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Pacquiao One Bout Away From Mayweather Match

Manny Pacquiao of the Philippines and Joshua Clottey of Ghana

attend a news conference in New York City to promote their upcoming fight

It is 7:13 a.m. in Los Angeles and Manny Pacquiao, the world's best pound-for-pound boxer, is jogging on a public high school track. There are palm trees in the distance, and the low hum of traffic on I-10 is starting to turn into a low roar as the Filipino boxer, clad in a red tracksuit, dashes around the dirt oval despite a painful shin splint. A handful of early-arriving students hang on the chain-link fence surrounding the track and watch him do his work. The Pac-Man is preparing for his March 13 fight against Joshua Clottey, a dangerous but relatively unknown welterweight from Ghana. The $49.95 pay-per-view fight is billed as "The Event" but could easily be called "The Letdown."

Just three months ago, boxing was preparing for its version of the Super Bowl. Fresh from his mega-fight win over Miguel Cotto, Pacquiao had begun negotiations with Floyd Mayweather Jr., a brash welterweight whom non-sports fans know best from his appearance on Dancing with the Stars. The proposed battle was being compared to some of the greatest matchups in boxing history. Even people who had given up on boxing or hadn't really thought about it much were talking about the Pacquiao-Mayweather fight, which would probably earn each boxer $40 million, the most lucrative match ever. 

But negotiations became so acrimonious that they descended to the level of bad soap opera. Mayweather insisted on Olympic-style random blood testing, which Pacquiao refused, saying that drug-testing rules should be decided by boxing commissions, not individual fighters. Though suspicions were raised that Pacquiao was on some sort of performance-enhancing drug, the Filipino boxer — who has won an unprecedented seven belts in seven weight classes, putting on 40 lb. throughout his career — has never tested positive for banned drugs. He says he is willing to submit to random urine testing.  

Pacquiao's camp says the boxer refused the blood testing because he is superstitious and doesn't want to give blood so close to fight time. He was blood-tested a couple of days before his fight with Erik Morales, and lost. "It made me weak," says Pacquiao, who is suing Mayweather for sullying his reputation. There is speculation in some boxing gyms that Mayweather knew about Pacquiao's aversion to pre-fight blood testing and used it as a tactic to duck him. But Mayweather insists that he simply wants to reform the sport's drug policies. "I am taking a stand," he says, adding, "I should get to choose who I want to fight." But by allowing the negotiations to collapse, Pacquiao and Mayweather quickly became defined as the boxers who wouldn't fight each other. "I think Floyd is scared of Manny," says Freddie Roach, Pacquiao's trainer. "I think the public is disgusted by the controversy, but they still want the fight to happen."  

To fill the vacuum and assuage dissatisfaction, each boxer decided to take on formidable interim opponents. Pacquiao will fight Clottey, and Mayweather will battle "Sugar" Shane Mosley on May 1. The hope is that if Pacquiao and Mayweather both win their respective fights, they will work out their differences and fight in the fall. "My nails are going to be bitten down to the bone waiting until May 2," says Ross Greenburg, president of HBO Sports, which is hoping to televise the Pacquiao-Mayweather spectacle.

Pacquiao doesn't seem to be taking his current opponent for a pushover. Clottey has a 35-3 win-loss record, and 21 of those wins were by knockout. He stands 5 ft. 8 in. tall to Pacquiao's 5 ft. 6 in. and has a strong chin and the muscled body of a boa constrictor. But Pacquiao came into his training camp in great shape, and his sparring at the Wild Card Gym in Hollywood has been crisp and lively; Roach predicts a knockout. Still, it could be a tactically riveting duel, because Clottey likes to lean on the ropes, while Pacquiao will probably try to dive in close, hit him with combinations and then get out of the way of Clottey's uppercuts. 

Mayweather (40-0, 25 KOs) also has a tough opponent. Mosley is a wily 38-year-old who twice defeated Oscar De La Hoya. (Both Mayweather and Mosley have agreed to random blood testing.) Richard Schaefer, CEO of Golden Boy, which is promoting the fight, predicts that HBO will sell 3 million pay-per-view buys to make it the biggest fight in boxing history. It will also be shown in theaters nationwide.

While waiting to meet in the ring, Pacquiao and Mayweather will compete at the box office. Pacquiao's last several fights have been at Las Vegas' MGM Grand, a 17,000-seat venue, against marquee opponents. His bout against Clottey will be held at Texas Stadium (45,000 seats for the event, and ticket sales have been brisk). But because Clottey was a last-minute replacement for Mayweather with no natural fanbase in the U.S., HBO declined to feature the fight in its popular 24/7 series (it did so for several of Pacquiao's previous matches), and the media tour was shortened to only two cities. Bob Arum, Pacquiao's promoter, chose not to sugarcoat it. "To be frank, we had to overcome disappointment," he says. "People were looking forward to a Pacquiao-Mayweather fight." 

