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(11/03/11 2:55am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>There are 12 schools in the Big Ten and 10 schools in the Big 12. The ACC includes teams from the entire Atlantic coast, from Syracuse to Miami. By the end of the year, there could be up to 12 football schools in the Big East.In what might be the most exciting two years in conference realignments, the Big East is finally making its long-talked-about move. It’s extending invitations to expand its conference to make up for the loss of Pittsburgh, Syracuse and West Virginia.Although it is not clear yet who is invited, the targets in the last few months have been Boise State, Navy and Air Force for football only and Southern Methodist University, Houston and University Central Florida for all sports.The Big East is reeling after the loss of high-profile schools in the realignment craziness, but I can’t possibly be the only one to think it’s ridiculous to have a conference with teams spread across almost the entire country.Sure, it might be great to try and build these super-conferences for TV ratings in football and basketball. Great potential matchups will result from that, but what about all the other non-revenue sports that are still vital pieces of these athletic departments?IU Athletics Director Fred Glass said the addition of Nebraska to the conference has already caused a severe increase in travel expenses for non-revenue sports. That will be no different for other schools shifting conferences. Flying the women’s tennis team from Syracuse to Miami for a one-day match will take a toll on budgets. It does not seem fair to the potentially 20-plus other sports in the colleges’ and universities’ athletic departments. They are going to have to start making bigger sacrifices than they probably already have to make. The obvious argument will be that it doesn’t matter because football and basketball make the money for those sports anyway, so they should just be happy. That cannot and should not be the only or correct answer. Every team, whether it is volleyball, baseball, field hockey, etc., makes up the athletic departments. They all deserve to be treated fairly. The true idea of a super-conference will never totally be brought to fruition. There are a bunch of reasons for that. Once the conferences get bigger, they will just continue to be broken down into sub-conferences that no one cares about (I’m talking about you, “Legends” and “Leaders”).The point of making conferences bigger could be that all the schools get to play each other. If each year teams are stuck playing the same five teams and then a matchup game, some players will go an entire career without facing a team in their own conference. That just doesn’t seem right. Whole conferences should not be dismantled and recreated so that good football matchups come from them. There needs to be a more over-arching balance when the conference officials make these decisions. It can’t just be about football. It can’t just be about basketball. It needs to be about all student athletes in the various programs. Right now, no one is looking out for them, and that is wrong. — cursini@indiana.edu
(10/27/11 3:56am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The jumpsuits and casual revelry of IndyCar drivers were replaced with suits and somber attitudes as racing’s best took their turns in St. Petersburg, Fla., saying their final goodbyes to Dan Wheldon.Less than a week after the 15-car crash at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, the racing legend was laid to rest. In the time since the crash, more information has come forward to show that it could possibly have been prevented. Everything that wasn’t meant to be in IndyCar racing was present in that afternoon’s IZOD IndyCar World Championship. Driver Danica Patrick made an eerily prophetic statement a few days before the race. “The track is so smooth, we will be three-wide out there,” Patrick said. “The race will be crazy and the crashes spectacular.”Patrick and other driver’s words must have fallen on deaf ears of racing officials because after just 11 laps, the crash that everyone feared actually happened, and the Indy 500 Champion became the second driver to die in an IndyCar race.How could people ignore the perfect storm of factors leading up to the race that afternoon? There was not just one reason to reevaluate the race but many. The lineup included 34 cars. That made it the largest field since the 1997 Indianapolis 500. Several of the cars in that race did not even make it to the green flag. The design of the track gave each car the opportunity to run at nearly the same speed. Packs of cars — experienced and inexperienced drivers next to one another — raced at 220 mph with not much room to maneuver and virtually no reaction time. The fact that the cars were so bunched together on a track that is nearly a mile shorter than a track made to hold a 33-car race meant a chain-reaction crash when Wade Cunningham hit James Hinchcliffe’s car. These were just a few things that contributed to Sunday’s crash. It seems so obvious that there were issues that needed to be addressed before the 34 drivers got in their cars. Maybe the drivers should have made more serious claims about the track conditions. Maybe racing officials should have known that the chance to run a wild race came with the ultimate price: the life of one of the best drivers in the series.After the ash on the track settled, racing officials must have known that a mistake had been made. Eight days later, more than a dozen drivers, the IndyCar CEO and the series’ president of competition all attended a meeting to discuss how to make the sport safer.IndyCar drivers know every time they get in their cars, they might be risking their lives, but there is a difference between calculated risk and the risk the drivers had Oct. 16. That risk was brought to give fans a better show, and it backfired.— cursini@indiana.eduCaitlin Ursini is a senior in journalism
(10/20/11 4:21am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The live crowd is hanging on the outcome. The lights are bright on the competitors as they duel for the win. The cameras are plentiful to guarantee a good shot from every angle.I’m not talking about any professional sporting event, rather the competitive sport of television game shows. Ladies and gentlemen, let me tell you preparing for a game show is like preparing for the Super Bowl. It is not for the faint of heart.How do I know this with such certainty? Well, I recently returned from Los Angeles after competing in the television game show Wheel of Fortune.You might not believe me when I say the training was ruthless and the competition was tough, but I promise it was. I felt like I was back in my varsity basketball days preparing for the big game (full disclosure: I mostly sat on the bench in high school).Preparation for a competition like this takes true training. It was a combination of physical and mental toughness that helped me succeed on the rough streets of the Sony Studio.Physical PreparationYou might occasionally sit at home and watch Wheel of Fortune, thinking “I could do this.” If so, you better start training today.The physical preparation is perhaps