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The Enumerative: Sports’ Hottest Bromances

Dec 17, 2008, 10:15 PM UTC

Welcome to our incredibly innovative feature, The Enumerative.â†µBecause lists are awesome, plus effective time killers, in this spaceâ†µwe'll provide a top five based loosely on something that has recentlyâ†µoccurred in the sporting world.
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MTV -- which, at the risk of sounding really, really old, represents all that is wrong and soulless in this world -- is starting a new program called “Bromance.” The gist of the reality show:â†µâ†µâ‡¥For those of you living under a rock, a bromance is an intense brotherly bond that makes two buddies become virtually inseparable. And Brody Jenner is Lauren Conrad’s on-again, off-again love interest and the seminal party boy on The Hills, and he’s looking for that one special guy to join his elite entourage. In case you’re having trouble putting two and two together ... Brody + Bromance = A whole new level of reality TV.â†µâ‡¥â†µâ‡¥Nine guys are yanked out of their boring lives and go from regular Joes to bros vying for the chance of a lifetime -- to become best buds with Brody Jenner and live a life right out of the pages of Maxim magazine. Since it’s virtually impossible to find a genuine friend in Hollywood, the contestants must compete in various challenges to prove they’re the right man for Brody. They are put through the wringer to prove they are trustworthy, reliable and fun ... in other words, a true bro.â†µâ‡¥

â†µâ†µSee, nothing wrong with two totally straight dudes being intensely infatuated with one another. That’s called being a bro, bro! Or a being in a fraternity. Either way, this got us thinking: What are the most special bromances in the word of sports? We’ve narrowed it down to five.â†µ

â†µSteve Nash and Dirk Nowitzki. I think they're seeing other people now, but for a while they were so cute. Regardless, they’ll certainly go down as the single greatest Canadian-German bromance in history. â†µ

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â†µDick Vitale and Duke. This isâ†µthe most public of all the sporting bromances. These two are like theâ†µoverly cuddly couple that everyone hates to be around. Always kissingâ†µand hugging and arguing over which one is cuter. Ugh. They just throwâ†µit in our face on ESPN on what seems like a nightly basis. We hate itâ†µ... and we’re secretly jealous of it.â†µ

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â†µTony Romo and Jason Witten. Who knows if the bromantic sparks will still be there now that T.O., the Bitter Betsy, has outed their secret rendezvous. It was the thrill of being caught that made it magical. But now that it’s public knowledge, the fling may fizzle.â†µ

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â†µPeter King and Brett Favre. MTV claims that Matt Damon and Ben Affleck put bromances on the map. Pffft. This is the original bromance. The bromance by which all other bromances are measured. It knows no bounds and its flame shall burn eternal.â†µ

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â†µKeith Olbermann and Dan Patrick. The Tommy Lee and Pamala Anderson of bromances, their brotherhood blossomed on the set of SportsCenter in the mid-90s. The two even co-authored a book called “The Big Show,” the catch-phrase they shared on screen to describe ESPN’s hallmark program. But it didn’t last. The bromance fizzled when Keith left in ’97. Later, Dan would move on to SI. But now the two have been reunited once more to rekindle the bromance on NBC’s “Football Night in America.” Like Pam and Tommy, this second go around likely won’t last either. At least they’ll always have “en fuego.” â†µ

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This post originally appeared on the Sporting Blog. For more, see The Sporting Blog Archives.

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