being the empress doesnt guarantee equal pay

Long Island native Alicia “The Empress” Napoleon-Espinosa is the WBA super middleweight champion. However, being a world champion female boxer doesn’t guarantee a comparable paycheck to the men. While training for a fight, Napoleon-Espinosa works a full-time job as trainer, as well as training up to three times a day. 
 Credit: Newsday / Shelby Knowles

Being 'The Empress' doesn't guarantee equal pay

shima jiu-jitsu: its what i am

 Steve Isaak, 71, is the founder of Shima Jiu-Jitsu, a martial art that helped shape his life and the lives of his dedicated students. 
 Credit: Mario Gonzalez

Shima Jiu-Jitsu: 'It's what I am'

robert alianos second chance

On Nov. 8, 2008, Robert Aliano, a Quinnipiac University senior from Miller Place, was struck in a hit-and-run near his off-campus house in Connecticut. He suffered a traumatic brain injury so severe his doctors gave him a 1 percent chance of recovery. He underwent extensive rehabilitation that brought him to family friend Jerry Figgiani, owner of East Coast Black Belt Academy in Middle Island, who uses martial arts to help Robert regain his physical abilities. But it’s an emotional journey for Figgiani as well — this mission hits closer to home than anyone thought.
 Credit: Randee Daddona

Martial arts help LIer recover from brain injury

vinnie the dentist

Vinnie Savino, a dentist from Brookville, turned to boxing to help overcome the hardships in his life. Savino, 81, has forged a bond with the young fighters at the Westbury Boxing Gym. Newsday followed Savino for nearly a year to tell his story in this in-depth video feature.
 Credit: Newsday / Chris Ware, Robert Cassidy

Vinnie the Dentist

cant stop now

Amaya Williams is a player on the Copiague varsity girls basketball team. She trains with them, practices with them, plays with them. The only difference between herself and her teammates? Williams is a double leg amputee. 
 Credit: Newsday / Shelby Knowles; Alejandra Villa; Raychel Brightman

Can't Stop Now

life after football

Newsday explores why so many former NFL players struggle while transitioning to life after football in this special report. Hear from former players including Wesley Walker, Boomer Esiason, Bruce Harper and more.


Life after football

nyit studies how a hit-filled lacrosse season affects players

Newsday followed 10 players from the NYIT men's lacrosse team during their 2018 season as the school conducted a study about brain and head safety in the sport. The players displayed "subtle" memory declines and slower cognitive reaction as a result of repeated hits to the head, researchers at the college in Old Westbury found.
 Credit: Newsday / Yeong-Ung Yang; Raychel Brightman

How a hit-filled lacrosse season affects NYIT players

helmets optional for high school girls lacrosse players

High school girls lacrosse players now have the option of wearing new lacrosse-specific helmets, renewing a decade-old debate over whether headgear will make the game more physical and aggressive. Credit: Newsday staff

Helmets Optional for High School Girls Lacrosse Players

how hewlett’s helmet sensors work

Hewlett High School invested in sensor technology to monitor the safety of its athletes in football and boys lacrosse. It became the first high school on Long Island to use a new sensor system from Canada-based GForceTracker. Here’s how it works. Credit: Newsday staff

Sports Documentaries

Sports Documentaries