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Michael Jeffrey Jordan (born February 17, 1963) is a former American professional basketball player, active businessman, and majority owner of the Charlotte Bobcats. His biography on the National Basketball Association (NBA) website states, "By acclamation, Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player of all time." Jordan was one of the most effectively marketed athletes of his generation and was instrumental in popularizing the NBA around the world in the 1980s and 1990s.

After a standout career at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he was a member of the Tar Heels' National Championship team in 1982, Jordan joined the NBA's Chicago Bulls in 1984. He quickly emerged as a league star, entertaining crowds with his prolific scoring. His leaping ability, illustrated by performing slam dunks from the free throw line in slam dunk contests, earned him the nicknames "Air Jordan" and "His Airness". He also gained a reputation for being one of the best defensive players in basketball.

In 1991, he won his first NBA championship with the Bulls, and followed that achievement with titles in 1992 and 1993, securing a "three-peat". Although Jordan abruptly retired from basketball at the beginning of the 1993–94 NBA season to pursue a career in baseball, he rejoined the Bulls in 1995 and led them to three additional championships (1996, 1997, and 1998) as well as an NBA-record 72 regular-season wins in the 1995–96 NBA season. Jordan retired for a second time in 1999, but returned for two more NBA seasons from 2001 to 2003 as a member of the Washington Wizards.

Jordan's individual accolades and accomplishments include five MVP awards, ten All-NBA First Team designations, nine All-Defensive First Team honors, fourteen NBA All-Star Game appearances, three All-Star Game MVP awards, ten scoring titles, three steals titles, six NBA Finals MVP awards, and the 1988 NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award. He holds the NBA records for highest career regular season scoring average (30.12 points per game) and highest career playoff scoring average (33.45 points per game). In 1999, he was named the greatest North American athlete of the 20th century by ESPN, and was second to Babe Ruth on the Associated Press's list of athletes of the century. He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2009.

Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Phil Jackson

Jordan is also noted for his product endorsements. He fuelled the success of Nike's Air Jordan sneakers, which were introduced in 1985 and remain popular today. Jordan also starred in the 1996 feature film Space Jam as himself. He is the majority owner and head of basketball operations for the NBA's Charlotte Bobcats, having won a bidding war to buy controlling interest in the team from founding owner Robert L. Johnson.

*This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article for Michael Jordan.

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Ski Dubai

July 8th 2011 03:13

Ski Dubai as seen from Mall of the Emirates

Ski Dubai is an indoor ski resort with 22,500 square metres of indoor ski area. It is a part of the Mall of the Emirates, one of the largest shopping malls in the world, located in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Inside Ski Dubai

Opened in November 2005, the indoor resort features an 60-meter high indoor mountain with 5 slopes of varying steepness and difficulty, including a 400-metre-long run, the world's first indoor black run, and a 90-metre-long quarter pipe for snowboarders. A quad lift and a tow lift carry skiers and snowboarders up the mountain. Adjoining the slopes is a 3,000-square-metre Snow Park play area comprising sled and toboggan runs, an icy body slide, climbing towers, a snowball shooting gallery, an ice cave and a 3D theatre. Other attractions include a mirror maze and a snowman-making area.

Ski Runs

Winter clothing, ski and snowboard equipment are included in the price of admission.

Ski Dubai Chair Lift

An extremely efficient insulation system helps the facility maintain a temperature of −1 °C during the day and −6 °C at night when the snow is produced.

View from the Avalanche Cafe in Ski Dubai

*This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article Ski Dubai.

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Fencing

December 27th 2010 01:19

Fencing, also called modern fencing to disambiguate it from styles of historical fencing, is a family of combat sports using bladed weapons.

Fencing is one of the four sports which have been featured at every one of the modern Olympic Games. Currently, three types of weapon are used in Olympic fencing:

Foil — a light thrusting weapon; the valid target is restricted to the torso, the chest, shoulders, and back; double touches are not allowed (see priority rules below). This weapon follows the rules of "right of way." In the 17th century it used to be named fleuret and it was developed in France.

Épée — a heavy thrusting weapon; the valid target area covers the entire body; double touches are allowed. There is no "right of way" in épée.

Sabre — a light cutting and thrusting weapon; the valid target area is the saddle line, which is from one side of the fencer's hip to the other, and up, this also includes the head. The target area does not include the hands. This weapon follows the rules of "right of way." The sabre is also used for training because of its light weight.

Modern fencing originates in the 19th century, as a direct continuation of the 18th century French school of fencing which had in turn been influenced by the Italian school of the Renaissance.

