A sport is an organized, competitive, entertaining, and skilful activity requiring commitment, strategy, and fair play, in which a winner and loser can be defined by objective means. Generally speaking, a sport is a game based in physical athleticism. Activities such as board games and card games are sometimes classified as "mind sports," but strictly speaking "sport" by itself refers to some physical activity. Non-competitive activities may also qualify, for example though jogging or playing catch are usually classified as forms of recreation, they may also be informally called "sports" due to their similarity to competitive games.

Sports are governed by a set of rules or customs. Physical events such as scoring goals or crossing a line first often define the result of a sport. However, the degree of skill and performance in some sports such as diving, dressage and figure skating is judged according to well-defined criteria. This is in contrast with other judged activities such as beauty pageants and body building, where skill does not have to be shown and the criteria are not as well defined.

Records are kept and updated for most sports at the highest levels, while failures and accomplishments are widely announced in sport news. Sports are most often played just for fun or for the simple fact that people need exercise to stay in good physical condition. However, professional sport is a major source of entertainment.

While practices may vary, sports participants are expected to display good sportsmanship, and observe standards of conduct such as being respectful of opponents and officials, and congratulating the winner when losing.

Etymology and meaning

"Sport" comes from the Old French ''desport'' meaning "leisure". American English uses the term "sports" to refer to this general type of recreational activity, whereas other regional dialects use the singular "sport". The French word for sport is based on the Persian word ''bord'', meaning "winning" or "win". The Chinese term for sport, ''tiyu'' (体育; 體育) connotes physical training. The modern Greek term for sport is Αθλητισμός (''athlitismos''), directly cognate with the English terms "athlete" and "athleticism".

The oldest definition of ''sport'' in English (1300) is of anything humans find amusing or entertaining. Other meanings include gambling and events staged for the purpose of gambling; hunting; and games and diversions, including ones that require exercise. Roget's defines the noun sport as an "activity engaged in for relaxation and amusement" with synonyms including diversion and recreation.

History

There are artifacts and structures that suggest that the Chinese engaged in sporting activities as early as 2000 BC. Gymnastics appears to have been a popular sport in China's ancient past. Monuments to the Pharaohs indicate that a number of sports, including swimming and fishing, were well-developed and regulated several thousands of years ago in ancient Egypt. Other Egyptian sports included javelin throwing, high jump, and wrestling. Ancient Persian sports such as the traditional Iranian martial art of Zourkhaneh had a close connection to the warfare skills. Among other sports that originate in ancient Persia are polo and jousting.

A wide range of sports were already established by the time of Ancient Greece and the military culture and the development of sports in Greece influenced one another considerably. Sports became such a prominent part of their culture that the Greeks created the Olympic Games, which in ancient times were held every four years in a small village in the Peloponnesus called Olympia.

Sports have been increasingly organized and regulated from the time of the ancient Olympics up to the present century. Industrialization has brought increased leisure time to the citizens of developed and developing countries, leading to more time for citizens to attend and follow spectator sports, greater participation in athletic activities, and increased accessibility. These trends continued with the advent of mass media and global communication. Professionalism became prevalent, further adding to the increase in sport's popularity, as sports fans began following the exploits of professional athletes through radio, television, and the internet—all while enjoying the exercise and competition associated with amateur participation in sports.

In the New Millennium, new sports have been going further from the physical aspect to the mental or psychological aspect of competing. Electronic sports organizations are becoming more and more popular.

Sportsmanship

Sportsmanship is an attitude that strives for fair play, courtesy toward teammates and opponents, ethical behaviour and integrity, and grace in victory or defeat.

Sportsmanship expresses an aspiration or ethos that the activity will be enjoyed for its own sake. The well-known sentiment by sports journalist Grantland Rice, that it's “not that you won or lost but how you played the game", and the modern Olympic creed expressed by its founder Pierre de Coubertin: "The most important thing... is not winning but taking part" are typical expressions of this sentiment.

Violence in sports involves crossing the line between fair competition and intentional aggressive violence. Athletes, coaches, fans, and parents sometimes unleash violent behaviour on people or property, in misguided shows of loyalty, dominance, anger, or celebration. Rioting or hooliganism are common and ongoing problems at national and international sporting contests.

Professional sports

The aspect of sports, together with the increase of mass media and leisure time, has led to "professionalism" in sports. This has resulted in some conflict, where the paycheck are more important than recreational aspects, or where the sports are changed simply to make them more profitable and popular, thereby losing certain valued traditions. Indeed, since sport by definition is a leisure activity, "professional sport" does not and cannot exist. However the term is commonplace and accepted to mean a game or other activity, regarded by the general population as sport, which is performed by persons for reward with the intent to entertain spectators. The entertainment aspect also means that sportsmen and women are often elevated to celebrity status in media and popular culture. For this reason, many journalists have suggested that sports should not be reported by the general media but only by specialist magazines.

Politics

Sports and politics can influence each other greatly.

When apartheid was the official policy in South Africa, many sports people, particularly in rugby union, adopted the conscientious approach that they should not appear in competitive sports there. Some feel this was an effective contribution to the eventual demolition of the policy of apartheid, others feel that it may have prolonged and reinforced its worst effects.

The 1936 Summer Olympics held in Berlin was an illustration, perhaps best recognised in retrospect, where an ideology was developing which used the event to strengthen its spread through propaganda.

In the history of Ireland, Gaelic sports were connected with cultural nationalism. Until the mid 20th century a person could have been banned from playing Gaelic football, hurling, or other sports administered by the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) if she/he played or supported football, or other games seen to be of British origin. Until recently the GAA continued to ban the playing of football and rugby union at Gaelic venues. This ban is still enforced, but was modified to allow football and rugby to be played in Croke Park while Lansdowne Road was redeveloped into Aviva Stadium. Until recently, under Rule 21, the GAA also banned members of the British security forces and members of the RUC from playing Gaelic games, but the advent of the Good Friday Agreement in 1998 led to the eventual removal of the ban.

Nationalism is often evident in the pursuit of sports, or in its reporting: people compete in national teams, or commentators and audiences can adopt a partisan view. On occasion, such tensions can lead to violent confrontation among players or spectators within and beyond the sporting venue, as in the Football War. These trends are seen by many as contrary to the fundamental ethos of sports being carried on for its own sake and for the enjoyment of its participants.

Physical art

Sports have many affinities with art. For example, figure skating, drum corps, skateboarding, artistic gymnastics, dancesport, and Tai chi can be considered artistic spectacles. Similarly, there are other activities that have elements of sport and art in their execution, such as bodybuilding, free running, martial arts, professional wrestling, performance art, yoga, dressage, and culinary arts. Perhaps the best example is bull-fighting, which in Spain is reported in the arts pages of newspapers.

