Sport

Both Auburn And Oregon Prove Why They Should Play For The National Championship

2010-12-12T23:10:00.000-08:00

Auburn and Oregon both passed the last hurdle between their final opponent and a date against each other to determine college football's 2010 national champion.

No. 2 Auburn obliterated any hopes 18th-ranked South Carolina had of a Southeastern Conference title shot by crushing the Gamecocks 56-17 in their playoff game at Atlanta (GA). The difference on paper was junior college transfer Cam Newton, an overnight sensation on the major college scene who has benefited from a strong supporting cast of Tigers around him.

Newton led Blinn College to the 2009 Junior College National Championship, passing for 2,833 yards and 22 touchdowns, and rushing for 655 yards and 16 TDs. Rivals.com had Newton as a 5-star athlete and the No. 1 JUCO prospect. Man, were they right.

Newton scorched South Carolina for 335 yards passing and 4 scoring passes, and for 73 yards rushing and another 2 scores. During Auburn's unbeaten, 13-0 regular season, Newton has produced 49 scores by running, passing and receiving. That is more than the entire touchdown output among 87 of the 119 NCAA Division 1-A teams (or 73%).

His season totals for passing include 2,500+ yards (67% completion rate) with 28 TD passes against 6 interceptions. His totals for rushing include 1,400+ yards (5.82 yards per carry) and 20 TDs. He has one receiving TD, making 49 total touchdowns. Auburn ranks 6th nationally in scoring offense, and 7th in total offense.

No. 1 Oregon took its merry time getting in control on the road against Oregon State with a 16-7 halftime lead. That changed in the 2nd half as the Ducks scored 3 times and held the Beavers to 13 points, winning 37-20, not nearly as impressive as Auburn. That said, Oregon punched its ticket to the national showdown with a perfect 12-0 mark.

The closer score did cause the AP Top 25 voters to move Auburn in front of Oregon in the new rankings after the weekend.

The win gave Auburn the SEC title with a perfect 9-0 record, and Oregon became the Pacific 10 champion with a perfect 9-0 mark.

Auburn won the national championship in 1957, but neither Auburn nor Oregon has played in a national championship game since the BCS (Bowl Championship Series) system was instituted in 1998. Auburn and Oregon have never met in competition.

The BCS National Championship Game will be played on Monday, Jan. 10 in Glendale (AZ). It should be an offensive circus since Oregon has the No. 1 highest-scoring offense (49+ points per game) and Auburn is ranked 6th (42+ ppg). Oregon is also 2nd in total offense and Auburn 7th. So the sparks will fly when these two clash.

The next biggest news was 96th-ranked Miami-Ohio (9-4) upsetting favored 45th-ranked Northern Illinois (10-3), 26-21, to claim the Mid-American Conference title. Both teams were 8-1 in conference play.

Miami-Ohio will meet Middle Tennessee (6-6) in the godaddy.com Bowl on Jan. 6, and Northern Illinois squares off against Fresno State (8-4) in the Humanitarian Bowl on Dec. 18.

In a game of surprises, 10th-ranked Oklahoma (11-2) spotted Nebraska (10-3) a 20-17 halftime lead before shutting out the Cornhuskers in the 2nd half while scoring a couple of field goals to win, 23-20. The Sooners take the Big 12 title at 7-2, and will now face Connecticut (8-4) in the BCS Fiesta Bowl on New Year's Day.

Connecticut won the Big East title (AKA "the biggest joke"), and got a free pass into a BCS game by doing so - a severe travesty of justice. There are at least 24 teams as qualified or more qualified to play Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl. Connecticut is a real weak sister; the Huskies are currently rated 25th in the new AP Poll, the first time they have been in the AP Poll all year.

The 12th-ranked Virginia Tech Hokies, who lost their first 2 games and then won 11 straight, beat 20th-ranked Florida State (9-4) to claim the Atlantic Coast Conference title, and will now meet 5th-ranked Stanford (11-1) in the BCS Orange Bowl on Jan. 3.

