Rob's Blog » Major Events

Bad Sport Serena

Rob Wood — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 23:26:44 +0000

In the U.S. Open Tennis Tournament, defending champion Serena Williams was fined $10,000 for her tirade directed at a line judge. She said: ‘If I could, I would … shove [this ball] down your throat’. There were a few expletives deleted from that quote. Can you get a bigger contrast between the champion of men’s tennis, Roger Federer and her? Thankfully such bad sportsmanship has not gone unnoticed, with the big fine and her losing the final match point based on that outburst. She was going to lose the semifinal to Kim Clijsters anyway, and the fine is only a smidgeon of what she earned playing the tournament. Let’s hope she gets punished in more ways, but somehow I think she will not be repentant.

Related Pages: US Open, About Tennis, Roger Federer profile

The 100 Sporting Events You Must See Live

Rob Wood — Mon, 25 May 2009 01:48:29 +0000

A new book by Robert Tuchman, who works in Sports promotion and management, is called, The 100 Sporting Events You Must See Live: An Insider’s Guide to Creating the Sports Experience of a Lifetime. He has used live appeal as the main criteria for his selection. There is a US bias, which is not surprising considering that many Americans think that they are the centre of the sporting universe (which in true in some sports). I don’t doubt his top four, but am not sure that the UNC vs. Duke Basketball Game at Cameron Indoor Stadium deserves top 10 status. I have not seen such as game, so maybe I am not qualified to comment. I have ticked off two of the ten, quite a way to go. Check out the complete list of 100.

Here are the top 10 events you must see, according to Robert Tuchman. What you think?

1. The Golf Masters
2. FIFA World Cup
3. Super Bowl
4. Summer Olympics
5. Army vs. Navy Football Game
6. New York City Marathon
7. World Series Baseball
8. Winter Olympics
9. Red Sox vs. Yankees at Yankee Stadium
10. UNC vs. Duke Basketball Game at Cameron Indoor Stadium

Fast Dollars for Fast Food

Rob Wood — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 09:28:16 +0000

Nathan Deeks, an Australian Champion race walker, appeared in a full page color advertisement for the fast food restaurant McDonalds, saying that he eats ‘Maccas’ after his events, including at the Olympic Games. I know that he was probably only trying to earn a few sponsorship bucks in return from all the effort he puts into his training, but as a sporting role model it was such a disgusting thing to promote eating undoubtedly unhealthy food. I don’t mind that he had the occasional fast food snack, but it is not right for an athlete representing Australia to say it so publicly. It does not say much about the dietitians at the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) if one of their athletes comes out of there with this attitude that this is OK to do. A few days later, a very similar looking ad was published (obviously on purpose), with an ex- Australian Olympian and NBA star Luc Longley, promoting healthy eating, saying that he never considered eating junk food before or after competing. The ad was a welcome response to the McDonalds one, which needed to be done, but I don’t think enough ho-ha was made of it. The government spends millions of dollars trying to address the problem of childhood obesity, including trying to get more people active and into sports, and also millions are spent on the AIS getting athletes including Nathan Deeks properly prepared for the Olympic Games. I don’t think he has done his long time supporter (AIS) any good and hopefully he got into trouble, all for a small financial reward.

see more about sports nutrition

A New Drug

Rob Wood — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 06:39:54 +0000

When any athlete beats their opposition by a large margin at the international level, there are always suspicions that an artificial aid has been used. I have always thought that when something is too good to be true, it often is. At the Olympic Games there were two athletes that dominated the opposition and surprised many: Bolt and Phelps. Why has the questions not been asked? As in many of these cases, time will tell, and then people may be saying ‘why did we not see it? It was right in front of my eyes”.

Related Pages: Doping in Sports, Michael Phelps Profile,

Radio v TV Olympic Coverage

Rob Wood — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 06:39:54 +0000

By all accounts the TV coverage of the Olympic Games in Australia by channel 7 was disappointing. The TV coverage is not made for the sports fan. They spent too long interviewing the families of athletes, devling into the stories behind the stories, and about China and Beijing. What the sport fan wants is educated commentary of whole events, without breaks at crucial points in the events. The alternative on Australia TV was SBS, which was better as it showed continuous coverage of some events, but the mainstream sports were not given to them to show. What we did hear on the ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) radio coverage was excellent. I wonder why they cannot take lessons from radio for the TV coverage. The radio is able to convey the excitement of events as they are happening, cross from one event to the other when they are on at the same time, and be thoroughly entertaining.

