The Sports Thread

Topic

[Todd]

Feel free to discuss sports of all types from all over the world here. This thread is not limited by country or region.

And remember, Jeopardy! is a game show, not a sport.

• This topic was modified 5 years, 3 months ago by Todd.

Replies

Woman sues Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, claiming he’s her biological father

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Todd

Some have Keyboard Courage and others have crowd courage.

https://sports.yahoo.com/naomi-osaka-heckled-because-cowards-164302829.html

Im sorry but I don’t feel much sympathy for her. Yes she has mental health issues, which she been very public about. But she’s a professional athlete playing on the world stage. Not everyone is going to be a fan. If her issues are so bad that she’s going to break down when one idiot in a crowd shouts something negative, well, maybe she should take more time away to get her head straight.

I get what you are saying to a degree.
But if you feel that way, you also would
have to say the same about those black
soccer players in European leagues
and the constant racist slurs and threats
they get.

Honestly I wouldn’t even compare the two. One person in a crowd shouting you suck. Is very different from arseholes shouting racist bullshit. And by the way, after that person shouted “you suck” the whole crowd turned against them. But she focused on one little bit of negativity instead of that.

Yeah I tend to agree. While I have every sympathy for someone struggling with their mental health, part of being a successful sportsperson is about developing a certain mental strength and resilience – along with your physical strength and skill – that allows you to succeed despite this kind of thing.

That’s not to completely excuse heckling like this, but it does come with the territory to an extent.

Tom Brady will return to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for his 23rd season.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/33495804/tom-brady-says-returning-tampa-bay-buccaneers-qb-next-season%3fplatform=amp

Tom Brady must really hate spending time with his family. But seriously, I wish he would just go away. I was really looking forward to a post-Brady NFL.

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Rocket, JRCarter, Todd, Sean Robinson

[Al-x]

Well Naomi is fragile. She needs more time away to further develop coping skills and get better with the mindset. Imho, it isn’t Not about snapping out of it, suck it up and so on.

She thought she was but she clearly wasn’t ready to return.

Not “having any sympathy for her”?

You are making it more about her than the actual troll. If anything, security needs to find and throw the troll out of there and never come back.

Please read this link:

https://www.yahoo.com/news/elliott-disturbing-trend-continues-naomi-005058506.html

————-

Brady is back and Tampa is breathing a sigh of relief. They have a respite at least for another season

• This reply was modified 2 years, 10 months ago by Al-x.
• This reply was modified 2 years, 10 months ago by Al-x.
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LFG? FOAD!

Tom Brady after retiring for two months to spend time family pic.twitter.com/3ONpP2Gg2C

— NFL Memes (@NFL_Memes) March 14, 2022

Damn, even Tom Brady saw 7.9% inflation and record-high gas prices and decided he needed to go back to work.

— Joe Pompliano (@JoePompliano) March 13, 2022

BREAKING: Tom Brady announces he is unretiring and will return to the NFL for his 23rd season

The guy who just paid $500,000 for Brady's last touchdown ball: pic.twitter.com/JEijqbja2j

— Tracie Breaux (@traciebreaux) March 14, 2022

Tom Brady retired and saw Russell Wilson leave the NFC, his division basically become the worst in the NFL, the Cowboys trade their best WR and Aaron Rodgers return to Green Bay just to choke in the playoffs again and said.. “Yeah, I’m back.” pic.twitter.com/7yCRZDn55e

— NFL Memes (@NFL_Memes) March 14, 2022

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Todd

It is pretty funny how imbalanced the two NFL conferences look right now. AFC has the Bengals, Bills, Chiefs, Titans, the Wilson Broncos, the Chargers, the Ravens (good when healthy)…hell even the Raiders have been competitive.

Then there’s the NFC. They have the Rams. And I guess the Bucs. Cardinals have been having issues with Murray, apparently, Niners are likely to roll with an unproven QB, the NFC East and South are hot garbage aside fromBucs and Cowboys (but even Dallas is often mediocre). The NFC north isn’t much better. Lions and Bears don’t look to be getting better and Minnesota has tied their wagon to Cousins who is meh. It’s actually why I was surprised Wilson didn’t stay in the NFC. Feels more wide open than the AFC.

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Todd, Sean Robinson

The guy spent about a month at home with the wife Giselle and the kids.
Then said “This is not for me just yet”. So he goes to what he has been
accustomed to more than half his life.

Also as @chris-d said above, he checked out the NFL landscape and
decided to give it another go.

Will Gronkowski stay? Is Gronk still around?

I feel bad for the guy who bought Brady’s “final” ball for $500K because he retired.
Then Brady changed his mind after twiddling his thumbs at home with Giselle
and the kids. Now Brady is trying to help the guy out.

No refunds on a speculation.

Now I guess Brady will try to get Gronk back again just this one more time.
————————

NCAA tournament

There were so many brackets and then a few major upsets wipe them all out.

Al-x wrote:

There were so many brackets and then a few major upsets wipe them all out.

I’m hoping the St. Peter’s University Peacocks go all the way to the final!!

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Al-x

[Al-x]

Wow. Mahomes is getting paid and now the team
can’t really give others a similar payday so they have tough decisions to make.

Tyreek is fast. He would look good in a Jet uniform though😂

Shame that a super team can’t hold on to all their star players for a long time. Not like the 70s Steelers or Raiders.

Edit:
Just now

• This reply was modified 2 years, 9 months ago by Al-x.
• This reply was modified 2 years, 9 months ago by Al-x.
• This reply was modified 2 years, 9 months ago by Al-x.
• This reply was modified 2 years, 9 months ago by Al-x.

What a wild offseason. Also Miami got fleeced. They gave up 3 more picks and a bigger contract than the Raiders gave up for Davante. But I’m glad Hill is gone from the division. Not just because he’s good, but mostly because he’s a garbage person. I hope he flops hard in Miami.

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Sean Robinson

BREAKING: NBA Legend Announces Retirement

Chris D wrote:

What a wild offseason. Also Miami got fleeced. They gave up 3 more picks and a bigger contract than the Raiders gave up for Davante. But I’m glad Hill is gone from the division. Not just because he’s good, but mostly because he’s a garbage person. I hope he flops hard in Miami.

Hell, I just Deshaun Watson out of Houston. Let him go be Cleveland’s problem.

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Chris D

It’s all in the title: “Best Sports Commentary”. It may help if you can speak ‘Yorkshire’ but ‘you dickhead’ and ‘shove it up your arse, best club in the world’ are relatively universal concepts.

Chris D wrote:

Not just because he’s good, but mostly because he’s a garbage person.

You know… I was going to rebut this. Then I googled his background:

https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nfl/news/tyreek-hill-domestic-violence-child-abuse-investigation/neqfn40200lt16ik2142ay772

You are so right.

Unfortunately, a lot of athletes, including NFL, MMA, boxing are tolerated because the owners and promoters see them as
bringing in big money.

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Chris D

Todd wrote:

Chris D wrote:

What a wild offseason. Also Miami got fleeced. They gave up 3 more picks and a bigger contract than the Raiders gave up for Davante. But I’m glad Hill is gone from the division. Not just because he’s good, but mostly because he’s a garbage person. I hope he flops hard in Miami.

Hell, I just Deshaun Watson out of Houston. Let him go be Cleveland’s problem.

That was a great deal for Houston. A load of draft picks for a terrible person who wasn’t going to play for your team anyway. I know Watson is talented, but The Browns are idiots. Another player that I hope flops hard, even if it’s not likely. I’m so tired of the NFL hoisting up and rewarding terrible humans.

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Sean Robinson, Todd

This is so well said:

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DavidM

This is more evidence of ignorance:

I actually do have some issues over trans sports. I think this only applies at the very elite level, it really doesn’t matter below that and everyone should carry on, but it poses some difficult questions right at the top where tiny margins apply.

