Category: Other

When we think of the major sports in America, four leagues in particular come to mind. The MLB, NFL, NBA, and NHL. But now we’re in the year 2004 and historically speaking, we may need to make some adjustments.

Tyson takes a bite out of crime or maybe just sanity.

From Lance Armstrong’s triumph over cancer to Cal Ripken’s streak, the landscape of sports is carved with moments of purity. Whether it’s Ripken taking laps around Camden Yards, shaking every hand in his path, or it’s the U.S. Army carrying Pat Tillman’s coffin to his grave, sports figures can sometimes, momentarily, ascend above their athletic exploits and become culturally relevant.

I recently got into a friendly argument about whether any activity that does not involve a ball should be counted as a sport. Given Lance Armstrong’s condition, I have even fewer balls to use in my argument for the Tour de France. But: doping scandals, rock star girlfriends, the 24th highest-paid athlete in the world according to Forbes.com, drunken and rowdy fans yelling at the athletes – it sounds like a sport to me.

So, who should you be watching when the 2004 Tour de France starts on July 3? For those who don’t know the difference between chamois cream and shinola, I’ve included some sports movie references for your reading pleasure.

I just can’t wait for Agassi and his wheaties.

At the heart of any lasting athletic legacy is fulfilled expectation: knowing Michael Jordan is going to hit the shot in the waning seconds of the fourth quarter, knowing Tiger Woods will hold off a surging opponent on the back nine of a major and knowing Joe Montana will lead his team on one final march to the end zone.

Deep within the American psyche, somewhere in the diluted definition of our national identity, lives the underdog. Born of our roots, with a triumphant revolution and a declaration of equality, the underdog exists in the foundation of American culture.

We are happy to announce that Sportscolumn.com has been chosen Yahoo’s Pick of the Day. Sportscolumn has been around for years but the latest incarnation was only launched a month ago. Yet, we have had such excellent contributions from our community in that short span of time that the site was recognized by the Yahoo editors for the award.

I want to welcome all the new members we’ve had lately and encourage them to start contributing, whether it’s an article, voting on the articles in the moderation queue, or just adding your comments to existing columns. Your participation will make this a better site for everyone.

It was quite coincidental, the timing of two men’s comments, a mere 10 days apart.  Two American sports icons, one a beloved Caucasian ex-basketball player from the cornfields of French Lick, Indiana, and the other an oft-reviled, much-spoiled, ever-privileged African-American son of a big league ballplayer.  Both were foolish to say what they did.  Both touched on an extremely sensitive, delicate issue that is still very much in the forefront of the collective American consciousness.  The difference, though, is that one was right and deserves serious discussion, while the other was blatantly ignorant and easily dismissive.