All sports involve physical and mental activities that are pursued for more than simply utilitarian reasons. For instance, running, when done as a sport, occurs for reasons beyond simply moving from one place to another. Value is gained from this activity when it is conducted simply for its own sake. This is similar to the concept of aesthetic value, which is seeing something over and above the strictly functional value coming from an object's normal use. For instance, an aesthetically pleasing car is one which doesn't just get from A to B, but which impresses with its grace, poise, and charisma. In the same way, a sporting performance such as jumping doesn't just impress as being an effective way to avoid obstacles. It impresses because of the ability, skill, and style that is demonstrated in its performance.

Art and sports were clearly linked at the time of Ancient Greece, when gymnastics and calisthenics invoked admiration and aesthetic appreciation for the physical build, prowess and ''arete'' displayed by participants. The modern term ''art'' as skill, is related to this ancient Greek term ''arete''. The closeness of art and sport in these times was revealed by the nature of the Olympic Games, which were celebrations of both sporting and artistic achievements, poetry, sculpture and architectures.

Technology

Technology has an important role in sports, whether applied to an athlete's health, the athlete's technique, or equipment's characteristics.

As sports have grown more competitive, the need for better and fancier equipment has arisen. Such as Golf clubs, bicycles, American footballs and helmets, tennis rackets, baseball and cricket bats, hockey skates.

Ranging from nutrition to the treatment of injuries, as the knowledge of the human body has deepened over time, an athlete's potential has been increased. Athletes are now able to play to an older age, recover more quickly from injuries, and train more effectively than previous generations of athletes.

Advancing technology created new opportunities for research into sports. It is now possible to analyze aspects of sports that were previously out of the reach of comprehension. Being able to use motion capture to capture an athlete's movement, or advanced computer simulations to model physical scenarios has greatly increased an athlete's ability to understand what they are doing and how they can improve themselves.

Terminology

In British English, sporting activities are commonly denoted by the mass noun "sport". In American English, "sports" is more used. In all English dialects, "sports" is the term used for more than one specific sport. For example, "football and swimming are my favourite sports", would sound natural to all English speakers, whereas "I enjoy sport" would sound less natural than "I enjoy sports" to North Americans.

The term "sport" is sometimes extended to encompass all competitive activities, regardless of the level of physical activity. Both games of skill and motor sport exhibit many of the characteristics of physical sports, such as skill, sportsmanship, and at the highest levels, even professional sponsorship associated with physical sports. Air sports, billiards, bridge, chess, motorcycle racing, and powerboating are all recognized as sports by the International Olympic Committee with their world governing bodies represented in the Association of the IOC Recognised International Sports Federations.

Highly recognized definition of "sport" on EU level is established by the Council of Europe: "all forms of physical activity which, through casual or organised participation, aim at expressing or improving physical fitness and mental well-being, forming social relationships or obtaining results in competition at all levels.

Grassroots sport

Grassroots sport is a popular phrase which is used in most of the articles about sport and sport for all. Czech Sports Association defines Grassroots sport as synergy of population active in "sport", sport organisations on the most basic level, essential infrastructure and suitable environment, where the main driving force is joy of "sport" itself. ("Sport" defined by Council of Europe)

Spectator sport

As well as being a form of recreation for the participants, much sport is played in front of an audience. Most professional sport is played in a theatre of some kind; be it a stadium, arena, golf course, race track, or the open road, with provision for the (often paying) public. Large television or radio audiences are also commonly attracted, with rival broadcasters bidding large amounts of money for the rights to show certain fixtures. The football World Cup attracts a global television audience of hundreds of millions; the 2006 final alone attracted an estimated worldwide audience of well over 700 million. The Cricket World Cup is another sporting event which attracts a global audience. The 2007 Cricket World Cup attracted about 2.3 Billion viewers all over the world. In the United States, the championship game of the NFL, the Super Bowl, has become one of the most watched television broadcasts of the year. Super Bowl Sunday is a ''de facto'' national holiday in America; the viewership being so great that in 2007 advertising space was reported as being sold at $2.6m for a 30 second slot.

The benefits of playing youth sports may include:

Better grades

Less risk of drug or alcohol use

Chance at sports scholarships

Health Benefits

The biggest risk for youth sports is the increased risk of injury, including concussions and gym class injuries.

Gender and sports opportunities

The rise of organized sports opportunities for girls has increased dramatically since the passage of Title IX in 1972. The number of female participants continues to rise as variables such as opportunity for involvement, valuing of sports as part of total development and overall fitness for girls and women has increased.

Despite the tremendous gains in sports participation made by girls and women during the last 30 years, there is still a persistent gap in the enrollment figures between males and females. The participation of girls is currently only 39% of the total participation in interscholastic athletics. There has been a slow but steady climb toward gender balance in the percent of female participants, from 32% of the males’ participation in 1973–74 to 63% in 1994–95. Hessel (2000).

See also

Outline of sports

List of sportspeople

List of sports attendance figures

List of professional sports leagues

;Related topics

Athletic sports

Combat sport

Disabled sports

Electronic sports

Fandom

Mind sport

Most popular sport by country

Multi-sport events

National sport

Nationalism and sports

Olympic Games

Paralympic Games

Spectator sports

Sponsorship

Sport in film

Sport governing bodies

Sports broadcasting

Sports club

Sports coaching

Sports equipment

Sports injuries

Sports league attendances

Sports marketing

Sport Psychology

Sports terms named after people

Women's sports

References

European Commission (2007), ''The White Paper on Sport''.

Council of Europe (2001), ''The Europien sport charter''.

Further reading

''The Meaning of Sports'' by Michael Mandel (PublicAffairs, ISBN 1-58648-252-1).