The issue is that the current belief that testosterone levels rule all is probably not correct. The Institute for Science in Sport in South Africa says there are gains made in puberty on power and strength that cannot be reversed by later hormone control. Some analysis of Lia Thomas’ split times suggest she may be holding back. A very middling swimmer under previous male competition is now winning medals. Put that into the context that the 4 minute mile was broken by Bannister in 1954 but has never been broken by a female athlete. I don’t agree with the ‘cover all’ conclusions of the Institute, they proposed transgender bans for rugby and I don’t think that is necessary, it is a game that has massive physical discrepancy built in. One guy in the last round of international matches was 71kg and another 140kg.

I think there is a genuine conflict between a desire for inclusion and some scientific data that affords big advantages. Transitioning gender comes with massive social negatives, I have a friend who has and I would not want her life of abuse and derision,  and most sports don’t pay enough to justify taking hormone and other therapies to a gain advantage but there is the possibility that future records may be dominated by trans athletes if hormone levels are the only deciding factor. Basically the only women’s sport that pays a similar amount to the male version is tennis and if this was some big scam we’d have that overwhelmed with trans women and it clearly isn’t.

Sadly all too often this is placed into a ‘culture wars’ argument, which is just as bad from all sides, I think the answers may be complex but everyone wants simplicity.

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DavidM, Dave

I agree. I think it’s a hugely complex subject and I think it’s going to be very difficult for sports to find a fair balance between accommodating modern gender norms while still ensuring equal competition.

My understanding is that there are physical benefits and advantages (eg. in bone and muscle) that come with being born biologically male that can’t be countered simply by ensuring testosterone levels fall into a certain range. So there may have to be more nuanced criteria that take all this into account to ensure a level playing field.

And obviously the specifics will have to be tailored to each sport – in fact I think the IOC is now requiring individual world governing bodies to draw up sport-specific rules around the issue. (In swimming I gather that FINA is still drawing up new guidelines on it.)

It’s a very delicate balancing act though and I can see it continuing to be an issue across sport for some time, especially as more of these high-profile wins happen.

More broadly though I think it’s quite unhelpful to see these very specific elite-level-sport examples drawn into the wider debates around trans rights. It risks becoming emblematic of some of the arguments against trans equality because it’s such a visible area of “unfairness” and potential conflict with biological women’s rights, even though it’s actually a fairly narrow area that doesn’t really have any impact on day-to-day life.

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garjones

The only viable solution is to start mixing genders in all categories and also make performance-enhancing drugs and treatments totally legal.

When we’ve done that, have some sent to my room, will ya?

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Dave wrote:

More broadly though I think it’s quite unhelpful to see these very specific elite-level-sport examples drawn into the wider debates around trans rights. It risks becoming emblematic of some of the arguments against trans equality because it’s such a visible area of “unfairness” and potential conflict with biological women’s rights, even though it’s actually a fairly narrow area that doesn’t really have any impact on day-to-day life.

I agree 100%. This is complex at that elite level but not really for any other.

It’s like the TERF argument about self ID allowing entry into female spaces, in truth none if these spaces are protected now. I’ve never seen a bouncer at a swimming pool changing room or public toilet. If you want to get into that space then you can and around half a million women are sexually abused each year in the UK by CIS males to maybe zero or at least a miniscule level for trans women. It’s again cultural rather than factual that this is at all a major point of discussion.

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Dave

Anonymous wrote:

The only viable solution is to start mixing genders in all categories and also make performance-enhancing drugs and treatments totally legal.

I’m sure there was a Bill Hicks routine about this.

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Todd

Eric Adams is now letting the NY sports players like Skyrim Erving, some Met and Yankee players play home games unvaccinated.

This is a flagrant double standard and huge slap in the face to the city workers who were laid off about a month ago for not getting vaccinated.

What a mess.

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Todd, njerry

A good story delving into the trans gender athlete debate:
Diving into the debate over trans athletes

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https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2022/mar/31/las-vegas-to-become-third-american-f1-grand-prix-venue-in-2023

F1 has been enjoying a resurgence in the US, assisted by the huge interest in the Netflix documentary series Drive To Survive.

This is a really good insight into the power of narrative and characters in sport. F1 has always been of secondary interest in the US but Drive to Survive has made a change to that popularity, the following in the US has increased by 40% and the sport’s valuation almost doubled. US owned sponsors like Google, Oracle, Salesforce are coming in for the first time.

Nothing else has significantly changed in the sport to make it appeal more it’s mainly a candid behind the scenes series on the biggest streaming platform.

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Rocket

Wow… even when someone has the same name.

https://www.yahoo.com/sports/spring-training-fans-boo-will-smith-dodgers-rangers-mlb-224447635.html

[Al-x]

Albert Pujols… divorces wife of 22 years a few days after her brain surgery.

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/albert-pujols-divorce-wife-brain-tumor_n_624c4c58e4b0587dee6ee157?d_id=3355038&ref=bffbhuffpost&ncid_tag=fcbklnkushpmg00000063&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook&utm_campaign=us_main&fbclid=IwAR0yN8OBvTA8wcwGytx2FGK2qEx6bt7loZGzDoSi737OPiwkU5HMIg0KIH0

• This reply was modified 2 years, 9 months ago by Al-x.

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Todd

garjones wrote:

F1 has been enjoying a resurgence in the US, assisted by the huge interest in the Netflix documentary series Drive To Survive. This is a really good insight into the power of narrative and characters in sport. F1 has always been of secondary interest in the US but Drive to Survive has made a change to that popularity, the following in the US has increased by 40% and the sport’s valuation almost doubled. US owned sponsors like Google, Oracle, Salesforce are coming in for the first time. Nothing else has significantly changed in the sport to make it appeal more it’s mainly a candid behind the scenes series on the biggest streaming platform.

Reminds me of how the fully televised 1979 Daytona 500 is what really made NASCAR such a massively popular sport.

The Most Important Race in NASCAR History Deserves a Closer Look: The 1979 Daytona 500 – YouTube

 

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Todd

Todd wrote:

A good story delving into the trans gender athlete debate: Diving into the debate over trans athletes

That was pretty informative. It is interesting to see that trans women athletes do see a decrease in performance as they undergo suppression therapy.

I haven’t seen much attention given to the opinions of non-trans athletes who are competing in the sports. Still it is such a small percentage of competitions that I can imagine very few athletes have ever or will ever compete against a trans person. It’s something that can be handled on a case by case basis, I think. The main debate is at the rules level where science and medicine can determine if there is an unfair advantage.

Though I doubt it is really sports fans, officials, coaches or athletes driving the debate, but political activists on both sides who might have an interest in heating it up for gains in other areas rather than dealing with it reasonably.

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Todd

[Al-x]

Some concern over trans dominating in women’s NCAA championship:

https://news.yahoo.com/former-olympians-swimmers-send-letter-164450378.html

• This reply was modified 2 years, 9 months ago by Al-x.

Anonymous wrote:

I haven’t seen much attention given to the opinions of non-trans athletes who are competing in the sports.

I have, there are strong voices advocating against. Sharon Davies, a former Olympic swimmer in the UK, is very vocal about omitting trans athletes.

It is very difficult territory, I think many in sport are looking to be inclusive while also wary of trans athletes possibly dominating records. A chart was issued that showed most women’s world records in swimming are beaten at 14 or 15 year old level for males. There are elements hormone therapy cannot control, for example a male’s internal organs are larger because they don’t need space for a womb and bigger lung capacity is a significant thing. There are strength advantages fi you go though puberty that can’t be reversed.