In other action, 9th-ranked Boise State (11-1) beat Utah State 50-14, 14th-ranked Nevada (12-1) beat Louisiana Tech 35-17, 23rd-ranked West Virginia (9-3) beat Rutgers 35-14, and 25th-ranked Hawaii (10-3) beat UNLV 59-21.

Boise State will play Utah (10-2) in the Maaco Bowl on Dec. 22, Nevada faces Boston College (7-5) in the Fight Hunger Bowl on Jan. 9, West Virginia gets North Carolina State (8-4) in the Champs Sports Bowl on Dec. 28, and Hawaii will meet Tulsa (9-3) in the Hawaii Bowl on Christmas Eve.

One other game deserves mention. The unranked Washington Huskies (6-6) won their 3rd straight game to become bowl eligible by beating unranked, in-state rival Washington State (2-10), 35-28.

The Huskies were led by the running of Chris Polk, who gained 284 yards on 29 carries (9.79 ypc) while scoring twice on runs of 2 and 57 yards. Touchdown passes of 61 yards and 27 yards by senior QB Jake Locker to Jermaine Kearse helped a bunch. The 27-yarder produced the go-ahead lead on a leaping catch in the end zone with 44 seconds left to play.

Washington will face Nebraska (10-3) in the Holiday Bowl on Dec. 30. The Cornhuskers invaded Husky Stadium earlier this year and absolutely trashed Washington, 56-21. Jake Locker, who has played injured much of the season, had his worst day as a Husky. Nebraska should be heavily favored in this game, and the Huskies are not the same team that faced them earlier, which Nebraska may figure out soon enough.

The majority of ranked teams have already finished their regular season play. They include TCU (3rd), Wisconsin (4th), Stanford (5th), Ohio State (6th), Michigan State (7th), Arkansas (8th), LSU (12th), Missouri (14th), Oklahoma State (15th), Texas A&M (18th), Alabama (19th), Utah (21st) and Mississippi State (22nd).

There is only one more regular season game to be played this Saturday - the annual Army-Navy game.

The bowl-game action starts Saturday, Dec. 18, with Brigham Young (6-6) and UTEP (6-6).

I am skipping my Top 25 Poll this week since the regular season is over. I will run a final Top 25 Poll after all of the bowl games are played.

US Generic Drug Market to Grow at 10% CAGR

2010-12-12T23:08:00.001-08:00

Sales of generics drugs in the US has witnessed a significant surge during the last few years on the back of several factors like, government support, expiring patents of blockbuster drugs, and shift in consumer behavior. On the back of these factors, our research report “Booming US Generic Drug Market” says that the US generics drug market will grow at a CAGR of around 10% during 2010-2013. Anticipating the future growth, big pharma players are forming deals with some generics manufactures from the Asian countries, like India, to access their products and market them in the US.

We believe that the political environment has played an important role in the emergence of the generics industry in the country. The US government has promoted the generics sector very well to lower its healthcare cost. Resultantly, the number of generic products launched in the market has considerably increased, turning the generics industry into one of the fastest growing industry segments. In this regard, our research report provides a detail study on the regulatory environment.

Although several challenges such as, price erosion and litigations from branded manufacturers may hamper growth, overall growth prospects of the market remains good. In key therapy areas, highest demand exists in the psychotic segment as most of the drugs of this segment are patented. Thus, bright opportunities exist for generics players to tap this demand by developing and launching generics version of patented drugs. We have analyzed key therapies segments of generics market in our report.

Our study shows that competition in the US market has got intense during the last few years and generic sector has witnessed huge investments by some private sector players. Our research report provides information on key players along with their SWOT analysis. The report also discusses emerging trends like, injectable generics, anti-counterfeit coalition etc. Thus, our report provides valuable information to the pharmaceutical & generics companies and investors planning to enter this market.

