After Atalanta

I had heard that Chick-Fil-A was not exactly pro-gay, but it didn't much matter to me since I hadn't eaten there since I was a teenager, have no franchise near me, and don't eat fast food anyway. In other words, I had no occasion nor desire to frequent them--an unintentional boycott. I had not made the connection, however, between the company and its sponsorship of a college bowl game. Now that the president of the company has come out and explicitly stated his position as anti-gay marriage (because he worries that god's wrath will be brought down upon us for defying Jesus's will) what will the NCAA do? Will Chick-Fil-A be prevented from sponsorship of NCAA events? We shall see...

Anti-gay tweets are not that unusual. Anti-gay sentiments among athletes are not especially surprising either. Regarding the latter, though, most public anti-gay statements have been confined to the world of professional men's athletics. (Though more straight male professional athletes are voicing public support for potential gay teammates these days. See Ron Gronkowski --or rather read his statements. You can see him--all of him--in the latest iteration of ESPN Magazine's The Body Issue.) But outward/overt homophobia in women's sports--especially at the collegiate level--is not as prevalent, which is why it is sometimes difficult to convince people that it still exists. It got a little easier recently when tweets from Florida Gulf Coast University student-athletes were picked up on. Three tweets from three different athletes within one month: “Golden rule of softball: ‘No bow, lesbo,’” an FGCU softball player tweeted in March while thanking a teammate for the advice. “...

The IOC would have looked quite foolish if, after all the negotiating, the Saudi Arabian government did not send any women to London this month. I am soooooo curious as to how the negotiations went down over this issue. What threats were levied? Retorts offered? Etc. Etc. But however it all happened, there will be two women on the Saudi Olympic team : a judo practitioner (judoist? what is the correct term?) and a runner (800 m). This is old news by now, I know--that's all I have time for these days. Old news but seemingly good news.

After a lot of feet dragging and failed attempts to keep the story quiet, the International Tennis Hall of Fame has said it will investigate the claims of sexual abuse made against inductee Bob Hewitt . This news came out last week, just as the HoF was getting ready to host its annual pro tournament and induct the class of 2012. Claims against Hewitt in South Africa are being looked into. The statute of limitations for alleged abuse that occurred in the United States have all passed. But concerned parties, including the women who allege they were victims of Hewitt's when he was a coach, asked the HoF over a year ago to address the situation. After saying they would draft a policy to deal with future similar situations, rather than addressing the past, the HoF received a great deal of criticism . Now they have hired a Boston law firm to do a confidential investigation. But no one from the organization has commented--apparently all the HoF powers that be were at Wimbledon last we...

So will Saudi Arabia be allowed (by the IOC) to get away with not sending any female athletes because they just can't find any? The top choice, equestrian Dalma Rushdi Malhas, cannot attend . Will the IOC allow Saudi officials to say "well, we tried." I hope not. So do others. This is a very strong editorial about why the IOC should ban the entire Saudi Olympic team if it does not contain any women. The author rightly notes that wild cards are available--and surely the IOC will grant them given their stake in this situation--to athletes who do not meet Olympic qualifying standards. But even if that was not the case--would it be ok for the Saudis to say--well, give us some more time? This has been an ongoing issue. It is not about time, it is about culture. On a related note, FIFA has (finally) said it will allow players to wear the hijab.

I have been watching (in the background, on my computer mostly) a lot of tennis of late. Wimbledon ends this weekend ("oh, good" the Girlfriend says) and I thought it would be a good time for a tennis poem. I wanted to publish all of Robert Pinksy's "Tennis" but I couldn't find it. (If anyone has it--send it my way). So I will just publish one of the sections of the poem. "Winning"   Call questionable balls his way, not yours: You lose the point but have your concentration, The grail of self-respect. Wear white. Mind losing. Walk, never run, between points: it will save Your breath, and hy pnotize him, and be may think That you are tired, until your terrible Swift sword amazes him. By understanding Your body, you will conquer your fatigue. By understanding your desire to win And all your other desirs, you will conquer Discouragement. And ...

The Gatorade commercial with Abby Wambach makes me cringe. Even her voiceover "acting" is bad. Part of it is probably the script, too. "She's lost a lot and water won't put it back." Who says that?? "Yes, she is easy to spot. She is also easy to break." Thankfully Gatorade has redeemed itself with this commercial about keeping young girls in sports: I liked the BP commercials featuring athletes who will (likely) be competing in London. Both able-bodied athletes and paralympians. Alas, it is a commercial for BP. And I think about how an oil company is using those differently-abled bodies to sell its product and improve its image. This one I believe is airing on Great Britain. I haven't seen it on US television. Couldn't find the one that is currently airing in the US, tough.