By Veronica An Muhammad Ali (born Caccius Clay) steps into the ring one final time to face off with Trevor Berbick in 1981. Ali, nicknamed “The Greatest,” began his professional boxing career in the light heavyweight division of the 1960 Summer Olympics. He captured the world heavyweight boxing championship in 1964. In addition to his…
Category: Sport Icons and Innovators
Today in Sports History: October 17
By Veronica An The STAPLES Center opened on Figueroa Street in Los Angeles in 1999 with a concert by Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band. This $375 million, 20,000-seat sporting arena is home to the Los Angeles Kings who were purchased by Denver-based oil and railroad entrepreneur Philip Anschutz and business partner Ed Roski…
Today in Sports History: October 2
By Veronica An The voice of the Dodgers, Vin Scully, broadcast his final game at Oracle Park in San Francisco. Unfortunately, this game ended in a 7-1 loss for the Dodgers. Scully’s legendary career included over 9,000 games including, 21 no-hitters and three perfect games, over 67 years. The game ended with Scully singing a…
Today in Sports History: September 26
By Veronica An “Baseball broadcasting hero, Milo Hamilton, called his final game in 2012. After a 63-year career as a sportscaster, Hamilton called his final game in the Astros broadcasting booth, a 2-0 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals. Hamilton worked for the Astros for 28 years, he previously did play-by-plays for the Browns, Cardinals,…
Today in Sports History: February 28
By Jonah Sharf On February 28, 1987, legendary broadcaster Chick Hearn called his 2,000th consecutive game for the Los Angeles Lakers, a streak that spanned 22 years up to that point. His streak would end on December 16, 2001 at 3,338 consecutive games—it started November 21, 1965. In addition to his streak, Hearn was known for coining…
Today in Sports History: November 29
By Jonah Sharf On November 29, 1927, legendary sportscaster Vin Scully was born. Scully began his career in 1950 calling games for the Brooklyn Dodgers, and remained with the team through everything—including a move to Los Angeles—until 2016. He had an incredible 67-season run with the Dodgers, and has been earned many awards and honors,…
The Future of The Mamba Mentality
By Michael Romanelli Before and since his retirement in 2016, Kobe Bryant and his Mamba Mentality has been inspiring athletes around the world. Kobe defines the Mamba Mentality as “a constant quest to find answers. It’s that infinite curiosity to want to be better, to figure things out. Mamba Mentality is you’re going, you’re competing,…
Leigh Steinberg: Superstar Agent, Superstar Philanthropist
By Jonah Sharf One of the first big-time sports agents and still perhaps the most famous of all time is Leigh Steinberg—indicated best by the fact that he was the inspiration for Jerry Maguire. His first client was Steve Bartkowski, the first overall pick in the 1975 NFL Draft. Steinberg helped pioneer the sports agent…
Today in Sports History: October 2
By Jonah Sharf On October 2, 2016, the legendary Vin Scully called his final Los Angeles Dodgers broadcast, a regular season game against the San Francisco Giants. Scully is known for being one of the greatest baseball broadcasters of all time, his friendly attitude, and his soothing voice. He had an unprecedented run in broadcasting,…
A Career in Sports Photography through the lens of John McDonough
By Jonah Sharf John McDonough never wanted to become a sports photographer—he wanted to be a sports writer—until he was handed a camera by a staff photographer during one of his assignments early in his career. Not long after that, McDonough got a job with the LA Times in San Diego after graduating from Arizona State….
