(Readers of Hebrew have even more opportunities: Israel's Hebrew press caters to a basketball-mad country with heavy coverage of the NBA, meaning that the fame of Michael Jordan now rivals that of the River Jordan). For example, English-speaking visitors to Israel now can get sports news from the Jerusalem Post. These publications are available in a surprising number of countries, but they vary sharply in quality, and some ignore sports entirely. A less expensive alternative can be a local English-language newspaper, if one is available, in the country you're visiting. International newspaper prices vary, but the papers usually cost between $1 and $2. Those countries closer to South Florida generally get a domestic edition others get the condensed international edition - which, thankfully, has several pages devoted to sports. Travelers to Latin American countries and the Caribbean may be able to find the Miami Herald on major newsstands. Although both papers transmit by satellite to distant printing plants, remember to check the cover date: Transmission may be rapid, but distribution to newsstands can be slow. The IHT's distribution network brings it to more than 160 countries, about twice the number of USA Today. If sports news is the sole criterion, the nod has to go to USA Today, whose international edition offers full box scores during baseball season and far more in-depth coverage of the NFL and NBA. The IHT, based in Paris, does a good job rounding up American sports, but is handicapped by a pitifully small space for sports news. Newspapers The two most widely distributed American-style newspapers are the International Herald Tribune and USA Today's international edition. Whatever kind of radio you take, remember the extra batteries and an adapter, so that the radio is compatible with the electrical current of your destination. Even if a radio ends up providing little useful sports news, it almost certainly will offer a sampling of local news and music. military bases still offer weak-signal broadcasts on the AM or FM band, for those who expect their travels to take them near a base. Even a garden-variety AM-FM radio can get results. But the BBC has superlative tennis reporting - indeed, during Wimbledon, BBC's live play-by-play almost makes a television superfluous - and the network also is more than adequate in its coverage of boxing, international soccer and, of course, cricket and rugby. baseball and football games - except for the World Series and the Super Bowl. Armed Forces Radio is sorely missed, but there is an alternative: BBC's World Service, which blankets the globe with frequencies that can be heard in the most remote corner of the planet. Until the Armed Forces Radio and Television Service switched from shortwave to satellite feeds last autumn, listeners in many parts of the world could sample a potpourri of up-to-date sport1931505253When I lived in Tel Aviv for two years, those shortwave broadcasts - picked up on a portable Sony - were my sports lifeline. No, the radios won't allow the traveler to tune in to John Madden explaining a flea flicker, but they can provide some relief to the hungry fan. There are several models in the $150-$250 range that take up no more space than a paperback book, but that provide 10 or more station presets - convenient when chasing elusive shortwave broadcasts. Radio Transmissions One relatively simple way travelers can stay in contact with the home team is by packing a shortwave radio. You may not be able to smell the grass or feel the impact of a body check, but you can find sports information overseas - if you know where to look. Short of loitering at the airport and buttonholing newcomers for the latest scores, how can sports addicts abroad satisfy their yearnings? Modern communications provide surprisingly good opportunities to stay in touch. That goes doublefor sports fans, deprived of their daily diet of box scores, standings and locker-room gossip. Rare is the traveler who doesn't occasionally pine for the comforts of home.
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