For FREE SAMPLE of this report visit: http://www.rncos.com/Report/IM589.htm

Sports- Mind And Spirit

2010-12-12T05:50:00.000-08:00

Every man, woman and child on the face of the earth are related to sports in some way or the other. Some are sportsmen or sportswomen, some are sports critics, some are avid followers of sports, some earn their living by reporting sports events and there are others who dislike sports. So, what exactly is sport? And is the term "sport" or "sports"? Let us find out.

Sport, at the root level, is some activity that intends to entertain. But this activity is not without its limitations and restrictions. It is a disciplined entertaining event that involves a lot of rules and regulations and is engaged with competition between the two parties. Sport at random refers to activities that test the physical capabilities of the participant and he or she is declared the better sportsman or sportswoman respectively. However, strictly speaking, sports also includes activities like mind sports and motor sports. In the latter cases, these activities test the agility of the mind and the quality of the machinery or equipment used for the event.

The Chinese are known to have engaged in sporting events since 4000 B.C, gymnastics being their main sport activity. The Egyptian monuments dedicated to the Pharaohs bear testimony to their interest in swimming, fishing, wrestling, javelin throwing and high jump. Persians have been known to practice martial art and they have given to the world the games of polo and jousting.

Greece, of course, was a pioneer in sports even in the ancient times. One of the greatest contributions to the world of sports was made by Greece, the Olympic Games.

History, the greatest documenter of all times, has brought to our notice that Industrialization has actually increased the popularity of sports. How? With science and technology permeating every field of work today, a lot of time is saved that helps not only to pursue sports seriously but has also made serious followers of sporting events of people who could barely keep track of things happening in their favorite team of their favorite sport.

This has actually raised the fan following and the funds required to conduct what have become some of the greatest events on earth. Further, professionalism has made sports a fantastic career option other than just doing it for the love of the game. Mass media and global communication, television, radio and now the Internet have brought major sports events to our doorstep or rather, to our desktop.

Today, it is possible to see and hear your favorite sportsman talk about his or her exercise regime and the discipline required to win the game. This not only helps amateur players gear up for the future, but also inspires young boys and girls to give sports a serious thought.

Sports are inseparable with sportsmanship. We often hear of business tycoons being referred to as good sportsmen. What exactly does it imply? Sportsmanship refers to the attitude that prefers fair play to sly games, courtesy towards teammates, coaches and other teams, show of integrity in behavior and manners and grace in losing. A sportsman enters a game knowing and accepting the fact that he may lose or win. It's all in the game. However, peer pressure, competition and obsession with individual achievement often win medals but churn out losers.

Last but not the least, dirty minds and money often distract sportsmen and sportswomen from the game. This is what is termed as politics in sports. When this happens, the event stops being a game or a sporting event. It becomes a gamble and a puppet show

do yo Know About Endurance Sports Nutrition??

2010-12-12T05:39:00.000-08:00

Endurance sports are those type of sports in which sportsmen are required to produce prolonged athletic output over a long period of time. Usually such sports are very aerobic in nature.

Obviously, for such sports, you need right nutrition to match the athlete's diet needs. This article provides you with nutrition information that is coupled with very useful details. Endurance sports nutrition together with customized eating plans ensure that the food that you choose will keep you going on before, during and after various competitions.

A remarkable and very well-known author, Suzanne Girard Eberle, MS, RD, is a registered dietician who has her specialty in sports nutrition. She too, understands the importance of endurance sports nutrition because she, herself, is an elite endurance athlete. She tells us all about how endurance sports nutrition works, and how it is supposed to be consumed in right amount during training and also during actual sports.

One of the most comprehensive books of its kind is the prescriptive book written by this endurance athlete, slash dietician. It includes tried and tested advice and suggestions from different endurance athletes who are at the top of their sports.

If you want to find more information and get advice, there are various websites where you can post your questions, if not directly talk to some of the best sportspersons.

For instance, you can avail assistance from Karen Smyers, a triathlete. She is a triathlete, so she knows facts about endurance thrice better than what others do.

