Strollerderby : athletes

Lose a Game, Gain a Son

JeanneSager — Sun, 24 May 2009 19:01:00 GMT

The day your child is born may not be THE best day of your life (because, really, what does that say about every day after that). But, hey, doesn't the birth of your child tend to overshadow everything else that happened around that time?

Let's hope so for Casey Jennings.

The pro volleyball player had a horrendous day in the sand on Saturday, finishing in seventh place with partner Matt Fuerbringer at the AVP Crocs Tour Huntington Beach Open. But Jennings walked off a pretty happy guy - it was less than twenty-four hours since wife Kerri Walsh (the Olympic gold medalist) had given birth to a little boy.

Jennings played in matches (and won them) on Friday, but he made it home in time to escort Walsh to the hospital and be present at the birth of Joseph Michael. But he said his finish on Saturday was most disappointing because it doesn't carry with it the story he'd hoped to tell Joey down the road.

"I wanted to win and be able to tell him, 'The day after you were born I kicked some butt, and that 'The day you were born I kicked some butt!'" Jennings told the LA Times.

Otherwise, Jennings was on top of the world. And a seventh place finish wasn't going to change that.

Can you blame him? Did you have something really crappy happen around the birth of your child that you were able to power through because this was just SO much better?

Image: LA Times

Boy Scouts Say Your Kid is Too Fat

JeanneSager — Mon, 11 May 2009 15:01:00 GMT

If your little boy is overweight, you better be prepared to break this news: he might not be allowed to join the Boy Scouts with his buddies.

The Scouts are adding height and weight standards for boys and their adult counterparts who take part in the "high adventure" or extreme events, the kind of activities that often take Scouts and their leaders off into the woods or other places that are far afield from medical assistance.

The Scouts say the new requirements are for the safety of participants. But parents and a lot of current Scouting participants say they're merely cutting more families out (and I say more because, of course, there's that whole "no gays allowed" thing already going on in the Scouts).

As one major scouting site points out - you can easily be physically fit and not fall within those height to weight guidelines. Besides, there are plenty of Scouting leaders who could stand to lose a few pounds - and we all know how easy it is to get parent volunteers these days (er, NOT).

Of course, the bigger concern here is what does this say to our kids? That fat kids have yet another barrier in front of them?

Let's face it - we all know that kids with weight issues also often face self-esteem trouble. A study found that problem increased significantly when kids hit the early teen years, just about the time that Scouts are allowed into the higher adventure activities. It's worth noting too, that this is when kids are at the heigh of puberty, and their bodies are changing significantly - including their heigh to weight ratio.

In other words - it's a risky and difficult time for kids, a time when they would most benefit from a group activity and the ability to participate. A group activity that may even get them off their butts, out from in front of their XBoxes and out climbing trees and hiking forests and . . . um, losing weight, gaining muscle, etc.?

Obviously, I was never a Boy Scout (although they do accept girls for certain events now - especially the adventure groups for teens), but the men I've known who truly enjoyed Scouts were not necessarily your classic buff, rough, tough athletic types. In fact one Eagle Scout I know has battled lifelong weight problems and was unable to play school athletics because he "wasn't good enough." He found his place in Scouts because he didn't have to be masterful at any one thing to succeed.

It might do the Scouts well to mold their programs to the kids rather than expecting kids to mold to their programs. After all, without little boys, there is no Boy Scouts of America.

Image: Boy Scouts via Chicago Tribune

Mom or Winning Division I Basketball Coach? You Decide

JeanneSager — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 16:01:00 GMT

Two guesses how I figured out the the coach of Arizona State University had to be a mother.

Something about the word "poop" just gave it away.

A video of Charli Turner Thorne screaming at her players in the locker room at half-time has gone viral in the past few days. Not because it's strange for a coach to yell or even because this is a female coach.

Her strong words for her players? "You played like poop!" Check it out:

Sorry Coach, even at top volume, it just sounds so, well, eight-year-old.

Which would make sense, as Thorne's son Liam IS eight years old. She also has a ten-year-old and a five-year-old, all boys. And I give her full credit - Thorne coached throughout all three pregnancies. She is also a well-respected coach who brought her team to the elite eight during March Madness this year. By the way, it was the team that ended the ASU run to the championship that had Thorne all riled up - the women were losing (and did lose) to UConn.

Because, apparently, they played like poop!

Hey parents, ever find yourself using your potty mouth outside of the house?

Image: TalkingProud

Where I Say Something Nice About the New York Mets

JeanneSager — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 13:34:00 GMT

Ready your markers for the calendar. I'm about to do something a Yankees fan should never do.

I want to send good thoughts the way of New York Mets' pitcher Johan Santana. There I said it. Happy? Good, because it hurt.

So what did Mr. Santana do, pray tell? The pitcher skipped the Mets' home opener last night at the new CitiField because he had bigger fish to fry. Like the birth of his third child.

Santana stayed in Florida after allowing no earned runs in seven innings and pitching thirteen strikeouts on Sunday, so he could be at wife Yasmile's bedside when she delivers a sibling for daughters Jasmily and Jasmine (have they been talking to the Duggars?).

He wasn't scheduled to pitch anyway, but come on, we're talking about the home opener at a brand new park in arguably the biggest baseball town on the planet. I always love it when the big names show they have their priorities straight. It makes me respect them a whole lot more - even if they do play for the Mets.

Does finding out athletes are family oriented change your opinion of them?