the most important part. Start a weight-lifting regime immediately. That wheel is nothing to joke about, weighing in at about 500 pounds. Spinning it is like a full day’s workout.All spinners are encouraged to do a spinning motion with their right hand that works the bicep as you pull the wheel toward you and the triceps as you push the wheel away for maximum velocity.After the show, medical attention might be needed for hand blisters.Mental PreparationAny good athlete will tell you success is just as much about the mental as it is about the physical. In the world of competitive game show athletes, this is no different.You have less than three weeks between the time you are informed of your show appearance and the day of taping. This means you must go into puzzle overdrive leading up to the competition.Hand cramps from playing the Wheel of Fortune app on your iPhone are part of the training. Constantly filling my head with puzzles was one of the most important aspects of my training.The hardest mental test comes on the day of the show. All 18 contestants are kept in a room for nearly five hours before the taping of the first show. This is where the real mind games begin.I have to figure out who my toughest opponents will be and how I can get inside their heads in case we are in the same taping. This is also the time when my own preparation is the most important. I can’t let Sheila from Long Island psyche me out with her talk of grandchildren.When it is finally time for my taping, I find that my training has served me well.The time and training required to be a television contestant is much like what I did to be a bench warmer on my basketball team. It is not easy work, but someone has to be willing to do it.Tune in Nov. 15 to see how I fared.
(10/13/11 4:08am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Stop me if you have heard this story before. Extremely high-paid professional athletes and rich professional team owners can not come up with a deal that makes everyone happy.Oh, you have heard it? I’m not surprised.After an entire NFL offseason filled with negotiations, bargaining and media coverage, some people might have forgotten the NBA was in a lockout, too.Well, after NBA Commissioner David Stern announced that the first two weeks of the NBA season, accounting for 100 games, would be canceled, people started paying attention again.The NBA is in a lock-out for the first time since 1998. This one looks like it still needs a good amount of time before it will figure itself out.In case you didn’t know, the players and owners are arguing about, you guessed it, money. A salary cap, proposed revenue splits and the creation of ability for smaller market teams to compete against the Lakers or Celtics are all a part of what keeps players and owners at a standstill.After Stern’s comments about canceling the first two weeks of the season, he did not seem to add much optimism that talks would turn around anytime soon.“We are very far apart on virtually all issues,” Stern said. “We just have a gulf that separates us.”Stuck in that gulf are fans who helped make 2010-11 one of the highest rated seasons of all time with TV viewing and game attendance.The fans who already had tickets will be refunded with interest for the games that have been canceled, but let’s be real, that’s not what they want. They want to watch basketball. Millionaires arguing about who makes an extra million is what is stopping them from doing that.When Stern officially began canceling regular season games the players were quick to react.Miami Heat guard Dwayne Wade tweeted that the situation “just got real.” Yes, Dwayne, it did. Players may have had some fun playing overseas and putting on a show, but there is still no decision and there are still no games to be played.Players and owners need to find some way to begin working out their differences. Fans do not respond well to lockouts.It took years for ticket sales to regenerate after the MLB lockout. After the NHL lockout, games were taken off TV and stands were virtually empty for a few years.I do understand the NBA has a bigger market than both of those sports, but that doesn’t mean fans will be any quicker to forgive.Fans aren’t the only ones being affected by the lockout.The teams lost $83 million on ticket sales by canceling those 100 games and that doesn’t include concession income, souvenirs or parking. Stadium employees, bar owners and local business people will also feel the hit of the cancellation of games, and potentially a season.There are too many people that will be impacted if this season does not go on. It’s time for players and owners to find some way to meet in the middle or there won’t be fans to meet when this is all over.
(10/06/11 1:33am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Oct. 14, 2003.Most people probably don’t remember where they were, but I could tell you exactly where I was: 14 years old, sitting in aisle 33 row 11 at Wrigley Field with my dad and my sign that read, “Prior Reservations Needed for our Tuesday Night Fish Fry.”By now, Cubs fans know what day I’m talking about. The day the Chicago Cubs were five outs away from their first World Series since 1945.My dad had been counting down the outs starting after the fourth inning. I can still hear him saying, “Twelve outs, 11 outs ... five outs.” He never got any lower than that, and thanks to ESPN’s “Catching Hell,” we all remember why.It took a lot to decide to watch the documentary. I thought I’d remember all the bad things about the game. I’d remember doing a tomahawk chop and chanting, “Asshole, asshole,” in the direction of the then-unnamed Steve Bartman.I remembered those things, but for the first time, felt guilty for being part of it. As a Cubs fan, I felt terrible for turning on our own. As a media member, I was distraught about the way journalists portrayed Bartman.“Catching Hell” did not show Bartman as a villain. It showed Cubs fans everywhere as the ones who should be ashamed.The “Friendly Confines” were not friendly that night. I was 300 yards away. All I saw was a fan get in the way of Moises Alou’s attempt to catch a ball. I was mad. My dad was mad. Everyone around was mad, so we all started yelling together.After almost 100 years we had some pent-up anger. What most people didn’t see until this documentary was the level that anger reached, like a news reporter leaning over and asking Bartman, “Do you have any idea what you have done?”When Bartman left the stadium, the threats and hatred did not stop. It continues today for a lot of people. As an ESPN reporter said in “Catching Hell,” he was still given assignments to track down Bartman years after the incident occurred.It has been almost eight years since the Bartman ball in game six of the National League Championship Series. The Cubs have still not been to a World Series. So how is it that we, as Chicago Cubs fans, still put blame on Bartman?“Catching Hell” opened my eyes to just how wrong we were to think it was Bartman’s fault. The fact that Bartman was one of many that reached out for the ball is just the beginning. Cubs’ fans are not the people who turn on one of our own.I am ready to jump in line with the others to ask the question, not can we forgive Bartman, but can Bartman forgive Chicago?