Mayweather's match will be staged in the smaller MGM Grand, but it will get the full buildup with a four-episode Mayweather-Mosley 24/7 series on HBO. Mayweather spent last week on a three-city media tour, generating interest in his bout with outlandish theatrics, which included a shoving match with Mosley. Some of the crowd at the Los Angeles event chanted, "Manny! Manny!," but they were drowned out by "Money! Money!," Mayweather's nickname.

Yet both fighters' handlers, as well as Mayweather and Pacquiao themselves, appear unwilling to compromise on the blood-testing issue. Meanwhile, fans descend upon Pacquiao's training gym every day in hopes of catching a glimpse of him. He has had to spend more time than he wanted answering questions about blood testing, steroids and Mayweather — a nemesis who has clearly gotten under his skin. "I have never seen him so angry," says Roach. 

If a Pacquiao-Mayweather détente can somehow happen, it needs to be soon, while the men are still at their prime. Pacquiao, who is 31, is running for Congress in the Philippines and starting to hint at retirement. Mayweather, 33, has already come back from one retirement. If Pacquiao can beat Clottey and Mayweather is victorious over Mosley, then the fight for the two men's legacies will begin again — at the negotiating table.

 

2012 Summer Olympics: London Learns from Vancouver Games

The construction site just off east London's Pudding Mill Lane is a hive of activity. To a sound track of saws, whirring engines and vehicle horns, workers are shifting earth, laying roads and scaling a cavernous steel-framed structure. On a viewing platform overlooking the site, a steady stream of people gather to watch the development take shape. Many linger: a dedicated coffee shop at one end of the platform offers hot drinks amid the crisp, wintry weather.

London's construction workers had better get used to the scrutiny. With the Vancouver Winter Games now concluded, attention will switch to the British capital — which was awarded the 2012 Summer Games five years ago — as it races to get ready. Learning from the last host city will be vital. While the sports on show in London will be different from those in Vancouver, the Canadian city's experience "gives us real food for thought," Sebastian Coe, chairman of London's organizing committee, told reporters ahead of the closing ceremony on Feb. 28. London, he said, would "use this information to ensure we stage a Games for everyone." 

Coe, part of a 50-strong London delegation that studied the Winter Games firsthand, divides the lessons he and his colleagues learned into "four Ss" — sport, service, stadiums and sites. The team is set for a full debrief in the next few weeks. Ahead of that, here's a quick TIME guide for London:

Get the atmosphere right, and you're golden. Canadians bought into the Vancouver Games in a big way, and that played a key part in their success. London's organizers applauded Vancouver's party atmosphere, while International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge reckoned that locals had "embraced the Olympic Games like no other city in the world before."  

Building such an atmosphere in London will be crucial. Plans are in place to put up dozens of big screens throughout the U.K. by 2012, mimicking the sites in and around Vancouver that offered people without tickets the chance to feel part of the action. 

Locating about a quarter of the 2012 venues outside of London should also help stoke Britons' interest. Within the sprawling, densely populated capital, though, organizers "need to carefully plan how they're going to control, handle and manage the crowds to make sure everyone's safe and not gridlocked," says Ed Hula, editor of Around the Rings, a publication on the Olympics. 

Give locals something to cheer about — but don't overdo it. Sports fans will doff their cap to a great performance by any competitor. In Vancouver, it was hard to see past American skier Lindsey Vonn or South Korean figure skater Kim Yu-na. But the sporting success of the home nation helps set the tone for an Olympics. Just ask Canada's rabid ice hockey fans. Canada topped the gold-medal count this winter, and the U.K. will be under pressure to deliver in 2012. Recent history is encouraging: Britain finished fourth in the medals table in Beijing and landed its biggest gold-medal haul in a century.

But the other lesson from Canada is that you can go too far. The country's "Own the Podium" initiative — a $110 million program designed to put Canada on top of the medals table — generated almost as much criticism as podium finishes. The plan limited rivals' access to facilities like the sliding and speedskating tracks, prompting protests from foreign competitors. Some even suggested that it contributed to the tragic death of Georgian luge competitor Nodar Kumaritashvili. Others claimed that it heaped too much pressure on the home nation's athletes. London chair Coe has defended the initiative in recent days; a two-time Olympic track champion, he knows all about high expectations. But managing expectations, and limiting the grumbles of others, will surely be in London's interest.

When you invite the world to a party, there are going to be glitches. Transport snarls, a lack of early snow and a mechanical snafu during the opening ceremony prompted one British newspaper to label Vancouver a contender for "worst Games ever." But minor hitches are inevitable. So too is a little criticism. What matters is how you react. "Success is measured in part or determined by how well you respond or how you cure inefficiencies early on," says Hula. And in that sense, "[Vancouver] did very well." 

