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    <title>This May Take a Moment</title>
    <category>This May Take a Moment</category>
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    <description>Latest local news from The Durango Herald.</description>
    <lastBuildDate>Mon, 24 Aug 2026 05:25:54 -0600</lastBuildDate>
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        <link>https://tcr.durangoherald.com/fandom-doesnt-require-id-card/</link>
        <title>Fandom doesn’t require ID card</title>
        <description>United States&apos; Malik Tillman (17) celebrates after scoring on a free kick during the World Cup Round of 32 soccer between the United States and Bosnia-Herzegovina in Santa Clara, California, on Wednesday. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner) FARMINGTON – In less than...</description>
        <pubDate>Sat, 11 Jul 2026 11:00:00 -0600</pubDate>
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        <content:encoded><![CDATA[United States' Malik Tillman (17) celebrates after scoring on a free kick during the World Cup Round of 32 soccer between the United States and Bosnia-Herzegovina in Santa Clara, California, on Wednesday. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)FARMINGTON – In less than a week, the World Cup trophy will be hoisted among throngs of passionate fans, bringing an end to the largest single-sport event in the world.Sunday’s championship match, to be played at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, will be the final chapter of the tournament, which, for some reason, seems to bring out both the best and worst in many of us.I’ll admit, I’ve tried to watch a match here and there. I really tried, from start to finish, to watch a match on the first day of the tournament's "knockout phase."It took seven minutes before I specifically recall dozing off. I tried shaking it off, and before I knew it, three people were talking on my television screen about what an exciting first half we’d all been watching.Maybe it makes me a bad soccer fan. The reality is I was never trying to be a good soccer fan, so I’ll wear that badge just fine.I’d like to think of myself as a relatively intelligent consumer of sporting events. If the game has an interest to me — of any kind — I’ll give it a look when it’s presented.But I just do not care. I never did. I never had a rooting interest in a team. I never found myself wrapped up in the spectacle, the pageantry or the national hype of the event.Last week, the U.S. team, made up primarily of players I’d never heard of before the start of the tournament, faced off against Belgium, another team I knew next to nothing about.There was some hype about a U.S. player being red-carded the match before and thus being ineligible to play against the Belgian team, but that decision was reversed by the sport’s governing body.I don’t care how it happened or who made it happen. I only know when decisions like that are reversed, there’s going to be an equal amount of happiness and anger depending on the outcome.Before the U.S. match against Belgium, “noted” soccer analyst Robert Griffin III, best known to stateside sports fans as a former NFL quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner, posted on social media that anything less than full-throated support by U.S. citizens for the U.S. team was not an option.“If you are a US Citizen and you aren’t rooting for USA against Belgium, you are a traitor. No other way to put it. You can’t be trusted if you are rooting against your own country in the World Cup,” Griffin posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.By that rationale, I was a traitor when I cheered for Manny Pacquiao to beat Floyd Mayweather, Jr. when they finally met in the boxing ring for a much-hyped clash in 2015.Never mind that Mayweather was convicted four times on various domestic violence or assault charges prior to the match. He was a bad guy and Pacquiao wasn’t, no matter where he was from.I’m aware of the differences, not only in the sport but the people involved. None of the U.S. players in the World Cup, to my knowledge, have a checkered past, but the idea that my rooting interest in an athlete or a team is somehow dependent on where I live is insulting.Being a sports fan is a private matter. Who I cheer for and why I don’t cheer for a team or an athlete doesn’t require the approval of a man who made millions of dollars playing a sport for a living.If I cheer for any of the seven Canadian teams over an American team in the NHL Stanley Cup final, does that also make me a traitor?And for all the hype around watching the underdog U.S. men’s soccer team try to create history by winning the World Cup for the first time in nearly a century, it’s important to