Apr 29, 2009 by brian

Softball Failures From Deadspin

Deadspinis one of those new-school snarky sports blogs that is super entertaining and enjoyable but also kind of feels like a guilty pleasure for a traditional sports fan. If you don’t read it you should. Sportsvite once had the original Deadspin editor, Will Leitch, judge our “Play With The Pros” contest and he was a super nice dude. We’ve been big fans ever since.

So we’re super excited to see Deadspin jump into the rec sports universe with a special category of posts on “Softball Failures”. There has only been two posts so far but they’re both great and we’re looking forward to seeing many more softball mishaps!

Here’s how Deadspin describes their new section: “A good portion of Americans join softball leagues this time of the year. Many do it for the social aspect alone, which leaves many teams stockpiled with players who are ridiculously awful. Each week, we’ll rundown some of the more comically bad softball atrocities by some of these players. If you’ve got your own, please send it along to tips@deadspin.com. Of course, these are [Sic’d] for your viewing pleasure.”

Apr 06, 2009 by brian

The Coolest Golf Course In the World

The Legends Golf & Safari Resort recently unveiled a dream course in South Africa. Each hole was designed by a professional golfer including Padraig Harrington, Colin Montgomerie, Retief Goosen, Justin Rose and Vijay Singh. The longest course in Africa plays 6,534 meters but can extend to 7,748 meters.

But the most awe-inspiring and astonishing aspect of the course is the bonus “Xtreme 19th”. It’s a par 3 with a tee box that sits atop a cliff on Hanglip Mountain. The tee is over 1,400 feet above the green. The only way to reach the tee is by helicopter ride. An average tee shot takes 30 seconds to land.

The course is actually reasonable affordable (for golf). Greens fees are $220 but that includes the 19th hole helicopter ride. If you’re able to put it in the hole from 630 yards away you win $1 million.

Besides the golf course there are luxurious accommodation in small lodges or private houses, a wildlife center with rare animals, a wellness center and many other recreational activities.

Here is a video of Padraig Harrington playing the Xtreme 19th.

Feb 24, 2009 by brian

Nets Reach Out To The Rec Sports World

One of Sportsvite’s favorite partners is the Nets. Sure they’re a professional basketball organization but they have just as much love for the rec player as any of our partners. The Nets have generously offered up two VIP tickets for their March 4th game against Boston and also provided a special discount to all Sportsvite members. To be eligible for the VIP experience just upload your favorite rec sports photo on Sportsvite by March 1st.

As a way to reach our to corporate partners the Nets recently announced the 64-team Nets Metropolitan Madness Basketball Challenge, an event to be held in March at the Nets’ East Rutherford practice site. The winning team will receive a free Nets sponsorship during the 2009-10 season.

Sportsvite salutes the Nets for making business a little bit more fun through sports. If your company is interested in participating in the event give us a holler and we’ll put you in touch with the right folks at the Nets.

Watch this video from Nets CEO Brett Yormark introducing the first annual Metropolitan Madness event.

Feb 15, 2009 by brian

Broomball’s Popularity is Sweeping

The New York Daily News recently featured the sport of Broomball by profiling a league in Brooklyn. The Broomball league in the article is organized by our friends at The New York City Social Sports Club.

For those not in the know, Broomball is played on ice with padded sneakers and sticks that are reminiscent of brooms. The sport gained popularity through college intramural leagues in the Northeast and Midwest. Naturally, those who loved to play in college want to extend their Broomball career! The NYCSSC league has expanded to over 200 participants in only a few years.

Check out these photos from the article to get a better look at what Broomball is all about. If you like those also visit the NYCSSC Flickr page for even more photos.

Visit the Broomball page on Sportsvite to get into a game in your neighborhood.

Dec 23, 2008 by brian

Scouting Report: President Barack Obama

You’ve probably heard by now that our 44th President is an avid basketball player. The scouting report on the lefty is that he’s a wily player, with a steady jump shot and a nose for the basket. What he lacks in talent he makes up for with grit, hustle and determination.

President Barack Obama has been playing ball all his life. He was on the state championship team at Punahou Scholl in Honolulu. Obama played regularly during his Presidential campaign, and even played in a pick up game on Election Day. Craig Robinson, the basketball coach at Oregon State and brother-in-law of Barack, recently wrote about the day for Time magazine.

In his memoir, Obama wrote that “I could play basketball, with a consuming passion that would always exceed my limited talent.” He also wrote that “At least on the basketball court I could find a community of sorts, with an inner life all its own.”

While in Kuwait this summer Obama drained a three point shot on his first try that got a rousing cheer from then U.S. troops.

In fact, Obama’s cabinet is shaping up to be one heck of a rec league team. My guess is that the “go to guy” will be Reggie Love, Obama’s personal aide, who played both basketball and football at Duke University. But I wonder how Love felt when Obama got some burn in a scrimmage with the UNC squad (Duke’s rival) back in April.

During the campaign, Obama said he planned to replace the White House bowling alley with an indoor basketball court. NBA officials have since reached out to Obama’s transition team to offer their services in installing a court. Obama isn’t as talented or passionate about bowling. In an outing before the Pennsylvania primary he bowled a 37!

If Obama’s staff goes easy on the President or if the White House basketball court falls through, we’re sure he’ll always be able to find some decent competition on Sportsvite!