Below are images and information about the 2010 World Fencing Championships. Read the full article at Boston.com here.

Ukraine's Olena Khomrova (left) faces Russia's Dina Galiakbarova during their women's team sabre final.

A fencer holds a foil during a Fencing world championships women's foil qualifying match.

Germany's Peter Joppich prepares to face China's Lei Sheng in the men's foil final match.

Alim Latreche (right) of France and Hu Daoliang of China compete in the final of the wheelchair foil competition.

In a multiple-exposure image, Romania's Gelu Florin Zalomir (left) faces Belarussia's Aliaksandr Buikevich for the bronze medal during the men's team saber match.

*This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia page for Fencing.

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Most Dangerous Cliff Jumps on Earth

September 22nd 2010 02:49

Cliff Diving, Cliff Jumping or Tombstoning is the practice of jumping into the sea or similar body of water from a cliff or other high point.

The jumper often enters the water vertically straight, like a tombstone.

As pointed out on this article on Environmental Graffiti, cliff jumping has long traditions in some cultures as an initiation rite. There are many famous cliff jumping sites around the world and even modern competitions.

However, sometimes before tombstoning participants don't perform the necessary safety checks such as depths, currents and hidden obstacles. As such, many cliff jumpers injure or kill themselves each year.

In the images below, see the professionals taking on the most dangerous cliff jumps around the globe.

Kimberley, Australia

With its many cliffs, waterfalls and mountains, Australia’s Kimberley region, in the west of the country, offers many cliff diving opportunities, some of them up to 28 m (84 ft) high. Known for its inland rather than ocean cliff diving, Australia will soon become popular with amateur cliff jumpers; however, only organized cliff jumps should be undertaken.

Negril, Jamaica

Locals of this Caribbean island put on spectacular show of jumps of between 12-21 m (40-70 ft) in the Blue Mountains, an ideal spot for cliff divers, and the limestone cliffs on Negril’s west side. However, as beautiful as these cliffs are, they are also treacherous and for serious divers only.

Dubrovnik, Croatia

This city on the Adriatic Sea has hosted the World Series Cliff Diving Competition twice already – once in 2000 and again in 2009. In 2009, the divers were really challenged when they had to complete eight consecutive dives from 26 m (85 ft).

Lake Verbano, Italy

Lake Verbano was the site of the most spectacular cliff dive in 1998. At a height of 26 m (86 ft), WHDF foundation member Frederic Weill dove from a helicopter with an armstand double somersault pike with split head first entry into Lake Verbano. This provided him with an entry in the Guinness Book of World Records.

Polignano a Mare, Italy

Polignano a Mare in Italy not only has a beautiful name but also a natural cliff diving arena. It recently hosted the 2010 Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series – an event that drew 40,000 spectators. Cliff jumpers dove from a height of 26 m (85 ft).

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Most Memorable Moments At Wimbledon

July 21st 2010 04:05

The Championships, Wimbledon, or simply Wimbledon, is the oldest tennis tournament in the world and is generally considered the most prestigious. It has been held at the All England Club in the London suburb of Wimbledon since 1877. It is one of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments, and the only one still played on the game's original surface, grass, which gave the game of lawn tennis its name.
This last century the Wimbledon Championships have seen many epic encounters and emotional moments that will live on in tennis folklore.
SportsIllustrated takes a look at 10 of the most memorable moments in the history of the tournament. Read the full article here.

Best moments at Wimbledon. Nadal vs Federer

The Greatest Match Ever Played - 2008

"This is the greatest match I've ever seen," said John McEnroe. The match -- the longest men's final in Wimbledon history -- was a 4-hour, 48-minute, twice-rain-delayed, five-set spectacle between the world's two most skilled players at the peak of their abilities. At the conclusion, the second-ranked Nadal achieved his first Wimbledon championship, 6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-7 (8), 9-7, while preventing the top-ranked Federer from winning his record sixth in a row.

Becker Becomes a Star - 1985

In 1985, 17-year-old Boris Becker, a virtual unknown, exploded onto the scene at Wimbledon, where his powerful serve, endless energy and charisma soon made him a star. By defeating Kevin Curren in the final, Becker became the youngest male Grand Slam singles champion (17 years, 7 months).

Borg Defeats McEnroe - 1980

In a true clash of opposites, the stoic Bjorn Borg and his baseline game butted against the emotional John McEnroe and his net mastery, a rematch of the previous year's U.S. Open won by McEnroe. This epic test of endurance was highlighted by a 22-minute tiebreaker in which McEnroe fended off five match points to claim the fourth set 18-16. Yet Borg persevered to win the deciding fifth set, claiming his fifth straight Wimbledon crown.