note that no Canadian NHL team has won the Stanley Cup in more than 30 years. I haven’t seen a lot of jingoistic finger-wagging at our neighbors to the north.Was I a better American when I cheered for the Dodgers to beat Toronto in last year’s World Series?The Blue Jays have won the World Series twice and came just inches away from winning its third last October. I don’t think fans of the sport would have come undone if Los Angeles had come up short.In fact, many baseball fans would have cheered as it has been made abundantly clear that the Dodgers and their spending habits are “ruining baseball.”Shouldn’t that kind of talk be traitorous?These discussions, thankfully, will subside in less than a week’s time. Many casual and intelligent sports fans will go back to treating the World Cup with little more than a passing curiosity.And if you’re a true soccer fan, you’ll know where the 2030 World Cup is being held without having to do a Google search. Because I didn’t know, and I don’t feel like less of a citizen for admitting my lack of knowledge in that matter.I’ll spare you the search. The 2030 World Cup will be co-hosted across six countries and three continents. The main hosts will be Morocco, Portugal, and Spain.I’ll mark my calendar.That’s all.People attend a watch party for a World Cup soccer match between the United States and Bosnia Wednesday, July 1, 2026, in Washington, at the FIFA Fan Zone on the National Mall. (AP Photo/Allison Robbert)]]></content:encoded>
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        <link>https://tcr.durangoherald.com/sorsby-isnt-the-first-odds-are-he-wont-be-the-last-to-face-realities-of-gambling-addiction/</link>
        <title>Sorsby isn’t the first, odds are he won’t be the last to face realities of gambling addiction</title>
        <description>Cincinnati quarterback Brendan Sorsby throws an interception during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Arizona, Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Jeff Dean) “My name is Steven, and I am a gambler.” Let me begin...</description>
        <pubDate>Fri, 22 May 2026 08:00:00 -0600</pubDate>
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        <content:encoded><![CDATA[Cincinnati quarterback Brendan Sorsby throws an interception during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Arizona, Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Jeff Dean)“My name is Steven, and I am a gambler.”Let me begin this piece by pulling the standard opening greeting from a meeting of people dealing with the harsh realities of addiction. Even though I haven’t made a wager on a sporting event in years, I am still considered a gambler, much the same way many alcoholics see themselves years after putting down the bottle.You’re never truly healed from the affliction. There is no pill or prescription medicine, no FDA-approved product you’ll see on television that comes with all sorts of adverse side effects which will reduce the likelihood of symptoms reappearing.It used to be more difficult to make a real wager on a sporting event. Aside from a handshake wager on the Super Bowl or an office bracket pool for March Madness, gambling for real required a trip to a casino sportsbook or a racetrack.The advent of online gaming, which grew from fantasy sports, has now made it relatively simple—and far too accessible—for people to make wagers on games, or even the individual exploits of an athlete.The modern collegiate athlete is, and always was, the target.FILE - FanDuel, DraftKings and other online gambling apps are displayed on a phone in San Francisco, Sept. 26, 2022. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File)Online gaming platforms found a ready-made audience of high school kids and college students who got used to choosing sides for make-believe rosters. The commercialization of businesses like DraftKings or FanDuel has created a newer, younger and sometimes more gullible audience.Nowhere is the collision of these two realities more glaring, or more tragic, than in the unfolding saga of Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby.Last week, Sorsby filed a high-stakes injunction against the NCAA in an attempt to preserve his college eligibility. The legal maneuver comes on the heels of revelations that the quarterback recently sought treatment for a severe gambling addiction—a disorder reportedly fueled by thousands of wagers placed while he was an active NCAA athlete.If the allegations are a window into addiction, they are also a bizarre roadmap of a sports gambler’s desperation. According to a report on ESPN, gaming regulators in multiple states have launched investigations into Sorsby's alleged betting activity.Under NCAA rules, Sorsby could be banned from the upcoming