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Unsportsmanlike Dunking?

Posted by Trish18 Dec 27, 2006

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Last week in the Chicago Tribune's Redeye, I read that Tennessee basketball star Candace Parker dunked again--but this time she was whistled for a technical foul for showboating.

Parker had her fifth career dunk, and third this season, with 12:56 left in the first half of the Lady Vols game against West Virginia. She stole the ball at one end and jammed it with one hand at the end of a fast break. This time Parker's dunk was more emphatic with the rim making a louder thud, and she finished by popping her jersey. That led officials to confer with each other, and a technical was called.

I can't help but thinking how many male college basketball players dunk the ball and then showboat afterwards, playing to the cameras--not only not getting called for technicals, but being admired as superior athletes. I will admit, I appreciate athletes who put their head down and get their work done, hustling in a unflashy manner. Nonetheless, for those who dunk the ball and pop their jersey to represent their team or even themselves, shouldn't men and women get equal treatment?

(Photo provided by AFP, taken by Mauricio Lima)

447 Views 2 Comments 0 References Permalink Tags: basketball, ncaa, sports-&-gender, trish-oberhaus

Soccer + Volleyball = Sepak Takraw

Posted by Trish18 Dec 27, 2006

!http://active.typepad.com/teamsports/images/72813758_1.jpg![http://active.typepad.com/.shared/image.html?/photos/uncategorized/72813758_1.jpg]I was looking through Sports Illustrated's Most Interesting Pictures of the year and came upon an amazing action shot of an athlete serving the ball in a sport I wasn't familiar with. I was intrigued and, after a little research, found this sport to be fascinating. You might also find it interesting, especially if you are a soccer or volleyball fan.

Sepak Takraw, which literally translates to Kick Volleyball, is a cross between soccer and volleyball. This fast-growing and popular sport in Asia is called Takraw for short and is played on a badminton doubles-sized court. The Takraw ball is traditionally hand-woven and made of rattan stems or very hard plastic weighing approximately 250 grams.

Two teams compete for higher scores by spiking a ball into the opponent��s court. Each team gets three chances to kick, knee, shoulder or head the ball back to the opposing team. Like in volleyball, there are passes, sets and spikes��but the strokes must be made soccer-style: no hands or arms allowed.

The most prestigious tournament of this sport is the King's Cup World Championships, the most recent of which was held in Bangkok, Thailand. As of 2006, there have been 21 King's Cup tournaments.