World Sports

Like many team coaches, Mark Zimmerman oversees practice sessions, analyzes game footage and makes sure his players get along. Only his players use keyboards, not muscle, as they compete in videogame contests with the hope of reaching lucrative championship matches that draw thousands of spectators to arenas and millions more online. Last spring, 6,200 students from 460 colleges in the U.S. and Canada participated in…

i The sporting options in Finland are everywhere. Here, two people take advantage of the ice on Lake Hiidenvesi to get some exercise. Sami Uskela/Flickr In Helsinki, sports facilities pop up all over the place, sometimes in some pretty odd nooks and crannies. One bomb shelter hosts an archery club, another an underground swimming pool and an ice hockey rink. Though they hardly need it, there’s a national plan in…

Jon Gruden looks at the present and predicted future of youth sports. It makes him cringe. The Super Bowl-winning coach and current ESPN football analyst got involved with the Sports Matter program through the DICK’s Sporting Goods Foundation last year. In just more than a year, Sports Matter has repaired fields, bought uniforms and equipment as part of DICK’s $25 million multiyear commitment. More needs to be done, Gruden says,…

Facts can be your best friend or your greatest enemy—it all depends on the situation. Of course, sometimes “the facts” aren’t really the facts, which makes knowing how to separate the good from the bad as important as knowing when to use them. This obviously applies to almost any part of life, but it is essential to holding your own when talking about sports or staying afloat in a high-stakes…

Juice is power. Juice is influence. Juice is also subjective. Each summer, sports columnist Steve Politi ranks the most influential people in New Jersey sports — a list that includes team owners, coaches, politicians and athletes from all levels of competition. No. 1 on the Juice List will be revealed July 29. Today: Nos. 2-5. Last year’s ranking in parentheses 5. Chris Christie (3):Okay, you can insert a wisecrack here…

When Blue Jays general manager Alex Anthopoulos acquired Josh Donaldson last offseason, it was because he wouldn’t take no for an answer. Same thing with Troy Tulowitzki. Just as Anthopoulos wore down Athletics GM Billy Beane, he wore down Rockies counterpart Jeff Bridich, according to major-league sources with knowledge of the talks. Anthopoulos first asked the Rockies about Tulowitzki during the winter, but the Rockies would not take back shortstop…

i The sporting options in Finland are everywhere. Here, two people take advantage of the ice on Lake Hiidenvesi to get some exercise. Sami Uskela/Flickr In Helsinki, sports facilities pop up all over the place, sometimes in some pretty odd nooks and crannies. One bomb shelter hosts an archery club, another an underground swimming pool and an ice hockey rink. Though they hardly need it, there’s a national plan in…

The Bachelorette At around 8:00 p.m. ET on Monday, June 22, I found myself in an awkward position. The U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team was kicking off a critical game against Colombia at the Women’s World Cup in Canada, and I am one of the sports editors of this very website. The game, by any reasonable measure, should have held my complete and undivided attention. But I’d be lying if I…

facebook twitter googleplus tumblr pinterest Gone are the days when arcade sports video games complemented their simulation counterparts. Games like “NBA Jam,” “NBA Street,” “NFL Blitz,” “NHL Hitz” and “MLB Slugfest” are a rarity now. Not only were these left-of-center titles very creative — the league-licensed simulation games are hamstrung by rules and restrictions — but they acted as a way to draw in novices who were new to gaming or had minimal…

The Bachelorette At around 8:00 p.m. ET on Monday, June 22, I found myself in an awkward position. The U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team was kicking off a critical game against Colombia at the Women’s World Cup in Canada, and I am one of the sports editors of this very website. The game, by any reasonable measure, should have held my complete and undivided attention. But I’d be lying if I…

The Nashville Predators signed forward Colin Wilsonto a four-year contract worth $15.75 million. Under terms of the agreement announced Monday, Wilson receives $3.75 million in 2015-’16 and $4 million each of the next three seasons. Wilson was a restricted free agent. The 25-year-old Wilson set career highs in goals (20) and points (42) and tied a personal best in assists (22) in 2014-’15. COLLEGE BASKETBALL Memphis leading…

FOOTBALL GOSSIP Celtic assistant boss John Collins has admitted the club’s hopes of retaining defender Virgil van Dijk hinge on Champions League progress. (Various) Rangers will test Hibernian’s resolve with a third bid for playmaker Scott Allan. (Various) Boyhood Rangers fan Allan will hold talks with the Easter Road outfit today to submit a transfer request. Full story: Scottish Sun   …

Last week Ryen Russillo confirmed on his Twitter feed that he had re-signed with ESPN, a welcome move in these parts. I’ve written often how much respect I had for the show he and Scott Van Pelt did for ESPN Radio—not only were they authentic, they didn’t toke the easy drug of lowest common denominator sports talk. Russillo also fronted college football and NBA shows on ESPN and ESPN Radio…

Who says exercise has to be a chore? As Nick says, “Everyone is an athlete at something.” For my full conversation with Nick, listen below: For more on Nick, click here. ABOUT LEWIS HOWES: Lewis is a pro-athlete turned lifestyle entrepreneur who hosts the top-ranked podcast The School of Greatness. He interviews the best and brightest minds in health, entrepreneurship, relationships and lifestyle. Follow Lewis on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram….

The Bachelorette At around 8:00 p.m. ET on Monday, June 22, I found myself in an awkward position. The U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team was kicking off a critical game against Colombia at the Women’s World Cup in Canada, and I am one of the sports editors of this very website. The game, by any reasonable measure, should have held my complete and undivided attention. But I’d be lying if I…

The Bachelorette At around 8:00 p.m. ET on Monday, June 22, I found myself in an awkward position. The U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team was kicking off a critical game against Colombia at the Women’s World Cup in Canada, and I am one of the sports editors of this very website. The game, by any reasonable measure, should have held my complete and undivided attention. But I’d be lying if I…

Who says exercise has to be a chore? As Nick says, “Everyone is an athlete at something.” For my full conversation with Nick, listen below: For more on Nick, click here. ABOUT LEWIS HOWES: Lewis is a pro-athlete turned lifestyle entrepreneur who hosts the top-ranked podcast The School of Greatness. He interviews the best and brightest minds in health, entrepreneurship, relationships and lifestyle. Follow Lewis on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram….

Daily fantasy sports operator DraftKings is expected to announce today the raising of $300 million in a new round led by Fox Fox Sports.  The new raise will increase overall third party investment in DraftKings to $426 million.  It comes on the heels of its chief rival FanDuel completing a Series E round of financing for $275 million and firmly puts numbers 1 and 2 in the daily fantasy world…

The Cleveland Cavaliers continue to build for a return trip to the NBA Finals — and they hope a win in the series this time around — and on Sunday they added something every title contender could always use. Cap flexibility. League sources told Yahoo Sports!/FOX Sports 1 NBA Insider Adrian Wojnarowski that the Cavs have traded veterans Brendan Haywood and Mike Miller to the Portland Trail Blazers for a…

Are sports agents necessary? Professional athletes have recently focused on the importance (or lack thereof) of sport agent representation in contract negotiations. In May, National Football League first-round draft pick Ereck Flowers represented himself without an agent in contract negotiations with the New York Giants. An article written on Derek Jeter’s “Player’s Tribune” has ignited further debate on the issue within the sports community. Russell Okung, the article’s author and Seahawks Offensive Tackle, wrote…