LESAProject

China struck gold on home turf during the 2008 Olympic Games with a history-making boxing boom.On the hot afternoon of Aug 24, 2008, at the Beijing Workers' Gymnasium, China closed its Olympic show with two golds, one silver and one bronze in the square ring.The Asian Giant smashed the trio of Cuba, Russia and the United States, any of whom had ruled the tally table in boxing at every Olympics since 1942.Cuba bagged eight total medals — four silvers, four bronzes yet no golds. Russia leveled China in golds, but trailed by one silver on the table. The once towering ...

The Little League World Series. For some, the words conjure up fond memories of their Little League days. For others, it brings to the surface a foul recollection of a no-hitter ruined because some goofy kid couldn't put forth the effort to catch an easy fly ball to shallow left field. But I digress. Unfortunately for an increasingly large amount of children, the bad memories will remain permanent into adulthood, due to arm pain or physical scars from surgery. Theirs is a story known all too well by concerned parents and healthcare professionals. The debate rages over what to do about too-soon injuries occurring on too-young arms. ...

MLB umpire Jim Joyce reportedly saved a woman's life Monday night by performing CPR when the woman, Diamondbacks food service employee Jayne Powers, went into cardiac arrest following a Levy Restaurants pregame briefing (via MLB.com).The incident occurred approximately 90 minutes prior to the evening's scheduled Marlins vs. D-Backs contest when veteran umpire Joyce—who was scheduled to work home plate that night—and crew-mates Lance Barrett, Jim Reynolds and James Hoye were arriving at Chase Field.While navigating the underground corridors en route to the umpires' dressing room, Joyce noticed a woman who had fallen to the ground and took immediate action.After ensuring ...

Fans invest more time, energy and money than they would ever care to admit in supporting their hometown teams.  For the hardcore fans, this investment stretches beyond just the good, healthy or rich times. These fans are also passionate during the bad times, the poor times and the sick times.  Fandom is a marriage, and fans have a right to be in blissful wedlock.  I would imagine though that many fans have problems with the current and immediate futures of their respective states' professional and collegiate sports teams.  Those fans may not be ready to sign the divorce papers just yet, but ...

"Why do you need new bands? Everyone knows rock attained perfection in 1974. It's a scientific fact."Standing in a loud grungy music store, surrounded by young bands he'd never heard of, those defensive words were uttered by a clearly out-of-touch Homer Simpson in a 1996 episode of The Simpsons entitled "Homerpalooza."As a 16-year-old cherub-faced teen, I remember thinking how odd that feeling must be. It just seemed so old. To really step in the cement of a certain era and let it dry around your feet? That's just weird. Apparently you have company Homer. Here it is, sixteen years later and ...

Locker rooms are gross.They're smelly, waterlogged, messy and littered with way too many used jockstraps for comfort.Luckily, the magic of film makes us forget all of that malarkey. The field, court or ice may be where champions are born and where legends are crowned, but the silver screen reminds us: Those gross locker rooms are places of inspiration and motivation that bring us to the marvelous point of celebration. Stars don't just perform out of nowhere.  Before Rudy gets a-Rudyin' and the Hoosiers get a-Hoosierin', it takes great words of wisdom to get us there.Sports films would be nothing without overcoming adversity.  ...

The sleeping Eastern Dragon has awakened, with one breakthrough in boxing after another, since China revived boxing more than two decades ago.   Road to the Olympics China's boxing rode upon a high-speed train on its ascending journey to the Olympus Hill. In the 2004 Athens Olympics, there were five Chinese boxing athletes who qualified to compete in boxing. Zou Shiming was the only boxer to win a medal and end China's Olympic boxing medal drought by capturing one bronze. Apart from Zou, the second best was a fighter in the light heavyweight division who managed to qualify for the quarterfinal. In the 2005 World Boxing ...

WWE has seen some phenomenal superstars in its life. It has seen the mainstream appeal of Hulk Hogan and the Rock. It has experienced the impact of Stone Cold. It has been endowed with the magical talent of HBK, and the eternal mystique of the Undertaker. John Cena, with his polarizing popularity, holds a spot in this pantheon, and deservingly so. Call it a marketing ploy of the WWE or innate ability of John Cena’s character, but John Cena has become the most polarizing figure in the pro wrestling world. For every child that worships him, there is a detractor that ...

"Western boxing in China is now revived!" More than two decades ago when Li Menghua, the Director of National Sports Committee declared in a resonant voice filling up the sky, it turned a whole new chapter in the story of Chinese western boxing. By the turn of the year 2006, China has depicted a tale of two decades since the rebirth of the sweet science, two decades of renaissance and reforms, two decades of smiles and tears, two decades of challenges and achievements.   International Debut The year 1986 and 1987 are two significant years for Chinese western boxing. In ...

Baseball became America’s pastime almost immediately from the sport’s inception. The game’s greatness shines for several reasons.  The methodical pace of play between pitcher and catcher, as well as batter and fielder, allow for easy conversation among friends. The baseball season itself begins in the spring, coinciding in time with nature’s yearly rejuvenation, and continues through summer when the weather is dry and the days are long enough to play two. The creation of the sport is itself a tale of American folklore, and Americans are wary to trudge on the sagas of their history.  It also doesn’t hurt that certain men named Cobb, Ruth, ...