Another famous sportsman is the marathon runner Keith Brantly. Everybody knows running for long hours is tough. But you will know that it's actually the easier part. Compared to sustaining the pain that grows in your legs that is not.

You can also try to have your questions answered by the world-known marathon swimmer Tobie Smith. Having endurance sports nutrition during swimming is very important because in swimming, you need to exhibit a lot of energy to overcome two different pressures, pressure under the water and the atmospheric pressure.

And last, but certainly not the least, is the cyclist Kerry Ryan. Cycling is similar to running in regards to the movement of the legs and the endurance of the pain that grow in your legs.

However, you have to be a master of balance to be able to pull cycling off. All of these world-class athletes will happily and obligingly share their knowledge with absolute right because of their many years of training and competing against the world's best.

There are many kinds of sports where endurance sports nutrition can help you maximize your performance. Endurance sports nutrition can help you a great deal in running. As mentioned above, running is the easy part; it is enduring the pain that is constantly present in your lower extremities that you need to endure.

In triathlons, you have to take note of sustaining through the three stages of sport. So endurance sports nutrition is definitely handy if you want to be able to move on to the next stage and not faint in one of the first stages.

The endurance in swimming is not like any other. Why? It is because, like told before, there are two kinds of pressure that you need to think about. There is, first, the pressure that you experience under the water, plus the atmospheric water. So whether you put your face under water or you turn your head out of the water to breathe in some air, the cramps and the pain caused by the pressure should be endured.

In case of rowing, all that matters is the upper body strength. Off course, it also involves coordination with your teammates, especially mind and arms coordination, but if you are weak with your upper body, then rowing is definitely not the right sport for you. Your hands will probably just suffer bruises from your firm grips on the oars, but you arms are the ones that should have high endurance. Endurance sports nutrition can definitely help you survive the boat ride.

Cycling, as we know, is not much different from running. Your legs experience most of the pain, and you have to endure the pain that is constant on your lower extremities. But this time, there is also the balance to think of. And for those who have a hard time balancing, enduring cycling is very hard. So this is where endurance sports nutrition comes in.

Endurance sports nutrition is there to help athletes like you, to become more energetic and resourceful during endurance sports. Remember, more than skills, it's your endurance that can improve your performance after a certain time. So, stop thinking and get moving with the endurance sports nutrition!

Do you know the best nutrition for sport actifity??

2010-12-12T05:37:00.000-08:00

What is Sports Nutrition?

Sports nutrition plays a huge part in gaining the best sporting performance. If you play hockey, golf, football, tennis or whatever your chosen sport is, having the right nutritional balance is essential. There are many nutrients that can be got by eating the correct foods. Having the correct balance of vitamins, minerals and carbohydrates are essential part of having the proper nutrition health regime.

Try not to get nutrition and sports nutrition mixed up though as both are different. Being an athlete and participating in sports will require more nutrients as a way of keeping the energy levels up to ensure the athlete remains as peak fitness throughout there activities. Being an athlete is more strenuous on the body and that is the main reason why they will require more nutrients that the regular nutrition dieting advice.

During their sporting activities athletes will tend to lose a lot of fluids, everyone has heard of dehydration, which is one of the largest problems faced during sports. Losing fluids will cause you to tire much quicker than normal which will have a negative impact on sporting performance.

The reason why there are professional athlete is that they get paid to perform at their maximum on a daily basis. To do this it is essential that the body gets proper nutrition. It is vital to drink enough water, have a balanced diet by eating the proper foods and also get the proper nutritional intake that your body will need. Different sports will cause the body to require different nutrients. Nearly all professional athletes have a sports nutritionist who help in provide the correct diet for their sporting nutritional needs. Doing so will enable your body to consumes energy efficiently and will aid in overall performance.

In order to make the most of your sporting talents it is essential to have more power, endurance and strength. Only by getting the proper sports nutrition can this be done.