For London, as with any host, it underlines the need for "testing, testing, testing," as Rogge urged for the Vancouver Games. The message seems to have got through. "We have an entire year built in to make sure we test, test, test," says Joanna Manning-Cooper, spokeswoman for the London organizing committee. In 2011, organizers will try out all 26 of the Games' venues, mounting everything from "mass participation jamborees" to full-blown international meets in order to test catering, toilets, turnstiles and transport.

Selling more obscure sports cleverly can work. Demand for many of the 9 million tickets that London organizers plan to sell will be fierce. For some events, though — think handball — organizers know they may have to coax fans along. But that doesn't mean it can't be done. Few Britons had ever heard of ski cross before the Vancouver Games, but the event, which pits four skiers simultaneously against one another over an undulating course, drew millions of television viewers. London organizers have been busy drawing up marketing plans to help push the lower-profile events. Vancouver may have given them some ideas. 

Merchandising matters. O.K., so we've known that for a while. But ever since the over-commercialized Atlanta Games in 1996, host cities have made a big deal of being all about the sports while treating merchandising like a necessary evil. Vancouver proved it doesn't have to be that way. The enormous success of the red mittens — sales of the $10 gloves generated more than $12 million for Canadian sports — "helped us clarify our thinking around what could become the iconic collector's item of the Games," says Manning-Cooper. 2012 umbrella, anyone?

Steelers' Ben Roethlisberger accused of new sexual assault - VIDEO

For the second time in a year, Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger (FSY) is being accused of sexual misconduct, with a police investigating him Saturday for an alleged assault at a nightclub in a Georgia college town.

Police in Milledgeville were examining the claim of a 20-year-old student, who told an officer that Roethlisberger sexually assaulted her early Friday. The police department had no plans to comment until at least Monday.

The case comes as Roethlisberger faces a lawsuit filed in July by a woman who says he raped her in 2008 at a Lake Tahoe hotel and casino, an allegation he strongly denies. Roethlisberger, who was not in custody, has not been criminally charged in either case and has claimed counter-damages in the lawsuit.

Still, to hear it on the airwaves in Pittsburgh, this latest situation seems to have shaken fans of the star quarterback, a man who has never hidden the fact he enjoys the nightlife. He has been spotted gambling in Las Vegas and is sometimes seen in public with small groups of friends and bodyguards.

The latest accusation came in downtown Milledgeville, about 85 miles southeast of Atlanta and about 30 miles south of the lake home the player owns. Roethlisberger, who turned 28 on Tuesday, and two or three friends went to Buffington's bar earlier Thursday night to watch the University of Pittsburgh men's college basketball game, said Paul Kurcikevicus, a 24-year-old college student.

He said the group was friendly, at first joking that Roethlisberger was not the NFL player. Kurcikevicus said Roethlisberger bought shots for him and some other people: "O-Bombs," a mixture of energy drink and flavored rum.

The group later went to The Brick restaurant nearby, owner Frank Pendergrast said.

"He was very polite with everybody," Pendergrast said. "He was down here from about 11:30 until about 1:30 having a good time, talking to a lot of people. Looked like he was signing autographs and letting people take pictures. Other than that, it was really uneventful."

Roethlisberger was later seen at Capital City, a popular nightclub for students at Georgia College & State University.

One bar patron, 21-year-old college student Brandon Harris, said he saw Roethlisberger come in with two or three big men who were keeping other club goers away. Harris said the group went into a curtained VIP area in the back of the club, and some women were let inside.

Amber Hanley, a 21-year-old college student, said she and a few friends were also in the VIP area with Roethlisberger. She said she asked the quarterback to take a photo with her friend, whose boyfriend was a fan, but he seemed disappointed that's all she wanted. Hanley said she rolled her eyes, and Roethlisberger called her an expletive and walked away. Later, Roethlisberger was aggressively hitting on another girl, Hanley said.

Deputy Police Chief Richard Malone said Roethlisberger had been with three other people who were mingling with another group that included the alleged victim. Malone said the woman and her party contacted a nearby police officer following the alleged assault.

The nature of the assault was not described, but Malone did say it was being termed a sexual assault.

Roethlisberger and the alleged victim were interviewed and the woman was taken to a hospital, where she was treated and released, Malone said. The woman was not identified by police and The Associated Press does not generally identify possible victims of sexual abuse.

Some fans said the latest allegation made them question Roethlisberger's character.

"At the same time, I can see how someone in his position could be a huge target for somebody looking to make a quick buck or get a settlement out of something," said Chris O'Neill, of Harrison City, Pa. "While I don't think he has the greatest character, I do want to believe in both of these instances that he was wrongfully accused and I hope that's what comes out when the truth is revealed."

Police said Roethlisberger and his attorney were cooperating with investigators.

The player's agent, Ryan Tollner, said in a statement he was skeptical of the motive of the alleged victim in Milledgeville because of the previous Lake Tahoe allegations. Steelers spokesman Dave Lockett said the team was gathering information and had no comment.

