Details here.

As a follow-on to Nicholas’s piece on concussions, a suburban Philly school board member is calling for a ban on high school football: 

Comparing high school football to the gladiator fights of ancient times, Council Rock school board member Patty Sexton has called for banning the sport at the high school level.

Sexton, also a Philadelphia public school teacher, made her comments late at Thursday night’s Council Rock board meeting.

She said continuing the sport at schools funded by the general taxpayer base is inappropriate. It has become too dangerous and carries too much of a risk of lasting effects from injuries, especially concussions, Sexton said.

“It’s no longer appropriate for public institutions to fund gladiators,” she said. “I am very, very concerned about putting these student-athletes in the position of getting a concussion. Football has gotten faster, harder and more dangerous with each passing year. I’m extremely scared we will eventually be sued over injuries suffered in sports.”

It doesn’t make sense for publicly funded educational institutions to continue offering a sport that by its very nature includes physical and often violent contact on every play, Sexton said.

It may happen regardless whether or not this particular push succeeds. With concussions being so big of an issue, it will soon be almost impossible for school districts to afford liability coverage for football anyway.

First of all, hats off to Right Field’s Noah Glyn here on blog for his Nostradamus-like prediction that Timothy Bradley would defeat Manny Pacquiao by split decision. That is indeed what happened Saturday night at MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

The decision, however, to award Bradley the win was beyond disappointing. It was a farce. Pacquiao was not the only loser that night; the sport of boxing also lost, again.

It’s no secret that boxing is not the sport it once was. The heavyweight division has not had a memorable champion since Lennox Lewis and while the middleweights have some popular fighters, the sport has suffered an overall steady decline the past few decades.

The judges giving Bradley the decision was incomprehensible. Pacquiao was far and away the better fighter in just about every round — as the statistics show. Pacquiao landed 253 punches, 94 more than Bradley’s 159. Pacquiao connected on 34 percent of his punches, while Bradley landed only 19 percent.

Pacquiao has been boxing’s biggest star in recent years and his charismatic demeanor has given the struggling sport a much needed boost. He is a wildly popular athlete in both his native Philippines and across the globe.

In boxing’s history, there have always been poor decisions but this one was one of the most devastating, given the timing and the fighter involved. Over the past ten years, boxing has been losing its fan base to mixed martial arts. And this weekend, boxing never looked more unappealing. While there will be an inevitable rematch between Pacquaio and Bradley, that fight is unlikely to undo the damage done to the sport on Saturday night.

On the surface, the idea than a relatively unknown boxer like Tim Bradley could defeat the best fighter in the world (sorry Mayweather!) seems ludicrous. But Tim Bradley could be the best match-up against Pacqiuao, short of Floyd Mayweather himself.

Manny’s last fight against Juan Manuel Marquez was not his finest, though he did pull off a split-decision (7–1) victory. Unless Pacqiuao has suddenly hit the end of his prime, which most boxing experts don’t believe, then he’s not likely to repeat his sub-average performance against Bradley.

Tim Bradley is a hungry up-and-coming pugilist. He’s an attacker who can and will trade punches with Pacqiuao. This will make for an interesting dynamic, since both fighters are offensive-minded, unlike Mayweather, who is one of the finest defensive-minded boxers in history.

The one area where Bradley has a big advantage over Pacqiuao, in my opinion, is his footwork. This could help him better deflect and absorb Manny’s punches. Bradley is also in fantastic shape, and will be capable of going the distance against his more experienced opponent. It’s been more than two years since Manny last knocked out an opponent, so it’s entirely possible that this fight could go the distance.

Manny’s advantages over Bradley are well-known. He has faster hands, stronger punches, and more experience. The conventional wisdom is these advantages will be too much for Bradley to overcome, and even if Pacqiuao can’t knock him out, he should still win.

I’m not so sure. Boxing is a sport that is all about intangibles. Does he have the will to trade punches? Can he muster enough courage to get up after getting knocked down? To what extent is a fighter willing to risk his own health? Will that accidental head-butt end the fight?

Bradley oozes with intangibles. He is a confident fighter who seems to have good luck. Because he is so aggressive, I wouldn’t be surprised to see another “accidental” head-butt knock Pacqiuao off his game, giving Bradley an advantage.

My prediction: Bradley wins by split-decision.

I’ll Have Another has withdrawn from the Belmont Stakes. The horse has an injury which has forced the owners to pull him from the race. According to I’ll Have Another’s trainer, O’Neill, the horse has competed in its last race. Affirmed’s status as the last Triple Crown winner remains intact.

This is the epitome of sportsmanship:

Lending a helping hand was more satisfying than winning a state championship Saturday for Meghan Vogel.

The West Liberty-Salem High School junior was the surprise winner in the Division III girls 1,600 meters in the finals of the state track meet at Ohio State’s Jesse Owens Stadium.

