The Sports Archives – A Minor Explosion That Could Save Riders’ Lives!

Posted on January 30, 2013 by thesportsarchives

Horse harsh bit useThree day eventing is a dangerous sport which has been plagued over the years by a string of both horse and rider fatalities, some of which have made headline news. Most accidents that result in serious injuries and fatalities occur in the cross country section of an event where riders negotiate a series of large, fixed obstacles against the clock. So why has this sport proved to be so dangerous and how is a brilliant new invention making a significant contribution to safety improvements?

Cross Country

The principle safety issue that distinguishes cross country from other forms of riding is the fixed nature of the obstacles the horse and rider have to jump. In show jumping, hitting a fence will knock off the pole and usually cause no harm. In cross country a horse even clipping a fence can result in it being capitulated forward over the obstacle in a rotational fall that can often have dire consequences.

Riders are often crushed under the falling horse as they both collide with the obstacle or the ground on the other side. Some safety measures have been introduced in recent years including the introduction of frangible pins on fences. Research discovered that if a horse struck an obstacle with a certain area of its leg the impact would result in the dangerous rotational falls, whereas hitting the fence with a portion of the leg above or below this point would not.

The amount of pressure the dangerous impacts generated was calculated and the new pins were evolved to support elements of the fences and would break when this kind of pressure was applied. The frangible pins are increasingly being used in competition which should lead to greater safety.

The Rider

In addition to frangible pins other efforts have been made to improve the safety of evening courses. The depth of water jumps has been reduced and courses shortened. In addition riders now wear padded body protectors but beyond these there had been few innovations in rider safety until Lee Middleton, a former show jumper and equine dentist, invented a new kind of protective jacket. The body protectors are a variety of air vest which inflate in under a fifth of a second when a rider is thrown from their horse.

The Jacket

Avalanche Airbag SystemThe new body protector is attached to the saddle by a lanyard. When a rider is thrown off their horse the lanyard triggers a metal bolt into a CO2 canister which rapidly inflates the jacket. The trigger mechanism is similar to that used in life jackets and the vest is a modification of a similar product developed for motorcyclists.

The jackets are designed to be worn in conjunction with conventional body protectors such as those produced by Champion, are now used by most professional riders and are becoming more and more popular with amateurs. Inflating jackets are currently marketed by both Point Two, the producers of the original model and Hit Air.

The vests shield the torso from sharp objects and angles, protect the body against heavy impacts and provide neck support. There is some argument about how much additional protection these vests actually provide with much of the evidence thus far being anecdotal but many people swear they have been saved from serious injury by the jackets and the testing that has been done tends to support such claims.

Drawbacks

There are a couple of potential drawbacks to be aware of with these protectors. Firstly when they deploy, they do so with a load explosive sound which can spook the horse. This is of little consequence during a fall but can prove unfortunate if the vest is deployed by accident! Secondly, accidental deployments are quite common as riders can simply forget to detach the lanyard from the saddle when they dismount and then bang! The gas canisters are replaceable but this is obviously an expense you do not want to incur unless absolutely necessary.

Time Will Tell

I guess in the fullness of time we will discover whether or not these jackets have had a real impact on safety but it is hard to imagine that they will not make some degree of difference and they are unlikely to do you any harm!

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Sally S is a keen horse rider and has had her share of injuries over the years. You can find out more about Sally Stacey via her Google+ profile.

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The Sports Archives – Nine Terrible Football (Soccer) Tackles That Ended Careers!

Posted on January 29, 2013 by thesportsarchives

Football – the beautiful game (sometimes at least).

Football Soccer InjuryFootball is a game full of passion and aggression, however, being a contact sport, injuries occur and are generally accepted as part of the game.

For a few unfortunate players though, some of these injuries are inflicted in nasty circumstances by vicious tackles that prematurely end footballing careers. Here are nine of the unfortunate ones.

1.    Ben Collett

Joining Manchester United at the tender young age of nine, Ben Collett was a left-footed, hard-working player who was gifted at reading the game. Ben had an amazing career ahead of him but fate (and Middlesbrough’s Gary Smith) had other ideas.

During his first game for the reserves in 2003, Smith savagely came in high and over the ball collecting Collett and his leg was fractured in two places, the tibia and fibula of his right leg. Although Collett returned to training in 2004, after months of physio treatment, he was never able to reach his previously high level of play before injury, and was forced into early retirement. He was awarded £4.3m in damages including £3,854,328 for predicted loss of earnings.

2.    Matty Holmes

In 1998, Matty Holmes’ career was finished after a nasty challenge by Kevin Muscat while playing for Charlton in a fourth round FA Cup replay against Wolves.

