I would have thought that wearing a nipple ring while playing football would be a wee bit dangerous, but that did not stop Brendon Ayanbadejo of the Baltimore Ravens this weekend at Miami. Does anyone know if this is common or a hazard?
Thanks to a reader for this. Click here to see the full image, including some impressive biceps.
ESPN columnist LZ Granderson gave an interview to Michigan-based online mag MLive.com and talked about being a gay sports journalist, gay athletes, Prop 8 and dissing Michael Jordan. He also spends several paragraphs talking about the lack of out gay athletes in the pros.
The truth is, I’m not so sure that someone hasn’t already come out to his teammates and they just keep it in the family. Some gay people believe that every person of note who is gay should hold a press conference to announce their orientation. I don’t. I just believe in living an authentic life. I never wrote an “I’m gay” column in the newspaper. I just brought my boyfriend to the Super Bowl and let folks who gave a damn draw their own conclusions. John Amaechi stated in his book, “Man in the Middle”, he came out to some teammates long before he came out more publicly and officially became an activist. That situation is hardly unique.
This story from Yahoo proves conclusively that college football’s BCS system sucks and that the two teams that get to play in the title game are there for reasons other than their on-field success. Some voters in the Harris Interactive Poll, which helps determine BCS rankings, NEVER WATCHED UTAH PLAY! The same Utah team that finished 13-0 and whipped Alabama (formerly top ranked) in the Sugar Bowl.
“I did not see them play [in the regular season],” Bobby Aillet said.
“I didn’t see any live games,” Lance McIlhenny said. “I just [saw] highlights.”
“I don’t recall if I saw them play specifically during the regular season,” David Housel said. “I don’t remember a specific game. … I wouldn’t say I probably was wrong. I was wrong,” said Housel, a former Auburn athletic director who had the Utes ranked 10th.
A cool little contest has come down from ESPN and the Tribeca Film Festival. They’re calling all filmmakers, aspiring filmmakers, jocks, fans and the like to develop a short 30-second trailer to promote the Tribeca/ESPN Sports Film Festival. The challenge is this: Take a scene from Cool Runnings or Remember The Titans (they’ve chosen the potential scenes for you), give them your own little twist and send them in.
So if you’ve got a video camera, some funny friends and some editing software, head over to ESPN.com and get on it. And please do send us your entry as well: We’d love to support it on Outsports.
Pro tennis player Amelie Mauresmo rarely talks about her sexual orientation, so I was a little surprised to see a two-page article about her in the latest issue of The Advocate. But not as surprise, it seems, as Mauresmo was to find out she was doing an interview with the gay mag. Douglas Robson writes:
I’d been pursuing Mauresmo for an interview for the better part of 20 months, so I was pleased and somewhat surprised when word came that she’d finally agreed to do it - she rarely talks about her sexual orientation anymore. But as it turned out, my request had been miscommnicated: She thought the interview was for another publication, not The Advocate. As we sat down in the players’ garden at the U.S. Open in August and I asked why she’d decided to chat, she looked confused and startled. When the tan, fit Frenchwoman, dressed in shorts and a sleeveless athletic top, finally understood what was up, she leaned forward in her chair. I figured she was about to stand, politely decline, and leave.
The boss of a successful British Formula One racing team is being accused of homophobia and racism in a complaint filed with a British employment tribunal. Peter Boland (right), 27, claims he was fired by McLaren Mercedes head Ron Dennis of firing him because he’s gay. McLaren Mercedes is known for their driver Lewis Hamilton, who isn’t just the youngest driver in British Formula One history, but also reportedly the first black driver (he’s half black). Hamilton could be called to testify.
According to the Daily Star:
The hearing was told [Boland] was dismissed from his £32,000-a-year job in 2007 and the rumors [that he was gay] - allegedly spread by management - led to unwanted advances from a male colleague. Mr Boland is claiming unfair dismissal, discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation, victimization and post-termination discrimination against Ron Dennis and three of his companies.
Peyton Manning up close was just one of the great sights as I went to San Diego to see the Colts-Chargers wild card playoff game this weekend. I had a field pass, a police escort to the stadium and a memorable day with Dave Kopay. I was shocked, though, by all the gay slurs uttered by fans the entire day. A recap of my trip down the coast, with some more photos.
Yes, I know Utah won’t win the mythical national championship since the absurd BCS system settled on Florida and Oklahoma as the two teams to play for the BCS title. But after watching the Utes dismantle Alabama, 31-17, in the Sugar Bowl, they have as much claim to the title as anyone.