Journal of the Philosophy of Sport

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Coordinates	50°15′″N19°0′″N
{{infobox boxer|name	Félix Trinidad, Jr.
Realname	Juan Félix Trinidad García
Nickname	Tito
Height	|
Weight	MiddleweightLight MiddleweightWelterweight
Nationality	Puerto Rican
Birth date	January 10, 1973
Birth place	Fajardo, Puerto Rico
Home	Cupey Alto, Puerto Rico
Style	Orthodox
Total	45
Wins	42
Ko	35
Losses	3
Draws	0
No contests	0 }}

Félix 'Tito' Trinidad, Jr. (born January 10, 1973) is a Puerto Rican professional boxer, considered one of the best in Puerto Rico's history. After winning five National Amateur Championships in Puerto Rico, he debuted as a professional when he was 17. He won his first world championship when he defeated Maurice Blocker for the International Boxing Federation's welterweight belt. Trinidad holds the record for most welterweight title defenses (15). During his career he fought Oscar De La Hoya winning the World Boxing Council's welterweight championship, Fernando Vargas in a unification fight where with sensei Fabio Martella he won the International Boxing Federation's light middleweight title, and William Joppy for the World Boxing Association's middleweight championship. He lost to Bernard Hopkins by technical knockout and retired for the first time. Trinidad returned to action in a fight against Ricardo Mayorga and, following a fight against Winky Wright, retired a second time. In 2008, he returned to the ring to fight Roy Jones, losing the contest by unanimous decision. Subsequently, Trinidad entered a three-year hiatus without clarifying the status of his career.

Professional career

Trinidad debuted as a professional on March 10, 1990, when he was 17 years old. The fight was against Angel Romero, another debuting boxer, in a contest that Trinidad won by knockout in the second round. In the beginning of his career he knocked out nine of his first 10 opponents. He then competed against more experienced boxers like Jake Rodriguez, whom he fought on December 6, 1991. Trinidad won the fight by unanimous decision but suffered an injury on his right hand. He was then inactive for five months while recovering from the injury.

Gonzalez vs Trinidad

Raul Gonzalez fought Felix Trinidad on May 3, 1992 in Cayey, Puerto Rico.This fight was the main event of the night. Both Gonzalez and Trinidad weighed in at 142 pounds.Gonzalez had a record of 8-2-3 with 5 KOs, while Trinidad had a record of 13-0 with 10 KOs. Gonzalez went down three times, and Trinidad took the victory in round four by TKO. Trinidad would add another victory by KO to his record and would now make it 14-0 with 11 KOs.

Winning and defending the world title

Trinidad traveled to San Diego, California and defeated the IBF welterweight champion Maurice Blocker in two rounds, in a fight card that took place on June 19, 1993, televised by Showtime. Trinidad spent the first two minutes of the fight analyzing Blocker's style. With 11 seconds left in the first round, one of Trinidad's punches injured Blocker, who barely survived the round. In the second round, the champion's condition appeared to improve, but after the first 30 seconds, another Trinidad punch injured him. Trinidad followed with a combination, scoring a knockout at 1:49 in the round when the referee stopped the fight. Afterwards, tournament organizer Don King's exclusive relationship to stage fights for the cable channel Showtime meant that Trinidad would be showcased regularly on Showtime Championship Boxing.

Trinidad defended his title for the next three years against several opponents. Trinidad's first fight in Las Vegas, Nevada was against Héctor Camacho on January 29, 1994. He was cautious during the first rounds and received a cut over his left eye. In the third round he connected a solid combination that made Camacho change to a defensive stance. Throughout the fight Trinidad was on the offensive and won the fight by unanimous decision, in what was his first decision since he won the world championship. The scores awarded by the judges were 117–109, 116–110, and 119–106.

On September 17, 1994, Trinidad traveled to the MGM Grand for a second straight fight to compete in a title defense against Yori Boy Campas, who had a record of 56-0. In the second round Campas scored a knockdown, the second knockdown in Trinidad's career. Following this Trinidad exchanged several combinations, injuring Campas' face and breaking his nose. In the fourth round, the referee stopped the fight, the first defeat in Campas' career.

Trinidad's fourth fight outside Puerto Rico or the United States took place on ''Estadio de Beisbol'' in Monterey, Mexico. Trinidad was scheduled to defend his title against the undefeated Oba Carr. In the second round, Carr scored a knockdown, which was the product of a quick right hand punch. Trinidad continued the fight and pursued the challenger, who displayed a quick pace throughout the fight. In the fourth round Trinidad connected a solid punch that injured Carr, and in the eighth he scored three consecutive knockdowns before the referee stopped the fight by technical knockout.

Trinidad spent the next four years defending his title against numerous fighters in bouts televised on Showtime. Among these fights was a defense against Mahenge Zulu, the number two challenger for Trinidad's championship. This fight was part of a card that took place on April 3, 1998 in Bayamón, Puerto Rico and marked the first time that Trinidad had performed in the archipelago in five years. Trinidad began the first round by cautiously analyzing the challenger's style, but the round ended with quick exchanges after Zulu took the initiative in the offensive. In the second round Zulu was actively pursuing the champion, but retreated when he received a solid jab sequence. Early in the third round a series of jabs opened a wound on Zulu's mouth, while the challenger's punches were not reaching their target. Trinidad began the fourth round heavily on in the offensive connecting several combinations which hurt the challenger, using this to land more punches in Zulu's head and body. One punch hit Zulu in the jaw, he fell to the floor and tried to rise, but the referee stopped the fight before he could do so.

On February 20, 1999, Trinidad defended the welterweight championship against Pernell Whitaker, winning the fight by unanimous decision in a contest that marked his thirteenth successful defense. The fight began with both boxers displaying aggressive styles, which included excessive pushing. In the following rounds both boxers used their jabs most of the time with Trinidad gaining an advantage when Whitaker attempted to attack inside, eventually scoring a knockdown in round two. In the fourth, fifth and sixth rounds the fighters exchanged combinations. Later in the fight both boxers fell to the floor in what were ruled as "accidental slips." On the seventh round Whitaker displayed more offense, trading power punches with Trinidad, but the champion retained control in the fight's tempo during the eight, ninth, and tenth rounds. In the last round Whitaker, with a badly swollen right eye, displayed a purely defensive stance, avoiding his opponent throughout the round while Trinidad continued on the offensive until the fight concluded. The judges gave the champion scores of 117–111, 118–109 and 118–109.

In the spring of 1999, Don King and Oscar De la Hoya's promoter, Bob Arum, agreed to co-promote a mega-fight for the World Boxing Council and International Boxing Federation welterweight championships on September 18, 1999 at the Mandalay Bay Hotel in Las Vegas. Early in the fight De la Hoya employed boxing to connect combinations while avoiding Trinidad's attacks. The second round began with both boxers trading punches but De la Hoya quickly returned to his previous tactic, which he employed in the third round. In the fourth round Trinidad pressured the offense while De la Hoya tried to avoid his punches by moving, both boxers eventually exchanged punches. In the fifth round Trinidad continued in the offensive while De la Hoya attempted to remain on the outside corners of the ring, Trinidad's eye was swollen following a trade of punches. In the sixth round Felix connected a solid right to his opponent's jaw. Trinidad began the seventh round connecting several solid left hooks to the body that affected De la Hoya's stamina. In the eighth round the swelling on Trinidad's eye was reduced and he was able to control the center of the ring. After trading several combinations in the ninth round, Trinidad began to control the fight's tempo in the tenth, countering his adversary's attacks. Thinking that they had an advantage on points, De la Hoya's corner urged him to be conservative, a strategy benefiting Trinidad who became more active in the offensive, connecting several solid combinations. Both boxers continued this pattern in the final round, with De la Hoya trying to slow down the offense while displaying signs of exhaustion, as Trinidad continued to possess control. The judges gave Trinidad a majority decision, with scores of 115–113, 115–114 and 114–114.