Missing it All

Rob Wood — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 06:37:57 +0000

The Olympic Games have come and gone, and I practically missed it. I have been traveling around Australia in a campervan (see website) with no TV and mostly out of radio range as well. We stopped at caravan parks that have a TV room a few times and dropped in for a beer at the pub to catch a little bit of the highlights, but there is so much on you need to sit in front of the TV all day to get a good viewing. We did manage to regular buy the newspaper to read about what was going on, and to check the news updates on our mobile phone. On a positive note, we did miss a lot of the disappointing TV coverage, and what we did hear on the radio coverage (ABC) was as usual excellent.

Unusual Olympic Fuels

Rob Wood — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 06:35:37 +0000

Does fast food make you fast? Usian Bolt (which has to be one of the greatest names for a sprinter – like he was born to run fast) was quoted as saying he eats McDonalds nuggets before his events, as if it was some kind of wonder pill. Similarly, Australian race walker Jarred Tallent (winner of silver in the 50 km walk) was also in the local press revealing that he fuelled himself on pizza on the eve of his race and coke during the final stages of his race. Pizza is his favorite food and he finally gave in after two weeks at the food hall night before race. After his 20 km race he threw up during the final stages and afterwards, and after his pizza binge, he was afraid it would happen again. Where are the sports dietitians advising these athletes? Why would they risk one of the most important events in their sporting careers? They were obviously good enough to still win their races despite having junk food, but please don’t brag about it as if it helped you. There is too much fast food eaten in this world already, we don’t want our elite athletes promoting it too.

Related Pages: sports nutrition

Lance Armstrong Returns from the Dead

Rob Wood — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 06:33:23 +0000

Like Jesus, Lance Armstrong is set to rise again. The champion seven time winner of the Tour de France, he made a comeback from testicular cancer. After he retired from cycling, he tried resurrecting his sporting career as a marathon runner. He completed a few races over the last few years, though not spectacularly. He has now set his comeback on the bike for the Australian Tour Down Under early next year. At 36 years of age, can we expect him to perform as he has shown he can in the past? This is a time that can catch out an athlete, with the pressure to perform in an aging body, he may be drawn back to the world of drug taking to prime his body for the exertions of professional cycling. Don’t slip up Lance, as all the accolades from your successful career can be permanently tainted from a positive doping test.

Related Pages: Tour de France, cycling, Lance Armstrong profile

Fast Dollars for Fast Food

Rob Wood — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 06:28:17 +0000

Nathan Deeks, Australian Champion race walker appeared in a full page color advertisement for the fast food restaurant McDonalds, saying that he eats ‘Maccas’ after his events, including the Olympics. I know that he was probably only trying to earn a few bucks in return from all the effort he puts into to training, but as a sporting role model it was such a disgusting thing to promote eating undoubtedly unhealthy food. I don’t mind that he had the occasional fast food snack, but it is not right for an athlete representing Australia to say it so publicly. It does not say much about the dietitians at the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) if one of their athletes comes out of there with this attitude that this is OK to do. A few days later, a very similar looking ad was published (obviously on purpose), with an ex- Australian Olympian and NBA star Luc Longley, promoting healthy eating, saying that he never considered eating junk food before or after competing. The ad was a welcome response to the McDonalds one, which needed to be done, but I don’t think enough ho-ha was made of it. The government spends millions of dollars trying to address the problem of childhood obesity, including trying to get more people active and into sports, and also millions are spent on the AIS getting athletes including Nathan Deeks properly prepared for the Olympic Games. I don’t think he has done his long time supporter (AIS) any good and hopefully he got into trouble, all for a small financial reward.

Related Pages: Summer Olympic Games

Phelps the Grestest Ever?

Rob Wood — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 06:25:27 +0000

The swimmer Michael Phelps may have won the most number of Olympic gold medals ever at the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008, but does that qualify him to be called the greatest ever Olympian? Being the world’s major sporting event, the Olympics has had its share of champions and success stories. It is always difficult to compare athletes of different sports yet alone different eras. Other notable Olympic Champions which would give him a run for his money in the best ever category include Carl Lewis (U.S., track and field), Paavo Nurmi (Finland, track and field), Larisa Latynina (Soviet Union, gymnastics), Birgit Fischer-Schmidt (Germany, kayak), and Steven Redgrave (United Kingdom, rowing). Probably others too. Comparing Phelps to Mark Spitz is the easiest as it is in the same sport, and Phelps wins that comparison. The flaw in this argument is using the number of gold medals as the beachmark, as swimming has more medals on offer than most other sports, consequently it is relatively easier to pick up a bag of medals. Phelps may well be the greatest ever, but I think it is too close to call. Let just wait until he finishes his career. If he does the same again in London 2012, then there may be no question about him being the greatest ever.

Related Pages: swimming, Olympic Games, Beijing 2008