Image: NJ.com

UPDATE: Chris Brown's Skipping the Kid's Choice Awards

JeanneSager — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 22:01:00 GMT

As I previously reported, Chris Brown has been lobbying kids to vote for him in the upcoming Kids' Choice Awards on Nickelodeon. The TV channel has ignored some five thousand parent signatures on a petition asking for his removal from the process.

But someone's listening - Chris Brown says he'll skip the Kids' Choice Awards. Finally, one RIGHT choice for a guy who has made some pretty major mistakes recently - as you can see by the original post (BELOW).

I've always thought that celebrities are put on too high a pedestal where kids are concerned. They're human, just like the rest of us.

But the Kids' Choice Awards have put parents in a particularly tight spot this year - Chris Brown is up for an award, and he's lobbying hard for kids to cast their votes.

In a post put up on Brown's Myspace page on Thursday, Brown asks kids to vote for him as Favorite Male Singer and Favorite Song, providing direct links to the Kids' Choice voting site where they can do so.

Yes, this is the same Chris Brown accused of beating girlfriend Rihanna to a pulp before the Grammy's. What's more - he's up against her in the Kids' Choice Favorite Song category, which pits his "Kiss, Kiss" featuring T-Pain against Rihanna's "Don't Stop the Music" as well as Katy Perry's "I Kissed a Girl" (which is a whole OTHER post right there) and "Single Ladies" by Beyonce.

In general, the Kids' Choice Awards, a Nickelodeon invention spun off of their 1986 Big Ballot vote, are pretty harmless. It lets kids feel involved. But let's face it, the kids are not always weighing in on kid-friendly fare (hello "I Kissed a Girl" - about sexual experimentation). And after years of trying to make celebrities who don't have the shiniest of pasts into child role models, the awards force the issue. You will be in front of kids, so you better shape up.

Chris Brown only highlights that it doesn't work that way, and it never has. He's hardly the first to fall down on the "role model job." Whitney Houston hosted twice in the 1990s, the first Kids' Choice host to take the job two separate times. Talented singer, no doubt. But would you want your kids looking up to a reported crack addict?

Musicians, actors, athletes are regular people. Regular people with talent. That doesn't make them good people. There are thousands of stars worthy of your kids' adulation, but it isn't because they've been catapulted to stardom. It's their hearts, their good deeds outside of the limelight as much as in.

Unfortunately, we've put these celebrities front and center for our kids. Chris Brown is there, and there's no escaping either the pull of his music or the disgusting example of domestic violence. What are parents going to do now?

Image: Mix Matters

Six-Year-Old Soccer Star Could be the Next Beckham

JeanneSager — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 22:02:00 GMT

At six years old, I got a whopper of a scar on my knee out of pure klutziness - put a soccer ball in front of me, and I was flat on my face.

Which makes me that much more impressed that the kid being hailed as the next Beckham - or better yet the next Zinedine Zidane - isn't suiting up to play in the English Premier League anytime soon. He's six.

Six, and Madin Mohammed can spin his body in a three-sixty around an opposing player without blinking - and more importantly without losing touch on the ball. His on-ball skills are stunning - mostly because they're effortless. At that age, the ability to move a ball with that accuracy is talent - pure and simple. There are players in the English Premier League today who don't have that kind of control. It's no wonder the top officials at Chelsea and Real Madrid (Beckham's old team in Spain) have their eye on him.

Maybe his age plays a role here - Mohammed moves without thinking, which is easier to do when you're six years old, playing purely for fun. His age doesn't account for the fluidity, the natural talent that can't be taught. But his parents would be wise to keep the sniffing scouts at bay, to allow him to develop that talent while he's able to take adantage of the youthful joy of movement, the lack of pressure.

Check out his skills - it could be the French rap (everything sounds better in French, doesn't it) but this video is mesmerizing.

Do you think he has the stuff to take over the soccer world? Would you suggest the world just back off for awhile?

Image: Polish News

Source: Yahoo

Teen Ball Players Throw Away a Win for Child of Cancer Victim

Is it Time to Give up on Athletes as Child Role Models?

Four Children's Books That Almost Weren't

Teen Ball Players Throw Away a Win for Child of Cancer Victim

JeanneSager — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 20:33:00 GMT

Just when you think kids are done surprising you, they do it again. Take the boys of the DeKalb (Wisc.) high school basketball team - who showed this month that winning isn't everything, especially when it means hurting a boy who has just lost his mom.

A group of teen boys traveled two hours to play a high school basketball game in Milwaukee, Wisc. earlier this month, only to find the coach of the opposing team, the Milwaukee Madison High School team, wasn't there. Coach Adam Womack Jr. was at the local hospital with player Johntell Franklin, whose mom had died that day from cancer.

The visitors from DeKalb were eager to get home, but Coach Dave Rohlman told Womack to take his time. DeKalb offered to go home, to let the players from Madison have their time to grieve.

But Womack decided his kids needed to play, needed to get their minds off of their friend and onto the game. They took to the court. In the middle of the second quarter, Franklin arrived. He wasn't on the roster, but he wanted to play. It would mean giving up two free throws to DeKalb - official policy in high school basketball, substituting a player not listed in the official scorebook is a technical.

It would have given DeKalb an advantage. Instead they argued with the ref. They didn't want to take it. When the ref insisted, one of the team's best players went to the free throw line, and missed. Twice.

