Chicago Sports & Travel, Inc./AllsportsAmerica
US
and Iran find common ground: Olympic wrestling.
By
U.S. wrestling coach Zeke Jones on Tuesday
called the sport an important "ambassador," suggesting possible cooperation to
fight a decision by the International Olympic Committee to drop
wrestling from the 2020 Games.
"Wrestling has brought closer the people of Iran and the U.S.," Jones was
quoted as saying by the semiofficial Mehr news agency after arriving in Tehran
with his team for an international tournament.
American wrestlers will compete in freestyle events later this week after the
completion of Greco-Roman matches.
"I am sure the world will become united in support of wrestling and this will
lead to change the view of the IOC. It will keep wrestling in the Olympics,"
said Jones.
On Monday, U.S. wrestling officials formalized plans for a committee charged
with pushing to restore Olympic wrestling — which was dropped earlier this month
from the 2020 program by the IOC board. Wrestling now must compete against other
sports for one open slot in the Games.
Iran also has said it is looking to join wrestling's major powers to reverse
the IOC decision. Last week, the Iranian wrestling federation and Olympic
committee sent a protest letter to the IOC.
Iran sees wrestling as their national sport.
Since 1948, it has actively participated in international events of the sport
and its wrestlers
have collected many Olympics medals. Iran won three gold medals out of six
overall in wrestling at the London Games, and the U.S. took two gold medals out
of four overall.
Washington cut ties with Iran after the U.S. Embassy was stormed in the wake
of the 1979 Islamic Revolution — with 52 Americans held hostage for 444 days.
Tensions are also high over the standoff over Tehran's nuclear program and
Western sanctions that have upended Iran's economy.
Iran's state media had only limited reports on the arrival of the American
wrestlers — a distinct contrast to the fanfare in 1998 to the first U.S.
wrestlers who competed in Iran since the Islamic Revolution.
U.S. sports team make only infrequent appearances in Iran, but the two
countries often compete together in international events.
The U.S. has sent more than 30 athletes to Iran under a sports exchange
program launched in 2007, and more than 75 Iranian athletes and coaches have
visited the United States.
One
month until the start of the “2013 March Madness NCAA Basketball
Tournament”.
The “2013 NCAA March Madness Basketball Tournament” starts with the First Four Play-in Games March 19, 2013. Second/Third Rounds March 21-24, 2013. Regionals March 28-31, 2013, and Final Four April 6-8, 2013.
It’s one of the most tremendously watched and significantly wagered on sporting events of the year. Everyone has a favorite college team and believes that they will win it all. This year will be a little different. The competition is tenacious and there is no absolute favorite. The championship is up for grabs. For the last few years, It has become customary for a lower seeded team, (7th to 11th seed), to knock off a higher seeded team, (1st, 2nd or 3rd seed). It will take 50% skill and 50% luck to pick this year’s winner.
CSAT/AllsportsAmerica is sponsoring it’s first “CSAT/AA 2013 NCAA March Madness Office Pool”. You can’t win if you aren’t in. For more information, email us at chicagosportsandtravel@yahoo.com and put March Madness Info in the subject line. It’s going to be a great tournament. We’re looking forward to hearing from you!!!
The “2013 NCAA March Madness Basketball Tournament” starts with the First Four Play-in Games March 19, 2013. Second/Third Rounds March 21-24, 2013. Regionals March 28-31, 2013, and Final Four April 6-8, 2013.
It’s one of the most tremendously watched and significantly wagered on sporting events of the year. Everyone has a favorite college team and believes that they will win it all. This year will be a little different. The competition is tenacious and there is no absolute favorite. The championship is up for grabs. For the last few years, It has become customary for a lower seeded team, (7th to 11th seed), to knock off a higher seeded team, (1st, 2nd or 3rd seed). It will take 50% skill and 50% luck to pick this year’s winner.
CSAT/AllsportsAmerica is sponsoring it’s first “CSAT/AA 2013 NCAA March Madness Office Pool”. You can’t win if you aren’t in. For more information, email us at chicagosportsandtravel@yahoo.com and put March Madness Info in the subject line. It’s going to be a great tournament. We’re looking forward to hearing from you!!!
AARP gives Michael Jordan
the perfect 50th birthday gift (PHOTO).
