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Showing posts with label sport. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sport. Show all posts

Thursday, December 17, 2015

Ex-NBA star Gilbert Arenas shares his (sexist) advice for WNBA

7:24 PM No Comments
WARNING: Coarse language
THE 2015 WNBA season ended back in October, when the Minnesota Lynx won their third title in the past five years.
So it’s a little odd that former NBA player Gilbert Arenas would be offering advice to the professional basketball league more than two months into its offseason.
“Odd,” however, is not the best word to describe Arenas’ take on the WNBA.
Instead, a better word is “sexist”. Or “disgusting”. Or any other awful word that you might prefer, really.
Earlier this week, Arenas posted a not-safe-for-work Instagram video of scantily clad women playing basketball (NSFW).
In the accompanying (also NSFW) caption, Arenas wrote:
“NOW this is what america was hoping for when they announced the #WNBA back in 1996... not a bunch of chicks running around looking like,cast members from #orangeisthenewblack.
“Dont get me wrong,they have few #cutiepies but theres a whole alotta #beanpies running around hahahahahaha.”
The comment only got worse from there.
League spokesman Mike Bass released a statement on behalf of the NBA and WNBA.
“Gilbert Arenas’s comments are repugnant, utterly disrespectful and flat-out wrong,” Bass said.
“WNBA players are strong, talented and determined individuals who give it their all on the court and serve as inspiring role models to millions around the world. They should be celebrated for their accomplishments, not disparaged with ignorant insults.”
New York Liberty star Swin Cash shared her thoughts on Arenas’ comments.
To top it all off, Arenas pre-emptively lashed out at his would-be detractors, saying that people who would call his comments sexist are the ugly one “9 times out of 10.”
But that’s ridiculous. Arenas, who’s still somewhat of a visible public figure, offered his megaphone to the idea of seeing WNBA players specifically -- and women in general -- as cattle there for the amusement of others.
Arenas, of course, has every right to share his thoughts. And, in turn, we have an obligation to point out how wrong-headed he is.
NBA player Nate Robinson also chimed in.
“I usually stay in my own lane but this was so uncalled for in so many ways...,” Robinson wrote on Instagram.
“One cause I have a daughter who loves hoop, & one day she might want to make it to the WNBA one day, hoop is hoop no matter what a woman looks like ... #LORD4giveusall.”
Gilbert Arenas went on a sexist Instagram rant.
Gilbert Arenas went on a sexist Instagram rant.Source:Supplied

Monday, August 10, 2015

Nick Kyrgios’s smartest move yet

5:53 PM No Comments
Happier times lie ahead of Nick Kyrgios.
Happier times lie ahead of Nick Kyrgios. Source: Getty Images
NICK Kyrgios and his team recognised the need to make changes after all the negativity surrounding his performances at Wimbledon and Australia’s Davis Cup tie in Darwin. He’s nailed the first one.
Kyrgios’s mother, Nill, has revealed her son, coachless since parting ways with Todd Larkham less than a week before Wimbledon, will be mentored by Lleyton Hewitt in the lead-up to the US Open.
Hewitt presents as the perfect role model for the perceived new bad boy of world tennis because he successfully transitioned from an emotional and at times misunderstood youth to a respected statesman of the game.
“He will listen to Lleyton because he knows what he’s talking about, he’s been at the top and been world No. 1,” Nill told the Canberra Times.
“What Nick doesn’t like is when people who haven’t been in that situation give him advice, but he’ll listen to someone like Lleyton.
“Lleyton’s been through everything that Nick is going through. We touched base on it after Davis Cup because we knew Nick wasn’t in a good head space, he just wasn’t dealing well with the negative feedback.”
Kyrgios has often put on a brave front in the face of repeated criticism about his on-court behaviour and attitude but his mother’s comments reveal the true toll on his state of mind.
She indicated he was so downcast after dropping his opening singles game in the tie against Kazakhstan he was unable to play in the reverse singles.
“People perceive Nick got dropped, but there was no way the way he was (mentally) he could have won that singles match, he just couldn’t do it,” Nill said.
“It’s a team, you have to report back to your team members and say ‘I don’t think I can do it’. He’d just had enough at that point.”
Watching Hewitt’s inspiring performances — in the doubles and reverse singles — to help Australia overcome a 2-0 deficit in the tie could prove to be a turning point in his young career.
Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis applaud Lleyton Hewitt during his reverse singles win
Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis applaud Lleyton Hewitt during his reverse singles win at the Davis Cup tie in Darwin. Source: Getty Images
It’s not yet known whether Hewitt will also play at the US Open. He’s made no secret Australia’s Davis Cup campaign — which continues in a semi-final against Great Britain from September 18-20 — is his priority before a farewell appearance at next year’s Australian Open.
But Kyrgios’s mother said Hewitt had committed to being by Kyrgios’s side at the event — and lead-up tournaments in Montreal and Cincinnati. The pair will also play together in the doubles competition at Montreal.
“For the moment it (partnership) is temporary, only because I don’t think Nick has asked anyone. Nick and Thanasi (Kokkinakis) know he’s over there to mentor and coach if they want it, he’s there to make sure they’re heading in the right direction,” Nill said.
“They also need to be in a good head space for the semi-finals of the Davis Cup. They cannot go to the semi-final the way they did in the quarter-final. He’s not there to say ‘don’t do this or don’t do that’, he’s there to advise them gently on things they shouldn’t be doing, because they’ll regret it later.
“Lleyton was available and fortunately in a position where he’s just about to finish (his career). He wanted to mentor these boys because he’s been in their shoes before. I think it’s great for Nick to have him there.”
The US Open runs from August 31 to September 13.

