SPORT

The fight for control of the Parramatta Eels got rough on the weekend, with allegations of dirty tricks and even a death threat to one director. Crikey lifts the lid on a grubby boardroom battle.

The John Singleton-Gai Waterhouse saga is a non-story that sums up where the mainstream media is headed. It’s a ready-made narrative without meaning, and it’s easy for the media to cover. Get used to this.

Tom Waterhouse has to be stopped, according to one gambling industry insider. His pervasive brand of promotion is giving everyone in the gambling game a bad name. Now Tony Abbott is on the case.

Some of our true-blue sporting heroes seem to be taking up residency in countries with favourable tax arrangements. But how easy is it to do? Crikey intern Kylar Loussikian finds it may not work for him.

It’s that time of year again … No, the snooker world championships. Our man in England has it covered, from Aussie hope Neal Robertson to the celebrated comeback of Ronnie “Rocket” O’Sullivan.

Tom Waterhouse is everywhere, but will his business go the distance? The ubiquitous online bookmaker has a high-risk business strategy mirroring the dot-com legacy.

Authorities have received more applications for exemptions under anti-doping regulations since the latest drugs in sport scandal. But ASADA insists that could just be a coincidence.

Parramatta Eels chairman Roy Spagnolo is taking on one high-profile supporter in a bitter war over the club’s board. The campaigning from rival tickets last December is still playing out after season kick-off.

Athletes have been offered all sorts of advice since the infamous ‘Blackest Day in Australian Sport’. So why not a bit of home-spun wisdom from Chopper Read: never plead guilty, writes Martin Hardie.

Horses bred for the racing industry are ending up as dog food or sold for human consumption, whether they are too old to race or never made the grade, writes Crikey intern Michelle Slater.

Essendon fans are angry at their treatment by the Australian Crime Commission and the investigation into drugs and administration. And the media is also in fans’ sights.

The report into culture and administration at Swimming Australia is damning. There was a critical failure of leadership, under a system that doesn’t put the best in charge, writes sports researcher Dr James Connor.

Dire warnings on drugs in sport have been taken up by the public, with Essential Research finding high levels of concerns about drugs (and betting) in sports. But fans won’t necessarily be turning off their TVs …

Given the corruption in sport, we must wonder — why is the reality so far from the ideal? Sport is not beyond the foibles of mere mortals — it is just like the rest of the things we do. And we should certainly not allow further investigative bodies, beyond national control, to police it.

The very existence of drugs has sucked the life out of sport. The era of the glorious four-minute mile is drawing to a close — although sport will stagger on because big media needs it.

The furore over drug use in (male) sports creates an opportunity for women — ignored by the media and sponsors — to win more attention. Crikey publisher and Netball Australia director Marina Go makes the case.

Sports fans are bracing for the worst as sports and justice chiefs dropped a bombshell today: allegations of the widespread and systematic use of performance-enhancing drugs in Australian sport.

Growth hormone-releasing “peptides” might be rife in Australian sport. And no wonder — Crikey purchased a vial for nix from a US distributor in under a minute.

Crikey speaks to the doctor who advised Essendon conditioning staff on the supplements at the centre of a scandal that could blow up the AFL — and potentially other sports.

The call for a boycott of Sri Lanka’s cricket team following the actions of the Sri Lankan military against the country’s Tamil population is growing. But it’s not just a cricket issue …

There’s a very clear rule in the International Tennis Federation that says if a player is hindering the play — even unintentionally — the point should be replayed. So why aren’t the female players who grunt getting in trouble?

Lance Armstrong worked from the crisis management playbook in his tell-all confessional with Oprah. Marketing consultant Toby Ralph lights the path to contrition and forgiveness for the fallen hero.