Are you excited about the 2022 Winter Olympics, the Opening Ceremony of which occurred Friday in Beijing?
Beijing? You have to be kidding. The capital of China is anything but a capital of winter sports. Skiing, bobsled, luge and skeleton events will be held in Yanqing, 56 miles from Beijing. Cross-country, biathlon, Nordic combined, freestyle skiing and some snowboarding events will be in Zhangjiacou, 140 miles from Beijing. Forget about natural snow. It’s all machine made there.
China? Its repressive government has persecuted the Muslim minority Uyghur people in Xinjiang in the far western China for so long that human rights groups allege genocide. The United States, Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom have joined in a diplomatic boycott to protest the government’s actions. No officials representing those four nations are attending the Games.
China? Face recognition and personal tracking are so prevalent that Big Brother rules alongside Xi Jinping, the Chinese leader.
China? Where COVID-19 first reared its ugly head and where the omicron variant is has caused lockdowns.
Beijing? Where the Olympics will be held in a “bubble”, a controlled environment to keep the virus, and spectators and visitors out.
The Olympics? Where Russian athletes can’t compete for their nation because of Russia’s suspension by the World Anti-Doping Agency for its state-sponsored doping programs, but they can wear their Russian colors and compete under the banner of the ROC, the Russian Olympic Committee. Some ban.
The Olympics? They are a television spectacle more than ever. TV dollars rule as never before.
Are you excited about the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing? I’m not.
Tom Brady, Take One
The greatest quarterback in National Football League history fumbled his retirement announcement. First, a report by ESPN last Saturday followed by a denial by Brady’s agent. Awkward.
Tom Brady, Take Two
The greatest quarterback in National Football League history himself announced on Tuesday that he is walking away from the sport that made him famous and rich. In a 962-word Instagram post — Abraham Lincoln needed only 272 for the Gettysburg Address — Tom Brady wrote that he is “not going to make that competitive commitment anymore. . . . My teammates, coaches, fellow competitors, and fans deserve 100% of me, but right now, it’s best I leave the field of play to the next generation of dedicated and committed athletes.”
Then he thanked everyone in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers organization; his agents and trainer; the Tampa-St. Petersburg area, and his family, especially his wife Gisele and his children. Brady never mentioned the New England Patriots organization, owner Robert Kraft, coach Bill Belichick, and the teammates with whom he won six titles. Not once did Brady mention the team that drafted him in the sixth round in 2000 or the place he called home for 20 years. Brady did not offer one thank you to the fans who cheered him every Sunday. But he wrote a love letter to Tampa-St. Pete, where he played for two seasons.
Tom Brady, Take Three
The greatest quarterback in National Football League history played catchup on Thursday by posting highlight photos of his career, many with the Patriots. Too little, too late.
Tom Brady, Take Four
The greatest quarterback in National Football League history led the league in passing yardage (5,316) and touchdown passes (43) in 2021 and probably has another strong season in him. So why did he walk away? Nobody outside his close circle knows for sure, but here are a few guesses. He is 44, survived 22 seasons, and wants to be able to walk and talk when he is 64. With seven Super Bowl rings in 10 appearances and multiple NFL records, he has nothing left to prove. He doesn’t need the money, not having earned $293 million, according to Spotrac, and another $180 million in endorsements, license fees, etc. Gisele pressured him to retire rather than continue to risk serious injury. His kids are getting older. He wants to develop the business side of the Tom Brady Brand.
And More
The 15th-ranked Providence College men’s basketball team is 19-2, its best start in 50 years, and 9-1 in the Big East, its best start ever. The Friars visit Georgetown on Sunday.
The URI women’s basketball team is 18-3, second in the Atlantic-10, and in the hunt for its second NCAA Tournament appearance in program history. The Rams have won 10 in a row and seven straight in the A-10. They will visit La Salle on Sunday afternoon.
Did you see that Rafael Nadal, 35, won the Australian Open over Daniil Medvedev in a 5-hour, 24-minute marathon in Melbourne last Sunday for his 21st Grand Slam singles title. He broke a tie with Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic. Djokovic was deported for refusing to get vaccinated. Memo to Djokovic: Just get the shots.
And did you see that Gonzaga revoked the season tickets of its most famous basketball alum, John Stockton, because he refuses to wear a mask? Memo to Stockton: don the mask.
