Tag: sports

ESPN Goes Full Feminist

On Thursday night, ESPN will present an all-female version of SportsCenter focusing only on women’s sports. Indeed, the virtue signaling to the left will go all in on the women-only concept because not only will the on-air staff be all female broadcasters, but all the producers, camera people, and other off-air staff will also be an all-female affair, according to Variety. That isn’t all. During commercial breaks and between reports, ESPN will air ads and segments to flog the financial-services firm Ally, which has entered into a sponsorship deal with ESPN owner Disney which calls for 90 percent of its spending on the network to benefit women’s sports reporting.

However, the more exposure to women’s sports one actually has, the less inclined one is to support them, let alone permit one’s daughters to participate in them. It amounts to signing them up for knee surgeries and sexual inversion. It would be interesting to see which path produces statistically worse results on average, women’s team sports or the stripper’s pole.

Regardless, a good father will keep his daughters away from both.

UPDATE: We are reliably informed that ESPN will be following Elon Musk’s lead and rebranding as the Ladies Entertainment and Sports Programming Network.

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Whatever Could it Be?

The 18-year-old son of NBA star LeBron James suffered a heart attack during basketball practice at USC.

Bronny James, incoming USC freshman basketball player and son of Lakers star LeBron James, suffered a cardiac arrest during a practice with the team Monday. According to a statement from the James family via The Athletic’s Shams Charania, Bronny collapsed on the court and was taken to the hospital. He is in stable condition and no longer in the ICU after being tended to by the team’s medical staff.

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Everything is Fake

And it has been for a long time. Miles Mathis explains why he’s pretty sure that Wimbledon and other tennis championships have been scripted from time to time over the last 50 years, including Arthur Ashe’s 1973 title and Andy Murray’s 2013 defeat of Djokovic at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club.

I believe Connors was paid to throw Wimbledon to Arthur Ashe. See here for how staged it all was. Or you can watch highlights here, where I think it is blindingly obvious. Remember, Ashe was nine years older and had only been playing 3-set matches since 1973. So it is convenient he beat Connors 6-1, 6-1 in the first two sets at Wimbledon, in ludicrously short points. Watching that film will show you Connors didn’t disguise it very well. He is grinning like a naughty child the whole time. At several points, you can see that Connors is throwing it so clumsily, Ashe gets mad and hits the ball out on purpose himself. It is the sloppiest professional match of all time, and Connors has an ugly unforced error on almost every point. Looking back, it is difficult to believe the crowd didn’t riot or boo them off the court. Even the announcers are stunned into silence. How do you comment on someone throwing a Wimbledon final in such outlandish fashion? I have to believe someone pulled Connors to the side after the first two sets and ordered him to quit hitting every ball out.

They said, “C’mon, man, we are paying you to make this look real. This is just pathetic!” The misdirection on this match is awful to this day, with many people hired to misdirect, saying Connors choked, Ashe played him for a fool, etc. Some criminally miscount unforced errors. One guy claims Connors had 13 unforced errors in the match. You have to laugh. He had more unforced errors than that in the first three games. You can see more unforced errors than that in the brief highlights reel I linked to above at Youtube. As you study that highlights reel, I encourage you to also study the crowd. It just proves once again that people are zombies. They sit there quietly clapping on cue as this transparent crime against reality unfolds in front of them.

It’s not hard to imagine Jimmy Connors deciding to make it obvious for everyone, given his puckish personality. And I don’t think it’s an accident that these “stunning historic upsets” so often feature something like “the first Black champion” or “the first British champion in a billion years”. Remember, sports are first and foremost an entertainment business, so making money and producing memorable storylines are their priorities, not “providing all competitors with a level playing field”.

The fact that the International Olympic Committee is not inviting Russia and Belarus to participate in the Paris Olympics only underlines the fact that sports are subservient to the Narrative.

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Taking the N Out

N stands for national. As in National Football League and National Basketball Association. Of course, NFL also stands for Not For Long.

In the wake of the effort by the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund to basically take over the PGA Tour, the Qatar Investment Authority could soon have an ownership stake in the NBA’s Washington Wizards.

Via Mike Vorkunov of TheAthletic.com, the group will buy a piece of Monumental Sports and Entertainment, which owns among other things the Wizards.

The reportedly “small stake” values the company at $4 billion. It also requires approval of the NBA’s Board of Governors. Although foreign ownership of an NBA team is unprecedented, the league has opened the door to it.

“In November 2022, the NBA Board of Governors decided to permit passive, non-controlling, minority investments in NBA teams by institutional investors, including university endowments, foreign and domestic pension funds, and sovereign wealth funds, subject to a set of policy guidelines adopted at that time,” an NBA spokesman told TheAthletic.com. “All such investments require league review, NBA Board approval and compliance with the policy.”