Having a balanced diet is essential and should be based on several different factors. Such as, the type of sports that you are participating in, age, physical condition and body size.

It is always best to consult with a doctor when changing your diet instead of just deciding one for yourself. To go one step further getting a sports nutritionist will help in giving you the correct diet that will suit your body and help in providing the perfect diet to complement your sport.

When exercising it is vital to remember that a lot of fluids will be lost. When you are working out in the gym, doing weights, running, it is easy to forget the fluid loss that you body is experiencing. That is probably the main reason why water is one of the most important parts of sports nutrition.

It makes up about sixty percent of your body weight and is involved in almost all of your bodily processes.

Your body cannot produce and store water, this is the main reason why it is important to replace all fluids that are lost during exercise. If you don't then dehydration will have a huge part in damaging your athletic abilities. Taking part in sports will require you to consume much more water than eight glasses daily.

Carbohydrates are the most important fuel source. It provides a minimum of sixty to a maximum of seventy percent of our calories. Carbohydrates are found on almost all of the food you consume. Food rich in carbohydrates are fruits, vegetables, pastas, breads, cereals, rice and many more that are too many to mention.

The body converts all starches and sugars in carbohydrates to glucose. The main provider of energy in the body is glucose. That is why an active lifestyle requires more carbohydrates than usual. The body will also store glucose in the liver and muscles that will give your body a energy reserve. If this reserve is not used during sports then it will be more likely to turn into fat. The larger your carbohydrate intake the more energy you will have during sports. If your intake is to high it will have a negative effect as you will begin to increase in fat. Other energy sources include proteins and fats.

Foods that help in providing the most amount of protein would be, eggs, nuts, poultry, fish, meat, beans and dairy products. Proteins will supply about 15 to 20 percent of your daily calorie allowance. The main uses of proteins are in tissue and muscle building.

Why You Watch Sport ??

2010-12-12T05:29:00.000-08:00

Whether you want to believe it or not, we like to watch sports for very different reasons than you may think. In fact, the real things that cause us to like sports are in every person, whether we like sports or not. What things can we learn about human nature by simply looking at our fascination with competition? The answers may surprise you. Not only are the answers interesting in themselves, but they may just help you in other ways too.

There are some fairly straightforward and obvious explanations for why we like sports to be sure. Sports teach us about loyalty, perseverance and honor. It gives us a way to bond, it's cathartic, and we identify with teams and players. We live vicariously through the players we watch. We have our favorite players, and there are teams we've grown up rooting for because our brother or dad used to love them, and now we still root for them today. Or we may follow a sport now that we used to play as a child.

But there are some deeper, more powerful and fascinating reasons too.

We're All Just Big Children

Whether you want to believe it or not, all adults are just big children. We're all just big kids. We just hide our true feelings and thoughts with highly developed skills (or at least most of us do). We still want to belong or be accepted by our peers, we all still want to be loved, we still feel emotional pain, and we still find ourselves giving in to immediate gratification when we know better. And yes, some of us still lie and cheat in our normal day to day lives.

We certainly hide things better and often successfully 'act' as if we don't care about belonging, or love, or pain, or whatever. Deep down inside we are a little more mature and wise, but basically still just children. We may not say it out loud anymore, but we still think to ourselves sometimes, "That's not fair!" We would rather play than work. Some may argue, depending on whether they pee standing up or sitting down, that this is especially true for men. Maybe that's why there are more men sports fans than women.

You see, watching sports gives us a perfect, safe and secure, black and white, little microcosm of life. Following a player, team or game allows us to experience ups and downs and a whole array of emotions, just like in real life, but we aren't actually affected.

And unlike life, sports and games are generally fair! There are rules and a crystal clear framework, or paradigm that all the participants and spectators know about. There are never any monkey wrenches thrown into a sports game, like the rules changing mid-game for instance. If rules are broken, the offender is penalized. They don't frustratingly get away sometimes like in real life.

