niche in sports as in fashion: Old-timey baseball leagues are introducing short-brimmed hats and hardball attitudes to athletes across the country, NPR reports. The most important difference between games of then and now? "Vintage is without a glove. Only sissies wear a mitt," says a member of the Brooklyn Athletics. More »

As bloggers multiply and media outlets aim to put more audio, video and photo content on their websites, tensions mount with professional sports leagues. Leagues argue that outlets making such content widely available steps on the toes of the broadcasters who have paid to present games—but, the New York Times reports, limiting the media's scope might impinge on free speech. More »

As cheerleading has become a spectacle of acrobatic feats with its own events, injuries—some of them deadly—have been on the rise, ABC News reports. In the latest example, a 20-year-old woman died after being accidentally kicked in the chest during a Massachusetts competition last weekend. She suffered damage to her lungs more often seen in car crashes. More »

Gary Davidson may not be a household name to many sports fans. But the man who founded the World Football League and co-founded the ABA and WHA certainly has been influential in the nation’s professional sports landscape by challenging three of the big four sports leagues, writes the LA Times . The NBA’s San Antonio Spurs, are a remnant of his ABA. More »

A construction worker on the Yankees' new stadium made a unique play to reverse the Curse, reports the New York Post. A Red Sox fan, Gino Castignoli buried a David Ortiz jersey behind home plate last summer, but two former colleagues located and exhumed the shirt today. Now the Sox-lover has a new enemy: "I hope his coworkers kick the s---- out of him," said Yanks' top dog Hank Steinbrenner. More »

Researchers have developed a sensor-equipped sleeve to help basketball players perfect their shots. It monitors athlete’s movements in real time and plays a certain tune to give them instant feedback on their performance. Over time, players recognize the tunes that equal a successful shot. The technology could be adapted for other gear, like running shorts or a bodysuit, reports Technology Review . More »

If Roger Clemens wants to get any of his stuff back from ex-trainer Brian McNamee, all he has to do is log on to eBay. McNamee, who split with Clemens in the great steroids war, is putting up everything from autographed baseballs to hats to photographs of "all the steroid guys"—Clemens, Canseco, and Pettitte, the AP reports. He's donating the proceeds to his juvenile diabetes charity. More »

Swimmers in the Speedo LZR Racer swimsuit have been smashing records since it made its debut six weeks ago, and some athletes are beginning to grumble that the high-tech swimming gear gives wearers an unfair advantage, the Los Angeles Times reports. Of the 14 world records to have fallen in the last month or so, 13 were broken by swimmers wearing the super-slick, ultra-form-fitting suit—designed with help from NASA. More »

Private boxes are great on game day, and sports clubs are taking it to the next level, giving well-heeled fans super-sumptuous treatment—in return for deluxe bucks. Forbes rundowns some of the priciest stadium suites: Yankee Stadium’s Legend Suites: $2,500 per front row seat per game, or $1 million for a 5-year contract Nationals Parks Washington Suites: $400,000-plus per year, private porch included More »

Want to see Peyton Manning’s Pop Warner games? Derek Jeter playing Little League? They’ll be on WePlay.com, alongside some game film from a lot of other not-yet-famous players. WePlay, which is launching today, is a youth sports social-networking site—a kind of little league Facebook. Athletes, coaches, and parents will all be able to network, coordinate schedules, and share game videos. More »

March Madness should have security forces on high alert, the FBI and Dept. of Homeland Security warned in a joint statement yesterday, as crowded sporting events are “potential targets” for terrorists. College basketball games are just some of the many sporting events that "regularly bring tens of thousands of fans...into large open-access facilities” that are hard to secure, the agencies note. More »

A, ahem, heightened push to make Britain's sports teams more competitive by the time London hosts the 2012 Olympics has added 52 new athletes to the country’s handball, rowing, and volleyball squads, the Telegraph reports. The “Sporting Giants” program sought tall applicants—over 6-foot-3 for men and 5-11 for women—from all walks of life to try their hand at a new sport. More »

The number of American golfers is dropping—and those who do play aren't playing as much as they used to. Busy people aren't as willing to spend four hours on 18 holes, and the rise of electronic games has hurt outdoor activities. Golf professionals are trying to think up innovative ways to tame the hazards, the New York Times reports. More »

The number of serious knee injuries that doctors once saw only in adults is skyrocketing among children as kid sports become increasingly demanding, reports the New York Times . Injuries such as a torn ACL—the major ligament that stabilizes the knee—require surgery that poses particular risks to children who are still growing, according to experts. As many as eight times as many girls suffer ACL tears than boys, physicians report. More »