A Pigeon Chasing Hawk, The Loudest Grunter And Pimm's - What You Need To Know About Wimbledon 2021
What you need to know and what you never expected.
Photo: Unsplash/shep979
The oldest tennis tournament in the world may be steeped in history, but that doesn’t stop the common folk like us from enjoying a match, traditional Pimm’s or donning our Wimbledon whites.
Like royalty,
The Last Night’s Game Team
1. There’s a strict dress code at the prestigious tournament, requiring players to wear all white. (Rumor has it was that it was because it didn’t show sweat like other colors). Now we all know that nothing ruins your summer whites like bird poop. Luckily you don’t have to worry about that at Wimbledon. Rufus is a specially trained hawk that keeps those pooping pigeons away from the grounds. Like a good predator, Rufus flies above the grounds for one hour (9.00 am) most mornings before the gates open to keep the birds away. EYES LIKE A HAWK
2. Did you know that Wimbledon is the largest single annual sporting event in Europe from a catering perspective? In previous years, spectators consumed over 276,000 glasses of Pimm’s to wash down 18,061 servings of fish and chips. Although this year, those numbers might be a little lower as fan capacity is limited to 50% occupancy until the men’s and women’s finals, when the stadium will be at 100% capacity. The tournament has served 4,242 servings of sushi and 6,147 of pasta to their racket-wielding athletes. WHO’S HUNGRY?
3. The tennis balls are replaced every seven to nine games to ensure they’re kept in perfect shape. It’s no wonder more than 54,000 tennis balls are used during the two-week tournament. But did you know that tennis balls used to be white or black, not yellow? They were changed to yellow to make it easier for the TV viewer to see the ball, but Wimbledon was a late adopter to the color change, waiting until the 80s. HOLY BALLS
4. Grunting is something no longer left to gremlins and grumpy old men. Even the classiest of tennis players vocalize their play. While you may think this is a new thing, Monica Seles and Jimmy Connors are known as the original creators of the tennis grunt. The loudest one on the court? Russia’s Maria Sharapova at 105 decibels – the equivalent of standing next to an accelerating motorcycle. THAT’S NOT AWKWARD AT ALL
5. The biggest news about Wimbledon is who isn’t going to be there. Naomi Osaka and Rafael Nadal have both dropped out of the tournament. But instead of looking at the glass half empty, let’s talk about how Serena Williams will be there to go for her record-tying 24 Grand Slam win. Or the two of the biggest names in men’s tennis, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, will take the court. Djokovic has won the first two Grand Slam tournaments (aka majors) this year. (Wimbledon is the third major of the year). BE THERE OR BE SQUARE
Bonus: Last year’s tournament was cancelled but don’t feel too bad. The All-England Lawn Tennis Club had been paying pandemic insurance for 17 years, and it finally paid off with a rumored payout of $141 million.
Fight For Your Right
Golf’s 2-hour beer lines, why Jimmy Kimmel is making history in college football and tennis superstars sayonara to England.
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The Last Night’s Game
Tennis
It’s been a rough summer to be a tennis fan with the most popular athletes dropping out of tournaments left and right. Yesterday, Rafael Nadal and Naomi Osaka, two of the world’s greatest players, announced they would not play in Wimbledon. But two-time Wimbledon champion and two-time Olympic gold medalist Rafael Nadal made a shocking announcement that he will not be participating in the Olympics this summer either. Osaka will still play in the Olympics for Japan. SUMMER BUMMER
Overtime
Jimmy Kimmel is making history, but not with his TV ratings. He will become the first human to have a college football bowl game named after him. The Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl will debut on December 18. FUNNY GUY FOOTBALL
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The boys of summer are back in Omaha. After the Men’s College World Series was cancelled last year, eight teams will return to the tournament's home stadium to fight for the title in this double-elimination tournament. Stanford, NC State, Vanderbilt, Arizona, Tennessee, Virginia, Texas and Mississippi State will take the field in the tournament that provides Omaha with an economic impactof $70 million. BUY ME SOME PEANUTS AND CRACKERJACKS
Coaches’ corner
This weekend is the third of four major golf tournaments in the PGA (Professional Golfers Association) Tour. The U.S. Open has been criticized for its obscenely long beer lines (2+ hours), so watching it on TV is the perfect way to celebrate Father’s Day. As you ponder whether or not the Brooks Koepka - Bryson DeChambeau rivalry is all for a cut of the PGA incentives fund, also remember there’s no better way to celebrate Father’s Day than with a midday nap with championship golf on in the background. ZZZ…I WAS WATCHING THAT
Going The Distance
The smart way one coach is penalizing players for bad behavior, who tied the knot and who is cashing in years later.
Forgo the awkward silence while waiting for a meeting to start or for your dinner to arrive by putting to use the best stories from the always interesting world of sports.
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The Last Night’s Game Team
College football
It was an exciting weekend in college football with a huge upset of another top 10 ranked team. Wisconsin (#6) was handed a loss by an unranked Illinois team. Another moment worth noting is the loss of Alabama’s (#1) starting quarterback. The team lost Tua Tagovailoa with an ankle injury. Normally the team would be okay but his talented backup, Jalen Hurts, transferred to Oklahoma this season and is dominating there, so we’ll see if Alabama can pick up the pieces and stay at the front of the pack. IT’S ALL FUN AND GAMES UNTIL SOMEONE LOSES A QUARTERBACK
Overtime
The road to starting a family for female athletes is a tough one. You may recall the criticism Nike faced from their sponsored female athletes that caused them to adopt a progressive maternity policy. Now WNBA (Women’s National Basketball Association) star Skylar Diggins is shedding some light on her story. She revealed that she played the entire 2018 season while she was pregnant. (She had an amazing season BTW). She spoke out about her critics, the lack of support and the fact that she took only two months off and that was to deal with postpartum depression. RAISE ‘EM UP
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Former University of Texas running back Ricky Williams was the last Heisman Trophy winner to be able to profit from the sale of his famed trophy. On Saturday, his Heisman Trophy sold for a record $504,000 to a Florida sports memorabilia collector. After 1998, any player who wins the Heisman is required to sign an agreement stating they cannot sell the iconic trophy that recognizes the best in college football. CASHING IN
Coaches’ corner
Clemson coach Dabo Swinney had a creative way of laying down the law with one of his players. Freshman player Andrew Booth was ejected from this weekend’s game for punching an opposing player. The defending national championship coach made Booth ride home on the bus with the team managers instead of flying home with the team. Swinney said the almost seven hour drive home gave Booth “plenty of time to think about it.” LONGEST TIME-OUT EVER?
What to watch
Game one of the World Series is tomorrow night. The Houston Astros won their first World Series in 2017 and they’re back to try for one more. They’ll play the Washington Nationals who are playing in the World Series for the first time in franchise history. Get the skinny on this major sporting event in Wednesday’s five things to know. FOR ALL THE MARBLES