She broke away from race favorite Tammy Berger of Versailles and Delainey Phelps of Toledo Christian with 300 meters to go. She won going away in 4:58.31. It was the first time she had broken the five-minute mark.

What Vogel did at the end of the D-III 3,200 meters, however, got her a standing ovation.

Within 20 feet of the finish line, Arden McMath, a sophomore from Arlington High School, collapsed in front of Vogel. Rather than run by her, Vogel helped McMath to her feet and helped her across the finish line.

The crowd came to its feet with the roar growing louder with each step.

Please excuse me. I’ve got something in my eye…

General Motors has signed a five-year sponsorship deal with Manchester United (replacing Audi) in the hopes of turning Chevrolet into a global icon. Manchester United, which claims to have 659 million fans worldwide, presents the carmaker with a truly global marketing opportunity. GM claims that its decision to ditch Super Bowl advertising isn’t related to numbers, but the company realized the potential in partnering with the 19-time Premier League champions when the worldwide audience for the recent Manchester derby reached some 600 million people, compared with the 110 to 115 million who make up the Super Bowl audience.

With this deal, Chevrolet’s presence will be visible on signs, scoreboards, player benches, and on backdrops and chairs during interviews. Chevy will also be allowed to display the Manchester United logo in their stores. Chevy will also sponsor two Manchester United friendlies in China this summer, where GM is a market share leader.

(Don’t think the likes of Wayne Rooney and his teammates will be buying the Volt anytime soon, though).

India’s Grandmaster Viswanathan Anand won his fifth world championship today in a tense, sudden death tie break with Israel’s Boris Gelfand. The tournament went into a four game tie break after Anand and Gelfand drew their twelfth game on Monday. Both men had won one victory apiece, while tying the other ten games. The second tiebreak game broke the continuous deadlock, as Anand prevailed in time over Gelfand in a very aggressive game. If they had remained tied after the four games, they would have played a special, “Armageddon” game where White would have gotten a time advantage while Black would have won in case of a draw.

Anand said afterwards that he “simply hung on for dear life,” in the final games that were witnessed by millions on the Internet. The “Tiger of Madras” is a national hero in India, and continues to build on his legacy as one of the greatest chess players of all time.

Telegraph:

The former England captain his LA Galaxy team mates were lauded at the White House after winning the Major League Soccer Cup, America’s equivalent of the Premiership.

Turning to the 37-year-old Beckham, Mr Obama described him as “young up-and-comer”. To laughter from his team mates, the President said: “I have to say I gave David Beckham a hard time, and told him half the team could be his kids. We’re getting old, David.’’

First, congrats to Manchester City and its fans.

Second, congrats to Galatasaray and its fans. (Some of Fenerbahce’s fans didn’t exactly take the second-place finish in stride.)

As for this Saturday’s Champions League final, those planning to watch the match on Fox may have advance reason to cheer. According to Ryan Yoder of Awful Announcing, don’t expect a repeat of last year’s coverage debacle.

Thankfully, according to FOX’s plans for this year’s Champions League Final between Bayern Munich and Chelsea, there don’t appear to be any Michael Strahan segments or Shakira profiles this year. . . .

Though he was widely criticized last year, Curt Menefee will return to the broadcast, albeit in a different role. This year, he channels his inner Bob Costas and returns as “event host.” Rob Stone will be hosting on-site in Munich with U.S. and Tottenham goalie Brad Friedel and Eric Wynalda for analysis and most likely will handle the actual soccer discussion. Last year Menefee seemed out of his depths. Given the fact that Stone has handled all studio duties since his move from ESPN, the “event host” role seems unnecessary. Wyanlda and Friedel certainly didn’t wow anyone last year as pundits, although they were much better than Bruce Arena. Stone also has a chance to shine by interviewing UEFA head and likely successor to Sepp Blatter, Michel Platini. That’s the kind of segment that can help Fox improve their image if it’s done properly. . . .

One area where FOX should have no issues is after the game kicks off. The game broadcast will be simulcasted from sister network Sky Sports in England. For this broadcast, American viewers will get to enjoy Martin Tyler and former Manchester United defender Gary Neville. Tyler is of course one of the world’s best, while Neville has also done well in his young analyst career, highlighted by this orgasmic call of a Fernando Torres goal to seal Chelsea’s birth in the Final. Thankfully the Super Bowl of international soccer will be in good hands once the whistle blows.

More here.

LeBron James, a minority stakeholder in Liverpool F.C. through his deal with Fenway Sports Group, the sole marketer of his rights throughout the world and the parent company of the English soccer club, has run afoul of the team’s supporters. In an apparent attempt to probably endear himself to them with the new “LeBron 9 Low Liverpool Edition,” set to be released on May 5, he has instead received their ire.