Any of that though could never materialise as anything important because the numbers are low and you’d still have to be at a very good standard and then transition, any of us transitioning would still get thrashed against an Olympic women’s field.

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Dave

I can’t say I am into basketball like I was before (It is all about launching 3 pointers these days imho), but this situation with the Lakers has parallels to other sports

https://nba.nbcsports.com/2022/03/03/report-lakers-russell-westbrook-share-mutual-interest-in-him-moving-on-this-offseason/

I mean, the Lakers want to unload this guy and his big contract that is weighing them down.

If you look in the NFL, the Chiefs gave Mahomes this huge payday so they couldn’t really give Tyreek his payday (say what you will about Tyreek) so they let him go and will have to get another quick WR to replace him.

In baseball, the Yankees paid this pitcher about $30M a year for the next 8 years and now his performance is already starting to go down. They have another guy who they will have to pay about $35M when he is in his late 30s and way too old to play as good as he did in his 20s. Diminishing returns.

Huge contracts/paydays can weigh a team down from making other moves to improve a team and team effort to win.

[Al-x]

Is Tyson to blame?

https://sports.yahoo.com/video-shows-mike-tyson-pummeling-plane-passenger-after-apparent-harassment-193830881.html

The guy now wants to lawyer up, but then again, he started it with his friend keeping track on the camera phone. He thought he could do whatever he wanted and not have to pay for it.

Upthread, there was an account about a heckler who disrupted Osaka’s tennis match, and some here blamed her for being
sensitive, thereby defending the heckler!

Then in the NBA, this couple in the front row was deliberately saying within hearing distance of Lebron, remarks about his son (hope he dies etc.) and Lebron had them thrown out. Was Lebron wrong to have them ousted?

Maybe an athlete should have the power to get rid of hecklers in the stands…

• This reply was modified 2 years, 8 months ago by Al-x.
• This reply was modified 2 years, 8 months ago by Al-x.
• This reply was modified 2 years, 8 months ago by Al-x.
• This reply was modified 2 years, 8 months ago by Al-x.

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If they succeed in their pursuit, please mark me as a Chelsea fan with immediate effect! pic.twitter.com/Vs2V1f0u2o

— Athi Mtongana (@Artii_M) April 21, 2022

—————

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Al-x wrote:

In baseball, the Yankees paid this pitcher about $30M a year for the next 8 years and now his performance is already starting to go down. They have another guy who they will have to pay about $35M when he is in his late 30s and way too old to play as good as he did in his 20s. Diminishing returns.

It is a strange business model. Top players will be committed to baseball like to an insane level to get the big contracts. Then once they have the contracts, they will naturally slack off as that incredible and unsustainable commitment to make the stats will not get them any more money. So, what’s the incentive? Then, of course, they will need to turn to drugs to maintain the even lower performance as the baseball schedule is brutal. People often joke about how out of shape baseball players can be compared to other sports, but that’s not very true any more.

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Todd

Anonymous wrote:

Al-x wrote:

In baseball, the Yankees paid this pitcher about $30M a year for the next 8 years and now his performance is already starting to go down. They have another guy who they will have to pay about $35M when he is in his late 30s and way too old to play as good as he did in his 20s. Diminishing returns.

It is a strange business model. Top players will be committed to baseball like to an insane level to get the big contracts. Then once they have the contracts, they will naturally slack off as that incredible and unsustainable commitment to make the stats will not get them any more money. So, what’s the incentive? Then, of course, they will need to turn to drugs to maintain the even lower performance as the baseball schedule is brutal. People often joke about how out of shape baseball players can be compared to other sports, but that’s not very true any more.

That is true about Barry Bonds. He will never admit to using steroids to break the HR record, but his overall frame became
freakishly big in his 40s when every other ball player at that age breaks down and their numbers go down.

Truth is, the management and the competition to get the players move them to offer these huge 7-10 year contracts to outdo the competition. As a result, the organization in the latter years of the contract, will have to pay these players well into their late 30s and 40s at the age where the numbers go down. In the Yankees case, they have to pay for the next 8 years about 70M committed to just two players whose performances are starting to go down now. That is dead weight.

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Todd

The Toronto Maple Leafs Auston Matthews became the first U.S. born player to hit 60 goals in an NHL season and the first since Tampa’s Steve Stamkos hit 60 in 2011-12, 10 years ago.

(Note: U.S. born. Brett Hull was Canadian born and wrapped himself in the American flag as he got on Team USA early in his career (dual citizenship) when he just wasn’t good enough for Team Canada.)

Got me thinking how hard it is to reach these heights.
I can remember Buffalo’s Alexander Mogilny and Winnipeg’s Teemu Selanne getting 76 each in 1992-92, the same year Vancouver’s Pavel Bure hit 60 (the first time).

Anyways, Top 50 goal scoring seasons.
Rank, Name, Age, Position, Season, Games Played, Goals total

1 Wayne Gretzky 20 F 1981‑82 80 92
2 Wayne Gretzky 22 F 1983‑84 74 87
3 Brett Hull 26 F 1990‑91 78 86
4 Mario Lemieux 23 F 1988‑89 76 85
5 Alexander Mogilny 23 F 1992‑93 77 76
6 Phil Esposito 28 F 1970‑71 78 76
7 Teemu Selänne 22 F 1992‑93 84 76
8 Wayne Gretzky 23 F 1984‑85 80 73
9 Brett Hull 25 F 1989‑90 80 72
10 Jari Kurri 24 F 1984‑85 73 71
11 Wayne Gretzky 21 F 1982‑83 80 71
12 Brett Hull 27 F 1991‑92 73 70
13 Mario Lemieux 22 F 1987‑88 77 70
14 Bernie Nicholls 27 F 1988‑89 79 70
15 Mario Lemieux 27 F 1992‑93 60 69
16 Mario Lemieux 30 F 1995‑96 70 69
17 Mike Bossy 21 F 1978‑79 80 69
18 Phil Esposito 31 F 1973‑74 78 68
19 Jari Kurri 25 F 1985‑86 78 68
20 Mike Bossy 23 F 1980‑81 79 68
21 Phil Esposito 29 F 1971‑72 76 66
22 Lanny McDonald 29 F 1982‑83 80 66
23 Steve Yzerman 23 F 1988‑89 80 65
24 Alexander Ovechkin 22 F 2007‑08 82 65
25 Mike Bossy 24 F 1981‑82 80 64
26 Luc Robitaille 26 F 1992‑93 84 63
27 Wayne Gretzky 25 F 1986‑87 79 62
28 Steve Yzerman 24 F 1989‑90 79 62
29 Jaromír Jágr 23 F 1995‑96 82 62
30 Phil Esposito 32 F 1974‑75 79 61
31 Mike Bossy 28 F 1985‑86 80 61
32 Reggie Leach 25 F 1975‑76 80 61
33 Auston Matthews 24 F 2021‑22 73 60
34 Pavel Bure 22 F 1993‑94 76 60
35 Guy Lafleur 26 F 1977‑78 78 60
36 Mike Bossy 25 F 1982‑83 79 60
37 Dennis Maruk 26 F 1981‑82 80 60
38 Steve Shutt 24 F 1976‑77 80 60
39 Steven Stamkos 21 F 2011‑12 82 60
40 Pavel Bure 21 F 1992‑93 83 60
41 Marcel Dionne 27 F 1978‑79 80 59
42 Pavel Bure 29 F 2000‑01 82 59
43 Pavel Bure 28 F 1999‑00 74 58
44 Bobby Hull 29 F 1968‑69 74 58
45 Tim Kerr 26 F 1986‑87 75 58
46 Mike Bossy 27 F 1984‑85 76 58
47 Tim Kerr 25 F 1985‑86 76 58
48 Marcel Dionne 29 F 1980‑81 80 58
49 Pierre Turgeon 23 F 1992‑93 83 58
50 Steve Yzerman 27 F 1992‑93 84 58

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Chris D

Dodgers’ Bauer suspended for 2 seasons over alleged assault

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Todd

JRCarter wrote:

Dodgers’ Bauer suspended for 2 seasons over alleged assault

So glad now the Mets didn’t sign him.