In a six-year battle for compensation by Holmes against Muscat, Holmes was finally awarded damages of £250,000 plus costs with the overall figure around £750,000.

Muscat has been described as a ‘dirty player’ with a long history of inflicting career threatening injuries on his fellow opposition and examples of this and Muscat’s disciplinary record were shown in the high court. Whether or not the challenge was deliberately meant to hurt Holmes, his injury was so severe that his surgeon stated he was lucky not to have had his leg amputated! It took several operations to repair his leg, but he has never been able to return to football.

3.    Dean Ashton

Former West Ham striker Dean Ashton was forced to retire in 2009 after shattering his ankle in a heavy tackle with Shaun Wright-Phillips during training for the England squad in 2006.

Even more unfortunate for Ashton was the fact that it was the day before he was due to make his England debut.

He returned after 11 months to continue playing and earned his only England cap in June 2008. Nevertheless, he failed to completely recover and continued to have problems with his ankle. Three years later he was forced to retire aged 26, after being warned he should stop playing football or he may end up not being able to walk properly.

Ashton received an undisclosed sum from the FA in a private compensation claim.

4.    Gordon Watson

The 28-year-old Bradford City striker Gordon Watson was awarded £909,143 for loss of earnings – the highest to date so far – when he suffered a double fracture of his right leg.

The dangerous tackle during a match on February 1, 1997, saw the Huddersfield Town player Kevin Gray recklessly jump in with both feet from a considerable distance.

It was initially thought Watson would never play again, but after five operations and 18 months out he returned to the football field. He never played another full 90 minutes for Bradford City and subsequently declined contract renewal at the end of 1998-99 season as he felt he wasn’t able to able to play in the top flight anymore.

5.    David Busst

Described by some as the worst football injury ever seen, David Busst was injured two minutes into a match at Old Trafford in April 1996 as the ex-Coventry defender collided with Manchester United player Denis Irwin – resulting in a double compound fracture (the tibia and fibula snapped in two), and caused the cracked fibula bone to pierce the skin.

The shock and reaction from Manchester United’s Peter Schmeichel showed just how ghastly the injury was, as Busst also underwent several weeks of counseling to help him deal with the sickening sight.

The game was delayed for 15 minutes while the blood was cleaned off the pitch! The injuries were so bad he required 26 operations to repair the extensive damage and he never played professionally again.

6.    Alf-Inge Håland

April 2001, four years after Alf-Inge Håland criticised Manchester United’s Roy Keane for faking injury, Keane dealt out his own form of revenge by way of a crippling studs-up tackle on Håland’s right knee – seriously damaging knee ligaments in the process.

Keane was red carded and initially fined £5,000 and also handed a three-match ban; however, a year later upon admission in his biography that he’d deliberately set out to hurt Håland, he was banned for a further five matches and fined £150,000.

The former Leeds player ended up retiring in 2003 after implying that the tackle had finished his career and he has never played a full game since.

7.    Luc Nilis

After representing his country 56 times and scoring 10 goals, Luc Nilis had his footballing career with new club Aston Villa cut short in the 2000-2001 season after an ugly clash with Ipswich Town goalkeeper Richard Wright.

As he was about to shoot, the goalie came out to stop him when they both collided, Nilis was stretchered off and taken straight to hospital with a double leg fracture. After two operations, Nilis was forced to quit the game and retired.

8.    Paul Elliot

Within weeks of the start of the 1992-93 season during a match at Anfield, the popular Chelsea defender Paul Elliott made a bad decision and threw himself into a challenge from behind on Liverpool’s Dean Saunders.

Anticipating the tackle, Saunders spitefully sent his studs flying into Elliot’s right knee, creating a five-inch gash and causing terrible ligament damage.

Despite three operations and fighting for eighteen months to make a recovery, Elliot was forced to declare his retirement. Elliot proceeded to sue Saunders over his reckless tackle, yet lost his case when Saunders was found not guilty.

9.    James Main

I felt obliged to add this rather sad story. On Christmas Day in 1909, a bizarre on-field accident resulted in the death of this Hibernian and Scottish international defender. The Firhill pitch at Partick Thistle was icy and hazardous.

Ironically, Main was overheard saying to Hibernian’s trainer: “You are risking life and limb asking anyone to play out there.” The game went ahead regardless.

Frank Branscombe, who is believed to have slipped on the ice, kicked Main in the stomach in a rather brutal tackle. Main was assisted off the field and although shaken did not take any further part in the game, but he had tea with the team after the match. His condition worsened during the night though, and the next morning he was rushed to hospital. With severe bruising and the imprint of Branscombe’s studs on his stomach, he underwent emergency surgery where it was discovered he had a ruptured bowel as a result of the collision! He failed to recover and tragically died four days after the incident.

