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World Cup: The Seven Sins of Soccer

The 2010 FIFA World Cup begins June 11th in South Africa. The whole world is watching! To get into the mood, here are some stories you may not know of the seamier side of the wholesome sport of football.... READ ON

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How the Indy 500 Came About

Sunday, the annual Indianapolis 500 race will be held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The speedway is celebrating its "centennial era" from 2009-2011, so this race is not officially referred to as "the 94th", even though that is the number of the event. Some races were skipped during wartime. The three-race, two-year celebration commemorates the opening of the speedway in 1909 and the first 500-mile race in... READ ON

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Video: Quidditch World Cup

We've written about the Quidditch World Cup before -- it's a competition in which muggles play a real-world version of the fictional Harry Potter game. Below, check out actual video from the event at Middlebury College. Do you wonder what Muggle Quidditch players look like? You're about to find out. Warning: this video contains nerds and jocks. And, weirdly, nerdy jocks. See also: Calvinball, Quidditch and other fictional sports you can play and Curling Term or Quidditch... READ ON

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The Late Movies: Horse Racing Hijinks

The 136th annual Kentucky Derby is tomorrow. To get into the mood, here are some classic races from all over featuring creatively-named horses. The first four feature sportscaster Tom Durkin lending his abilities to the silliness.... READ ON

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5 Notable Kentucky Derby Non-Winners

Horses like Secretariat, Seattle Slew, and Citation go down in history for winning the Kentucky Derby. You might also be interested in the stories of some horses that didn't win. 1. Dancer's Image... READ ON

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The Late Movies: Stadium Demolitions

Last week, after Texas Stadium was demolished, I emailed blog overlord Jason English to pitch this Late Movies about demolished stadiums. I was totally unaware that Texas Stadium had just come down; I just knew that I liked to watch the YouTube video of Philadelphia's Veterans Stadium imploding. I'm a born-and-bred Philadelphian and remember watching the Vet's demolition on live television. Any readers out there see any of these implosions live? Texas Stadium Opened: October 24, 1971. Demolished:... READ ON

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Hit Me With Your Best Shot: A Brief History of Presidential Pitching

"Last year, more Americans went to symphonies than went to baseball games. This may be viewed as an alarming statistic, but I think that both baseball and the country will endure." "“ President John Fitzgerald... READ ON

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Olympics 2010: Skiing Solo for a Snowless Nation

Jamaica is not sending a bobsled team to Vancouver for the Winter Games, but the Caribbean nation will be represented by one skier. Several countries will have only one participant in the Olympics, because there are no winter sports to speak of in these tropical lands. Yet sometimes the work of one person keeps the Olympic dream alive. Errol... READ ON

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The Fans Strike Back: 9 Sports Protests

In Washington, DC, Redskins fans are mailing "Fan Cards" to team headquarters and local media outlets, renouncing their fandom as a result of the actions of owner Daniel Snyder. In Cleveland, legendary fan "Dawg Pound Mike" is encouraging Browns fans to stay out of their seats for the opening kickoff of the team's Monday night game against the Ravens next week. And in Oakland, it's only a matter of time before Raiders fans think of a creative way to protest the... READ ON