Sports

Billie Jean King, seen here in 1977, learned to play tennis on the public courts near her Long Beach, Calif., home.

Sports

Pioneer Billie Jean King Moved The Baseline For Women's Tennis

5:03pm September 12, 2013

A new PBS documentary looks at King's legacy as both a tennis champion — she has a record 20 Wimbledon titles — and the leader of a female player uprising that demanded fairer treatment and pay. She tells Fresh Air about the challenges of being a female player before there was a women's league.

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Sports

Dave Goren: Sports Merchandise = Big, Big Bucks

11:25am September 11, 2013

Sports is big business, accounting for about half-a-trillion dollars a year, according to one survey last year. In today's Sports Commentary, Dave Goren discusses how much merchandise sales affect that bottom line...

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Diana Nyad's Accomplishment Makes America's Cup Look All Wet

7:54am September 11, 2013

by Frank Deford

America's Cup yachts can gracefully skim above water at better than 40 mph, but Frank Deford says when he looks back at the seven seas in 2013 he'll remember 64-year-old Nyad "plowing, all by herself, freestyle, through 100 miles of surf from Havana to Key West."

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New Head Of Olympic Committee Faces A Number Of Challenges

6:05pm September 10, 2013

The International Olympic committee (IOC) has elected a new president, Thomas Bach of Germany. He assumes leadership of an organization that faces criticism over politics, costs and what some view as its insular approach to which sports are offered during the games. The new president succeeds Jacques Rogge, who lead the IOC for 12 years.

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NASCAR Nastiness Results In Sport's Biggest Fine Ever

6:05pm September 10, 2013

Audie Cornish talks to Nate Ryan — senior motorsports for USA Today Sports — about the NASCAR controversy at Saturday's Sprint Cup championship. NASCAR has leveled its biggest fine ever — $300,000.

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Members of the Bay Area Association of Disabled Sailors sail every weekend near San Francisco's Pier 40. The all-volunteer group serves people with a range of physical, developmental and mental disabilities.

Sailors With Disabilities Find Freedom On The Water

5:21pm September 10, 2013

by Emily Green

Every week, a group of people with a range of disabilities hits San Francisco Bay. They sail using specially rigged boats; one woman controls her boat using only her chin. Sailing offers a sense of independence for the participants, some of whom are confined to wheelchairs while on land.

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Sports

Wrestling Keeps Hold On Olympics And Avoids Cut

6:26pm September 08, 2013

Olympic wrestling fans have been anxious the last few months. The sport had been dropped from the games. Then the International Olympic Committee reversed course and decided to keep the sport as part of the summer Olympics. Weekends on All Things Considered host Jacki Lyden speaks with NPR's Mike Pesca from Buenos Aires.

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Sports

Former Champion Makes Case For Squash As An Olympic Sport

1:01pm September 07, 2013

Members of the International Olympic Committee will consider Saturday whether to add baseball-softball, wrestling or squash to the 2020 Olympics. Host Scott Simon talks to former world champion squash player Jonathon Power, who feels squash is a lifetime sport with a fanatic following.

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Sports

History Repeats Itself At Women's U.S. Open

1:01pm September 07, 2013

Serena Williams will take on Victoria Azarenka in the U.S. Open final. Host Scott Simon talks to NPR's Tom Goldman about tennis, as well as the season opener of the NFL.

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Olympic Committee To Announce 2020 Summer Games Host

2:22pm September 06, 2013

Saturday in Argentina, the International Olympic Committee will announce the host of the 2020 Summer Games. The committee is choosing from among Istanbul, Madrid and Tokyo. The contenders all have strong selling points, but each also has serious issues clouding its bid.

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