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- The Sport Superlatives - Issue No. 35
The Sport Superlatives - Issue No. 35
Naomi Osaka returns to the U.S. Open and gives us fashion!
August 30, 2024
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The Teacher Turned Football Staff: Marilyn
A Seattle Spanish teacher held up a sign in the Seattle Seahawks stands asking for a job with the team. Apparently, ask, and you shall receive, because the team saw her sign and invited her to teach the practice squad Spanish. The lesson? Never be afraid to ask for what you want because thatâs exactly what Marilyn, no last name like Madonna, did. ⌠jk she has a last name, but we donât know it. But you go, Marilyn!
The Football Coach Turned Professor: Pete Carroll
Former Seattle Seahawks Head Coach Pete Carroll may be spinning the block on his old stomping grounds at the University of Southern California - LA (USC). During an interview with ESPNâs Brady Henderson, Pete shared that he will be returning to USC as a professor instead of a coach. After 14 seasons coaching the Seahawks and 9 seasons coaching the USC Trojans before that, Petey Pete deserves a break. Not sure teaching college students is our idea of a break⌠but hey, we all have our thing!
đ Oldies, But Apparently Still Goodies: The NFL is back, baby (wellâŚalmost,) and the leagueâs quarterbacks are the talk of the town! Repping for the veteran quarterbacks, Aaron Rodgers will be returning as the starting QB for the NY Jets. After sitting out during all of the preseason games, the 40-year-old is set to make his debut in the Jets game against the San Francisco 49ers during week 1. This will be the quarterback's first snap since he tore his Achilles at the beginning of last season. Somebody, anybody, pass the man some oil for all of that rust! Just kidding⌠if he can stay healthy, weâre expecting a pretty great season from the veteran QB.
Aaronâs not the only veteran we are keeping our eyes on this season. We are also watching 36-year-old Kirk Cousins. The Falcons spent a pretty penny on him⌠so we are all waiting to see if he was worth the coin. The Falcons apparently werenât super confident that he was worth it either since they seemingly decided to buy some insurance by drafting rookie QB Michael Penix Jr instead of focusing on acquiring a pass rusher.
Last but not least, our buddy Russell Wilson really put on for the vets when he beat out 25-year-old QB, Justin Fields, for the starting spot. This man is clearly blessed and highly favored because he just keeps on beating the odds! 35-year-old Russ was signed to a one-year contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers after being released from the Denver Broncos. Letâs see if he holds onto the starting spot and becomes the franchise QB the Steelers need.
đ Shiny New Toys: Now for the rookies! There is a ton of excitement around the league as a number of rookie quarterbacks make their league debuts next week at the start of the regular season. Whoâs worth paying attention to? Caleb Williams on the Chicago Bears has created quite the splash and has certainly ruffled a few feathers along the way. We love that for him and canât wait to see him put on a show this season! Over in the NFC East, we havenât seen this much buzz around the Washington Commanders since RG3. Letâs see if rookie QB Jayden Daniels has the skill to back it up and the longevity to keep it going! Lastly, Denver said out with the old (Russell Wilson) and in with the rookie! Bo Nix was announced as the starting QB last week, and the team's front office seems pretty optimistic.
Tune into the first game of the season as the Baltimore Ravens face off against Super Bowl Champs Kansas City Chiefs on Thursday, September 5th at 8:20 pm ET on NBC/Peacock.
Find the NFL Schedule for Week 1 here.
đž Slamminâ...Slamminâ US Open: The US Open and final Grand Slam of the year has begun. Itâs been pretty, meh, vanilla so far, but thatâs to be expected in the first week. The biggest shocker was Carlos Alcaraz losing in his 2nd round matchup against the 78th-ranked Dutchman, Botic van de Zandschulp (did we spell that right?..gotta double check when you donât know who these people are). Poor little Carlitos lost in straight sets, so it wasnât even close.
Also, the 4th ranked woman, Elena Rybakina, bowed out due to injury, which opened up her quarter of the draw for anyone whoâs boss enough to snatch it. Most of your faves are still in the running (unless your fave is Alcaraz), and if you find an opening on your Friday afternoon..or need something to watch as you pretend to pay attention in that Zoom meeting, here are some matches we recommend:
Tiafoe vs Shelton: These two American men meet again in the 3rd round for a chance to [likely] play (and lose to) Novak Djokovic in the 4th round, but letâs not get ahead of ourselves. Shelton, the young leftie with quite the serve, won when the two last met in the quarterfinals of last yearâs US Open⌠so he has that going for him. However, Big Foe has been trending upwards in this yearâs hard court season, so that has definitely been good momentum for him. Either way, itâll be an entertaining matchup, as both of these athletes love the theatricsâŚthe bright lights of NYC only make them wanna shine bright and far. Watch on ESPN around 1:15 pm.