As Pittsburgh's first-round draft pick out of Miami of Ohio in 2004, Roethlisberger led the Steelers to Super Bowl victories in 2006 and 2009. He has frequently donated time and money to charities, and his charitable foundation awards a police dog to a department near every Steelers road opponent.

However, with his championships and $102 million contract have come several off-the-field problems. In 2006, he defied his coach's orders and rode his motorcycle without a helmet — and wound up with a concussion, broken jaw and other injuries after a wreck.

And while Roethlisberger has a reputation for patiently signing autographs and posing for pictures while out in public, he also is known for occasionally inelegant behavior in Pittsburgh. Early in his career, he was photographed — obviously after imbibing in alcohol — wearing a T-shirt reading "Drink Like a Champion." Restaurant owners in Pittsburgh have complained he has tried to skip out on bills, arguing he brought business to the establishment.

Fan Julie Muckle of Cranberry Township, Pa., said Roethlisberger was hanging out with the wrong people.

"I'm 24 and if I want to go out to a local bar, I know where I can find him. I feel like he needs to hide himself a little more and be with a better group," Muckle said.

The public largely supported him when he was accused of sexual assault in Nevada. But radio shows in Pittsburgh have been flooded with calls since Friday's allegation — few of them sympathetic, with many wondering if the new case indicates a troubling pattern of behavior.

"As a sports fan, sometimes we compartmentalize how we view players, and my view as Roethlisberger might decline as I learn more about the situation, but I will still respect him and like him as an athlete," said Matthew DiFiore, 20, of Moon Township, Pa. "Off the field, there may be questions coming into my mind about his character."

Michael Jordan returns to executive role

"The most competitive (former players), like Jordan, can't be satisfied with taking orders or being part of somebody else's management team," says former New York Yankees publicist Rick Cerrone, now an image consultant. "They need to call the shots and do their own hiring and firing."

Commissioner David Stern says there's no lingering bad blood between owners and Jordan, the five-time MVP who led the NBA to new heights of popularity and profits in the 1990s.

Jordan, 47, is the sole investor "at the moment" in his MJ Basketball Holdings LLC, Stern says, but he might decide to bring in other backers. Jordan will undergo background and financial checks, then have his application voted on by other owners. Stern expects his bid to be approved by the end of the month.

"I couldn't be more thrilled for North Carolina, for the Bobcats, for the NBA and for Michael," Stern says.

Stern dismisses the idea that having Jordan signing the checks will give the club a leg up with free agents. Most NBA franchises are managed or coached by former stars, he notes.

But the magic of Jordan's name and fame could pay dividends in a basketball-crazy state where the struggling NBA team competes for ticket and sponsorship sales with college powerhouses Duke and North Carolina, as well as the NFL's Carolina Panthers.

Jordan, who was raised in Wilmington, N.C., led the Tar Heels to the national championship in 1982 before winning six NBA championships with the Chicago Bulls. If the longtime Madison Avenue pitchman can market the Bobcats the way he has marketed himself for 25 years, the club could turn around financially.

"If I was selling sponsorships, I'd like to take him on a call," Stern says. "If I was doing an open house for season ticketholders, I'd ask him to stop by."

Joe Maloof, an owner of the Sacramento Kings, says it's "wonderful" the NBA's greatest star is putting his money where his mouth is. The challenge for Jordan, Maloof says, will be handling losing seasons — and realizing the buck now stops with him.

"The final risk is always with the owner. Everything stops at the top," Maloof says.

Jordan has struggled to find a second act to one of the greatest careers in sports history. He joined the Wizards as president of basketball operations in 2000, only to come out of retirement and play two more seasons before retiring for good in 2003.

He tainted his reputation by selecting Kwame Brown as the first overall pick in 2001, and his performance in Charlotte as head of basketball operations has been spotty. The Bobcats have never made the playoffs.

Superstars such as Jordan typically don't make the best coaches or leaders, says Donny Deutsch, chairman of Deutsch Inc. advertising agency. Sure, Jordan gives the Bobcats a "patina of sexiness." But the "jury is out" on his credentials as an executive, Deutsch says. Can Jordan put a winning team on the floor?

"You could make the argument that (Dallas Mavericks owner) Mark Cuban is more suited to run a team, even never playing a game of ball in his life but being a very successful entrepreneur/businessman," he says. "Whereas Jordan has not proved that yet."

Doug Collins, who coached Jordan with the Chicago Bulls and later was hired by him to coach the Wizards, defends his front-office performance, even the Brown pick: "I think Michael gets judged on one thing — the pick of Kwame Brown. Everybody wanted to pick Kwame Brown."

But even Collins wonders how Jordan, a fierce advocate for players during the 1999 labor lockout, will come down if there's a lockout in 2011 as many expect.

"Michael is the ultimate competitor. I think for him now, he feels like he can put his fingerprints on this organization," Collins says. "Michael knows he has a tremendous challenge ahead. That's one of the things that's always driven him. ... He wants a team that has a chance to compete for championships. He's going to want people in that arena watching his team."