At the end, there is an unambiguous winner and loser. We get to pretend that the game we're watching is life, where everything is perfectly fair, everyone plays by the rules and everything makes sense.

Children tend to think of things in much more black and white terms. It is only through living and maturing that we realize that all of life is a series of grays. But we all still long for a simpler and easier life. When things are only seen in black or white, things indeed seem simpler and easier, but life isn't so clear-cut.

This helps explain why politicians who break their platform down into simple sound bites and into terms devoid of complexity often do better than politicians who talk about life like it really is, a complex, interrelated world of nuances.

Watching sports allows us a temporarily safe and socially acceptable way to be more like our true nature, and our true nature is frighteningly childlike. So the next time you deal with a difficult person, remember that they are just a large child, like you and everyone else, and maybe that knowledge will help you deal with them a little more easily.

What do watching a horror movie and sports have in common?

Ever wonder why so many people, including maybe you, enjoy watching horror movies so much? They provide a safe way for people to experience high levels of suspension without actually being in any real danger. Sports can be the same way. Again, watching sports allows us to enter a perfect world where the suspenseful outcome has no bearing on our real lives (unless you have a nasty sports gambling problem of course).

People love drama, suspension, and resolution, which are all elements inherent in sports. In fact, the closer the game, the more suspension there is. If we identify with a player and he wins, we are vicariously happy for the success. However, if the player's team loses, we feel the defeat a little as well. But our lives are unaffected. And sports announcers usually only add to the drama and suspension.

A sports game is a sort of story. There is a beginning and an end. There is a protagonist (your team) and an antagonist (the other team). There is a scene and setting, the stadium at noon, and there is a plot, which is the action. Only after the games ends, and depending on if your team won or not, is it decided to be called a fairy tale ending or a tragedy.

Reptilian Brain and War

Whether you want to believe it or not, humans are a lot closer to nature and the animal world than most people like to think. We're not just close to nature; we're a part of it! Evolutionarily speaking, we are much closer in time to our unintelligent animal ancestors than we are to a transcended sentient species apart from nature. Our behavior is guided much more by our 'primitive brain' than our more recently developed neocortex, which is the seat of our intelligence. The primitive brain, or lower brain function, deals with fight or flight behavior, hunger, fear, and sex, among other things.

A common, yet erroneous concept is that the human brain is the result of billions of years of evolution. Our primitive or reptilian part of the brain is that old, but our brain's extra large neocortex, the thing that separates us from other mammals, came about only a couple million years ago, a mere drop in the evolutionary bucket. The neocortex has not had much time to develop, and so our primitive brain plays a significant role in our lives.

Our basic flight or fight mentality is manifested in sports. We can relate, on some deeper and unconscious level, with the guy running with the football towards the end zone and being chased by a pack of angry men. We can understand what it feels like to check another player in hockey and slam him into the boards. Or we can sympathize with the NASCAR driver who gets passed by a competitor, but throws it into a higher gear and chases after him.

Our primitive desire for dominance is represented in sports. When our team wins, we experience a sort of dominance over the opposing team and their fans.

Our predatory nature is lit up when we see a linebacker following a running back through a mass of football players, waiting for the perfect moment to strike his prey with a tackle. Watching someone chase the man with the ball in basketball, soccer, or baseball affects us in similar ways.

Our tribal instincts are fulfilled by sports. We all want to belong to something; it's a basic human need since we are such social animals. We identify with a team like our ancestors would identify with their tribe. This is especially true for the Western world's modern man, where community has taken a back seat to independence.

Our primitive warring nature is satisfied by sports. There seems to be an innate desire for war, even in so-called 'modern' man. Indeed, look at the world today and how many current wars are going on, and you'll see how far we are to real peace. Pathetically, that last statement holds true for almost any time in history, regardless of when you're reading this. Again, this goes back to the fact that we are ruled more by our 'primitive', survival-driven, fight or flight brain than our reasonable and intelligent 'modern' brain.