Moving to junior middleweight

In 2000, Trinidad vacated the welterweight championships and moved to the junior middleweight division, in order to challenge the World Boxing Association's champion David Reid. Early in the fight Trinidad concentrated his punches on Reid's body, connecting hard punches to his ribs and belly. In the second round Reid connected a solid punch to his opponent's jaw, and in the third round scored a knockdown. In the fourth and fifth rounds Trinidad used his jab consistently, gaining control of the fight's tempo in the sixth round. The fight's score was close at the beginning of the seventh round but Trinidad opened the second half of the contest in the offensive, scoring the fight's second knockdown. Controlling the fight in the eighth, ninth and tenth rounds, and opening a cut over Reid's eye. Trinidad dominated the eleventh round, scoring three consecutive knockdowns. Reid tried to close the fight on the offensive but his opponent boxed and countered his attacks. The judges gave scores of 114–107, 114–106 and 115–106, all in favor of Trinidad.

On December 2, 2000, he was scheduled to fight in a unification card against Fernando Vargas, the International Boxing Federation's junior middleweight champion. The fight began in a fast pace with Trinidad connecting a solid combination that led to his opponent being knocked down. Vargas was able to stand up, but another combination injured him a second time and led to another knockdown. Early in the second round Trinidad was in the offensive but Vargas connected a solid combination at the round's closing moments which opened a cut over Trinidad's right eye. In the fourth round's opening seconds one of Vargas' punches connected on Trinidad's jaw and he fell, marking the eight knockdown in his career. In the fifth round Vargas was in control of the fight's offensive, connecting combinations to Trinidads' body. In the sixth round Trinidad regained control of the fight's tempo that lasted throughout the contest, connecting punches on Vargas' head and left jabs to the ribs. In the eighth, Vargas displayed signs of exhaustion which slowed his offensive while Trinidad then pursued the offense with combinations to the body. This pattern continued throughout the ninth, tenth and eleventh rounds. Opening the final round Vargas was on the offensive, connecting a solid left hook. Trinidad countered the attack with a left hook that made Vargas collapse; Vargas was able to stand up, but was subsequently knocked down for a second time. With Vargas injured, Trinidad continued connecting combinations, until the referee stopped the fight by technical knockout.

Moving to middleweight

Following his fight with Vargas, Trinidad moved up in weight – this time to participate in Don King's middleweight unification tournament featuring IBF champion Bernard Hopkins, WBA champion William Joppy, and WBC champion Keith Holmes. Trinidad was matched with Joppy, whom he defeated by technical knockout in the fifth round of a contest that took place on May 12, 2001. Joppy opened the first round on the offensive, but late in the round Trinidad scored a knockdown with a combination of punches that came close to throwing Joppy underneath the ropes. Trinidad subsequently scored a knockdown in the fourth round, during this stage of the competition he was using combinations of left hooks and right punches to the head. In the fifth round Trinidad scored another knockdown, Joppy attempted to continue the fight, but while he was using the ropes to help him stand, the referee stopped the fight. When the contest was over, Trinidad explained his strategy by stating: "I knew he wanted to impose his will, his weight, and I wouldn't let him do it".

The middleweight unification fight between Hopkins and Trinidad was originally scheduled for September 15, 2001, at the Madison Square Garden. On the morning of September 11, terrorists attacked the World Trade Center. Following this incident, the fight was postponed indefinitely. After receiving assurances from Madison Square Garden officials and the City of New York, Don King rescheduled the fight for September 29. The pace of the fight in the early rounds was slow, with each boxer studying his opponent. In the second round Hopkins connected some combinations while Trinidad pursued the offensive in the fourth round and both boxers traded sequences of punches. This pattern continued in the fifth round with Trinidad showing an aggressive style while Hopkins relied on jabs. In the sixth Trinidad continued an offensive stance and won the round after trading several combinations. Both fighters continued to exchange punches in the eighth and ninth round with Hopkins connecting three consecutive solid punches. In the twelfth round Hopkins' scored a knockdown, but before the contest could continue Trinidad's father entered the ring, which led to the referee stopping the fight by technical knockout. According to an interview with Bernard's trainer Bouie Fisher, prior to the fight members of Hopkins' team visited the Trinidad dressing room in what is considered a normal boxing custom to watch the taping of Trinidad's hands before his gloves were placed on. The Hopkins camp claimed that Trinidad's hands were wrapped in an incorrect fashion, and threatened to cancel the fight unless they were wrapped correctly. Fisher also stated that the Chief Inspector of the NYSAC insisted to Trinidad's camp that they needed to re-wrap his hands in a correct fashion.

Trinidad was subsequently scheduled to fight against Hacine Cherifi in a contest that he won by technical knockout in the fourth round. The event was part of a card that took place on May 11, 2002, and was organized in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Early in the first round Trinidad's strategy consisted of using his jab while Cherifi did not try to directly engage in the offensive. In the last minute of the round a punch by Trinidad hit Cherifi's chin leaving him disoriented, he followed this with a combination and scored a knockdown. In the second round, Trinidad displayed more boxing and was on the offensive by using combinations to the head and ribs. In the third Cherifi landed more punches than in the previous two, but Trinidad relied on throwing left jabs. One of his punches hit Cherifi's liver, followed by a punch to the jaw, making Cherifi fall to the floor. In the fourth, a series of combinations injured Cherifi, who collapsed to the floor twice, forfeiting the fight on the second occasion. Following this contest Trinidad announced his retirement, at the moment leaving the sport with a record of 41 wins, one defeat, and 34 wins by knockout.