Luckily for the newly half-century-old Hall of Famer, the folks at the
organization formerly known as the American Association of Retired Persons didn't miss it. Not
only did they put Jordan on the cover of the February edition of AARP Magazine, but they also gave him a very special birthday
gift via Twitter:
(Image via AARP_official on
Instagram)
I'm not entirely sure the famously insanely competitive former Chicago
Bulls and Washington
Wizards star, and current Charlotte
Bobcats owner, will appreciate the present. As he recently told ESPN's Wright Thompson in a fantastic feature story, he
presently feels like he'd be willing to give up everything he's got to be both
younger and an active NBA player, which doesn't make him sound like someone
especially at ease with retiree living and the sort of positive social change
for adults over 50 with which AARP has long been associated.
But MJ would do well to remember that advancing age has its benefits — specifically, discounts at your favorite retailers, dining and entertainment establishments, and home and automobile-related items. Those savings can really add up.
Goal-Line Technology To Be Implemented By FIFA For 2014 World Cup.
By Miles Chambers, Goal.com
After a successful trial period at the Club World Cup, the 2013 Confederations Cup and World Cup 2014 will see goal-line technology implemented in matches.
FIFA has decided to use goal-line technology from this summer onwards, starting with the 2013 Confederations Cup.
After what the footballing governing body deemed to be a successful trial at the Club World Cup in December last year, the technology will be used at the upcoming international tournament being held in Brazil this summer.
Subsequently, goal-line technology will be used at World Cup 2014 in the South American nation, and it is safe to assume that if the two tournaments see the technology implemented successfully then it will be used in future competition as well.
FIFA released a statement on Tuesday which said: "The aim is to use GLT in order to support the match officials and to install a system in all stadia, pending the successful installation, and pre-match referee tests.
"With different technologies on the market, FIFA has launched a tender today, setting out the technical requirements for the two forthcoming competitions in Brazil.
"The two GLT providers already licensed under FIFA’s Quality Program for GLT, and other GLT providers currently in the licensing process (that must have passed all relevant tests as of today) are invited to submit tenders.
"Interested GLT companies will be invited to join an inspection visit to the Confederations Cup venues, currently scheduled for mid-March, with a final decision due to be confirmed in early April."
UEFA president Michel Platini is unlikely to follow the road being trodden by FIFA as he is adamantly against its implementation, which means the likes of the Champions League and the Europa League will not be graced by goal-line technology any time soon.
How 'bout them Chicago Blackhawks?
They may play on cold ice, but the Chicago Blackhawks just keep burning up the NHL. Overall Record. 13-0-3. Still undefeated in three period regulation play!!! The Blackhawks gave up a two-goal lead in the third period, but it won't matter to the record books: With a shootout victory Tuesday the Chicago Blackhawks have tied the 2006-07 Anaheim Ducks as the only teams in NHL history to go 16 games to start a season without a regulation loss. Regardless of the way it all played out, the Chicago Blackhawks have done something special. They have gotten at least a point in every single game so far this season - and they've picked a heck of a season to do it with the shortened schedule meaning the significance of every point is magnified. Our Hawks, never giving up, never giving out and most of all, never giving in. Their best is just going to get better. As CS&T/AA has said, We have a great feeling about this team. This is our year, remember, you heard it here first!!!!! Go Hawks!!!
Teen making history as 4th black driver in NASCAR.
By
Wallace, though, isn't a typical 19-year-old NASCAR prospect trying to climb the ladder, and he's less interested in a budding photography career. He is a pioneer of sorts as only the fourth black driver with a full-time ride in a NASCAR series.
When Wallace takes the wheel for the Truck Series race Friday at Daytona International Speedway, he'll become a slice of NASCAR history in a race that ignites his goal of serving as a role model for a generation of potential future black drivers.
''It's kind of up to me,'' Wallace said. ''It's kind of a huge weight.''
Busting down racial barriers in a sport long reserved for whites is pretty heavy stuff for a teenager and all eyes are on him. Yet Wallace, the son of a white father and black mother, openly talks of becoming the Tiger Woods of NASCAR - the great black star who can transcend the sport and prove people of all colors can race.
''You don't have a role model. That's why you don't see anybody in it,'' Wallace said. ''They can't look up and be like, 'I want to be like him because he's the same color as me.' There's no one there to do that. I'm the top one right now and I'm only 19.''
Wallace joins Wendell Scott, Willy T. Ribbs and Bill Lester as the only full-time black drivers in the 65-year history of NASCAR. Scott is the only black driver to win a race, way back in 1964.
Wallace is signed with Joe Gibbs Racing and will drive the No. 54 Toyota for Kyle Busch Motorsports on Friday. Gibbs knows as well as anyone what it's like to work with black athletes under the microscope. He coached the Washington Redskins when Doug Williams became the first black quarterback to win a Super Bowl in 1988. Gibbs said Wallace has the talent and the mental toughness to break through in NASCAR.
