Sometimes when you win, you really lose. And sometimes when you lose, you really win. And sometimes when you win or lose, you actually tie, and sometimes when you tie, you actually win or lose. Winning or losing is all one organic mechanism, from which one extracts what one needs. | | | | The calm before the storm at the Running of the Bulls fiesta.
(David Ramos/Getty Images) | | | | |  | “Sometimes when you win, you really lose. And sometimes when you lose, you really win. And sometimes when you win or lose, you actually tie, and sometimes when you tie, you actually win or lose. Winning or losing is all one organic mechanism, from which one extracts what one needs.”
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| | rantnrave:// The NBA FINALS is not the best championship series going right now. The PENGUINS and PREDATORS are giving us a fabulous STANLEY CUP FINALS. CHARLES BARKLEY defected from the NBA Finals to go to Game 4. With the series tied, it's a best-of-3 to raise the Cup and crown the next champion. Will the best player of his generation win his third cup? Or will the franchise built from scratch in a counterintuitive hockey market grab its first? If NASHVILLE can, PK SUBBAN's profile would get elevated to another level, giving the NHL another bright star who can grab headlines and eyeballs in national campaigns along with CROSBY, OVECHKIN and MCDAVID. The hottest concert ticket in town is for center ice at BRIDGESTONE ARENA. The series is a big ratings draw. It would probably do better if it was broadcast in FINNISH. But can the NHL capitalize on this series and its current group of stars? The NEW YORK TIMES' MARC TRACY examined why the NBA is prospering and pinpointed a marketing decision: to push its players and personalities above all else as the dominant storylines. It's a dramatic change from how other sports operate. The NFL prefers its player be robots who sublimate themselves for the greater good. MLB has an institutionalized culture that can frown upon highlighting player above team -- stars grow organically, without the mass production element of the NBA. The NHL has stars but a culture that promotes blending into the group rather than standing out. Taking a cue from the NBA would mean subverting that ethos. It's a tricky line for the NHL but it's not as simple as better marketing. Tracy didn't even mention the NHL, showing how far the league has to go to join the conversation. Hockey's product is great but it's not in the same tier as the other leagues right now... SCOOTER GENNETT made his case for second-best Scooter in MLB history. Wow... The TV sports audience is aging -- quickly. SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL looked at the numbers and found the median viewer is getting substantially grayer. Only the WTA has seen its median age get younger since 2006. Even sports supposedly attractive to young viewers, like pro wrestling and UFC, have aged in dog years over the last decade. Buhe study paints an incomplete picture. What percentage of these numbers can be attributed to young viewers abandoning sports? Or sticking to highlights instead of watching the games? How many fans watch through other mediums? Are they watching elsewhere or leaving altogether?... How MLB is marketed as fashion in KOREA... The Warriors are wearing out nets built to withstand the rigors of an NBA season... Man vs. Machine... Why was LeBron James thinking of EMMITT TILL last week? Because of DAVE CHAPPELLE. | | | - Mike Vorkunov, curator |
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 | The Ringer |
| Former boxer Ann Wolfe is finally on a stage she deserves in ‘Wonder Woman.’ But her journey has been as complicated as it has been heroic. | | |
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 | Sports Business Daily |
| According to a striking study of Nielsen television viewership data of 25 sports, all but one have seen the median age of their TV viewers increase during the past decade. | | |
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 | Yahoo Sports |
| A new survey seeks to dispel the idea that ESPN has become more liberal. But has it? | | |
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 | MMQB |
| His brother’s harrowing ordeal on 9/11 was the transformative moment that persuaded Robert Saleh, an Arab-American former D-II tight end, to chase his NFL coaching dream, a path he pursued from the lowest levels to the defensive coordinator job in San Francisco. | | |
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 | The Guardian |
| Juventus have won Serie A for the past six years and Bayern have picked up five straight Bundesliga titles but average attendances are stable and TV income up. We assess the picture across Europe’s five biggest leagues. | | |
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 | WSJ |
| A new emphasis on roster versatility is pushing teams to consider deploying players as both hitters and pitchers-a strategy not popular since Babe Ruth. | | |
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 | B/R Mag |
| LeBron James paved the way for stars teaming up in the NBA by taking his talents to Miami-and the Warriors followed his lead. | | |
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 | The Daily Beast |
| Philadelphia kicks off its 10th annual Beer Week with a colorful relay across the city. | | |
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 | The Hardball Times |
| The night-game times are a-changing as new lighting technology hits big league fields. | | |
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 | [a]list |
| The NBA has partnered with NextVR to bring a courtside perspective to fans by releasing an on-demand VR highlight video package after each Finals game. Yes, it’s not the same as being there, of course, but it’s the next best thing before pulling the trigger on seats and going bankrupt. | | |
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 | recode |
| We tagged along with an NBA video editor to see how they film exclusively for Snapchat. | | |
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 | ESPN |
| Kimbo Slice died unexpectedly on June 6, 2016. One year later, his family reflects on his fighting spirit throughout his career and during his final days. | | |
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 | CBSSports.com |
| Statcast has lived up to some of its promise, but it also has some drawbacks. | | |
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 | Science of Us |
| The motivational power of self-transcendence. | | |
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 | Bossip |
| Before the 2016 NFL season began, general managers agreed that Colin Kaepernick was the 29th best quarterback in the NFL. There are close to 100 quarterbacks on team rosters when the NFL season starts. So what happened between then and now in the world of Colin Kaepernick? He beat out 49ers starter Blaine Gabbert for a starting position. | | |
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 | Vocativ |
| Dr. Graham Spanier has been convicted of endangering the welfare of children, but Penn State seems to have no issue with that. | | |
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 | Tonic |
| This is how Uriah Hall loses 35 pounds in a hurry. | | |
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 | The New York Times |
| More than other sports leagues, the N.B.A. has hooked the coveted millennial audience by projecting its players’ off-court personalities. | | |
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 | FanGraphs |
| And it has nothing to do with a pitcher's demeanor. | | |
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 | The Stacks |
| At 39, most ballplayers are warming the bench, coaching third base, or opening bars called The Bat ’n’ Glove. But in the late summer of 1978, Carl Yastrzemski, the team captain, sparked the Red Sox with key hits and miraculous catches, in open defiance of nature. | | |
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