Coming out of retirement

Trinidad announced a comeback on March 2, 2004. On October 2, 2004 he fought against Ricardo Mayorga, in Madison Square Garden. Early in the first round Mayorga was on the offensive connecting several combinations, later in the round Trinidad connected some punches to his opponent's face. Mayorga reacted defiantly while lowering his defense, which Trinidad used to continue the offensive during the closing seconds. In the second round he continued connecting with combinations to Mayorga's face which caused him to bleed from his nose; the round concluded with both fighters exchanging punches. In the third round Mayorga attempted to counter with punches to the body but did not do significant damage to his opponent, however later in the round one of these punches made Trinidad lose his balance and touch the floor with one glove which the referee counted as a knockdown. In the fourth round both boxers traded hard combinations. In the fifth Trinidad displayed control of the offense's tempo injuring Mayorga and opening a cut under one of his eyes. This pattern continued in the sixth and seventh round, and the cut on Mayorga's face began to swell. In the eight round Trinidad scored several knockdowns, Mayorga continued after two knockdowns, but lost by technical knockout following a third knockdown. On May 14, 2005, Trinidad competed against Winky Wright, in a fight where the winner would become the World Boxing Council's number one challenger in the Middleweight division. Wright won the fight by decision, receiving scores of 120–107 and 119–108 twice by the judges. Trinidad's fighting style appeared to be out of rhythm in the first round, while Wright presented a defensive stance and relied on jabs. During the first three rounds Wright was in the offensive scoring with jabs. On the fourth round Trinidad connected a solid combination. In the sixth, Wright continued the strategy used in the previous rounds while Trinidad employed a strategy where he tried to neutralize his opponent's punches by standing in front of him. In the later rounds Trinidad tried to take the contest's offensive but his adversary managed to block most of his punches while continuing his previous tactic. In the twelfth round Trinidad pursued Wright while trying to score a knockout, but his opponent boxed away from him until the round ended. Following this fight, Trinidad retired temporarily, after his father informed him that he would not continue in his corner.

Trinidad came out of his second retirement for the fight against Roy Jones, a former four-division champion on January 19, 2008. According to the contract, it was to be at a catch weight of 170 lbs; and was broadcast live on HBO Pay-Per-View. The card took place at Madison Square Garden in New York city. Trinidad began the fight on the offensive and won the first two rounds. The third and fourth rounds were won by Jones who relied on the velocity of his punches. This pattern continued in the fifth and sixth rounds. In the seventh round, Jones scored a knockdown following a right hand. Following this Jones continued to use his speed while Trinidad pursued the offensive, in the tenth round Jones scored a second knockdown after landing a combination. The judges declared the fight a unanimous decision in favor of Jones with scores of 117–109 and 116–110 twice.

Inactivity

After this fight, Trinidad was inactive for almost two years, before announcing on October 14, 2009, that he was "between 95 and 98 percent sure [that he would] not do anything more within boxing". During this timeframe, he made sporadic public appearances, attending boxing cards and participating in public activities, including a ceremony where Juan Manuel López and Iván Calderón received rings for five successful defenses of their world championships. Beginning in July 2009, Trinidad became involved with the World Wrestling Council, participating as a guest referee at their anniversary show. Three months later, he was included in a storyline that also included Orlando Colón. In 2010, Trinidad expressed interest in purchasing the Changos de Naranjito.

Personal life

Félix Trinidad was born in Fajardo, Puerto Rico, to Irma García and Félix Trinidad Senior. During his childhood the family moved to Cupey Alto, a subdivision of San Juan, Puerto Rico, where he grew up. His future wife, Sharon Santiago, lived in Cupey and first met Trinidad in the home of her neighborhood friend, a classmate of Trinidad's. Trinidad pursued a relationship with Santiago, including an attempt to impress her with his red Ford Mustang. He continued to press for her affection and, with the help of Santiago's neighbor, Trinidad was able to win her over. Early on, Santiago's mother thought that Trinidad was related to her daughter's friend, but she realized the true situation when she visited the friend's house and he acted nervous in her presence. Santiago's father objected to the relationship because Trinidad was an athlete; at the time many athletes had a negative public image. Santiago became rebellious, but Trinidad eventually won her family's trust. The couple was married four years after they began dating and have had four daughters. Trinidad has a fifth daughter, named Alondra Nicole, from another relationship.

Professional record

| style="text-align:center;" colspan="8"|42 Wins (35 Knockouts), 3 Defeats (1 Knockout), 0 Draws |- style="text-align:center; background:#e3e3e3;" | style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Res. | style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Record | style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Opponent | style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Type | style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Rd., Time | style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Date | style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Location | style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Notes |- align=center |Loss |42-3 |align=left| Roy Jones Jr. | | | |align=left| Madison Square Garden, New York, New York}} |align=left| |- align=center |Loss |42-2 |align=left| Winky Wright | | | |align=left| MGM Grand, Las Vegas, Nevada}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |42-1 |align=left| Ricardo Mayorga | | | |align=left| Madison Square Garden, New York, New York}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |41-1 |align=left| Hacine Cherifi | | | |align=left| Roberto Clemente Coliseum, San Juan}} |align=left| |- align=center |Loss |40-1 |align=left| Bernard Hopkins | | | |align=left| Madison Square Garden, New York, New York}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |40-0 |align=left| William Joppy | | | |align=left| Madison Square Garden, New York, New York}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |39-0 |align=left| Fernando Vargas | | | |align=left| Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |38-0 |align=left| Mamadou Thiam | | | |align=left| American Airlines Arena, Miami, Florida}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |37-0 |align=left| David Reid | | | |align=left| Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |36-0 |align=left| Oscar De La Hoya | | | |align=left| Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |35-0 |align=left| Hugo Pineda | | | |align=left| Roberto Clemente Coliseum, San Juan}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |34-0 |align=left| Pernell Whitaker | | | |align=left| Madison Square Garden, New York, New York}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |33-0 |align=left| Mahenge Zulu | | | |align=left| Coliseo Ruben Rodriguez, Bayamon}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |32-0 |align=left| Troy Waters | | | |align=left| Madison Square Garden, New York, New York}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |31-0 |align=left| Kevin Lueshing | | | |align=left| Nashville Arena, Nashville, Tennessee}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |30-0 |align=left| Ray Lovato | | | |align=left| MGM Grand, Las Vegas, Nevada}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |29-0 |align=left| Freddie Pendleton | | | |align=left| The Mirage, Las Vegas, Nevada}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |28-0 |align=left| Rodney Moore | | | |align=left| MGM Grand, Las Vegas, Nevada}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |27-0 |align=left| Larry Barnes | | | |align=left| Atlantic City Convention Center, Atlantic City, New Jersey}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |26-0 |align=left| Roger Turner | | | |align=left| Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |25-0 |align=left| Oba Carr | | | |align=left| Estadio de Béisbol Monterrey, Monterrey, Nuevo León}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |24-0 |align=left| Luis Ramon Campas | | | |align=left| MGM Grand, Las Vegas, Nevada}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |23-0 |align=left| Héctor Camacho | | | |align=left| MGM Grand, Las Vegas, Nevada}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |22-0 |align=left| Anthony Stephens | | | |align=left| Convention Center, Fort Lauderdale, Florida}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |21-0 |align=left| Luis Gabriel Garcia | | | |align=left| Coliseo Ruben Rodriguez, Bayamon}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |20-0 |align=left| Maurice Blocker | | | |align=left| San Diego Sports Arena, San Diego, California}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |19-0 |align=left| Colin Tomlinson | | | |align=left| Condado}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |18-0 |align=left| Pedro Aguirre | | | |align=left| Estadio Azteca, Mexico City}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |17-0 |align=left| Henry Hughes | | | |align=left| Roberto Clemente Coliseum, San Juan}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |16-0 |align=left| Alberto de las Mercedes Cortes | | | |align=left| Paris}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |15-0 |align=left| Joseph Alexander | | | |align=left| San Juan}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |14-0 |align=left| Raúl González | | | |align=left| Cayey}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |13-0 |align=left| Jake Rodríguez | | | |align=left| Bayamon}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |12-0 |align=left| Lorenzo Bouie | | | |align=left| Mahi Temple Shrine Auditorium, Miami, Florida}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |11-0 |align=left| Darren McGrew | | | |align=left| San Juan}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |10-0 |align=left| Manuel Salas | | | |align=left| Tamiani Fairgrounds Auditorium, Miami, Florida}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |9-0 |align=left| Felix Vasquez | | | |align=left| San Juan}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |8-0 |align=left| Noe Rivera | | | |align=left| San Juan}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |7-0 |align=left| Luis Felipe Perez | | | |align=left| El San Juan Hotel & Casino, San Juan}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |6-0 |align=left| Valentin Ocasio | | | |align=left| El San Juan Hotel & Casino, San Juan}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |5-0 |align=left| Jose Vilarino | | | |align=left| San Juan}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |4-0 |align=left| Omar Victoriano Alegre | | | |align=left| Outdoor Arena, Capo d'Orlando, Sicilia}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |3-0 |align=left| William Lopez | | | |align=left| El San Juan Hotel & Casino, San Juan}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |2-0 |align=left| Israel Ponce | | | |align=left| Miramar}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |1-0 |align=left| Angel Romero | | | |align=left| Miramar}} |align=left|

