Category: Sports

Unequal Rights for Women

Lia Thomas and the Penn State Women’s Swimming Team

What’s wrong with this picture? Lots!!!! Photo courtesy of newyorklatestnews.com

The case of Lia Thomas, a biological male who identifies as a woman has shaken the collegiate swimming world while shattering women’s swimming records in the process.

Lia Thomas, swam for Penn State, NCAA Division 1, male swimming team for three years , before switching to the women’s team.

How Penn State allowed this to happen is beyond me. All I can think of is ‘winning by all means’ is still alive and well in America, regardless of the consequences.

Lia Thomas has gone on to break the 1,650 Freestyle record, 500 yard freestyle U.S. record, and the establishing the fastest women’s U.S. record for the 200 yard freestyle by seven seconds faster than the next woman competitor.

Thomas is unapologetic for her success, despite the fact she is a biological man, who obviously has physical advantages over women, given to her by the nature of being a man.

More egregious to me is the fact Penn State has allowed this to take place and has prohibited the women’s team members from speaking to the press.

What happened to the women’s movement? Where’s Hillary Clinton, Sheryl Sandberg, the Pussyhat Project, and the rest of the powerful women in the United States who claim to be for women’s rights?

It is amazing to me how 0.58% have so much influence in the United States, in essence, eliminating the meaning of being a woman in society.

I am in the camp of live and let live, but this goes beyond that. The women in the Penn State swimming team have competed as biological women since they were kids.

Their parents have sacrificed a lot for these ladies to succeed and in a matter of seconds, records are shattered, not by a hard working equal, but by a biological male who found out it was more profitable to switch sides.

So what’s the future of Title IX? Title IX was enacted in 1972 as part of the Education Amendments and prohibits sex-based discrimination in schools or education programs who receive federal funding.

After all, there are two scientifically recognized sexes; male and female. You would think that the majority party of ‘trust the science’, the Democratic Party, would be in the forefront fighting for women’s rights and enacting legislation to prevent this from happening.

I have a feeling the courts are going to be pretty busy in the near future. Parents around the country are catching up to these injustices and are ready to stand up for the rights of their own children.

What does this mean for women’s sports? What would prevent a program from replacing their women athletes with biological males who identify themselves as women? We will have to wait and see, but if this keeps going on without challenge, it won’t end well for women’s sports.

I wonder what pioneering women like Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony, and the stalwarts of the suffrage movement in the United States would think of what’s happening to the women’s movement today.

I don’t think they would approve.

Additional sources:

https://worldpopulationreview.com/state-rankings/transgender-population-by-state

https://www.hhs.gov/civil-rights/for-individuals/sex-discrimination/title-ix-education-amendments/index.html

LPGA Tour Confidential

Korda Sisters: Sour Grapes or Pure Ignorance?

The Korda Sisters Photo courtesy of knews.uk

The Korda sisters must love the attention. This time they are complaining about an LPGA Tour rule that require players to play a minimum of 70 rounds or 70 percent of tournament rounds to qualify for the Vare Trophy for the lowest scoring average on tour.

Nelly Korda claimed she learned of the rule recently on a chat room, going to the extend of calling the rule, “weird.”

Seriously? She has been on tour for quite some time and do not know her employer’s rules?

But their comments at the Pelican Women’s Championship is what got me thinking and made me write about them. Some of the answers to the questions went like this.

Nelly Korda: “I mean, I would say Jin Young has had an amazing past couple of events. If she was to win, she deserves to win it. I would say the same for me. It kind of sucks that that’s just how it is. Yeah, that’s all I have to say.”

Jessica Korda went on to say: “is just that the person who’s now in the running, is it consider an asterisk or- I don’t know. It’s just a weird rule when you’re No.1 and 2 player in the world.”

Nelly Korda: “And 3, right?

Jessica Korda: “And 3 player- is it 1,2, and 3 aren’t eligible? So it’s just weird.”

There’s nothing weird about a rule that has been around for a long time Jessica.

Note to Jessica Korda, if you are going to complain about another player, in this case Lydia Ko, do not be a coward. Everyone knows Lydia Ko is the next in line for the award, so if you are going to call out a multiple Major winner out, do it by name.

Lydia Ko is much more than an asterisk, she is a class act and very talented player. The comment was a low punch and classless.

When asked if the rule should be changed, Jessica was quick to say, “One-hundred percent.”  But when asked if they would alter their playing schedule, Nelly was quick to say, “No.”

Well, it sounds like a Korda problem, not an LPGA problem and they should not change the rule to accommodate any one player.

Perhaps instead of crying and insulting their fellow LPGA players, the Korda’s should learn the rules and requirements of their employer.

Awards are earned, not given.

Disclaimer: Quotes were verbatim. Any grammar or syntax issues should be brought up with the Korda’s publicist.

United States Ryder Cup Team

No Na, No Reed, No Horschel, No Kokrak?

