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in ESPN The Magazine
by
Marty Smith, 19 May 2008
Smith's piece about Dale Earnhardt, Jr. shows how his late father's distance and tough love made it difficult for them to ever bond, and Little E admits that he spent his entire life trying to please his father, which became impossible after his death. Now, even though he's the most popular driver in the sport, Junior still craves acceptance, and has seemingly found it at his new team, Hendricks Motorsports -- whose owner Rick Hendrick became a father figure to Junior after losing a son. This piece got media attention for the driver's comments about his father and the decision to leave the team named after Number 3, though the psychological insights are what really make it worth reading.
Posted 11:37, 14 May 2008
This abstract was written by
David Arey
and edited by Brijit.
in ESPN The Magazine
by
ESPN The Magazine, 19 May 2008
With the NBA and NHL playoffs often containing story lines about injured players, ESPN gives a crash course on how injuries affect play. Interviews with players like San Antonio Spurs guard Manu Ginobili reveal what it's like to play with aches and pains, while Los Angeles Lakers guard Derek Fisher shows what it's like to fight through mental anguish (his daughter being diagnosed with retinoblastoma). Meanwhile, trainers provide helpful information about what injuries really matter and how to deal with little problems like blood on a jersey. Some of this is pure filler, but there's enough varied information (including a wince-inducing timeline) to please most readers.
Posted 10:41, 14 May 2008
This abstract was written by
David Arey
and edited by Brijit.
in ESPN The Magazine
by
Chris Jones, 19 May 2008
Nationals outfielder Elijah Dukes has two different reputations. He's a "five-tool player with a white hot fuse," known just as much for his prodigious power and athleticism as for his violent temper -- he's fought coaches, choked teammates, and even threatened to kill his ex-wife. Jones tells most of this story through current and former teammates, and when he actually meets Dukes, he admits that the player is so terrifying that no one is really sure whether they want him to succeed or fail miserably. It's refreshing to read a story this honest about its subject, though since Jones barely meets Dukes, we can't be sure how much he really knows him.
Posted 4:20, 13 May 2008
This abstract was written by
David Arey
and edited by Brijit.
in ESPN The Magazine
by
Lindsay Berra, 19 May 2008
Berra's profile of Olympic hopeful Sara McMann is meant to tug at the heartstrings, and though it does not completely succeed in its task, it certainly makes you feel for the wrestler. In 1999, her brother was murdered, and in 2004 her fiancé was killed in a car crash. As Berra shows, these tragic deaths have had many effects on McMann -- if anything, she trains harder than ever, but she's also more distant and less communicative with coaches. Now McMann is hoping to wrestle in Beijing and add to her medal count (she got a silver in Sydney). People deal with tragedy in different ways, and Berra's profile is an interesting look at how athletes do so.
Posted 4:19, 13 May 2008
This abstract was written by
David Arey
and edited by Brijit.
in ESPN The Magazine
by
Allison Glock, 19 May 2008
In covering David Garrard, Jacksonville's $60 million quarterback, Glock admits that her subject is pretty boring. However, the problem with this article is not that Garrard's off-field lifestyle can't measure up to that of Tony Romo or Tom Brady. Put simply, Glock doesn't believe in her story. She skips from subject to subject (Garrard's new high-priced contract, dealing with the death of his mother, being diagnosed with Crohn's disease and Jacksonville's apathy about the Jaguars are the highlights) without any attention to cohesion or even good transitions, which makes the whole story seem more like a list of achievements. For all we know, Garrard may have an interesting story to tell, but you're not going to find it here.
Posted 3:47, 13 May 2008
This abstract was written by
David Arey
and edited by Brijit.
in ESPN The Magazine
by
Eric Adelson, 5 May 2008
To go along with the cover story about athletes with prosthetic limbs, this photo piece captures disabled athletes playing their sport. For instance, disabled goalie Mike Ginal skates around on the ice, while former two-time CART champion Alex Zanardi sits in his racecar. The descriptions are nice and informative, but the striking photography is what really sticks out. It truly helps prove the point that when it comes to sports, these athletes shouldn't be pitied, they should be feared.
Posted 3:04, 30 April 2008
This abstract was written by
David Arey
and edited by Brijit.
in ESPN The Magazine
by
ESPN The Magazine, 5 May 2008
The Mag ranks all the teams in the major sports, using criteria like "title track," "ownership," "affordability," and "stadium experience." Most of the focus is on the Indianapolis Colts (the top team) and the New York Knicks (the bottom one), and the differences between the two franchises are striking. The Colts are built on team stability and fan interaction, winning with the same likable players every year. The Knicks are built on expensive free agents and inept management, and the franchise is so unlikable that a recent poll said there are more Red Sox fans in New York City than Knicks fans. This is an interesting poll, though it's obviously just a space-filler.
Posted 3:01, 30 April 2008
This abstract was written by
David Arey
and edited by Brijit.
in ESPN The Magazine
by
Bruce Feldman, 5 May 2008
On some college football teams, as many as one third of all players are classified as learning disabled. This has led many to believe that any player who struggles gets called disabled, whether they really have problems or not. This has been to the detriment of players like former Auburn linebacker Patrick Trahan, who has dysgraphia, which affects his ability to write. Trahan says the school essentially allowed him to flunk by completely ignoring his needs -- for instance, Trahan had a reading tutor but no writing help. The one-sided nature of the story means Trahan's claims should be taken with a grain of salt, but nonetheless Feldman's article serves as a good look at how schools deal with troubled players.
Posted 2:59, 30 April 2008
This abstract was written by
David Arey
and edited by Brijit.
Subjects/Tags:
in ESPN The Magazine
by
Eric Adelson, 5 May 2008
Right now, sports are altered in order to accommodate the disabled. However, Adelson paints a picture of a very different future, where super-powered prosthetic limbs will make the disabled into superior athletes. In fact, Olympic Track and Field has already reached this point -- sprinter Oscar Pistorius was banned from competing because his Cheetah Flex-Foot legs were thought to be an advantage. This is more of a polemic than a full-fledged article, but Adelson's basic premise -- that prosthetic limbs will make steroids look like Flintstone vitamins -- is both scary and intriguing.
Posted 9:12, 30 April 2008
This abstract was written by
David Arey
and edited by Brijit.
in ESPN The Magazine
by
Gare Joyce, 5 May 2008
Shattuck-St. Mary's School, "the Hogwarts of Hockey," has turned out a bevy of all star players including, most notably, Sidney Crosby. The school, located 50 miles from St. Paul, Minnesota, is also notable for the demands that are put on players. Bus trips are basically extended study halls, and sometimes the players take part in as many as six games in three days. Pro scouts respect the school's reputation so much that they often watch games just for fun. Shattuck-St. Mary's impressive list of alumni alone makes this story worth reading, though Joyce's descriptions of what life is like at a boarding school are just what a reader would expect.
Posted 9:10, 30 April 2008
This abstract was written by
David Arey
and edited by Brijit.