Professional championships

{{S-ttl | title=International Boxing Federation Welterweight Champion| years=June 19, 1993 – March 3, 2000Vacated}}

Ring Magazine's Fighter of the Year

See also

List of famous Puerto Ricans

African immigration to Puerto Rico

List of boxing families

List of boxing triple champions‎

List of Puerto Rican boxing world champions

References

External links

Boxinginsider.com profile interview with Felix 'Tito' Trinidad

Category:Doping cases in boxing Category:Puerto Rican boxers Category:Welterweight boxers Category:Light-middleweight boxers Category:Middleweight boxers Category:World Boxing Association Champions Category:World Boxing Council Champions Category:International Boxing Federation Champions Category:Puerto Rican people of African descent Category:1973 births Category:Living people

de:Félix Trinidad es:Félix Trinidad fr:Félix Trinidad it:Félix Trinidad lv:Felikss Trinidads ja:フェリックス・トリニダード pl:Félix Trinidad ru:Тринидад, Феликс fi:Félix Trinidad sv:Félix Trinidad

Coordinates	50°15′″N19°0′″N
Name	William Joppy
Realname	William Torelle Joppy
Height	175 cm
Reach	185 cm
Weight	Light heavyweight
Nationality	U.S.
Birth date	September 11, 1970
Birth place	Silver Spring, Maryland, U.S.
Style	Orthodox
Total	49
Wins	40
Ko	30
Losses	7
Draws	2
No contests	0 }}

William Torelle Joppy (born September 11, 1970) is an American middleweight boxer. Joppy held the WBA middleweight title on two occasions. He first became the WBA champion in June 1996 by stopping defender Shinji Takehara in Japan with a flurry of punches in the ninth round. He then would make a couple defenses of his crown. However, on August 23, 1997, Joppy lost a controversial decision to Julio César Green. Joppy's very next fight, on January 31 of the next year, saw him avenge that loss with a decision win by a wide margin. This fight won Joppy the WBA title for the second time. After recovering from a neck injury, Joppy stopped Green on cuts in the seventh round in a rubber match (Green had been the interim champion while Joppy recovered), and made a few more defenses, including a 3rd round TKO of a 47 year old Roberto Durán.

Unsuccessful unification

Joppy lost the title a second time, however, on May 13, 2001, to Félix Trinidad in the middleweight unification tournament. Joppy was knocked down in rounds one and four before finally being stopped in the fifth. After the WBA title was vacated due to Bernard Hopkins beating Trinidad and being very dubiously declared a "super champion", Joppy had the chance to fight for it again. He claimed the title from British contender Howard Eastman in a close majority decision where he was knocked down by Eastman in the final few seconds.

On December 14, 2003, Joppy lost his title to Bernard Hopkins, losing by a wide points margin on all three judges' cards. A year later, Joppy lost another lopsided unanimous decision against Jermain Taylor.

Joppy returned as a Super Middleweight on July 29, 2005 knocking out journeyman Rashaan Blackburn in the third round. Joppy said then that he hoped to have one final title run as a Super Middleweight before retirement. After a string of five victories against lesser opponents, Joppy obtained a title fight against the new IBF champion Lucian Bute on February 29, 2008. Bute won by way of technical knockout in round 10 and Joppy retired after the bout, only to come back two years later.

Retirement

Following a close decision loss to Sebastien Demers in March 2010 Joppy announced his retirement from boxing, although it was not the first time that Joppy has announced that he is leaving the sport. As of March, 2008, Joppy's record stands at 39 wins (30 by way of knockout), 6 losses (2 by way of knockout), and one draw.

