December 26, 2011 Table Of Contents
EDITOR'S LETTER
LEADING OFF
Inside: THE WEEK IN SPORTS
A new Western power will topple the champs, but the Heat is the team to beat
By Ian Thomsen
THE RÉSUMÉ BUILDERS (AND KILLERS)
A team's out-of-conference performance can provide a critical boost or keep it on the wrong side of the bubble come Selection Sunday. Before league play revs up in the new year, consider three programs in each category
By Seth Davis
Ten BCS programs have made new coaching hires. The early forecast: no title contenders and many who will weather a tough 2012
By Albert Chen
FIFA's Year of Corruption shows that real change will only come when the man at the top leaves
By Grant Wahl
The Super Six tournament produced a breakout star in Andre Ward and established a formula that could revitalize the sport
By Chris Mannix
The league's highest scoring lines have boosted their respective teams into contention, but are they being asked to do too much?
By Sarah Kwak
THE YEAR IN SPORTS
From a Cy Young pitcher to a beer-pitching pass rusher, from a cantankerous owner who revolutionized football to a crafty f√∫tbol player who helped usher in a revolution, the sports world said goodbye to a host of indelible figures
By Mark Bechtel
POINT AFTER
By Phil Taylor
Departments
Remember how the labor stalemate was going to drive fans from the NFL?
By Peter King
A onetime Olympic hopeful straps on a snowboard two years after a near-fatal accident
Remembering the year's least monumental moments—the punch lines that made headlines
By Kevin Kerr
By Dan Patrick
Edited by Alexandra Fenwick