Going The Distance
The stellar examples of sportsmanship in Tokyo, the shady accusations from a hockey wife and why Raven Saunders is our spirit animal.
Anyone else worried about what they’re going to watch when the Olympics are over on Sunday?
Going through table tennis withdrawals,
The Last Night’s Game Team
Olympics
Being a good sport is in the DNA of the Olympics, and we have to look no further than the track and field competition. First, Isaiah Jewett (USA) and Mijel Amous (Botswana) collided during the 800-meter race, falling. The two picked each other up and finished the race together. IF YOU CAN’T BEAT ‘EM, JOIN ‘EM
In the high jump, after tying Mutaz Essa Barshim (Qatar) and Gianmarco Tamberi (Italy), were offered a chance to have a jump off to determine a gold medal winner or share the gold. The two agreed to share the gold. The exclamation mark was Tamberi leaping into Barshim’s arms to celebrate their co-victory. NICE GUYS TIE FOR GOLD
Overtime
As the saying goes, “happy wife, happy life,” but that’s clearly not the case with the wife of San Jose Shark’s (NHL – National Hockey League) player Evander Kane. His soon-to-be ex-wife took to her Instagram stories to make some serious allegations, including that her husband bet on his own hockey games - intentionally losing games and soliciting prostitution. The NHL is investigating these claims. FIGHTING WORDS
Sideline stat
The GOAT is back! The six-time Olympic medalist Simone Biles is returning to competition for one last time in Tokyo - on the beam for tomorrow's individual event. Her teammates have dominated in her absence, with Jade Carey the latest, picking up a gold medal on the individual floor event. Not going for gold? The U.S. Women’s Soccer Team suffered a shocking loss to Canada in the semifinals. This is only their fourth loss to Canada in history. The USWNT will play for the bronze medal on Thursday. GIVING IT ALL
Coaches’ corner
Raven Saunders is the spirit animal we all need, expressing her inner self through her multicolor hair and strong mask game. After the anthem was over, the silver medalist in the shot put raised her hands in an ‘X’ on the medal podium. In a post-event interview, she spoke up for those who "don't have a platform to speak up for themselves." Saunders, who is black and queer, has been very open about her battle with depression. THE VOICE FOR THE VOICELESS
Heard It Through The Grapevine
The Olympic Opening ceremonies are tonight, Simone Biles gets hits another milestone and the NFL is laying the smackdown on unvaccinated players.
Rumor has it, it's going to be an epic weekend.
It's all you,
The Last Night's Game Team
Olympics
The Olympics kick off tonight with the Opening Ceremonies. Team U.S.A. will be led by flagbearers five-time Olympian Sue Bird (women’s basketball) and Eddy Alvarez from the baseball team. (Alvarez also won a silver medal in the 2014 Winter Olympics in speedskating). The highlight of the evening is the lighting of the torch, which will be powered by hydrogen, promoting a carbon-free future. No word who will light the torch but rumor has it is that it’s the Masters winner Hideki Matsuyama. LET THE GAMES BEGIN
Overtime
We all know that Simone Biles is the G.O.A.T., and now Twitter is on board. If you write a tweet with #SimoneBiles or even #Simone a goat in a leotard, doing a split leap on the balance beam will appear. AS IT SHOULD
Sideline stat
How does one celebrate an NBA (National Basketball Association) Championship and being selected as the MVP? With a fast food run, of course. NBA. Finals MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo ordered 50 nuggets at Chick-Fil-A to match the 50 points he scored in game six win. WHAT’S FOR DINNER
Coaches’ corner
The NFL (National Football League) is laying the smackdown when it comes to vaccinated players. They added extra incentives for players to get vaccinated, threatening forfeits and losing paychecks if an outbreak amongst unvaccinated players disrupts the regular-season schedule. The new rules, amongst other things, call for the team that causes the forfeit to pay the other team’s expenses. MAKING THEIR STANCE CLEAR
What to watch
Everyone’s favorite football coach turned soccer coach Ted Lasso is back today with season two. TUNE IN
Our 5 Favorite Storylines To Follow During The Summer Olympics
Expect the unexpected.
Photo: Unsplash
The Olympics are filled with thousands of stories, with over 11,000 athletes competing. It was hard to narrow it down, but here are five storylines worth following during the Tokyo Olympics.
Gold medal-worthy small talk,
The Last Night’s Game Team
1. Wondering why it seems like the Olympic coverage appears to be overly female-friendly? The abundance of media coverage is seemingly because they’re the names we’re most likely to hear announced on the podium. Women have won more than 50% of Team U.S.A.’s medals at the last two Summer Olympics. GET IT GIRLS
2. Keep an eye on Sungjae Im and Si Woo Kim, golfers from South Korea. The two PGA (Professional Golfers Association) golfers dropped out of the British Open earlier this month to focus on their preparation for the Olympics. An Olympic medal for these two athletes (or any other South Korean athlete) would not only make their country proud but would provide the Olympian with an exemption from mandatory two-year service in the South Korean military. This exemption is something that not even the members of international sensation K-pop group BTS are able to achieve. EYES ON THE PRIZE
3. With the topic of transgender children in sports being hotly debated in the U.S., Laurel Hubbard, a weightlifter from New Zealand, will represent her country and proudly carry the title of the first openly transgender athlete to compete at the Olympics. After failed efforts from neighboring countries to ban her from the Commonwealth Games, Hubbard pushed on, with support from her fellow New Zealanders, and landed a spot on the Olympic team. SHINE ON
4. They were, and then they weren’t. The Japanese government was prepared to allow fans, Japan residents only, at Olympic competitions. Then earlier this month, they changed their mind, declaring a state of emergency due to COVID and will no longer allow fans at any of the Summer Olympic competitions in Tokyo. This ban on fans includes family and friends of the athletes competing as foreign fans were banned back in March. CHEERING FROM AFAR
5. There are five sports taking place in the Olympics for the first time. Look for your favorite men’s and women’s athletes to compete in surfing, sport climbing, skateboarding (park & street), karate (kumite & kata) and softball/baseball. While softball/baseball was voted out of the Olympics in 2006, they’re back and will bring the most new athletes to the Games, with 144 men and 90 women participating in the sport. GOING FOR GOLD