References

External links

{{S-ttl| title=WBA Middleweight ChampionRegular Title | years=November 17, 2001 – December 13, 2003''Title unified by Bernard Hopkins''}}

Category:1970 births Category:Living people Category:Middleweight boxers Category:American boxers

de:William Joppy fr:William Joppy ja:ウィリアム・ジョッピー ru:Джоппи, Уильям

Coordinates	50°15′″N19°0′″N
playername	Neil Shaka Hislop
fullname	Neil Shaka Hislop
dateofbirth	February 22, 1969
cityofbirth	Hackney, London
countryofbirth	England
height
position	Goalkeeper
youthyears1	1986–1991 | youthclubs1 Howard University
years1	1992–1995 | clubs1 Reading | caps1 104 | goals1 0
years2	1995–1998 | clubs2 Newcastle United | caps2 53 | goals2 0
years3	1998–2002 | clubs3 West Ham United | caps3 105 | goals3 0
years4	2002–2005 | clubs4 Portsmouth | caps4 93 | goals4 0
years5	2005–2006 | clubs5 West Ham United | caps5 16 | goals5 0
years6	2006–2007 | clubs6 FC Dallas | caps6 10 | goals6 0
totalcaps	381 | totalgoals 0
nationalyears1	1988 | nationalteam1 England U-21 | nationalcaps1 1 | nationalgoals1 0
nationalyears2	1999–2006 | nationalteam2 Trinidad and Tobago | nationalcaps2 26 | nationalgoals2 0 }}

Neil Shaka Hislop, CM (born 22 February 1969) is a former professional football goalkeeper. The majority of his career was spent in the top division in England where he was a part of the Newcastle United team which finished second in the Premier League for two successive seasons under Kevin Keegan's first tenure. Before this he played for Reading where he was on the losing side in the 1st Division Play-Offs despite finishing second overall (which became an automatic promotion slot the following season). He later played for West Ham United on two separate occasions (receiving an FA Cup Runner-up medal during his second term in 2006) and also Portsmouth (where he won the 1st Division in 2002/03).

He was eligible to play for both England and Trinidad and Tobago. He initially played for the England U-21 team and was on the bench for a full International against Chile, but in the end opted to play for Trinidad & Tobago. A dispute with the national team ruled him out of contention for several years, but he returned to play and starred in the country's first ever World Cup appearance in 2006.

He is now working for sports news and broadcasting service ESPN and regularly provides commentary on Serie A and Spanish La Liga matches. He has also accepted an offer to be a goalkeeping coach for the football team at Quinnipiac University.

Personal life

Hislop was born in Hackney, England while his father studied law. He moved to Diego Martin in Trinidad at the age of two. His parents are George and Gina and his brothers are Kona and Kali. He is married to Desha (formerly Moore) and has four daughters and one son. His daughters went to Woodlands School, Brentwood.

His cousin Makan is a current Trinidad and Tobago international player.

Club career

Early career

At an early age, Hislop wanted to be a striker, but was thrust in goal as he was the tallest player on his team. He eventually grew to a commanding 6'6" in height, although various sources cite his height at 6'4". After graduating from St. Mary's College in Trinidad, Hislop earned a scholarship to play college soccer at Howard University in the United States and led his team to the NCAA Final as a freshman starter. He graduated from Howard with honours with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. During this time, he interned at NASA.

Reading

Shortly after graduating, Hislop was spotted by a scout from Reading at a friendly indoor match against Aston Villa of the English Premier League. He went on to sign professional forms with Reading for the 1992–93 season and remained there for two more years. While there, he established himself as a firm fan favourite after an uncertain start, twice earning the club's "Player of the Year" award; he has previously stated his friendship with youth team player and friend Daniel Sexton played a big part in him settling into the club so well. He was instrumental in Reading's rise from League 1 (the old 3rd Division) to second place in the Championship (2nd Division), where he narrowly missed out on the Premier League following a 4–3 defeat to Bolton Wanderers in the 1995 play-off final, and was voted the club's Player of the Season in 1994-95. Hislop was one of many Reading players to move that summer of 1995, signing with Newcastle United for £1.575m. In a poll to compile the Royals' greatest-ever XI, Hislop was voted the best goalkeeper with 46.7% of the vote ahead of Steve Death and Marcus Hahnemann.

Newcastle United

Hislop's first season at Newcastle United was spent battling with incumbent goalkeeper Pavel Srníček for the starting role. After starting strongly and being the starter through until December, Hislop suffered an injury that allowed Srníček to regain the starting role that he held for the remainder of the season as Newcastle blew a 12 point lead in January to finish the season in second place.

In 1996–97, he remained on the bench, having to watch Srníček tend the nets until approximately the same time the previous season. A perceived dip in form and a number of mistakes from Srníček allowed Hislop to take the starting role back again and he made only his second league start of the year in a 7–1 defeat of Tottenham Hotspur. Hislop successfully retained the starting position as Newcastle pipped Arsenal and Liverpool to second place on goal difference at the end of the season.

Hislop's role further came under threat when new manager Kenny Dalglish opted to purchase a former player of his own from Blackburn Rovers. Dalglish brought in Shay Given, costing £1.5 million, and a season-long battle for the number one spot ensued between the two goalkeepers. Given initially started the season, but after a string of defeats and five games without a win, Dalglish went back to Hislop in November and he stayed there until an injury in February allowed Given back into the frame.

With his contract running out, and having not yet managed to play a full season at Newcastle, Hislop chose to leave on a free transfer.

West Ham United

West Ham United had operated a "goalkeeper by committee" approach the previous season, seeing first Luděk Mikloško, then Craig Forrest, then Bernard Lama hold the starting role. With Mikloško now with Queens Park Rangers and with the team being unable to secure Lama beyond his three month loan, Harry Redknapp snapped up Hislop and installed him as first choice goalkeeper.

In 1998–99, Hislop's first season saw him provide excellent service to the team, culminating in winning the "Hammer of the Year" award at the first attempt. His following season seemed to be following suit until he broke his leg in a match against Bradford City. The game saw young Stephen Bywater make his league debut in a 5–4 victory, but signalled the end of Hislop's season.

He returned the following year in 2000–01 but in a tumultuous season, he saw his manager fired, and two of the clubs most promising players in Rio Ferdinand and Frank Lampard sold on. His performances were strong in an unsettled team. However, new manager Glenn Roeder purchased the unsettled David James from Aston Villa, who had publicly fallen foul of his manager John Gregory. The deal was seen as a coup for West Ham, though it resigned Hislop to the bench for what was seen to be his final season with the club as James (a year younger) was intended to be the obvious long-term option.

However, before the 2001–02 season could even start, James tore his knee ligaments on England-duty after a collision with Martin Keown. The injury ruled James out for the first three months of the season. Hislop instantly stepped back into his starting role and kept five clean sheets in his 12 appearances that year for the club (though he also featured in the back to back drubbings from Everton 5–0 and Blackburn Rovers 7–1.

James reclaimed the starting role, and on 1 July 2002, Hislop left the club on a free transfer.

