Recently retired rugby star Ben Cohen turns 33 today. Retired for less than a year, Cohen has been extremely active in promoting his Stand Up Foundation, “the world’s first foundation dedicated to raising awareness of the long-term, damaging effects of bullying, and funding those doing real-world work to stop it.” Many people perceived as different may be victims of bullying, and specifically the LGBT community is a popular target. Cohen’s foundation “[includes] removing homophobia from sports as central to [its] mission.” Is it any wonder Cohen is so popular among gay men? He’s a vocal LGBT ally in what many consider one of the last safe havens for narrow-mindedness, the world of professional sports; it doesn’t hurt that Cohen is also smoking hot. Sexy pic after the jump.
Sports
246 posts
There’s football and then there’s football (played mainly with, you know, feet). It’s that time of the year again, when Europe’s (and parts of Asia’s) best teams battle in what amounts to an intercontinental version of the Super Bowl and World Series. As liveblogged by JustTyler, FC Barcelona beat Manchester United to win it all last year. But can Barca continue its dominance?
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Before you jump in and make a fool of yourself, it’s time to learn at little bit about lap swimming etiquette. Yes, that’s right, etiquette. There’s a polite way to do this, and I promise you that with a few pointers, you might not be able to out-swim Michael Phelps, but you can swim in the same pool that he does and not look like a total douche. Continue reading
AMERICAN FOOTBALL IS BACK, DICKWAGONS. That means hard hitting, butt slapping, 3-4 defense, butt slapping, zone blocking, butt slapping, dreadlocks and butt slapping! After a bitter lockout and frenzied free agent season, the NFL kicks off (Wordplay, yo) the 2011 season with the defending Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers defending their cheese-encrusted tundra against the New Orleans Saints.
The NFL is the epitome of American culture. There is nothing subtle or muted about the sport. Every play is celebrated with a dance no matter the context, the pregame shows are packed with fake, unfunny jocks in their 40s. The owners and networks rake in billions of dollars in profits, yet the only people to catch shit are the athletes who are the ones actually getting concussed for entertainment. Continue reading
“A streak of fire, a breath of flame
Eluding all who reach and clutch;
A gray ghost thrown into the game
That rival hands may never touch;
A rubber bounding, blasting soul
Whose destination is the goal — Red Grange of Illinois!”
– Grantland Rice
People don’t write about football players like this any more. Luckily, there’s America’s only all old-timey sports writer NFL preview!
(Note: I didn’t actually research if this was the case, just go with it.)
As the 2011 regular season draws to a close, the annual debate over regular season awards has begun to heat up. Everyone gets into it, from the average fan to old sportswriters to sanctimonious bloggers. Let’s get into the fun with our very own ballot. Pick a winner for each category, or feel free to write in a candidate. Ignorant debates that end with “COUNT THE RINGZ BRO” are highly recommended. For info on Wins Above Replacement (WAR) check out these links. We’ll start with the American League and come back with the Senior Circuit in a few days. Continue reading
On Sunday, August 21, at around 1 p.m. Central Standard Time, America’s favorite centaur, Alex Rodriguez, at last returned to the ball field after six weeks away for the repair of a torn meniscus (the meniscus, for those of you who skipped med school and went straight into shamanism, is a thing the knee requires to perform the functions that God and/or evolution made necessary to the pursuit of happiness and/or sexual encounters with human beings who may or may not have starred in Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle). A-Rod’s return served as proof, perhaps, that a muscular young man can remain on the DL for only so long – and by DL, I also mean the disabled list – and also that with time and patience, a semicircular band of fibrocartilage, located between the medial condyle of the femur and the medial condyle of the tibia, can make like Billy Ray and Miley and have that painful rift mended. Continue reading
One of the most storied conferences in College Football is going down in flames. After Nebraska and Colorado left the Big 12 last year the demise was well under way. Now, as of last night Texas A&M filed papers with the Big 12 commission announcing an intention to leave. There is little doubt that the Aggies will be joining the SEC along with another as yet unnamed team. There is speculation that the 14th team in the new SEC power conference will be either Virginia Tech or Missouri (turning the Big 12 into the Big 8). Continue reading
Money, like air and sex, can never really be appreciated until it’s gone. Likewise a cash injection after a long dry spell (not unlike its counterparts) can bring a smile and an optimism about the road ahead. Football teams are affected by this phenomenon as we all are. Manchester City’s cash infusion has brought a trophy, European competition, and resulted in the best football any team has played over the first two weeks – seven goals and six out of six points. Cash-strapped and overmatched Blackburn and West Brom toil at the bottom already pitted in a relegation battle that will surely last through May.
Most sports fans can think of a few ultimate high points in their watching career. My peak moment came at the ripe old age of 7.