Fortunately these days, with advanced medical knowledge and modern technology, many shocking injuries that would have ended a footballer’s career twenty or so years ago, can now quickly and successfully be more thoroughly assessed and treated. Thus allowing players to recover fully and reach peak fitness again so they can play out the rest of their career.

This guest post has been sourced, researched and written by Diane Povey who is contributing content for the road traffic accident claims and work accident claims specialist Claims National.

Photo Credits:  http://www.msktc.org

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The Sports Archives – The Pacquiao-Bradley Screwjob

Posted on January 28, 2013 by thesportsarchives

The Pacquiao-Bradley Screwjob

On June 9th, 2012, Manny Pacquiao experienced once of the biggest screw jobs in the history of the sport of boxing. In basic terms, Pacquiao dominated his opponent, Timothy Bradley, in almost every round of their fight, but two of the judges in charge of scoring the fight put Bradley ahead on their scorecards. This was an outrageous conclusion to a fight that saw Pacquiao stagger Bradley repeatedly with a stinging left hand to which Bradley had no answer. Pacquiao had Bradley against the ropes on multiple occasions during the fight, and it seemed as if he was easily in control throughout.

Pacquiao VS Bradley Results

Indeed, Pacquiao landed more power punches and more jabs than Bradley. As a matter of fact, Pacquiao landed almost twice the amount of punches that Bradley did. It never appeared the Bradley actually hurt Pacquiao at any point during the fight. Most spectators in attendance at the fight states that they would have scored the fight at 10 rounds for Pacquiao and 2 for Bradley. The truth is that the fight should have been a lopsided decision for the Filipino boxer and politician. Instead, he lost a fight that he had absolutely no business losing. It’s fair to question whether someone paid off the judges, and many have done just that in the aftermath of the fight.

Anyone who watched that fight knew that something was horribly wrong with the outcome. Pacquiao fought his fight all the way through, using his boxing gloves to deter Bradley’s punches and fire his own. Bradley seemed to have a lot of trouble getting on the inside during the fight. Pacquiao repeatedly backed him down and launched vicious shots to Bradley’s head and body. The reality is that Bradley looked completely outmatched outside of two, maybe three rounds. People watching at home were outraged that the wrong fighter was awarded the split decision in the fight. There should have never been a split decision at all.

I wonder what prompted those judges to score the fight in favor of Timothy Bradley. Were they watching the same fight as everyone else? We all know that scoring in boxing is more subjective than other sports, but there’s no way anyone watching even remotely closely could say Bradley was the better fighter that night. Even if you give Bradley three rounds, he still loses the fight handily. There were no more than three rounds where Bradley actually accomplished anything against Pacquiao, let alone won the round. Those judges should be ashamed of their actions. They know deep down that Pac-man won that fight.

After the fight, Bob Arum, Manny Pacquiao’s promoter, stated that he couldn’t believe how ridiculous his fighter’s loss actually was. He knew he would make money from Pacquiao either way, but he questioned whether anyone would ever take the sport of boxing seriously again. Indeed, boxing has become a crooked sport marred by controversial decisions over the years. That’s one reason why mixed martial arts have overtaken boxing as the most popular contact sport in the world these days. Boxing must clean up the judging situation and get more top-end talent in the heavyweight division to reclaim the top spot going forward.

Manny Pacquiao vs Timothy BradleyIn the end, Manny Pacquiao is still going to go down as one of the greatest boxers the world has ever seen. That decision he lost to Timothy Bradley takes nothing away from his amazing career. It’s a shame that he didn’t get the victory he so richly deserved. If they fought again in a rematch, there’s no doubt that Pacquiao would destroy Bradley like he did the first time. The only thing stopping him from winning would be the same judges that screwed him the first time around. Then again, I doubt they would ever let those judges anywhere near another of Pacquiao’s fights.  Personally, I’d never let them near another fight of any sort.

Stuart Fiennes is a hardcore sports fan to the end.  His favorites are the New York Knicks, the Syracuse Orange, Floyd Mayweather, and Rafael Nadal.  When not watching sports, Stuart can be found watching TV with his wife of two years and their dog, Champion.

Photo Credits:  http://www.strifeofcloud.com, http://blog.zap2it.com

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The Sports Archives – The Game of Pool: A Pool of Interesting Facts!

Posted on January 26, 2013 by thesportsarchives

Billiard RackThe game of pool and its numerous variants is believed to have been around for over 500 years. Over the course of that time, numerous interesting tales have emerged in relation to the formulation of the modern game and the culture that surrounds it. Let’s have a look at a few of the more curious pointers.

Got any Spare Change?

The first coin-operated pool tables were filed for patent in 1903 and the cost of playing a game of pool was one penny. These days, you couldn’t even buy a 2p sweet with that amount.