(09/29/11 5:12am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>There is nothing like watching an MLB game and seeing the camera pan to the dugoutwhere your favorite players are spitting dark chewing tobacco from their mouths.If that doesn’t get the kids excited, I’m not sure what else will.With USA Today’s front page article this week, it is clear the habit doesn’t get MLB Commissioner Bud Selig too excited. He has taken up the battle to ban smokeless tobacco in clubhouses and dugouts for major league teams.The prevalent habit, which has a long-stemmed tradition in baseball, is already bannedby the NCAA and minor leagues. Selig is trying to take the final step and cut it completely for the majors.As you’re probably thinking, this isn’t going well with all players, nor with theirunion representatives. They see it as a choice each player can make himself, not something that should be regulated. Cutting the chewing tobacco from baseball would be breaking from tradition.Th e term bullpen originated because of Bull Durham tobacco, which was first produced in 1860.Once gloves were introduced, players would spit into their mitts with chewing tobaccoto make the leather soft.Chewing tobacco is still found in players’ shelves and on dugout floors.Dipping may be a part of baseball culture, but that doesn’t make it right. Th ere isno other sport where partaking in something that causes cancer and playing on the field happen at the same time. The health risks and the poor image it displays play into Selig’s desire to cut it frombaseball completely.“Number one, watching guys spit in the dugout is not exactly a great thing to watch,”Selig said. “But, more importantly, if you knew the health consequences, they’re huge.”Even if we put those silly “health consequences” to the side, Selig has a lot of otherreasons to eradicate the habit from the sport, image being one.Whether you like it or not, our athletes are role models to tens of thousands of kidsthroughout the country.What does it say to them when they see their favorite catcher lift up his facemaskand spit chewing tobacco in between batters?It sets a bad example, plain and simple. The players have a right to do whatever they want outside of the game, but for those three hours they are on TV and in the spotlight, they shouldn’t be promoting that.Some say it is more acceptable because baseball is a slow-moving sport. It’s a gamethat has been around for a long time.I don’t see golfers spitting chewing tobacco out their mouths on the 18th green atAugusta. To the tradition argument, people used to be able to smoke wherever they wantedto. It’s time for a change, and Selig has every right to make it.It is never simple to make a drastic change that departs from the tradition of a sport. Itis also never simple to change when politicians get involved.The next steps in this process will not be quick or easy, but at least Selig is willing togive it a shot.— cursini@indiana.eduCaitlin Ursini is a senior in journalism
(09/22/11 2:44am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Three weeks of college football have come and gone. With conference play almost underway, let’s take a minute to look at some teams that have stood out thus far. ClemsonThe No. 21 Tigers have come to play this year. Clemson began the season unranked but posted an impressive win against then-No. 21 Auburn on Saturday, 38-24. This brought an end to Auburn’s 17-game win streak.Clemson is one of four ranked Atlantic Coast Conference teams in this week’s Associated Press Poll, while USA Today lists five in its Top 25 poll. This makes for an unusually powerful ACC conference. Next week, No. 11 Florida State travels to Clemson to open ACC play. A home victory will be necessary to help the Tigers prove themselves for the remainder of the season. Michigan StateThe preseason No. 17 Spartans did not seem as ready as Notre Dame did when they entered South Bend on Saturday. Despite coming off a 44-0 victory against Florida Atlantic the week prior, Michigan State looked sloppy and unprepared. The Spartans committed 12 penalties for 86 yards. They had only 29 rushing yards to Notre Dame’s 114.The Fighting Irish were 0-2 going into that game, so the Spartans should have been prepared for a determined Notre Dame team. Michigan State has now been dropped from the AP Top 25. They have one more game against Central Michigan before opening conference play with Ohio State.The Spartans do not have an easy road ahead of them if they hope to get back to a BCS bowl game. Michigan, Wisconsin and Nebraska are all still ranked and will be three consecutive opponents in the month of October.Notre DameAs with every year, Notre Dame players and fans started the season believing they would win every game. It is clear that illusion has yet again been smeared with the first two games. Preseason polls put the Fighting Irish at No. 16. Then there was an embarrassing 20-23 loss at home to South Florida followed by a loss to rival Michigan in Ann Arbor.The team redeemed itself with a strong victory against Michigan State, but which Notre Dame team we will see for the rest of the season is unknown. They have some time to figure it out before taking on USC at home in late October.This season may be vital to the Irish with the current conference chaos. It could be time for Notre Dame to finally join a conference. Which one it chooses may depend on its final record.The season is still young, and conference play will bring a whole new element to a season that started with a dark cloud due to several NCAA allegations of foul play. So for now, all we can do is wait and see what next Saturday brings. -cursini@indiana.eduCaitlin Ursini is a senior in journalism.
