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Articles 181 - 210 of 820

Full-Text Articles in Cultural History

Ncaa Greed And West Point Football Favoritism, Richard C. Crepeau Apr 2008

Ncaa Greed And West Point Football Favoritism, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

When dealing with the NCAA you can be certain that there will never be a shortage of hypocrisy. As March Madness gives way to April Sadness two wonderful examples came flying out of the NCAA cupboard.


Loving March Madness In Spite Of It All, Richard C. Crepeau Mar 2008

Loving March Madness In Spite Of It All, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

Have you caught March Madness? The television ratings thus far indicate that there is a greater chance this year than last that you have not.


Ereck Plancher And Tragedy, Richard C. Crepeau Mar 2008

Ereck Plancher And Tragedy, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

It has been about two weeks now since the news came that Ereck Plancher, a University of Central Florida football player, had collapsed and died following a grueling conditioning workout leading up to spring football practice. He was nineteen years old and an honor student in high school. He was just starting his second year at UCF. Having graduated from high school one semester ahead of schedule, he enrolled at UCF early hoping to establish himself academically with a 4.0 GPA before starting football.


Bizarre Sport Nuggets, Richard C. Crepeau Feb 2008

Bizarre Sport Nuggets, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

I must admit that my head is still spinning. In the last few weeks one bizarre piece of news after another seems to be emanating from the bowels of Sportsworld, and no one with a plastic bag seems to be following along to clean up the unsightly nuggets left behind.


Looking Back On Bobby Knight, Richard C. Crepeau Feb 2008

Looking Back On Bobby Knight, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

The resignation of Robert Montgomery Knight, The General, The Jerk, The Psychopath, is a troublesome development. The coaching profession is one of those socially useful categories in which a society can place a dysfunctional and dangerous sociopath and give them the appearance of filling a socially useful or semi-harmless role.


Super Bowl Xlii And The Culture Of Excess, Richard C. Crepeau Feb 2008

Super Bowl Xlii And The Culture Of Excess, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

"Nothing succeeds like success."


Congress Takes On Peds, Richard C. Crepeau Jan 2008

Congress Takes On Peds, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

I have been distracted for the last few days contemplating the fact that the United States has 2.7M candy bars in Iraq and 1.6M cans of soda. Is this "the surge" that has been much discussed over the past few months?


Bowls And The B(C)S, Richard C. Crepeau Jan 2008

Bowls And The B(C)S, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

The New Year in Sport has begun with the usual deluge of bowl games. Watching all those January 1 games is like eating too much chocolate, leaving one queasy and disoriented by sometime late in the Rose Bowl.


Bobby Petrino Gets Going, Richard C. Crepeau Dec 2007

Bobby Petrino Gets Going, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

He has been found. Call off the search. We now have the new poster boy for College Football.


Bcs, Coach Buyouts, And Overtimes, Richard C. Crepeau Nov 2007

Bcs, Coach Buyouts, And Overtimes, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

As the college football season comes to its close, there are any number of absurdities and idiocies to contemplate. As usual they will be remarked upon by the fawning press and then passed over in favor of the more serious issues such as, who is number one?


Bonds Parallels The Black Sox, Richard C. Crepeau Nov 2007

Bonds Parallels The Black Sox, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

There are times when it seems as if those people who live and work in and around baseball have developed flagellation into a high art form. The reaction to the indictment of Barry Bonds has been an interesting combination of glee mixed with lamentation. There is even a slight note of shock expressed over these developments. In many ways, it reminds me of the hypocritical and overblown reaction to the Black Sox Scandal of 1919 following the indictment of the eight players accused of fixing the World Series.


Don Imus, Isiah Thomas, And The Nba, Richard C. Crepeau Nov 2007

Don Imus, Isiah Thomas, And The Nba, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

My, how time flies. It was seven months ago that Don Imus made his remarks about the Rutgers women's basketball team and found himself on the receiving end of a considerable amount of heat from a wide range of critics. In less than a month Don Imus will return to the airwaves, not nationally, but in New York City, and his show will not be simulcast on Cable television. So after being away for eight months, being the subject of considerable criticism, and collecting $20M for his troubles, the I-Man will return. I am already feeling the Christmas spirit.


