Rob's Blog

Entries Tagged as 'Sport'

Battle of the World’s Fittest Sports

March 4th, 2013 · 1 Comment · Fitness, Sport

ESPN SportsNation recently held a competition to determine the World’s Greatest Athlete (won by Bo Jackson). We have decided to hold our own competition using a similar format, but this time comparing the sports themselves rather than the athletes, to determine which world sport is more physically demanding.

I started by selecting 32 sports, from which a draw was created so there are one-on-one match-ups which you can vote on, which will continue until only one sport remains – The World’s Fittest Sport! See our full list of nominated sports.

The first sport comparison is between Formula One and Team Handball – which one is more demanding? The physical demands of formula one often goes unappreciated, requiring a high aerobic capacity and good upper body and leg strength. Drivers perform with heart beats of up to 200 per minute for extended periods. Team Handball is not well known outside of Europe, where it is a popular sport. Similar in many ways to basketball, however the demands are possibly greater for handball as the players move faster up and down the court and throw the ball more powerfully.

UPDATE: see the full results

Tags: F1·Fittest Sport·Formula One·Motorsports·Team Handball

Oscar Pistorius the Anti-Hero

February 15th, 2013 · No Comments · Olympic Games, Track & Field

It is with no surprise that we hear the news that another sporting hero has fallen foul of the law. Although the full details are yet to emerge, it seems like the 2012 Olympian and multiple-Paralympian Oscar Pistorius, also known as the ‘Blade Runner’, may have murdered his girlfriend.

I posted about him recently, saying he was not the first disabled athlete to compete at the Olympics. Not only that, but now he may also not be the first sporting hero to cross to the dark side. Is Oscar Pistorius our next anti-hero?

I have compiled just a shortlist of athletes who have done something bad, labeling them anti-heroes (my title). I don’t think there are more bad people in sports, probably the opposite. There may be a higher level of arrogance in some sports stars, but generally being the focus of public attention keeps them on the straight and narrow.

When one slips up, it is big news, as it is now with Pistorius.

Tags: disability·hero·Oscar Pistorius·Paralympics

The Need to Modernize Modern Pentathlon

February 14th, 2013 · No Comments · Olympic Games, Sport

Modern pentathlon is not the most popular of world sports, but maybe the International Olympic Committee can see that it has potential. The sport, which was created for the Olympics, was highlighted by many as the one to be dropped from the Olympic program, but was saved for now when wrestling was dropped from the core sports list.

Despite being modern by name, the sport based on the skills of the ideal cavalry soldier is not currently relevant to many people. It has been trying to modernize itself, looking at changing the event so it can be completed in a single day and all at the same venue, making it more spectator friendly.

The concept of the sport is great, the challenge to find the ultimate all-round-athlete – competing in the very different disciplines of shooting, fencing, swimming, equestrian and running. Let’s get it on prime time TV, add some dancing girls and loud music, and they could be onto a winner.

[update: modern pentathlon has been updated, and the competition is now held over just one day, a much more exciting concept]

Tags: modern pentathlon

Wrestling dumped from the Olympics

February 13th, 2013 · No Comments · Olympic Games, Sport

The IOC has voted to drop wrestling from the list of core Olympic Games sports, a necessary step to make room for more relevant sports for today. Wrestling still has a chance to be on the program, though it will now join the seven shortlisted sports which are aiming for inclusion in the 2020 Olympic program: baseball/softball, karate, roller sports, sport climbing, squash, wakeboarding and wushu.

You can vote for which sport you think should be included in the Olympics. It is very unlikely that wrestling will be added back on the program, maybe something cool like climbing should be added. Dropping wrestling was a surprise to me, as it seemed like modern pentathlon was on the chopping block. There are a few other sports that should possibly be eliminated.

Our poll of which Olympic sports should be dropped had equestrian as more unpopular than wrestling and modern pentathlon, and equestrian also topped our list of Least favourite Olympic sports.

The word from an IOC inside source indicated that wrestling was voted out from a final group that also included modern pentathlon, taekwondo and field hockey, which gives an idea of which sports may next be on the chopping block. It seems like there is a bit more culling to do.

Tags: Olympic Games·wrestling

My Sporting Highlights for 2012

January 7th, 2013 · No Comments · Major Events, Sport

I have added the 2012 World Sport timeline, so I thought I would add my personal highlights, good and bad, from the world of sport in 2012.

Lance Armstrong being banned from the sport for life – I told you so.
Ryder Cup Miracle in Medinah, the biggest comeback seen for quite a while, making golf exciting.
Usain Bolt winning the Olympic Games 100m/200m double (again), and letting all the world know about it.
Bradley Wiggins winning the Tour de France, first ever win by a UK rider.
Oscar Pistorius doing the Olympic/Paralympic double, and making us all think about what really is an artificial aid.

Tags: 2012·highlights

It’s Official, Lance Cheated

August 24th, 2012 · No Comments · Cycling, Sports Medicine, Tour de France

It is easy to take Lance Armstrong’s decision to not challenge his charges of doping by the USADA as an admission of guilt. Why would he not continue to fight to clear his name, it has significant ramifications. He has declined to enter arbitration, which was his last option – because he said he was “weary”.

Maybe it is because he is guilty and he realizes he is not able to defend himself against the evidence that has continued to mount. He is going to be known in the history books as a sports cheat. There is no doubt that he cheated death, winning the fight against cancer.