The NFL currently allows individual ownership only, but there has been talk of expanding the universe of potential ownership interests to counter the struggles associated with finding individuals having enough cash to buy at least 30 percent of a team from the get-go.

There can be no doubt about it any longer. The money owners, as opposed to the sports owners, are ruining every sport they have invaded. Jerry Jones has proved to be a cancer.

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Not Even Hot Girls

Should talk to the media. The Cavinder Twins discover that the media lies before it even puts its lies into print.

“The interview for this article was obtained by a false pretense that it would be written about our life after NIL, why we didn’t take our fifth year, our passions, and business opportunities,” she wrote. “We were specifically told via the publication the context would be to ‘see the Cavinders as a very important story not only in the context of women’s college sports but the new media culture and business. They’re building a hugely successful brand, and they’re at the forefront of a new space, and we think that’s exciting and newsworthy.’

“We discussed with our team and met the media opportunity openly after reviewing the intentions. Haley and I welcomed this man into our home. He followed us throughout the entire weekend asking us questions and understanding what goes on in our daily lives. After the weekend, we had a sit down interview in our kitchen for over an hour and was only asked one question regarding our ‘physical looks.’

“The subsequent article not only demeaned our athletic and business accomplishments, it furthered the narrative that hard working, creative and driven women can only do well if they are deemed attractive. The piece disregards our work ethic and dedication toward NIL and business endeavors. He fails to acknowledge the young girls/woman [sic] that follow us and that we work so hard to inspire. Instead, he degrades us down to ‘hot girl(s).’ We agreed to do the interview and wanted to support a woman ran news outlet. We are both disappointed and disgusted by this journalism practice and blatant sexist trope. We only wish to inspire young woman [sic] to chase their dreams, work hard, think big. Now we must also defend them against men that wish to sum their potential to physical appearance.”

Hanna Cavinder Calls Out Publication for Interview ‘Obtained by a False Pretense’, 14 June 2023

It’s hard to blame the stars of social media for not understanding the fundamentally dishonest nature of the mainstream media. But I have no doubt they’ll learn very quickly that when one has an audience of thousands, or even millions, one has no use whatsoever for the dubious benefits dangled by the narrative police.

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The PGA Surrenders

The PGA Tour waved the white flag and merged with LIV Golf:

In the bitter civil war between the tradition-steeped PGA Tour and its filthy-rich, Saudi-backed rival LIV over the future of golf, the money has come out on top. Leaders of the two organizations delivered a bombshell announcement on Tuesday that they will merge through a deal that will drag global golf into a ‘new era’ – whether the players, fans and sponsors like it or not.

The news, which blindsided players and executives on both circuits, follows years of bitter disputes that have pitted the sport’s leading figures against each other over money, power and ethics in the gentleman’s game.

While LIV poached some of golf’s biggest stars – including Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson and Phil Mickelson – with deals totaling hundreds of millions of dollars, those loyal to the PGA, including Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods, have had the rug pulled out from under them after snubbing eyewatering paydays on moral grounds.

Ultimately, the PGA was unable to keep up with the relentless investment of oil money in a circuit bankrolled by Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, the investment arm of a nation with a dismal human rights record. Something had to give.

I strongly suspect that LIV Football (aka Soccer) is next. In the aftermath of the failure of the European Super League and the massive offers being made to iconic players like Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, it appears obvious to me that the strategy will be to first buy the players, then use that leverage to force advantageous mergers with the existing powers.

Whenever money or power become central, the richest and the most ruthless are guaranteed control. Keep that in mind when you set your own priorities.

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I Blame the Defense

The fiery explosion in the streets of Milano this morning was considerably less catastrophic than the complete collapse of the Milan defense for a ten-minute period from the fifth minute to the fifteenth minute of last night’s Champion’s League semifinal derby. Maldini wept.

Several vehicles are in flames in the centre of Milan in northern Italy after a van carrying gas cylinders mysteriously exploded. SkyTG24 broadcast footage from the Milan’s Porta Romana neighborhood, showing high plumes of black smoke rising between buildings, and firefighters on the scene. Mobile phone footage from the street showed several cars in flames, as well as what appeared to be a scooter and nearby buildings.

Ten minutes, three shots, two goals, and one post. It was ugly. It was brutal.

Note to self: do NOT invite Interistas over to watch the next game.

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Experts vs Media: A Retrospective

Peter King revisits the big draft question of 25 years ago, and in doing so, underlines my point about the mainstream media. Which is, namely, never believe anything it tells you.

A quarter-century ago this week … A couple of months before the draft in 1998, I took a VHS tape with 30 to 35 plays each of Tennessee QB Peyton Manning and Washington State QB Ryan Leaf, the presumptive top two picks in the draft, around the country to show six people and to ask: Who would you pick among these two players? (VHS qualified as high-tech in 1998.) My panel of experts: Hall of Fame coach/QB guru Sid Gillman, retired Niners coach Bill Walsh, Giants QB Phil Simms, Denver coach Mike Shanahan, Tampa Bay director of player personnel Jerry Angelo and UCLA coach Bob Toledo (who’d faced both players).