Dying For Football, Richard C. Crepeau Oct 2007

Dying For Football, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

Over the last several months, the newest revenue stream in college athletics appeared in the form of a life insurance scheme. Oklahoma State led the way with this idea which involved taking out $100,000 life insurance policies on major boosters. The idea was to generate a new source of revenue from those boosters dying to help produce winning athletic teams. Other institutions of higher athletics have rushed to put such a program in place on their campuses.


The Cub Century, Richard C. Crepeau Oct 2007

The Cub Century, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

Cubs’ fans are a hearty lot. Now only a year away from a "Century of Futility" one gets the strange feeling that two historical forces will collide next baseball season and the result could be of cataclysmic dimensions. Will the Cubs continue in their futility, or will they trump their own futility in a transcendent futility by denying themselves a distinctive badge of symmetric futility inherent in a perfect century of failure?


The Braves And Tbs, Richard C. Crepeau Oct 2007

The Braves And Tbs, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

I doubt that many people were watching late Sunday afternoon as the Atlanta Braves ended their disappointing season notching one final loss. I doubt if very many, other than longtime Brave followers, knew the significance of the moment. It was in fact the end of an era.


Greg Ryan And The Goalkeepers, Richard C. Crepeau Oct 2007

Greg Ryan And The Goalkeepers, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

It is sometimes called second-guessing. In this case, it was first-guessing. From the moment that U.S. Women's Soccer coach Greg Ryan announced that he would replace Hope Solo in goal with Briana Scurry for the semi-final match in the Women's World Cup, there was a outpouring of astonishment mixed with criticism directed at his decision. It defied belief then, and it defied belief even more after the fact as the U.S. Women suffered their worst defeat in World Cup play.


Tiger Woods And Roger Federer, Richard C. Crepeau Sep 2007

Tiger Woods And Roger Federer, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

In these first few weeks of college and professional football, upsets seemed to be the rule rather than the exception. There are two sports where upsets these days are as rare as a Cubs’ World Series victory. In golf and tennis, it is nearly always Tiger, Tiger, Tiger and Roger, Roger, Roger. These two athletes have established an astounding dominance in their sports as both enter the prime of their careers. They are both on pace to rewrite the record books and end their careers as the greatest players in the history of their sports.


Late-Summer Wackiness, Richard C. Crepeau Sep 2007

Late-Summer Wackiness, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

After a break from writing this column for several weeks, I am at a loss as to where to begin. The last few weeks have been full of stories from the wacky world of sport, and with the beginning of college football, the number of stories of crime and corruption have increased geometrically, although in fairness, the colleges have no monopoly on these.


Baseball Milestones: Barry, Alex, And Tom, Richard C. Crepeau Aug 2007

Baseball Milestones: Barry, Alex, And Tom, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

Over two weeks ago before taking a short vacation to escape the heat and humidity of Florida, I saw the Barry Bonds home run that tied Henry Aaron. That same day Alex Rodriguez hit his 500th home run and all those fans with steroid anxiety suddenly discovered a new hero. Even before Bonds had officially passed Aaron, A-Rod became the Great Clean Hope who would surpass "Mr. Bonds," as Bud Selig so warmly called him, and bring the home run crown back to the kind of people who hold it by divine fiat. The next day Tom Glavine won his …


Corruption And Transcendence In Sport, Richard C. Crepeau Aug 2007

Corruption And Transcendence In Sport, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

The last few weeks for sports fans have been particularly difficult ones. The stories of corruption are so overwhelming that it is a wonder that anyone can keep their focus on sport.


Dogfighting Culture, Richard C. Crepeau Jul 2007

Dogfighting Culture, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

It's difficult to know what to say about the Michael Vick story, and it might be wise to say nothing just yet. It does, however, bring to the forefront some interesting bits of history concerning what constitutes sport, the relationship of sport to gambling, the confluence of sport and masculinity, the evolution of what is seen as civilized and barbaric behavior, and the ways in which people react to that behavior.


