The Most Expensive Sports

One of the great things about sports is that anyone with at least a modicum of talent and a heart full of desire can participate competently at something regardless of the size of their bank account. That's right: Despite what the marketing wizzes at Nike (nyse: NKE - news - people ) might lead you to believe, it doesn't take a $200 pair of Air Jordans to play a decent game of pick-up basketball, any more than it requires a $2,000 driver to land a lucky hole-in-one on No. 7 at Pebble Beach, or nearly a $100,000 Holland & Holland side-by-side to plug a partridge in mid-flight. And yet, as anyone who has ever dabbled seriously at such pursuits knows, throwing money around can have a positive effect on your game. From boosting your confidence,...

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Florida Gators, inspired by basketball coach Billy Donovan, rout Georgia Bulldogs in football 41-17

JACKSONVILLE — Three months into the season, Florida football players have tired of hearing head coach Urban Meyer speak about sticking together and overcoming adversity. So to help get the Gators out of their recent funk, Meyer turned Thursday to a man who knows about defending a national title: UF men's basketball coach Billy Donovan, whose teams won it all in 2006 and 2007. He talked with the team's leaders about 6and not letting outsiders ruin the Gators' season."He was very inspiring," Florida quarterback Tim Tebow said. "It was very motivating for a lot of us." Inspired by Donovan's message, the Gators defeated arch-rival Georgia 41-17 on Saturday in their most complete victory of the season. "One of the best team wins we've had at Florida," said Meyer, who gave Donovan credit for the...

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College basketball countdown: No. 9 Villanova

As a youngster growing up in Herndon, Va., Villanova senior Scottie Reynolds rooted for the Maryland Terrapins, so naturally his favorite buzzer-beater was Drew Nicholas' fadeaway 3-pointer that beat UNC Wilmington in an NCAA first-round game in 2003. Now Reynolds has a new No. 1 buzzer-beater: his own shining moment in the NCAA Tournament. Reynolds' thrilling length-of-the-court-drive through the Pitt defense last season sent the Wildcats to the Final Four for the first time since 1985. "It's a lot different around here now," said Reynolds of life on the Villanova campus. "Everyone has embraced us like we won the national championship. The buzz is still that strong." Villanova is among the favorites to make a return trip to the Final Four...

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Basketball becomes bat-sketball as player swats Halloween night invader

It was with an uncanny sense of timing that a bat chose Halloween to disrupt the NBA tie between San Antonio Spurs and the Sacramento Kings. What, perhaps, the creature did not count on were the quick hands of the Spurs' Manu Ginobili who, not content with scoring 13 points in his side's 113-94 win, swatted it from the air as it swooped across the court.The bat had already sent players to the sidelines twice in the first quarter. The officials stopped the game as it circled then flew across the AT&T Center's court. First they called for a towel to catch it, then a net. But Ginobili took matters, literally, into his own hands. When the bat returned he simply smacked it to the ground before calmly carrying it off court to thunderous applause.After...

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Federer disappointed by Agassi drug admission

ZURICH — World number one Roger Federer on Thursday voiced disappointment at Andre Agassi's bombshell admission that he had taken drugs in 1997 and then lied to the ATP to avoid a ban."It was a shock when I heard the news. I am disappointed and I hope there are no more such cases in future," Federer said at a sponsors meeting at Kilchberg near Zurich.But Federer also noted that Agassi "has done a lot for tennis, both as a player and as a human being"."Today, he raises millions of dollars for his foundation for disadvantaged children," the Swiss commented.Agassi, one of just six men to have won all four Grand Slam titles and widely regarded as one of the sport's finest players, stunned tennis this week by revealing he'd taken the highly-addictive...

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How tennis world reacted to Andre Agassi’s admission of taking crystal meth

Andre Agassi’s autobiography, ‘Open’, has been the talk of tennis since extracts were published in which he admitted to using crystal meth, with Roger Federer, Rafa Nadal, Boris Becker, Andy Roddick and many others having an opinion. Rafa Nadal: “If the ATP covered for Agassi then I think that’s dreadful. If they covered for the player and punished others for doing the same kind of thing then that would seem to me to be a lack of respect for all sportsmen.” Roger Federer: “It was a shock when I heard the news. I am disappointed and I hope there are no more such cases in future.” Darren Cahill (Agassi’s last professional coach): “[Agassi is] extremely proud of the book and I’m proud of him for giving such an honest...

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