Talented pitcher with a great arm, but has major issues.

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Todd

[Sean Robinson]

Todd wrote:

And remember, Jeopardy! is more than a sport, it’s a hard fought war in the trenches

_____________________________________________________________

Meet Mattea Roach, the youngest ‘Jeopardy!’ super champion – CNN

Mattea Roach, a 23-year-old Canadian “Jeopardy!” contestant, is on a hot streak of 19 games won, one of the longest runs in the show’s history.
_____________________________________________________________

Mattea Roach, the first Jeopardy! Gen Z super champ, hits 19-game streak – The Globe & Mail

Reigning Jeopardy! champion Mattea Roach represents a new generation of the quiz show’s all-star players.

As of Friday, the 23-year-old Canadian has won 19 games and amassed $469,184 in prize money, putting her among the top 10 contestants for both consecutive victories and regular-season winnings in Jeopardy! history.

Roach, who begins her fifth week of competition Monday, is in the company of veteran standout players including Ken Jennings, who’s currently hosting the show, and this season’s champs Amy Schneider and Matt Amodio.

“The fact that I’m now one of the best players of all time hasn’t fully sunk in yet. It doesn’t really feel real,” said Roach, the first Gen Zer to be dubbed a “super champion” by the show for achieving a double-digit string of wins. (Generation Z generally refers to those born from 1997 to 2012.)

A tutor for aspiring law school students, and perhaps one herself, she plays with a breezy confidence. Roach is relaxed enough to casually think out loud about her approach, as she did when she hit a crucial Double Jeopardy last Wednesday.

“You know what, if I wager a lot and lose today, like whatever, I had such a good run,” Roach mused, then successfully wagered a hefty $8,000 and ended up taking the game from formidable challenger Ben Hsia of Fremont, Calif.

The category was anatomy, the clue was “To gently tease another person,” and Roach’s slightly exasperated response: “I should have wagered more. What is ‘rib’?”

Besides conservative bets, her play has been distinguished by the broad range of knowledge and buzzer command that Jeopardy! champs have. Athletic skill doesn’t contribute to the latter, said Roach, who admits that sports isn’t a favoured category.

Among her trademarks are an engaging smile and demure wave to the camera at the start of a game; tattoos including Talking Heads song lyrics, and attire that’s on the serious side but with a touch of personal flair. For a recent interview, however, she paired a T-shirt with denim.

“There’s no denim on Jeopardy!” Roach said, helpfully. As for her on-camera wardrobe, it’s all clothes she already owned – “I hate shopping,” she said – and which she figured would send the right message.

“I wanted to be comfortable, I wanted to look professional and I wanted to express my personality, and I think I accomplished that,” she said.

A native of Halifax, Nova Scotia, who lives in Toronto, Roach credits her love of learning to her mother, Patti MacKinnon, an auditor, and her father, Phil Roach, who works in human resources. Mattea Roach began reading at age 3, skipped a grade in elementary school and enrolled at the University of Toronto when she was 16.

After mom and dad helped pay for the first two years of college, Roach put herself through the rest.

“I have three younger siblings at home, and even with them [her parents] both working there’s only so much money to go around,” she said. “I figured I can work, so why would I not be?”

She majored in sexual diversity studies and earned minors in political science and women and gender studies. The school’s debate program helped her gain poise and tackle unfamiliar subjects, presumably helpful training for Jeopardy! – and maybe politics.

As a youngster, Roach said, she had a vague interest in the “workings of government” and, while she’s retained an interest in it, she realized it wouldn’t be a good fit. Despite the flurry of media and online attention that Jeopardy! has brought, “I’m actually a very private person, and I prefer to have a relatively more normal job,” she said.

She was applying to law school when Jeopardy! summoned her to be a contestant. Her success and that of Amodio (38 wins, $1.52-million) and Schneider (40 wins, $1.38-million) has made the show’s 2021-22 season a memorable one.

Roach mentioned on air that she would be able to pay off her student loans after her first win. What is she planning to do as the sum has grown?

“I’m so boring. I don’t want to splurge on anything,” she said.

Roach intends to invest the windfall for her future, although some of it will go toward realizing travel plans derailed by the pandemic. Another possible indulgence occurred to her.

“I hopefully will not be afraid of buying concert tickets any more,” she said.

• This reply was modified 2 years, 8 months ago by Sean Robinson.

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Todd

Stanley Cup Playoffs first-round schedule

4 series start Monday, and 4 start Tuesday. All go every second day.

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Honestly prayed hard for Vancouver to make it, and end up in the 3rd Pacific spot.
Anyone can win from the Pacific because anyone can be taken down.
Vancouver and Vegas (yay!) both failed and two Central teams got the two Wild card spots (deservedly so).
It’s Colorado’s year, and up to them to believe in themselves.

Colorado Avalanche (C1) vs. Nashville Predators (WC2)

The only thing that can stop Colorado is themselves. They’ve learned how to lose, now is the time.
Nashville may make it interesting, but no chance to advance.
Colorado in 5

Minnesota Wild (C2) vs. St. Louis Blues (C3)

Could easily see both teams advancing in a different world, but only one can go on.
Potentially the most exciting round one matchup.
Minnesota in 7

Calgary Flames (P1) vs. Dallas Stars (WC1)

Just don’t believe in Calgary, yet admittedly biased.
But I do smell an upset, and think Dallas can show “Cowtown” what a true Cowboy looks like.
Dallas in 6

Edmonton Oilers (P2) vs. Los Angeles Kings (P3)

Not a believer in either team, but Edmonton has suffered more than LA.
Edmonton in 7

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Hard to predict any series here. Be prepared to lose money.

Florida Panthers (A1) vs. Washington Capitals (WC2)

President’s Trophy winning Florida will now have to learn the “second season” and Washington will be a good challenge.
Florida in 7

Toronto Maple Leafs (A2) vs. Tampa Bay Lightning (A3)

Not feeling that Tampa will win their 3rd straight Stanley Cup, and I do think Toronto has to have learned something from their early exits.
Toronto in 7

Carolina Hurricanes (M1) vs. Boston Bruins (WC1)

Could go either way, with an edge to Carolina.
Not feeling Carolina in 5, so basically if Boston doesn’t do it in 6, then it’s Carolina in 7
Carolina in 7

New York Rangers (M2) vs. Pittsburgh Penguins (M3)

Damn near want to puke here, but see an almost clear cakewalk for the Rangers to the Conference Finals, then flip a coin with someone to play in the Finals.
Gary Bettman is salivating and will only help this.
NY Rangers in 5

Uh oh! Honestly believed what I typed, but just noticed I have all 8 series being won on home ice.
When has that every happened?

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Rocket, Chris D, Todd

Just watched Ronnie O’Sullivan win his seventh world snooker title. Impressive stuff.

In the old days I never liked him that much but over time I’ve come to appreciate his lack of bullshit and his raw skill, the latter of which makes him almost unarguably the best player of all time.

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Todd

Sean’s first round predictions score: 5 out of 8 correct

What a first round it was! Pretty wild 51 games. 5 series went 7 games, four of those decided by one goal (and the last two of those were in OT).

Stanley Cup Playoffs second-round schedule

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Colorado Avalanche (C1) vs. St. Louis Blues (C3)

Colorado is the safest bet of the second round, but they face stiffer competition this time.