Every sports game is like a tiny war between tribes, with an end and a declared victor. But there's one important distinction; unlike war, no one has to die in sports.

One of the reasons going to a game is more exciting than watching it on TV is that there is a kind of energy created when so many people get together and root for one cause. You might even liken it to a mob mentality. We don't have to look farther than our own stadiums where pandemonium has broken out in protest to a call or in celebration of a win. Sports strongly appeals to the gaming and struggle instincts of humans.

And since our modern lives no longer contain any real physical danger and all our basic needs are immediately taken care of, we now have a void that needs to be filled somehow, our primitive brain expects it. Sports fit the bill. It gives us the illusion of reality where there are no consequences. It gives us the illusion of battle, war, victory and defeat, without the consequences. And it gives us the illusion of being a child again, even if it's all temporary.

You may not like sports at all, but we are all a quite childlike inside. We all yearn for some level of drama in our lives. And we are all constantly affected by our primitive brain. Watching sports is one excellent way for people to reconcile these inescapable facts.

Do you love sport activity??

2010-12-12T05:20:00.000-08:00

From 1910 sport has become an integral part of human life. Sport not only physical activity sport is a art of our life. Not only physical activity governed by a set of rules or customs and often engaged in competitively. Last year sport has been grow up and pass through amazing metamorphosis. In 2010 in modern age sport has been grown monstrously and become high-tech and more healthy, more sporty

Sport strive for discipline, responsibility and fun. Without that we can say, sport doesn’t have attractive anymore. Sport it’s a athletic games, more fun more healthy. For the examples a football, basketball I realy love this game. other than that there are various other sport that demands discipline and responsibility.

Essentially a few things differences in sport. Indoor sport or outdoor sport, on individual or team basis, with or without competition, but requiring skill and some form of physical exertion. Some Sports, such as hunting, fishing, running and swimming have evolved out of the primitive ways and lifestyle of human life. Some Sports, such as riding, shooting, throwing the javelin or archery have derived from early military practices and background. Sports like boxing, wrestling and jumping, had arisen from the spontaneous human outbursts and challenges and occasional hostilities that had accompanied human interaction.

The development of sport in the ancient, middle ages and in the modern days has been phenomenal. In the ancient days, the Greek and Roman had evinced a keen interest in developing sport. It was the Greek who organized the Olympics and interestingly people from all over the world participated and witnessed it. Thus modern Olympics had originated in Athens city of Greece. The feudal system of the middle ages had hampered the growth of sport that was revived only in the days of renaissance. In the modern days, especially in the 20th century, sport has witnessed an organized growth and development of games.Baseball in the US, cricket in England, hockey in countries like India and Pakistan are some of the games that developed rapidly in the 20 th century.Olympic games, Pan-American games, Commonwealth Games and Afro-Asian Games etc have been organized and held at periodic intervals, making the sport as an international event in the 20 th century.

In the 21 century, sport has turned ultra-modern and developed with high tech facilities.The games like cricket , football and hockey have increasingly become global.Frequent changes in the rules of the games have been further complicated by the umpiring controversies due to human errors.The building of ultramodern stadia, provision of adequate infrastructure facilities etc had further increased their problems manifold and put them under a heavy financial stake.On the other hand technology has facilitated live telecasting and viewing of the matches and games so easy, thereby easing the common mans' burden to some extent.The Olympic events have been held under the auspices of International Olympic Association. Almost all countries of the world have become members of International Olympic Association and participate in Olympics, which is periodically held once in four years. Similarly cricket has a governing body called International Cricket Council to hold the premiere events like the world cup and the champions trophy etc with the object of spreading cricket throughout the world. Hockey has an International governing council known as International Hockey Federation, enrolling all hockey playing members in the world. Similarly soccer world cup has been held under the auspices of an international organization once in four years.The soccer playing member countries have to go through rigorous qualifying rounds before participating in the soccer world cup. Modern sport has also witnessed the evolution of multimillionaires like Sachin Tendulkar in cricket, Ronaldo in soccer, William sisters in Tennis, who have risen to prominence by dint of their hard work, skill and passion for their respective games.

