Sports Audio/Video - NPR

A high school football coach in California has developed a new offensive system to tackle mismatched lines. It's called the A-11 offense, and it puts all 11 players in contention to receive a pass. Coach Kurt Bryan talks what the A-11 has done for his team.

Tropical Storm Hanna is an uninvited player in this year's U.S. Open. Scott Simon talks with Weekend Edition's Howard Bryant about the men's semifinals, the women's finals and a look ahead to the week in baseball.

The Giants-Redskins game magically doesn't overlap with John McCain's speech, the league works on a deal to save the NFL Network, and Cincinnati's Chad Johnson is allowed to change his name to Chad Ocho Cinco. Sportswriter Stefan Fatsis offers his insight.

With the NFL season under way, the New England Patriots are asking fans, "Are you ready for some shopping?" Team owner Robert Kraft has built a huge new mall next to Gillette Stadium that costs as much as the stadium itself: more than $300 million.

The Democratic National Convention used a hockey arena and then a football stadium as a backdrop for presenting its message. Then when John McCain chose a running mate he visited a basketball arena and two minor league baseball parks. What not use a music venue? We examine what political arenas say about America.

For fans and fantasy league wonks, it's the time of year when they begin to hum the tune: "Are You Ready for Some Football?" Bill Curry, former NFL player and college coach, previews the season as it kicks off Thursday night.

Now that Baseball has finally joined other sports in using instant replay, it didn't waste its first instant replay on an obscure player. It was Yankees superstar Alex Rodriguez who showed up in the tape when the Tampa Bay Rays challenged an A-Rod home run in the ninth inning of Wednesday's game. The umpires ruled for the Yankees after viewing their first ever replay.

Female athletes are more prone than their male counterparts to certain injuries — namely knee problems and tears to the ACL. A prevention program has been developed by researchers at the University of Cincinnati to curb these injuries.

Some players just don't seem comfortable in team sports, however talented they may be. Commentator Frank Deford says Alex Rodriguez of the New York Yankees is one such athlete, an outstanding player who nevertheless buckles under pressure to produce for his teammates.

There's an art to winning and losing. A little league coach, the head coach of a high school football team whose team lost 44 games in a row and a sports writer explain why victory should not be the only goal.

Howard Bryant, a senior writer for ESPN.com and ESPN The Magazine, talks about baseball's use of instant replays and NFL's kickoff week.

In the biggest upset in U.S. Open tennis history, France's Julie Coin, No. 188, defeated Ana Ivanovic, the top-ranked woman's player in the world, in the second round. Stefan Fatsis discusses that and Rafael Nadal's new wardrobe.

Record-setting Olympian Michael Phelps made an appearance Thursday in New York to promote a swimming program for inner-city kids. The event was sponsored by Visa, one of seven companies that has commercial ties to the swimmer. Phelps' agent says he could end up earning $100 million in endorsements.

Injury-inducing collisions aren't the only safety issues football coaches and trainers need to worry about, physiologists say. High temperatures and humidity can also take a serious toll on players wrapped up in pads and uniforms.

On Thursday, for the first time ever, Major League Baseball will use a limited instant-replay system to review questionable homeruns. Buster Olney, of ESPN The Magazine, says this season's rash of bad calls led to the decision.

Jericho Scott is only 10 years old, but he's already throwing a 40 mph fastball. His skill has resulted in him getting kicked out of his local league. Other teams say he's just too good and they don't want to play against him.

When it comes to the people who run sports, look out for federations — and for officials wearing blue blazers. Commentator Frank Deford says team sports are easier to run than individual sports, and domestic sports are more manageable than international ones. That means the NFL trumps the Olympics.

For decades, University of Michigan's football stadium, known as "The Big House," has had the largest capacity of any venue in the country. An accessibility lawsuit is reducing its capacity, leaving the title to Penn State's Beaver Stadium. So Michigan is spending $226 million on improvements to include more seats.

