Basketball

Slip-ups, slurs and the state of sexuality in the NBA

There have been a lot of words about words this spring, especially in NBA circles. Words uttered in anger, words yelled in frustration, words said like a joke. Words that hurt, words that annoy and words that result in a fine and a public tongue-lashing. But mostly, words seem to inspire more words. The words […]

Hockey

From YouTube to the Memorial Cup: The Tomas Jurco story

As his overjoyed teammates raced to hug family members after hoisting the Memorial Cup high above their heads, 2011 NHL Entry Draft top prospect Tomas Jurco picked up his iPhone and dialled home to Slovakia. “I already called my Mom — she was happy,” said Jurco moments after the championship win, amidst a circus of […]

Football

The United Football League’s Sunday gamble

We are guaranteed professional football on Sundays this year, starting in August. And that has nothing to do with the National Football League. At the end of last season, the United Football League announced their intent to play on Sundays in anticipation of a work stoppage in the NFL, a plan they are sticking with […]

Hockey

Nathan Beaulieu: Drew Doughty 2.0?

Responsible puck-moving defencemen are a dime a dozen in the NHL these days. Not a week goes by during the regular season without the mention of how valuable they are to a team’s breakout, power-play and in-play subtleties. Nathan Beaulieu, a recent Memorial Cup champion and All-Star with the Saint John Sea Dogs, is knocking […]

Hockey

Vancouver Canucks: Canadian team, not Canada’s team

No Canadian team has lifted Lord Stanley’s mug since the Montreal Canadiens accomplished the feat in 1993, defeating Wayne Gretzky and the Los Angeles Kings. A few teams have made the Final since then — the Canucks in 1994; the Flames in 2004; the Oilers in 2006; and the Senators in 2007 — but none […]

Basketball

The Miami Heat and their Medium Three

There’s a trio of basketball players on the verge of winning a championship down in Florida this month, and although one man remains from a previous title run back in 2006, the thought of a new trophy representing the inaugural year of a new regime is just too hard for the three of them to […]

Baseball

The Chicago Cubs and their history of misery

It’s the longest championship drought in professional sports – 102 years and counting – and it belongs to the Chicago Cubs. It was 1908 was the last time the Cubs won the World Series. The President of the United States was Theodore Roosevelt and the Chicago Canal that connects the Mississippi River to Lake Michigan was […]

Football

The NFL’s battle for Los Angeles

Los Angeles is a force on the American cultural, entertainment and sporting scenes. The City of Angels itself held 3,831,868 people in 2009, with the metropolitan area containing 15,250,000. Two NBA teams, one MLB team and one NHL team make their homes in the city, with another MLB and NHL team in nearby Anaheim and […]

Hockey

Winnipeg, Atlanta, and a roster on the move

Are they or aren’t they? And when? Those are the questions circulating through the minds of Winnipeggers as they await the future of the Atlanta Thrashers organization. Rumors surfaced after a May 19 article by the Globe and Mail‘s Stephen Brunt detailing what seemed to be an inevitable move. Chaos ensued through social media, as experts and fans […]

Basketball

Last chance Dallas Mavericks: America’s team

Rewind to June 20, 2006. Dallas is at home, playing Miami in Game 6 of the NBA Finals. There’s about 30 seconds left and Miami is holding a slim lead. The shot clock is winding down as Dwyane Wade holds the ball and moves to his left. Dirk Nowitzki stands there, they collide and Wade is awarded two free […]