(09/15/11 3:05am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>What are the Colts to do? That was the question on every fan’s and spectator’s mind after Indianapolis’ embarrassing loss to the Texans on Sunday. If the Colts’ front office isn’t thinking that, too, this season will not get any better. Peyton Manning — the heart, leader and quarterback of the team — will be out for at least two months, but the possibility of him being done for the season is very real. The four-time league MVP was replaced by backup Kerry Collins, who performed below expectations in the opener.Let’s not put all the blame on Collins quite yet, though.A team with Reggie Wayne, Dwight Freeney, Dallas Clark and Joseph Addai — to name a few — should be capable of picking up the slack for a missing quarterback, but it is clear now more than ever Manning is not just a quarterback. Players and fans believed that when Manning was on the field, the game was never over. Sunday’s dismal first half would not have sealed the fate of this team if Manning was under center. The challenge becomes rallying around a quarterback people don’t believe in and a team that seems lost because there is a good chance Manning will not be on the field this year.New reports make it seem as if the Colts’ front office knew more about the Manning situation than they let on to fans and media.Manning had three neck surgeries in 19 months. That’s a lot for a professional athlete to bounce back from, especially if this athlete is well into his career. Since Manning went under the knife again last Thursday, new questions arise. Did Peyton really ever feel good enough to take the field again this season? Did he let on to the Colts management and coaches how hurt he was? Did the Colts know he might never take a snap in 2011? These questions all deserve answers, but the last one may be the most important. If the Colts knew Manning didn’t have a great chance to play, shouldn’t they have been making more moves during the off-season to get a decent backup that could lead the team to another AFC South title? Maybe they were too worried to take the fan’s hero away from them, or maybe they were hoping for a miracle.Team management is scouting college quarterbacks. Team owner Jim Irsay took to Twitter to report, “There will b some shocking, dramatic, inspiring, unimaginable things happening n Coltsland the next 18 months...buckle up, stay faithful, BELIEVE.”Eighteen months seems a long wait for a team accustomed to contending for titles. This could be Irsay’s way of saying, “We’re not going to get Peyton back, but we’re working on something else.” Regardless of when or if Manning returns, the Colts need to figure out how they are going to put forth an effort on the field. Quarterbacks get hurt, substitutions are made and teams are supposed to pick up the slack. Time will tell if the Colts will be able to do that. For now, No. 18 will just have to do what he can from the sidelines. — cursini@indiana.eduCaitlin Ursini is a senior majoring in journalism.
(09/08/11 3:14am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Today, NFL football will begin. Football fans, advertising companies, bar owners and tailgaters across the country will breathe a sigh of relief for the season that almost wasn’t.Months and months of the offseason had millions of people hoping for a good outcome for a variety of reasons. Some may have been financially motivated, and some may have been socially motivated, but nevertheless it would have been difficult to fill the void NFL teams would have left. Yes, the season will go on and NFL players and owners will get the money they want, but think of the places our imaginations could have gone if we had to find other sports to entertain ourselves for five months out of the year. If the NBA cancels its season due to a lockout, some of these sports may still have a chance to entertain.Synchronized SwimmingUSA has one of the best synchro swimming teams in the country. However, the sport rarely gets the love it deserves. We know NFL players may be able to lift hundreds of pounds and run faster than most, but these swimmers can hold their breath, for two minutes at a time, while being completely inverted under water. That, my friends, is a real talent.Let’s also not forget the creativity in outfits. All those football uniforms look the same after a while. The designs for those bathing suits and head jewels is something that is begging for mainstream Americans to notice. We could have filled Oct. 16’s NFL game slots with the finals of the U.S. Masters Synchronized Swimming Championships in prime time on NBC. This would bring ratings back to a dilapidated Sunday lineup on NBC.EquestrianSome people may think equestrian means riding horses over a couple of hurdles. Those people would be wrong. On the international competition scale, there are nine different disciplines including jumping, dressage, endurance and vaulting. Well-to-do patrons in barns and stables across the country are waiting for their time in the spotlight. A lockout could have given them just the opportunity they were looking for to grab the attention of male sports fanatics, everywhere from New York City to Omaha, Neb.The first weekend in November wouldn’t need Green Bay at San Diego. We would have a broadcast of United States’ Equestrian Federation’s Las Vegas National. The lights and sounds of a busy Las Vegas provide a great back drop to this premier competition. CricketWhat better time than now to bring one of Europe’s most beloved sports to our great country? Yes, there are some people who play it in this country, but it does not get the appreciation it deserves like it does in India, Ireland and England.The TV networks would have no need to find programming for pre- or post- game events, because sometimes cricket matches can last days at a time. Think of the money sports bar owners across the country could make with a sporting event broadcast 14 hours at a time. The possibilities are truly endless. There are too many cricket matches throughout the winter to even name, so it would be best to bring two national teams to our home turf and see what they have to offer us.The best idea would be to bring England’s National team and India’s National team to Lambeau Field in the middle of December for a match. There’s no doubt it would be a sellout. The people in Wisconsin would already be so lost from a season without