Awesome American Sports
A Celebration of the Awesome people, events and stories of sports in the United States from the Past to the Present
Welcome to this biweekly newsletter, written by me, Corye Perez Beene, Ph.D. I am a United States History Professor with a focus on sports history. I am a certified “sports nut.” I find the sports stories from the past to the present that celebrate the Awesomeness of American Sports.
Thank you for your support! I am so appreciative of YOU being here 😃
Follow me on Twitter: @HistoryBeene or LinkedIn: coryebeene
Gold Medal
It is US Olympic Trials time! The Olympics is less than a month away. Congratulations to everyone who has made Team USA. This page lists all of the athletes by name and sport: TEAM USA
🥇 Olympic athletes in Track and Field that attended South Plains College (where I
teach and my husband coached):
🎽 Fred Kerley - 100m
🎽 Sally Kipyego - Marathon
🎽 Vernon Norwood - 400m relay pool
🎽 Jessica Ramsey - shot put; she is only the fourth U.S. woman to throw more than 20m with a 20.12m/66-0.25 throw
Records have been broken during the US Olympic Trials:
🎽 Ryan Crouser threw 76 feet 8 1/4 inches in the shot put to break the world record. Randy Barnes had held the previous world record at 75-10¼ since 1990.
🏊♀️ Torri Huske broke 2 US records in the span of 2 days! Her time of 55.78 in the 100m butterfly in the semifinals was topped the following day in the finals: 55.66. Her finals time is the fastest in the world this year! Oh! And Torri just finished high school!
🎽 Reigning world champion and American record holder DeAnna Price had a US Olympic Trials meet record on her only throw in the women’s hammer: 77.10m/252-11
🎽 In the women’s 200m, Gabby Thomas ran 21.61, a Trials record and the best time in the world so far this year.
🎽 Rai Benjamin ran 46.83 in the men’s 400m hurdles. It is the second-fastest time ever and another Trials record. It was only .05 seconds away from the world record!
🏀 Damian Lillard of the Portland TrailBlazers broke an NBA playoff game record, hitting 12 three-pointers. He had 55 points, shooting 17-of-24 from the field.
When you are “in the zone,” great things can happen; Kevin Durant scored 49 points, 17 rebounds, 10 assists, 3 steals, & 2 blocks a couple of weeks ago; KD became the first player in NBA history with at least 45 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists in a playoff game.
Dont forget that he tore his Achilles tendon two years ago, an injury many never recover from…
The US Men’s National Team defeated Mexico to win the CONCACAF Nations League. Despite Mexico scoring in the first 2 minutes of the game, the team was able to keep their heads and win.
The win marks the USA’s first trophy since the 2017 Concacaf Gold Cup and caps an incredible year for the USMNT which saw 10 players from this roster win titles with their respective clubs in Europe, including five league winners and perhaps the biggest club trophy of all as Pulisic’s Chelsea won the UEFA Champions League.
The hero of the game was backup goalie Ethan Horvath who made THE SAVE of the game; watch this:
Silver Medal
🏌️♀️ After the NCAA Division I Women’s Golf Championships regional in Baton Rouge, Louisiana was cancelled because the course was deemed “not playable at a championship level,” Barstool Sports stepped in… Sam “Riggs” Bozeian of Barstool Sports was able to organize a new golf tournament: the Let them Play Classic. Congratulations to the University of North Texas who had the winning team!
NEWS -- The @NCAA has approved the #LetThemPlay Classic to be a full on team event. We will crown official individual and team champions this week at @WhirlwindGolf. Updated commitment list. There will be #golf
🥍 Lacrosse has added a six-on-six category to their sport. The “World Lacrosse Sixes” or Sixes reduces the number of players from 10, has a 30 second shot clock and 8 minute quarters. World Lacrosse is hopeful that the new format will be part of the 2020 Olympic games in Los Angeles.
Want to learn more about lacrosse? The Milton J. Rubenstein Museum of Science and Technology (aka The MOST) has a special exhibit on display through September. The game of lacrosse is over 1,000 years old! For more information, go to their website: HERE or their Facebook page: HERE
⚾️ The MLB season started April 1. Five no-hitter games were pitched through May 18, matching the 1917 season for the most in baseball history by that date. The no-hitters were thrown by:
- Joe Musgrove of the San Diego Padres (April 9 vs Texas Rangers)
- Carlos Rodon of the Chicago White Sox (April 15 vs Cleveland Indians)
- John Means of the Baltimore Orioles (May 5 vs Seattle Mariners)
- Wade Miley of the Cincinnati Reds (May 7 vs Cleveland Indians)
- Spencer Turnbull of the Detroit Tigers (May 18 vs Seattle Mariners)Since this record, there have been 2 more to add to this list:
- Corey Kluber of the New York Yankees (May 19 vs Texas Rangers)
- Zach Davies, Ryan Tepera, Andrew Chafin and Craig Kimbrel of the Chicago Cubs (June 24 vs Los Angeles Dodgers)The most no-hitters in a single MLB season was 8 in 1884.
⚽️ Santa Clara University won the NCAA women’s soccer championship in a penalty kick shootout, defeating Florida State. Here is the winning PK:
An 11-year-old cowgirl recently made history, competing at the first nationally televised Black rodeo. Here is Kortnee Solomon’s STORY
Bronze Medal
Love this story about sportsmanship during a race: HERE
These guys are amazing! I am thinking that they must have abs of steel to do this: jumping through hoops (literally!)
Charles Barkley is one of the funniest sports commentators on TV. He recently gave each school employee $1,000 in his hometown of Leeds, Alabama.
Want to watch some crazy trampoline moves? Watch THIS
The ESPYs will be held July 10. Here is a complete list of nominees that you can vote for: HERE
Congratulations to Wasabi who won Best in Show at Westminster. Look at that face!
Watch this kid’s reaction to receiving Novan Djokovic’s tennis racket:
Thank you for reading! Are you looking for a speaker for your next event or conference? Email me at historybeene@gmail.com
Check out my blog where I write about the Awesome, positive and cool stories of US History: AwesomeAmericanHistory.com