Sports

The squeak of the shoes the roar of the coach the jab of the elbow! To many of us basketball is the American pastime. Whether you're just getting into the sport or you're a fan looking for a refresher our primer will bring you up to speed.

By Kevin Bonsor

Splat! You're hit -- covered in brightly colored paint. Who shot you? Your friend, who was tracking you silently from tree to tree. Who came up with this game, sport or phenomenon we call paintball? Many trace its origins to military training -- are they right?

Karate is an incredible art form, built on the concept of merging body and mind into a defensive weapon. See how karatekas use this merger to break wood and cinder blocks with their hands and feet.

By Tom Harris

When Mark McGwire hits a home run, the distance the ball traveled is always announced on the scoreboard and on television a few seconds later. How do they know how far the ball traveled, and what techniques do they use to figure it out?

When every fraction of a second counts, a false start can completely change the outcome of a race. How are officials quick enough detect a false start?

If you've ever been to a bowling alley, you know that one of the coolest things is how the pins get reset. How does it work? Take a peek at the machinery behind the scenes.

By Shel Brannan

With the recent NFL draft, players are now negotiating contracts. Learn how the NFL's salary cap works, and how teams work under the salary cap with trades, signing bonuses, and other financial maneuvering.

By John Perritano

Paintball has developed into a worldwide phenomenon. Players hunt opponents, take aim and splatter them with paint-filled “bullets” in guerilla-style faux warfare. If you've never played, you may have wondered what it's all about…

By Tom Harris

Baseball fields often have checkerboards and other patterns mowed into them. How can I create the same effect with my lawn?

There's a reason why some of the quarterback's passes miss their target and others land perfectly in the receiver's hands -- it's physics! Learn the science of football and take a look at the game from a whole new angle.

By Craig Freudenrich, Ph.D.

Ballparks are just as trendy as clothes and hairstyles. Today, a new trend in stadiums has led to the demolition of the Kingdome and the likely demise of the Astrodome. The latest trend in sports stadiums is the retractable-roof stadium.

The virtual first-down line that you see in many televised football games is something of a computer-generated miracle that home viewers have come to love. Find out how this line gets "painted" on the field without painting the players.

By Shel Brannan

The pole vault originated in Europe where men used the pole to cross canals filled with water. In this article we will learn a little bit about the history of pole vaulting and then explore the physics of the sport.

By Karim Nice

If you have been watching competitive fencing at the Olympics or in a college match, you know that fencing is an unusual sport, and it uses some very interesting equipment for scoring! Learn the ins and outs of different types of swordsmanship!

By Craig Freudenrich, Ph.D.

It seems as if hardly a day passes without a sports star being busted for using performance-enhancing drugs. Even with the sophisticated random and mandatory drug testing in most sports, a lot of athletes still think taking them is worth the risk. Why is that and how do these drugs really work?

By Craig Freudenrich, Ph.D. & Kevin P. Allen

If you didn't grow up tossing a baseball around, you may wonder how that amazing curveball is thrown. This article explains how it works and how to throw one yourself.

Golf clubs incorporate an amazing amount of technology in a streamlined design. Clearly, teeing off with a driver isn't like teeing off with a big stick. So what are the factors that influence golf club design?

By Curt Franklin

Have you ever been ice skating in Florida? How do they keep the ice from melting? And how do they get the lines and the logos into the ice for a hockey game?

Sixteen major league perfect games have been pitched in the entire history of baseball. What's a pitcher's definition of perfection?

Advancements in technology allow the home viewer to see all kinds of information that the fan in the stadium can't see. Learn how do the broadcast stations superimpose the first-down line on the football playing field.

The things people do on ice rinks are so spectacular we sometimes forget how remarkable ice rinks themselves are. Maintaining a proper ice rink is a real feat of engineering. Get a behind the scenes look at this very cool technology.

By Melissa Russell-Ausley

Almost every Major League Baseball player was groomed in the Minor League. Go behind the scenes with the Durham Bulls to find out all about the Minors!

A typical NFL football team goes through 2,500 pairs of sneakers in one season. Go inside an NFL locker room and check out the equipment behind the game!

By Marshall Brain