Tom Goldman archive

November 13, 2009 For Sunset High School's band, Friday night games help prepare for Saturday competitions. That's when band parents and friends cheer for these champions from Portland, Ore., as lustily as football fans and when judges rate musicianship and movement.

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October 28, 2009 The suspected link between football head injuries and brain problems has been the subject of great debate, and it played out again at a hearing Wednesday before the House Judiciary Committee. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell defended the league and said that the care of retired players was a priority.

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• A Brain Battered By Football

October 23, 2009 The years of hard hits have left former NFL player George Visger with severe memory loss. His doctors warn his brain problems could get worse quickly. While he struggles with his short-term memory, his days as a star high school lineman are vivid and special.

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• Friday Night Lives: Inside High School Football

October 9, 2009 Football is often called controlled mayhem, and we have the officials to thank for the controlled part. But any self-respecting football referee would prefer to be invisible during play. "The best game is one where the officials are totally incognito," say high school football ref Rick Gilbert. But take a close look. There's more than black and white stripes.

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• Read More Stories About High School Football

September 25, 2009 In Unity, Ore., the Burnt River Bulls play in the 8-man football High Desert League — and they often turn out their minimum number of players. But that's not the only challenge the team faces: The majority of the players are international — and they're still learning the basics of the game, not to mention English.

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September 18, 2009 Scroll NFL and college football rosters and you'll see the distinctive names from the Pacific Islands. With their traditionally broad, solid bodies and competitive nature, Polynesians have distinguished themselves at the elite levels of the game. Many start at high schools in Utah.

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• High School Football And Ramadan

August 31, 2009 Thousands of people turned out Friday night to watch the Aplington-Parkersburg High School football team play — and win — its first game since 1975 without legendary head coach Ed Thomas. A former player has been charged with shooting Thomas to death in June.

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August 28, 2009 Tiny Aplington-Parkersburg High in Parkersburg, Iowa, plays its first game Friday since the slaying of its beloved coach, Ed Thomas, allegedly by a former player. The coach was a pillar of the community, and was instrumental in rebuilding efforts after Parkersburg was devastated by a tornado last year.

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August 14, 2009 The 1936 Berlin Olympics are best remembered for Jesse Owens, who triumphed in a dramatic duel in the Olympic long jump against Germany's Luz Long. Although the story of that competition and the men's friendship has been passed down over the years, it may be more myth than reality.

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