Add Feedback | Send this Article | Published 2/14/03

Graphic By: Matt Witherow

Sports has something for everyone. I love the competitiveness, the representation of your team colors, and the heart, desire, and self-confidence it takes to excel. There are just some things about sports that make it one of the greatest aspects of life.

I'd like to present a few segments in tribute to Valentine's Day in the sports world. I've compiled a bunch of random sports topics and explained my love for them. I've also included some fun tidbits on who might be and might not be celebrating Valentine's Day.

Michael Jordan
What is there not to love about this guy? He is the best basketball player ever. I think he is best sports player, because he has done so much for basketball. The reason he has made so many comebacks is because he can still play!

Redskins vs Cowboys
I love rivalries, and this is one of the greatest rivalries of all time. I grew up in Washington, D.C., so most football fans gave their allegiance to the Redskins. Surprisingly, there was a decent amount of Dallas fans who weren't afraid to support their team by wearing the Cowboy colors. With all the press and team rivalry, it's hard not to get excited and become fanatical.

The Cute and Not so Cute Couples
Athletes can love too! It's time to step off the sports court and step into the love court. Using my precise judgment in foreseeing what couples in the sports world will work and which ones won't, I have compiled a list of interesting groups. If there is an athlete or an athletic couple not featured on this list, e-mail dmckinney@radford.edu and I'll be sure to include your nomination in next week's follow up.
Cute: LaVar Arrington and Serena Williams. Rumors are circulating that they have broken up. Nevertheless, I think this couple works. Serena would be bigger than any other guy, but not this fearsome linebacker. I wonder what their kids would look like.
Not Cute: Rick Fox and Vanessa Williams. Rick doesn't deserve to be with Vanessa. He is one of the most overrated basketball players, and she is one of the most beautiful people on Earth. It doesn't make sense.
Cute: Andre Agassi and Steffi Graff. I wasn't sure Agassi was doing the right thing by dumping a beautiful woman like Brooke Shields. However, Graff isn't a bad replacement. The two tennis stars are good for each other.
Not So Cute: Pete Sampras and Bridget Wilson (who played Veronica Vaughn in "Billy Madison"). I'm not the biggest fan of Sampras. I usually root for Agassi. Bridget, you can do better.
Toss up: Anna Kournikova and Sergei Federov or Anna Kournikova and Enrique Iglesias: I've heard so much about this love triangle that I had to do a little scientific research. On firepig.com I spotted that Enrique and Anna have a 49% chance of their relationship working, while a relationship between Sergei and Anna would only have a 15% chance. However, using www.lovecalculator.com and typing in "Dougie Fresh" and Anna, we get a 58% chance of working out. Is yours truly the next guy to win Ms. Kournikova's heart?
Cute: Estella Warren: I don't know who is in her love life, but I really don't think it matters when it comes to this former swimmer, now famous actress. She would make any guy lucky to be with her.

Player(s) most likely not to celebrate Valentine's Day
Some athletes are tough guys and gals on the field/court, but that doesn't mean that they are not loving people in real life. However, there is a select group of athletes whom I don't feel will be celebrating on Feb. 14. Is there an athlete not on this list that you would like to see? E-mail dmckinney@radford.edu and I'll be sure to include your nominations in next week's follow up!
NBA: Dennis Rodman, Bill Lambeer, Jayson Williams, and all of the Portland Trail Blazers.
NHL: Tough call. My vote goes to Darius Kasparitis. But I haven't forgotten about Rob Ray, Byron Dafoe, and the Thrashers.
NFL: Terry Tate, the football player at the office from this year's best Super Bowl commercial. And don't give me that Warren Sapp crap. He's a loveable big teddy bear off the field. On the field he is just a real grizzly.
MLB: John Rocker and Roger Clemens.

It's about that time of the year
The thing that I most love about sports is this time of the year. If I remember how to use math correctly, there is less then a month until the best time of the year. No, not Spring Break, but March Madness: The NCAA basketball tournament. A time when colleges get to show off their school colors and compete in the always-controversial field of 65. Sports and non-sports fans come together for this event every year to fill out the brackets for their various office polls; anyone can come out a winner. The upsets, the buzzer beaters, the cheerleaders, the prime time players, the dunks, and even more cheerleaders. It's awesome, baby! Whoa, sorry for the Dickie V. outbreak. I'm just getting pumped!

So there you have it. The 2003 edition of "Why I Love Sports." Please, if you have a couple that I have forgotten to include, or if you know of anyone who won't be celebrating Valentine's Day, e-mail me!
In closing, I hope everyone will get the chance to follow and fall in love with a sport during their lifetime. Maybe it will get your day started, as it has done for me for over ten years.
With Lots of Sports Love,
Doug "The Fresh Prince" McKinney [an error occurred while processing this directive]