U.S. Ryder Cup Captain, Steve Stricker Photo courtesy of yardbarker.com

First off, enough with these Captain’s assignments.  Steve Stricker may be a nice guy, but he barely plays on the PGA Tour to be in touch with the younger players on tour.   As a matter of fact, Stricker hasn’t played a PGA Tour full schedule in close to a decade.

Which probably explains his decision to keep Kevin Na, Patrick Reed, Jason Kokrak, and even newly crowned European PGA Championship winner, Billy Horschel, off the United States Ryder Cup team.

On Na he claimed he was too short off the tee.  Is he seriously using that lousy excuse to keep one of the most charismatic players on the PGA Tour off the team?  Couldn’t have he paired him with a bomber? 

I think the incident with Dustin Johnson at the Match Play influenced Stricker’s decision.  In my opinion, a dumb decision.

Unfortunately for Na, this may be the last chance he’ll get to make a Ryder Cup team.

Na brings a lot of swag and fighting spirit to the table.  That’s one of the things you need in a Ryder Cup locker room.  With all due respect to Tony Finau and Scottie Scheffler, but they are as dull as a butter knife.

Billy Horschel didn’t even get a phone call.  Horschel won the WGC-Dell Match Play this year.  Sure, he wasn’t in his best form coming in, but anybody who has followed his career knows Horschel can deliver.  At least he should have been considered.

Patrick Reed, Captain America himself was left out of this team.  This man is the Ryder Cup!  He played the Tour Championship after been sick.  If that didn’t show Stricker grit and guts, then Stricker is out of touch.  With a 4th in S.G. Putting stat Reed should have been on this team, period.

Jason Kokrak, two-time winner on the PGA Tour this year and he wasn’t a pick.  To me this is probably one of the biggest boneheaded decisions made by Stricker.  Kokrak has been playing great golf and has become one of the best putters on tour, reaching 6th in S.G. putting.

I don’t intend to pick on the Captain’s Picks, after all, that’s all on Stricker.  But of all the picks, Finau and Scheffler are questionable.  Finau just won the Northern Trust after God knows how long chocking after leading, that’s not a trend, that’s just a good week.

Scheffler hasn’t won a tournament on the PGA Tour despite that fact he has led a few times.  So, he’s not a proven finisher.

Finau and Scheffler are very good players, but shooting stars are not what we need in the Ryder Cup.  We need fire, we need grit, we need good putters.  Scheffler (107th S.G. Putting) and Finau (91st S.G. Putting) are not good putters and have as much fire in them as an ice box.

Finally, Jordan Speith.  Well, at least we will get good commentary from the lad, I don’t think he’s in good form either.  33rd on S.G. Putting with his best stat a 6th on S.G. around the green.

Ryder Cups are won on the greens, not on the fairways, that’s a fact.

Captain Stricker will have lots of explaining to do about these picks if they get their rear end beaten by a European Team that looks solid all around.

I think Stricker got it wrong, but I don’t expect anything less from a guy who has been removed from a full PGA Tour schedule for quite some time.

Ole, Ole, Ole, Ole, Ole!!!!!!!

PGA Tour: Heckling is Here to Stay

“Please, stop yelling Brooksy” Photo courtesy of Skysports.com

The PGA Tour has enjoyed very much privilege since the Covid-19 pandemic started.  As people were mandated to stay at home, the PGA Tour was busy running tournaments while padding themselves in the back.  They bragged about been the first sport to come back while American families were suffering.

The PGA Tour didn’t care, and they had individuals at PGA Tour Radio and The Golf Channel carry their dirty water.  As a golf fan, and a player, I have pretty much written out Jay Monahan and the Tour for their hypocritical stance on many issues, from race to the state of the game.

Watching golf has been painful in the last two years. I didn’t miss much the fan experience, not having to hear “Mash Potatoes” or “Get in the Hole” was refreshing.  Once the fans returned, I knew exactly what to expect. 

I always thought the Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau rivalry was cool and interesting.  I don’t know what the Tour thought it was going to happen once the fans were allowed back in.  You have fans who love Koepka, like me, and you have those who love DeChambeau.  It was only natural that fan heckling was going to be part of the rivalry.

It is obvious Koepka has managed this drama much better while DeChambeau has melted down on national television and stormed press conferences. 

Some commentators, like Michael Collins of ESPN.com, are going as far as blaming the fans for DeChambeau state of mind.  Is he serious?  If DeChambeau can’t handle a few fans yelling “Brooksy” perhaps he needs to find another line of work.

Heckling has been part of sports, and golf, for a long time, dating back to WW2.  Sam Snead was heckled at the 1942 PGA Championship while playing against Jim Turnesa.  The reason behind it was the fact that Turnesa had enlisted in the United States Army and fans didn’t know Snead had enlisted with the United States Navy. 

Tournament marshals could not control it and Snead ended up telling the marshals to ignore it and allow the fans to say whatever they wanted to say.  Many of the hecklers were soldiers stationed at Ft. Dix and they were cheering for the Army guy, Jim Turnesa.