Never Beat an Elephant at Pool; They Will Never Forget

The first cue balls were originally made from ivory and it is for this reason that there are no known elephants that are said to be fans of pool.

You spin me Right Round

British people use the term ‘side’ to describe the act of putting spin on to the cue ball, however Americans refer to this technique as ‘English’.  The reason relates to English visitors to the USA demonstrating the style of shot on pool tables to their American hosts.

Sizes and Shapes

Whilst the regulation size of standard pool tables is often defined as a table that is twice as long as it is wide, pool tables have been made in all kinds of shapes, such as Z-shaped pool tables; hexagonal pool tables; round pool tables and L-shaped pool tables.

I Can See Through Your Tactics

One Australian-based manufacturer of pool tables has recently created a completely transparent glass pool table. A patented surface top made up of glass covered with resin replicates the rolling speed of balls on standard cloth pool tables.

Playing Sheepishly Won’t Get you anywhere!

The main component of the cloth used for pool tables has remained the same for over 400 years. Wool was used on the earliest billiard tables in the early 1500s. Wool blended with nylon is still the preferred material for use in modern pool tables.

Hand me that Mace

pool maceThis is not to say that other aspects of the game haven’t changed, however. The word ‘cue’ is derived from the French word ‘queue’ which means tail in English. Before the actual cue stick as we know it today was designed players opted to use what was known as a mace. The mace was made of a curved wooden head – rather similar to a golf club’s wooden head – attached to a narrow handle. The size of the mace’s head meant that shots that had to be played along the side rail of the table were very difficult to perform and so players took to flipping the mace over and using the narrower, bottom end of the stick. The slow realisation hit that it may be a better idea to simply use the narrow end of the mace for all of the shots and so the pool ‘cue’ as we now know it evolved from the rather more cumbersome mace.

Pool: it’s all Maths and Physics

A heavier pool cue will not make your break shot harder. Some players believe that a heavier pool cue enables them to scatter the balls across the pool table with greater force due to the weight of the cue. This, however, is not the case and the reason is all down to physics – force is equal to mass multiplied by acceleration. Therefore, in order for a player to swing a heavier cue at the same speed that he/she would swing a lighter cue, then a greater amount of force needs to be applied to the swing. However, by applying the same amount of force to a lighter cue then the speed of the break shot increases.

Revolutionising Your Game

Captain MingaudCaptain Mingaud invented modern cue tips and the curve shot as well as bringing a certain degree of scientific thought to shot-taking. Mingaud was imprisoned during the French Revolution for political reasons but allowed to have a billiard table in his prison cell. During his imprisonment he made great advances in studying the physics of different types of shots and it is reported that his dedication to studying the game became so intense that at the end of his prison sentence he actually asked to stay in his cell for longer so as to further his study of the game in peace.

Lucas Conner is a blogger, writer and games enthusiast with a specialist interest in pool tables. He is extensively knowledgeable about the history of billiards and is a stickler for playing by the correct pool rules.

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The Sports Archives – The Pests Of The NFL!

Posted on January 26, 2013 by thesportsarchives

Every NFL team has “that guy”. Guys that nobody wants to match-up with, but everybody wants on their team for one reason or another. They are pests in the truest sense. Pests and insects around the house don’t do anything beneficial for us. They don’t help out with chores. They’re not there to share the load. They are only there to bother and annoy us.

Here are the top pests in the NFL.

Tim Tebow

Tim Tebow 2012You either absolutely hate him, or absolutely love him. Self tagged as the “ultimate team player”, Tebow unconditionally refuses to say anything even remotely negative about anyone. Even when the quarterback in front of him, Mark Sanchez, can’t complete a pass to save his life. Or, his coach Rex Ryan is being teased for an unusual foot fetish or a tattoo of his wife on his arm. After saving the Bronco’s season in 2011 and leading them to a playoff win, Tebow’s talents were being wasted in New York while the ship around him kept sinking. Don’t get me wrong. I admire his upstanding character and the discussion he provokes regarding athletes in America, but dude, at least stand up for yourself. Express just a little bit of disappoint on the sidelines when you’re sitting on the beach and your team is floundering on the field. He’s like the ant class of insects. Always working. Always happy. As the religious, and Tebow-fitting, hymn proclaims, “We all have work, let know one shirk, put your shoulder to the wheel.”

Ndamukong Suh

Ndamukong SuhSuh is the cockroach of the group. Big. Hard to miss. Kind of a brut. Roaches aren’t much for sophistication. They’ll basically eat anything in sight. They just keep moving until it’s time to eat. That’s Suh, and he’s has a number of bone-headed acts of violence to go along with it. From stomping on an opposing players leg and “allegedly” kicking an opposing QB in the groin, Suh is the kind of guy you can’t wait to get rid of.

