From ballet to soccer...worlds most dangerous sports?

Last blog post I wrote about the incredible story of the Bolshoi ballet director in Russia who was splashed in the face with acid. Police believe it was directly linked to his job. As director...of a ballet company.

This week, we travel from Russia to Egypt where people are being killed over soccer. I repeat...soccer. Yes, there are some political undertones to this whole soccer melee which makes it a touch more understandable...but it still leaves me shaking my head.

I read news everyday. Online, on Twitter and anywhere I can get my hands on it. That's why it surprised me when I read yesterday about a soccer match in 2012 that resulted in the death of 74 people. Where had I been? And how did I miss it?!?!

 

The story is back in the news because 21 people have just been tried over the killings and sentenced to death. Cue more riots. Cue another 26 people dead. So now because of this soccer game disaster, 100 people have been killed.
   

From ballet to soccer. Russia to Egypt. Tune in next week for worlds most dangerous sports.

Stranger than fiction

Sometimes a news story captivates my attention because it's so strange and unbelievable. And sometimes the story shines a spotlight on an otherwise foreign and unknown world.

Like professional ballet for instance. The movie Black Swan kind of gave us an intimate look into the world of ballet dancers; the beauty, but also the jealousy and ruthless deceit.

Now there is a real life story coming out of Russia that brings this world to the forefront. A world of intrigue, competitiveness and acid.

Acid?!?!?!? And ballet? What the...

On Thursday night, a masked man threw acid in the face of Sergei Filin, the artistic director of the Bolshoi Ballet.  The attack has left him with third degree burns and possibly has threatened his eyesight. Supposedly he had been receiving numerous anonymous threats before this happenend.

The cops are trying to find a motive and are not ruling out disputes about money or property. But they are starting to focus on one main thing...professional jealousy. Apparently being the director gives you the power to make some difficult decisions (what grants artists get, who will dance certain roles etc.) And Sergei somewhere in his decision making really pissed an unstable person off.

When I think dance, ballet, theatre, my first thought is not violence and brutality. The fact that Filin's life was in jeopardy because he accepted the job as director of a Russian dance company seems preposterous.

But here we are, with a man lying in the hospital with burns to his face. Because of his job.

Maybe Black Swan wasn't so far off after all...

Livestrong - v = Liestrong

Here we are. A fresh new year. A new slate. And my first blogpost of 2013.

I really didn't want to start off 2013 talking about Lance Armstrong. But on Thursday, Armstrong will sit with 'Mother' Oprah and supposedly confess to doping.

I'm all for confessing mistakes and admitting wrongdoing. But for some reason I can't get behind this. I don't care how sincere and vulnerabe and humble he may sound. This confession is all about Lance. Clearing HIS conscience, restoring HIS image and possibly paving the way for him to somehow be allowed back into competitive biking.

He fought the cheating allegations for years and years!! He cursed and vilified people who went against him. He made commercials that denied his cheating. Over and over and over again, he vehemently denied doing anything wrong, lashing out at anyone who said otherwise. And now we might find out he was lying for over a decade?!?! It seriously blows my mind.

I don't want to admit it, but I'm curious to see what he has to say. I'll read up afterwards on the interview, as I'm sure it will be splashed all over the news. But even if Oprah makes him cry, and he spills his heart out to her...I will still think he's a douche.