By Alex Thomas On wold Sports Blog at CNN
Although many consider football to be a global sport, a look at the history of the World Cup shows only a handful of nations have mastered it. FIFA – the game’s world governing body – recognizes 208 national associations but just seven have celebrated having the best team on the planet.
South Africa 2010 will be the 19th football World Cup. Of the previous 18 tournaments, five have been won by Brazil, four by Italy and three by Germany. Argentina and Uruguay have claimed two each and France and England one apiece. So, four European and three South American countries have triumphed but the world champions have never come from North America, Asia or Africa.
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By Stephen J. Dubner, in The New York Times
We recently solicited your questions for sports economists David Berri and Martin Schmidt, whose new book, Stumbling on Wins, explores the statistics of sports vicory and the mistakes that teams make.
Your questions were particularly good for this Q&A, and Berri and Schmidt avidly took the bait, covering topics like draft strategy, inefficient scoring in the NBA, and salary caps. Thanks to all for your participation.
To read the Q&A…
By Carl Zimmer, in Discover Magazine
The qualities that set a great athlete apart from the rest of us lie not just in the muscles and the lungs but also between the ears. That’s because athletes need to make complicated decisions in a flash. One of the most spectacular examples of the athletic brain operating at top speed came in 2001, when the Yankees were in an American League playoff game with the Oakland Athletics. Shortstop Derek Jeter managed to grab an errant throw coming in from right field and then gently tossed the ball to catcher Jorge Posada, who tagged the base runner at home plate. Jeter’s quick decision saved the game—and the series—for the Yankees. To make the play, Jeter had to master both conscious decisions, such as whether to intercept the throw, and unconscious ones. These are the kinds of unthinking thoughts he must make in every second of every game: how much weight to put on a foot, how fast to rotate his wrist as he releases a ball, and so on.
In recent years neuroscientists have begun to catalog some fascinating differences between average brains and the brains of great athletes. By understanding what goes on in athletic heads, researchers hope to understand more about the workings of all brains—those of sports legends and couch potatoes alike.
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From Daniel Engber, in Slate
Fans of sports underdogs have had an amazing run these past few months. In February, the New Orleans Saints won their first-ever Super Bowl, an upset victory over the invincible Colts. At the beginning of April, a little-known college from the Midwest made it to the NCAA basketball title game against the hated Blue Devils. (When the kids from Butler finally lost, the papers called them “triumphant in defeat.”) And more recently, the Oklahoma City Thunder very nearly forced the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers to a seventh game in the first round of the NBA playoffs.
Reason tells us this run will soon be over—underdogs are underdogs because they usually lose. I wasn’t the only one whose heart sank when Butler’s final shot rimmed out, and I won’t suffer alone when Oklahoma City gets bumped from the playoffs. We all share in the occasional joy—and more frequent misery—of rooting for the improbable.
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From Mary Bruce, at ABC News
Surrounded by women athletes and Olympians Vice President Biden announced today that the Obama administration is rolling back a controversial Title IX compliance requirement enacted under the Bush administration.
“Making Title IX as strong as possible is a no-brainer,” Biden said this afternoon at an event at George Washington University. “What we’re doing here today will better ensure equal opportunity in athletics, and allow women to realize their potential - so this nation can realize its potential.”
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From Michel Martin, in NPR
The Phoenix Suns sported a different type of jersey Wednesday night while playing in the NBA playoffs. The black jerseys were emblazoned with the words “Los Suns”. It was the team’s way of protesting the recently-signed controversial Arizona immigration law. Host Michel Martin speaks with Sports Illustrated writer Pablo Torre about last night’s game and the unprecedented mix of sports and politics on the court.
MICHEL MARTIN, host:
Last night, the debate over Arizona’s tough new immigration law shifted to the courts, or I should say the court the basketball court, that is. The Phoenix Suns protested the immigration restrictions in their home state by sporting a new jersey that reads Los Suns during last night’s playoff game. They won, by the way. They defeated the San Antonio Spurs.
Sports Illustrated writer Pablo Torre joins us now from New York to talk about this unusual mix of sports and politics. Welcome back. Thanks for joining us.
Mr. PABLO TORRE (Writer, Sports Illustrated): Thanks, Michel.
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