What makes Michael Sam so important to the gay rights movement is that he will be bringing their cause into a forbidden zone.

JOHN RIORDAN The second instalment of Ali-Liston may have produced one of the most iconic images of sport in the 20th Century but there’s a refreshing spontaneity in the boyish wonder of Cassius Clay when he won the world heavyweight title for the first time.

New York takes all the credit, talking a big game and laying on the hottest Super Bowl bashes.

They might share a common cause but this weekend, the Denver Gaels and Seattle Gaels GAA clubs are split by a common desire for Super Bowl success.

It’s almost impossible to recall past controversies without wondering how much the Twitter prism would have stirred things up even more.

It’s difficult to assess the survivor guilt that will accompany Mike “The Rebel” Perez back into the ring this weekend.

I know how galling this all must be, hearing about the big North American freeze and the tremors of polar madness it’s firing across the ocean to stir things up around your way.

This will be the biggest year for a small soccer club in the Bronx.

The NFL couldn’t have scripted it much better heading into the last week of the regular season.

The old school shut another one of its doors when Johnny Murphy passed away in February.