Besides Jordan and Mario Lemieux of the NHL's Pittsburgh Penguins, few former players hold controlling interests in major sports franchises. But Cerrone expects more wealthy ex-jocks to take controlling or minority stakes in sports teams.

"Derek Jeter will someday have an ownership role, maybe with the Yankees," Cerrone predicts. "I think the Yankees will want to keep Derek as tied to the franchise as possible."

Sidney Crosby shows greatness with gold-winning goal - VIDEO

CONGRATULATIONS CANADA

 

The greatest players in their sport do it when it matters most.

It doesn't matter if they played well, or poorly. They have the skill set to win a game at any time.

That's what Sidney Crosby did on Sunday afternoon to lead Canada to a 3-2 win over the USA and a gold medal.

Crosby had been a non-factor the entire game, failing to squeezing off two forgettble shots in regulation, including a flubbed breakaway. But in overtime, he made a play for the ages.

Crosby split a pair of defensemen as he sprinted into the USA's zone with the puck. He couldn't control the puck, and it went into the corner, but Jarome Iginla scooped it up, in part, because Crosby had occupied two defenders.

As he fell down, Iginla slid a pass to Crosby, who snapped a hard wrist shot between Ryan Miller's pads.

Suddenly, the man who had done nothing all game, created a moment that will last a lifetime for Canadians.

 

 

 

Jayson Williams gets five-year sentence in shooting case

Former NBA star Jayson Williams was sentenced to five years in prison Tuesday for fatally shooting a hired driver in 2002, ending an eight-year legal odyssey by tearfully apologizing to the victim's family. He will be eligible for parole in 18 months.

Williams, avoiding a retrial on a reckless manslaughter count that deadlocked the jury at his 2004 trial, pleaded guilty last month to aggravated assault in the death of Costas Christofi in February 2002. At the same 2004 trial, he was acquitted of aggravated manslaughter but convicted on four counts of covering up the shooting.

The sentences on the assault and cover-up counts will run concurrently. State Superior Court Judge Edward Coleman went along with a plea agreement that spelled out the five-year prison sentence and the potential for Williams to be released as early as summer 2011.

In court Tuesday, a tearful Williams turned and apologized to Andrea Adams, Christofi's sister, saying "there's not a day I wake up that I don't feel sorry for what I did to Mr. Christofi and that I put you through this."

Adams wrote in a letter read by a court employee that the punishment "didn't fit the crime" and spoke of "eight years of agony watching Jayson Williams prance around and live his life and acting like nothing happened."

Williams paid Christofi's family more than $2 million in 2003 to settle a wrongful death lawsuit.

He had been free on bail since being charged in 2002, but was taken from the courtroom in handcuffs to begin serving his sentence.

Most of the facts of the shooting are not in dispute. Christofi had driven Williams and several of the basketball player's friends to Williams' mansion after taking them to a local restaurant.

Williams admitted at his plea hearing last month that he gave the group a tour of the house and showed them his gun collection in his bedroom. While showing off a double-barreled 12-gauge shotgun, Williams admitted, he failed to check the safety mechanism and inspected only one of the two barrels before snapping it shut.

The gun fired, striking Christofi once in the chest and killing him. Witnesses testified that Williams tried to cover up his involvement by initially placing the gun in Christofi's hands and instructing those present in the bedroom to lie about what happened.

"Had the defendant exercised one ounce of caution that night, Gus Christofi would still be alive and we wouldn't be here," Deputy Attorney General Steven Farman said Tuesday.

The legal wrangling in the case eventually took on a life of its own, beginning with a change of venue for the trial from Hunterdon County, the site of the shooting, to Somerset County.

In 2007, defense attorneys tried to get the case tossed out after Hunterdon County Prosecutor J. Patrick Barnes divulged that a white investigator in his office had used a racial slur to describe Williams, who is black, in a 2002 meeting.

Williams, who turned 42 on Monday, played nine seasons with the Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Nets before a leg injury forced him to retire in 2000. He was in the second year of a six-year, $86 million contract.

He became an NBA analyst for NBC but was suspended after Christofi's shooting. He attempted a short-lived comeback in the minor league Continental Basketball Association in 2005.

 

 

Williams has suffered several recent personal setbacks.

His wife filed for divorce last year, but has attended some of his recent court appearances.

Police used a stun gun on him in a New York hotel last year after a female friend said he was acting suicidal. He was charged with assault in May after allegedly punching a man in the face outside a North Carolina bar, but charges were dropped. His father, E.J., with whom he owned a construction business, died in South Carolina in November.

Last month he was charged with drunken driving after he crashed his SUV in Manhattan. Prosecutors said his blood alcohol level was more than twice the legal limit.

"To my family, please forgive me for the pain I've caused you," Williams said Tuesday as he read from a statement. "You deserve a better father, a better brother and son than I have been. I am not a bad man, but I acted badly on Feb. 14. I will work endlessly to improve myself and make positive contributions to society."