He purposely threw the ball out of bounds, and threw away a win. Madison went on to win a close game . . . and the two teams sat down afterward to share a couple pizzas.

Somehow, I seem to find a weeper to share here on the 'Derby at least once a week. This is no exception (and the fact that this story was e-mailed to me by my husband, who was touched in his own sports guy way makes this all the more moving). What's remarkable about this story are the attitudes of the kids and coaches from DeKalb, of course, but also the understanding of Coach Womack that his players needed to play - that Franklin could find catharsis on the court after losing his mother.

High school sports are hotly contested, and a win means far more to kids at that age than most adults realize. Giving that up - throwing that away - takes guts, heart and an incredible self-possession that most sixteen, seventeen-year-old boys (or girls) don't have. A letter from Coach Womack to the editor of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel points out an incredible job is being done in raising these kids.

"As a principal, school, school district staff, and community you should all feel immense pride for the remarkable job that the coaching staff is doing in not only coaching these young men, but teaching them how to be leaders," Womack says.

These are the kinds of sports stars we really need.

Source: Bleacher Report

Image: Journal Sentinel (Johntell Franklin)

Is it Time to Give up on Athletes as Child Role Models?

JeanneSager — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 15:24:00 GMT

A-Roid. Stoner Phelps. It's been a bad couple of weeks for our so-called role models.

But Alex Rodriguez was hardly the first star to be caught 'roiding it up and Michael Phelps has a long line of disgraced Olympians ahead of him (including athletes who were doped up DURING the games, not just smoking it up six months after the games).

So is it time we put that old "athletes are our kids' best role models" horse back into the barn?

Because when a player walks out onto a field, court, diamond, pitch . . . they aren't being paid to make kids like them. They're being paid to win a game.

The Yankees don't pick a third baseman based on a history of helping old ladies across the street or even a stellar credit rating. They pick a guy who can hit homeruns, a guy who can whip the ball back to first when pressure's on to keep the tying run off base. In short, they hire an athlete, not a man.

The man - or woman - who plays a professional sport or makes it to the top of the amateur world has something the rest of us don't - talent. It's impressive, sure. And without drive and amibition - both traits we'd like to see in our kids - it would be worth nothing. Still, it's not the answer to making our kids better people. It's inate, something few people are lucky enough to be born with, and few of our kids will ever have.

So why do we push them to focus on athletes? Some of the best in the world were hardly stellar people. Mickey Mantle was an incredible baseball player (and as a die-hard Yankee fan, one of my favorites). But the Mick was also a womanizing alcoholic. By contrast, his dear friend Roger Maris was another stellar athlete, the first to hit sixty-one home runs - without a needle in sight. And he was demonized by the media for his simple, quiet ways, for being the sort of man most of us probably WOULD like our kids to grow up to be - a man who focused on his family, who was honest, who lived a clean life.

The problem with putting athletes on pedestals, is simple. They weren't vetted as child role models. They were vetted as athletes. Anything more is just a bonus.

Image: AllTalkSports

Mom Gives Kidney to Son's Little League Coach

JeanneSager — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 17:28:00 GMT

Some coaches inspire kids to do big things. But it isn't one of his Little Leaguers clinching post-season play for Pat Neal The kids' baseball coach will get a kidney next month from the mother of one of his athletes.

Neal has been coaching Sam Martin's son Chase for the past four years. Two years ago, when there was a chance Chase would end up with another coach, the Martins crossed their fingers and signed up anyway. Chase was overjoyed - and Neal says it was a "God thing," something that kept the Martins connected to him for these past two years, something that ensured his perfect match would find out he needed a kidney.

Martin is perfect in every way - although there is no relation between the two, doctors say she's been able to keep Neal from waiting as much as five years on a transplant list because they can go ahead with the surgery in January. She said once doctors told her the surgery would not endanger her chances to have another baby, nothing could stop her from helping Neal.

Considering how often parents seem to be coming to blows on the sidelines of kids games these days, it's nice to know there are still coaches out there who parents can really behind. And some parents could put a body part into!

Image/Source: MSNBC

Three-Year-Old Eats Solid Food for the First Time

The Longshots: Girls Can Play Football . . . and Make You Cry

Lost Dog Makes it Home For Christmas

A Genetic Test That Predicts Kids' Athletic Futures

JeanneSager — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 16:32:00 GMT

Think your toddler has the foot to bend it like Beckham one day? What if the only thing standing between you and knowing if they'd one day be kicking balls in the big leagues was $149? Oh yeah, and a cheek swab which should be bagged and sent out to a lab in Colorado for testing.

The Boulder-based Atlas Sports Genetics is touting a new test which they say can help pinpoint a child's natural athletic future. For that $149, you'll get a report telling you whether your kid is designed for speed or endurance.

It all sounds a bit West German, Soviet bloc to me, but Atlas owner Kevin Reilly says his test will actually help protect kids with an overzealous parent from being pushed into a sport they simply weren't made to play. The tests are built off of the 2003 study which linked the gene ACTN3 to athletic ability. The study found that the R variant of the gene directs the body to produce a protein used in developing the type of muscle mass needed for power and speed. By contrast, the X variant of the gene was found to be more prevalent in the elite endurance Olympians studied.

Atlas' test breaks down the ACTN3 gene from the swabs and looks for either R or X variants, then reports back to parents. They test kids ages one through eight, with the hopes of giving parents a chance to properly foster a kid's natural abilities from a young age (although, to give him credit, Reilly advises against heavily pushing children into competitive sports until at least eight years old . . . to avoid burnout).