Besides a very bad version of the Liver bird on the rear of the shoe, what the design has gotten incorrect can be missed, since it is on the shoes’ soles — the 18 championship trophies the club have won. The error? They are designed in the image of the Premier League trophy. Although Liverpool have won 18 domestic league trophies, none of them have been in the past 20 years, since the Premier League was established in 1992. One respondent replied, “This has been a PR disaster.” While another complained, “18 premiership titles on the sole? What a joke, surely he knows we have never won a prem title yet? What a joke.”

So much for equal rights:  

A 13-year-old Long Island boy who has been a star of a local high school girls’ field hockey team for the past two years has been kicked off the team for being too dominant of a player, MyFoxNY reports.

Keeling Pilaro was told he could no longer play for Southampton High School’s varsity girls’ field hockey team this year after becoming the team’s star over the past two years.

Section 11, which oversees Suffolk County’s high school sports, determined that as a boy, Keeling had too significant an advantage over the other players.

Does anyone know where does Lilly Ledbetter stands on this?

Dean Potter, 40, crosses China’s Enshai Grand Canyon over a slackline 1,800 meters above sea level. The rope in slackline is never completely taut, thus susceptible to bouncing and stretching. Very good balance.

A ballboy intrudes onto the playing field during a game between Guarany and Sergipe to deny a goal being scored by Sergipe. Following a corner on the other half of the field, for which Guarany’s goalkeeper went to assist, one of Sergipe’s players was presented with a clear chance on an open goal, only to be denied by the ballboy. However, his action did not help, as Sergipe still won.

Stefan Ishizaki, midfielder for Swedish soccer club IF Elfsborg, scored a 70-metre volley from his own half of the field in a game against Orebro on Monday night. Ishizaki, collecting the Orebro goalkeeper’s clearance and noticing he was way off his line, belts it back with precision on his first-time attempt back into the keeper’s net.

From today’s Washington Post: D.C. Public Schools introduce flag football as a girls’ varsity sport.

An excerpt:

“Whenever you hear football, it’s always like that it’s a boys’ sport and girls can’t really play, so I figured I’d show them that girls can play just as well as boys,” Blissett said. “I’ve always wanted to do it.”

Girls in D.C. Public Schools now have that chance, since the D.C. Interscholastic Athletic Association introduced flag football as a varsity sport this spring in an effort to raise girls’ participation in sports and improve its compliance with Title IX, the law mandating gender equity at all federally funded institutions. The season began Friday, with six of the 17 DCPS high schools fielding teams. Nearly 70 girls are playing.

According to DCPS figures for the 2010-11 school year, girls made up 51 percent of the total high school enrollment (6,058 of 11,988) but only 39 percent of the athletic participants (1,060 of 2,743). To improve those participation numbers, DCPS officials surveyed high school girls last year and adopted the two most-requested sports. Flag football was the overwhelming No. 1 choice followed by bowling, which was introduced as a varsity sport this past winter. Alaska and Florida are the only states that currently offer flag football as a varsity sport.

And here’s the explanation for why flag football was the “overwhelming No. 1″ choice, but only 70 girls are playing at 6 schools:

But so far, flag football has not drawn many first-time varsity athletes. Because it is played in the spring, which is home to the two most popular sports for girls (outdoor track and softball), the majority of flag football players are doubling up. Dunbar, for instance, has so many softball players and track athletes on its team that Friday’s inaugural game against Eastern marked the first time that the full squad was on the same field together

Manchester United has again topped Forbes’ list of the world’s most valuable soccer clubs. The Red Devils, owned by the Glazers, have topped the list every year since Forbes began the list in 2004. With their global fan base of 330 million, it’s the most valuable team in any sport, worth $385 million more than the New York Yankees and the Dallas Cowboys. Real Madrid, Barcelona and Arsenal follow respectively. The full list is here.

German soccer club Borussia Dortmund virtually sealed the Bundesliga title for the second year running by beating Bayern Munich last week at home 1-0. To insult their rivals further, Dortmund’s mascot Emma the bee had a go at Bayern when she pretended to urinate on Bayern’s bus. Dortmund’s response clarifies what Emma was actually doing. More here.

Boston Marathon: Heat already taking its toll on runners.

Why is Piers Morgan’s name supposedly trending throughout the UK Twitterverse?

The CNN host, a diehard Arsenal fan, has been gloating over yesterday’s 1-0 home victory over Manchester City, which pretty much dashed the latter’s dreams of an English Premier League title. (Manchester United has an eight-point lead with only six matches remaining.) Morgan subsequently got into a back-and-forth on Twitter with City midfielder Samir Nasri, who had played for the Gunners for three years but bolted to City after last season, opining over the summer that his new club was better poised to capture future EPL championships.

Here is one of the exchanges:

Referring to Nasri’s claims, Morgan wrote: ‘Remember this @SamNasri19? Just wondered how that trophy cabinet’s coming along?’

Nasri responded: ‘@piersmorgan I’m aware what I said about titles I’m sure I will lift a trophy with Man City before AFC.’

More here.