THE BLEACHER BUM

Love it or hate it, we’re living in an age of instant communication—about everything. And as the Arab Spring and the Occupy movement have taught us, the mini-blog/social networking site Twitter is playing a part in changing the world, 140 characters at a time. While Twitter catches a lot of flack (some of it deservedly […]

It figures. Just as I’m about to get comfortably couch-locked into another marathon of ESPN’s 30 for 30 on Netflix, I turn around, and the fall sports season is upon us. If you’re like me, that can only mean one thing: football. (No offense to the other autumnal sports.) Here on the Central Coast, all […]

It happens once every four years. Over the course of 16 action-packed days, the best athletes in the world gather, each vying for gold in the spectacle of the Olympics. The 2012 Games begin on July 27, and though London may seem like an odd choice for a host given the climate, it’s the third […]

At some point, every athlete is guilty of using one. Under the heat of the lights and cameras of big-time athletics, sometimes desperation strikes, and it’s the only way out. After all, you’ve got to keep up with the Joneses. I’m not talking about performance-enhancing drugs; I’m talking about that bane of writers everywhere: the […]

Since the time of ancient Greece, and probably even before, people have revered exceptional athletes. The best and brightest in the sporting world have often been deified into larger-than-life characters for their physical abilities, which seem to transcend beyond us regular folks.  Traditionally however, the personal side of most athletes has remained secondary to their […]

The start of spring on the sports calendar can best be summed up in two words: March Madness. And what a tournament it’s been; hopefully your brackets (and bank accounts) weathered the storm. Not one, but two No. 15 seeds beat No. 2s in the first round: Lehigh stunned Duke, and Norfolk State toppled the […]

On Feb. 24, the National Basketball Association honored its superstars by kicking off the league’s annual All-Star Weekend event, held this year in Orlando, Fla. Admittedly, I didn’t watch the festivities—and apparently I wasn’t alone. The NBA All-Star break, while largely ignored by viewers this year, traditionally gives players time to reflect on the first […]

Ah, the Super Bowl. That time of year when everyone is a football fan, or at least pretends to be until all the snacks and beer disappear and the neighborhood party’s wrapped up. It’s as much a national holiday as it is a sporting event, and even if your favorite team didn’t make it to […]

Time is running out. The shopping days are counting down like the final minutes of a deciding playoff game. The outcome is in your hands. Will you pull out a game-winning gift or choke in the clutch? Wipe that sweat off your brow and take a breather, Buyer, because the Bleacher Bum is here to […]

I’ll be honest. I was going to sit down to hammer out a caffeinated and vitriolic column about the scandal embroiling Penn State University, and the shocking and unconscionable allegations of abuse against the school’s former defensive football coach, Jerry Sandusky. I wanted to channel all the disgust, all the rage I’ve felt since the […]