Tiger Woods And The Culture Of Celebrity Cheating

 

Following the affairs of Tiger Woods, John Edwards, Mark Sanford and dozens of other prominent men who've been caught up in sex scandals over just the past two years, it's tempting to ask whether there's something about the famous and powerful that makes them more likely to cheat.

The answer is both yes and no.

"If you're famous, even if you look like a beluga whale in a suit, you're going to be far more attractive to people than you were in high school," said Keith Campbell, a University of Georgia psychologist.

Occasions of Sin

Powerful and famous men tend to be presented with more "occasions of sin" than, say, carpenters and teachers. Power may be the "ultimate aphrodisiac," as Henry Kissinger put it back in 1973, and people in entertainment and politics tend to be away from home a lot more often than most people.

But celebrities don't need any special circumstances to cheat. David Letterman's tactics were time-honored: those of the older boss hitting on the staff.

Attention Will Be Paid

Of course, it may only seem like celebrities stray more than average men. It's hard to get good data on adultery, which is all based on self-reporting in social science surveys. Researchers can't be sure that people are telling the truth about infidelity one way or another. The best estimates suggest that at least 15 percent of men will cheat sometime during their first marriage.

When men in the general population stray, and they get caught, only their wives' divorce lawyers will care. They're not going to dominate news coverage for days the way Woods and Sanford did.

Celebrities and politicians are "subject to more scrutiny, and they also have enemies who are eager to put this into public view," said Jack Pitney, a political scientist at Claremont McKenna College.

'Legends In Their Own Minds'

That's not to say there isn't something about people who succeed in high-profile professions that makes them liable to temptation. Pursuits like politics and sports require enormous self-confidence, as well as the ability to win the affection of strangers.

"People don't arrive at these positions if they're passive or let other people take credit," says Charles Goodstein, a psychiatrist at New York University.

Once they reach peaks of power and fame, their innate confidence often translates into a willingness to take risks. Powerful men become "legends in their own minds," as Goodstein says, imbued with the sense that they can get away with anything they want because of who they are.

"He [felt he] was entitled to seek out and obtain what he craved, instantly." That's something historian Robert Dallek wrote in his biography of John F. Kennedy, but Dallek could have just as easily been describing any man who feels that flings should count among the spoils of success.

"I convinced myself that normal rules don't apply," Woods said during his public mea culpa Friday. "I felt that I was entitled."

It's A Guy Thing?

Though there have been some high-profile examples of women in power getting caught cheating (see the case of Irish politician Iris Robinson, who was exposed last month for having funneled thousands of pounds to her teenaged lover), for the most part, it does generally seem to be powerful men who stray.

That gender bias tracks with trends in the general population: Married women commit adultery less frequently than men — perhaps as few as 5 percent, according to psychologist David Schmitt of Bradley University in Peoria, Ill.

But it also may reflect some differences in what men and women find sexy, suggests Gunnbjorg Lavoll, a psychologist at Northwestern University.

"Attractive women find power extremely attractive," Lavoll says. "Attractive men in general don't talk about powerful women as attractive."

Volunteering for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver is Unpaid, Stressful, Exciting

Volunteers work at the ski jump at Whistler Olympic Park during preparations for the Winter Games

 

They're scattered around Vancouver clad in blue jackets, as ubiquitous as the city's rain. There are 18,500 volunteers at this year's Olympics who are helping ticket holders find their seats at venues, giving directions to confused guests wandering the streets, driving around dignitaries and printing out stat sheets for cranky, sleep-deprived journalists. Some 95% of them are Canadian, and though the athletes from the host country are trying to toughen up under the "Own the podium" rallying cry, the Canadian volunteers are living up to their country's reputation for being incredibly gracious and friendly. The rest come from places as far away as China, Russia and New Zealand.

The volunteers must pay their way to Vancouver and use up precious vacation days, or else take unpaid leaves, from their day jobs. They subject themselves to endless pestering over 10-hour shifts. They do it for the perks, right? Aren't the volunteers guaranteed tickets to a few choice events? "Oh no, nobody gets anything for free," says Sharon Schapansky, an accountant from Penticton, B.C., who chose to forego billable hours in order to drive around the doctors from the International Olympic Committee. "The IOC members get the tickets; we have to pay like everyone else."

For every three days the volunteers work, however, they get a sticker with a picture of Quatchi, one of the Olympic mascots, stamped on the back of their identification badge. For every Quatchi sticker, they might get a pin or some other small token of appreciation. And once they get three or four Quatchi stickers, rumor has it, the volunteers get a Swatch.

So why do these folks work so many hours? "It's a chance to be part of one of the biggest events in the world," says Kalum Iverson, 33, an oil company account manager from Langley, B.C. He's also driving around dignitaries. "I didn't want to miss out." Iverson remembers waking up in the middle of the night during the 1998 Olympics to watch the hockey games being broadcast from Nagano, Japan. Since then, he has wanted to be part of the Olympics in any capacity.  

