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From the field to the courts. From the flat screen to the movie screen. What we breathe is sports. Live it. Love it. Share it.
Arroe Collins All Level Sports...
Arroe Collins All Level Sports...
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21 SEP 2024 · This is the book NFL Hall of Famer Brett Favre DOES NOT want you to read. Shad White is the Mississippi state auditor who exposed Favre for his involvement in the diversion of millions of dollars in TANF money- money meant to aid the poorest people in the nation's poorest state-in order to build a deluxe volleyball facility at his college alma mater. But Favre was only part of a much larger coverup. Now, in MISSISSIPPI SWINDLE: Brett Favre and the Welfare Scandal that Shocked America (Steerforth Press; August 6, 2024), White tells the riveting story of how a small group of powerbrokers enriched themselves by misdirecting nearly $100 million in federal money, and how White led a scrappy team of investigators and auditors to bring the culprits to justice. White's office unmasks a sprawling conspiracy that stretches from Mississippi to Malibu and involves famous athletes, media personalities, and public officials. -more- Born and raised in Mississippi, White won a Rhodes Scholarship and earned a JD from Harvard. He returned to Mississippi and became the youngest state auditor in the country. Eleven months after his appointment, he received a tip that would lead his team to uncover the largest public fraud case in Mississippi history. At the scheme's heart was John Davis, the head of the state's Department of Human Services. Through the agency, Davis provided tens of millions of dollars of funding, meant to provide services for the state's poor, to organizations run by a woman named Nancy New. White discovered that Davis, New, and a cadre of family and friends collected that money to fund their lavish lifestyles that included a home, vacations, and luxury cars. White and his team also discovered the New family had spread money so widely around the community that it was in plenty of people's best interest to not question it. Charity after charity received TANF funds-from local high school bands and beauty pageants, to the Junior League of Jackson and sports booster clubs, to the millions of dollars for the volleyball facility, via Brett Favre's influence. MISSISSIPPI SWINDLE is a story of how power is acquired and maintained. For White, some of those in power sought to maintain it by pressuring him to "handle the case quietly." Favre himself dug in, issuing denial after denial, and later using his celebrity bullhorn and an army of lawyers in an unsuccessful bid to intimidate White and his family. It's also the story of the corrosive nature of fraud that's at the heart of Americans' loss of faith in their institutions. White offers the good news that the remedy resides with the people who can put a stop to that fraud and convince everyday Americans they are being treated fairly and their money is being protected.
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15 SEP 2024 · Vance Walker, a 19-year-old competitor from Tampa, Fla., was crowned the first back-to-back winner of NBC's "American Ninja Warrior" tonight, taking home the Season 16 title and $1 million prize.
In the 16-season history of "American Ninja Warrior," this is only the fourth time the $1 million has been awarded and the first time won in consecutive seasons. To win the grand prize, ninjas must advance through all four stages of the national finals, culminating in a 75-foot rope climb up Mount Midoriyama. The winner must complete the climb in less than 30 seconds and be the fastest to do so.
More than 200 ninjas competed this season, with five reaching stage four of the finals. In tonight's exciting finale, Walker climbed the rope in an incredible 27.6 seconds, a second faster than runner-up Caleb Bergstrom. The close race proved how fierce, remarkable and tough the competition continues to get.
"I'm forever grateful to have the opportunity to be out on these courses at all, let alone being the first to win it twice," Walker said. "Once again, in the words of Post Malone, 'They said I wouldn't be nothing, now they always say congratulations.'"
Originally from Texas, Walker was diagnosed at 18 months old with a form of cerebral palsy called spastic diplegia in his legs and had to wear leg braces throughout his childhood. At a young age, his parents were told he may never walk without the braces. Walker still participates in regular physical therapy and stretching to manage this condition.
In his season 16 qualifying round, Walker completed all six obstacles and hit the buzzer, putting him at the top of the leaderboard. He was able to fly through the course and became one of four competitors in the round to hit a buzzer. Throughout the remaining rounds of the season, Walker sailed through flawlessly as he capped every course off with a buzzer.
On tonight's finale, Walker took on the final stage alongside four other athletes - Caleb Bergstrom, Nacssa Garemore, Kai Beckstrand and Noah Meunier. Chasing a target of 30 seconds or less on the Mount Midoriyama rope climb, Walker set himself in the top position by hitting the buzzer in 27.6 seconds. Poised to win another $1 million, he watched as the last two ninjas climbed. His historic victory was secured when they failed to beat his record time.