Colorado in 6

Calgary Flames (P1) vs. Edmonton Oilers (P2)

The Battle of Alberta in the second round! Hope it gets nasty and we see some blood-stained ice.
Calgary may be the safer bet here, but Conor McDavid has the ability to put the team on his back, and he’s hungry.

Edmonton in 6

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Florida Panthers (A1) vs. Tampa Bay Lightning (A3)

A 2nd geographical based series in the second round?
The Battle of Florida also has the ability to spill blood.
Might be unwise to bet against a Tampa team starting to roll, but this will bring out the best in Florida.

Florida in 7

Carolina Hurricanes (M1) vs. New York Rangers (M2)

Carolina will make a good go of it, but I think the Rangers will do it.

NY Rangers in 6

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Todd

Lawsuit demands Giants, Jets cut ties with New York and embrace N.J. roots

https://www.nj.com/giants/2022/05/lawsuit-demands-giants-jets-cut-ties-with-new-york-and-embrace-nj-roots.html

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njerry, Al-x

This guy Langley used to play for the Broncos and now he is playing in Canada.

https://sports.yahoo.com/nfl-united-airlines-employee-picks-fight-with-brendan-langley-cfl-player-it-didnt-end-well-201136154.html

Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr:

Steve Kerr on today's tragic shooting in Uvalde, Texas. pic.twitter.com/lsJ8RzPcmC

— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) May 24, 2022

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Todd

He is not wrong at all:

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Todd

It is the next morning and I am still stuck on 6 seconds. First time in 20 years and it comes down to a former Red Wing shooting a puck through traffic  and into the net with 6 seconds left to go in the game. GO AVS!!!!!

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Sean Robinson

That goal unexpectedly popped up in my feed this morning and I gotta admit it was really good.

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Sean Robinson, Rocket

James Worthy misses the old ways of game play. He is not alone.

I remember when Wilt Chamberlin was interviewed about the game. He said that a player who only rebounds like Dennis Rodman and not much else… would have been exploited in the 70s. The other team would have adjusted the defense so that Rodman would be forced to handle the ball, something like trying to force a right handed player to play with his left.

As for shooting 3 pointers, a Steph Curry wouldn’t be that open to do it but now… Whatever

I like watching the WNBA sometimes for nice gameplay.

NHL Conference Finals schedule

Sean’s second round record: 3-1
Not bad if I do say so myself, but was I ever wrong about Florida.

Western Conference

Colorado Avalanche vs. Edmonton Oilers

I’m picking the Av’s here, but they can’t take Edmonton lightly. Conor McDavid has the ability to throw that team on his back.
Anywhere from Colorado in 5 to a nail-biting 7th game.

Colorado in 7

Eastern Conference

New York Rangers vs. Tampa Bay Lightning

Hmmm, each team could be the NHL’s new darlings.
Might be foolish to bet against a Tampa team rolling on looking for their 3rd straight Cup (no one has done that since the NY Islanders won 4 straight from 1980 to 1983), but 10 days off since they played last? If the Rangers can take advantage of their own home-ice advantage (by a tie-breaker) and Tampa’s rust, then they take the series.

NY Rangers in 6

Where I live there a few bars down the street where everyone goes to watch the sports game on the wide screen TV.

The past few days, whenever I heard this loud cheer, I can tell the Rangers just scored. 😂

The same thing happens on the NFL Sundays.

On Sunday Wales are playing Ukraine to get one of the final World Cup places. Normally neutrals love us as a small country battling but the PR story now has almost nobody wanting us to win, apart from Putin. 😂

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Al-x, Rocket, Sean Robinson, Dave

[Sean Robinson]

@rocket OMFG
Tie game, Edmonton off the post, Colorado turns around for the lead.
Thats the series right there (sorry if I Jinx it).

I’m cheering on Colorado, it’s the smarter pick, not a fan of Edmonton.
But I dont wish a sweep on anyone, especially in the Conference Finals.

Hey, look at the East. Tampa had ten days off after sweeping Floroda, now the Rangers are the first team since 2019 to beat Tampa in back-to-back playoff games.

Conference and Finals should always go 6 or 7.

• This reply was modified 2 years, 7 months ago by Sean Robinson.

Sean Robinson wrote:

Conference and Finals should always go 6 or 7.

I hope not. got my fingers crossed for tonight.

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Sean Robinson

I’d like to see Edmonton swept as karma for giving Kane a contract. That guy should be out of the league for a number of reasons and I hate that pro sports constantly enables terrible humans simply because they’re good at a game.

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Rocket, Sean Robinson

Chris D wrote:

I’d like to see Edmonton swept as karma for giving Kane a contract. That guy should be out of the league for a number of reasons and I hate that pro sports constantly enables terrible humans simply because they’re good at a game.

I agree completely. If he was not playing, Avs #3 scorer would not be on the injury list.

Wales made their first World Cup finals in over 60 years, playing the heel by knocking out Ukraine. Their group now will be a ‘best of friends’ one with England, USA and Iran.

Now there is all this news of  golf players leaving the PGA for the LIV which is backed by Saudi Arabia.

And given the Saudi laws and views on social issues and its treatment of certain groups…

https://www.espn.com/golf/story/_/id/34063037/pga-tour-suspends-all-players-taking-part-first-liv-golf-tournament

 

A little reminiscent of entertainers in the past who played Sun City in South Africa given apartheid and  so on

Apparently the money that the Saudis are offering is too good to pass up, particularly for golfers with low moral thresholds who aren’t concerned about getting banned from the PGA.

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Todd, Al-x

It’s a sports thread I know, but they can do that and we put up with it because they have the biggest oil reserves. Wean ourselves off and they have nothing to offer.

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Todd, Al-x

njerry wrote:

Apparently the money that the Saudis are offering is too good to pass up, particularly for golfers with low moral thresholds who aren’t concerned about getting banned from the PGA.

This is a lengthy article from back in February that goes into detail on this:

‘This was a failed coup’ – Inside how Phil Mickelson’s challenge of the PGA Tour backfired so quickly and what comes next

I swear

Social media has so much to answer for

Now people are dancing everywhere in public and recording it like this

https://www.distractify.com/p/woman-dancing-dodgers-game?fs=e&s=cl

She got thrown out but

This is all ridiculous 🤣

njerry wrote:

Apparently the money that the Saudis are offering is too good to pass up,

It is crazy money and also in a sport where income is normally based on prize money they were offering as much as $200m upfront to Mickelson. So for playing 10 full games of golf you’ll get $200m even if you play like shit.

I’d find it a big moral question and If I’m honest take the cash for that level of life changing money, I could assuage a lot of guilt by giving most of it away to good causes.

The thing is though that unlike me most of these guys are already multi-millionaires. I heard an interview today with a guy who was at the bottom ranks on the PGA tour, I can’t remember his name and he admitted most of his career was not making the cut but his overall earnings were $4m. The big names we all know will have many many times more than that (I believe Tiger Woods’ career earning are in the billions), how much more do you need?

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Todd, Al-x

Now golf has its own personalities and they are chiming in.

There is this blonde former golfer Paige Spiranac who is making more

as a golf media personality than as a player. Kind of like Ana Kournikova

with her tennis career:

https://www.golfmagic.com/pga-tour/paige-spiranac-blasts-phil-mickelson-dustin-johnson-and-others-over-liv-golfhttps://www.golfmagic.com/pga-tour/paige-spiranac-blasts-phil-mickelson-dustin-johnson-and-others-over-liv-golf

But as @garjones said, it is a lot of money to just walk away from.

