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On June 11th, the 19th World Soccer Cup will open in South Africa. It will be the first World Cup ever held in an African nation. FIFA World soccer cups, held every four years (except during World War II) began in 1930 with the tournament in Uruguay. Since then they have grown to become by far the world’s most popular single sporting event, with billions watching each tournament. Some 735 million people are said to have seen the 2006 final match, making it the most watched single sporting event ever. This was seven times as many people as watch the annual Superbowl in the US! There is no more international sport than soccer, which is known as football everywhere in the world except the US.

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With Lance Armstrong out of retirement and racing in the current Tour de France, we take a look back at the history of this annual bicycle race.

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02.01.09

Tampa Bay, Fl

Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Arizona Cardinals

Then

Modern football developed from rugby in the 1860s and 1870s on the Eastern Coast of the United States, the first rules of which were written in 1876. Less than a century later, the first Super Bowl as we know it took place January 15, 1967 at Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, CA. The Green Bay Packers beat the Kansas City Chiefs 35 to 10, making the Packers Champions of Super Bowl I. Roman Numerals are used to title the game because the season spans two different years (this season began in September of 2008 and ends in February of 2009).

Now

The Super Bowl is the Championship game between one team from the National Football Conference (NFC) and one team from the American Football Conference (AFC) that determines the champion of the National Football League (NFL). The Playoffs are a series of games that determine the Champion of each Conference who then proceed to the Super Bowl.

XLIII

February 2, 2009 NFC Champions, the Arizona Cardinals, will face AFC Champions, the Pittsburgh Steelers, in Super Bowl XLIII at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa Bay, Florida. Both are the oldest teams in their conference, the Cardinals being the oldest continually run American football club in the U.S. today. The Steelers are the most championed franchise in their conference, while the Cardinals have not seen a championship since 1947, the second longest championship drought in U.S. sports history (second to the Chicago Cubs who have not won a championship since 1908). Both teams have dynamic histories, which should provide for an entertaining matchup.

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Quick Facts
DOB: June 30, 1985
Hometown: Baltimore, MD
Diet: 12,000 calories per day
Height: 6 foot 4 inches
Wingspan: 6 foot 7 inches
Weight: 195 pounds
Shoe size: 14

8 Gold Medals in the 2008 Olympics
Michael Phelps is officially the greatest swimmer in the world! Phelps had one ultimate goal in mind for the Beijing Olympic Games - to break the 7 gold medal record held by Mark Spitz since the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich. Although many people were skeptical that it could not be done, he proved them wrong. After winning his eighth gold medal in the 4×100 meter medley relay (his final swimming event in the 2008 Olympics) Phelps stated, “Nothing is impossible. With so many people saying it couldn’t be done, all it takes is an imagination, and that’s something I learned and something that helped me.” Winning eight gold medals in a single Olympic games is only a portion of Phelps’ Olympic accomplishments. Phelps has won a total of 16 Olympic medals so far in his career, making him the second most decorated Olympic athlete of all time. Phelps also holds 7 world swimming records and 6 U.S. swimming records.

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The Olympic Games in Beijing start in 17 days! The same 28 sports and 302 events will compete, but this year will include ONE NEW sport. The new BMX sport will be included in the Olympic program with events for men and women.

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The People’s Republic of China is the world’s largest nation, with 1.3 billion people (for every American, there are at least 4 Chinese). China is home to one of the world’s oldest civilizations. Its sports team has been one of the best performing at recent Olympic events (2nd behind the US in Athens 2004). Nonetheless, no Olympic games had ever been held in China. Beijing nearly edged out Sydney for the 2000 Summer Olympics, but it was not until the July 31st 2001 announcement that the 2008 games would be held in Beijing that a long-cherished dream of the Chinese people came true.

Hosting a grand international festival is one way for a country to establish its brand in human consciousness. It looks as if the Beijing 2008 Olympics will validate China’s global emergence just as Chicago’s World’s Columbian Exhibition in 1893, for example, previewed America’s rise as the primary 20th century industrial power.

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Every year since 1875, crowds have gathered in Louisville, Kentucky to watch “the most exciting two minutes in sports,” known as the Kentucky Derby. The Kentucky Derby is a 1¼ mile race for 3 year old purebred horses. The race has been held at the Churchill Downs race track since 1937.

The Kentucky Derby is known for being the oldest continuing sporting event in the United States. Derby fans include members of the royal family, celebrities and the regular folks who participate in the festivities every year. The Kentucky Derby is actually a two week long celebration that includes parties, concerts and parades leading up to the horse race which always takes place on the first Saturday of May.

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On June 9th, 2006 the 18th FIFA World Cup^TM opened in Germany with a match between the host country and Costa Rica. This is the world’s most anticipated and popular sporting event, with the total television audience for the 2002 World Cup matches amounting to nearly 30 billion viewers, or an average of 340 million persons per match in over 200 countries (almost four times the single Super Bowl audience in 2006).

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August 16, 2004

The U.S. Men’s Gymnastics team competition has concluded and the U.S. has won its first Olympic team medal since 1984. The U.S. Men’s Gymnastic Team will take home the Silver medal, winning second place with a score of 172.933, just .9 points behind Japan, which took the Gold Medal with a score of 173.821, followed by Romania in third with a total of 172.384.

Overcoming a setback in the middle rotations, the team came back to an excellent performance in the last six routines. After Guard Young, Paul Hamm and Morgan Hamm took big steps on their vault landings, and Jason Gatson faltered on the rings, the U.S. team fell from first to third place. “My rings were disappointing,” said Gatson, “and it was important to come back on the parallel bars like I did.”

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August 16, 2004

How’s the Men’s Gymnastics Team Doing in Athens?
The USA Team finished second overall in the qualification round with a team score of 230.419. Japan finished just ahead of them with a first place score of 232.134. Romania qualified in third place, followed by China. Rounding out the team qualifiers is Ukraine, Russia, Korea and Germany.

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What does it feel like to be a part of this Olympic Team; particularly compared to other teams?
It feels great, all the guys on the team are very talented individuals and they are ready to go. We have really had a lot of the heart and desire in the past, but we haven’t ever had all the skills like we have now. This team really is the full package, and I think that is what makes the difference.

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How does it feel to know you are heading to your first Olympics?
I am really excited to be heading to my first Olympics. This is a dream come true for me, and I can’t wait to go compete in front of the world with my team, Team USA!

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