Cheeseheads. This would give every Packer fan an excuse to go out in the 20 degree weather. Rhythmic GymnasticsGymnastics gets its fair share of TV coverage throughout the year, so it is time for its sister sport to get some of the love, too. Spend five minutes watching a rhythmic gymnastics routine and, I promise, your head will spin. The ribbon is not just a toy young girls play with. It is an important element in some of the best routines. The way these women can move and bend themselves is unbelievable. The smartly assembled routines show the flexibility of the dancers and creative processes behind their moves. This is a sport that would not disappoint. The 2011 Rhythmic World Championships will be from Sept. 19 to 25. This is exactly when the lockout of the NFL season would really be sinking in for fans. Fox could do a whole weekend of profiles on the athletes competing, and then top it off with the finals being broadcast all day Sunday live from France.But, it is clear the NFL has squashed the potential of these sports’ chance in prime time. They’ll have to wait until the next time football players decide they want an extra million dollars. Cheers to next year.— cursini@indiana.eduCaitlin Ursini is a senior majoring in journalism.
(09/01/11 2:31am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>College football is preparing to kick off its season this weekend. The rankings are out and the best players are gunning for Heisman Trophy nods.But how are football fans supposed to forget all that’s happened since the last touchdown was scored in January’s BCS Championship?This college football offseason was filled with anything but glee for coaches, administrators and fans.Let’s go back to the beginning of June when the announcement came that Ohio State Coach Jim Tressel resigned and star quarterback Terrelle Pryor opted out of his final year at Ohio State.The tarnished Buckeye program seemed to be much worse off than many fans and critics could have ever believed. The more information came out, the more the Big Ten’s prized program looked to be its biggest mistake.Oregon Coach Chip Kelly is involved with a scandal after a “middle man” recruiter admitted to Yahoo! Sports that he received a $25,000 check from members of the Oregon coaching staff in exchange for his recruiting services.The bombshell of all bombshells hit when a former Miami Hurricanes’ booster, who is in jail for running a Ponzi scheme, admitted he gave thousands of impermissible gifts to members of the University of Miami’s football team throughout an eight-year period.Nevin Shapiro, unveiled the truth of Miami’s program after being abandoned by his “friends” and colleagues from The U once he became incarcerated.Sharpiro stated his gifts to Miami players could add up to millions of dollars during that time period.The NCAA had enough damage control to do from the end of last season, but this summer piled more on its plate than committee members probably know what to do with.The answer for many: pay college football players.Thankfully, the NCAA has not been so sleep deprived to agree to this yet.College football players do get something out of their time at school. The best players receive full athletic scholarships which include the cost of tuition, books, room, board and stipends during away games. These can add up into the hundreds of thousands for some schools.Solving the problems and downplaying the scandals of this offseason cannot be solved with the simple argument of “Just pay the players,” especially when there are hundreds of schools playing by the rules and doing the right thing.When the whistle blows for the start of the first game, college football fans can take a breath, but only for a moment. The lid has been blown off the cheating, and it is not going back on anytime soon.
(08/25/11 2:53am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Soccer had its 15 minutes of fame again this summer in the United States. The game that defines sports in European countries garnered attention from the USA women’s soccer team’s run to the World Cup final and two of England’s top teams’ visits to Major League Soccer stadiums across the country.Women’s national soccer is not always a hot topic, but it probably should be. The U.S. team has always made it to the women’s World Cup semi-finals, and this year was no different.The real attraction for American fans came in the quarterfinal matchup against Brazil. Everyone was given not one villain, but three: the Brazil national team, an Australian referee and Marta Vieira da Silva, who is regarded as one of the best soccer players in the world.There is nothing that draws fans to a sporting event like controversy. This game had plenty of it.The craziness that was the quarterfinal game gave America a reason to watch when the United States won in penalty kicks after a last-minute tying goal by summer superstar Abby Wambach.There were dramatic moments, game delays and bad calls, but the U.S. women prevailed.A group of athletes fighting to the very last second was something people wanted to watch, even if it was a women’s soccer match.The buzz of soccer carried through the final match where the United States lost to Japan in penalty kicks.But this wasn’t the last word soccer had for Americans this summer.In July, Manchester United and Manchester City came to the United States to play friendly matches against a few MLS teams.The number of tickets sold at the venues soared in anticipation of American teams taking on the European foes.Some tickets were sold for as much as $400.Maybe the tide is turning on soccer after all.ESPN has picked up its coverage of European soccer during the last year, broadcasting many major matches in Europe and MLS matches from this summer.If ESPN is paying attention, does that mean American sports fans will, too? Next summer should be no different.The London 2012 games will focus the world’s attention on many sports we usually wouldn’t blink an eye at.Soccer games will be a highlight.The women will have to prove that they can stay at the top. The men will have to prove that they are worth people’s time.Three straight summers of strengthening soccer coverage will show signs that people do care — or, at least, are starting to care.The MLS will never be the Premier League, and women’s professional soccer won’t come back to the United States, but at least we are taking steps in the right direction.
