MetaFilter posts tagged with sport

Chess Boxing (Or, How Kasparov Met Tyson)

Effigy2000 — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 14:52:43 -0800

Chess Boxing, a hybrid sport which combines boxing with chess in alternating rounds, is growing in popularity. Inspired by fictional depictions of the sport in French comic book artist Enki Bilal's graphic novel, Froid Équateur, Dutch artist Iepe Rubingh brought the concept to life in 2001. Governed by the World Chess Boxing Organisation, whose motto is "Fighting is done in the ring and wars are waged on the board", matches consist of up to eleven alternating rounds of boxing and chess with a one minute break between rounds. A photographic account of the sport. Further reading. Further viewing. Previously.

“For surely of all the drugs in the world, Chess must be the most permanently pleasurable”

The Whelk — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 09:08:43 -0800

"Armenia is a tiny, poor country in the Caucasus, with a population of just over 3m. It has a long history of bloodshed and oppression; when it appears in the news it is usually because of its entanglement in some labyrinthine regional feud. And it excels at the ancient, cerebral game of chess." (via)

Danish Dynamite

reenum — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 09:20:20 -0800

The Guardian recently published a beautiful article about Danish Dynamite, the '80s Danish national soccer (football) squad. Rob Smyth and Lars Eriksen write about how the success and failure of the national team highlighted national traits that Denmark has. The writing about the matches is among the most inspired I have ever read. In addition to the film, a documentary about the team has also been made.

Commie Ball

reenum — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 21:08:05 -0800

Cuban players have long been a mainstay in baseball. After Fidel Castro made it impossible for people to leave the island, the flow of players stopped to a drip. That changed with the defection of Rene Arocha in 1991. The potential to make big money has led to more defections. Joe Cubas is the most prominent agent working with these players. Michael Lewis recently wrote a great article in Vanity Fair about the lives of baseball players in Cuba and looks at the saga of defector Yuniesky Betancourt and his agent, Gus Dominguez. Players are still defecting.

Fading Away

reenum — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 12:13:01 -0800

Mark McGwire was one of the most feared sluggers in the game during his career. In 1998, the home run chase between McGwire and Sammy Sosa helped baseball recover from the 1994 strike. But, when a reporter found a bottle containing andro in McGwire's locker, some chinks in his armor began to emerge. The andro story wasn't enough to overshadow McGwire and Sosa's record breaking seasons. McGwire received many accolades, from having a highway named after him to having cameos on TV shows. After it became well known that baseball players had engaged in widespread steroid abuse from 1990 on, a public outcry began to overshadow the sport. McGwire was not immune to these allegations. The saga culminated with Senate hearings in 2005, where McGwire refused to discuss his alleged steroid use. After his Senate testimony, McGwire retreated to his home in California and refused to speak to the media. Once thought to be a shoo-in for the Hall of Fame, McGwire received only 23 percent of the vote in his first year of eligibility in 2008. With his recent hire as the Cardinals' hitting coach, McGwire will attempt to repair some of his tarnished legacy.

Perfect Balance

netbros — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 17:32:48 -0800

Simon Dyson was the winner at the Dunhill Links Championship, but Manuel de los Santos may have made the biggest impression at the pro-am event, which was played on St. Andrews, Kingsbarns and Carnoustie. De los Santos, 25, is a former baseball player who lost a leg in a car accident and picked up golf in 2004, after moving from his native Dominican Republic to France. He plays to a 3-handicap without the aid of a prosthesis.

This is a three-er

tellurian — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 22:17:51 -0800

Conquerors 2009 “There are many underhanded ways of making your conker harder. The best is to pass it through a pig." World Conker Champion – Charlie Bray. The World Conker Championships are on this weekend. All the action from last year. previously [1] [2] In other news, a cure for bleeding canker has been found, with a welcome side effect, leaf miners don't like having garlic breath.