Iverson, a hockey nut, did score two free tickets — to a cross-country skiing event held 2½ hours from Vancouver. "Look, I'd give up a lot of my life to be at Canada Hockey Place watching all the games," says Iverson. "But I'm still a part of something. This whole experience makes we want to go to the next Olympics to help out."

Some people are abnormally amped up for their mundane tasks. Instead of tending to her patients, Crystal Boser, a chiropractor from the Vancouver suburb of Maple Ridge, is volunteering to stand on a downtown city street for 10 hours and direct the media to their proper buses. "So many interesting people come by here and ask different questions," says Boser. "Figuring out the answers is a challenge." She's got the media bus routes down cold but loves it when strangers ask her about Vancouver's public transportation.

Boser says no one has yelled at her yet. She's one of the lucky ones. Granted, some volunteers are pretty clueless, giving you three different answers to the same question. And too often, they pester attendees for the wrong reasons. For example, ushers at the speedskating venue are fond of telling people to clear out of empty areas for fear of blocking traffic, ignoring the fact that the area is empty.  

Still, the volunteers take much more abuse than they deserve. According to a manager of a group of volunteers, several IOC officials like to take late-night trips to Sochi House, where the Russians are partying hard and promoting the 2014 Olympics, which they will be hosting. Several suits have asked volunteer drivers to wait past midnight for a ride and then complained when the volunteers went home rather than stick around for the tipsy bigwigs. (In fairness, the manager did say that this same group of IOC officials gave away 50 event tickets to the volunteers.)

One of the toughest places for the volunteers to operate, it seems, is the curling venue. "I find that there's a lot of drunk people at curling," says Sue Andrykew, a mail carrier from Windsor, Ont., who took a month off to volunteer and is crashing on a friend's futon. A few days ago, a woman screamed at Andrykew, demanding that she move some people who were blocking her view of the sheet. As if that's not bad enough, too many smokers are lighting up in nonsmoking areas.

Is Andrykew at least getting a chance to enjoy Vancouver's vibrant nightlife? "Oh, at the end of the day I'm too tired for anything like that," she says. So if she could do it all over again, she surely wouldn't sign up, right? "Absolutely I would," Andrykew says. She points to Quatchi on the back of her badge. "I'm excited to go to work to get some more stickers."

 

 

Tiger Woods apologizes and denies rumours of domestic abuse [VIDEO]

 

Tiger Woods hugs his mother Kultida after his apology for "irresponsible" behavior, made at his first public statement since revelations of his affairs surfaced in late 2009.

 

Tiger Woods publicly apologized on This morning for his infidelity to his wife, Elin, saying he was “deeply sorry for my irresponsible and selfish behaviour.”

“I was unfaithful, I had affairs, I cheated. What I did was not acceptable and I am the only person to blame,” Woods said at his first public appearance since admitting he cheated on his wife and announcing in December he was taking an indefinite break from golf.

“I brought this shame on myself.”

He said he intended to return to professional golf one day, but “I just don't know when that day will be.”

Woods, one of the great golfers of all time and a huge draw for sponsors, said that he had undergone 45 days of therapy and had “a long way to go.”

He said he would be returning to the treatment centre – which he did not identify – starting on Saturday.

The 34-year-old American was speaking to reporters at the headquarters of the U.S. PGA Tour in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.

He defended his wife and denied media speculation that there had been physical violence between the couple. The speculation arose after a bizarre minor car accident outside his Florida home Nov. 27, when he ran his SUV over a fire hydrant and into a tree.

“Elin never hit me that night, or any other night. There has never been an episode of domestic violence (in our family),” Woods said.

Woods spoke to a small group of “friends, colleagues and close associates” in the Sunset Room on the second floor of the TPC Sawgrass, home of the PGA Tour. Just one video camera broadcast the event and there were no questions.

His statement came during the Match Play Championship, sponsored by Accenture, the first company to drop Woods as a pitchman.

Ernie Els was among players who were upset to learn that Woods had chosen the week of a World Golf Championship for a public appearance that was sure to take attention away from the tournament. “It’s selfish,” Els told Golfweek magazine.

Finchem told reporters in Marana, Ariz., earlier this week that he didn’t think Woods’ appearance would undermine Accenture, and that Woods’s handlers “have their own reasons for their schedule.’’

In the letter, he said the tour discussed the timing with Accenture and “they understand that the PGA Tour was not involved in determining the timing of the statement.” Finchem also noted that Woods’s comments would be over well before television coverage of the third round from Dove Mountain.

The PGA Tour made available its sprawling, Mediterranean-styled clubhouse for the announcement, and was helping set up adjacent ballrooms at the nearby Sawgrass Marriott for media, where they watched Woods on closed-circuit TV. Finchem said in the letter that Woods’s management asked for the facilities, and “we agreed as we would for any member of the PGA Tour.’’