''I think he's the right kid,'' Gibbs said.
Wallace, raised in Concord, N.C., has the full support of the black drivers before him. Lester has sent him encouraging tweets. Wallace met some of Scott's children at a race in Virginia.
''They're just happy to see someone following in their dad's footsteps,'' he said. ''I'm hoping that I can carry that torch a little farther.''
He's in a better position to succeed than many other minorities over the years. He has sponsorship, a top-flight team in JGR and is a graduate of NASCAR's diversity program. Even in NASCAR, the climate has changed where drivers of all sexes and colors are openly accepted, in the garage, and hopefully in the stands.
Wallace, who goes by Bubba, spent the last three seasons driving in a low-level NASCAR developmental series and said racism in all forms was nonexistent.
At lower levels of racing, though, Wallace would hear racial insults or encounter ignorant views.
''We used to take it from fans,'' his father, Darrell, said. ''We've had it from other drivers. We've had it from officials. We've had it from promoters. We've had it from track owners. We've pretty much had it from everybody.''
Wallace said the heckles and hurtful words from his formative years in the sport have been left on the side of the road and he can continue to focus on racing - just this time on his biggest stage so far.
''I'd show up the next week and wear 'em out again,'' he said, smiling. ''I really didn't understand it. My dad got more fired up than anything.''
His father sparked a love of the sport when he was 9, putting him in go-karts, and always scouting out the next series. Darrell Wallace even bought a Legends car from Mark Martin. He attends every race and will be in the stands Friday night. His mother, Desiree, ran track at Tennessee and stays home to watch on TV (''She likes hearing what they say about me.'').
Mom did offer a piece of advice that has stuck with Wallace. Avoid confrontations with other drivers who used slurs. Just go win.
Wallace's love and talent for the sport will mean nothing if he can't find the right sponsor willing to fund his career. Sponsorship cash is the lifeblood of the sport.
His father has owned an industrial cleaning business since 1999 and pumped at least $1 million into his son's fledgling career. He spent as much $250,000 in 2008. The elder Wallace paid bills late and borrowed money to keep his son's career alive.
''He tried to do everything he could to keep me racing,'' Wallace said.
It's a path he expects to land him in the Sprint Cup series.
''I'm not ready for it next year. I'm not ready for it in two years,'' he said. ''It's all about the timing. It's all about how well I do this year.''
NASCAR has initiated several pushes toward boosting the number of minorities in the sport. There's a Drive for Diversity program that may pay some dividends with Wallace and Kyle Larson after struggling to find racers for the top series. The program is 10 years old and was designed to attract minorities and women to the sport in all fields, from the track to the front office. Wallace participated in a short-lived reality show in 2010 called ''Changing Lanes,'' that featured 10 young female and minority racers competing for a spot on a developmental team.
Not even showbiz helped Wallace land the big-bucks sponsor needed to race in the second-tier series. Wallace ideally would have run in the Nationwide Series this season, but was unable to land enough sponsorship. He had three top-10 finishes and a pole in four Nationwide races in 2012.
Gibbs said Wallace is still slated for some Nationwide races.
''We've had a lot of other African-American drivers get in the sport, but they got in late,'' Gibbs said. ''It's hard to get in late. You've got to start when you're young and race your way up. I think Darrell's got it.''
Wallace was busy balancing Daytona duties with media requests this week and was set to hold a press conference with Gibbs on Wednesday at the track.
''Darrell's equipped to handle the attention,'' said Marcus Jadotte, NASCAR's vice president for public affairs and multicultural development. ''Most importantly, he's equipped to handle the competition on the race track.''
He can win. But can he lead? The next generation of black golfers never followed Woods for much of the same reasons it's hard to crack NASCAR. The sport is expensive and opportunities are few. And, it's unfair to place the burden of a revolution on one athlete.
But it's time for a change.
''It's not about the color of your skin or your gender, it's about your abilities,'' four-time Cup champ Jeff Gordon said after Danica Patrick won the Daytona 500 pole.
For now, at least he has the name for a NASCAR star. Darrell, Wallace, Junior. That's a tripleheader of iconic NASCAR names that have deep roots in the sport. His team came up with a slogan: ''Darrell not Waltrip. Wallace not Rusty. Junior not Dale.''
Funny stuff for an easygoing teen who just wants to race while the hype of his achievement swirls around him.
''If you think about it much, you'll end up messing up,'' he said.