Gauff vs Svitolina: Coco will be back on the court in her quest to defend her 2023 US Open title. In her 3rd round match, she will play Elina Svitolina, who is always a solid opponent. Svitolina is definitely a step up from the quality of player Coco has faced so far, so some of the errors sheâs gotten away with up until now will definitely need to be cleaned upâŚespecially the whole double fault thing. For what itâs worth, their head-to-head is tied at 1:1âŚso, yeaâŚworth pennies, we suppose. Watch on ESPN at 12 pm.
Of course, Novak Djokovic is still playing, as is Big Lenka (Sabalenka), Iga Swiatek, and Jannik Sinner âŚso feel free to look at the schedule and catch some matches this Labor Day weekend. Oh, and one more thing, if youâre gonna comment on someoneâs appearance instead of their tennis (weâre looking at you, Chris Evert), at least get it right. Naomi Osaka had beautiful pearls intertwined throughout her hairâŚnot on a hatâŚhow âbout everyone just keeps it quiet on black womenâs hair?
đ Not Your Daddy: Well, technically, he IS the daddy, but on the court, LeBron says he would rather his son (and teammate), Bronny, call him âBronâ or â2-3â. None of that âdadâ business at work. Basically, when they leave the Lakers facilities, he can be the pappy again, but on that court, he doesn't know whose son Bronny is. What weâre hearing over here is that Bronnyâs new name within the bounds of the Lakers facility is Bronny Snow (GoT anyone?)âŚ.but the real question is, what does Savannah have to say about this? Cuz, we know sheâs not about to let that man do her baby like that.
đď¸ Brady RulesâŚand Regulations: So apparently, thereâs a conflict of interest between Tom Bradyâs broadcast career and Tom Bradyâs team ownership affiliations which have led to a strict set of rules and regulations entitled âBrady- Broadcast Restrictionsâ. Because good ole Tomothy is never content with the status quo and wants to have ownership in a team AND be an NFL analyst, the NFL had to lay out some rules regarding what he can and canât do as a FOX analyst. He canât be in other teamsâ facilities. He canât witness practices. He canât attend broadcast production meetings. He canât do his jobâŚOH, wait, thatâs not on the list, but it sure seems like it.
Well, we hope he finds other ways to offer insight while analyzing these upcoming NFL games cuz we donât want him up there giving deer in headlights. Hey, if all else fails, he can always draw on personal experienceâŚheâs got a solid 23 seasonâs worth.
đ Flag on the Play: Last year the International Olympic Committee announced that menâs and womenâs flag football would be included in the LA 2028 Olympics. Back in August as the 2024 Paris Olympic games were coming to a close, we were reminded of this announcement with a video by the NFL in collaboration with the International Federation of American Football (IFAF) and LA28. The video featured Philadelphia Eagles QB, Jalen Hurts. NFL players geeked out a bit at having a chance to win a gold medal on an Olympic stage⌠and the flag football brigade took that personally.
Flag football quarterback, Darrell Doucette, said it was disrespectful for NFL football players to assume they were going to rep Team USA in flag football in LA28. He even went so far as to say that his IQ of flag football made him better than KC Chiefs QB, Patrick Mahomes. Who knew the differences between flag football and regular old football were so different and⌠complex. Patrick Mahomes was just as confused as everyone else by this proclamation and why he was catching strays for a convo he hadnât even participated in yet. Pat responded to Douccetteâs comments in a very unserious way⌠because thatâs what his comments were.. very unserious. They went viral though, so cheers to Douccetteâs five minutes of fame.
Your sports term of the week is: Backhand
No, weâre not talking about what Jamaican mamas give their kids (jk, love you, mom). In tennis, a backhand is a stroke where the player uses their dominant handâŚor both hands to hit the ball from their non-dominant side across their body.
IRL Example: Watch a GOAT in action.
In her first U.S. Open match in two years -Naomi Osaka put the girls on notice. She said she doesn't just serve tennis balls; she also serves fashion. Naomi, Na Na to her friends (it still counts if she doesnât know weâre her friends, right?), wore a custom tennis uniform designed by Tokyo-based fashion designer, Yoon Ahn. Yoon and Osaka collaborated with Nike to bring Osakaâs vision of a day and night competition look that was unique, fun, and beautiful. We think they accomplished the goal. I mean, look at the material:
Yoon said that the design was inspired by Lolita fashion with the bows, ruffles and tulle. Lolita fashion is a subculture of Japan that leans into âcutenessâ with clothes and accessories reminiscent of a doll with frills, ruffles, and bows.
We found a few pieces for you girlies who want to add a bit of cuteness to your wardrobe.
We found a few pieces for you girlies who want to add a bit of cuteness to your wardrobe.
How adorable is this dress with bows and puff sleeves from H&M?
We canât think of a brand that embodies Lolita fashion more than Betsey Johnson. We love this playful tulle dress from the brand (& hurry over to grab one because itâs on sale!):
Not quite sure if this trend is for you? Try a a fun accessory like a hairbow to insert a bit of playfulness into your everyday looks!
There are so many ways to rock this style, and we canât wait to see how our fav athletes continue to do so!
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