Remember that time Blue III, the Butler Bulldog, met Jack, the Georgetown Bulldog? Stop what you’re doing and watch the magic…
QUIPS FOR THIS WEEK
College Sports
During the closing seconds of Saturday’s game on the road at Texas Tech, #19 Oklahoma State‘s Marcus Smart pushed a fan after falling out of bounds. It’s unclear exactly what the fan said to him, but the sophomore guard was given a technical after the altercation and Oklahoma State went on to lose the game. In a press conference Sunday evening, Marcus Smart apologized for his actions and Coach Trevor Ford announced he would be suspended for 3 games. Texas Tech also announced that the fan would no longer be allowed to attend home or away games.
Jabari Parker continues to shine. The freshman led #11 Duke with a career high of 29 points and 16 rebounds in a convincing win on the road at Boston College. This week, the Blue Devils face UNC-Chapel Hill on the road. Although they’ve struggled a bit this season, UNC is coming off 5 straight wins. This game isn’t going to be easy for them, though — Duke has been dominant as of late and will no doubt be ready. Regardless, expect another great chapter in one of sports’ best rivalries Wednesday night at 9pm.
University of Missouri’s star defensive lineman Michael Sam announced that he was gay in a interview with ESPN Sunday evening. The All-American college football player could become the first openly-gay athlete in the National Football League after finishing his senior season. In an interview with the New York Times, Michael Sam said: “I just want to make sure I could tell my story the way I want to tell it, I just want to own my truth.”
NBA
The Oklahoma City Thunder keeps on rolling. The top seeded Thunder beat the New York Knicks at home on Sunday afternoon in a game where Kevin Durant had 41 points, 10 rebounds and 9 assists. The Thunder will have one more chance to polish up their resume before the All-Star break when they take on the Portland Trail Blazers Tuesday evening. Why is this a big game? Well, the Thunder currently has the best record in the Western Conference, while Portland is close behind the San Antonio Spurs for the number two spot. A win would be good momentum to carry over after the break.
‘Twas the week before the All-Star game, when all through the league, the excitement was spreading, as was the intrigue. The dunk contest was set, and the contestants were ready, we couldn’t help but wonder, could the competition get here already? Okay, that’s enough with the rhyming, but really, NBA All-Star weekend is a sight to be seen. The 3 point and dunk contests take place Saturday night and the field for the dunk competition in particular is top-notch. Tune in Sunday night for the main event, featuring some of the league’s best players in the All-Star game hosted in New Orleans.
Watch out world, Chris Paul is back. The Los Angeles Clippers’ star point guard is back in action after recovering from a shoulder injury. What does this mean? This is especially good news for the Clippers, who currently have the 4th best record in the Western Conference. Playing one of the best point guards in the league can only help them to get even better. Look for the healthy Clippers to try to catch up with the best teams in the West for good positioning going into the playoffs.
Sochi
And now for your Team U.S.A. medal count update: The Americans have 4 medals overall and 2 gold medals after the first weekend of the Winter Olympics. 20-year-old Sage Kotsenburg and 23-year-old Jamie Anderson won Team U.S.A. gold medals in the men’s and women’s snowboarding slopestyle events. Currently, Norway is leading the Games with 7 medals. The Netherlands, Russia, the United States and Canada are close behind with 4 medals a piece.
In the team ice skating competition, Team Russia came out on top with a strong performance that earned them a gold medal. Despite struggling throughout the competition, the Americans finished with a bronze medal while the Canadians took home the silver. The pairs events in ice skating will get going later this week, and the individual contests will begin the following week.
Talk about sisterly love. In one of the best stories of the weekend, Canadian sisters Justine Dufour-Lapointe and Chloe Dufour-Lapointe finished with gold and silver medals in the moguls skiing competition. The sisters knocked off top-ranked Hannah Kearney, who finished with the bronze medal. The third Dufour-Lapointe sister, Maxime, came in 12th place.
JUST FOR FUN
RateMyJersey Nike did some interesting things with the 2014 Olympic hockey uniforms
STORIES FOR INSIGHTS, COOL FACTOR + DEBATE
You’re Out! A-Rod is dropping the fight against his 162-game suspensionHe has withdrawn his lawsuits against Major League Baseball, Commissioner Bud Selig, and his own players union Hockey and the Winter Olympics go together like peanut butter and jelly… But, NHL players may not be participating in the 2018 GamesThey’ve promised the IOC an answer by the end of Sochi, so we’re sure to hear the news soon! “Cap Concerns are for Losers” Can the Seahawks manage the cap and sustain their success?Carroll creates a desirable environment in order to keep his players around and happy Keeping us on our toes Snowboarder Sage Kotsenburg tries out (and wins with) a brand new trick We all love to see new tricks… but, really? During the Olympic final?
FRIENDS WE LOVE WHO’LL MAKE YOU LOVE SPORTS MORE
… [The] statistic (82% of women executives who played sports) is why I am such an advocate of Title IX. It’s not just the desire that many women have to play sports, but also because when young girls play sports, they grow into these strong, confident productive citizens who will go on to lead and change how we lead. People talk about Title IX as giving more women opportunities to play sports, but it goes beyond that: it’s about the women we create through Title IX. — Julie Foudy, ESPN Commentator and Founder of the Julie Foudy Sports Leadership Academy Julie Foudy is a reporter and analyst for ABC/ESPN, a contributor and writer for espnW, the Director of the Julie Foudy Sports Leadership Academy, a motivational speaker, and a proud mother. She recently published “Foudy: My Advice for Sochi Athletes” on espnW and is providing video coverage for at the Sochi Olympic Games. She is the former Captain of the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team, a two-time World Cup Champion, three-time Olympic Medalist, and 2007 U.S. National Soccer Hall of Fame inductee. Julie has served on the Women’s Sports Foundation Board of Directors for seven years and was a WSF advocacy consultant for two years. She focused directly on issues surrounding Title IX, childhood obesity, and athletes’ rights. Julie founded the Julie Foudy Sports Leadership Academy (JFSLA) in 2006 with the mission of empowering young women from all socioeconomic backgrounds to become leaders who build on a foundation of sports and fitness to positively impact their communities. Read her LifeChats Interview with the Fuqua/Coach K Leadership & Ethics Center at Duke University.
The SportsQuip 