Portal:Sports and games/Selected article/Archive
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Portal:Sports and games/Selected article/May 2007
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference (NFC) in the National Football League (NFL) and are the current National Football Conference Champions. The Bears have won nine Professional American Football league championships (eight NFL Championships and Super Bowl XX), trailing only the Green Bay Packers, who have twelve. The Bears have the most enshrinees in the Pro Football Hall of Fame with 26 members.
The club was founded in Decatur, Illinois, in 1919 and moved to Chicago in 1921. The team played home games at Wrigley Field on Chicago's North Side through the 1970 season. With the exception of the 2002 season, they have played their home games at Chicago's Soldier Field every year since 1971. The stadium is located next to Lake Michigan and was recently remodeled in a modernization that has attempted to bring stadium amenities expected by today's fans to a historic Chicago building. The team has a fierce, long-standing rivalry with the Packers, whom they have played in over 170 games.
The 1896 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the I Olympiad, were held in 1896 in Athens, Greece. These games were the first modern Olympic Games and the first Games since Roman emperor Theodosius I banned the Ancient Olympic Games in 393 as part of the Christian campaign against paganism. They were held between Monday, April 6 and Wednesday, April 15, 1896.
An 1894 congress organized by Pierre de Coubertin in Paris established the International Olympic Committee and appointed the Greek capital of Athens as the host city. The Greeks had little experience with organizing sports events, and initially had financial troubles as well, but managed to have everything ready in time.
Although the number of participating athletes was low by current standards, it had the largest international participation for any sports event to that date. In spite of the absence of many of the time's top athletes, the Games were a success with the Greek public. The athletic highlight for the Greeks was the marathon victory by their compatriot Spiridon Louis. The most successful competitor in terms of victories was German wrestler and gymnast Carl Schuhmann.
After the Games, De Coubertin and the IOC were petitioned by, among others, Greece's King George and some of the American competitors in Athens to hold all following Games in Athens. However, the 1900 Summer Olympics were already planned for Paris and, barring the so-called Intercalated Games of 1906, the Olympics did not return to Greece until the 2004 Summer Olympics.
Bullfighting or tauromachy is a tradition that involves, most of the time, professional performers who execute various formal moves with the goal of appearing graceful and confident, while masterful over the bull itself; these manoeuvers are performed at close range, concluding (in Spanish-style bullfighting) with the death of the bull by a well-placed sword thrust as the finale; whereas in Portugal the finale consists of a unique tradition called the pega where men (Forcados) are dressed in a traditional costume, of damask or velvet, with the long knit hats also worn by the famous Ribatejo campinos (cowboys).
Labeled as a blood sport and considered a traditional event by some, or an example of animal cruelty by others, the practice generates heated controversy in many areas of the world, including Spain where the "classic" bullfighting was born. There is contention between supporters of bullfighting — who claim it is a long held and culturally important tradition — and animal rights groups — who oppose bullfighting due to the suffering of the bull and horses during the bullfight.
David Ortiz is a Major League Baseball designated hitter who plays for the Boston Red Sox (since 2003). Previously, Ortiz played for the Minnesota Twins (1997-2002). Nicknamed "Big Papi", Ortiz bats and throws left-handed. He wears the number 34 in honor of Kirby Puckett, a Hall of Famer who also played for the Minnesota Twins.