He thought about it for a second, then added:
''I won't mess up.''
Please let us hear your opinion on the above articles and pass them on to any other diehard fans that you think might be interested. But most of all, remember, Chicago Sports & Travel, Inc./AllsportsAmerica wants you!!!!!
But MJ would do well to remember that advancing age has its benefits — specifically, discounts at your favorite retailers, dining and entertainment establishments, and home and automobile-related items. Those savings can really add up.
Goal-Line Technology To Be Implemented By FIFA For 2014 World Cup.
By Miles Chambers, Goal.com
After a successful trial period at the Club World Cup, the 2013 Confederations Cup and World Cup 2014 will see goal-line technology implemented in matches.
FIFA has decided to use goal-line technology from this summer onwards, starting with the 2013 Confederations Cup.
After what the footballing governing body deemed to be a successful trial at the Club World Cup in December last year, the technology will be used at the upcoming international tournament being held in Brazil this summer.
Subsequently, goal-line technology will be used at World Cup 2014 in the South American nation, and it is safe to assume that if the two tournaments see the technology implemented successfully then it will be used in future competition as well.
FIFA released a statement on Tuesday which said: "The aim is to use GLT in order to support the match officials and to install a system in all stadia, pending the successful installation, and pre-match referee tests.
"With different technologies on the market, FIFA has launched a tender today, setting out the technical requirements for the two forthcoming competitions in Brazil.
"The two GLT providers already licensed under FIFA’s Quality Program for GLT, and other GLT providers currently in the licensing process (that must have passed all relevant tests as of today) are invited to submit tenders.
"Interested GLT companies will be invited to join an inspection visit to the Confederations Cup venues, currently scheduled for mid-March, with a final decision due to be confirmed in early April."
UEFA president Michel Platini is unlikely to follow the road being trodden by FIFA as he is adamantly against its implementation, which means the likes of the Champions League and the Europa League will not be graced by goal-line technology any time soon.
How 'bout them Chicago Blackhawks?
They may play on cold ice, but the Chicago Blackhawks just keep burning up the NHL. Overall Record. 13-0-3. Still undefeated in three period regulation play!!! The Blackhawks gave up a two-goal lead in the third period, but it won't matter to the record books: With a shootout victory Tuesday the Chicago Blackhawks have tied the 2006-07 Anaheim Ducks as the only teams in NHL history to go 16 games to start a season without a regulation loss. Regardless of the way it all played out, the Chicago Blackhawks have done something special. They have gotten at least a point in every single game so far this season - and they've picked a heck of a season to do it with the shortened schedule meaning the significance of every point is magnified. Our Hawks, never giving up, never giving out and most of all, never giving in. Their best is just going to get better. As CS&T/AA has said, We have a great feeling about this team. This is our year, remember, you heard it here first!!!!! Go Hawks!!!
Teen making history as 4th black driver in NASCAR.
By
Wallace, though, isn't a typical 19-year-old NASCAR prospect trying to climb the ladder, and he's less interested in a budding photography career. He is a pioneer of sorts as only the fourth black driver with a full-time ride in a NASCAR series.
When Wallace takes the wheel for the Truck Series race Friday at Daytona International Speedway, he'll become a slice of NASCAR history in a race that ignites his goal of serving as a role model for a generation of potential future black drivers.
''It's kind of up to me,'' Wallace said. ''It's kind of a huge weight.''
Busting down racial barriers in a sport long reserved for whites is pretty heavy stuff for a teenager and all eyes are on him. Yet Wallace, the son of a white father and black mother, openly talks of becoming the Tiger Woods of NASCAR - the great black star who can transcend the sport and prove people of all colors can race.
''You don't have a role model. That's why you don't see anybody in it,'' Wallace said. ''They can't look up and be like, 'I want to be like him because he's the same color as me.' There's no one there to do that. I'm the top one right now and I'm only 19.''
Wallace joins Wendell Scott, Willy T. Ribbs and Bill Lester as the only full-time black drivers in the 65-year history of NASCAR. Scott is the only black driver to win a race, way back in 1964.
Wallace is signed with Joe Gibbs Racing and will drive the No. 54 Toyota for Kyle Busch Motorsports on Friday. Gibbs knows as well as anyone what it's like to work with black athletes under the microscope. He coached the Washington Redskins when Doug Williams became the first black quarterback to win a Super Bowl in 1988. Gibbs said Wallace has the talent and the mental toughness to break through in NASCAR.
''I think he's the right kid,'' Gibbs said.
