Two more barriers broken

Just a few short weeks after a Bush administration advisory commission re-examined Title IX, two more women became pioneers in big-time athletics.

Annika Sorenstam accepted an invitation on Wednesday to play in the Colonial, a PGA Tour event, in May, making her the first female golfer since Babe Zaharias in 1945 to have such an opportunity.

Sorenstam, widely regarded as the best female golfer of all time, has dominated the LPGA Tour as of late, winning 13 events last year and finishing below 10th only three times.

She will hit from men’s tees, but Colonial (7.080 yards, par 70) doesn’t call for as much power as many courses, placing more value on accuracy, Sorenstram’s specialty.

Meanwhile, after a season mired with dissonance and losses, the Tennessee State Tigers had the eyes of the nation in a more positive light Thursday.

Teresa Phillips, the school’s athletic director, became the first woman to coach a men’s Division I college basketball team when Tennessee State lost 71-56 to Austin Peay Thursday night.

Following her one-game suspension of interim coach Hosea Lewis after Monday’s contest against East Kentucky led to a brawl with 19 players ejected, Phillips declared herself coach for one game only on Tuesday.

The only other remaining assistant, Chris Graves, had merely two years of experience, while Phillips coached the Tennessee State women’s team for eleven years, going 212-189, including 12-14 during her first season after the team had been 2-25 the previous year.

All-Stars do 2OT, Jordan last-minute starter

When NBA Commissioner David Stern announced Saturday night that the first round of the playoffs will be expanded from a best-of-five series to best-of-seven, he incited groans from disillusioned fans across the country. Many consider the NBA, with its already lengthy playoffs, to lack the excitement and drama characteristic of, say, March Madness.

Not this weekend.

Kevin Garnett, the game’s MVP with 37 points, led the West to a 155-145 victory over the East Sunday night in the All-Stars’ first double overtime contest ever.

Making yet another stop on his standing ovation-fraught farewell tour, Michael Jordan became a surprise starter for the East when Vince Carter gave up his spot at the last minute.

Controversy regarding the All-Star game had plagued Carter ever since his selection by the fans despite only playing 15 games due to injury.

Jordan’s final All-Star appearance had its ups and downs. He hit a shot late in overtime to keep the East alive and scored 20 points, but took more shots than any other player and missed a dunk in the first quarter.
Golden State’s Jason Richardson was the story on Saturday, earning perfect scores of 50 on three of his four dunks to dominate in the dunk contest and leading the Sophomores to victory in the Rookie Challenge with 31 points.

The final three of those points had fans buzzing. Richardson hit a three-pointer after bouncing a pass to himself off the forehead of opponent Carlos Boozer.

Pay for play?

Governor Mike Johanns of Nebraska recently announced his support for a legislative proposal to pay University of Nebraska football players.

Many critics of the NCAA, including Johanns, cite college football players as unpaid “workers” for an industry that rakes in millions of dollars a year.

State Senator Ernie Chambers introduced the bill, which would require football players to be paid a stipend, and only go into effect if three other states with Big 12 Conference football teams pass comparable laws.

Compiled by Laurie Stein