The 2007 All-Star Game, Richard C. Crepeau Jul 2007

The 2007 All-Star Game, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

Baseball's All-Star Game is coming up tonight at the baseball facility formerly known as PNC Park, and the home of baseball's current leading villain, Barry Bonds. In a surprise to many, Bonds was voted to the National League starting line-up by the fans, who allegedly are disgusted by the poster boy for performance enhancement. The cheers tonight will be thunderous as Barry is introduced in the only ballpark where he remains a great hero, and even a beloved personage. The cheers will be even louder when baseball honors Willie Mays. These cheers will be echoed across the land for one …


Williams, Federer, And Nadal At Wimbledon, Richard C. Crepeau Jul 2007

Williams, Federer, And Nadal At Wimbledon, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

At the beginning of play in the Gentleman's Final at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on Sunday, I believed that at the end of day Rafael Nadal would be crowned new champion and heir to the mantle of Roger Federer.


Barry Bonds At 750, Richard C. Crepeau Jun 2007

Barry Bonds At 750, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

It has been a summer of milestone achievements in baseball, with the promise of more to come. Sammy Sosa reached the 600 home run mark two weeks ago and Frank Thomas reached the 500 home run level this past week, on the same day that Craig Biggio reached the 3000 level in hits. Alex Rodriguez will reach the 500 home run level sometime in the next month and Ken Griffey should reach 600 home runs before the end of the season. Gary Sheffield will reach 500 home runs late this season or early next season. These are exclusive clubs in …


Billy Donovan Redux, Richard C. Crepeau Jun 2007

Billy Donovan Redux, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

Billy Donovan, who accepted the Orlando Magic head coaching position for the cool sum of $27.5M last Friday, has backed out of his contract. Is there anything to learn from this not very unusual turn of events? The idea that Billy Donovan has broken a contract carries very little meaning in sport, that is if you are an owner, general manager, or coach of a team.


Lebron James; Billy Donovan, Richard C. Crepeau Jun 2007

Lebron James; Billy Donovan, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

In less than twenty-four hours, between Thursday night and Friday morning, the NBA produced two major stories. One concerned the essence of sport, the other the distorted values of modern sport. I am writing about the performance by LeBron James against the Detroit Pistons in game five of their Eastern Conference final and about the signing of Billy Donovan as the new coach of the Orlando Magic for over five million dollars a year. Both are jaw dropping performances in their own right, but that by James represents sport and the one by the Magic represents commerce and its twisted …


Bowie Kuhn, Richard C. Crepeau May 2007

Bowie Kuhn, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

Bowie Kuhn once said that he wanted to be remembered as the Baseball Commissioner who presided over a time of tremendous growth in the popularity of the game, and a time when no one questioned the integrity of the game. I read these words over and over again a few weeks ago in many of the obituaries published at the time of the former Commissioner's death. I cannot say that this is how I will remember him, and I do not know how history will remember him.


Insuring Mr. Booster, Richard C. Crepeau May 2007

Insuring Mr. Booster, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

They call them revenue streams. You can fish in them but there are no fish to be caught, at least the kind that has gills and fins. Some athletic directors have nightmares in which the streams dry up. Others have dreams in which they discover new streams where no one has fished before. This is the Athletic Director's wet dream.


Ncaa Bans Text-Message Recruiting, Richard C. Crepeau Apr 2007

Ncaa Bans Text-Message Recruiting, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

Every day in every way my admiration for the National Collegiate Athletic Association soars to new heights. Who could not but admire the latest blow delivered by this august organization on the behalf of the purity of intercollegiate athletics?


Jackie And Eddie Robinson, Richard C. Crepeau Apr 2007

Jackie And Eddie Robinson, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

This weekend marks the Sixtieth Anniversary of Jackie Robinson's first appearance in major league baseball. It comes at the end of a week in which another Robinson is being mourned across the nation. The tale of the two Robinsons, Jackie and Eddie, is a tale of courage and struggle and the story of how race shapes lives and society in America. It is also a story of gain and loss across the two Americas.