Besides the fact that many scientists have said ACTN3 studies are still in their infancy, and a more in-depth look at the genetic make-up of athletes is in order, I'm skeptical. So a kid may have an R variant of a gene (the one supposedly pointing to power sports); what if he doesn't like football? Won't this promote more overzealous parents rather than limit them?

My husband is a big soccer fan, so he loves kicking the ball around with our three year old. For a tot, she's got a great handle on the ball. But does that mean we should cut out all requests for tee-ball, softball, even a bid to run cross country? Whatever happened to letting our kids play sports because they enjoy them, because they'll gain discipline, learn sportsmanship, get their butts off the couch? Last time I checked, it really is just a game.

Growing up in a small town where the fight for passing the school budget was to ensure we'd still have a football program every year - so boys would have a chance to get noticed by a college scout - I've got to tell you, excellent athletes are few and far between. The best athletes may not be the girls who score every goal or the quarterbacks who lead their teams to the state championships. The kids who are told constantly that they're destined for great things are often ball hogs and prima donnas.

But the kids who discover talent on their own . . . they're the kids who play just for the love of the game.

Image/Source: The New York Times

Say Hi To Grandma Through the Screen

Kid Arrested for Farting

What Makes a Yuppie Parent?

What Do You Mean the Guinea Pig Isn't Living on a Farm in Ohio?

Why the puppy games are better than the Olympics

Brett Singer — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 19:00:00 GMT

OK, that's not true. But if you haven't seen this dopey show on Animal Planet, you're missing out on something very cute.

Here are a few highlights:

1. Commentary: "It's going to be tough to impress the judges." True – because they're goldfish. "This is like a chess match." Indeed – if chess opponents gnawed on the pieces and sniffed each others' butts. Bob Costas doesn't get lines like these.

2. No controversy: As far as we know, the opening ceremonies were real, no protesters, journalists or grandmothers were arrested, and no one is complaining about the puppy's potentially sexist costumes.

3. Who won? Who cares?: They're, you know, dogs. They have no idea where they are or what they're doing. You can still cheer for your favorite breed (the Cocker Spaniel is really cute) but at the end of the day, it's all up to the judges… who are goldfish.

4. Two words: Waterbowl Cam.

Not sure if they're going to air this again or not, if so, I highly recommend watching it. There are a bunch of video clips on Discovery.com; here's one of the Gymnastics event.

source/image: Animal Planet

Other Old Olympians

Olympics Opening Uses One Girl's Voice, Another Girl's Face

Bela Karolyi likes to kill things

Did Michael Phelps actually win 8 medals?

Michael Phelps to endorse Frosted Flakes

Olympic Athletes To Be Tested . . . For Gender

Jon Stewart Tackles Olympic Controversies

Michael Phelps father in Baltimore, not Beijing

33 year old mom wins silver medal, saves son from leukemia

Dara Torres inspired two current Olympians

Aussie Rower keeps his kids close

Protesters and journalists arrested in China (video)

Whole lotta fakin' goin' on at the opening ceremony

Shawn Johnson more mature than her coach

Volleyball hasn’t come a long way, baby

Nastia Liukin's mom watches from the stands (video)

Brett Singer — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 15:00:00 GMT

Apparently Nastia Liukin's mother, Anna Kotchneva Liukin, has a hard time watching her gold-medal winning daughter compete. According to the NBC commentators, she spent some of the recent Beijing events shopping. This time, though, she stuck it out, but not without some difficulty. They didn't mention it, but I don't think she knows the guy she's sitting next to, despite the fact that she almost ends up in his lap.

My kids aren't terribly athletic (at least not yet) so I don't know what it's like to see your offspring in an intense competition, and the Olympics are as big as it gets for gymnasts. Anna knows from being on that big stage: she was a champion gymnast herself. Not sure if that makes it harder or easier to see your kid out there; judging from this video, I'd say it must be pretty tough.

Read more:

IOC orders investigation of Chinese Gymnast's age

Other Old Olympians

Shawn Johnson more mature than her coach

Did Michael Phelps actually win 8 medals?

Michael Phelps to endorse Frosted Flakes

Misty May-Treanor & Kerri Walsh Get The Gold, Now They Want to Get Pregnant

Bela Karolyi likes to kill things

They Say: no junk food ads at the Olympics

Misty May-Treanor Scatters Mom's Ashes at Olympics

Twenty Olympic Moms - Now What's My Excuse?

Michael Phelps father in Baltimore, not Beijing

Dara Torres inspired two current Olympians

Whole lotta fakin' goin' on at the opening ceremony

Table Tennis Women, Flaunt Your Stuff!

Volleyball hasn’t come a long way, baby

Jon Stewart Tackles Olympic Controversies

Olympics Opening Uses One Girl's Voice, Another Girl's Face

Do All These Chinese Gymnasts Look 16 to You?

Aussie Rower keeps his kids close

Protesters and journalists arrested in China (video)

IOC orders investigation of Chinese Gymnast's age

Brett Singer — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 19:54:00 GMT

He Kexin won a gold medal in the uneven bars and also contributed to the Chinese beating out the U.S. in the team gymnastics event. She looks really really young, and there have been questions about her age for awhile now. The IOC has begun to formally investigate whether or not, "Chinese authorities covered up the true age of their gold-medal winning gymnastics star because she was too young to compete," because of, "'discrepancies' that have come to light about the age of He Kexin." You kind of have to wonder what took them so long, but apparently someone, described as an "American hacker" by the U.K.-based Times Online, has uncovered documents that offer proof that Kexin is too young.