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31 AUG 2024 · UFC, WWE, and Olympic superstar, multi-ESPY Award-winner, and Hollywood actress Ronda Rousey has stepped out of the ring and into the world of comics. Artists Writers and Artisans (AWA), the independent developer of bold, original stories from the world's most outstanding creators, announced today the upcoming Kickstarter campaign for Rousey's graphic novel debut, EXPECTING THE UNEXPECTED Penned by Rousey and edited by Axel Alonso, AWA Chief Creative Officer and former Editor-and-Chief at Marvel, with art by Eisner and Ringo Award-winning comic book artist Mike Deodato, Jr. (BAD MOTHER, WONDER WOMAN), the graphic novel draws on Rousey's incredible career in the ring and pairs it with Deodato's martial arts background to create the most accurate and action-packed fight scenes in comics! Her codename: "Mom." With a fake baby bump filled with guns, she's built a reputation as one of the deadliest hitwomen on the planet. But on the verge of her big break in the criminal underworld, Mom makes a fateful decision: sleeping with a potential target (who just so happens to be a top-ranked assassin himself). A few weeks later, Mom finds that her codename is about to become a whole lot more literal. What follows is a wild mashup of action, adventure, comedy, and romance as a newly pregnant Mom with a bounty on her head fights off wave after wave of assassins, falls in love with her baby daddy, and decides how to face her personal and professional predicament. EXPECTING THE UNEXPECTED sets a new bar for the authenticity of fight scenes through a unique creative process developed by Rousey, Deodato, and AWA. "I felt like I had to tell this story, because EXPECTING THE UNEXPECTED pulls from the most important parts of my life: motherhood, my career as a fighter, and fun action movies," said Ronda Rousey. "I knew I needed an artist who understood how to translate my fighting from real life to graphic novel artwork, so it's been truly gratifying watching Mike Deodato bring this story to life. I'm so excited to work with AWA and share my very first graphic novel with the world and I hope comic fans will enjoy this adventure." Through Kickstarter, AWA allows fans to support its most ambitious limited-edition projects. This new graphic novel will feature Kickstarter exclusives and include premium, tiered rewards for the biggest Ronda Rousey fans. The EXPECTING THE UNEXPECTED Kickstarter will launch on July 25 and those interested in learning more about the campaign and its reward offerings should sign up here to be notified when the campaign is live. Throughout her career as a global superstar, Rousey has built a huge fan base around the world and Kickstarter allows fans to support this debut in more than 200 countries worldwide. Chief Creative Officer of AWA Axel Alonso added, "Ronda has brought the same level of ferocity, discipline, and craft to her original script that made her a champion in Judo, UFC, and WWE. A potent blend of dark comedy, romance, and over-the-top action, EXPECTING THE UNEXPECTED delivers a knockout punch on every level. You'll laugh, you'll wince, you'll cry, and you'll thrill at the action scenes - meticulously choreographed by Ronda and executed with precision by comic book maestro and martial arts black belt Mike Deodato, Jr. - that literally leap off the page."For more information on the EXPECTING THE UNEXPECTED Kickstarter and other content, visit AWA Studios on Facebook, X, Instagram, YouTube, and AWAStudios.com.
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31 AUG 2024 · Pod Crashing episode 338 with Gregg Rosenthal from the podcast NFL Daily. Gregg Rosenthal and a rotating crew of elite co-hosts including Steve Wyche, Nick Shook and more get you caught up daily on all the NFL news and analysis you need to be smarter and funnier than your friends (formerly known as Around the NFL Episodes available here: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1157-nfl-daily-with-gregg-rose-29915968/
28 AUG 2024 · Pod Crashing episode 337 with Andrew Reynolds from the podcast Searching For Hobey Baker ESPN 30 for 30’s new podcast, Searching for Hobey Baker, tells the story of Hobey Baker who is widely considered the first ice hockey star in America. The podcast is narrated by David Duchovny who, like Baker, is an alumnus of Princeton University.
Every hockey fan knows the name Hobey Baker - collegiate hockey’s most prestigious trophy is named after him - but very few know the real story of this all-time great athlete. Using an archive of personal letters and source materials provided by the Mudd Library at Princeton University, as well as original research, the series charts Hobey’s glory days as the best collegiate hockey and football player in the nation, his post-grad ennui in Gilded Age New York City, and his exploits as a WWI fighter pilot, which ended tragically in a mysterious crash in 1918. Beyond Hobey’s adventures on the ice and in the air, this podcast also re-contextualizes the hockey legend through the lens of his lesser-known struggles as a queer man in the early 20th century.
To discuss the podcast and the amazing story of Hobey Baker – during the final days of Pride Month -- is Andrew Reynolds, Executive Producer of Searching for Hobey Baker, and an LGBT+ scholar who authored several books including The Children of Harvey Milk: How LGBTQ Politicians Changed the World and Designing Democracy in a Dangerous World.
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26 AUG 2024 · A thrilling sports story, Men in White is the tale of the young athletes who defied the doomsayers and rescued Penn State's football program from the horrors of the Jerry Sandusky scandal-told by the players themselves. On November 5, 2011, the news that Jerry Sandusky had been charged with forty counts of child molestation rocked Penn State's leafy campus, unseating the university president, the athletic director, and head coach Joe Paterno-devastating the football program he had erected and diligently maintained over half a century. Men in White recounts the saga of the student athletes who elected to stay and rebuild the program in the face of crippling NCAA sanctions, blistering heat from the outraged media, and radio silence from the adults in the school's administration. With the once proud program in free fall and their personal fortunes in peril, these young men refused to back down, toiling for five long seasons to rehabilitate the program and its ideals, culminating in the stirring come-from-behind defeat of Wisconsin in the Big Ten Championship Game. Their story echoes that of the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team, a cast of young men-colossal underdogs-who boldly accepted the challenge of a lifetime, achieving success while shouldering the weight of a bruising political drama.
