Sport

A new report from the Boston University CTE Center provides what could be damning evidence in the ongoing case of the National Football League (NFL) versus many of its former players. According to the report, 76 out of the 79 brains of deceased former players dissected by Boston University scientists showed signs of chronic traumatic encephalopathy, more commonly referred to as CTE. CTE has had many names over the years, but the most apt for the condition is likely "punch drunk." As detailed in a study published in the U.S. National Library of Medicine titled Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy: A Potential Late Effect of Sport-Related Concussive and Subconcussive Head Trauma, CTE is caused by repeated trauma to the brain, concussive or subconcussive. The term "punch drunk" refers to the tra...

The 2014 Delaware Investments U.S. Open Squash Championships, perhaps the most prestigious squash tournament in the United States, will take place at Philadelphia's Drexel University from Oct. 9-18. at its Daskalakis Athletic Center. The tournament is renowned for its participants, who come from over 20 countries around the world, said Kevin Klipstein, president and CEO of US SQUASH. The U.S. Open is also the only professional squash tournament in the world when it comes to equality between male and female players. Men and women are eligible for equal prize amounts in their respective brackets -- a big draw considering the combined $230,000 available. Over the past three years, the tournament has drawn some of the top squash players around the world, and this year is no different, said ...

What do baseball and wine have in common? Until recently, not a whole lot; however, a new marketing strategy by Major League Baseball is creating a connection between the two. Not wanting to harm its long lasting relationship with the major beer company Budweiser, which it has exclusive sponsorship rights with, beer bottling was not an option. So instead, the MLB has turned to wine branding for its latest money making scheme. Last week, fans, as well as the media, were invited to a special wine tasting event at the Fan Cave, Major League Baseball's Manhattan event spot. Party goers were able to sample the new collection of wines, which showcases special blends for seven MLB teams. The Texas Rangers, San Francisco Giants, Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, Seattle Mariners, Chicago Cub...

As of this year, the WNBA -- women's pro basketball league -- will be celebrating its 18th birthday. Over the past two decades, the league has matured from a questionable proposition -- many thought it would quickly fold, as earlier attempts had -- into an organization in its own right. Still, the league often struggles to get the same media coverage as men's sports teams, and it has a much smaller fanbase overall. Although many people are quick to point to smaller, niche audiences for women's sports, many in the industry say it's more about a lack of coverage than anything else. The WNBA has its season during the summer, when the NBA is off-season. Even during this time, the NBA receives more coverage than the WNBA does. Similarly, even though the WNBA games score higher TV rates than ...

Physical therapy is often associated with illness, injury, or surgery -- patients tend to only think about the importance of physical therapy after something serious occurs. But new studies show that physical therapy has benefits beyond what we have seen before. A local Newark news source recently profiled a physical therapist who helps young children -- some younger than three years old -- who need extra help with mobility and coordination skills. As therapist Tara Parsley explains, pediatric physical therapy can be a very different process from our "normal" conception of treatment because kids "don't always see the medical side of it, that we're doing this to make them better." Small exercises that we tend to take for granted -- jumping on a trampoline, for instance, or rolling acr...

Plymouth Speedway dirt track in Indiana was expected to have around 2,500 people show up this Saturday, but due to a fatal on-track crash there's no telling how many people will show up. On Saturday August 10, three-time Nascar champ Tony Stewart was involved in yet another horrific accident on the track at Canandaigua Motosports Park in upstate New York. Stewart's car struck Kevin Ward Jr's at high speed, causing Ward's car to crippled under the high impact, resulting in Ward's death. Stewart made the executive decision to pull out of the race event in Indiana after the accident which has rocked the racing world. This was the second consecutive race Steward has withdrawn from after already deciding not to compete in a Nascar Sprint Cup race at Watkins Glen International in New York....

Bill VandenBush has been a diehard Seahawks fan ever since it was announced back in the '70s that Seattle was getting a football team. Little did he know that his wife would surprise him for their anniversary on July 23 with a gift that would allow him to show off just how much he loves his favorite team: a customized prosthetic eye. I had mentioned it to my wife," he says, "She wasn't a big Seahawks fan. I said it'd be cool to have Seahawks logo right there in my eye." VandenBush lost his right eye and vocal cords as the result of being caught in an explosion when he was trying to rescue the crew of a downed helicopter in Vietnam in 1969. Every six years he has to be fitted for a new prosthetic eye, and this year, following the Seahawks' Super Bowl championship run, his wife w...

A Yankee fan has shocked supporters of the Boston Red Sox with his generosity. "Manhattan restaurant owner Luigi Militello could hardly believe it when he found the shiny 2013 championship ring on a restroom sink at his Luke's Bar and Grill on Thursday night," ESPN reports. Militello stunned U.S. sports fans by amicably returning the Red Sox ring, in spite of being a die-hard Yankee devotee. The ring, in addition to baring the Red Sox symbol, was incredibly expensive. The token contains real diamonds, sapphires, and rubies, all set in a 14-carat white gold band. The ring also proudly displays "a Boston Strong logo and an image of the team's bearded ballplayers," according to ESPN. The ring's owner, Drew Weber, also owns a minor league Red Sox baseball team in Massachusetts. The Red Sox ...

This past week, Nikki Haskell, a socialite who had referred to herself as a "Diet Queen to the Stars," was fined $60,000 by a U.S. magistrate judge for mislabeling her weight-loss supplement. The now-defunct company Haskell operated, known as Balanced Health Products Inc, was under investigation because of a pill they sold known as StarCaps. The pills, which were labeled as “a natural blend of papaya and garlic from the higher Andes of Peru," were spiked with an undisclosed prescription drug. The drug contained the ingredient bumetanide, which can have dangerous side effects. It is also on the NFL's list of banned substances, and in 2008, six NFL players were suspended after testing positive for the drug after having used the diet pills. Bumetanide is typically used to treat high blo...

The U.S. Coast Guard saved a man stranded at sea for 11 days on Tuesday. The unidentified man, 57, was attempting to kayak from California to Hawaii, a journey that has only been successfully completed once, in 1987. The man began his journey on May 30, when he embarked off the coast of Monterey, CA. Had he been successful, the voyage would have been nearly 2,400 miles. The aspiring mariner equipped his kayak with electronic navigational tools and solar panels, planning to recharge any electronics by harnessing the sun's energy. The solar panels failed, and the man sent out a distress call. The California Coast Guard encourages Americans to file a float plan -- and work directly with the U.S. Coast Guard -- before attempting such a feat. "A voyage from California to Hawaii is a long ...