Watching the games, the judging also seemed biased, although that's more subjective. Still, I'm pretty sure I saw a member of the Chinese team fall in one event and not get any deduction, whereas an American who had a similar fall lost points. Béla Károlyi told Bob Costas that, "The lack of competence of certain judges is obvious," and it was tough to disagree.

Károlyi's wife Marta has attacked the age issue the way her gymnasts attacked their events, and while I think she went a little overboard, I agree that the whole thing is very suspicious.

Would the Chinese government lie about an athlete's age in order to gain a competitive advantage? And if so, what happens? The medals get stripped, but should they be banned from the Olympics for a time after that?

So – how old do you think she looks? 14? 16? Do I hear 12?

Source/image: TimesOnline

They Say: no junk food ads at the Olympics

Michael Phelps father in Baltimore, not Beijing

Dara Torres inspired two current Olympians

Whole lotta fakin' goin' on at the opening ceremony

Some Parenting Lessons From Michael Phelps's Mom

Gold (OK, Silver) Medal Girlcrush: Dana Torres

Volleyball hasn’t come a long way, baby

Jon Stewart Tackles Olympic Controversies

Olympics Opening Uses One Girl's Voice, Another Girl's Face

Do All These Chinese Gymnasts Look 16 to You?

Aussie Rower keeps his kids close

Protesters and journalists arrested in China (video)

Team more mature than coach

They Say: no junk food ads at the Olympics

Brett Singer — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 16:00:00 GMT

Like 30 million plus people, I've been watching a lot of Olympics the past few days. Which means I've seen a lot of commercials from the sponsors of the Games; I think I've seen that McDonald's ad touting chicken sandwiches for breakfast (ew) at least 50 times.

Two watchdog groups, Commercial Alert and Multinational Monitor, have released a study titled, "The Commercial Games." According to AdWeek, "The study is highly critical of the sponsorship and advertising policies of the International Olympic Committee and the various sports federations and national committees under its auspices…The groups argue that the marketing of junk foods, sodas, fast-food chains and alcoholic beverages should be eliminated from the Games. Their reasoning: such products conflict with the stated purpose of the Olympics, which they say is to 'celebrate healthful living.'…Promoting such products in the widely watched Olympics…is 'unhealthful,' and particularly inappropriate 'for an event with enormous appeal to children.'" The groups slam McDonald's and Coca-Cola the hardest, saying that both companies, "run businesses centered around unhealthy food," and suggest that, "The Olympics should not lend its name and aura to help promote more consumption of these unhealthy products."

In what could be the funniest bit of corporate protestation ever, McDonald's "objected to the study's labeling of its product as 'unhealthy,'" presumably because they now offer apple slices and stuff like that. (Don't worry; you can get "low-fat caramel dipping sauce" with them.) The International Olympic Committee (IOC) does not accept ads from liquor companies, although beer and wine are OK. Not surprisingly, Commercial Alert and Multinational Monitor think the IOC should ban beer and wine ads as well.

The reason for all of these ads is, of course, money. According to Ad Week, there are 63 sponsors at this years' Games, which sounds like a lot, although it doesn’t say how that compares to previous years. The article quotes "brand consultant" Robert Passikoff as saying that 63 might be too many sponsors, but he defends the IOC's right to sell as many ads as they can: "The question is why should they cut back? They're making an awful lot of money on it. Why should anyone other than the consumers and the marketing folks be the arbiter of what's right and wrong? No research group should have the right to tell them who to do business with; who put them in charge?"

Is Passikoff right? Or should the IOC be more selective about whom they allow to sponsor the Olympics?

Source: AdWeek, Image: MSNBC

Protesters and journalists arrested in China (video)

Whole lotta fakin' goin' on at the opening ceremony

Team more mature than coach

Other Old Olympians

Michael Phelps father in Baltimore, not Beijing

Like father like son

Aussie Rower keeps his kids close

Dara Torres inspired two current Olympians

Some Parenting Lessons From Michael Phelps's Mom

Gold (OK, Silver) Medal Girlcrush: Dana Torres

Volleyball hasn’t come a long way, baby

Baby survives tornado

Egyptian woman gives birth to septuplets because she wanted a boy

Jon Stewart Tackles Olympic Controversies

Olympics Opening Uses One Girl's Voice, Another Girl's Face

Do All These Chinese Gymnasts Look 16 to You?

Bela Karolyi likes to kill things

Brett Singer — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 22:00:00 GMT

When Béla Károlyi isn't training world-class gymnasts or telling Bob Costas that, "The lack of competence of certain judges [in this year's Olympic Games] is obvious," he likes to go…hunting.

When I googled Károlyi in an attempt to get the spelling of his name correct, this page was the fourth result. After seeing him comment, often mercilessly, on the various Olympic gymnastic events, I'm going to say that I'm not exactly shocked that one of his leisure activities is hunting big game.

I'm not going to say anything else about this, since, you know, I don't want to get shot.

