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SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2009
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NEWS ABOUT: athlete

athlete stories: 69 news summaries

1 - 20 of 69 Stories | 1 2 3 4 Next >>

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NYC Marathon Winner Not American Enough for Some

Eritrean-born Meb Keflezighi's victory sparks dispute

Nov 3, 09 8:24 AM CST
(Newser) - On Sunday Meb Keflezighi became the first American since 1982 to win the New York City Marathon...according to some. Keflezighi, an American citizen who arrived from the East African country of Eritrea at age 12, had barely crossed the finish line before a debate erupted on how American he... More »

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athlete • marathon • New York City Marathon • NYC marathon results 2009 • Meb Keflezighi

(Newser) - World champion sprinter Caster Semenya received a heroine's welcome today in Johannesburg, where thousands of South Africans waved signs reading "Our first lady of sport" and "100% female woman." The 18-year-old runner, caught up in suspicions about her gender, had a huge smile as spectators sang and... More »

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gender • South Africa • athlete • athletics • runner • Johannesburg • Caster Semenya

OPINION

For Pro Athletes, Retirement Is a Nightmare


Aug 13, 09 8:25 AM CDT
(Newser) - Steve McNair’s death was a grisly illustration of the nightmare that retirement can be for pro athletes, writes former outfielder Doug Glanville in the New York Times. Though players are often told they’ll be set for life, “the pleasure of a hammock at age 35 only... More »

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football • retirement • athlete • Steve McNair • baseball • professional athletes

(Newser) - Thirty years after Yankees captain Thurman Munson died in a plane crash, the New York Daily News looks back at athletes "gone too soon": Roberto Clemente (Dec. 31, 1972): His plane went down while trying to deliver supplies to Nicaragua earthquake victims. Search parties never found Clemente's body.... More »

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Pat Tillman • athlete • death • plane crash • Dale Earnhardt Sr. • accident

(Newser) - A New Zealand athlete has opened a brothel to finance his Olympic aspirations, the BBC reports. Logan Campbell just wants to stop asking his parents for money—his Beijing efforts cost $150,000, and he hopes to start training again in 2011 with $300,000 from the “gentleman’s... More »

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prostitution • 2012 London Olympics • athlete • New Zealand • brothel • Olympics • taekwondo




 Twitter Scores 
 With Jocks, Fans 

Site has drawbacks but allows fans to spy and athletes to vent

Jun 7, 09 12:00 PM CDT
(Newser) - Sports fans may not have their favorite athletes on speed dial, but they do have the next best thing: Twitter, Sports Illustrated reports. Fans are obsessed with the microblogging site, which allows them to keep up on the errands, eating habits, and allergy medication needs of players. Laid-back Atlanta golfer... More »

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NBA • athlete • coach • Shaquille O'Neal • Twitter • sports fans • tweet

 Mickelson's Wife 
 Diagnosed With Cancer 

He pulls out of 2 tournaments

May 20, 09 1:10 PM CDT
(Newser) - Phil Mickelson has left the PGA Tour after learning that his wife, Amy, has breast cancer. She's scheduled for major surgery within 2 weeks, Bloomberg reports. The No. 2 golfer in the world had been scheduled to start play in the Byron Nelson Championship tomorrow in Irving, Texas, and defend... More »

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breast cancer • golf • Phil Mickelson • athlete • PGA Tour • Amy Mickelson

SLIDESHOW

 Masks: a Goalie's Power Play 

Players spend top dollar expressing themselves on gear

May 9, 09 4:38 PM CDT
(Newser) - Unlike their cookie-cutter colleagues in other sports, NHL goalies wear their hearts on their faces, the Washington Post reports in a retrospective celebrating the 50th birthday of a netminder's best friend—the goalie mask. Players take great pride in personalizing them, sometimes spending $1,000 on images of prizefighters, dead... More »

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NHL • athlete • hockey • masks • Jay-ZTV

 Usain Bolt Crashes 
 Gift Car, Walks Away 

Bolt has only minor scratches

Apr 30, 09 7:46 AM CDT
(Newser) - Olympic gold medalist Usain Bolt walked away from a car accident in Jamaica with no apparent injuries except a thorn in his foot. The world champion sprinter crashed his BMW M3—a gift from sponsor Puma for his performance in Beijing—after speeding down a wet highway, the Guardian reports.... More »

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car accident • Jamaica • 2008 Beijing Olympics • athlete • running • Usain Bolt • sprinters

 Tiger Returns to 
 Win at Bay Hill 

'God, it felt good,' he says

Mar 30, 09 3:16 AM CDT
(AP) - The clutch shots, the late charge, an electric birdie putt on the 18th hole at Bay Hill. Tiger Woods is back. With a final putt everyone knew he was going to make, Woods nailed a 15-footer to win the Arnold Palmer Invitational for his first victory since returning from knee... More »

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golf • Tiger Woods • athlete • injury • Arnold Palmer Invitational

 Sharapova 'Excited' 
 to Return to Tennis 

Grand Slam champion will join Elena Vesnina for doubles

Mar 9, 09 12:53 PM CDT
(Newser) - Maria Sharapova has recovered from an acute shoulder injury that sidelined her for six months and is returning to tennis this week, CNN reports. Sharapova will play doubles with Elena Vesnina at the ATP-WTA tournament this week in Indian Wells. "I am excited to be playing competitive tennis again,... More »