season—his final year of eligibility—for betting on sports. Sorsby placed a bet on Indiana when he was a redshirt freshman for the Hoosiers in 2022. According to the NCAA rulebook, an athlete can permanently lose eligibility when placing a bet on his or her own team.Sorsby’s suit admits that he is “currently ineligible” to play for Texas Tech because he violated the NCAA’s gambling rules. Sorsby has made thousands of small-dollar bets in recent years.Sorsby’s case isn’t new. In fact, it’s not even the most high-profile case of an athlete who couldn’t beat the addiction.Art Schlichter played professional football for nearly 10 years. A highly touted prospect with the Ohio State Buckeyes, Schlichter's professional career was cut short by a gambling addiction that resulted in him facing legal trouble for nearly four decades.Sometimes I am home in the middle of the night after filing a story, and I’ll flip the channels on the television before drifting off to sleep. Inevitably, I’ll find a channel showing live horse racing from racetracks in Australia and New Zealand I’ve never heard of before. I’ll watch the races, pick a winner in my head and let the race unfold.The itch is always there. The temptation just a couple of swipes on my phone away from becoming a reality.But I am a husband—a man with responsibilities to a wife, kids and pets. I have bigger and better things to do.The college athlete, on the other hand, is not quite so headstrong.Bombarded by the flashing lights of the sports betting world, which are now directly tied into the games they play, college kids find it a little harder to stay away from the virtual betting window.A gambler watches sporting events on large screens at the FanDuel sportsbook in East Rutherford N.J. on Aug. 30, 2021. The American Gaming Association says 45.2 million Americans plan to bet on NFL games this season, up 36% from last year. (AP Photo/Wayne Parry)But the most damning—and perhaps most heartbreaking—revelation is that Sorsby reportedly bet on Indiana football games in 2022 while he was a member of the roster.His stated reason? “To feel more connected to the team.”There are all sorts of reasons we fall victim to the lure of the wager. We like winning, as do most of us. We like being the smartest one in the room and we like showing off.Those aren’t horrible attributes for the most part, but they come with a price tag.At stake for Sorsby is the multimillion-dollar deal he signed with Texas Tech for what was supposed to be his final season of college football. Sorsby alleges the NCAA abandoned its obligations and duties to promote his well-being, and he says the lawsuit was filed to expedite the reinstatement process.Sorsby is seeking a hearing for a temporary injunction by June 15, one week before the deadline to file paperwork for the NFL’s supplemental draft.Odds are—pun intended—Sorsby won’t find relief from the NCAA, nor anyone else.If that seems harsh, excessive or unfair, you’re not wrong to have that belief. If that seems like the appropriate decision to help someone clearly struggling with addiction, you’re also not wrong.The addict is oftentimes both the victim and the offender.That’s all.]]></content:encoded>
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        <link>https://tcr.durangoherald.com/racing-looking-for-answers-heading-into-preakness-stakes/</link>
        <title>Racing looking for answers heading into Preakness Stakes</title>
        <description>With Derby winner out, horse racing twists and turns trying to stay relevant</description>
        <pubDate>Tue, 12 May 2026 11:00:00 -0600</pubDate>
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        <content:encoded><![CDATA[With Derby winner out, horse racing twists and turns trying to stay relevantThe starting gate at Laurel Park, home of the 2026 Preakness Stakes, taking place Saturday, May 16.For the second consecutive year, the road to a Triple Crown has ended before reaching Maryland.The decision has sparked a wave of debate among stakeholders who argue that such choices are a detriment to the sport. Many involved in horse racing have spent the last decade struggling to balance equine welfare with the need to keep the sport relevant to a depleting fanbase.Trainer Cherie DeVaux announced last week that Kentucky Derby winner Golden Tempo will skip the 151st Preakness Stakes on Saturday. The decision effectively sunsets any hope for a Triple Crown winner in 2026, marking a growing trend of Derby champions bypassing the second leg of the series.DeVaux, the first female trainer to win the Derby, said the colt needs more than two weeks to recover from his dramatic, late-running victory at Churchill Downs.