It's the hardest competition of the entire Olympic Games — perhaps because it's not one competition but 10. Decathlete Bryan Clay, who took home the gold last week in Beijing, talks about his victory — and how it feels to be the world's top athlete.

Fans of the Gary RailCats, a minor league baseball team from Gary, Ind., nominate people in their community who make a difference and aren't running for public office. Answers in the RailCats' stadium range from mothers to the team's general manager.

The U.S. Open tennis tournament begins today in New York City with the womens' singles champions of the past two years out with injuries, presenting an opportunity for the Williams sisters. Meanwhile, on the men's side, Rafael Nadal has the chance to prove that he's the best player of the year — if he goes further than Roger Federer.

As the Summer Olympics in Beijing end, Chinese citizens considers the event a resounding success, and national pride goes beyond the gold medals won by Chinese athletes.

As the 35th anniversary of Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs "Battle of the Sexes" match approaches, co-host Renee Montagne talks to tennis legend Billie Jean King about that famous match. King highlights the lessons that helped her win that match in a new book, Pressure is a Privilege.

The Beijing Olympic Games have ended in a blaze of fireworks, with the largest share of gold medals going to the host country. Chinese citizens and state media said that their success in holding the games for the first time would make China a more confident and open country.

China's 51 gold medals proved its status as a sports powerhouse, and the games showed off its modernity and organization. "China has stood up in the world," one expert says.

The last big medal event at the Beijing Olympics — the men's basketball final — was a thriller for the ages. The American "Redeem Team" got redemption by beating Spain, 118-107.

It was a sight some thought they'd never see again: an estimated crowd of 100,000 Iraqis on Sunday in Baghdad — to watch a soccer match. It's the first time since the U.S. invasion that a group that large has been able to gather peacefully in the war-torn capital.

China's capital erupted in fireworks once again as the Beijing Olympics drew to a close. Many Chinese were proud that the games had produced memorable sports moments, but the Chinese government's handling of protests continued to draw controversy.

On the final day of the Beijing Olympics, the U.S. men's basketball team won the gold medal in an exciting victory over Spain.

The U.S. men's volleyball team wasn't supposed to be contending for a gold medal at the Olympics. But after the father-in-law of coach Hugh McCutcheon was murdered in Beijing just as the games began, the team went on a streak and won the Gold Medal.

Botched relay handoffs, blown leads and injuries have combined to keep the gold medal count way below expectations for the U.S. track team at the Beijing Olympics. Americans usually dominate the sprints, but Jamaica grabbed the baton and ran with it.

What happens when gold turns to silver for the U.S. women's water polo team?

NPR's Frank Langfitt, who has been in Beijing for the past two weeks, talks about how China fared as the host of the Beijing Olympics.

Believe it or not, there were other things happening in the world of sports besides the Olympics. Sportswriter Stefan Fatsis talks about who succeeds Gene Upshaw as head of the NFL players union, the NFL's preseason schedule, baseball and team handball at the Olympics.

American children are watching the Olympics and waking up tired the next morning. Parents and children at Washington, D.C.'s Home Run Baseball Camp and the camp's director, John McCarthy, say the inspiration the games bring counteracts the tired mornings.

The Summer Olympics wrap up in Beijing this weekend. Initial media coverage of pollution and human rights abuses were eclipsed by the sporting events. The games showcased the rising talent of Usain Bolt, but also saw the age of Chinese women gymnasts questioned.

London will host the 2012 Olympic Games, but organizers acknowledge they have big shoes to fill after Beijing. British comedian Matt Kirshen, a finalist on the 2007 season of NBC's Last Comic Standing, says it's going to be impossible to top the ability of a totalitarian regime.

What exactly is Olympic spirit? Sure there have been plenty of notable prize-winning moments, but looking back, there have been plenty of Olympic memories of athletes who scored big without ever touching gold.

When Americans play pingpong, it just isn't that big a deal. In China, however, table tennis is a national craze — and fans treat top players like rock stars.