If it seemed that sport was a safe haven from Michael Jackson testimonials, beware the latest from Don King, below, who announced yesterday that his next boxing event will include a Jackson tribute. You can also hear a King elegy on YouTube. “It was like an umbilical cord, man,” King says of their relationship.

A press release from King also puffs his involvement with the promotion of Jackson’s Victory tour in 1984. Another backer of that tour was a former owner of the New England Patriots American football franchise who overinvested and was forced to start selling off his team to Robert Kraft, the present owner. It has thus been claimed that Jackson was instrumental in the Patriots’ three recent Super Bowl titles.

For a final Jackson-and-sport connection, we thank Arland Bruce III, a receiver for the Toronto Argonauts, an American football franchise in Canada. When Bruce scored a touchdown on Wednesday against the Hamilton Tiger Cats, he removed his helmet, jersey and shoulder pads and laid on the ground, pretending to have been buried. For his tribute, Bruce was fined by the Canadian Football League.

Phelps is back in the money-making swim

As an exercise in slowing a commercial juggernaut, the Michael Phelps bong exposé did a reasonable job, although the endorsement magnet is back up to full speed. Last month, the American swimming icon signed with H20 Audio, a company that makes waterproof headphones, and he has just signed up with Subway, the sandwich franchise.

It has been suggested that the Subway deal was delayed by the bong furore. What we can say for sure, because it is part of the promotional material, is that Phelps’s favourite sandwich filling is meatballs with jalapenos.

Who gets your vote for Most Trustworthy Kiwi?

Few in New Zealand believe that they can trust the All Blacks in the hands of Graham Henry, which we know because of Henry’s 42nd place in a survey of Most Trustworthy Kiwis. Surprisingly, for a rugby-obsessed nation, the top rugby player, Colin Meads, managed only sixth place behind two rowers (the Evers-Swindell twins, Caroline and Georgina), a boardsailor (Barbara Kendall), a squash player (Susan Devoy) and a 1960s Olympic legend (Peter Snell).