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Highest-Paid Athlete Hailed From Ancient Rome |
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 Mega-milliondollar sponsorship deals such as those signed by sprinter Usain Bolt, motorcycle racer Valentino Rossi and tennis player Maria Sharapova, are nothing compared to the personal fortune amassed by a second century A.D. Roman racer (about 1,800 years ago). According to Peter Struck, associate professor of classical studies at the University of Pennsylvania, a chariot racer named Gaius Appuleius Diocles earned “the incredible sum" of 35,863,120 sesterces (ancient Roman coins) in prize money. This amount beats the fortunes of all modern sport stars, including golfer Tiger Woods, who is known as modern “sports' first billion-dollar man.” Diocles, “the most eminent of all charioteers,” according to the inscription, was born in Lusitania, in what is now Portugal and south-west Spain, and started his spectacular career in 122 A.D., when he was 18. Life for a charioteer in Rome wasn’t easy. Often slaves who could eventually buy their freedom, these racers engaged in wild laps of competition at the Circus Maximum, running a total of about 4,000 meters (nearly 2.5 miles). |
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Golfer's Swing Sparks 25-acre California Blaze |
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 You can use a golf club for all kinds of non-golfy purposes -- walking stick, fishing rod, club, to name three. And now we can add to that list -- firestarter. Over the weekend, a golfer's swing in the rough at the Shady Canyon Golf Course in Irvine, California, struck a rock. Not so different from the way you play, right? Only this time, the impact caused a spark, and the spark set off a blaze that eventually covered 25 acres, according to Steven Buck, General Manager of Shady Canyon Golf Course. The fire required the efforts of 150 Orange County firefighters. |
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Paul the Octopus to Retire After Perfect Predictions of World Cup Games |
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 No more World Cup, no more predictions from Paul. Paul, the octopus who became a pop culture sensation by correctly predicting the outcome of as many World Cup matches as he has legs — all seven of Germany's games plus the Spain-Netherlands final — is going to retire. The invertebrate will "step back from the official oracle business," said Tanja Munzig, a spokeswoman for the Sea Life aquarium in Oberhausen, Germany. "He won't give any more oracle predictions — either in football, nor in politics, lifestyle or economy," she said. "Paul will get back to his former job, namely making children laugh." However, Paul took one last curtain call on Monday. Aquarium employees presented the octopus with a golden cup — similar to the official World Cup trophy. |
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Spain Wins Its Country's First World Cup |
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 Johannesburg, South Africa - Spain took a place along side the all-time greatest football teams on Sunday. Andres Iniesta scored with four minutes of extra time remaining to beat the Netherlands 1-0 and clinch his country’s first World Cup. Iniesta collected a sliding pass into the area from substitute Cesc Fabregas and smashed the ball across goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg and in at the far post. The goal clinched Spain’s fourth straight 1-0 victory in South Africa and made the team only the third to be world and European champion at the same time. “This really is quite a cup,” Spain goalkeeper Iker Casillas said. “The European Championship was the most important moment of our lives, but today is much bigger than anything else.” |
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Mandela to Attend World Cup Closing Ceremony |
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 JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA - Nelson Mandela will greet the fans at Soccer City stadium at the World Cup closing ceremony on Sunday, but will likely return home to watch the game on television, his grandson told AFP.
"He'll come just before the opening (of the ceremony) to greet the fans before heading back home," said Nkosi Zwelivelile Mandela, who speaks on behalf of the family.
"He's going to greet the fans for fifteen, thirty minutes," he said. "He will watch the soccer at home."
South Africa's first black president turns 92 in just one week, and appears frail when he makes his increasingly rare public appearances.
The Nobel laureate played a crucial role in bringing the World Cup to South Africa, but has yet to attend a match.
AFP |
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