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rantnrave:// Is there an archetype for a successful sports owner? Legacy sons have run the Knicks and Lakers aground. The Kings are climbing the rankings of craziest organizations in sports despite a self-made tech maven who received the Malcolm Gladwell treatment before taking over. Building a profile is difficult. If you point to Jerry Jones, I point out Daniel Snyder. John Mara is the anti-Dolan. It would be interesting to take stock of the best owners and see what makes them tick. What traits do you want your team owner to have? ... Heroes are celebrated but choke artists are never forgotten. It doesn't mean their careers are ruined. Failing on the biggest stage can break a person or it can build them up. Make sure to read our REDEF SportsSET "The Art of the Choke." ... Dexter Fowler's comments on the refugee ban have become a Rorschach test for fans and pundits. Are they harmless or should he stick to sports? If athletes can't speak out when it hits home, when can they? The rules are being rewritten every day. ... I don't know if I've ever been to The Cheesecake Factory but NBA players love it. ... We may be seeing the end of the black uniform era. You can thank technology for this blessing. Bright colors work best on smartphones. ... The NBA All-Star Game was analytics in action. ... Sportswriting has always leaned liberal. Shireen Ahmed makes that case vigorously. What has changed in the past few years is that sportswriters can now crank up the volume on their thoughts through Twitter. But the progressivism isn't new. Maybe, some of us have never had to be attuned to the political battle or felt the need to amplify the liberal message. Sports journalism can be a profession of privilege -- it's mostly white and male. The politics of 2016-17 have forced some mainstream sportswriters to confront that privilege. Others have been doing it for a while. ... RIP George The Animal Steele and Ivan Koloff.
In the final year of his life, he was alienated from his mother, with whom he last spoke on Feb. 14, 2016, married a woman who was already married, and experienced a series of bizarre episodes involving Sangiovanni that would seem exaggerated in a telenovela. One event, though, was more than mere drama.
Vahe Gregorian | The Kansas City Star
Chicago Sun-Times sports columnist Rick Telander chronicles how the Orr High School basketball team coped with violence in the 2016-17 season.
Rick Telander | Chicago Sun-Times
George Steele died Friday, leaving behind a career of memories as one of professional wrestling's most engaging performers and inspiring characters. And a small part of that engagement/inspiration occurred in the mid-1990s, when he steeled a 9-year-old boy's passion for "the business."
Justin LaBar | upgruv
Anthony Haden-Guest was approaching 80, and wanted to prove there was still a lot of life left in him -- so he stepped into the ring to box.
Anthony Haden-Guest | The Daily Beast
Beijing is hosting the 2022 Winter Olympics and now is home to a KHL team. One Canadian man has become hockey's chief evangelist in China.
Terrence Doyle | Vice Sports
"It's not enough to be smart. You have to be curious."
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