[Sean Robinson]

NHL Stanley Cup Finals Scheduling scenarios

(IF Lightning win Game 6 (on Saturday June 11th) of Eastern Conference Final)

Tampa Bay (A3) vs. Colorado (C1)

Wednesday, June 15: Lightning at Avalanche, 8 p.m. ET, ABC, ESPN+, SN, CBC, TVA Sports
Saturday, June 18: Lightning at Avalanche, 8 p.m. ET, ABC, ESPN+, SN, CBC, TVA Sports
Monday, June 20: Avalanche at Lightning, 8 p.m. ET, ABC, ESPN+, SN, CBC, TVA Sports
Wednesday, June 22: Avalanche at Lightning, 8 p.m. ET, ABC, ESPN+, SN, CBC, TVA Sports
*Friday, June 24: Lightning at Avalanche, 8 p.m. ET, ABC, ESPN+, SN, CBC, TVA Sports
*Sunday, June 26: Avalanche at Lightning, 8 p.m. ET, ABC, ESPN+, SN, CBC, TVA Sports
*Tuesday, June 28: Lightning at Avalanche, 8 p.m. ET, ABC, ESPN+, SN, CBC, TVA Sports

(IF Rangers win Game 6 and the Eastern Conference Final goes to a 7th game on Tuesday June 14th)

NY Rangers (M2)/Tampa Bay (A3) vs. Colorado (C1)

Saturday, June 18: Lightning/Rangers at Avalanche, 8 p.m. ET, ABC, ESPN+, SN, CBC, TVA Sports
Monday, June 20: Lightning/Rangers at Avalanche, 8 p.m. ET, ABC, ESPN+, SN, CBC, TVA Sports
Wednesday, June 22: Avalanche at Lightning/Rangers, 8 p.m. ET, ABC, ESPN+, SN, CBC, TVA Sports
Friday, June 24: Avalanche at Lightning/Rangers, 8 p.m. ET, ABC, ESPN+, SN, CBC, TVA Sports
*Sunday, June 26: Lightning/Rangers at Avalanche, 8 p.m. ET, ABC, ESPN+, SN, CBC, TVA Sports
*Tuesday, June 28: Avalanche at Lightning/Rangers, 8 p.m. ET, ABC, ESPN+, SN, CBC, TVA Sports
*Thursday, June 30: Lightning/Rangers at Avalanche, 8 p.m. ET, ABC, ESPN+, SN, CBC, TVA Sports

I’m rooting for the NY Rangers as I’ve noticed a bunch of people seem to have changed their tune and want a Tampa Three-peat.
The NHL has to notice such things and a new Darling is born!
No, no words will ever be spoken to anyone, but that’s the beauty in grooming those under your control. They know what you want and will only help that along.

I get it, it is an enticing storyline. No one has had a three-peat in North America since the NBA’s Lakers in 2000, 2001, and 2002.
No one has done it in hockey since the NY Islanders 4 straight 1980 – 1983 (which was the last time anyone in North America won 4 straight)

Still predict Colorado all the way and hope it’s in 7 in the second scenario as June 30th is the night before Canada Day stat holiday.
And hey, Colorado should win a series on home-ice at least once in these playoffs. Why not the one where they get the (don’t jinx it!…)

The Tampa storyline can be over and the next storyline can be a Canadian team winning in 2023, the first in 30 years since 1993 Montreal over Gretzky’s LA Kings

• This reply was modified 2 years, 7 months ago by Sean Robinson.

The Cup starts tomorrow in Denver and it feels like, yet again, the National Media has found a way to avoid talking about the Avs. NHL network  created and repeated a show called Stanley Cup Edition that discussed Tampa Bay and then New York. .

They have turned into parrots “threepeat,threepeat,threepeat”

TBL is going to because they are battle tested by playing all those powerful East teams instead of those meaningless Western teams. Tor-cursed, Fla-inexperienced, NY-young. They stopped Matthews, Barkov, Zibanejad.

Avs beat Nashville, St Louis, Edmonton. NSH went to Cup in ’17, St Louis won in ’19, Edm- inexperienced. They stopped O’Reilly. McDavid, Draisaitl.

Makar is having a great season yet Hedman is the favorite. Stamkos is the boss and Conn Smythe favorite because he stood up for his team and beat up some kid from NY. If he takes a swing at an Avs kid, Avs Captain Landeskog will crush him.

I really don’t like doing this but I just get fed up with ignorance/disdain the Avs seem to receive and have to vent.

 

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Sean Robinson

This is a true statistical anomaly. As one of the announcers said, “this will never happen again.”

Houston Astros’ Luis Garcia, Phil Maton first in recorded history to throw immaculate innings in one game

ARLINGTON, Texas — Houston starter Luis Garcia and reliever Phil Maton each threw an immaculate inning — nine pitches, three strikeouts — after a big opening offensive outburst for the Astros.

Martin Maldonado, their 35-year-old veteran catcher, was in the middle of it all.

Maldonado had a two-run double in Houston’s six-run first on manager Dusty Baker’s 73rd birthday, later homered and was behind the plate for all the strikeouts — 14 in all — as the AL West leaders wrapped up their seventh consecutive series victory against the Texas Rangers with a 9-2 win Wednesday.

“To be part of that, anytime you make history … I’m glad I was catching in that situation,” Maldonado said, adding he didn’t remember ever being part of an immaculate inning, much less two of them.

Added Baker: “We hadn’t had a first inning inning like that in a long time. A couple of records, the same guys we struck them out back-to-back-to-back with nine pitches. … So it was a good day for us.”

Garcia (4-5) fanned nine without a walk over six innings while limiting Texas to two runs and four hits. He had a span of five consecutive strikeouts that began with his immaculate second inning — only nine pitches to strike out Nathaniel Lowe, Ezequiel Duran and Brad Miller.

Those were the first three batters Maton faced after replacing Garcia to start the seventh. And Maton also recorded a nine-pitch, three-strikeout inning.

“We obviously knew they were cruising pretty good,” Miller said. “I wish I would have taken some better swings, and wish they didn’t get it.”

There have now been 106 recorded immaculate innings in major league history, and Wednesday marked the first time there have been two on the same day. And the Astros managed to twirl them both, moving them into a tie for most by one franchise with the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers (nine each).

The only other immaculate inning in the majors this season was by New York Yankees starter Nestor Cortes on April 17 at Baltimore.

When Maton finished off his nine-strike inning throwing only fastballs, neither Garcia or Maldonado initially realized there had been another immaculate inning. The catcher had tossed the ball to third baseman Alex Bregman when he heard people yelling for the ball.

“I was talking to the guys (in the dugout) and then the guys erupted, and I said what happened,” Garcia said.

Both pitchers had baseballs from their immaculate innings, already with authentication stickers, in their lockers after the game.

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https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/fifa-chooses-new-yorknew-jersey-to-host-2026-world-cup-matches/?utm_campaign=trueAnthem%20Manual&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&fbclid=IwAR1q4cei5DSHi4owcwC8_JoIW9KW8nOHM2OwqIQ9R1S8Ggj8OZuz9BQwTIE

It was here in ’94 and Brazil won on penalty kicks. Giants Stadium in the Meadowlands.
The Spanish commentator Andres Cantor became famous from his long extended “GOAL!!!” when there was scoring in the tournament matches.

I am glad that it is in the US. I had my reservations about putting an event like that in a country that does not have
the infrastructure and resources to hold it.

In Brazil they had both the Olympics and the World Cup within years of each other and the
stories of the other aspects of the country that had to be neglected just to hold them…

It is like the “white elephant” story in some instances when a country is granted an event and just doesn’t have what it
takes to hold it and the strain on the country doing so.

The problem with picking a country like Brazil, or this year’s World Cup in Qatar, is that not every country has the existing infrastructure and venues to host the vast number of teams and support staff and fans — not enough big stadiums, or training facilities, or hotels/reataurants/entertainment facilities, or public transportation systems to move people around. A lot of that stuff has to be built from scratch for this one-month event, and then what? Who is going to fill those stadiums and hotels and trains after everyone goes back to their home countries?