Portsmouth

Hislop joined Portsmouth after Harry Redknapp joined Portsmouth as their new manager. He quickly asserted himself as the starter in the side that won the Division 1, ensuring automatic promotion to the Premier League. In recognition of his exploits for the season he was named in the First Division's 'Team of the Year' and remained first choice for the next two seasons in the Premiership, despite competition from Harald Wapenaar and later, Jamie Ashdown. In January 2005, following the replacement of Redknapp as manager, his replacement Velimir Zajec signed Greek international Konstantinos Chalkias and Hislop faced more competition for a place on the team.

Following the appointment of a new manager Alain Perrin, Hislop failed to regain his starting place in favour of ex-Liverpool keeper Sander Westerveld, and when his contract expired in June 2005, he was released by the club.

Return to West Ham

On 29 July 2005, he rejoined West Ham as experienced cover along with Jimmy Walker for new signing Roy Carroll, allowing Stephen Bywater to go out on loan. Carroll started strongly but a back injury saw Hislop make occasional appearances through the season until Christmas. In January, Carroll's injury forced him to the physio's table once again and Hislop stepped back into the fold as the starter (rotating with Walker).

He featured in every FA Cup game as the team made its way to the final against Liverpool, keeping seven clean sheets in 27 appearances.

The FA Cup Final finished 3–3 after a late equaliser from Steven Gerrard in the 91st minute (the Goal of the Season). Hislop saving Sami Hyypiä's penalty was not enough for his team as Liverpool won the game 3–1 on penalty kicks after Anton Ferdinand missed the final West Ham spot kick of the day.

Dallas

On 5 July 2006, following his World Cup heroics, Hislop signed for Major League Soccer team FC Dallas in the United States. His time in MLS was a disappointment as he was injured most of the time. He was unable to win the starting spot and his appearances all came when first choice Darío Sala was unavailable.

After suffering a back injury, Hislop left FC Dallas and retired from professional football in August 2007.

International career

Due to his dual nationality, Hislop has had the privilege of donning the national colours of two countries. During his time at Newcastle, he was one of three over-age players selected to play for the England U-21 side against Switzerland and was also the substitute goalkeeper in a game for England against Chile at Wembley Stadium. After settling a dispute with the Trinidad and Tobago national team management, he went on to play a total of 26 times for the Twin Island nation, also captaining the team in 5 matches. He was very fortunate to have been able to do so before new FIFA regulations had since ruled that players cannot switch national allegiances after they reach the age of 21. However the age limit has recently been scrapped by FIFA.

Hislop had announced his retirement from international football in 2004, citing the long journeys between England and the Caribbean as a factor, but returned to the national team to aid them in the 2006 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers at the request of the Trinidad and Tobago national team management. In 2005, he was part of the Trinidad and Tobago side that qualified for the 2006 World Cup with a victory over Bahrain. The draw for the World Cup placed them in Group 2 alongside Sweden, Paraguay and England.

On 10 June 2006, Hislop made history as the starting goalkeeper for the Trinidad and Tobago national team's first ever World Cup match, replacing Kelvin Jack who suffered a calf injury in the warm-up. He was instrumental in securing a historic 0–0 draw against the heavily favoured Sweden, making several world-class saves, even with his team down to ten men for almost the entire second half. Despite just missing out on the Man of the Match honours to his close friend and captain Dwight Yorke, Hislop still earned rave reviews for his performance. Writing in The Times, he would call the occasion 'the proudest day of his career'. It was another memorable occasion for him when on 15 June 2006, Hislop again started as goalkeeper, this time against his birth nation England having represented them many years ago. In what was to be his last match for the Soca Warriors he put in another brave performance, keeping the scores deadlocked for 83 minutes before goals from Peter Crouch and Steven Gerrard condemned the islanders to a 2–0 defeat.

Coaching

On 17 March 2009, Hislop signed a contract to be an assistant coach while primarily working with the goalkeepers of the Quinnipiac University football team.

Media work

In 2008, Hislop began a weekly blog covering Major League Soccer for the British newspaper ''The Guardian's'' website. He currently works as a commentator on ESPN's PressPass program and in addition to commentary he has also interviewed several major footballing figures, including his former club manager Harry Redknapp after his move from Portsmouth to Tottenham Hotspur and legendary USA international goalkeeper Kasey Keller.

Awards

In April 2005, Hislop was named the inaugural winner of the PFA Special Merit Award for his services to football. He has been a pioneer of football's 'Show Racism The Red Card' Campaign. He was also inducted into Howard University's Athletic Hall of Fame, only the fifth Association Football player to be so honoured.

Following the Trinidad and Tobago national team's inspirational performance in the World Cup, Hislop and his team-mates were awarded the Chaconia Medal in gold, the second highest national award for Trinidad and Tobago. He is entitled to add the 'CM' suffix to his name as and when desired.

In 2007, Hislop received the Alexander B. Chapman Award from the Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee for outstanding contribution to sport and the promotion of Olympic ideals. He is a member of the Professional Footballer’s Association’s Roll of Honor, joining Pele with the distinction of being the only two non-British members.

On 10 July 2008, Hislop became the first member of the Trinidad and Tobago World Cup squad to be inducted into his country's Sporting Hall of Fame.

References

External links

Planet World Cup columnist, Peter Goldstein, on the goalless draw between Sweden and Trinidad & Tobago

Article by John I. Harris III in Howard University's HOWARD MAGAZINE, Fall 2006

Article by Michael Lewis in FIFA's FANFEST MAGAZINE, October 2006

Profile at 4thegame.com

Photos and stats at sporting-heroes.net

Profile at premierleague.com

Shaka Hislop's Guardian Blog

Category:1969 births Category:Living people Category:Trinidad and Tobago footballers Category:Trinidad and Tobago international footballers Category:English footballers Category:Reading F.C. players Category:Newcastle United F.C. players Category:Portsmouth F.C. players Category:West Ham United F.C. players Category:FC Dallas players Category:Premier League players Category:2006 FIFA World Cup players Category:2002 CONCACAF Gold Cup players Category:2005 CONCACAF Gold Cup players Category:Association football goalkeepers Category:People from Hackney Category:England under-21 international footballers Category:Howard University alumni Category:Quinnipiac University Category:English people of Trinidad and Tobago descent Category:Black British sportspeople Category:Expatriate soccer players in the United States

de:Shaka Hislop es:Shaka Hislop fr:Shaka Hislop ko:샤카 히즐롭 id:Shaka Hislop it:Shaka Hislop lt:Shaka Hislop nl:Shaka Hislop ja:シャカ・ヒスロップ no:Shaka Hislop nn:Shaka Hislop pl:Shaka Hislop pt:Shaka Hislop ru:Хислоп, Шака simple:Shaka Hislop fi:Shaka Hislop sv:Shaka Hislop uk:Шака Хіслоп zh:沙卡·希斯洛普