Metamania will run wild over you

ollyollyoxenfree — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 18:56:49 -0800

Botchamania is a series of fan-created, professional wrestling video mashups that showcases the physical slip ups, bad commentary and interviews, and bizarre aspects of wrestling.

Go Purple Pounders!

East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 09:03:34 -0800

Thirty-One Unbelievable High School Mascots

The Cincinnati Bengals' Car Wash

cashman — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 09:03:56 -0800

At the insistence of Cincinnati Bengals owner Mike Brown, the FAA is apparently targeting a pilot who was hired this month by disgruntled fans to fly messages like "Hire a GM!" over the team's training camp. A "Mike Brown Step Down" banner was flown over games last season. Brown's futility (1 winning season in 18 years) in Cincinnati has spurred fans to pay thousands for billboards and distribute urinal cakes, while HBO's Hard Knocks series has recently shown insight into his cluelessness. Former Bengal player Boomer Esiason today criticized Mike Brown's handling of the team. While Brown gives himself a bonus each year and the team is still benefiting from taxes on the surrounding county, this year the recession seems to be aiding fan efforts to bankrupt Brown - games are beginning to not sell out. But since the organization is littered with Brown's family members (including the Blackburns), things may not be looking up.

Caster Semenya and sex varification controversies

serazin — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 21:23:59 -0800

South African runner Caster Semenya wins a gold in the 800 meter amid controversy and accusations about her sex. Analysis of Semenya's situation and more information on sex verification in sport.

Strange Games

feelinglistless — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 01:40:40 -0800

Strange Games "What do you get if you cross a large rubber ball used for physical therapy with the medieval sport of Jousting? Yoga Ball Jousting."

You know . . . for adults!

fiercecupcake — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 15:28:21 -0800

Hooping. The hoops adults use to dance and perform tricks are larger and heavier than the children's toy called the Hula Hoop. As hooping becomes more popular, people across the States and across the world are pushing the boundaries of dance and sport with a simple, easily made tool. Hooping for pleasure, exercise, and meditation is becoming a phenomenon. There's even a documentary. You can make a basic hoop, make a collapsible one or one that comes apart for travel. If all the sparkly, shiny, glow, and gaffer's tapes aren't enough for you, you can put glowsticks inside, make your own LED hoop, or buy one for a little or a lot. (If you get brave, you can try fire.) You can find a group or a teacher to hoop with near you, join the growing tribe of online hoopers, or even take lessons online. There is always something new to learn, someone new to meet; skills can always be improved or improvised upon. Hooping has changed my world, and it can change yours. And we'll just get this one out of the way now.)

Art-Sports = Aesthletics

Bango Skank — Mon, 18 May 2009 08:20:03 -0800

...many artists say their absurdist sports are an outgrowth of the contemporary art-world trend toward participatory art, which is intended to break down walls between artist and audience. But beyond the high-mindedness, the skinny-armed aesthetes also seem to be on a personal mission to reclaim sports from the bull-necked athletes of their youth. The NYT Fashion & Style section examines the trend of "art-sports," high concept games that are gaining in popularity amongst a demographic not typically know for their athletic endeavors. Some practitioners have dubbed these games "aesthletics" and have established an Institute of Aesthlectics for their promotion. More information on some of the "art-sports" mentioned in the article: -Circle Rules Football -Wiffle Hurling -Viking Ball Sure to be a MeFi favorite for the name alone.

The NRW timeline

tellurian — Tue, 12 May 2009 19:08:06 -0800

NRW 1946—2006. Short articles chronicling North Rhine-Westphalia. The site has one rather large shortcoming though, the video clips cannot be accessed (only available on VHS within the State!).

A lotta guys try to catch her but she leads them on a wild goose chase now

caddis — Sat, 02 May 2009 21:34:26 -0800

Start your engines. Megan Culbert, age 8, was in her first year of racing.... her best time so far was an 11.30 in the 1/8 mile. Vroom.