At the end of the day, the PGA Tour has brought this upon themselves.  This is the price of growing the game and now Jay Monahan wants to put the genie back inside the bottle by telling fans they will be ejected from events if the yell “Brooksy”.

I’m all about decorum on the golf course but yelling someone’s name is not heckling and I think is ridiculous to suggest a player can get rattle by such a thing.  Or maybe they are that fragile, who knows. I guess DeChambeau is too mentally fragile to handle it and needs Monahan to justify and Monday morning quarterback his behavior.

Excuse me PGA Tour, we have young men and women dying in Afghanistan, so forgive me if I can’t feel sorry for a professional golfer who can’t handle a little bit of heat.

On Tuesday’s press conference, before the Tour Championship, Monahan was even more ridiculous.  He goes on to suggest that fans were acting that way because of Covid-19.  He says fans are “frustrated” and have “brought extra and unwelcomed energy to tournaments”.

No way!  Fans are acting the same way they did before Covid.  The problem with Monahan is this time is affecting the PGA Tour’s bottom line, meaning revenues.  DeChambeau is a star and when your star doesn’t want to talk to the press, well, it becomes a problem.

Heckling is part of the game, and it will be part of the game for years to come.  Thankfully the PGA Tour has nothing to do with the Ryder Cup because the heckling is going to be loud and clear at Whistling Straits.

I agree, fans who are disrespectful need to be dealt with immediately.  That type of behavior should not be tolerated at any level, but who determines that is another thing.

Finally, I do have several questions for the Commissioner.  Who’s going to enforce this policy?  The eighty-year-old volunteer?  Are they willing to kick out every fan who says something stupid?  Good luck with that. 

As long as they keep selling alcohol at these events, and not some suggested Covid induced rage, they will always have alcohol induced behavior, is inevitable. 

I don’t dislike DeChambeau, but it appears he needs to book a couple of sessions with Dr. Rotella.

The “Woke-lympics” are Coming; Are you Ready to be Embarrassed?

Gwendolyn Berry, left, looks away as DeAnna Price and Brooke Andersen stand for the national anthem after the finals of the women’s hammer throw at the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials Saturday, June 26, 2021, in Eugene, Ore. Price won, Andersen was second and Berry finished third. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel) Photo courtesy of wrestlingforum.com

Am I ready?  You bet I am. 

The Olympics are around the corner and Americans have been making their mark for months.  From Rapinoe to Berry, the amount of anti-Americanism coming from the same people who are supposed to be representing the United States, at our expense, has been unpatriotic to say the least.

Why do they choose to represent a country they hate so much?  Why hasn’t the United States Olympic Committee request an “Oath of Loyalty” from these athletes?  Because the United States Olympic Committee supports these actions and these athletes.

Of course, when I say I am ready, I am joking.  I would not waste a second of my life watching, or supporting, an ungrateful bunch of people who wants to embarrass our country at the world stage.

I used to think the hate was fueled by the fact Donald Trump was the President of the United States, but I was wrong, these people do hate the United States, period. 

Notoriously, Hammer thrower, Gwen Berry, continues to spew nonsense with statements such as this one: “I just don’t respect something that doesn’t stand for all people, especially minorities in America,” said Berry. “I feel like we know the story…Blacks get the worst treatment here. We are not treated as human beings; our lives are not regarded. They’re not precious.”

As a minority in America, I am offended by Ms. Berry’s statements.  Obviously, she does not speak for every Black or minority in America.  She does not speak for the millions of minorities who have come to the United States escaping oppression or looking for a better life.

She clearly does not speak for me.  As a Hispanic, as an American, I can proudly say the United States has been exceptionally good to me.  That I have experienced some level of racism?  Sure, but unlike Ms. Berry, and many like her, I have never seen myself as a victim.  I refused to feed ignorance and chose the path of success instead.

But we may still have a glimmer of hope within the United States Olympic team.  The Golf Team is represented by athletes who have publicly shared their love for our country and who have also shared their feelings about the meaning of representing one’s country at the Olympics. 

I do not foresee Bryson DeChambeau or the Korda sisters turning themselves away from the United States flag or kneeling during the playing of the anthem.

The Tokyo Olympics organizers have been clear, they will not tolerate such behavior at the Olympic Games, but I am sure some American athletes will take it upon themselves to embarrass our country and they will be compensated for it by outside third parties. Unfortunately, it is inevitable.

Of course, it did not take long for the United States Women’s Soccer Team to embarrass the country.  They took a knee while playing against Sweden.  But Karma does exist as the kneeling losers took a 3-0 glorious thrashing at the hands of the Swedish team.  It made my day.

In all fairness, several members of the team stood up for our National Anthem and for that they have my thanks.

If you wish to spend your time supporting such nonsense, more power to you.  Me?  I have better things to do with my life, the life this great country has afforded me to live.

God Bless the United States of America!