“The horse just ran the race of his life,” DeVaux said. “Asking him to race again, we just want to give him the best opportunity for the best outcome.”Rest and RecoveryGolden Tempo joins a list of recent winners who opted for rest over the quick turnaround. In 2025, the Bill Mott-trained Sovereignty skipped the Preakness after winning in Louisville, later returning to win the Belmont Stakes. Other recent Derby winners to bypass the middle jewel include Rich Strike (2022) and Country House (2019).The decision comes amid heightened debate over the Triple Crown’s traditional five-week schedule. Since Justify swept the series in 2018, modern trainers have increasingly prioritized recovery time.“I think the health and welfare of the horse comes first before tradition,” trainer Brad Cox previously told reporters. “Running them back in two weeks is not necessarily going to help their longevity.”While some argue this trend preserves the sport's superstars for longer campaigns, not everyone is celebrating.“This isn't about putting the horse first. There is a long record of Derby horses being best in the Preakness,” said two-time Eclipse Award-winning racing writer John Scheinman, a Baltimore resident who covered racing for eight years at The Washington Post. “The bottom line is the possibility of a Triple Crown is literally the only thing guaranteed to put the public's eyes on horse racing. Anything people in racing do to diminish that is the work of fools."Golden Tempo will instead be pointed toward the Belmont Stakes in June. This year's “Test of the Champion” holds personal significance for DeVaux, as it will be held at Saratoga Race Course while Belmont Park undergoes renovations. DeVaux grew up in Saratoga Springs.Crabcakes and the Preakness StakesWith the Derby winner absent, the Preakness field is expected to include up to 14 horses. The race will be held at Laurel Park this year due to ongoing redevelopment at Pimlico Race Course.The struggle for Maryland racing is currently playing out in the state legislature. While the state recently approved a $400 million plan to rebuild Pimlico for a 2027 return, lawmakers paused a $48.5 million proposal for the Maryland Stadium Authority to purchase and redevelop Laurel Park into a permanent training hub.“By any measure, the Preakness is one of the most important races in the country,” Scheinman said. “Its prestige and identity are in jeopardy, and Maryland racing has been undermined and is teetering.”Bucking the trendThe Triple Crown has only been achieved 13 times in the past 107 years. Critics of the current trend argue the achievement is supposed to be difficult, and that altering the tradition to accommodate modern training theories diminishes its value.However, proponents of the “patience first” approach point to the success of Sovereignty. Mott famously told reporters, “We’re looking at a career, and you want the career to last more than five weeks.”Mott argued that running a tired horse back too quickly can “break” them. He later admitted there was no specific injury sidelining the horse.“There was no reason physically why we couldn't have run... we had no excuse other than we didn't feel like it (was best for the horse),” Mott said.The strategy worked. Following Sovereignty’s win in the Belmont Stakes, he then won the Jim Dandy Stakes and the Travers Stakes. He finished his 3-year-old campaign winning the Eclipse Award as Horse of the Year.What about Bob?In the cases of recent Triple Crown winners American Pharoah and Justify, their stories are inseparable from trainer Bob Baffert. While Baffert is a Hall of Fame trainer, his career has been shadowed by more than 30 medication-related infractions over four decades.The most significant controversy occurred in 2021 involving Medina Spirit, who finished first in the Kentucky Derby before testing positive for a corticosteroid. Baffert initially denied the use of the drug but later attributed the result to Otomax, a topical ointment used for a skin rash.Medina Spirit was disqualified and the victory awarded to runner-up Mandaloun. Baffert served a 90-day suspension and a two-year ban from Churchill Downs tracks. Baffert released a statement in July 2024 taking responsibility for the positive test, leading to his reinstatement in 2025.Baffert, who has won the Preakness Stakes a record eight time, was considering running unbeaten colt Crude Velocity in the Preakness. Coming off a rousing win in an undercard stakes race on Derby Day, Crude Velocity has won all three of his career starts.Looking for answers in all the wrong placesSo what does racing do this weekend – on national television no less – to promote itself without showcasing the most recent superstar? Do they embrace the trainer with the admitted drug positives? Do they avoid the topic of where racing is headed in the state of Maryland? Do they dismiss DeVaux’s decision to bypass the Preakness as nothing more than a trend?Whatever decision is made by people within the heirarchy of the sport, odds are quite good those choices will be highly scrutinized by any number of people.They’re not all right. They’re not all wrong. That’s the nature of the business.That’s all.]]></content:encoded>
