Sports Blog

U.S. Olympic medalist pursues NFL career

Jeff Demps competes in the Men's 100 meter dash semi final on day two of the USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships at the Hayward Field on June 24, 2011 in Eugene, Oregon.

/ Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images

(CBS News) Jeff Demps, you've just won a silver medal at the London Games in the U.S.'s 4x100 meter relay. How are you going to top that?

Make millions in the NFL, if the sprinter has his way.

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Watch: Phoenix mayor breaks nose at WNBA practice

(CBS/AP) When then-presidential hopeful Barack Obama played a pick-up game with the University of North Carolina men's basketball team in 2008, the players didn't exactly go all-out.

But the Phoenix Mercury had a much different mindset when the city's mayor decided it would be a good photo op to practice with the team on Monday. While running drills with the WNBA team, Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton went up for a rebound against the Mercury's Nakia Sanford and came down with a broken nose.

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Report: NFL season may start with replacement refs

Replacement referee Jerry Hughes catches a football as the New York Giants play against the Jacksonville Jaguars in a pre-season football game August 10, 2011 at EverBank Field in Jacksonville, Florida.

/ Photo by Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images

(CBS News) As the NFL referee lockout drags on through the preseason, the replacement officials have come under great scrutiny from fans, players and coaches. It appears that scrutiny may last into the regular season.

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Olympian crashes into hurdle but limps to finish

Xiang Liu of China hops on the track after getting injured in the Men's 110m Hurdles Round 1 Heats on Day 11 of the London 2012 Olympic Games at Olympic Stadium on August 7, 2012 in London, England.

/ Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images

(CBS/AP) Some of the most enduring Olympic moments are also the most heartbreaking. At the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, injured British runner Derek Redmond limped to the finish line with the aid of his father. Just two days ago at these 2012 Games, Canadian triathlete Paula Findlay, who was battling an injured hip, refused to give up despite finishing in last place.

And now we can add Liu Xiang to the list of inspiring Olympic athletes. The former champion left the Olympics Games in the first heat of the 110-meter hurdles for the second time in a row, clutching his right Achilles after he crashed into the first obstacle.

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Watch: Gabby Douglas' mom on raising an Olympian

(CBS News) In a matter of days, Gabby Douglas has become a household name. The 4-foot-11 16-year-old became the first African-American woman to win an all-around Olympic gymnastics title - the sport's ultimate prize. She's won two gold medals so far and is already on the cover of a Corn Flakes box.

But the rise to the top wasn't easy. As you can see in this video, Douglas has been training for two years with coach Liang Chow in West Des Moines, Iowa and hasn't been home to Virginia Beach since then. Douglas' mother, Natalie Hawkins, discussed the difficulty of living apart from her daughter for so long - and the gratification of seeing her hard work pay off.

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Gabby Douglas the new cover girl for Corn Flakes

London 2012 Olympic Gymnastics all-around gold medalist Gabby Douglas receives her very own special edition box of Kellogg's Corn Flakes, Aug. 3, 2012, London, England.

/ Scott Halleran/Getty Images for Kelloggs

(CBS News) On Friday morning, U.S. gymnast Gabby Douglas woke up with her second Olympic gold medal.

But now the 16-year-old Douglas stands to really strike it rich with product endorsements.

Kellogg's was quick to pounce, putting the golden girl on Corn Flakes boxes just hours after the gymnast claimed the all-around title Thursday.

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Rower leaves Olympics after neo-Nazi ties emerge

German rower Nadja Drygalla competes in Heat 1 of the Women's Eight on Day 2 of the London 2012 Olympic Games at Eton Dorney on July 29, 2012 in Windsor, England.

/ Photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images

(CBS/AP) Here's an unofficial tally of reasons Olympic athletes and coaches have been sent packing from the 2012 London Games: racist tweets, doping, drunk driving, booze-fueled rampages, and throwing badminton matches.

Now we can add a new one to the list: ties to a neo-Nazi group.

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Watch: 90-year-old pole vaulter goes for record

(CBS News) While U.S. pole vaulters are seeking gold at the London Games, another vaulter is setting records back on American soil. He also happens to be 90 years old.

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Watch: Umpire ejects deejay at baseball game

Umpires can be a temperamental bunch. We've seen them eject managers, players, fans - and even mascots.

