Sports Then and Now

As Manny Pacquiao’s welterweight bout with Keith Thurman draws ever nearer, the spotlight begins to intensify on the Filipino as he prepares to step into the ring at the tender age of 40. You wouldn’t believe it, though, as Pacquiao doesn’t seem to have aged at all over the course of his 24-year career. But it is not the facial aesthetics that concern promoter Bob Arum, but rather the damage being done to the organ in the head we can’t see.

Arum has gone as far to say that he feels Pacquiao could be in danger of suffering brain damage if he carries on fighting. It may come across as a sensational thing to say but Arum’s comments aren’t as far fetched as one might think.

Pacquiao made his debut in 1995 and has gone on to fight 70 times, winning 61 times, losing seven and drawing twice. Over those 70 fights, even if he has come out victorious in most of them, Pacquiao has been on the receiving end of some massive blows to the head.

40 years old. Still got it.

Manny Pacquiao dominates Adrien Broner on his way to the unanimous decision!#PacquaioBroner pic.twitter.com/swHC4hFWgw— Sporting News (@sportingnews) January 20, 2019

In particular, the Filipino’s loss to Juan Manuel Marquez came after being brutally knocked out by the Mexican in footage that is hard to watch, and this is the type of trauma to the head that Pacquiao needs to stop signing up for, according to Arum. As a father of five, perhaps Pacquiao owes it to his family to lay down the gloves once and for all after the clash with Keith Thurman.

It seems unlikely that will happen but even if it were to be the Filipino’s swansong, he has another 12 rounds left against a man that is considered one of the hardest punchers in the division. He will certainly come in for some chin music at some stage and even if the odds of Pacquiao vs Thurman indicate that the 40-year-old is the slight favorite, the Filipino’s jaw isn’t what it used to be, one sweetly timed punch and it could be all she wrote for Pacquiao on the night.

This obviously is the reality for most boxers in fights but there is a feeling now that every punch that lands square on Pacquiao’s head is putting him in harm’s way in terms of enjoying a healthy retirement at the end of an incredible career. As Bob Arum says, “go play basketball, Manny!”

#PacquiaoThurman #TeamPacquiao 🇵🇭 pic.twitter.com/oEUQMOySFI— Manny Pacquiao (@MannyPacquiao) June 27, 2019

He is an exceptionally popular fighter is Manny Pacquiao and the entire global boxing fraternity would like to see him with his senses intact once he eventually calls it a day. Having said that, those same fans will also be pinning for a vintage performance from Pacquiao against Thurman which does involve dropping his hands and throwing caution to the wind.

They will probably get it as well because it has always been all or nothing with the Filipino who you get the feeling subscribes to the notion of being more than happy to die trying in life. He’s one a kind type of fighter who can’t get enough of boxing but the hourglass is almost finished and its high time to think about walking away for good.

Imagine if one of the most iconic athletes of the current era suddenly retired, announced he had an incurable disease and within two years was dead. That is exactly what happened in 1939 when iconic New York Yankees star Lou Gehrig pulled himself out of the lineup after 2,130 consecutive games and then 80 years ago, on July 4, 1939, said goodbye to New York fans with his famous “luckiest man on the face of the earth” speech.

For 13 years, Gehrig was baseball’s most durable player as he famously was in the lineup every day. But durability wasn’t his only strength, he was also the best first baseman of his generation and was a run-producing machine.

Only Gehrig could push the Sultan of Swat, Babe Ruth, into the number three spot in the batting order. He drove in 140 or more runs nine times during his career, including 185 RBI during the 1931 season. In 1934 he claimed the triple crown as he hit .363 with 49 home runs and 166 RBI.

Johnny Depp has been among the world’s most famous actors for decades. He started off as an anonymous guitarist and worked his way up to some of Hollywood’s most successful blockbusters. He is not just a handsome guy that has never left his grunge phase but an actual artist who has managed to prove his talent multiple times. 

Just remember a vast number of Tim Burton’s movies he has starred in. Fun fact: he was once asked during an interview if he watched his own movies. When he said no, the interviewer responded: “You must have seen few Burton’s movies.”

If you are a fan of Johnny’s the way I am, this article will amuse you as much as baccarat and slot machines amuse gamblers. In the following lines, you will see a list of the best movies he has ever starred in, according to, well, me (spoiler alert: “The Pirates of the Caribbean” have not made the final cut).