Jerry Jones

Ok, so he’s not necessarily a player, but even Cowboys fans have their limits with the team Owner/General Manager/President/Chairman/Board of Trustees/Executive Assistant/Ball Boy. Many, if not all, people believe Jerry should relinquish most of his decision-making powers and employ qualified people to do that. Known for going after big name and high dollar players, Jones is viewed as a kid in a candy store with enough money to buy it all and then hire someone to eat it for him. We’ll consider Jerry the scorpion of the group. He’s a one-man-band at the top of the food chain.

Cortland Finnegan

Cortland FinneganLast but not least is the rodent of the bunch, Cortland Finnegan. But why a rodent? Well, if you know Finnegan, you know he’s the most weaselly, conniving guy in the entire league. He’s on the field for two reasons only. One, to try to make a play after the ball is hiked. And two, to instigate his opponent after the ball is dead. Plain and simple, Cortland is the master at it.

Steve Bitter is a Marketing Manager with Bulwark Exterminating, based in Mesa, AZ. Bulwark Exterminating is an industry leader in providing high quality pest control service. Bulwark is fully operational in seven states, including eleven major cities. While Bulwark provides pest extermination for common insects such as ants, roaches, crickets and spiders, the company’s differentiating specialty is scorpion control. Bulwark uses the finest and most effective products in the world to solve common pest problems.

Photo Credit:  Wikipedia

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The Sports Archives – The Pests Of The NBA!

Posted on January 25, 2013 by thesportsarchives

Part of the fun of following pro sports is rooting against opposing players and teams. Any true fan will make an extra effort to target particular players. In our office alone we have die hard Lakers, Jazz, Spurs and Suns fans – all Western Conference rivals. One employees favorite player is another employee’s #1 public enemy.

Here are our top pests of the NBA.

Luis Scola

Luis Scola Argentina

Scola is the rodent of the athlete-pest kingdom, and he has the hair to go with it. Have you seen his mop? It’s so shiny black you could literally see it from the top row. For a guy that players forward, there are few that flop around the floor like Scola, a native of Argentina. He plays the kind of defense with slappy hands coming in from all angles.

Nate Robinson

Nate RobinsonWe’ll classify Bulls point guard Nate Robinson in the “mite” category. He is currently the shortest player in the NBA, so it’s only fitting. Robinson also annoys fans for his never-ending celebrations of his 3-pointers. A mainstay sharp-shooter off the bench, Robinson is known for over-celebrating and stoking the crowd after his buckets, at the start of the second quarter when his team is still losing by 4.

Dan Gilbert

The contributors to this list unanimously voted Mark Cuban as the lone-team owner to be on this list, but as author, I vetoed their power and dictate that Dan Gilbert take the owner’s suite in this party. His verbal abuse of Lebron James, warranted or unwarranted, after James decided to leave Cleveland was a public display of pettiness. He sounded like the rich, spoiled kid who didn’t get his way. Gilbert’s whiny ways resurfaced when the Lakers and Hornets came to terms to send Chris Paul to LA.  Gilbert was a lead name on an email to Commissioner Stern, crying about unfairness of the trade. If he couldn’t keep his superstar and form a superteam, then no one else could either. Gilbert resembles the crickets of the pest farm. They are completely harmless, but are the loudest of the bunch.

Manu Ginobili

Manu GinóbiliWhile the team preferences of our office differ, everyone agrees that the #1 pest spot in the NBA belongs to Manu Ginobili, and even our Spurs fan doesn’t argue it. Manu practically rewrote the book on flopping in the lane. As soon as his opponent makes contact, he usually flys backwards like he’s just been hit with a semi-truck. And if he doesn’t get the call to go his way, his Argentine-Italian roots colors shine through when he uses his arms and hands to plead his case to the nearest official. A look of complete and utter bewilderment always accompanies his talking hands. As a fan, its hard to believe that he actually believes he has a case. Manu is the praying mantis of the kingdom. You know you’re looking at a Mantis when you see it’s hands stretched out in prayer. Well, Manu isn’t Manu without his hands complaining to the refs.

Steve Bitter is a Marketing Manager with Bulwark Exterminating, based in Mesa, AZ. Bulwark Exterminating is an industry leader in providing high quality pest control service. Bulwark is fully operational in seven states, including eleven major cities. While Bulwark provides pest extermination for common insects such as ants, roaches, crickets and spiders, the company’s differentiating specialty is scorpion control. Bulwark uses the finest and most effective products in the world to solve common pest problems.

Photo Credits: Wikipedia

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The Sports Archives – 5 Smartest People In All of Sports!