Images/Source: bigbexotics.com

Michael Phelps father in Baltimore, not Beijing

Dara Torres inspired two current Olympians

Some Parenting Lessons From Michael Phelps's Mom

Gold (OK, Silver) Medal Girlcrush: Dana Torres

Volleyball hasn’t come a long way, baby

Baby survives tornado

Aussie Rower keeps his kids close

Protesters and journalists arrested in China (video)

Team more mature than coach

Did Michael Phelps actually win 8 medals?

Brett Singer — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 19:00:00 GMT

Usually when an athlete is accused of cheating, it's a doping issue: this year alone, at least four athletes have been caught using banned substances. But in Michael Phelps' case, there may be something else going on.

Here's the deal, as reported in the New York Times:

The race in which Phelps won his seventh medal, tying Mark Spitz and setting him up to break the record for most gold at one Olympic Games, was decided by 1/100th of a second. Despite some "controversy" (that's what the article says; I don't recall hearing anything about this when it happened) over the results of the 100-meter butterfly, the authority that oversees swimming (FINA) decided not to release video images to help "prove" that Phelps was the winner.

What does this have to do with Michael Phelps? Well, Omega is the official timekeeper of the Olympics. They are also one of Phelps' sponsors. As the New York Times puts it, "The most visible athlete at these Games is getting a paycheck from the same company whose equipment decides the outcome of Phelps’s events."

To me, this is much ado about nothing, and an attempt to create a problem where there isn't one.

In the first place, FINA doesn’t typically release images of the races, which the Times article mentions but not until the middle of the article. Second, Omega didn't make the decision, FINA did. And third… I don't know, is anyone all that upset about this? Is that because we desperately wanted Phelps to break Spitz's record? Maybe. Personally, I didn't care that much; although some of the races were a lot of fun to watch (like when we beat the French in the relay after they had said they would "crush" the U.S. team – put that in your beret, Frenchie!), by the time Phelps won his eighth gold medal I found I had a certain amount of Phelps Phatigue. That's not to take anything away from him; I just think the coverage got to be a little bit overblown.

If you want to talk about weird judging issues, what about the gymnastics, where the judges clearly favored the Chinese team? (Béla Károlyi, despite being a little bit scary, was right on with much of his analysis.) And if you want to say that there are potential conflicts of interest between certain parties at the Games, I'm sure there is plenty to talk about. I'm not sure, however, that this is an actual controversy.

On the other hand – isn't it fun to have two opinions on the same topic? – why not just release the images? The photo shown here certainly doesn't do much to dispel the notion that perhaps the end result of the race wasn't what we were told it was. Sports ethicists (there's a job I want) interviewed by the Times say that FINA should release whatever information is necessary to keep people from thinking that the results were tainted, especially in this case, since it is so high profile.

Image/source: NYTimes

Other Old Olympians

Michael Phelps father in Baltimore, not Beijing

Whole lotta fakin' goin' on at the opening ceremony

Protesters and journalists arrested in China (video)

Dara Torres inspired two current Olympians

Elderly Chinese Women Sentenced to "Re-Education"

Some Parenting Lessons From Michael Phelps's Mom

Gold (OK, Silver) Medal Girlcrush: Dana Torres

Volleyball hasn’t come a long way, baby

Table Tennis Women, Flaunt Your Stuff!

Baby survives tornado

Aussie Rower keeps his kids close

Team more mature than coach

Michael Phelps to endorse Frosted Flakes

Brett Singer — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 16:30:00 GMT

Maybe they should call them Phrosted Phlakes?

Once upon a time, Wheaties was the Breakfast of Champions, but now its Frosted Flakes. Michael Phelps will appear on a box of Tony the Tiger's favorite (phavorite? OK, OK, I'll stop) morning meal.

Naturally, some are upset with Phelps for choosing to endorse a sugary breakfast cereal. "In a country where childhood obesity is an alarming issue, Phelps' iconic image sharing space with Tony the Tiger sends the wrong message, experts say."

Personally, I doubt that any kid will buy Frosted Flakes because Phelps' image is on the box, although Kellogg's probably hopes I'm very wrong. And we know he did it because they offered him more money, rather than a more "moral" reason. Since swimming can't touch baseball or football in terms of the money an athlete can earn for competing, I don't think I have a problem with Michael making as much as he can while he can make it, especially since the IOC seems to be raking it in from their 63 sponsors.

source/image: NY Daily News

Protesters and journalists arrested in China (video)

Whole lotta fakin' goin' on at the opening ceremony

Team more mature than coach

Other Old Olympians

Michael Phelps father in Baltimore, not Beijing

Like father like son

Aussie Rower keeps his kids close

Dara Torres inspired two current Olympians

Some Parenting Lessons From Michael Phelps's Mom

Gold (OK, Silver) Medal Girlcrush: Dana Torres

Volleyball hasn’t come a long way, baby

Baby survives tornado

Egyptian woman gives birth to septuplets because she wanted a boy

Jon Stewart Tackles Olympic Controversies

Olympics Opening Uses One Girl's Voice, Another Girl's Face

Do All These Chinese Gymnasts Look 16 to You?

Other Old Olympians

Brett Singer — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 15:00:00 GMT

Dara Torres is 41, and Oksana Chusovitina is 33 (and saved her son from leukemia), but they aren't even close to the oldest Olympic athletes in history, or even this year. Most aren't in the more physically strenuous events, but competing in anything at their age is pretty impressive.

* Iain Murray is on the Australian Olympic sailing team, and at age 50 is making his Olympic debut. Murray is Australia's oldest Olympian; Andrew Palfrey, a teammate, is 41 and also competing in his first Olympics.