10. Finding Neverland

This drama movie from 2004 tells a story of a successful playwright James M. Barrie (Johnny Depp) and how the story of Peter Pan came to be. The movie is situated in the 20th century London, where Barrie meets a single mother (Kate Winslet) and her four sons. He quickly befriends them and starts entertaining the boys by telling them stories and feeding their imagination. He draws inspiration for his latest play from the family and finally creates Peter Pan.

In some countries football is more than just a game; it is a national obsession that drives people crazy in a good way. Did you notice that during the football season, your colleagues and friends speak only about the game? If you don’t want to feel left out, learn important football terms, slang and cliches. The next FIFA World Cup will be held in Qatar in 2022, so it is better to start preparing for its ‘madness’ today.

Tiki-Taka

Tiki-Taka is Barcelona’s style of playing football. It was implemented by Johan Cruyff in the early 1990s. Basically, it means ‘taking quick, light steps.’ This style implies short passing. Also, team players are not positioned in a traditional formation. On the contrary, they are free to move and pass the ball. In 2009, it helped FC Barcelona to win six trophies.

A fox in the box

It is an English idiom that is used to describe deadly strikers who are extremely good in the penalty area. For instance, Filippo Inzaghi, Italian professional footballer is an excellent example of ‘the fox in the box. ’ He retired with over 300 career goals and deserved the title of a ‘ killer striker.’

Major sporting events draw hundreds of thousands of fans every year to watch their favorite teams compete for the title. With so many people in one place, how can event organizers make sure these events are safe and secure so everyone can enjoy the game?

It Depends on Many Different Factors

The security for your local high school football team is going to be vastly different from the kind of security needed to keep a million people safe during the Super Bowl. It also depends on the venue, the estimated number of people that will be attending, and the popularity of the teams.

Planning security for the most significant events — such as the Super Bowl — doesn’t happen overnight. The 53rd Super Bowl, which took place in 2018, took two years to plan and nearly 40 different local, state and federal agencies worked together to make sure the event was all about the game, and no one had to worry about their safety while attending.

Concern About Terrorist Threats

In today’s modern world, terrorist threats are a real concern when you get thousands of people together in one place. In response, athletic venues have spent more than $2 billion a year to improve security. It’s not foolproof, yet — in 2017, a bomber detonated a bomb in the packed Manchester Arena by hiding it in his backpack. This attack killed 23 people and injured hundreds more.

The goal of this seemingly excessive spending is to enable these venues to create a culture of security and make sure everyone stays focused on keeping patrons safe while they enjoy the game.

It’s Not All In-House Security

While each venue will have its own in-house security, that isn’t always enough for significant events — especially if the stands and surrounding area are packed with fans. For the 53rd Super Bowl in Atlanta, in addition to venue security, the city of Atlanta brought in more than 5,000 law enforcement officers, 180 canine officers and additional support staff.

Atlanta PD also relied heavily on technology. Many of these preparations took place because of what happened during the 1996 Olympics, also held in Atlanta. During the games, a man detonated a bomb in Olympic Centennial Park which didn’t have the same security measures as the athletic arenas. This bomb killed two people and injured more than 100 civilians who were there to watch the games.

Experts predicted more than a million people would make the trip to Atlanta to watch the game, either at the stadium that holds 100,000 or in local bars and restaurants. It was up to them to ensure everyone stayed safe throughout this iconic event.

Don’t Worry and Enjoy the Game

Don’t let these security measures scare you away from buying tickets to the next big game. Venue security and law enforcement work together to make sure these events are as safe as humanly possible, so all you need to do is sit back, cheer for your favorite team and enjoy the game.

Swimming as a sport and competitive swimming are two different areas. If you are the latter area and planning to head into the first one, than the first question that comes to the fore is: What should I focus on to increase my performance in the pool? Well, to be honest there are plenty of things that you should focus on but we have narrowed them down to 5 areas that you MUST focus at the start.

But before we dive into the details, I want to ensure that you perfectly understand that competitive swimming is all about building stamina by committing more hours to workout per week, focusing on your diet to fulfill all your dietary requirements, focusing on perfecting techniques and strokes and wearing the right swimwears and training equipment.

The areas that we have outlined here can be easily adjusted within your existing routine and help you make your overall swimming training sessions more goal-oriented and fun at the same time (listed in no particular order):