By Stephen Hall, Winnie Clark Jenkins, M. Antonio Silas and Ural Garrett

EA Sports, creator of sports games such as Madden, NCAA Football and Tiger Woods Golf, has a substantial lineup, but athletics at historically black colleges and universities have not been part of the mix.

To address that omission, gamers will soon have the opportunity to play a video game that exclusively features HBCUs.

A black-owned company based in Baton Rouge, La., staffed by HBCU alumni, Nerjyzed Entertainment, has created Black College Football the Xperience (BCFx).

"Madden forgot about us, so we [are] doing it ourselves," said Jerry Perkins, promoter for BCFx.

Jacqueline Beauchamp, Nerjyzed Entertainment's chief executive officer, is an aluma of Southern University. Brian "B-Jax" Jackson, the creative design director who said he came up with the idea, is a Howard alumnus.

The game features more than 40 HBCU football teams, as well as their marching bands and cheering squads. Set to hit stores on Nov. 23 for PCs, the game's creators expect it to be available on Microsoft's XBox 360 and Sony's Playstation 3 in February.

BUENOS AIRES (AFP) — Argentina's Los Dogos captured the gay football world cup Saturday, defeating British title-holders Stonewall 1-0 in Buenos Aires in the first final held in Latin America.

The two teams were among 28 squads from Europe, the Americas and Australia that participated in the 10th gay football world championship aimed at highlighting the fight against homophobia and discrimination.

With their victory, Los Dogos, named after an Argentine dog breed, automatically qualified for the 2008 tournament hosted by London.

"The people supported us and I hope it's always like this," said Dogos coach Nestor Gammella, 51, after the final held at the Defensores de Belgrano stadium. "We beat the world champions and we are happy."

It was the first time Latin American teams played in the tournament organized by the International Gay and Lesbian Football Association (IGLFA), with squads from Mexico, Chile and Uruguay.

IGFLA president Tomas Gomez said Buenos Aires was chosen to host the cup this year for its "respect and social acceptance of the gay community."

Buenos Aires is increasingly seen as a gay-friendly city. In 2002, the city's government approved gay and lesbian civil unions

Bounce back

The competition is enjoying substantial support, with backing from the Argentine Football Association - something that would have been unthinkable just a few years ago.

By Daniel Schweimler

More than 500 footballers from 28 countries are getting ready to kick off at the gay World Cup in the Argentine capital, Buenos Aires.

The holders, London's Stonewall FC, are among the favourites, with the US and Argentina providing the closest rivals.

It is the first time the cup has been held in Latin America.

The annual event, in its 17th year, is about serious football and has a serious message, but players also seem keen to enjoy the city's nightlife.

Player and media accreditation was done in a restaurant - while the closing ceremony will take place in a nightclub.

by Damian Wroclavsky, additional reporting by Claudia Gaillard and Miguel Lo Bianco

BUENOS AIRES, Sept 20 (Reuters) - Latin America will host the gay soccer world cup for the first time in the tournament's 16-year history when the event kicks off this weekend in Buenos Aires.

While some Latin American gay football teams have struggled to get official sponsorship, Argentina's official soccer body, the Argentine Soccer Association, is supporting the annual event and providing facilities for the games.

Twenty-eight teams, many representing cities in Europe, the United States, Australia and Latin America, as opposed to countries, will play in the International Gay and Lesbian Football Association's competition.

"That's Tony," says QB Tebow about that peck on the cheek Saturday.

By Michael DiRocco

The quick peck that Florida safety Tony Joiner planted under the left ear of quarterback Tim Tebow on Saturday following Tebow's touchdown run in the Gators' rout of Tennessee was still a hot topic on Monday.

"That's my roommate. I love him," Joiner said after the game. "We've grown close."

The tortured life of Britain's first openly gay soccer star ends in tragedy.

BY TAMSIN TODD

Justin Fashanu died May 1998

Justin who?

That was, more or less, the reaction of the British press when the 37-year-old gay soccer player's body was found hanging in an East London garage. It should have been a big story. Star suicides get headlines, and Fashanu had been a star. At 17, he represented Britain on the junior national team. At 19, as a center forward for Norwich City, he scored a goal that's been voted one of the best in history -- a magnificent long-range shot from far outside the penalty box. In 1980, he was the first black player purchased for 1 million pounds by a British soccer team.

