Everyone has heard about the extramarital affair between ESPN baseball analyst Steve Phillips and his 22-year old production assistant that caused him to get fired this weekend and his wife filing for a divorce.
Even after Phillips termination the drama continued with popular sports blog Deadspin and ESPN online. Deadspin editor A.J. Daulerio was mad about being “misinformed” about the Phillips situation and decided to get back at ESPN by airing out the dirty laundry of ESPN employees.
According to Time Magazine, “Daulerio insists that he trusts his sources and claims that he really was trying to make a larger point about ESPN’s culture — employees allegedly complain that while on-air personalities get reprimanded for inappropriate relationships, business executives enjoy more leeway.”
This is just one example of how the web is changing journalistic standards. Anyone can publish a rumor with a click of their mouse. Basically the only way to go after an online media outlet through a defamation claim. If a public figure can prove “that an individual person or media outlet published something about him with so-called actual malice — knowing it was false or with reckless disregard for the truth. This standard offers considerable protection for media outlets; actual malice is difficult to prove.”
Minnesota Vikings QB Brett Favre has set yet another NFL record.
Favre started Sunday for the 271st straight time in the regular season and threw two touchdown passes to help the Minnesota Vikings beat the Detroit Lions 27-13.
His 271st start put him ahead of defensive end Jim Marshall’s previous mark of 270 games in a row for Minnesota from 1961-1979.
Incredible knock-out:
Here are the Top Ten dunks from the Sprite Slam Dunk Showdown. These dudes are awesome:
This is hands down my favorite sporting event of the year. Check out the hilarious, terrifying and cringe-inducing highlights from this years Cheese Rolling competition in Gloucestershire, England:
TKO was created to solidify mixed martial arts as the combat sport of the new century. In this video we get to speak with the strong, tough and buff men of the TKO. For more information click Here
Almost makes it… I’d say this good enough!
The $1.1 billion stadium, in Arlington, is now 3-for-3 in bids for mega-sporting events!
Then announced Wednesday that it willhost the 2014 NCAA men’s basketball Final Four. The stadium, which opens in 2009, is already home to the 2010 NBA All-Star Game and the 2011 Super Bowl.
from ESPN.com:
NEW YORK (AP) - The LPGA Tour will offer three fewer official events in 2009, the latest result of the global economic downturn and its affect on pro sports.
The 2009 schedule released Wednesday has 31 events — 20 in the United States and 11 internationally — not including the Solheim Cup. Tournaments off the schedule include the ADT Championship, which starts Thursday and closes this year’s slate.
Purses will be around $55 million, about $5.25 million down from 2008. The tour announced $53.4 million in purses Wednesday; the Ginn Open in Reunion, Fla., which had a $2.6 million prize pool this year, has not yet determined what it’ll pay out in 2009.
“It’s no secret that the road ahead, particularly 2009, is going to test our mettle,” LPGA commissioner Carolyn Bivens said. She added that the LPGA is confronting challenges facing not only “other sports and entertainment organizations, but by every business enterprise of any kind in all corners around the world.”
In recent weeks, the NBA has announced layoffs and the closing of its Los Angeles office, and several NASCAR teams have laid off staff to cut costs. Golf isn’t immune, but Bivens predicted the LPGA would be “solidly profitable” in 2009.
“The state of the global economy and the economic crisis we’re all facing has resulted in a slightly different tournament landscape,” Bivens said. “It’s not something that comes as a surprise.”
Besides the ADT, other events not continuing over sponsorship issues include the Fields Open in Hawaii and Ginn Tribute in South Carolina. The Ginn Tribute shut down in August, and officials at Broken Arrow in Tulsa, Okla. announced Tuesday their event, sponsored by SemGroup, would not continue.
An event in Thailand is being added from Feb. 26-March 1, part of what amounts to two international swings toward the beginning and end of the yearlong schedule.
The Safeway International, which was held in Oregon this year, is also gone over a sponsorship issue and essentially becomes the LPGA International in Phoenix. The Safeway Classic, also in Oregon at Pumpkin Ridge, remains on the 2009 slate.
Also missing from the schedule released Wednesday are the after-season events, such as the Lexus Cup and Wendy’s 3-Tour Challenge. Bivens said those unofficial-money events will continue getting talked about “in the coming months.”
“It’s a scary time for everybody,” 2007 U.S. Women’s Open champion Cristie Kerr said. “My whole outlook on that is you’ve just got to be able to ride the waves.”
Next year will be one of transition for the LPGA, which is about to lose its biggest draw in Annika Sorenstam, the 72-time winner who is “stepping away” from the game to pursue family and business interests after this week’s ADT Championship.
The LPGA’s existing television deals expire after 2009, making the task of filling schedules for 2010 and beyond even more daunting.
“I wish this economic downturn had waited one more year,” said Bivens. “I wish we had one more year. But I’m grateful we had the past three.”
The average per-tournament purse of about $1.77 million remains largely unchanged.
Next year’s LPGA schedule begins in Hawaii, then heads to Thailand, Singapore and Mexico, not returning to the U.S. until the Phoenix event from March 26-29, details of which have yet to be released.
Some events shifted slots from the 2008 schedule, others changed sponsors and details are still being finalized about the Samsung World Championship, which was in Cleveland this year.
One quirk to the 2009 schedule: The U.S. Women’s Open starts July 9, followed by the Evian Masters, the British Open and the Solheim Cup. So it’s possible that a player who isn’t qualified for those events wouldn’t play between the Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic (which ends July 5) and the Safeway Classic (which starts Aug. 28).
“Given what could have been the potential negative economic impact on our schedule, we view this as a barometer of stability, appeal and value for our players and our property,” Bivens said.
What can Phillie fans do, but grumble and think uh oh?
The mood of Philadelphia changed when the Rays tied the game while playing a half-inning that many think certainly should have never been played. The rain and puddles benefited the Rays who are known for stealing bases.
Halfway through the sixth. Tie game, 2-2. The Phillies still lead the Series 3-1. So they remain, again in theory, precisely where they were Sunday night — one win away from the second World Series championship in franchise history.
The bad new is that they’ve essentially wasted a Cole Hamels start and the two Rays hitters who were 0-for-the-Series — Carlos Pena and Evan Longoria — have finally remembered how to hit.
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