Updated:
July 26, 2000
TOP
OF THE WEEK AMERICANS IN EUROPE
It was quite a week for the Americans in Europe. In the world's most renowned cycling race, the Tour de France, it was American Lance Armstrong repeating as champion. This just a few years after being diagnosed with cancer and given a 20% chance of living.
Across the English Channel, it was Tiger Woods ripping up one of the world's most renowned golfing events. Woods shot a record -19 at Saint Andrews in Scotland and won by eight strokes. At the age of 24, Woods is the youngest golfer ever to win the sport's career Grand Slam.
These two great victories helped overshadow a pitiful showing by the U.S. Davis Cup team in Spain.
BOTTOM OF THE WEEK
U.S. TRACK
U.S.A. Track & Field now has a monkey on its back. Due to its Olympic team selection process, the two best sprinters in the 200-meter dash, including the world record holder and defending Olympic champion, will not run in Sydney.
Both Michael Johnson and Maurice Green pulled up with injuries halfway through the race and were unable to finish. U.S.A. Track & Field chooses its Olympic team solely on athletes' placing in the qualifying meet.
In contrast, other countries leave room to appoint certain positions on the team in case a freak accident like this happens. While this can turn into a very political selection, some combination of past performance and the U.S. trials should help place injured athletes in the Olympics rather than watching from the stands.
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK
GAYS IN SPORTS
Hats off to HBO's ``Real Sports'' for its sensitive portrayal of Greg Congdon, a Pennsylvania teen whose life in his small town was made hell after it was discovered he was gay. Congdon, a wrestling and football star at Troy High School, became increasingly depressed as he realized he
was gay. Believing he couldn't go on living this lie in a small town, Congdon tried to commit suicide in 1998.
After telling hospital staffers the reason for the attempt, Congdon's promised anonymity was violated by someone and he became a pariah in town, openly harassed by teammates who were once his friends and driven off of the teams. Congdon's understandable bitterness comes through in the HBO piece, and he lives what seems a fairly isolated life in the town. His supportive parents are suing the hospital for allegedly violating his confidentiality. Through it all Congdon has never lost sight of who he is and is determined never to back down.
Among the on-air interview was one with author and openly gay coach Dan Woog, who has a profile on Outsports. Bravo to him and bravo to ``Real
Sports,'' which has done two pieces on gay athletes since May. See Week in Review for a discussion of the May show.
A thumbs down, though, goes to ``Real Sports'' anchor Bryant Gumbel for his insensitivity following the Congdon piece. He asked the reporter on the story whether a second suicide attempt by Congdon was just a cry for help because he ``only'' took a fistful of Tylenol.
As a viewer wrote on HBO's message board: ``Anyone who has had basic first aid knows that Tylenol can be one of the most lethal drugs taken in overdose. A bottle of Tylenol left in the medicine cabinet can kill. Sounds pretty serious, and not just like " a cry for help" to me.'' We agree.
And memo to Gumbel and the reporter: Being gay is not a `lifestyle.''
NFL
Athletes have some strange ways of keeping themselves in shape during the offseason. One of the stranger methods was that of Kansas City Chiefs receiver Andre Rison.
As reported in the Kansas City Star, Rison owes his trimmer (by 15 pounds) body to a trip to Honduras, where he spent a month at a fitness
retreat suggested by Magic Johnson. Rison got up each day at 4:30 a.m. to run and climb in the mountains.
"He must have had some of those freedom fighters down there chasing him across those mountains," coach Gunther Cunningham told the paper. "I thought he was joking about (going to Honduras), but he's got a different body. He doesn't look like the same guy.
"I saw him the other day with his shirt off. His stomach's got ripples in it. He's got a different body. There's no question. His energy level is really up there."
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SOCCER
Europe's soccer governing body, the UEFA, is looking into allegations that a Romanian team bribed referees before a game with Austria Vienna ... with a prostitute.
The team contends that the woman was with a folk ensemble in the restaurant where the incident allegedly took place.
WNBA
The three best records remain in the dominant Western Conference where the Los Angeles Sparks hold a slight advantage over the three-time defending champion Houston Comets as both teams rolled to
double-digit wins this week.