24 AUG 2024 · Author and award-winning journalist https://www.harpercollins.com/blogs/authors/steve-wiegand-880000058452 is a lifelong baseball fan even though his own prowess in the game peaked at age 11, when he hit a real over-the-fence home run. It was the only homer of his career and probably an accident. His new book, The Uncommon Life of Danny O'Connell, explores the life of a player often overlooked in the annals of baseball history due to his status as a "common" baseball card in the collecting world. In actuality, O'Connell's story a tale of the human spirit, embodying dreams, disappointments, and the unnoticed grandeur of an ordinary life.
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19 AUG 2024 · Macho Man: The Untamed, Unbelievable Life of Randy Savage is the sensational, definitive biography of the WrestleMania headlining, Spider-Man fighting, Slim Jim snapping, minor league baseball playing American original: Randy Savage. Savage, a WWE wrestling hall of famer, was an A-list celebrity who sat atop the entertainment universe for much of the '80s and '90s. His outfits were as flamboyant as anything worn by Liberace, Elton John, or Prince. His charisma surpassed Hulk Hogan's and is rivaled only by "Stone Cold" Steve Austin and The Rock. His millions of fans are more loyal than followers of any sports team. Macho Man starred in cartoons, was featured on lunchboxes, sold a slew of action figures and toys, was in multiple video games, guest starred on Baywatch, Mad About You, and Walker, Texas Ranger, and made multiple appearances on iconic '90s talk shows. He supported a myriad of kids' charities, emceed Christmas events at hospitals for George Steinbrenner, played minor league baseball with Pete Rose, was the Harvard Lampoon's "Real Man of the Year," and held his family's wrestling legacy above all else.With catchphrases and a voice still imitated by millions to this day, and with his GIFs reaching hundreds of millions of views on social media, the Macho Man is a transcendent figure who led an extraordinary life. Macho Man is now available as an audiobook from Audible!
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17 AUG 2024 · The Challenge 40: Battle of the Eras will feature 40 legendary competitors from the series’ 26-year history representing their “Challenge Era” in an epic battle for the ages where legends will collide as they strive to immortalize their names as Challenge 40 Champions and earn their share of the one million dollar prize.
In the monumental 40th Season, The Challenge 40: Battle of the Eras, the path to glory is far from easy, as they must first compete at the Era Invitational and eliminate the weakest links from within their own Challenge Era for only the best will earn a coveted spot on their team. With relentless, new challenges and twists, these seasoned Veterans are perpetually kept on their toes in the game they thought they had mastered.
This season’s stacked roster features the most Challenge champions ever including 7x winner Johnny "Bananas" Devenanzio, 5x winner CT Tamburello, 4x winners Darrell Taylor and Jordan Wiseley, 3x winner Derrick Kosinski, 2x winners Mark Long, Jonna Mannion, Rachel Robinson, Cara Maria Sorbello, Laurel Stucky, and Jodi Weatherton, and 1x winners Kaycee Clark, Nehemiah Clark, Katie Cooley, Tori Deal, Brad Fiorenza, Aviv Melmed, Emily Schromm, Devin Walker, and Jenny West.
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16 AUG 2024 · The "Black Widow", Jeanette Lee, achieved legendary billiards status when she became the top-ranked female pool player in the world during the 1990s, winning over 30 national and international titles. Lee, dressed in black from head-to-toe when she decimated her prey in that span, later had her career be a focus of an ESPN 30-for-30 documentary. In her new book Black Widow: A Memoir (Triumph Books, 8.13.24), Lee looks back at her illustrious career, lifelong struggle with scoliosis, and a public battle with Stage 4 ovarian cancer. Jeanette was 18 years old when she walked into a New York City pool hall and became enamored by the elegant geometry of the game. Before long, she was an unmistakable figure on the international competition circuit, dressed head-to-toe in black, stalking the billiards table and gazing down her cue as if tracking her prey. In this new memoir, the woman nicknamed 'The Black Widow' opens up about her legendary career and the rich, unpredictable life she's woven around it. Lee details her upbringing in a Korean-American household in Brooklyn, her single-minded drive to reach the pinnacle of her sport, and her unlikely entry into the realm of mainstream celebrity in an era where female athletes rarely got their share of the limelight. Lee also reflects on her lifelong struggle with scoliosis, which necessitated over twenty operations during her playing career; her public battle with Stage 4 ovarian cancer; and the communities that gave her strength throughout. Written with warmth and candor, this is the definitive story of a true icon.
From the field to the courts. From the flat screen to the movie screen. What we breathe is sports. Live it. Love it. Share it.
Information
Author | Arroe Collins |
Organization | Arroe Collins |
Categories | Sports , Books , Documentary |
Website | arroe.net |
arroec@gmail.com |
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