Posted on January 25, 2013 by thesportsarchives

THE Game

Athletes are most commonly associated with physical strength, blinding speed, and insane leaping ability. They are not usually thought to be the smartest people in the room. This may be true in some cases, but there are plenty of smart athletes playing professional sports today. After all, someone has to go to Notre Dame and Duke, right? Don’t let the following 5 people fall into the dumb jock stereotype; they are some of the smartest people in all of sports.

Steve Young

Steve Young is definitely known for being a success on the field. The quarterback led the San Francisco 49ers to three Super Bowl wins after waiting patiently for his time to shine on the bench behind Joe Montana for years. He continued to show his intelligence and effort in the classroom after he retired in 1999. Young graduated from BYU’s law school in 2005, and he also received an honorary doctorate from Utah State University. ESPN hired him for his intelligent commentary on NFL as well as his insight on the game.

Ryan Fitzpatrick

Fitzpatrick may be more highly regarded for his beard than his playing ability in the NFL right now. But, there is no doubt that he can get it done in the classroom. Fitzpatrick got an almost perfect score on the SAT. One his way to the NFL he picked an economics degree from Harvard. Fitzpatrick also got one of the highest scores in history on the Wonderlic exam given to college players while they are being scouted for the draft. Fitzpatrick is certainly one of the smartest players playing in the NFL today.

Bill Bradley

Bill Bradley is easily the most successful politician to come out of professional sports. Bradley graduated from Princeton. He also won an Olympic gold medal in basketball before making the jump to the pros with the New York Knicks. Bradley had a strong career in the NBA. He played for the Knicks from 1967 to 1977. The Knicks won two championships during that span with Bradley’s help. Bradley then moved on to a career in politics after his basketball career was over winning a seat in the Senate representing the state of New Jersey. Bradley also found time for many other endeavors including investment banking and even non-fiction writing.

Moe Berg

You could make a case that Moe Berg is the most intelligent professional athlete of all time. Berg played catcher in Major League Baseball in the 20s and 30s. He mostly bounced around the league. It has been said that Berg would read ten newspapers a day. He could speak multiple languages fluently. Berg impressively graduated from both Princeton University and Harvard Law. The most interesting thing about him may be that he was hired during World War II by the US government to be a spy.

Alan Page

Alan Page is a champion, a Hall of Famer, and a scholar. He went to college at Notre Dame where he won a national championship. Page then was part of one of the most dominating defensive lines in history “The Purple People Eaters”. His efforts on the field led to him being inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame. After his NFL career he got a law degree and later became the Assistant Attorney General for the state of Minnesota. Page is also the first African-American to serve on the state supreme court in Minnesota.

These five examples show that you can judge a book by its cover. There are many athletes in the pros that possess the brains as well as brawn. It is always refreshing to see athletes who don’t let their athletic careers define them as a person.

Featured images:

Bradley Turner is a sports enthusiast and physical education instructor. He also has contributed to and written many articles on the subject of sports and athletes, such as, “10 Champion Boxers Who Are Actually Smart“.

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The Sports Archives – Top Premiership Strikers of 2012!

Posted on January 24, 2013 by thesportsarchives

The year 2012 was one that many football fans will remember for a lifetime, and others would sooner forget. The level of strikers in the Premiership has been, as usual, of a very high calibre with some great goals, assists and all-around play on display throughout the year.

Robin van Persie (Manchester United)

Robin van PersieRobin van Persie was made club captain for his former team Arsenal in the 2011-12 season and managed to score his 122nd goal for the club, making him the 8th highest scorer in their history. Van Persie was the top scorer in his final season with Arsenal with 30 goals and continued his fine form in the first half of the 2012-13 season with his new club Manchester United. He scored many important goals since his move, including his 100th Premiership goal in September when the inform striker netted a hat-trick against Southampton.

 

Luis Suárez (Liverpool)

Luis SuárezThe controversial Liverpool Uruguayan international Luis Suárez is loved by some, hated by many but is undoubtedly one of the best strikers of 2012. His goals for his club in the first half of the 2012-13 season have been of the utmost importance, as there is a shortage of others that are doing the same. The former Ajax man once stated that legends such as Marco van Basten, Dennis Bergkamp, Frank de Boer and Henk ten Cate taught him and helped him become the player he is;  in particular he noted that his excellent movement and technique was handed down to him by Van Basten.

Michu (Swansea)

Miguel Pérez Cuesta, otherwise known as Michu, has been a sensation for Swansea since his arrival in July 2012. The Spaniard played midfield for his former club Rayo, but was tried up front and hasn’t looked back since. Riding high on the top scorers list at the end of 2012, Michu’s contribution has been instrumental in seeing his team to a safe mid-table spot even though at the start of the season they were many people’s favourites to go down.