Saturday, August 1, 2015

A savage knockout has stunned fans on the Joseph Parker fight night

5:44 PM No Comments
Izu Ugonoh just delivered the knockout of 2015.
Izu Ugonoh just delivered the knockout of 2015. Source: Twitter
HEAVYWEIGHT Joseph Parker was supposed to be the main event, but the fight night in Invercargill, New Zealand, exploded well before the Kiwi stepped into the ring.
The Stadium Southland erupted when little-known Polish boxer Izu Ugonoh administered the perfect knockout blow.
The fighter of Nigerian descent’s hook pounded opponent Will Quarrie out of the ring and onto the fight officials’ ringside table.
See the incredible knockout here:

Brutal knockout



Ugonoh’s spectacular punch ended the fight in the second round.
The video travelled around the world in a matter of minutes.
This video was posted on social media site Reddit hours after the fight and was a hot topic on Twitter.
Izu Ogonoh with his training team.
Izu Ugonoh with his training team. Source: Twitter
The 27-year-old is a former kickboxing world champion in the 91kg class before beginning his boxing career in 2010.
Ugonoh has been a training partner of Joseph Parker as the Kiwi prepared for his main event fight with Bowie Tupou.
Parker also delivered a stunning knockout, taking just 63 seconds to send a message to the rest of the heavyweight division.
Aussie Tupou, could not last beyond the first round before the world No. 8 heavyweight scored a devastating first round KO.
Earlier in the night, Aussie Jeff Horn scored the biggest win of his career to date with a points decision win over Ukraine boxer Viktor Plotnikov.
The fight was stopped after seven rounds because of an open wound on the Aussie’s face caused by an accidental clash of heads.
Fellow Aussie Jai Opetaia won his first professional fight, a four-round decision over New Zealand’s Isileli Fa.

Saturday, July 25, 2015

Troy Chaplin coathangers his son on his 200th banner

4:58 AM No Comments

Chaplin’s 200th game only got worse after the initial mishap.
Chaplin’s 200th game only got worse after the initial mishap. Source: News Corp Australia
CELEBRATING your 200th AFL match should be a happy experience, but Troy Chaplin’s son won’t have any fond memories of his father’s achievement after coming off second best in an altercation with a banner.
Running out for Richmond with his two children to mark his milestone match, Chaplin’s teammates kindly broke the giant banner honouring his feat, allowing him safe and easy passage onto the ground. Or so they thought.
Carrying his son in one arm and holding his daughter’s hand with the other, the 29-year-old went to walk through the broken fabric, but accidentally coat-hangered his son in the process.
The former Port Adelaide player’s boy got his neck caught on a loose piece of the banner and wasn’t exactly thrilled about it. He burst into tears as the incident unfolded, Chaplin having to console his youngster before joining the rest of his teammates.
See the whole incident in the video player above.
Chaplin’s start to the game may have been an omen for what was to follow, as his son’s tears would be replicated by Tigers players and fans alike following a heartbreaking loss to Fremantle, with a last-minute goal to David Mundy propelling the Western Australians to a stunning four-point win.
The Tigers led for most of a pressure-packed encounter but a late mistake from defender Bachar Houli let the Dockers in for the 12.10 (82) to 10.18 (78) win.
Chaplin couldn’t believe the end result.
Chaplin couldn’t believe the end result. Source: News Corp Australia
The Dockers trailed by two goals early in the final term but kept coming, with Matthew Pavlich kicking one of his three goals for the evening.
Garrick Ibbotson marked Houli’s errant kick-in following a behind after Tom Sheridan missed his chance at the match winner. Ibbotson set up Mundy who broke Tiger hearts with a set shot from 50m out with just 31 seconds left on the clock.
Mundy was influential throughout with 28 possessions, with Nat Fyfe, who looked troubled by a corked thigh, and Michael Barlow also key contributors.
A dour first quarter that yielded one goal to each side and ended with scores level at quarter-time gave way to an entertaining second term.
Ivan Maric helped spark the Tigers with a brilliant chase down tackle on Fyfe and backed it up with two goals as Richmond edged ahead.
But a bizarre 50m penalty paid against Martin for squirting Lee Spurr with his water bottle played a part in a Dockers’ fight-back. Chris Mayne kicked a goal from point-blank range following the penalty and when Michael Taberner kicked truly after the half-time siren, Fremantle trailed by just two points.
The Dockers couldn’t break through Richmond’s stifling forward press in the third term, with only the Tigers’ continued inaccuracy stopping them from going further than 12 points up.
Another odd 50m penalty when Clancee Pearce was whistled while trying to get off the ground to receive treatment on a shoulder injury didn’t hurt Fremantle, who again finished strongly with Fyfe and Barlow prominent.
The Tigers held a slender five point lead at three-quarter time and looked the stronger team early before Ross Lyon’s men came storming home.
— with AAP
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