It’s fitting that on the day Gillard announced a cabinet reshuffle, a devastating loss to New Zealand in the Second Test at Hobart may be the catalyst for the axe to be applied to the Australian cricket team, writes Leigh Josey.
Sport
Your one-stop All Blacks Rugby World Cup victory thread
Well done New Zealand. Winning the Rugby World Cup is clearly the nation’s greatest achievement since it through the ring into the fires of Mordor, writes Leigh Josey.
Kicking goals as sport’s most powerful: number 10
By night Labor apparatchik Mark Arbib counts numbers. But by day he’s paid to help decide which sporting bodies get what cash, how much punters can bet and what high-performance drugs are illegal, writes Tom Cowie.
Roger that: it’s a grand slam win for all
Like most live sporting events, grand slam tennis is shaped to a large degree by the character of the crowd. Writing from the US Open, tennis buff Julie Zhou reports on the joy of watching her third “Roger (Federer) slam.”
AFL The AFL’s New Deal — more Demetriou than Roosevelt
The AFL has announced its broadcast rights for 2012 through to 2016. The amount was a staggering $1.253 billion for that five year period — the biggest deal in the history of Australian sports broadcasting, writes Leigh Josey.
NRL Game-in-a-box: Sea Eagles spear Knights
In this week’s Game-in-a-box, Pat Byrne covers the Newcastle Knights vs the Manly Sea Eagles.
The payout stunt delivering a marketing bonanza to bookies
Bookies are rarely seen as charitable organisations, so any time they cough up early on a wager there could be reason for suspicion. Crikey examines the marketing stunt and increasingly pervasive nature of betting agencies.
It’s just not cricket
Corruption is a way of life in Pakistan and India, so why are we surprised and punish cricketers when they do it? Because sport needs to exist on a higher holier ground or the entire notion of it collapses, argues Rahul Bhattacharya.
Roller derby riot grrrls
Ruby Murray headed out for a theatrical, thrilling night of roller derby, with tats, sex and physical strength. Finally, a sport that elevates women to the same level as the fellas.
Milking LeBron’s Miami moment for all its worth
It was the decision that rocked the world of US sports, but why did freelance journalist Jim Gray ask LeBron James sixteen random questions before getting the basketballer to confirm he was moving to Miami?
Aunty to cut sport presenter for clips
How thinly can ABC journalists’ butter be spread over the ever increasing bread of news? Staff in the ABC newsrooms suspect that sports presenters will be scrubbed from the evening bulletins in favour of a reel of clips.
The inaugural Crikey Sports Monday week in sports wrap (official name pending)
First Dog on the Moon and Leigh Josey get together to shoot the breeze in the inaugural wrap of the sporting week that was. Rather hilariously inappropriate sporting commentary from the Crikey bunker.
How Manny Pacquiao is single-handedly saving boxing
Boxer Manny Pacquiao just made history by winning his seventh title in seven different weight classes. But is biggest achievement has been putting boxing back in the headlines.
AFL holds its nerve and plays winning hand in Qld
The AFL have again underlined why their collective decision making confirms them as the savviest governing body in Australian sport, on the heels of Anna Bligh’s historic Queensland election win, writes Ross Stapleton.
It’s now or never for Terry Wallace
Richmond Tigers coach Terry Wallace has courted the media from day one and the media, in turn, has looked after him, largely turning a blind eye to his failure, writes Charles Happell.
It’s time to change the NRL “boyz” club
Rugby League has an entrenched, serious, and dare we say it, intractable problem with rampant s-xual abuse and misogyny within its ranks, writes James Connor .
The catastrophic opening to the NRL season
In a lifetime of watching rugby league, I cannot recall a more catastrophic lead in to the start of a premiership season, writes Jeff Wall.
Carrara stadium funding political football raining goals for ALP
Now the ALP has a ready-made partisan issue where a vote for them is essentially a mandate for an AFL Gold Coast club — while voting for the LNP will all but kill it off. Such a stark choice mocks Springborg’s political radar, writes Ross Stapleton.
Sponsorship is a two way street
The operators of the Melbourne stadium formerly known as Telstra Dome are finding out the hard way that sponsorship is a two-way street, especially when it involves naming rights, writes Stephen Downes.
The AFL’s expansion nightmare
The decision to create expansion teams in the Gold Coast and Western Sydney was a dubious proposition even during the economic boom. In a GFC, it’s untenable, writes Adam Schwab.
Soccer has the AFL rattled, that’s the real story
At issue is which code wins the right to use Melbourne’s Telstra Dome on Saturday week … and more than that, writes Charles Happell.
Open done, jobs go at Seven Sport
A series of rumours this morning suggested Seven has cut staff at Seven Sport in Sydney, writes Glenn Dyer.
Tennis drug ban proves that WADA has lost the plot
A young man’s life was saved by his sensible use of his own asthma medication but his career has been destroyed by a totalitarian doping agency, writes John Orchard.
Alas poor Haydos the flat track bully and Christian sledger
Matthew Hayden’s more than just a run machine that ran out of gas. He’s a great Australian, or so News Limited tells us, writes Walter Slurry.
Australian selectors need to get to work
Matthew Hayden has had a successful member of Australia’s all-conquering side — but his time has come, writes Adam Schwab.