MORE ABOUT:
tennis • Maria Sharapova • athlete • injury • women's tennis • Pro tennis • shoulder

Smiling, Frowning Is Hardwired Into Genes: Study

Blind, sighted athletes adopted similar expressions in victory and defeat

Dec 30, 08 3:18 PM CST
(Newser) - Facial expressions from smiling to sneering are dictated by human genes that all of us share, a new study suggests. Researchers examined the facial expressions on thousands of photographs of blind and sighted athletes at the 2004 Athens Paralympic Games and the 2004 Athens Olympic Games. They discovered that no... More »

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evolution • athlete • blindness • facial expressions • scientific research • expressions

 Colleges Drop 
 SAT Bar for Jocks 

Athletes score 220 points lower on SAT than average classmate

Dec 29, 08 3:13 AM CST
(Newser) - Though athletes have long enjoyed a break on college admissions, new numbers on how far they lag behind other students on SAT scores have raised concerns of fairness. Nationwide, football jocks average 220 points lower on the SAT than their classmates at 54 universities studied by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Basketball... More »

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SAT • college admissions • athlete • universities • college sports • college student • athletic scholarships

'Jocks Only' Tutoring Centers Irk Others on Campus

Critics say investing in flashy, athletes-only centers is unfair to other students

Nov 29, 08 11:41 AM CST
(Newser) - Resentment is building as college athletic tutoring centers nationwide get bigger and flashier, the Chicago Tribune reports. Critics say that the multi-million-dollar, athletes-only centers should be open to all. Some suggest that, since the centers are generally funded and run by the athletic department, they create a conflict of interest;... More »

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NCAA football • higher education • athlete • universities • colleges and universities • college sports • college student

Gunmen Fire Bullets Into Sprinter's Leg

USC runner goes
under knife after Halloween drive-by

Nov 1, 08 6:45 PM CDT
(AP) - A University of Southern California sprinter was recovering today after being shot in the leg three times after leaving a Halloween party, the AP reports. Bryshon Nellum, 19, was hospitalized in stable condition following the shooting at 2 a.m. yesterday, police Officer Sam Park said. Nellum had attended a... More »

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crime • Los Angeles • athlete • shooting • sprinters

US Olympic Medalist Details Sex Abuse

Swimmer Hoelzer goes public in hopes of helping other victims

Sep 16, 08 10:00 AM CDT
(Newser) - Olympic medalist Margaret Hoelzer was sexually abused, she tells the AP in the hopes of helping other victims. The abuse by the friend of a father started when she was 5 years old, the swimmer says, and did not stop until the family moved 2 years later. The abuser was... More »

MORE ABOUT:
2008 Beijing Olympics • child abuse • sexual abuse • athlete • Olympians • USA Swimming • Margaret Hoelzer

Olympics

China's Gold Rush
Pays Off Nicely for Athletes

Government, corporations give athletes big bucks on top of Olympic glory

Aug 23, 08 11:04 AM CDT
(Newser) - Decades ago, bringing glory to the motherland would have been the sole reward for victorious Chinese Olympians. The glory is still there—plenty of it, as China leads the gold medal table—but champions can now expect an average reward of $300,000 in cash and bonuses, even before corporate... More »

MORE ABOUT:
China • 2008 Beijing Olympics • athlete • Chinese athletes • Olympians • gold medal • corporate sponsorship • Olympic athletes • gold medalist

 An Olympic
 Medal, but
 Then What?

Many athletes experience a vacuum when they withdraw competition

Aug 18, 08 3:47 PM CDT
(Newser) - When Olympic careers end, many athletes endure emotional stress or cope with the comedown by turning to drugs, the New York Times reports. Few can expect the multi-million-dollar endorsement deals that await Michael Phelps, and many fail to redirect their focus. The fix, says one sports psychologist, is to identify... More »

MORE ABOUT:
2008 Beijing Olympics • athlete • Olympic athletes • sports psychology • gold medalist • second career

OLYMPICS

 Phelps'
 Victory Dance:
 It's Evolutionary

All primates share body language of pride, shame: researchers

Aug 12, 08 10:36 AM CDT
(Newser) - The classic chest-out, arms-outstretched victory dance Olympic champ Michael Phelps performed after Sunday's 4-x-100 relay final is older than humanity, the LA Times reports. The same display of pride is instinctive to all primates, researchers say, and the body language of victory and defeat is rooted in the age-old need... More »

MORE ABOUT:
evolution • Michael Phelps • 2008 Beijing Olympics • athlete • dance • monkey • primates • Olympics

OLYMPICS

 10 Buzz-Worthy Olympians

Phelps, Bolt, Xiang take sport's center stage

Aug 7, 08 11:49 AM CDT
(Newser) - Competing in 20 Olympic events and going for a record eight gold medals, American swimming phenom Michael Phelps is first off the block in the BBC's list of 10 to watch in Beijing. Here are some of the others:
  • Natalie du Toit: This South African swimmer and Paralympic gold-medalist
... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Michael Phelps • 2008 Beijing Olympics • athlete • swimming • track and field • Usain Bolt • Natalie du Toit

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