LESAProject

While many Americans were sitting on their couches watching NFL football, Felix Baumgartner was breaking the sound barrier. Yes, you read that correctly. Baumgartner, a daredevil of sorts from Austria, jumped out of a capsule 128,100 feet above ground in space. To put that into perspective, that’s four times the height of a flying commercial airline. He landed after four minutes of free fall, but not before making the highest, fastest jump in history on Sunday afternoon. On his way down, the Austrian reached the speed of 833.9 mph, also known as Mach 1.24, supplanting the speed of sound.In terms ...

In an era of so much uncertainty on the NFL issue of player safety, the Detroit Lions are setting the right example by erring on the side of caution in the handling of RB Jahvid Best's concussion issues.It was meant to be determined on Friday whether Best could be removed from the physically unable to perform (PUP) list and be declared active on Monday. However, the test results have yet to conclusive, according to a report by Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press.Best has sustained three concussions that have been officially diagnosed, but the definition of a concussion is ...

When first base umpire Jim Joyce missed a safe/out call at first base during Game 3 of the Cardinals-Nationals NLDS, the seemingly unwonted occurrence—ESPN once estimated umpires miss 20 percent of all close calls—exploded into a national headline that even The Associated Press saw fit to distribute.The first sentence of the AP release?It's another umpiring call that went the St. Louis Cardinals [sic] way this postseason.Ah, there's the rub.Implying that umpires, referees, judges and other sports officials are conspiring for or against certain teams is nothing new as fans often blame a team's misfortune on an impartial third party.As I previously wrote, scapegoating ...

Following China's magnificent success in the London Games, People's Daily Online, the most authoritative news site in China, recently made the country's first English-language Chinese sports documentary series — Beyond Gold, which soon received global recognition. Meanwhile, following a lasting dominating reign in the Olympic squared circle, Shiming Zou, China's most talented boxer, recently made it official that he decided to retire from amateur boxing and step into a professional career, a decision that soon attracted global attention. Among those who have shown interest in these two events above, few have more authoritative opinions on both subjects than Dr. Ching-Kuo Wu, who ...

It happened the instant M.D. Jennings’ cleats struck turf. Before Packer Nation could howl, or Golden Tate shrug, or Aaron Rodgers blinker, or Commissioner Goodell shudder. It happened the moment striped arms rose in error—Monday Night Football had succumbed to politics. The beast stirred. The presidential candidates began prepping their spin. And who’s surprised? Big money and old names, crises of leadership, influence pedaling and constituents are as shackled to sports as to politics. Pitchers and presidents have lied to congress. Health care is a shared flashpoint. Birther conspiracies and crotch-texting have their place.  But while democracy may degenerate into a carnival—in an election year at least—sport ...

Let's just put the Packers/Seahawks fiasco aside for the moment.  The bigger issue for bettors is what to do, if anything, going forward.  The situation can be broken down in two ways.  First, are the replacement refs giving bettors an advantage?  Second, have things become so random that we should halt betting altogether? Are the Replacement Refs Giving Bettors an Edge?The jury is still out on this one. Based on three weeks of data, the answer is inconclusive.  Mike Colbert from Cantor Gaming said last week (h/t ESPN) that the situation could be a concern at some point.  This was coming ...

When it comes to sports, China has always been a major player on the global field and has had the unique privilege of standing next to, or even above, the No.1 sports power—the United States on the Olympic podium. However, unlike in the United States, where its sports greatness is well chronicled, in abundance and with engaging narrative, in the form of documentary film, quality sports documentaries in China are scarce. In fact, the world has never seen a comprehensive, Western-oriented documentary series focusing on China's sporting scene. The stories of China's sports glory has until now remained unknown. Now, after registering its ...

Hooray for Hollywood!Well, not always.  That's gospel to anyone who sat through Rush Hour 3...or Rush Hour 2...or, you guessed it...the original Rush Hour. To write a great sports film is no easy task. To we fans who sit and watch games on a daily basis, creating a believable level of suspense and excitement that rivals a real game is difficult.  Try filming a scene that matches the intensity of the last grueling minutes of Super Bowl XLII or the silent chills of a Masters' 18th green putt.  It's an uphill battle in many ways. Some of these fictitious films succeed, and frankly, ...

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. ...