There was some debate over who should go first that year. ESPN published a long magazine story opining the easy pick was Leaf. “Come 2018, Ryan Leaf, not Manning, will be strutting up to a podium in Canton,” was one line from that story, one of the great wish-we-had-that-back lines ever. ESPN wasn’t the only one to go all-in on Leaf. But I sat with each expert and asked the question.

The vote: Manning 6, Leaf 0. “Now this is a pro quarterback,” the 86-year-old Gillman said in his Carlsbad, Calif., home. “Is that a beautiful throw, or is that a beautiful throw? I’d draft this kid in a second.” The iconoclastic Walsh favored Manning over Leaf, but also said he’d pick another position first in the draft, then chose Brian Griese in the second round.

When I wrote the story in early April, I remember a few stories like the ESPN one, or ones quoting anonymous scouts or GMs saying they’d pick Leaf. I wondered if I’d picked the wrong guys to poll. But sitting with Gillman, a seminal figure in quarterback history, and Shanahan, and hearing their this-is-no-contest tone, I thought Manning was the guy. “Peyton will handle the inferno of going to a 3-13 team. He’s a sure player,” Angelo said. And he was.

Forget sports. Forget the NFL. Forget the converged reporter concerned. The salient point here is the massive gap between the unanimous position of the proven experts and the expressed conclusion of the media. The experts consulted by Peter King had unparalleled and unquestioned chops. ESPN could have consulted them even more easily than King did.

And yet, the mainstream media organ somehow managed to present a conclusion diametrically opposed to the conclusion of the experts. This is par for the course. Never forget that.

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Onward to Valhalla

The great Bud Grant has died at the age of 95:

Hall of Fame head coach Bud Grant, who led the Vikings to four Super Bowl, has died. He was 95.

Born May 20, 1927 in Superior Wisconsin, Harry Peter Grant Jr. played in the NBA, the NFL, and the CFL. He was the oldest living NBA champion, a member of the 1950 Minneapolis Lakers.

Grant later played for the Philadelphia Eagles and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. He coached the Blue Bombers from 1957 to 1966, taking the job at the age of 29. He won four Grey Cups with the Blue Bombers.

In 1967, Grant succeeded Norm Van Brocklin as head coach of the Vikings. Grant took the Vikings to Super Bowl IV, Super Bowl VIII, Super Bowl IX, and Super Bowl XI. He coached the team until 1983, retiring for a year and then returning after a disastrous 3-13 season under Les Steckel.

Grant, known for an always-stoic sideline demeanor, had a record of 168-108-5 in his NFL coaching career. He went 118-64-3 in the CFL. In all, he coached 466 games, winning 286 times.

For better or for worse, I owe my stoicism to Bud Grant. When asked once about my emotional imperturbability in the face of open hatred, I answered that as a lifelong Vikings fan, I no longer had any capacity for disappointment or tears in the face of defeat. I always admired how he could meet success or failure with stone cold equanimity, and how he refused to bow even before the bitter cold of the Minnesota winters.

One by one, our heroes are leaving us. May we be worthy of them.

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The Decline of Europe

One very small example of how the decision to ostracize Russia is going to diminish Europe on the world stage:

The Russian chess body, which started the application process for the transfer in April 2022, joined the Asian Chess Federation (ACF) in a general-assembly vote which saw 29 delegates vote for the move, one delegate vote against, and six delegates abstain. The final transition is scheduled to take place officially on May 1.

This is the first time in history that a chess superpower has switched to another continent. Currently, Russia has 190 grandmasters listed by the FIDE, the most of any country in the world. Geographically, around 77 percent of Russia’s landmass is in Asia.

The influx of those highly rated Russian grandmasters to the Asian region may affect the chances of Asian players, such as those from China and India, to qualify for the World Championship cycle. However, this influx will also increase the quality of Asian chess competitions, which will benefit Asian players in the long run.

Such a change also means the 2023 World Chess Championship has become an intra-continental event rather than inter-continental one. China’s world No.3 Ding Liren will face Russian chess grandmaster Ian Nepomniachtchi, who is now sitting at second place in the world ratings by the FIDE, in the 2023 World Chess Championship after incumbent champion and world No.1 Magnus Carlsen decided not to defend his title.

Sure, it’s just chess, for now. But how long will it be before other sports follow suit? Quantity has a quality of its own. How long will it be before the big money begins to flow to Asia rather than to Europe? My expectation is that within 10 years, it will be the next Haaland, rather than the next Ronaldo, who will be signing for an Asian football club.

And based on the fact that this article is from Global Times, it is clear that the Chinese are very well aware of the long-term implications of this change of chess federations on the part of the Russian authority.

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