Hopefully, the great work he continues to do in fundraising for cancer research and awareness will not be overshadowed by his cheating on the road.

Tags: cycling·doping·Lance Armstrong

Swimming is our favorite sport, but only every 4 years

June 18th, 2012 · Comments Off on Swimming is our favorite sport, but only every 4 years · Gymnastics, Olympic Games, Swimming

We have a poll running on this site asking what is your favorite summer Olympic Games sport? The clear leaders at the moment are swimming, gymnastics, and track & field. This also matches the results of the most viewed sports on the Olympics website in 2004. To most Olympic watchers, the popularity of these sports is not surprising, but it should be if you consider that the undisputed most popular sport in the world (world football/soccer) is also one of the sports on the Olympic program, and other very popular sports that are on the program are basketball and tennis.

butterfly from above — Swimming for Gold

Outside of the Olympic period, you rarely see swimming, gymnastics, and track & field televised, and there are no stadiums full of spectators at these sports every week. The reality is that they are not that interesting to watch – except at the time of the Olympics it seems. It is football (whatever code), basketball, baseball, cricket and many other sports that are more popular with the fans week in and week out. At Olympic time, unfortunately, it is not just the sports fans that are watching, so the most entertaining sports are not necessarily the most watched and getting the most attention.

More on Topend Sports

Tags: gymnastics·Olympic Games·sports·swimming

Excessive Prize Money to Tennis Players

January 16th, 2012 · 2 Comments · Grand Slam Tennis, Tennis

The 2012 Australian Tennis Open starts today and is set to offer the highest prize money in the history of Grand Slam tennis around the world. The total prize pool will be A$26 million, with the men’s and women’s champions taking home a record A$2.3 million (US$2.18 million) each. Does that sound excessive to you?

It may be because I am not a great tennis fan, but I cannot see why we need to give the players that much money. As it is a grand slam event, you don’t need to offer large amounts to entice players to come and play. The winner of any tennis grand slam event will probably boost their off-court earnings more than that anyway by being more marketable.

Some of you probably will not agree with my next comment (and that’s OK). Another thing that bugs me is that the event organizers have decided that both the men’s and women’s champions will earn the same amount (in 2007 Wimbledon decided to do the same), despite more interest in the men’s side of the tournament, with longer more entertaining games, and consequently better revenue-raising potential.

I’ll still be watching the men’s final, and afterwards, I hope they can give a little back of their millions to the grassroots of their sport.

Related Pages: Australian Open, Tennis

Tags: Australia·australian open·grand slam·prize money·Tennis

How Low Can the Marathon Go?

September 26th, 2011 · Comments Off on How Low Can the Marathon Go? · Track & Field

The sub-2 hour marathon is a track and field barrier as talked about as the 4-minute mile. The world record in the marathon was broken this week, with Kenya’s Patrick Makau setting a new mark of 2:03:38, beating the old record of Haile Gebrselassie by 21 seconds.

Even assuming improvements at the same rate, there has been a drop of 21 seconds in three years meaning it will take another 30 years to break the two-hour mark. See the progression of marathon world best times, where you can see that reducing the record from 2:16 to 2:12 took seven years, 2:12 to 2:08 took 19 years, and from 2:08 to the current mark took another 27 years.

Using scientific analysis of actual performance trends, Professor Francois Peronnet at the University of Montreal has calculated that the first sub two-hour marathon will be run in the year 2028.

We have had a poll online asking which world athletics benchmark will be broken next, the 100m in 9.5 seconds or a marathon in 2 hours? The marathon is currently leading the race, though 7 percent of respondents think neither will reach those marks. It may be true that many of us will not live to see those times beaten, though I think one day they will. These records tend to have significant and unexpected jumps in improvement, we just have to wait for the time a sporting freak chances upon the right training and nutrition, prepares for the event perfectly and runs under ideal conditions on a flat and fast course with good pacemakers. That won’t happen very often.

Men’s Marathon World Records

100m World Records (men and women)

Tags: marathon·world record

Is an AFL 10th Umpire needed?

September 18th, 2011 · Comments Off on Is an AFL 10th Umpire needed? · AFL, Technology, Umpires & Referees

I have previously discussed whether soccer should have a video referee and after being at an AFL game last night I believe there is a good argument for using video or other technology to adjudicate close goal-line decisions in AFL too.

Not far from me I saw two incidents where it was a close call whether the ball actually crossed the goal line, and from my position, the umpire did not seem to get it right. I have not had the opportunity to see a reply which was surely shown to the home viewers of the match.

If the TV viewers can get to see a slow-motion reply of such situations immediately after the fact, why can’t they refer close calls to an off-field umpire who can watch the same video and then refer their decision back to the field umpires? Rugby union has had such a system for a while now, and international cricket and tennis matches are also using a referral system. It is time for the AFL to join the other major sports.

There are already nine umpires on the field in AFL matches: three field umpires, four boundary umpires, and two goal umpires. There is an emergency umpire, who is the tenth. He is currently there as a possible replacement if needed, and is also responsible for monitoring behind-the-play incidents. It would not be too much to ask this umpire to also be responsible for reviewing the video replays when they arise. I have a personal reason for these views – last night my team the Blues lost by 3 points and are out of the finals, if only a video referee system was in place the result may have been different.

Related Pages: About AFL, Technology in Sports

Tags: AFL·Technology·umpires