Jermain Defoe (Tottenham)

Jermain DefoeTottenham’s Jermain Defoe scored 17 goals in total in the 2011-12 season, 11 of them were league goals out of 25 appearances for his club, 11 of which he started on the bench. In the 2012-13 season, Defoe has continued his good form, scoring his 200th club goal of his career in October. Soon after, his hat-trick against NK Maribor in the UEFA Europa League made him the club’s all-time top scorer, knocking Teddy Sheringham off the top of the list.

 

Rickie Lambert (Southampton)

Rickie Lambert of Southampton has been consistent all year and helped his club to a second consecutive promotion after the 2011-12 season, when he finished top scorer in the Championship. The tall striker from Liverpool has since made the step up to the Premiership and has shown he can mix it with the best of them.

Morgan loves to write about Football related articles and you can find more in his afl betting blog.

Photo Credits: Wikipedia

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The Sports Archives – Top 7 Extreme Sports Accidents!

Posted on January 24, 2013 by thesportsarchives

Helicopter in high mountainsWhile you and I sit back on the couch, put our favorite movie on, and cozy up with our laptop or phone, there are people out there pushing their bodies to the very limits. Whether it is BASE jumping from the top of a cliff, snowboarding down the steepest of mountains, or windsurfing the oceans’ most brutal waves, some people find extraordinary appeal in the thrill found in these incredibly dangerous activities. Unfortunately, the adrenaline rush that accompanies these activities is short-lived for some, as accidents are inevitable in sports like these. The following is a list dedicated to some of the most horrific extreme sports accidents that the world has ever seen.

1.) Antoine Montant – 2011

Antoine Montant, age 33, was a French professional BASE jumper and extreme sports icon. BASE-jumping involves jumping off of a fixed object, typically buildings, antennas, spans (bridges), and earth (cliffs), hence the acronym, BASE. The accident happened in the Fiz mountain range of the French Alps when Montant’s parachute failed to open upon jumping, thus falling thousands of feet to his tragic death. Montant was a ski and paraglide instructor and was sponsored by Red Bull for his efforts in the extreme sports community. Needless to say, Antoine Montant perished doing what he loved.

2.) Michael Ybarra – 2012

Michael Ybarra was not only an extreme sports journalist, but he also went out to do the deeds himself. He was a renowned mountain climber when he was not in the office writing about his and others’ escapades on the cliffs. Unfortunately, his climb up Yosemite’s Sawtooth Ridge would be his last. The veteran mountain climber fell approximately 200 feet to his death from the challenging ridge; it was known to be a peak for only veteran climbers to scale, like Ybarra. His pieces in the New York Times reflect his love for the outdoors and extreme sports. Ybarra was only 45 years old.

3.) Sarah Burke – 2012

Sarah Burke, 30, was a Canadian professional skier, mostly freestyle, who perished in a skiing accident. She was a well-known and world-renowned skier, winning 4 Winter X Games gold medals, claiming the world championship on the halfpipe in 2005, and even lobbied to get her event into the 2014 Winter Olympics, in which she was successful. The accident occurred on January 10th, 2012 when Burke was practicing on the Park City Mountain Resort Eagle in Utah. She failed to land a jump and landed on her head, eventually going into cardiac arrest. After being resuscitated, she went into a coma and eventually died from her injuries a little over a week later. Being such a well-known individual in extreme sports, her death caused some controversy regarding the sport of freestyle skiing and other extreme sports that put one’s life at risk.

4.) Shane Murphy – 2012

Shane Murphy was one of the most famous wingsuit jumpers of all time. Wingsuit jumping involves jumping off immensely high structures, like BASE-jumping, and hurtling towards the ground. However, unlike BASE-jumping, the person wears a special suit with extra fabric between the legs and under the arms, somewhat resembling a flying squirrel or a bat. Shane Murphy successfully completed over 1,000 jumps in his famed career. Unfortunately, his jump of the Alps mountaintops would be his last. Only weeks later, the French town famed for these wingsuit jumps ultimately banned the use of wingsuits as a result of recent deaths.

5.) Patrick de Gayardon – 1998

Patrick de Gayardon revolutionized the sports of skydiving and BASE-jumping. He was one of the first people ever to skysurf, which involves skydiving with a snowboard in an effort to create incredible acrobatic moves in the air. He was also very famous for his stunts in a wingsuit. Unfortunately, de Gayardon was never satisfied with his stunts, as he was always looking for ways to improve upon himself. He died testing a modification he was making to his parachute in a skydiving accident.