(04/12/11 2:00am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>IU senior Jori Davis will continue to play basketball in Indiana after college.Davis was drafted by the Indiana Fever with the 33rd pick in the third round of the WNBA Draft on Monday in Bristol, Conn.The 5-foot-9-inch guard was in class though, when the announcement was made and said she didn’t find out until she checked her phone.“I was actually in class and every one started texting, saying, ‘Congratulations, Indiana Fever!’” Davis said. “I was like, ‘What are you guys talking about?’”Davis ended her collegiate career eighth on the Hoosiers’ all-time scoring list with 1,586 points and is the sixth player in IU history to reach 1,500 points, 500 rebounds and 200 assists.In her senior season, the Rochester, N.Y., native led the Hoosiers in average points per game (19.5), rebounds (5.6), minutes (34.5) and total assists (109). She is the third IU women’s basketball player to be drafted into the WNBA.IU coach Felisha Legette-Jack said that Davis’ procession to the professional ranks is a milestone for the program.“This is the first young lady that we’ve had that was drafted,” Legette-Jack said. “I came here on the premise that it was going to take a while to grow this program the way we wanted it to get built. I think we are taking those steps.”In Indianapolis, Davis will be playing for a Fever squad that finished third in the Eastern Conference with a 21-13 record in 2010. The team fell in the first round of the postseason to New York.Davis said the selection allows her to continue to compete for an Indiana fan base that has followed her throughout college.“For my fans it’s great, and then also for my family it’s good for me to be in the same area and continue to represent the Hoosier Nation,”she said.Legette-Jack said it was no coincidence that a professional team in the state of Indiana drafted Davis, as the Fever coaches have had the opportunity to see her play multiple times throughout her college career.“To be able to represent the Hoosier Nation still, Jori is just smitten by the fact that it’s Indiana,” Legette-Jack said. “It’s still Indiana.”
(03/03/11 3:56am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The start of the Big Ten Tournament is the beginning of a new opportunity for the IU women’s basketball team. It is the players’ final chance to prove that their overall season record does not reflect the strength of their team. “It’s a new season,” senior guard Jori Davis said. “Nothing we did in the past mattered. So we just have to come with a new outlook.”IU, ranked 10th in the tournament, will look to get its first win of the season against rival Purdue. Purdue currently has the upper hand in the matchup, having defeated the Hoosiers in both contests this year. The Boilermakers enter the tournament winning three of their last four games, while the Hoosiers are on a four-game slide. IU will need to look out for junior guard Brittany Rayburn. She is averaging 14.2 points per game coming into this matchup and is a consistent foul-shooter, making 88.8 percent from the charity stripe. The Hoosiers have struggled to stop its opponents from converting 3-point field goals in February. Davis said stopping the three and limiting easy scores from post players could be crucial to a Hoosier win. Freshman center Simone Deloach could help the rebounding and defensive situation for IU. Deloach earned herself a starting spot for the Hoosiers late in the season and has added to the defensive intensity of the team. “In order for me to help this team I have to bring energy,” Deloach said. “When I have high energy the team has high energy. If I can keep that on or off the bench, it will help the team.” IU coach Felisha Legette-Jack said she has believed in her team all year and that this is its final shot. “Whenever that ball goes up in the air you have to believe you have a chance,” Legette-Jack said. “I think that with a new season coming it’s either survive to move on or you don’t.”
(02/28/11 5:46am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Sunday afternoon at Assembly Hall was about more than the final score or the final regular season record for the IU women’s basketball team. The game ended with another Hoosier loss, this time at the hands of Iowa, 93-79. But as IU coach Felisha Legette-Jack reflected on the entire season, she said this game is a microcosm of life. “No one is going to remember this record,” Legette-Jack said. “What they’re going to remember is Jori Davis, Hope Elam, Andrea McGuirt, Whitney Lindsay, the character and what they left us with.”The record Legette-Jack refers to includes nine regular season wins and three Big Ten wins. The reason for that record was noticeable again Sunday.The Hoosiers allowed the Hawkeyes to shoot 56.3 percent from behind the 3-point line and 55.8 percent from the field. IU committed 24 fouls, which led to Iowa converting 26 of its 32 free throws. Iowa finished with its highest point total of the season and its most points since 2007.The offense was there for IU as well, but not enough to make up for the lack of defense. Senior guard Jori Davis had 28 points and senior forward Hope Elam added 14 points to lead the team. In her last home game Davis said there was nothing else in her head except trying to help her team win the game.“We needed a bucket, we needed more rebounding, and that’s what I tried to do to make us be more successful within the game,” Davis said. IU was outrebounded and consequentially had four points off second chance opportunities. The Hoosiers also shot 31.8 percent from behind the arc. “They are much better than their record indicates. There is no doubt about it,” Iowa coach Lisa Blunder said. “This Big Ten Conference is so strong that everybody is good, and Indiana is a good basketball team.”With the regular season completed, the Hoosiers have only one more chance to prove they can play better than their record shows, and that is the Big Ten Tournament. Legette-Jack said her team accepts the responsibility of the record and what transpired throughout the year but was quick to note it was not done.“We are totally going to compete in the next season which begins next Thursday,” Legette-Jack said.
