Sports

'This Is Your Brain On Sports' Gets Inside Minds Of Players, Coaches And Fans

6:59pm February 04, 2016

The new book, This is Your Brain on Sports, gets inside the minds of the players on the field, the fans in the stands, and the coaches on the sidelines. NPR's Audie Cornish talks with Tufts psychologist Sam Sommers and Jon Wertheim of Sports Illustrated about what sports tell us about how we think.

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Garrison Pennington (right, No. 42) tackles a player during Albany High School's 2014-2015 season — the last he would play.

Quitting The Gridiron When Football Runs Through The Family

4:20pm February 04, 2016

by Garrison Pennington

Garrison Pennington's father, uncle and brother all played high school football. So did Garrison — until last year. He dreaded telling his parents. But turns out, his worries had been theirs, too.

Football has practically no history in China. Some of China's most popular sports are individual ones that don't involve physical contact, like pingpong and badminton. Chinese players say football provides an opportunity to release their aggression.

Far From Sunday's Super Bowl, A Football Championship In China

8:05pm February 03, 2016

by Frank Langfitt

A grass-roots league is gaining fans in China; last month, Shanghai's Nighthawks and Warriors vied for the championship. The players learned about football via Hollywood movies and online NFL games.

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Super Bowl-Winning Quarterback Ken Stabler Had C.T.E., Test Results Show

6:48pm February 03, 2016

The late quarterback Ken Stabler was an anti-establishment icon playing in the very pro-establishment NFL in the 1970s. Now he's become an icon of a very different sort. Test results showed that Stabler suffered from C.T.E., the degenerative brain disease linked to repeated blows to the head. NPR's Kelly McEvers talks to Stabler's long time partner, Kim Bush.

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Morris Robinson in the Los Angeles Opera's 2009 production of The Magic Flute.

From Football To Opera: Singer Morris Robinson Takes Center Stage

4:11pm February 03, 2016

by Karen Grigsby Bates

Once Morris Robinson dreamed of fame on the football field. Now, he's moving audiences across the world with the power of his voice, and changing the face of opera.

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Sports

Super Bowl 50's Quarterbacks: So Talented And So Different

12:38pm February 03, 2016

by Frank Deford

For Frank Deford, the best football games are those played with two star quarterbacks, because football needs quarterbacks.

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Sports

Jack Johnstone, Creator Of The Triathlon, Dies At 80

6:53pm February 02, 2016

by Claire Trageser

Jack Johnstone, one of the creators of the triathlon, has died at age 80. Swimming, running and biking have long been sports, but Johnstone was the first to put them together into one competition.

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Advertisers used to guard their commercials until they aired on TV. Now, advertisers harness the power of Internet virality and release ads before the big game.

WATCH: Super Bowl Ads Already Generating Buzz

6:22pm February 02, 2016

by Laura Wagner

The big game may be days away, but commercials featuring a Helen Mirren soliloquy, Pokemon, a Drake "Hotline Bling" spoof, Ryan Reynolds and, of course, puppies are already getting attention online.

Sports

Panthers Quarterback Cam Newton Gets The Spotlight And Criticism

2:16pm February 02, 2016

Renee Montagne talks to Washington Post sports columnist Kevin Blackistone on the criticism Cam Newton has received for his end zone celebrations, and how race may be an influencing factor.

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John Scott celebrates scoring a goal in a 3-on-3 tournament at the All-Star game Sunday, along with Brent Burns of the San Jose Sharks.

John Scott Transcends Jokes, NHL's Resistance And Is Named MVP Of All-Star Game

5:35pm February 01, 2016

by Bill Chappell

"You can't write this stuff. It's unbelievable how it happened," says the journeyman enforcer who took a break from the minor league AHL to play in the NHL's showcase game.