* Luan Jujie was 50 years old in 1984 when she won a Gold medal in fencing for Canada.

* Susan Nattrass is 57 and currently in Beijing on the Canadian shooting team. In 1976, she became the first woman shooter to compete in the Olympics.

* Hiroshi Hoketsu, a Japanese equestrian, made his Olympic debut in 1964 and is now back for a second time – at age 67.

* Oscar Swahn (Shooting) competed in his last Olympics in 1920 at the age of – are you ready for this? – 72. (He was planning to go in 1924 but he got sick. Wimp.) Over his career, Swahn won three gold medals, two bronze, and a silver in 1920, making him the oldest Olympic medallist ever. Fun fact: his son competed with him in 1908, 1912 and 1920.

For more, see NBCOlympics.com

Image/Source: nbcolympics.com

Dara Torres inspired two current Olympians

Some Parenting Lessons From Michael Phelps's Mom

Gold (OK, Silver) Medal Girlcrush: Dana Torres

Volleyball hasn’t come a long way, baby

Baby survives tornado

Aussie Rower keeps his kids close

Egyptian woman gives birth to septuplets because she wanted a boy

Protesters and journalists arrested in China (video)

Whole lotta fakin' goin' on at the opening ceremony

Team more mature than coach

Jon Stewart Tackles Olympic Controversies

Olympics Opening Uses One Girl's Voice, Another Girl's Face

Do All These Chinese Gymnasts Look 16 to You?

Like father like son

Michael Phelps father in Baltimore, not Beijing

Brett Singer — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 13:00:00 GMT

We've seen quite a bit of Michael Phelps' mom Debbie in Beijing. Bob Costas interviewed her and her record-setting spawn after Mike beat Mark Spitz's record by winning of eight medals in one Olympic games.

But Phelps pop, Fred, isn't there. Where is he? He's at home, in Baltimore. Watching the games on TV.

According to multiple sources, "Fred and Debbie separated for good in 1993, and the divorce was finalized the next year, when Michael was 9." This site implies that Fred "walked out" on Debbie and Michael, which I guess is possible, but I don't know since this is the only source of that I've found.

The same site claims to have a photo of Fred Phelps, but I think the photo on Cleveland.com is more accurate.

That article, written by Tim Warsinskey, asks the question, "Are you wondering what I'm wondering?" Tim wanted to know where Phelps' dad is; as a reason, he says that he is a father himself. I'm a dad as well, but I have to admit that "where's Michael's father?" isn't a question I asked as I watched the Olympics.

For his part, Fred said, "This is just about Michael. This is his glory, his time to shine, and I want him to get everything he wants." So even if he did "walk out" on his family (not saying he did, just saying if) at least he's not trying to claim that he's the reason Michael won all that gold.

image: Cleveland.com

Some Parenting Lessons From Michael Phelps's Mom

Gold (OK, Silver) Medal Girlcrush: Dana Torres

Volleyball hasn’t come a long way, baby

Baby survives tornado

Aussie Rower keeps his kids close

Egyptian woman gives birth to septuplets because she wanted a boy

Protesters and journalists arrested in China (video)

Whole lotta fakin' goin' on at the opening ceremony

Team more mature than coach

Jon Stewart Tackles Olympic Controversies

Olympics Opening Uses One Girl's Voice, Another Girl's Face

Do All These Chinese Gymnasts Look 16 to You?

Like father like son

33 year old mom wins silver medal, saves son from leukemia

Brett Singer — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 15:00:00 GMT

Dara Torres is an inspiration to many, competing in the Olympics at age 41, and winning. But I think the story of Oksana Chusovitina, a German gymnast, might be even more inspiring.

Here's the deal: Oksana is from Uzbekistan. Her son was diagnosed with leukemia at the age of 3. There were no beds for him in her home country. Because of her gymnastics ability, she was able to move to Germany and join their team, while also getting her little boy the treatment he needed.

He seems to be doing better now, and to make the story even better, she just won a silver medal. She's also 33 years old in a sport where 22 is considered really old. Congratulations to her, and to her son.

Source/image: Detroit Free Press

Olympic Parenting: Oksana Chusovitina and Alisher

Gold (OK, Silver) Medal Girlcrush: Dana Torres

Volleyball hasn’t come a long way, baby

Baby survives tornado

Aussie Rower keeps his kids close

Egyptian woman gives birth to septuplets because she wanted a boy

Protesters and journalists arrested in China (video)

Whole lotta fakin' goin' on at the opening ceremony

Team more mature than coach

Jon Stewart Tackles Olympic Controversies

Olympics Opening Uses One Girl's Voice, Another Girl's Face

Do All These Chinese Gymnasts Look 16 to You?

Like father like son

Dara Torres inspired two current Olympians

Brett Singer — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 13:00:00 GMT

Back in the year 2000, Dara "Superwoman" Torres was at a swimming camp in California. Two sisters, Sandra and Danielle Fong, were fascinated by her, and the medal she had just won at the Santa Clara International Invitational. So she did what anyone would do: she gave them her medal.

OK, that's not what everyone would do. But it is what Dara did. And now, eight years later, both of the Fong sisters will be competing in the Olympics, although not in swimming. 18-year-old Sandra Fong is on the U.S. shooting team. Danielle Fong, 17, has cerebral palsy and will shoot for the U.S. at the Paralympics in September.