The Utes are the only unbeaten team (13-0) and they whipped a Bama team that one-loss Florida struggled to beat in the SEC title game. And after watching Mississippi put up 47 points against Texas Tech, Oklahoma’s 65 against the Red Raiders looks much less impressive. Tell me again why OU and Florida are playing for the title? After watching Utah and USC roll the last two days, it makes even less sense than it originally did.
When in doubt, go with an old standby. That’s what voters for the NFL MVP Award said today by selecting Peyton Manning the League MVP. Not a terrible choice: He played pretty well overall, very well down the stretch, and his team went 12-4. Manning’s response couldn’t have been more accurate: “I really feel like it’s a team award.” I wonder if any QB has won the award finishing sixth in passing yards and fifth in QB rating and passing TDs. But this was a year when no single player stood out, so they gave it to a safe bet. I can’t argue too much.
It wasn’t a terrible pick, but it was terribly uninspired. If the voters were set on picking someone who didn’t have great numbers, why not Miami’s Chad Pennington? He took a team that was 1-15 last year and won the AFC East; He even had a better QB rating than Manning. Instead, the voters put him second. If his name was Chad Manning, he would be the League MVP.
We all love our college football and will be sad to see it go. But it’s the 3rd week of exhibition match ups and we’ve still got a couple of (lol) meaningful games to go, including the biggest one of all: The Gators National Championship Coronation Game. So, one more time… while Cyd is worrying about the integrity of the BCS, this is Kelvin’s Krazy Kchoices! Continue reading →
As the U.S. auto industry fights for its life, LGBT autosport and auto buying is gasping too. Gaywheels founder Joe LaMuraglia writes, “While the current situation affects everyone in the country it is taking a disproportionate toll on small businesses, ours included. Auto sales are the lowest in almost 20 years, consumers aren’t researching online and automotive companies are cutting back on advertising.” With its ad income plummeting, Gaywheels announced its own bailout plan in December — it is appealing for donations in order to keep going.
Things are no less gloomy in auto racing itself. Ordinarily Jimmie Johnson’s third championship would be the big NASCAR story for 2008, but according to NASCAR itself, as 2009 starts its engines, the big story is the economy. A wave of layoffs is going through the 43 teams that formed the backbone of national competition. They employ around 1700 people. An estimated 1200 of those jobs have suddenly evaporated. Five teams are closing down. Others are negotiating survival mergers, notably Richard Petty’s team, which ends its 60 years of successful independence. Drivers are being laid off — including Dario Franchitti, whose move from Indy racing to stock cars was shaky at best. Major sponsors have vanished, including Craftsman. Some speedways are considering whether they can hose the Trucks series.
Continue reading →
Despite the 38-24 final, the Rose Bowl between USC and Penn State wasn’t really that close. The Trojans never trailed and led 31-7 at halftime in winning a record third straight Rose Bowl game over the Big Ten. USC (12-1) has as much claim as any to being crowned the nation’s best team.
Of course, because the “experts” determined the Pac-10 was weaker than other top conferences, USC’s six-point road loss to Oregon State in October was deemed a bigger sin than Florida losing at home or Oklahoma losing by 10 to Texas; therefore, the Sooners and Gators were picked over USC to play for the BCS title game. Wonder if these same experts noticed that the “weak” Pac-10 went 5-0 in bowl games.
It’s been a brutally cold winter already for much of the country, so I figured we’d scour YouTube to find some videos to keep you warm. It didn’t take long to find some interesting amateur homemade wrestling videos demonstrating some fascinating “technique” of the world’s oldest sport. Enjoy.
Gay men know a thing or two about the inaccuracies of measurements. Those cited online always tend to be a little smaller in real life. Craigslist or Manhunt, anyone?
So I read with a bit of amusement an article exploring why the NFL continues to use sticks and a length of chain to gauge whether a team gets a first down. You’d think — what with all of the attention, money and careers on the line — that the premier professional football league in the world might find something a little more tech savvy.
Thanks to the BCS, I’ve lost interest in college football over the last five to seven years. In the mid-Nineties, it was my favorite sports; Now, I keep a passing interest in it. The problems with the BCS are so deeply well-chronicled, I won’t get into them here. But this is the first year I’m personally taking some conscious action: I won’t watch a second of any of the BCS games in my own personal BCS boycott. And I encourage everyone to boycott the BCS bowl games as well. There are plenty of other bowl games to watch; And I hope people will support those bowls. But I won’t watch a second of the Fiesta, Rose, Sugar or Orange Bowls, or the (quote-unquote) “National Championship Game.”
I hope you’ll consider not watching or attending, either. Hitting them in the gut with reduced ratings is one of the few ways we can make our voice heard.
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