December 2004 Issue :

	Short Takes
	Chivas USA Seeks "Ambassadors"
	Olympic Wannabes Bend the Facts
	Bodyslamming for God
	Old School Boxing Records
	BALCO to Athens, More than 250 Sanctions
	Interviews
	Writer Geoffrey Ward discusses his most recent Ken Burns collaboration, "Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson."
	Publisher Amy Love looks at the state of women's sports magazines.
	Mascot
	Meet Ausca, mascot of the Commonwealth Youth Games

Chivas USA, an off-shoot of the famed Guadalajara-based Mexican League team, will make its Major League Soccer debut next year, as MLS expands to twelve teams. Chivas owner Jorge Vergara is seen as progressive: he runs his health-supplements company, Omnilife, with stringent environmental policies and supports education reform in Mexico. "In Latin American countries we have wasted women in the workforce because of our macho education," Vergara told Sports Illustrated's Grant Wuhl earlier this year. "They have all these qualities that men don't. They're more administrative, more focused, more responsible. When you are around so much feminine energy, you get more creative." What's more, Vergara recently announced plans to start a women's professional soccer league in Mexico in 2006.

Add Vergara . . . That has not stopped Chivas USA from introducing "ChivaGirls," a "female ambassador program" of "bilingual Latina women to serve as community ambassadors" for the team. According to the team's website, ChivaGirls must "possess good public speaking skills, physical conditioning and have experience in dance, choreography and runway. Candidates must be between 21 and 28 years old, weigh between 110 and 135 pounds, and be 5'4" or taller in height." Apparently, these are the "qualities" that Vergara spoke so eloquently about.

The martial sport of pankration continues to misstate its Olympic status (see SportsLetter, September 2001). On the Team USA Federation of Pankration Athlima website, President John Townsley claimed, "Pankration will make its debut at Olympia on August 17, 2004. We are using the site of the ancient Games just a few hundred feet from the place from the Olympic Flame is lighted every four years, at the place where in 648 B.C., ancient pankration athletes fought for the Olive Wreath, glory and the title Olympian . . . we are the only new sport to be allowed a demonstration in 2004. We will still have to cross every T, dot every I, jump through every hoop and cut through fire to become a Medal Sport in future Olympic Games, but the ground work is now in place." In truth, the IOC recognized no demonstration sports at the Athens Olympic Games.

Move over Vince McMahan . . . "Bodyslamming for God" just might be the newest trend in professional wrestling. Atlanta Journal Constitution writer Bo Emerson reports that the Georgia-based Ultimate Christian Wrestling organization stages regular wrestling cards to "get people inside the gospel tent." UCW founder Rob Fields, a high-school English teacher who doubles as "Rob Adonis" in the ring, bans blood, profanity, rude gestures, and bikini-clad ring girls during these matches. "It's live and loud and in your face, but it's something you can bring your mom to," Fields says about the matches that "alternate with testimony, gospel and prayer."

Add wrestling . . . Another Christian wrestling organization is the Rockwall, Texas-based Christian Wrestling Federation. According to its website, its mission is "to be a Christian outreach ministry that shares the love of Jesus Christ, through wrestling events around the world." The CWF also offers instructional classes for aspiring professional wrestlers. "We will teach you everything from mat wrestling to high flying moves and how to work the mic . . . All trainees must attend and participate in Bible Studies, ring practice (twice a week) and event setup."

Baby Face . . . Former boxing champ Jimmy "Baby Face" McLarnin recently passed away at the age of 96. Obituaries about "Baby Face" extolled his punching power. Boxing historian Bert Sugar suggested that the term "best pound for pound" fighter started with McLarnin, not "Sugar" Ray Robinson. But, both The New York Times (November 10, 2004) and the Los Angeles Times (November 27, 2004) made the same mistake in their obituaries of McLarnin, published more than two weeks apart. In the New York Times, Jack Cavanaugh wrote that "Despite an outstanding record that included victories over Fidel LaBarba, Jackie Fields, Billy Petrolle (the Fargo Express), Pancho Villa, Al Singer, Louis Kaplan and Sammy Mandell, McLarnin did not get a shot at the welterweight title until May 29, 1933, in his 71st professional fight." Los Angeles Times boxing writer Steve Springer noted, "Today, if a fighter has a spectacular record after 15 or 20 fights, he begins demanding a title fight. In McLarnin's day, however, with only one title in each weight division and far fewer weight categories, a fighter could spend his career waiting for a precious title shot. McLarnin nearly did, fighting 70 bouts before getting his opportunity against [Young] Corbett." Actually, McLarnin's first title shot came well before his 71st professional bout. In 1928, five years before McLarnin knocked out Corbett in one round to win the welterweight title in 1933, he unsuccessfully challenged Sammy Mandell for the lightweight title. "Nat Fleischer's All-Time Ring Book" (1941) shows the 1928 title bout as McLarnin's 39th fight. The website www.boxrec.com indicates that it was his 43rd. McLarnin lost his first title bout, though he defeated Mandell in two non-title rematches.

Add Baby Face . . . Both Fleischer's book and boxrec.com agree that McLarnin did not have 71 or more pro fights. Fleischer's number is 60; the website says 68.

Last add Baby Face . . . The oldest living boxing champ in the world is Germany's Max Schmeling, who will turn 100 next year.

SportsLetter noted in its last issue that the 20-plus doping incidents reported in conjunction with the Athens Olympic Games represented only a small percentage of all recent doping violations in international sport. In fact, during the twelve-month period between the September 3, 2003 raid on BALCO's offices and the close of the Olympic Games on August 29, 2004, more than 250 athletes were reported to have tested positive, were arrested by civil authorities for possession of performance enhancing drugs or in some other way ran afoul of doping controls. The list of athletes includes world and Olympic champions as well as sub-elite athletes. There are teenagers, masters competitors, and athletes from every region of the world. The penalties imposed ranged from public warnings to lifetime bans. Several athletes were punished for using recreational drugs such as marijuana and cocaine, but the overwhelming majority of incidents involved performance enhancing drugs. For more detail on the criteria used to compile the list see the small print following the table.