In 2009, volunteer coach Bill Courtney led the struggling football team of Manassas High School in Memphis, Tenn., to the playoffs. Filmmakers Dan Lindsay and T.J. Martin chronicle the challenges of the team — on and off the field — in the Oscar-nominated documentary Undefeated.
NPR's Mike Pesca re-acquaints us with the long-gone TV show "The Superstars." It aired on ABC and was a kind of made-for-TV decathlon; it featured all kinds of athletes competing against each other. Olympians and their sports often fared very well.
Cory Weissman didn't get a chance to play much basketball before suffering a stroke during his freshman year at Gettysburg College. But as a senior, for at least one game, the ball was in his court.
We hear from a non-basketball-playing Harvard grad named Jeremy Lin, who has to deal with the fact that a classmate with the same name is now an NBA star.
The New York Knicks lost to New Jersey Monday night, but sudden NBA sensation Jeremy Lin had another strong game with 21 points. Lin has been racking up big numbers since exploding on the scene a few weeks ago. The Knicks have won all but two games during that stretch. Did scouts miss a diamond in the rough, did Lin taking full advantage of a unique situation — or was it both? And will his performance hasten the emergence of other "Jeremy Lin"s in the league?
Major League Baseball's spring training has begun, as catchers and pitchers have made their way to Florida and Arizona to prepare for the 2012 season. Stories so far include young stars Buster Posey and Stephen Strasburg returning to the Giants and Nationals, respectively.
New York Knicks point guard Jeremy Lin sprang into the spotlight after he scored 27 points in a game against the Toronto Raptors. Lin, who previous mostly rode the bench, has become a sensation in the U.S., particularly among many Asian Americans. Journalist Chuck Leung feels a bit conflicted about celebrating Lin's success.
Jeremy Lin was an unknown benchwarmer for the New York Knicks until a few weeks ago. But after a series of breakout performances, the Taiwanese-American, who is a Harvard grad, is the toast of the NBA. NPR's Margot Adler caught up with some Knicks fans before Wednesday night's home game to get a taste of Linsanity.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is perhaps one of the greatest basketball players of all time. But recently, Abdul-Jabbar added yet another chapter to his storied career when he was named U.S. Cultural Ambassador by the State Department. Host Michel Martin speaks with the author and hall-of-famer.
A resort in Spokane, Wash. is hosting Olympic trials for women's boxing. The last time women boxed in the Olympics, it was a "display event." But this year, it'll count.
The first U.S. Olympic trials in women's boxing are being held this week after the International Olympic Committee approved the sport in 2009. Now, 24 of this country's best female boxers have come to Washington state with Olympic dreams and a chance to bring their sport out of the shadows.
The rare hairless canine known as the xoloitzcuintli is Mexico's national dog. It's one of just six breeds to debut at this year's 2012 Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. Host Michel Martin speaks with xolo breeder Amy Fernandez, who is thrilled that the native dog of Mexico will be finally included in the show.
The Immaculata College Mighty Macs, the First Champions in Women's Collegiate Hoops, play an important role in sports history and are the subject of “The Mighty Macs,” a 2011 feature film. Historian Julie Byrne wrote the definitive history of the team in a book entitled O God of Players, and she will give a free public lecture on Feb. 16 at 7:30 p.m. in the Meyer library on the Missouri State Campus. Cheryl Burnett, who coached the Lady Bears from 1987 to 2002, and currently serves as development director for Missouri State, will respond to the talk.
Mushing is a solitary endeavor, especially in the more remote parts of Northern Alaska and the Yukon Territory. That's the stage for 23 dog teams who set out a week ago on a 1,000-mile race from Fairbanks, Alaska, to Whitehorse, Canada. Emily Schwing of member station KUAC reports from the Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race.
Argentina is mad for sports — and soccer in particular. There are plenty of opportunities for sportswriters and broadcasters, spawning an education industry that specializes in sports journalism.
The college basketball season is heating up. Audie Cornish talks with sportswriter Stefan Fatsis about the season's excitement so far, including a buzzer-beating win by Duke.
The city is exploring a bid for the 2022 Winter Games. It has the advantage of extensive and specialized facilities. But Olympic officials may want to give another place a chance.
Morning Edition is counting down to the Summer Olympics In London. NPR's Tom Goldman introduces us to fencer Mariel Zagunis, who is a two-two gold medalist.
Four years ago, Elena Delle Donne was the top basketball recruit in the country. But Delle Donne walked away from an elite college program — so she could be with her severely disabled sister and the rest of their family. Now she's the best college player in America.
For the second time in four years, New Yorkers celebrated a Super Bowl win by the Giants with a tickertape parade through Manhattan's "Canyon of Heroes" on Tuesday.
What began as an impish prank by office boys in 1866, who through spools of paper out of windows to celebrate the dedication of the Statue of Liberty, has evolved over the years. Now, that's recycled paper floating down on the New York Giants.
On Sunday, the New England Patriots lost to the New York Giants in the Super Bowl. The wife of defeated quarterback Tom Brady. supermodel Gisele Bundchen, complained about receivers dropping his passes.
Steve Inskeep talks to NPR's Tom Goldman about two sports stories that got lost in the Super Bowl hype. They are the closing of the doping investigation into Lance Armstrong and the remarkable one-week turnaround by golfer Kyle Stanley.
Women's boxing will be an Olympic sport for the first time in London later this year and the trials to choose the U.S. competitors will be held in Spokane in February. Tyrieshia Douglas from Baltimore is one of the competitors. When she was 16-years-old, she was arrested for street-fighting and says her juvenile court judge recommended she take her skills into the gym. Now she's 23-years-old and ranked No. 2 in the country in her weight category.
