Ten hut! This week on Only A Game, why some American pro sports leagues are turning to the military to address security issues. Also, an NFL season preview, and powerlifter Anderson Wise prepares for the Beijing Paralympics.
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2008 NFL Season Previews and Possibilities

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With the 2008 NFL season underway, Boston Globe pro football writer Mike Reiss discusses this season’s possible highlights. From the possibility of a Giant’s Championship repeat to the aftermath of Favre’s soap-opera saga with the Packers, no football fan can afford to miss a single game this season.

Bringing in the Troops

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As the NBA and NFL open their respective 2008 seasons, they will do so with the help of new employees from outside the world of sports. The new hires bring with them former Army and State Police experience, which many believe can help clean up the scandals of each league. Only A Game’s Doug Tribou has the story.

2008 Paralympics

Audio for http://www.bu.edu/wbur/storage/2008/09/onlyagame_0906_3.mp3 With the opening ceremonies for the 2008 Paralympics less than 24 hours away, Charlie Huebner, Chief Executive Officer for the U.S.A. Paralympics, discusses the events, athletes, and the lack of U.S. media attention on the Paralympic games with our own Bill Littlefield.

 Beijing, Meet Anderson Wise

Audio for http://www.bu.edu/wbur/storage/2008/09/onlyagame_0906_4.mp3 Twenty-five year old Anderson Wise is not nervous about his first trip to the Paralympic games, and why should he be? After finishing first in his weight class at the American Powerlifting Championships in 2006 and 2007 and nabbing a sixth-place finish at the World Championships two years ago in South Korea, Wise is ready to take on the best Beijing has to offer. Wise discusses his challenges and goals heading in to the 2008 Paralympic games with Bill Littlefield.

 U.S. Open

Audio for http://www.bu.edu/wbur/storage/2008/09/onlyagame_0906_5.mp3 As both the men’s and women’s U.S. Open continue to the finals this weekend, tennis fans around the world are asking themselves the same question- who is going to come out on top? With the big names in contention and the always lurking possibilities of big upsets, the U.S. Open title could belong to anyone. ESPN and the Boston Globe’s Bud Collins comments.

The Difference Between Upstream and Downstream

Audio for http://www.bu.edu/wbur/storage/2008/09/onlyagame_0906_6.mp3 Commentator Elissa Ely learned a life lesson about procrastination and what it really means to swim against the current during a recent canoeing adventure.

Favre Captains the Jets and More with Charlie Pierce

Audio for http://www.bu.edu/wbur/storage/2008/09/onlyagame_0906_7.mp3 Bill and Only A Game analyst Charlie Pierce discuss: the defending national Super Bowl losers, Favre as a Jet, and aggressive pogo stick jumping.

"A People’s History of Sports in the United States"

Audio for http://www.bu.edu/wbur/storage/2008/09/onlyagame_0906_8.mp3 Sportswriter and author Dave Zirin salutes "rebel athletes" of the past and present in his new book, A People’s History of Sports in the United States. In an interview Zirin discusses the social and political power of athletes as public figures along with the so-called "progress" of the U.S. perspective on women in sports.