Broadside Sports

Ryan Dempsey, Staff Writer

Take a Walk in Jordan’s Shoes

In recent months, NBA superstar Michael Jordan has been in the spotlight, most notably from his induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame. Last week, Jordan was in a new spotlight as his son, Marcus Jordan, refused to wear any shoes other than Nike.

Marcus Jordan, a freshman guard for the University of Central Florida men’s basketball team, started practice with his teammates. According to Fanhouse.com, Marcus Jordan let team officials know he would stick with Nike, despite the school having a contract with Adidas that “requires all intercollegiate athletes and coaches to wear its brand.”

Despite the difference in shoes, Jordan will wear Adidas’ team jersey like everyone else.

However, this has not been the first time an athlete at UCF has not worn Adidas. According to athletic director Keith Tribble, there has been at least one kicker on the football team who wore different shoes because of the way the Adidas brand fit.

Fergie to be Part-Owner of Dophins?

At the NFL owners meeting in Boston early last week, Stacy Ann Ferguson who is also known as Black Eyed Peas singer and solo artist  Fergie, was approved to be a minority owner of the Miami Dolphins.

Fergie has not yet become officially a part-owner since she is currently in Australia touring with the rest of the Peas. Once Fergie reaches a deal and signs the paperwork, she will have ownership.

According to Sportingnews.com, once-Dolphins’ owner Stephen Ross “reaches a deal with Fergie, she will be the last of the team’s so-called celebrity investors.”

The Dolphins have a history of having celebrities around, with musicians Jimmy Buffett, Gloria and Emilio Estefan and Marc Anthony, and tennis stars Serena and Venus Williams being part-owners of the franchise.

Tennis Pros Complain of Hard Schedule

Early last week, tennis star Andy Roddick voiced his opinion regarding the Association of Tennis Professional’s decision in lacking a tennis offseason. Tuesday, Roddick has to withdraw from the Shanghai Masters due to knee pains, and he isn’t the only one.

As of Thursday, seven players retired from the Shanghai Masters after just four days of play. The injury list includes current U.S. Open champion Juan Martin del Potro, Tommy Haas, Jose Acasuso, Mischa Zverev, and Gael Monfils. Not included in this list are Roger Federer, who left due to fatigue, and Andy Murray, who left due to a wrist injury.

Rafael Nadal has also been out of the tennis spotlight due to a knee injury followed by an abdominal injury during the U.S. Open. Nadal, Federer and Serena Williams have now joined Roddick to voice their opinions.
Missing a match could be a very costly occurrence for Williams, who holds the number one women’s world ranking over Dinara Safina by an extremely small margin. One thing is for sure, if something doesn’t change soon, there will be no one left to play.