The Munich Olympics opened on August 26, 1972. The following day, Shirley Povitch wrote in the Washington Post: It was a smashing effort by the opulent city-state of Munich, only seven miles from the Dachau of foul memory, to compensate for Germany's remembered sins of that era. For the crowd of 80,000 in Olympische Stadion and almost one billion television viewers around the … [Read more...] about Munich Olympics Open – August 26, 1972
Controversy and Bad Behavior
Pete Rose Banned from Baseball – August 24, 1989
Pete Rose was banned from baseball for life by Commissioner Bart Giamotti, on August 24, 1989. There is no doubt that Rose bet on games that he was involved with, and that was obviously against the rules, and of course it was bad for baseball. But unlike Alex Rodriguez and Ryan Braun, Rose wasn't a cheater. While there is no proof that that he didn't bet against himself, … [Read more...] about Pete Rose Banned from Baseball – August 24, 1989
Chinese Gymnasts – How Young Were They? August 21, 2008
Chinese Gymnasts won the "women's" team all around Gold Medal at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. They were led by He Kexin, who also took a Gold Medal in the individual uneven bars. Even as they were competing, there was rampant speculation that He and several of her teammates were "under aged". The official age minimum set by the International Olympic Committee at the time of … [Read more...] about Chinese Gymnasts – How Young Were They? August 21, 2008
Tim Donaghy NBA Referee Pleads Guilty August 15, 2007
Tim Donaghy left the basketball court as a disgraced former N.B.A. referee in July and left a federal court room yesterday as an admitted criminal, a conspirator and a gambling addict. Donaghy’s downfall and the resulting scandal that has threatened the National Basketball Association’s integrity, came into focus when Donaghy, 40, surrendered to federal authorities and … [Read more...] about Tim Donaghy NBA Referee Pleads Guilty August 15, 2007
Baseball Strike Starts, Season Ends – August 12, 1994
There was no Mr. October, and nobody suffered a September swoon; because they played the last games of the season on August 11. The longest ever baseball strike began on August 12, 1994. It lasted until the beginning of the 1995 season when then Federal Trial Judge Sonia Sotomayor issued an injunction against Major League Baseball that effectively ended the … [Read more...] about Baseball Strike Starts, Season Ends – August 12, 1994