Court Outlasts King - 1970

Sealing the title on her sixth match point, Margaret Court outlasted Billie Jean King 14-12, 11-9 in a two-hour, 28-minute match. Court would go on to win the Grand Slam that year, making her the second of only three women to accomplish that feat (Maureen Connolly Brinker, Steffi Graf).

Longest Match Ever Played - 2010

American John Isner and France's Nicolas Mahut took part in an epic three-day battle at Wimbledon, with Isner finally prevailing 6-4, 3-6, 6-7 (7), 7-6 (3), 70-68. The first-round match, which was twice suspended because of darkness, lasted 11 hours, five minutes -- with the fifth set taking 8 hours, 11 minutes alone. The unbelievable showdown shattered a number of records; Isner finished with 112 aces, and Mahut had 103, with both totals eclipsing the sport's previous high of 78.

Federer Defeats Roddick - 2009

Andy Roddick had his serve broken one time in 77 games during the 2009 final, and one time was all Roger Federer needed to win his record-setting 15th Grand Slam title. In an epic 4-hour-16- minute-affair, Federer won 5-7, 7-6, 7-6, 3-6,16-14 to eclipse Pete Sampras on the all-time Slam list.

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Surfing In Bali

July 7th 2010 01:00

Bali is an Indonesian island lying between Java to the west and Lombok to the east.

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Pinnacle Moments in World Cup History

July 5th 2010 00:21

There have been 19 soccer world cups since the first back in 1930, with each one having its heroes, villains and defining moments.
Some of these moments are so spectacular or significant, they become immortalised in football legend.
Sports Illustrated takes a detailed look at the 20 most memorable moments in world cup history. Below are some of the biggest, see the remainder here
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World Cup Golden Boot Winners

June 30th 2010 03:24

The Golden Boot Award goes to the top goal scorer of the FIFA World Cup.

The award was introduced at the first World Cup in 1930. Since 1994, if there is more than one player with the same amount of goals, the tie-breaker goes to the player who has contributed the most assists. If there is still more than one player, the tie-breaker goes to the player who has played the least amount of time

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Unbreakable Baseball Records

June 16th 2010 02:48

The Baseball Records That Will Never Be Broken

Baseball is a game of statistics and records. The old saying goes that records are made to be broken, but as Sports Illustrated discovered, there are some records that cannot be touched. Read the full article here
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All Time Greatest NBA Playoff Shots

June 9th 2010 00:28

An entire season can rest on one shot in a fraction of a second. The pressure is enormous and the outcome can change careers.
Sports Illustrated takes a look at the most clutch playoff shots in NBA history.
Below is a selection, see the full set here
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Wayne Gretzky

April 23rd 2010 01:23

Wayne Gretzky, (born January 26, 1961) is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey player. Nicknamed "The Great One", Gretzky is generally regarded as the best player in the history of the NHL, and has been called "the greatest hockey player ever" by many sportswriters, players, and coaches. Upon his retirement on April 18, 1999, he held forty regular-season records, fifteen playoff records, and six All-Star records. He is the only NHL player to total over 200 points in one season—a feat he accomplished four times. In addition, he tallied over 100 points in 15 WHA/NHL seasons, 14 of them consecutive. Gretzky's jersey number, 99, has been retired by all teams in the National Hockey League.

The images below were taken from this article on Sports Illustrated. Many more rare photos of Wayne Gretzky can be seen here
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Winter Paralympics

April 14th 2010 23:36

As reported in the Big Picture on Boston.com, over 500 athletes from 44 countries around the world have once again descended on Vancouver Canada, for the 2010 Vancouver Winter Paralympic Games. After a separate torch relay and opening ceremony, competitors faced off in five different sports: Sledge hockey, Wheelchair curling, Alpine skiing, Biathlon, and Cross-country skiing - the last three broken into classes of sitting, standing and visually impaired.
Below are some pictures from this year's games. View the full article here.

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History of Olympic Torches

March 31st 2010 02:42

The Olympic Flame or Olympic Torch is a symbol of the Olympic Games. Commemorating the theft of fire from the Greek god Zeus by Prometheus, its origins lie in ancient Greece, where a fire was kept burning throughout the celebration of the ancient Olympics. The fire was reintroduced at the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam, and it has been part of the modern Olympic Games ever since.

In contrast to the Olympic flame proper, the torch relay of modern times which transports the flame from Greece to the various designated sites of the games had no ancient precedent and was introduced by Carl Diem at the controversial 1936 Berlin Olympics

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