6.) Sion Milosky – 2011

Sion Milosky, 35, was a famous Hawaiian big-wave surfer who was killed by, what many speculate as, the biggest wave ever. The wave that took Milosky’s life was over 60 feet tall. The spot in which he caught the wave is notorious for producing some of the world’s largest waves. Northern California’s Maverick’s has been a hotspot for big-wave surfers all over the world. Milosky was sent into the water by the first towering wave, and was held under without time to resurface when a second mammoth wave quickly bore down upon him. Paramedics responded, but 20 minutes too late. His death sparked concern in the community of big-wave surfers across the world.

7.) Stephen Murray – 2007

Stephen Murray’s accident did not result in permanent death, but the crash was so horrific and severe, that he was ruled dead for several minutes. Stephen Murray was pioneer in BMX biking, winning the BMX Dirt Gold medal and was consistently ranked as one of the best bikers in the world before his career-ending injury. The injury happened when Murray could not fully rotate his bike for a full backflip, resulting in a crash-landing directly on his head. The crash instantly broke his neck, as he even stopped breathing. Paramedics on the scene were able to revive him and rush him to the hospital. Murray is paralyzed from the shoulders down.

Accidents happen in sports every single day. Football players take on incredible physical abuse every day in practice and games. Baseball players witness a ball hurtling towards them at 100 miles per hour all year-long. Some, however, take it to the next level. Big-wave surfers dance under waves resembling skyscrapers. BASE-jumpers jump off of buildings like they’re jumping out of the first floor bedroom window. Extreme sports athletes are adrenaline junkies that are constantly searching for something to top their last stunt. Though many claim that their actions are ignorant, they are doing what they love. They are doing what makes them happy, even if it means their next stunt could be their last.

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If extreme sports is something that you love or want to get into then the experienced team at Last Frontier Heliskiing can help you make your dreams a reality. To learn more and to see what you can do visit their website.

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The Sports Archives – South Africa Horse Racing – A Bet on the Wild Side!

Posted on January 22, 2013 by thesportsarchives

South Africa Horse RacingHorse racing has had a long history throughout South Africa. Records show that the first official horse race began in 1797 and just 5 years later in 1802 the first club meeting took place. Durban is most famous for the “Durban July Handicap” which attracts a massive crowd. This famous race has been ongoing since 1897 on the same track known as Greyville racecourse Course. Greyville, known to be the largest racing event in all of Africa and the betting can reach hundreds of millions of rands (the official currency of South Africa).

Durban is not the only famous city to hold significant races throughout South Africa. Cape Town is home to “Kenilworth” and Johannesburg holds events at the “Turffontein Race Course”. The “Summer Cup” at Johannesburg has a prize reward for first place at R1.2 million rand.

Other Tracks of South Africa

Arlington (Port Elizabeth)–The track runs the “East Cape Derby Gr3”. The course is a fast and a quick run with the sharpness and unevenness of the entire track it is a sight to see.

Fairview (Port Elizabeth)–The track is a right-handed course with slow drainage. In adverse weather Fairview can be a messy track for the horses. The start off is slightly downhill so the beginning of the race is fast paced and exciting to see.

Vaal (Viljoensdrif)–Home to a large 1000m straight away course with sharp curves at each end. Vaal is also famous for the area’s only 1600m straight run.

Newmarket (Johannesburg)–Home to a popular casino. The high mark races from this course include “Gauteng Racehorse Owners Association Handicap”, “Gerald Rosenberg Handicap”, “Newmarket Turf Club WFA” and “The Premier Handicap”.

Turffontein (Johannesburg)–Track was refurbished and is now one of only a handful offering night races in South Africa. This course high mark races include “Group One South African Derby” and the November’s “Summer Cup”.

Greyville Turf Club (Durban)–First and longest running sports event in the area. This is the crucial one for the novice and elite alike. Watch the multiple events race from daylight to night time, it is here for all to see.

Scottsville (Pietermaritzburg)–Just next to the Golden Horse Casino. The track holds 50 races a year and is a hot spot for anyone into racing and fun at the Casino.

Flamingo Park (Kimberley)–This is one of South Africa’s only sand course tracks. Horse racing is an art in itself as often some horses who have won at this course do not show well on grass or turf tracks. A unique course and one worth experiencing as it is like no other around.

Durbansville (Cape Town)–The track is a left-handed traditional course. Course also contains a small but entertaining casino on grounds.

Kenilworth (Cape Town)–This is another left-handed track. It is unique in many ways as it consists of 3 separate tracks within one. One old, one new and a long straight track. Some of the best racing in South Africa is on this course. The new track is one of the fairest courses for all types of racing.

Graham Jenkins has spent too much of his time betting and losing on the horses. He was always told to visit South Africa by friends and fellow horse lovers. He was amazed at the beauty of the country and the love of horse racing that the locals shared with him.

Photo Credit: blog.summerhill.co.za

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