Jackie McDermott, Sports editor
April 14, 2017
Filed under Sports Editorials & Features
The top search hits for Maria Sharapova have nothing to do with her doping suspension. A Daily Mail article shows fashionista Sharapova sporting a casual and chic Los Angeles look in capris and a pashmina shawl. Forbes touts her success as a businesswoman, featuring her candy company Sugarpova and its recent ventures in the chocolate industry. ESPN pairs her name with Rafael Nadal’s when it lists players to watch this clay court season.
It seems that Sharapova will arrive fresh-faced and unscathed as she steps back on court after a 15-month doping suspension on April 26. The tennis star will compete at a tournament hosted by one of her sponsors, the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix, in Stuttgart, Germany. Back from her 15...
Darren Zaslau, Sports Editor
April 7, 2017
Filed under SPORTS, Sports Editorials & Features
Athletes are generally viewed under a microscope for their actions on and off the field. As a result of the public criticizing their every move, a large divide exists between the fan and player.
Recently, The Players’ Tribune has bridged that gap. Founded by former New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter in 2014, this new media platform provides sports talk and personal stories written by the athletes themselves. With the creation of the The Players’ Tribune, athletes’ voices have the potential to be heard across the globe.
“It’s a trusted place, a place where they can speak freely and not have to worry about how their words are twisted and turned,” Jeter said in an interview with The Hollywood Report...
Jackie McDermott, Sports Editor
March 31, 2017
Filed under SPORTS, Sports Editorials & Features
Most American sports fans are aware of our country’s dominance in women’s sports like basketball and gymnastics. But there is another sport in which American women have collected numerous Olympic medals and won seven of the last nine world championships — ice hockey.
Despite being wildly successful on the world stage, American women’s ice hockey has been repeatedly degraded at home by its own governing body. USA Hockey recently took a long-awaited positive step toward improving the conditions for women’s play, but the organization’s shameful past must not be forgotten. USA Hockey must be held accountable for its disrespect and underdevelopment of the women’s game.
On Tuesday, the begrudging leaders...
Darren Zaslau, Sports editor
March 10, 2017
Filed under SPORTS, Sports Editorials & Features
Duke University has always been a national powerhouse in men’s college basketball. The Blue Devils are tied for third in most national championships with five wins, command an NCAA-best .755 NCAA tournament winning percentage and have suited up 71 players who went on to the NBA. Under the direction of Head Coach Mike Krzyzewski, the all-time leader in wins in Division I men’s basketball history, winning is an expectation, not an aspiration.
Entering this season, the Blue Devils were the first-ranked team in the Associated Press Top 25 and USA Today Coaches Poll. Not only were they projected to win another national championship, but the Blue Devils also had numerous preseason All-Americans and top-tier talent on t...
Jackie McDermott, Sports Editor
March 3, 2017
Filed under SPORTS, Sports Editorials & Features
The 2005 Congressional hearings that exposed steroid use by Major League Baseball’s own Jose Canseco, Mark McGwire and other home-run slammers are forever burned into America’s collective sports memory. This week, Congress revived its clean-sports crusade, urging reform of World Anti-Doping Agency policy and berating members of the International Olympic Committee for their handling of last summer’s Russian doping scandal.
While Congress’ quest to eradicate cheating in international sports seems noble, it pales in comparison to some other issues our legislative body faces. Why should a Congress tasked with replacing Obamacare, probing Trump’s ties to Russia and fighting a nationwide heroin epidemic spend...
Jackie McDermott, Sports Editor
February 17, 2017
Filed under SPORTS, Sports Editorials & Features
Game 7 of the 2014 World Series. The Golden State Warriors’ Championship-clinching Game 6 victory over LeBron James’ Cleveland Cavaliers. The 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup. Which one had the most viewers? Hint: The answer will defy the myth that no one watches women’s sports.
While two of the biggest games in baseball and basketball had 23 million viewers, an astonishing 25 million Americans tuned in to watch Abby Wambach and Carli Lloyd hoist the FIFA Women’s World Cup trophy as the United States triumphed over Japan to secure its third world championship.
Now, those viewers will have a new platform where they can watch their favorite women’s soccer stars. Earlier this month, the National Women’s Soccer...
