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I am old enough to remember (that is, I’m older than 15) when Nascar was about to become the new national pastime, the sport of real America that was being eagerly embraced by corporate America because it offered so many places to plaster advertising slogans. I haven’t heard a lot about the auto-racing enterprise lately, though, so while switching channels last Sunday, I paused for a while on NBC’s coverage of the Monster…

See more of the story The summer is almost over in European club soccer, and as usual it seems that some sort of soccer apocalypse is imminent. Summer is when the world’s biggest club teams, such as Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid, Manchester City, Chelsea and Manchester United, spend ridiculous amounts of money on new players. With no actual soccer played, fans are confronted with the seedy financial side of soccer,…

“After I had the team, I said: ‘Hey, I have this empty stadium. How do I get into this?’” Ross said. “People in this country want to see the stars, that’s what they’re mostly interested in, and seeing the great teams in the world. That’s what they’ll really pay for and go see.” Advertisement Continue reading the main story Ross’s vision was to turn what was effectively a ticket-selling operation…

More than 300 amateur and professional bicyclists are expected to race in downtown Detroit for the inaugural Detroit Cycling Championship, hosted by the Detroit Athletic Club on Sept. 9, where $45,000 in cash prizes will be at stake. Cyclists will race in a dozen categorized races, including youth and military veterans. Participants will compete for what is billed as one of the top purses in the country: $45,000 in cash…

Photo: Tom Pidgeon/Getty Images There’s not much happening besides baseball right now, but that’s okay. It’s a great sport because every single pitch is an opportunity to see a new, weird thing. We got to discussing this article, and then to enumerating the seemingly unlimited number of very specific, thrilling plays that can happen on a baseball field. Then we rated them and tallied up the scores. Advertisement 1. Killing…

Then, cocaine factored into the deaths of two high-profile players, pitchers Tommy Hanson, 29, and Jose Fernandez, 24. Fernandez was a charismatic star for the Miami Marlins; when you interviewed him, you couldn’t help but walk away charmed and dazzled, and convinced that his unbridled enthusiasm represented the future of the game. His death last year hit baseball hard, and the fact that he was drunk and had cocaine in…

The Tampa Bay Rays continued to bolster their bullpen for the pennant race on Friday, acquiring reliever Steve Cishek from the Seattle Mariners for versatile right-hander Erasmo Ramirez. It was a surprising deal between teams that are competing for the same thing, a wild card spot in the American League. Tampa Bay began the day with the second wild card spot in the AL, with Seattle 3 1/2 games behind….

Image: Deadspin, Photos: baseballhall.org. When discussing Rickey Henderson’s Hall-of-Fame prospects, Bill James once wrote that “if you could split him in two, you’d have two Hall of Famers.” It’s a seemingly hyperbolic quip from one of sports’ most precise thinkers. So it’s probably worth a closer look. Henderson is a pivotal figure in baseball (and all of sports) as an early test case for how advanced analytics can alter our…

I am old enough to remember (that is, I’m older than 15) when Nascar was about to become the new national pastime, the sport of real America that was being eagerly embraced by corporate America because it offered so many places to plaster advertising slogans. I haven’t heard a lot about the auto-racing enterprise lately, though, so while switching channels last Sunday, I paused for a while on NBC’s coverage of the Monster…

BUDAPEST (Reuters) – Two years after 10-year-old Bahraini swimmer Alzain Tareq caused a media frenzy as the youngest ever competitor at a world championships, up stepped her best friend to continue the trend in the Hungarian capital. Ritaj Amin finished 58th of 59 competitors in the women’s 50 meters butterfly heats on Friday morning, the same event that Tareq raced in at the 2015 championships in Kazan. The 13-year-old, the…

More than 300 amateur and professional bicyclists are expected to race in downtown Detroit for the inaugural Detroit Cycling Championship, hosted by the Detroit Athletic Club on Sept. 9, where $45,000 in cash prizes will be at stake. Cyclists will race in a dozen categorized races, including youth and military veterans. Participants will compete for what is billed as one of the top purses in the country: $45,000 in cash…

Chicago will soon have a new baseball team in which to sink its teeth. A new minor-league team is coming to Rosemont and named the Chicago Dogs. The team will play in the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball and play its games in the new 6,300-seat stadium built at the intersection of Balmoral Ave. and Pearl St. starting in 2018. The franchise is owned by former Phoenix Coyotes owner Steven…

(Reuters Health) – – Just two out of 28 international sports federations focus on promoting physical activity as a way to reduce disease, according to a new study that surveyed the international organizations represented at the 2016 Summer Olympic Games. Only FIFA and FINA, the international soccer and aquatics governing bodies, make universal exercise messages a priority, researchers found. “The global epidemic of non-communicable diseases is an important public health…

After earlier declining to join a game of football, telling one of the coaches he was not wearing boots, the Prince happily joined in the handball game. When he was thrown the ball by a coach, he held it aloft and the young players, all aged six to eight, put their arms up in anticipation. Harry picked one lucky girl to receive the pass and start the game, and she…

Chinese sportswear maker Li Ning Company (2331.HK) has sprinted ahead of rivals Anta Sports Products (2020.HK) and Xtep International (1368.HK) with its 28% year-to-date return. Still, analysts at Jefferies think Li Ning’s stock could have another 15% or so upside in its locker. The broker just upgraded the shares from Hold to Buy, with a bumped up price target of HKD7.2. Jefferies says it expects the company’s earnings to recover…

Prince Harry turned into a suburban dad struggling to get a bunch of hyper kids to listen to him — but at least it was just for a day … and for charity. Harry was coaching a handball match for toddlers at an East London charity event. Most of the kids didn’t seem to pay much attention to the Prince — in other words … he’s ready to coach youth soccer…

Tara Reid definitely turned a few heads when she hit the red carpet on Thursday night. The Sharknado star appeared to be braless in a see-through chainmail mini-dress that she paired with sky-high nude stilettos. The style was so see-through that her underwear was visible, but Reid seemed quite confident in the risque ensemble. WATCH: Tara Reid Wears Super Skimpy Greek Goddess Costume to Halloween Party See Tara Reid’s shocking…

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) Kevin Quackenbush’s full beard needed a little attention considering he had gone since spring training in February without a trim. Mark McGwire decided on the fly to get his hair cut upon arriving to work last week at AT&T Park, something unheard of during his old slugging days. The San Diego Padres relief pitcher and his bench coach, Big Mac, only had to walk out of the…

Chinese sportswear maker Li Ning Company (2331.HK) has sprinted ahead of rivals Anta Sports Products (2020.HK) and Xtep International (1368.HK) with its 28% year-to-date return. Still, analysts at Jefferies think Li Ning’s stock could have another 15% or so upside in its locker. The broker just upgraded the shares from Hold to Buy, with a bumped up price target of HKD7.2. Jefferies says it expects the company’s earnings to recover…