Neither hook, line, nor sinker

not_on_display — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 12:32:18 -0800

Noodling, catfisting, grabbling, graveling, hogging, dogging, gurgling, tickling, stumping: all these words mean the same thing--catching big, honkin' catfish with your bare hands!

“I ran ‘em all!”

fearfulsymmetry — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 05:07:22 -0800

'Roy Of The Rovers' is back... The footballer* has returned to the newsagents in a one-off special. Roy was just one of a number of British comics sport stars that have appeared over the years... such as the notorious 'Look Out For Lefty', er, 'Striker'. My favourite being Alf Tupper - 'Tough Of The Track', a runner whose only performance enhancer was a fish and chip supper straight off the newspaper. *That'll be 'soccer' to our friends across the water.

Soccer is a European sport because it is all about death and despair

Artw — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 10:59:47 -0800

America is doomed. Why? Soccer.

Ball ball ball, footie footie footie, ball ball ball, football!

Artw — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 16:14:26 -0800

The future of soccer in America is black, female and from the inner-city.

DEAR COMRADE!

tellurian — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 08:38:16 -0800

Soviet Music "You are browsing a resource which is devoted first of all to the history and culture of the Soviet Union, the country which the West for a long time usually named as "The Empire of Evil", the country to which some people in the West perceive as "something big and snowy". I offer you to try to look outside the frames of usual stereotypes, to try to understand life of a unique country, with its interesting history, beautiful culture and miraculous relations between people. The music submitted on this site - is an evident sample of a totally new culture, which completely differs from all that, with what Hollywood and MTV supply us so much. This culture, being free from the cult of money, platitude, violence and sex, was urged to not indulge low bents of a human soul but to help the person to become culturally enriched and to grow above himself." I am liking for one "To be first in labour and in fight you should be a sportsman" [this link can break any second].

Too bad the guy was only thirty eight - just two years older, he'd have been worth three times the points...

Artw — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 13:43:52 -0800

Did you grow up anticipating sports where death would be likely, if not certain? Almost certainly played by convicts, possibly with robot limbs? And which would be even more likely to have chainsaws and flamethrowers not usually found in the sports of today? Those We Left Behind’s look at Future-sports of the past, in videogames, movies and comics is for you!

The Black Pantanis

afx237vi — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 13:18:30 -0800

Up to now, no black cyclist has ever competed in the Tour de France. One man hopes to to change that. Last month Nicholas Leong, a Singaporean photographer and supporter of the Major Taylor Association (previously: 1, 2), travelled to Eldoret in Kenya, a place better known for producing world-class distance runners. There, he found two Kenyan cyclists and took them to France to tackle one of the Tour's most iconic climbs: Alpe d'Huez. The two cyclists were 26 year old Zakayo Ndbri and 24 year old Mwangi Samwel. On their first attempt at the Alpe, Ndbri won a semi-pro race with a time of 46 minutes. Samwel finished a few seconds behind in 3rd place. A week later, Ndbri raced again and finished with a time of 42'10", which would have placed him 11th in the 2004 uphill time trial of Alpe d'Huez. Although Africans are still a rarity in professional cyclin, cycling remains a popular sport in parts of the continent. Races include Burkina Faso's Tour du Faso (pictures and article), Gabon's Tropicale Amissa Bongo and Côte d'Ivoire's Tour Ivoirien de la Paix.

female fighters and strongwomen

nickyskye — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 23:36:43 -0800

Female Single Combat Club [nsfw]. An extensive site about women fighters around the world and in history. In English and Russian. Previously.

Monkey!

fearfulsymmetry — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 07:17:49 -0800

Jamie Hewlett of Tank Girl and Gorrilaz fame has created the animated film that will be used to introduce the BBC's coverage of the summer Olympics with music by his fellow Gorrlaz compatriot, Damon Albarn, inspired by Monkey, the cult classic television program. Better quality version. Hewlett Interview. Hewlett's art. Previous Monkey inspired work.