His abilities weren't limited to the pitch. Fashanu had a talent for getting media attention. Intelligent, articulate and charming, he stood out. He gave journalists the stories they wanted: affairs for the tabloids, comments about opera and classical music for the broadsheets. In interviews he let personal details slip, shocking the conformist soccer world. He had, it seemed, the skill of a Pelé combined with the media savvy of a Dennis Rodman.

Director Laurie Lynd says he's shocked by the hateful comments aimed at his "sweet film" about tolerance — Breakfast with Scot, or the "gay hockey movie" as it has been dubbed.

But if the movie can score at the box office as a result, Lynd says he doesn't mind.

In the movie playing this week at the Toronto International Film Festival, Canadian actor Tom Cavanagh plays a gay former Toronto Maple Leaf who works as broadcaster for a major sports network.

Former Chelsea player Graeme Le Saux, who was dogged with rumours about his sexuality throughout his career, has said that homophobic taunts nearly drove him out of the game altogether.

In his autobiography Left Field, to be published next week, the footballer names players who taunted with anti-gay comments.

Le Saux accuses former England captain David Beckham of calling him a 'poof' although he also says he does not believe Beckham is a homophobe.

ROME (AFP) — Jamaican Asafa Powell set a new men's world 100m record of 9.74sec at the IAAF Grand Prix at Rieti, Italy, on Sunday, beating his old mark of 9.77 set in Athens in June 2005.

The 24-year-old Powell had predicted in Stockholm at the beginning of August that he felt he was capable of beating the world record this year.

When asked about his physical limits, he said they were around "9.74 or 9.73, even below 9.70."

Powell dominated the race ahead of Norway's Saidy Ndure Jaysuma (10.07) and 2003 world champion from St Kitts and Nevis, Kim Collins (10.14).

At the Osaka world championships on August 26, the Jamaican failed to win the 100m title, finishing third in 9.96sec behind Americain Tyson Gay (9.85) and Derrick Atkins of the Bahamas (9.91).

Gay had held till this record-breaking run the fastest time of the season of 9.84sec, set on June 22 in Indianapolis

Bounce back

David Kopay, a University of Washington alum who was the first athlete on an American professional team to come out as gay, has pledged $1 million to the UW's Q Center, whose mission is to create an inclusive and celebratory environment for people of all sexual orientations.

"The greatest gift we can give one another is the vision and beauty of life," Kopay said in a statement released by the UW with the announcement of the gift this morning. "I continually hear from people all over the world that my act of coming out especially when I did in 1975 has empowered them in their search for self and to see their vision. Hopefully my million-dollar pledge will influence others to support the University and the Q Center continue to help others to do just that."

Jim Morris' physique was more than incredible when he won the title in 1973. It still is at age 72.

Mr. America of 1973 stood in a Marina del Rey gym of 2007, exhorting a new pupil to hold a little longer on the leg extension machine despite that torturous burning sensation in the quads.

"Just get that contraction as intense as you can," he counseled.

Jim Morris, who turned 72 on Friday, wears a loose-fitting gray sweatshirt when he trains clients. Although he entered his final bodybuilding competition at age 61 -- he won -- and plans to stay a personal trainer as long as there's rent to pay, Morris is now shy about the very thing that brought him fame: showing off his physique.

OSAKA, Japan (AFP) — Nine days of sweat and tears at the World Athletics Championships ended with the United States firing a clear warning to China ahead of next year's Olympics.

China have made noises about wanting to overhaul the Americans at the top of the medals table in Beijing, but they won't be making much of a dent on the track and field.

As expected, the United States led the medal haul here with 14 gold. Kenya came second with five, thanks to their incomparable distance runners, while Russia was third. China was a distant 11th with a single gold to Liu Xiang.

LAS VEGAS — LeBron James put a record finish on the U.S. team's dominance in the desert.

James scored 31 points — a team record for an Olympic-qualifying tournament game — and the United States beat Argentina 118-81 Sunday to win the FIBA Americas championship.

James, who plays for the Cleveland Cavaliers, made 11 of 15 shots, including 8 of 11 three-point attempts. James surpassed Carmelo Anthony and Allen Iverson, who both play for Denver and shared the previous record of 28 points in an Olympic-qualifying game.

"We came here for one reason and that was to get the gold medal," James said.

Sprint king Tyson Gay has confirmed he will be going for three golds at the Olympics in China next summer.