The modern Sport has also witnessed the growth and development of sport and its allied industries. Media industry like Sports journalism, Sports education and online games etc have evolved and developed out of sports. Each country has a separate Sports ministry. For example India has a separate Sports Authority of India with sufficient funds to function separately and independently. Sports goods and apparels like tennis ball, rocket etc in tennis, bat, ball, flannels, Sport wears etc in cricket, hockey sticks, balls and synthetic astroturf etc in hockey have been the money spinning projects globally. Sponsorship has been a modern feature in popular games like cricket, soccer, tennis etc involving millions of dollars. Similarly popular players of cricket, soccer and tennis etc are engaged by the multinational companies to advertise their products, spending millions of dollars. Last but not least, Sport has been not only meant for recreation but also has the object of keeping the individual concerned in good health and stamina. We are all aware that a healthy person is a wealthy person and Sport has been the secret of ones' health as well as wealth.

Newcastle captain Kevin Nolan says the disappointment of losing Chris Hughton as manager will not distract them from their aim of Premier League survival

2010-12-11T08:14:00.000-08:00

Captain Kevin Nolan

Alan Pardew has succeeded Hughton with the Magpies 12th in the top-flight and fans are expected to protest at Saturday's game against Liverpool.

In his programme notes, Nolan wrote: "We can't deny it's been a tough week. "But we know we have to put it behind us and, as players, we have accepted what has happened and we will move on." Hughton guided the Magpies to the Championship title last season and he saw his side thump Aston Villa 6-0 and local rivals Sunderland 5-1 before recording a 1-0 win at Arsenal as Newcastle reached the top half of the Premier League table.

A run of two draws and three defeats followed, yet there was as much surprise in the Newcastle dressing room as there was outside of it after the club's owner Mike Ashley gave Hughton his marching orders on Monday. Earlier in the week Nolan admitted the news of Hughton's sacking had come as a huge blow.

"I speak for all of the players when I say we were disappointed to see Chris leave the club," he said.
"It's no secret that everyone was saddened to see him go.

"I'm sure Chris will go on to be a success wherever he goes next, and we wish him all the very best for the future and thank him for everything he achieved here.

"Hopefully we can carry on the good work he put in during his time here.
"We simply have to stick together and rely on the great spirit that exists at this club."

The affection shown towards Hughton has prompted new incumbent Pardew to admit that his first task will be to win round the players and fans. "It's fairly obvious the players and fans had great respect for Hughton and the fact he's gone has caused something of a stir," he stated. "People are upset and I can understand that. The problem I will have initially is making sure I get my message across quickly and with clarity [to the players]. I need to make sure there's no resentment towards me, coming in at this juncture with the team doing reasonably well."

And Pardew added that while there may be an opportunity to move up a congested Premier League table he was not looking beyond the visit of Roy Hodgson's Liverpool.

"It's so close this year - with spirit and unity in the team you could surprise yourself and finish fairly high," he suggested

"But my most immediate concern is the next game. You can get lost in thinking about building the club and developing the youth team and get distracted - I've done that in the past.

"My immediate focus is the game on Saturday night and I've got to prepare the team."

Pardew faces a Liverpool side that were impressive in beating Aston Villa 3-0 in their last Premier League match. However, the Reds have only won one of their eight away league matches this season, prompting Hodgson to demand a more consistent level of performance. "My message to them is what you have got to be doing for the next 22 games; we need 22 more like the last three," he said.

"Less than that we will let ourselves down. The only way to put a poor record behind you is to get the results and maybe we need a bit of luck.

"I'm not trying to dampen enthusiasm or expectations, I'm just trying to be realistic."

Hodgson, though, should be able to call upon striker Fernando Torres, the Spaniard likely to replace either David Ngog or Ryan Babel from the side that beat Villa.