(02/23/11 4:09am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>With one week left in the season, the IU women’s basketball team has two more opportunities to prepare for the Big Ten Tournament and the Hoosiers said they’re ready. The team travels to Madison, Wis., Wednesday to take on the Wisconsin Badgers (14-12, 9-5). The first meeting between the two ended in a 75-49 home loss for the Hoosiers (9-17, 3-11), their largest margin of defeat this season. In that game, Wisconsin made eight 3-point field goals in the first half, causing the Hoosiers to trail for the entire second half. The Badgers were able to find holes in IU’s zone defense last time.With a full week with no games, the Hoosiers were able to work on their defense and prepare mentally and physically for the final push, senior guard Whitney Lindsay said.“What we are trying to do is stay mentally tough,” Lindsay said. “Not focus so much on the mistake, but just react.”IU will need to respond against the Badgers, if Wisconsin is able to shoot more than 47 percent from behind the arc again. IU coach Felisha Legette-Jack said the Hoosiers are prepared to switch up their defenses to combat what Wisconsin brings at them.“Sometimes coaches get locked in their own thought processes,” Legette-Jack said when referring to the slow change in defensive sets earlier in the season. “We didn’t come out of it fast enough. When we realized we needed to change up a little bit the lead was significant.”These last two games are important to the Hoosiers going into the Big Ten Tournament. IU has four seniors getting ready to play their last few games in the cream and crimson. Lindsay said the Hoosiers believe they can compete against the top Big Ten teams.“We definitely know we can play with anyone in the Big Ten,” she said. “It’s all just a mindset.”
(02/16/11 1:24am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>On Sunday against Penn State, the IU women’s basketball team showed it can contend with the top teams in the Big Ten.Today, the Hoosiers will have the opportunity to prove they can do it consistently. IU (9-16, 3-10) will travel to Ann Arbor, Mich., to take on the University of Michigan (14-10, 7-5).After shooting 51.9 percent from the field against Penn State, the Hoosiers will need to continue a balanced effort on offense if they hope to pull off the road win. IU will look to senior captain Jori Davis, who netted 27 points against the Lady Lions. The Hoosiers could benefit from another solid performance from junior guard Aulani Sinclair. She was second behind Davis against Penn State, scoring 16 points. Sinclair leads the Hoosiers in three-point field goal percentage this season, shooting 38.5 percent from long-range.The Hoosiers’ defense, which is allowing the most points per game (67.7) in the Big Ten, will need to be prepared to contain Michigan’s duo of senior Veronica Hicks and sophomore Jenny Ryan. Both have a field goal percentage of more than 40 percent this season. Although IU only has one win in the last 11 games, IU coach Felisha Legette-Jack said the team’s play has been steadily improving. After the game against Penn State, Legette-Jack said she saw a change in her team’s desire and that it was a force to be reckoned with. “We allowed a lot of teams to come to our house and went into a lot of people’s homes and they dictated,” Legette-Jack said. “Not anymore. We’re dictating. Win, lose or draw, we dictate.”–Caitlin Ursini
(02/14/11 1:43am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>For 39 minutes, the IU women’s basketball team led No. 23 Penn State, but the final minute stopped the Hoosiers from pulling off the upset Sunday at Assembly Hall. A turnover with 56 seconds left followed by a layup from Penn State center Nikki Greene kept the Hoosiers (9-16, 3-10) from getting the win, as IU fell 80-77. “We beat them for 39 minutes,” IU coach Felisha Legette-Jack said. “That last minute we are going to have to continue to get better, but we have gotten better today.”Offensively the Hoosiers played as a unit, with ball movement helping to contribute to senior guard Jori Davis’ 27 points. Davis wasn’t the only Hoosier in double digits — junior forward Aulani Sinclair and senior guard Whitney Lindsay had 16 and 15 points, respectively. Sinclair’s offensive production significantly helped the Hoosiers who have struggled to find that balanced effort through the season. “Offensively I had to help us out today,” Sinclair said. “Today that meant shooting the three.”The Hoosiers shot 52.9 percent from the three-point line. Sinclair went 4-6 from behind the arc. The defensive intensity Legette-Jack and her team have talked about all season was there as well. Penn State leads the Big Ten in every major offensive category, but the Hoosiers came prepared and stopped them for most of the game. “We made a lot of plays on defense which gave us the energy and the confidence on the offensive side,” Davis said. Despite a fast start from the Hoosiers, Penn State was able to come back from being down 16 points with 10:06 left in the second half. Penn State coach Coquese Washington attributed her players’ big plays down the stretch to their collective team effort. “That’s the beauty of our team, and that’s what we like,” Washington said. “It’s not just on one person’s shoulders to make the plays.”IU had the type of solid team effort it has been looking for the entire season. But, with three regular season games left, the Hoosiers will have to learn to finish that final minute.“The last turnover is what people are going to remember and the final score,” Legette-Jack said. “But I am going on record to say that this team is a force to be reckoned with.”