No other PGA Tour player could command this kind of attention, though.

Woods is one of the most recognized athletes in the world. Television ratings double when he is in contention, which has happened a lot on his way to winning 71 times on the PGA Tour and 14 majors, four short of the record held by Jack Nicklaus.

No other athlete had such a spectacular fall. Accenture and AT&T have ended their endorsement contracts with him, and Woods has become the butt of jokes on everything from late shows to Disney performances.

In the hours leading up to his appearance, it already was shaping up as a major event.

Along with familiar faces, Woods’s management team invited limited media.

“This is not a press conference,” Mark Steinberg, Woods’ agent, said on Wednesday.

Three wire services — the AP, Reuters and Bloomberg — were invited. The Golf Writers Association of America was offered a pool of three reporters, negotiated for six reporters, then its board of directors voted overwhelmingly not to participate.

“I cannot stress how strongly our board felt that this should be open to all media and also for the opportunity to question Woods,” said Vartan Kupelian, president of the 950-member group. ``The position, simply put, is all or none. This is a major story of international scope. To limit the ability of journalists to attend, listen, see and question Woods goes against the grain of everything we believe.’’

Woods had not been heard in the 78 days since a magazine released a voicemail he allegedly left one of the women to whom he has been romantically linked, warning that Woods’s wife might be calling.

 

Michael Jordan determined to buy Bobcats

Michael Jordan has been called the NBA's greatest player, a supreme competitor and top pitchman.

Jordan soon could have a much different role: team owner.

Charlotte coach Larry Brown said Monday night that Jordan has told him he's doing all he can to buy majority control of the Bobcats from owner Bob Johnson.

"He said he's doing his best to put himself in a position to get the team," Brown said after practice. "He wants it badly."

 

Johnson is eager to sell the unprofitable club, and NBA commissioner David Stern said Saturday he expects a deal to be completed within two months.

While Stern has said Jordan owning the team "would be a good thing," he may have competition. Former Houston Rockets executive George Postolos has made inquiries, and it's possible if Postolos gets control Jordan would no longer have a role with the team.

Jordan, currently a part owner with the final say on basketball decisions, would have to put an ownership group together and agree with Johnson on a price. Jordan declined comment Monday through a team spokesman.

"I didn't talk to him about the particulars," Brown said of his conversation with Jordan last week. "He just told me don't believe everything you read in the paper and I'm trying my hardest to get this thing done. I'm hopeful that at the end of the day Michael will be running the Bobcats."

Postolos, who once worked as an assistant to Stern in the NBA offices, has been in talks with Johnson for months.

"I am still not talking to media about Charlotte," Postolos wrote in an e-mail to The Associated Press on Monday.

Jordan currently has a unique role in Charlotte. While he runs the basketball operations, he's not officially a team employee and rarely attends practices or games. But he was able to lure Brown, a fellow Hall of Famer, to coach the Bobcats and Charlotte (26-25) is in position to make its first playoff appearance this season.

"Anytime I read a possibility that Michael is not going to be involved it impacts my family and me because I came here because of him," said Brown, in his record ninth NBA head coaching job. "Now after I got here I realized there were a lot of real plusses for being here. But again, I wouldn't have thought about it and I've been thrilled since I've gotten here with the arrangement."

Guard Raymond Felton (FSY) was even more confident that a deal would be struck to make one of North Carolina's most popular figures owner of the state's NBA team.

"From what I've been hearing it's probably going to happen," Felton said. "So I hope it works out and he gets the team."

Johnson, the founder of Black Entertainment Television and the first black majority owner of a major professional sports team, also wasn't talking Monday. He has declined interview requests for months.

What's clear is Johnson is looking to unload the Bobcats. After paying $300 million for the expansion franchise that began play in 2004-05, Johnson has lost tens of millions of dollars each season as the Bobcats have struggled to draw fans and find sponsorships.

But after five losing seasons, the Bobcats sit in sixth place ahead of Tuesday's game against New Jersey.

"(Johnson) wanted the snow in Dallas to freeze the season so that the Bobcats would go right to the playoffs for the first time," Stern joked at his news conference Saturday. "So I think they have done a good job of putting a team together."

Jordan has had a role in that since buying into the team in 2006 and getting control over basketball decisions. After a rocky beginning that included drafting the disappointing Adam Morrison (FSY), he's made several moves that have helped the team, including November's acquisition of Stephen Jackson (FSY) from Golden State.

Owning a team outright would be another milestone for the six-time NBA champion.

"He's as good a player as we've ever had in this sport. He's a wonderful guy," Brown said. "I think when the NBA bounced back, Magic (Johnson) and Larry (Bird) and then Michael sustained it. A lot of people owe a lot to him. I don't think David Stern takes that lightly. I think he admires Michael and realizes what he means to our sport.

"I just think we've got to have him involved. ... I just can't see the NBA without him being involved."