Mayor Kevin Johnson was not a soccer fan. He found the game foreign and silly, a bunch of people kicking a ball around and rarely scoring. Not like basketball. But Johnson was the first Sacramento politician to embrace the idea of bringing Major League Soccer to the Downtown railyards.
He saw the possibilities. Forget the game, he said. This is about economic development.
Jim Cooper is trying to save football. He might be too late.
Cooper, the state Assembly member from Elk Grove, carried legislation this year to make youth football probably not as safe as tennis, but safer than football has ever been.
Cooper’s handiwork, called Assembly Bill 1 or the “California Youth Football Act,” proved California is serious about protecting children who play in youth football leagues.
Here’s one cheap and easy way for sports fans to improve their chances of living longer and healthier lives: Park on 15th Street and walk to an event at Golden 1 Center. The secret to longevity can be found in each step.
October may be the perfect month for walking in Sacramento. The blazing summer heat has eased. The dreary skies and soaking winter rains have not arrived. Pollen counts are reasonable. And the benefits of a hearty walk improve each time a new medical research study is published.
Sutter Lawn Tennis Club celebrates its 100th birthday in September, which prompts one Grand Slam question: How did the little East Sacramento jewel manage to last a century?
A tempting story would tell how Sutter Lawn’s guardians intuitively aced the future and moved with the times at 39th and N streets. They adapted to changing tastes, acquired nearby properties and relentlessly expanded to become the city’s dominant sports facility.
Raquel Atawo is among the best tennis players in the world. She has made more than $2.2 million and built a comfortable life with her husband in Sacramento on the strength of her speed, reflexes and groundstrokes. She is tenacious and tough and plays with energy that does not betray her age, 36.