Torres, in case you didn't know, just won a Silver medal – at the age of 41. So yeah, we like her.

Image/source: nytimes.com

Read more:

Gold (OK, Silver) Medal Girlcrush: Dana Torres

33 year old mom wins silver medal, saves son from leukemia

Aussie Rower keeps his kids close

Protesters and journalists arrested in China (video)

Whole lotta fakin' goin' on at the opening ceremony

Team more mature than coach

Jon Stewart Tackles Olympic Controversies

Hunka hunka burnin Barbie

Olympics Opening Uses One Girl's Voice, Another Girl's Face

Matthew McConaughey keeps placenta

Do All These Chinese Gymnasts Look 16 to You?

Birth inspires lottery ticket purchase

Retarded movie boycott

Aussie Rower keeps his kids close

Brett Singer — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 16:00:00 GMT

Australian crewman won a gold medal in men's pairs rowing. For inspiration, he kept a photo of his kids tucked away in his shorts:

So he's a gold-medal winning dad, and has been keeping a blog at drewginn.blogspot.com.

It seems like there are more parents competing at the games this year, but it's possible that there always were and I just never noticed. One of those, "now that I have children I see parents everywhere" kind of things.

My wife asked me if I would keep a picture of the kids with me if I were competing in the Olympics. The fact that she would compare me to an Olympic athlete is one of the many reasons why I love her.

image: nbcolympics.com

source: abc.net.au

Whole lotta fakin' goin' on at the opening ceremony

It all started when Mary needed a laxative

When playgrounds attack, the sequel

Volleyball hasn’t come a long way, baby

Shawn Johnson more mature than her coach

Should Countries be Allowed to Ban Women from the Olympics?

Jon Stewart Tackles Olympic Controversies

Olympics Opening Uses One Girl's Voice, Another Girl's Face

Bored games

Protesters and journalists arrested in China (video)

Brett Singer — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 14:00:00 GMT

While we wonder whether or not the Chinese gymnasts are the age the government says they are, there's some other stuff happening over in China.

First up, British protesters were arrested for unfurling a "Free Tibet" banner (video below):

Second, and perhaps more disturbing, is this video of a British journalist being detained for covering said protest (video below):

But hey, what about that Michael Phelps? He won another medal, right?

Source/image: Daily Telegraph

It all started when Mary needed a laxative

When playgrounds attack, the sequel

Volleyball hasn’t come a long way, baby

Shawn Johnson more mature than her coach

Should Countries be Allowed to Ban Women from the Olympics?

Jon Stewart Tackles Olympic Controversies

Olympics Opening Uses One Girl's Voice, Another Girl's Face

Bored games

Whole lotta fakin' goin' on at the opening ceremony

Brett Singer — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 22:30:00 GMT

The Daily Telegraph is reporting that there was even more fakin' goin' on at the 2008 Olympics' opening ceremony.

Although the official opening ceremony guide said, according to the Telegraph, that "Fifty-six children from 56 Chinese ethnic groups cluster around the Chinese national flag, representing the 56 ethnic groups." But the children were, "in fact all from the same [ethnic group], the majority Han Chinese race." According to the Telegraph, "The official guide to the opening ceremony said that the children did not just represent but 'came from' China's ethnic groups."

One thing that is interesting is the response, which is similar to the one expressed after the opening ceremony's Milli Vanilli moment. "I assume they think the kids were very natural looking and nice," Yuan Zhifeng, deputy director of the Galaxy Children's Art Troupe said.

Basically, as long as things look OK, they are. For more, read (and see) this.

source/image: Daily Telegraph

Protesters and journalists arrested in China (video)

Volleyball hasn’t come a long way, baby

Shawn Johnson more mature than her coach

Should Countries be Allowed to Ban Women from the Olympics?

Jon Stewart Tackles Olympic Controversies

Hunka hunka burnin Barbie

Olympics Opening Uses One Girl's Voice, Another Girl's Face

Matthew McConaughey keeps placenta

Do All These Chinese Gymnasts Look 16 to You?

Birth inspires lottery ticket purchase

Retarded movie boycott

They Say: We're Fatties Because We Eat More Than Ever

Shawn Johnson more mature than her coach

Brett Singer — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 15:00:00 GMT

Maybe the U.S. Gymnastics team coach Márta Károlyi could take a lesson on how to lose gracefully from the gymnasts themselves.

After the U.S. won the silver (or lost the gold, depending on who you ask) Márta had a few things to say: Asked about the controversy over the ages of several Chinese gymnasts, including bars standout He Kexin, Karolyi stressed that while she had "no proof" that the competitors in question had not yet turned 16, she had noticed that "one little girl has a missing tooth". A baby tooth, presumably. "Certain countries go by the rules," Karolyi continued, "and certain countries may not." She also accused the judges of "psychological warfare" because of the time it took for the scores to be posted.

So how did the ladies on her team respond?

Pretty damn well, actually.

Shawn Johnson, the 16-year-old world champion, was more…well, mature about the whole thing. "In the end, we’re more than happy and proud to represent the USA wearing silver around our necks," Johnson said. "We respect the Chinese for what they’ve done. They had a great meet and brought their game."

Also: "We are proud of each other no matter what we do, we are still a family no matter what."

Did I mention she was 16?

Here's a video promo Shawn shot before the games. In it, she says that gymnastics is about falling, and getting back up, no matter what. Sounds like a good lesson for her coach.