Wallace, raised in Concord, N.C., has the full support of the black drivers before him. Lester has sent him encouraging tweets. Wallace met some of Scott's children at a race in Virginia.
''They're just happy to see someone following in their dad's footsteps,'' he said. ''I'm hoping that I can carry that torch a little farther.''
He's in a better position to succeed than many other minorities over the years. He has sponsorship, a top-flight team in JGR and is a graduate of NASCAR's diversity program. Even in NASCAR, the climate has changed where drivers of all sexes and colors are openly accepted, in the garage, and hopefully in the stands.
Wallace, who goes by Bubba, spent the last three seasons driving in a low-level NASCAR developmental series and said racism in all forms was nonexistent.
At lower levels of racing, though, Wallace would hear racial insults or encounter ignorant views.
''We used to take it from fans,'' his father, Darrell, said. ''We've had it from other drivers. We've had it from officials. We've had it from promoters. We've had it from track owners. We've pretty much had it from everybody.''
Wallace said the heckles and hurtful words from his formative years in the sport have been left on the side of the road and he can continue to focus on racing - just this time on his biggest stage so far.
''I'd show up the next week and wear 'em out again,'' he said, smiling. ''I really didn't understand it. My dad got more fired up than anything.''
His father sparked a love of the sport when he was 9, putting him in go-karts, and always scouting out the next series. Darrell Wallace even bought a Legends car from Mark Martin. He attends every race and will be in the stands Friday night. His mother, Desiree, ran track at Tennessee and stays home to watch on TV (''She likes hearing what they say about me.'').
Mom did offer a piece of advice that has stuck with Wallace. Avoid confrontations with other drivers who used slurs. Just go win.
Wallace's love and talent for the sport will mean nothing if he can't find the right sponsor willing to fund his career. Sponsorship cash is the lifeblood of the sport.
His father has owned an industrial cleaning business since 1999 and pumped at least $1 million into his son's fledgling career. He spent as much $250,000 in 2008. The elder Wallace paid bills late and borrowed money to keep his son's career alive.
''He tried to do everything he could to keep me racing,'' Wallace said.
It's a path he expects to land him in the Sprint Cup series.
''I'm not ready for it next year. I'm not ready for it in two years,'' he said. ''It's all about the timing. It's all about how well I do this year.''
NASCAR has initiated several pushes toward boosting the number of minorities in the sport. There's a Drive for Diversity program that may pay some dividends with Wallace and Kyle Larson after struggling to find racers for the top series. The program is 10 years old and was designed to attract minorities and women to the sport in all fields, from the track to the front office. Wallace participated in a short-lived reality show in 2010 called ''Changing Lanes,'' that featured 10 young female and minority racers competing for a spot on a developmental team.
Not even showbiz helped Wallace land the big-bucks sponsor needed to race in the second-tier series. Wallace ideally would have run in the Nationwide Series this season, but was unable to land enough sponsorship. He had three top-10 finishes and a pole in four Nationwide races in 2012.
Gibbs said Wallace is still slated for some Nationwide races.
''We've had a lot of other African-American drivers get in the sport, but they got in late,'' Gibbs said. ''It's hard to get in late. You've got to start when you're young and race your way up. I think Darrell's got it.''
Wallace was busy balancing Daytona duties with media requests this week and was set to hold a press conference with Gibbs on Wednesday at the track.
''Darrell's equipped to handle the attention,'' said Marcus Jadotte, NASCAR's vice president for public affairs and multicultural development. ''Most importantly, he's equipped to handle the competition on the race track.''
He can win. But can he lead? The next generation of black golfers never followed Woods for much of the same reasons it's hard to crack NASCAR. The sport is expensive and opportunities are few. And, it's unfair to place the burden of a revolution on one athlete.
But it's time for a change.
''It's not about the color of your skin or your gender, it's about your abilities,'' four-time Cup champ Jeff Gordon said after Danica Patrick won the Daytona 500 pole.
For now, at least he has the name for a NASCAR star. Darrell, Wallace, Junior. That's a tripleheader of iconic NASCAR names that have deep roots in the sport. His team came up with a slogan: ''Darrell not Waltrip. Wallace not Rusty. Junior not Dale.''
Funny stuff for an easygoing teen who just wants to race while the hype of his achievement swirls around him.
''If you think about it much, you'll end up messing up,'' he said.
He thought about it for a second, then added:
''I won't mess up.''
Please let us hear your opinion on the above articles and pass them on to any other diehard fans that you think might be interested. But most of all, remember, Chicago Sports & Travel, Inc./AllsportsAmerica wants you!!!!!
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