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        <link>https://tcr.durangoherald.com/easier-said-than-done-to-not-fall-for-the-all-hype-headline-season/</link>
        <title>Easier said than done to not fall for the all-hype headline season</title>
        <description>FARMINGTON – There’s a downtime to every year in how media types cover and promote high-profile sports. The gap in time is short, but it never fails that somewhere between the conclusion of the Masters and the NFL Draft, there’s...</description>
        <pubDate>Tue, 21 Apr 2026 09:00:00 -0600</pubDate>
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        <content:encoded><![CDATA[FARMINGTON – There’s a downtime to every year in how media types cover and promote high-profile sports.The gap in time is short, but it never fails that somewhere between the conclusion of the Masters and the NFL Draft, there’s a lull in the way national and local media cover the frenetic world of professional and college sports.These past few weeks have been no different. It shows in the way national media conglomerates like ESPN have embraced the spectacle of reality television called WrestleMania.As a consumer of sports news and a passionate reader of all things that one would consider newsworthy, I admit I’ve been fascinated and maybe more than a little nauseated at wall-to-wall coverage of the so-called scandal involving sports reporter Dianna Russini and New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel.There’s been no shortage of insight and ahem, analysis, on where photos of the lovebirds was taken as well as the status of their respective marriages.And as if that weren’t enough, we were treated to more expert commentary from someone named Crissy Froyd, another sports reporter who called out Russini for her alleged indiscretions. Both Froyd and Russini are now unemployed, while Vrabel remains at New England.Let’s face it. The Patriots have withstood a lot more controversy inside and outside their team facilities over the past decade. A little adult indiscretion seems like a speed bump.In case that wasn’t enough, sports fans were given the opportunity to chime in on such noteworthy topics as to why the WNBA’s Dallas Wings selected Azzi Fudd with the No. 1 pick in the 2026 Draft. Fudd will now be reunited on the basketball court with former UConn teammate and current partner Paige Bueckers.During the press conference introducing Fudd to the national media, a reporter asked Fudd about the relationship with Bueckers. The reporter didn’t ask Fudd what she felt she’d bring to the team chemistry or about being the league’s top pick in the draft.The reporter went right for the clickbait.This, among many valid and not-so valid reasons, is why national sports media coverage gets the well-deserved eye roll.The selection of Fudd then took another bizarre turn when it was suggested in an online platform that the real scapegoat in coverage of this so-called story was that other forms of “legitimate” sports media refused to cover the relationship betweeen Bueckers and Fudd.Several stories about the draft avoided the romantic storyline, national reporter Jeff Pearlman noted.“Fudd and Bueckers are in a long-term relationship, and nobody’s mentioning it. And the WNBA clearly has asked people not to mention it. And it’s very journalistically confusing to me,” Pearlman wrote in an online commentary.Never mind that last year Fudd was named the NCAA tournament’s Most Outstanding Player after she recorded 24 points in the national championship game win over South Carolina and posted 19 points in a Final Four victory over UCLA. Let’s just focus on your confusion.“It is fascinating that these two people who have been dating for a long time, dating back to college, would be the starting backcourt for a team,” Pearlman continued. “To me, that is actually the No. 1 piece of this story.”Of course it is. Because statistics and game analysis or actual team commentary have little to do with sports coverage anymore. Let’s lower the bar a little more.This time will pass. Soon, we’ll have the NFL Draft, the NBA Finals, the Stanley Cup Final and the MLB All-Star Game.In the meantime, I’ll do my part to ignore the noise of what isn’t really sports coverage and is intended only to distract and raise the unnecessary rhetoric.That’s all.]]></content:encoded>
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