(02/03/11 5:49am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The IU women’s basketball team is glad to be back home. The Hoosiers return to Assembly Hall for the first time in two weeks with back-to-back Big Ten home games.IU first takes on Minnesota at 7 p.m. today and then Wisconsin at 2 p.m. Sunday. February will be crucial if the Hoosiers (8-13, 2-7) hope to turn their season around. Currently, IU is on a seven-game losing streak. Last time out against Minnesota, the Hoosiers defeated the Golden Gophers in overtime, for their first win at Williams Arena in nine years. “Our coaches are getting on us hard about things that we need to improve, which needs to happen,” senior guard Jori Davis said. “But in the meantime, me as a leader, as the team, everyone knows that we are here for you, too.”The Hoosiers will have to go back and learn to improve the things they struggled with in January. Davis said it’s the little things like executing on offense and staying tough on the defensive end. Defensive pressure will be crucial against Minnesota. As a team, they are shooting 41.5 percent from the field. IU coach Felisha Legette-Jack said she plans on sticking with their matchup zone to combat Minnesota’s size, offensive intensity and sound bench. “We’re just going to continue to do what we do,” coach Legette-Jack said. “We play our matchup zone and we’re going to have to live or die with it. We think that we’re getting better in it. We think that we can get to their shooters quicker.”The games against Minnesota and Wisconsin will set the tone for the month. Coach Legette-Jack believes her team will continue to work hard. If they play their best every day in practice and games that is something she can handle. “If you left it out there and fell short, there is nothing you can do,” Legette-Jack said. “But if you didn’t leave it out there and you look in that mirror, you know who have got some work to do the next day.”
(02/03/11 5:47am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The IU women’s basketball team is glad to be back home. The Hoosiers return to Assembly Hall for the first time in two weeks with back-to-back Big Ten home games.IU first takes on Minnesota at 7 p.m. today and then Wisconsin at 2 p.m. Sunday. February will be crucial if the Hoosiers (8-13, 2-7) hope to turn their season around. Currently, IU is on a seven-game losing streak. Last time out against Minnesota, the Hoosiers defeated the Golden Gophers in overtime, for their first win at Williams Arena in nine years. “Our coaches are getting on us hard about things that we need to improve, which needs to happen,” senior guard Jori Davis said. “But in the meantime, me as a leader, as the team, everyone knows that we are here for you, too.”The Hoosiers will have to go back and learn to improve the things they struggled with in January. Davis said it’s the little things like executing on offense and staying tough on the defensive end. Defensive pressure will be crucial against Minnesota. As a team, they are shooting 41.5 percent from the field. IU coach Felisha Legette-Jack said she plans on sticking with their matchup zone to combat Minnesota’s size, offensive intensity and sound bench. “We’re just going to continue to do what we do,” coach Legette-Jack said. “We play our matchup zone and we’re going to have to live or die with it. We think that we’re getting better in it. We think that we can get to their shooters quicker.”The games against Minnesota and Wisconsin will set the tone for the month. Coach Legette-Jack believes her team will continue to work hard. If they play their best every day in practice and games that is something she can handle. “If you left it out there and fell short, there is nothing you can do,” Legette-Jack said. “But if you didn’t leave it out there and you look in that mirror, you know who have got some work to do the next day.”
(01/28/11 6:08am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>It has been more than three weeks since the IU women’s basketball team finished a game with a victory. Now the team will head to rival Purdue to compete and try to avoid a seventh straight loss. The Hoosiers (8-12, 2-6) will take on the Boilermakers (13-7, 4-4) at noon Sunday in West Lafayette. This is the second matchup between the teams this season. In the first game, Purdue edged out the Hoosiers 55-50 despite a stingy IU defense, which held the Boilermakers to 29.3 percent shooting. However, Purdue put in 20-of-21 free throws, with many of them coming down the stretch.Purdue junior guard Brittany Rayburn led her team with 12 points in that game. She enters Sunday’s showdown as the Boilermakers’ leading scorer for the season, with an average of 14.3 points per game.Coming off an 82-69 loss at Penn State in which IU was outrebounded 61-36, head coach Felisha Legette-Jack commented on her team’s continual development. “We’re a work in progress,” she said. “We’re never going to get used to losing or learning these lessons through defeat.”The Hoosiers have had a week to work on some of their recent shortcomings and develop their game plan for the Boilermakers.IU will continue to look to senior guard Jori Davis for leadership. Davis has scored double-digits in 19 of the Hoosiers 20 games this season.To take the pressure off of Davis, senior Hope Elam will also need to put up big numbers. Elam scored 21 points against Penn State and stands as the team’s second leading scorer behind Davis.The team will also look for improved performance from its post players both on the offensive boards and defensive boards to limit second chance opportunities for the Boilermakers.The Hoosiers will have some help from off-the-court Sunday afternoon as well. A “Win Wagon” will be arranged to take fans to Purdue. It is filled to capacity, and the team hopes it will make a difference in a tough road game.