One smart change for 2026 is that Mexico, Canada and the US are sharing hosting duties. Hopefully a similar thing will be done for future World Cups where regions rather than individual countries play host. There may be political reasons why such a thing won’t or can’t happen, but it should at least be considered.

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Al-x, garjones

njerry wrote:

One smart change for 2026 is that Mexico, Canada and the US are sharing hosting duties. Hopefully a similar thing will be done for future World Cups where regions rather than individual countries play host. There may be political reasons why such a thing won’t or can’t happen, but it should at least be considered.

The Euro 2020 tournament (which actually took place in 2021 after being delayed due to… you know what) was played in different venues across Europe to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the competition, and that seemed to work quite well.

I’m good with nearby countries sharing, they have done in it in the past with Japan and South Korea.

As a Wales fan I can’t say I was a huge fan of the Euro 2020 (21) approach not because of the multiple locations but it was very uneven. Some teams played all games at home or travelling very short distances while my team had to travel 3000 miles to Baku in Azerbaijan, then back to Rome, then Baku again.

I’d hope with the distances involved in North America they play it fair and keep the groups in clusters where travel is fairly even and not flitting from Vancouver to Mexico City game to game.

[Rocket]

https://www.npr.org/2022/06/16/1105562734/us-cities-hosting-2026-world-cup-announcement

The United Bid took this into account by designing regional clusters for teams and groups.

When I saw the list it was broken down into West, Central, East.  West seems to be Pacific seaboard. Central is stretched from Kansas City to Atlanta to Mexico City. Eastern is Atlantic seaboard

• This reply was modified 2 years, 7 months ago by Rocket.

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garjones

“Regional clusters’ I like. In such a large geographical area it’s not fair to ask some teams to travel thousands of miles and through time zones when others don’t which was the problem with Euro 2020.

[Sean Robinson]

garjones wrote:

“Regional clusters’ I like.

Was exciting news locally as Vancouver was picked as a Host city, 1 of 2 Canadian (Toronto the other).
Vancouver initially said no, then opted in when Montreal dropped out.

The largest stadium up here is actually in Edmonton, yet they were not picked.
Apparently demanded a guarantee of a minimum 5 games, plus 2 matches in the knock out round.
FIFA is not an organization you dictate terms to, and they easily used the excuse ‘Geographical Isolation’ to ignore.

Vancouver has good proximity to Seattle which worked in our favor.

Nothing is guaranteed, but some are swearing 10 games for Canada, 6 for Vancouver and 4 for (Center of the Universe) Toronto.

And with Regional Clustering some say we’ll get Canada’s Round Robin games, which I guess will be 2 (see below).
This has already blown Toronto’s gasket, which I’m always up for.

Also get an additional five pre-tournament exhibition games, which have tourism and downtown business through the roof.
Just have to get natural grass in the stadium, and nothing go wrong.
_________________________________

The unique number of no less than 48 countries qualifying for the global final round are divided into sixteen groups in the group stage

A unique feature of the group structure during the 2026 World Cup is three countries per group.
Top two advance, The numbers three of the sixteen groups say their farewells to the tournament after Round Robin

Group stage matches: no ties, direct decision
new format results in the unique fact that a group match cannot end in a tie. If the score is still tied after 90 minutes of play, penalty kicks will immediately follow to decide the match (without playing an extension first).

Knock out system starts with round of 32

1+1+2+4+8+16+48=80 matches
A total of 80 matches are scheduled for the World Cup in North America. Previously, there were a maximum of 64 matches. The eighty matches in the 2026 World Cup are divided into 48 group matches (in groups A to P) + 16 x round of 32 + 8 x 8th finals + 4 x quarterfinals + 2 x semifinals + 1 match for third place and, of course, the World Cup Final.

• This reply was modified 2 years, 7 months ago by Sean Robinson.

Sean Robinson wrote:

And with Regional Clustering some say we’ll get Canada’s Round Robin games, which I guess will be 2 (see below). This has already blown Toronto’s gasket, which I’m always up for.

Which is the bigger stadium of the two?

The new format is interesting. The expansion to 48 teams may see some hammerings. The next tier for Europe will be fine, some big hitters normally fail to qualify anyway (Italy, Sweden and Croatia this time), similarly in South America and Africa. In Concacaf after Canada you drop a long way to Panama and Jamaica. If they let an Oceania in then it’s New Zealand at 101st in the world. Normally the Oceania winner has to play off against a South American team which is why Australia shifted themselves to the Asia groups, the contest is easier there.

European purists will be pulling out their hair at a ‘no tie/draw’ rule in a North America based comp but with groups of 3 I don’t see you have much option, the chances are relatively high for say three 1-1 games and then no way to decide who progresses.

garjones wrote:

Which is the bigger stadium of the two?

Vancouver’s can hold a bit more, plus has the edge in more “Box Seats”.
Also held the opening and closing of 2010 Winter Olympics, so proved we could handle it.

Seems a bit odd, but I guess Toronto’s stadium is set-up to go back and forth with CFL football and MLB baseball, so some seating capacity gets lost in the mix.

Some players on the Tampa Bay baseball team and Pride month:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/06/06/tampa-bay-rays-pride-night-jason-adam/

What a goddamn game! A nd Bobby Orr, oh, I mean Cale Makar scored too.

Colorado just dominated with a 7-0 victory on home ice to take a 2-0 series lead.

Only the fans get to enjoy it as it’s far from done.
But, wow!

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Rocket

The Golden State Warriors won and Steph Curry was MVP. That being said, he still has many detractors.

It is always the notion that winners of a previous era under more difficult conditions get more credit and respect.

In the NFL there are detractors of Tom Brady.

Not a sport but even in the game of chess, some fans say something like if Bobby Fischer played today with all the current computer resources…

It never ends.

Give Curry and the Warriors credit but…

True. I often hear that Michael Jordan would have been even more dominant in the conditions of the present NBA than he already was in the past NBA. Or that baseball players in the 1800’s or early 20th century were more skilled or energetically dominant than players in today’s version of the MLB.

I do wonder though if that is accurate. I remember a scientist that discovered if all the technical or technological innovations of the track were neutralized, then Uve Boll would have only a 100th of a second advantage over Jesse Owens from the Berlin Olympics of the 1930’s.

However, even then, Uwe Boll would still have a better chance of beating Jesse Owens.

In its essence, the question or objective is whether we aspire to excellence based on present circumstances or if we are simply interested in the victory and glory of the moment. It has no significance to anyone who wins, but the pursuit of victory – the conditions for those invested from the competitor to the follower or fan – makes all the difference.

Asking if the Golden State Warriors would have been champions against the Chicago Bulls when Jordan was dominant is interesting, but not as significant as asking if the conditions of the NBA competition is as significant today as it was decades ago.

Uwe Boll is a bad film director isn’t he? Never mind I get your point with Bolt.

Yes it is true that differences, most specifically in the track and shoes, make a huge difference. Owens’ era ran on cinders.  Even a non-athlete if you walk on a proper athletics track you can feel the bounce and extra spring in your step.

That kind of thing is easier to analyse though in an individual sport, and 100m sprinting being a relatively simple one. There was a great documentary from the BBC around the time of the 2012 Olympics that looked at the advantage Bolt’s height gave him, at 6’5″ he didn’t start from the blocks very well but over the length of the race he used 3 or 4 fewer strides than his competitors who were 5 or 6 inches shorter than him.

On team sports the number of variables are so high it’s very hard to compare. For example we see on soccer teams a player break scoring records for one team, he then gets bought by a richer team that are higher placed and have better players and doesn’t score as many. The variables on why that would be are pretty endless compared to the simplicity of running in a straight line for 100m.