But booting the "music guy" who plays tunes to entertain fans at the stadium? That's exactly what happened during a recent Daytona Cubs game.

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Family hid deaths from diver until she won gold

China's gold medalists He Zi and Wu Minxia pose on the podium after the women's synchronized 3m springboard diving event at the London 2012 Olympic Games on July 29, 2012 in London.

/ MARTIN BUREAU/AFP/GettyImages

(CBS News) After Chinese diver Wu Minxia and partner He Zi won their sport's first gold medal of the London Olympics with a dominating performance in the women's 3-meter synchronized event on Sunday, Wu was more stoic than ecstatic.

"It feels normal," Wu said in Mandarin. "I really don't have that many emotions."

But her parents would drop an emotional bombshell moments later when they told Wu secrets they had kept for several years, according to media reports.

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Watch: Minor league manager's meltdown

Asheville, N.C. boasts some great attractions: the Blue Ridge Mountains, the Biltmore Estate and world-class beer, to name a few. According to the city's chamber of commerce: "The Asheville area has something to intrigue every visitor."

At the top of that list of intrigue should be Joe Mikulik, the manager of the single-A Asheville Tourists. Mikulik has earned quite a reputation for on-the-field antics and he was up to his old tricks Friday in a game against the Charleston RiverDogs.

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Penn State football to give uniform a makeover?

Penn State tight end Andrew Szczerba takes a knee after their 17-14 loss

Penn State tight end Andrew Szczerba takes a knee after their 17-14 loss to Nebraska in an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 12, 2011, in State College, Pa. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

/ AP Photo/Matt Rourke

(CBS News) In the wake of the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse scandal, Penn State tore down the famed bronze Joe Paterno statue.

Now the university's new football coach Bill O'Brien is apparently angling toward another image makeover: changing the school's iconic uniforms.

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Watch: London double-decker bus does pushups

'London Booster' installation by David Cerny, at the Business Design Centre in London, Britain, July 24, 2012.

/ Rex Features via AP Images

(CBS News) If the Czech Olympic team needs any extra encouragement to train while in London, they need only look out the window of the team headquarters.

That's where an artist has transformed one of the city's iconic double-decker buses into a grunting push-up machine.

According to the Telegraph, Czech artist David Cerny dreamed up the robotic sculpture, dubbed the "London Booster," which features gigantic red arms hoisting the 6-ton vehicle up and down - with a cacophony of labored groaning to boot. Watch video below:

Cerny said he thought the Routemaster bus doing pushups was "universal" because it symbolizes both athletic exercise and a form of punishment.

"It's in a way very ironic, of course," he said.

Ironic, robotic and hypnotic, if you ask passers by.

"It's very eye catching, and very pretty, and really interesting," one Londoner told Reuters TV.

Penn State football players react to sanctions

Daryll Clark #17 of the Penn State Nittany Lions acknowledges fans after being named the MVP of the 2010 Capital One Bowl against the LSU Tigers at the Florida Citrus Bowl Stadium on January 1, 2010 in Orlando, Florida. Penn State won 19-17.

/ Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images

The NCAA took the sanction sledgehammer to Penn State on Monday morning: A four-year postseason ban. Forty scholarships axed over four years. Five years of probation. Not to mention a $60 million fine and the loss of all coach Joe Paterno's victories from 1998-2011, in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse scandal.

Now some current and former players are reacting on social media with a mix of shock, sadness and defiance.

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As Jeremy Lin heads south, so does MSG stock

Jeremy Lin celebrates in the final moments

New York Knicks' Jeremy Lin celebrates in the final moments against the Dallas Mavericks in New York, Sunday, Feb. 19, 2012. The Knicks defeats the Mavericks 104-97.

/ AP Photo/Seth Wenig

(CBS News) It's no secret that Jeremy Lin's value to the Knicks transcended basketball. His story from undrafted Harvard grad to NBA sensation inspired fans worldwide. Interest in the team - and the value of Madison Square Garden shares - skyrocketed after the player burst onto the scene last February.

What a difference a few days makes. Over the last four days, MSG shares have collectively fallen $93 million in value, according to sports business reporter Darren Rovell.

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