Seven things about the Carolina-Denver title game that made me glad: Defense has taken a licking, but keeps on ticking. As in recent Super Bowls, the Carolina Panther and Denver Bronco had elite defenses that played special roles. We know that the offenses have gotten a lot of legislative help from commissioner and other NFL…
The Boston Celtics took a team-record 46 three-pointers, early February, 2016. It was not only a team record, said Pardon the Interruption, it was the third-highest attempts in NBA history. There is a lot of noise about the high volume of three-point shots in the NBA. The opiners can’t exactly complain, because there are so many…
Super Bowl #50 features up-and-comer Cam Newton, the playful and sly quarterback who is about as controversial as it gets in our constantly-offended society. More importantly, Newton is marketable—in terms of selling yogurt and giving the world something to talk about. “He’s the new face of the NFL,” said more than one sports talking head,…
The 2016 College Football Playoff title game between Clemson and Alabama was partly billed as a battle between the SEC and the ACC. The Tide’s win led many to conclude that the “top to bottom” quality of the Southeastern Conference was superior. The perception of the respective conferences played into most experts’ pregame pick of…
“[The Redskins name] receives the most public attention due to the name itself being defined as derogatory or insulting in modern dictionaries,” says Wikipedia. Controversy over Washington, D.C.’s NFL team name has been building in recent years. The term hearkens not only to a noble people, but to a past where early American settlers took scalps and skins of indigenous…
When UFC fighter Ronda Rousey decided to mark her new status as female sports hero of the hour, one way she did that was sparking a social media battle. Boxer Floyd Mayweather was a recipient of the snark, and did his best to rope-a-dope the Twitter jabs. He’s no fool—she admires and is jealous of…
From skateboarder Jason Lee to football’s Fred Williamson, Hollywood’s history is packed with excellent athletes who turned respectable acting careers. Jim Brown, Alex Karras, Wilt, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and the nearly-forgotten Paul Robeson did it. O.J. belongs on the list. Best-of lists about those guys have been done already. Besides, none of them are on active…