Darren Zaslau, Sports Editor
February 10, 2017
Filed under SPORTS, Sports Editorials & Features
The 2017 NFL postseason was filled with non-stop drama. While the competitive play on the field is usually the center of conversation among the national sports media, this season was different. Turn on ESPN, Fox Sports or any other sports channel and you will see headlines like “BoatGate” or “FacebookGate” in reference to the off-field actions of New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. and Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown.
While numerous sports broadcasters believe that these players’ actions were ill-advised, it’s truly unreasonable for the media to discuss these scandals ad nauseam and blame the Steelers’ and Giants’ playoff losses on the minor transgressions of these athletes....
Jackie McDermott, Sports Editor
February 3, 2017
Filed under SPORTS, Sports Editorials & Features
“Thirty-fun.”
That’s how Serena Williams referred to her age in post-match interviews on Saturday. Only one number was on her mind earlier that day as she took the court to face her sister Venus in the Australian Open final. It wasn’t her age — which is 35, by the way. It wasn’t the number one — the ranking she could steal back from Angelique Kerber, who had made an early exit in Melbourne, Australia. It was one magic number, narrowly missed by Steffi Graf, untouched by any other in the Open era, and finally achieved by Williams, the 2017 Australian Open champion: 23. The 23rd victory wave. The 23rd shining silver chalice. Her 23rd Grand Slam title. A number that makes Williams the winningest player...
Darren Zaslau, Sports Editor
December 9, 2016
Filed under SPORTS, Sports Editorials & Features
When people think of Las Vegas, they usually picture massive casinos, enticing slot machines and skyscraping hotels. But Sin City’s image may change soon. With the addition of the NHL’s new expansion team, the Vegas Golden Knights, and the potential of an NFL franchise arriving in the future, it’s fair to say that Las Vegas could become America’s new sports city.
Excitement for the Golden Knights’ inaugural season has started to spread despite their first game being around 11 months away. Following the NHL’s June 22 announcement that Las Vegas won the expansion bid, the Golden Knights sold over 14,000 season tickets inside their future home, T-Mobile Arena, which seats 17,500 fans. Two weeks ago, the team...
Jackie McDermott, Sports Editor
December 2, 2016
Filed under SPORTS, Sports Editorials & Features
Hijab-wearing Muslim athletes received some much-needed good news on Monday.
A duo of women entrepreneurs announced that they will release a line of hijabs made of a breathable material that absorbs sweat, empowering some Muslim athletes to play more comfortably.
Fatimah Hussein, a Somali immigrant and founder of a girls’ sports non-profit, and her business partner, Jamie Glover, founded the modest sportswear company Asiya to meet the demand from the ever-growing number of Muslim girls and women participating in athletics.
With this news, the sportswear market promotes a trend of visibility and acceptance of Muslim athletes that has slowly taken hold in the sports world. But that progress is in danger given...
Darren Zaslau, Sports Editor
November 18, 2016
Filed under SPORTS, Sports Editorials & Features
History was made in college football last Saturday. For the first time since 1985, three of the top four teams in the nation all lost in the same week. With No. 2 Michigan losing to Iowa, No. 3 Clemson dropping a thriller at home to Pittsburgh and No. 4 Washington falling to USC, the College Football Playoff experienced a mindboggling shake-up.
Top-ranked Alabama is currently the only undefeated team in the nation, boasting a perfect 10–0 record in the always-competitive Southeastern Conference. Having outscored its opponents 412–122, Alabama represents the only lock for making the College Football Playoff. As for the other three teams looking to complete the playoff field, predicting the nation’s top-four teams i...
Jackie McDermott, Sports Editor
November 11, 2016
Filed under SPORTS, Sports Editorials & Features
Tennis’ darling played dumb and received a reprieve.
Maria Sharapova’s suspension for meldonium use was reduced from two years to 15 months by the Court of Arbitration of Sport on Oct. 4 because the organization believes Sharapova didn’t intend to cheat. She claims she wasn’t aware that the drug she was taking had become banned.
In trimming the tennis star’s suspension, CAS sent the message that, if a player takes a drug with the intent of enhancing performance but claims they weren’t aware that it was banned, they can weasel their way out of her punishment. Further, CAS disrespected the International Tennis Federation by reversing its decision on Sharapova’s case. This opens the door for players...