Gay, 25, won the men's 100m and 200m at this week's World Championships in Osaka before helping the United States team to 4x100m relay gold.

"Yes, I want to do all three," he said when asked about his plans for Beijing.

"Never in a million years did I think I would win three golds (in Japan)," added Gay, who emulated compatriot Maurice Greene in achieving the feat.

LAS VEGAS (AFP) — Carmelo Anthony had a game-high 27 points and Michael Redd scored all 23 of his in the second half as the United States hammered Puerto Rico 135-91 to book a spot in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Once again the heavily-favoured US dominated their opponents and kept their perfect record intact in the FIBA America's Olympic qualifying tournament by winning their ninth-straight game in Las Vegas.

"It was a real yeoman's performance," American coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "We will be better prepared for China after being together these few weeks."

The United States moves on to Sunday's anti-climactic final to face Argentina which also booked its berth in next summer's Olympics by beating Brazil 91-80.

OSAKA, Japan (AFP) — Tyson Gay romped to the 200 metres world title on Thursday, giving him a rare sprint double, as super mum Jana Rawlinson won Australia's first medal of the championships in the 400m hurdles.

Gay, 25, joined an exclusive club that includes fellow Americans Maurice Greene and the disgraced Justin Gatlin as the only men to win both the 100m and 200m crowns.

He never looked troubled as he raced to the line in 19.76 seconds ahead of Jamaica's Usain Bolt in 19.91 and countryman Wallace Spearmon in 20.05.

"Oh, it feels so great. Maurice Greene is one of my idols and I am proud to do the double like him," said Gay.

"Usain Bolt came out so fast and I had to work hard to catch him. I should be thankful to him to make this such a fast race.

"I have two golds and I want the third in relay."

OSAKA, Japan: Tyson Gay collected a third gold medal at the world championships when he helped the United States win the 4x100-meter relay Saturday in 37.78 seconds.

Gay ran the third leg on the bend and handed off to Leroy Dixon, who held off world record holder Asafa Powell on the straightaway.

Powell's Jamaicans were second in a national record 37.89 and Britain was third.

Gay won the 100 and 200 sprints and the relay title makes him only the third man to win triple golds at a single world championships meet.

Carl Lewis did it in 1983 and 1987, combining the 100, 4x100 relay and long jump. Maurice Greene did it in 1999 at Seville, winning the 100, 200 and relay.
Bounce back

Argentina will play host country to the world's first gay and lesbian world soccer championship to be held later this month.



by Chris Pycroft

Gay football players will converge on Buenos Aires, Argentina later this month to take part in the first Lesbian-Gay World Soccer Championship.

The event is taking place after joint agreement and support by the Federation of International Football (FIFA), the Argentina Soccer Association (AFA) and Argentine Homosexuality Community (CHA).

CHA President Cesar Cigliutti welcomed the news, stating “AFA is going to back up the World Championship. It is going to help with referees and get them a stadium to play the final, among others. And Julio Grondona (AFA vice-president) told us that he personally is going to the inauguration to support non-discrimination in soccer.

“The World Championship is a sports and political event with a clear message: every player has the right to calmly express his sexual orientation without any kind of prejudice.”

The week long championship commences on 23 September, and will have both male and female teams from countries including Argentina, Australia, Canada, Chile, Denmark, England, Iceland, Ireland, Mexico, United States, Uruguay and Venezuela.

Bounce back

LAS VEGAS, Nevada -- Cleveland Cavaliers star LeBron James put on a show worthy of Las Vegas Wednesday, scoring 26 points in the United States' 118-79 victory over Uruguay in the FIBA Americas Olympic qualifying tournament.

Uruguay had the temerity to take an early lead, but the United States quickly erased it and led by more than 30 points for most of the second half. They forced 16 turnovers and shot 64 percent to remain unbeaten in the tournament.

James led five US players in double figures. Amare Stoudemire of the Phoenix Suns added 19 points, Deron Williams of the Utah Jazz chipped in 14 and Los Angeles Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant 13.

By David Byrd

Kenyan athletes have won four medals, including two golds, on the fourth day of the World Athletics Championships in Osaka, Japan. As VOA's David Byrd reports, the Kenyans won gold in both men's and women's races.

Kenya has traditionally dominated men's steeplechase, and Tuesday was no exception. Kenyans swept the medals with Olympic silver medalist Brimin Kiprop Kipruto taking gold in eight minutes, 13.82 seconds.