There’s also nostalgia at play I think in sports. For some people, whatever any other player achieves, their favourite is going to come from their youth. However many records are being broken pundits are very hesitant to name a current player, a sheen of history seems to be needed.

 

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Al-x

During the NBA season, there have been activists running on the court
To protest and bring attention to their issues.

The NBA was on to it and this happened during a game:

Getting back to @johnnyjoseph and the GOAT argument of comparing eras…

I have to say it all comes down to who had the most raw potential.
We can go on all day about putting Tom Brady in the 70s and 80s, or Steph Curry in the early 70s…

Shaq looked at Bill Russell and said if he was playing at the time he’d have 10 rings just the same.
Wilt Chamberlin said that they would have adjusted their defense to exploit Dennis Rodman only being able to rebound.

Fans today want to look down on Lebron because he, Dwyane Wade, and the other guy all decided to be on Miami and be a
superteam. Then again, a superteam roster was made around Magic in LA, Bird in Boston, and Jordan with the Bulls.
So what is the difference? Even that ’71 Laker team that won 33 straight was a super team.

If Pele and the ’70 Brazil team played today…

The fastest pitcher was Nolan Ryan in the 70s being clocked at 101 mph, meaning everyone else threw less before.
Now, there are dozens who pitch higher than that regularly. The pitchers in today’s era throw these slider pitches at 97 mph
that really wears and tears on the elbow and most of them can’t pitch like that for more than an hour and after a while, they
have to get their torn up elbows surgery. It wasn’t like that years ago.

Unfortunately, we don’t have a TARDIS or a DeLorean to put everyone together in their prime. We can only speculate, but that
is where the fun of the debate can be…

Dave wrote:

My understanding is that there are physical benefits and advantages (eg. in bone and muscle) that come with being born biologically male that can’t be countered simply by ensuring testosterone levels fall into a certain range. So there may have to be more nuanced criteria that take all this into account to ensure a level playing field. And obviously the specifics will have to be tailored to each sport – in fact I think the IOC is now requiring individual world governing bodies to draw up sport-specific rules around the issue. (In swimming I gather that FINA is still drawing up new guidelines on it.) It’s a very delicate balancing act though and I can see it continuing to be an issue across sport for some time, especially as more of these high-profile wins happen.

Coming back to this previous discussion, I see that Fina have now come to a decision:

Transgender swimmers barred from female competitions after Fina vote

Swimming’s world governing body, Fina, has voted to restrict the participation of transgender athletes in elite women’s competitions in a major decision that has been welcomed by many female athletes but sets it apart from most other sports.

The new policy states that transgender women must establish that they “have not experienced any part of male puberty”. It follows the report of a scientific panel which found that trans women retained a significant advantage over cisgender female swimmers even after reducing their testosterone levels through medication.

As a result trans women will only be able to compete in the women’s category from next week if they have completed their transition by the age of 12 and have not undergone male puberty.

The decision means that swimming becomes only the second Olympic governing body after World Rugby to introduce a ban on science grounds. Other sports have used testosterone limits as a basis for allowing trans women to compete in the women’s category, a stance that has promoted inclusion but has been criticised for being unfair on cisgender women.

…

Fina has promised to create a working group to establish an “open” category for trans women in some events as part of its new policy.

 

I find this conversation uncomfortable when essentially I think most people want inclusion but sport is quite exclusionary by nature. It categorises to make competition fairer and essentially more exciting. I am too light to fight Tyson Fury under the rules of that sport, I am too abled to compete in the Paralympics.

Sadly I think too many jump on politics over practicality. I think FINA have come to right decision but the comments in their threads are pretty nasty and off the point. People really need to work in the middle here and not be arses about it all. ‘Elite’ is an important term, if people are just taking part for fun and exercise it doesn’t really matter.

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Todd

Well it should really be a medical question. If transgender women are found to generally have more muscular matter, or different skeletons than cis women, then I can understand this decision.

 

I wonder if there is any question on the opposite side. If some country adopts a rule that you can only compete as the gender you were born as, you could have trans men, born as women, who have taken hormones that increase their muscular matter still having to compete in women’s categories which would also be unfair I think.

This came in:

https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2022/06/19/us/fina-vote-transgender-athletes/index.html

2 users thanked author for this post.

Todd

Arjan Dirkse wrote:

Well it should really be a medical question. If transgender women are found to generally have more muscular matter, or different skeletons than cis women, then I can understand this decision.

Yeah it’s something that has been looked at quite closely medically. Initially the hope was that suppressing hormones made enough of a difference but the Institute of Science in Sport pointed out that benefits are gained during puberty that cannot be reversed. That’s why the new FINA ruling does allow those that have had puberty suppressants to compete.

Not insisting on birth gender removes the potential trans man issue you mention as they would be doping under normal rules by taking testosterone.

The puberty echoes recent practice in sports like rugby and football who split sexes at puberty, when I coached a kids team the girls and boys played together but at age 12 we had to split them as the power and performance gaps appear only when the boys hit puberty.

There are some awkward scenarios like this. In NZ rugby a few years back they used to split Maori/Pacific Island kids out from the white children as genetically they developed faster and were much bigger in general. For obvious reasons a racial split like that in the 21st century is very problematic so they have since moved to weight class. However even that caused some social problems because bigger kids have been taken from their age group to 2-3 years higher, split from their friends and some decide to quit.

Ultimately it comes down to what you think is a reasonable peer group for comparison when it comes to competitive sports, and whether gender identity is a useful concept in defining that group.

In a lot of professional sports where physicality is an important factor, physical and measurable attributes like size, weight etc. define what ‘class’ of competitor you belong in – and I think that’s pretty well accepted, so that you’re comparing like with like and ensuring fair competition.

In the past, society’s ideas around what constitutes a man or woman were rigidly defined enough that it was a useful distinction to use as shorthand to define competitive classes in physical sports in that way (even allowing for a certain amount of variation within the same sex).

But now, in a world where gender identity can span such a wide variety of physical attributes – and the ideas of “man” and “woman” or “male” and “female” are increasingly being used to describe people across the entire spectrum of body types – I think it’s probably right to be clear whether these competitive class distinctions are intended to refer to biological sex (as they did historically) or gender identity.

Given that the idea of gender identity is essentially now separate from the idea of biological sex (even if the two will align for a majority of people), it doesn’t seem as though it has as much usefulness in determining competitive classes in sport in this way.

So maybe we’ll see a move towards sports being more explicit in what physically constitutes a male or female class competitor – even if those physical definitions based in biology might feel uncomfortable to some because they won’t necessarily align with modern ideas around gender identity.

Really I think it shows the need for richer and more nuanced language to describe sex and gender. Definitions like male/man and female/woman are increasingly debated and mean different things to different people, so maybe it’s time for sports to adopt different (and more precise scientific) language altogether to reflect that, rather than relying on the old categories of male and female.

Dave wrote:

Really I think it shows the need for richer and more nuanced language to describe sex and gender.

It does and I think more flexibility. So many people are calling for simple black and white answers across the board.

This is where I differ from the Institute of Science in Sport because factually what they are presenting is sound but often their conclusion is a blanket ‘exclude’ which isn’t always necessary. At elite power/endurance events it may have to be but over 99% of the population of the world are excluded from that anyway by virtue often of genetics, I am too short to ever play basketball at any good level however hard I trained. It was a debate here a while back but in truth I am also probably too white to win the 100m, the margins are so fine at that level. I’m definitely too old for either, which isn’t ageism, just fact most athletes decline around their mid 30s.

You can’t necessarily apply the same tenets of equality we can and should do for 99% of other jobs.

If a trans woman wants to play amateur Sunday league football does it really make any difference to anybody? Not really, so they can be included.