Welcome to this biweekly newsletter, written by me, Corye Perez Beene, Ph.D. I am a United States History Professor and 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 😃
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Seven Sets
What I am reading, listening to, tweeting and thinking about…
1. Bananas Baseball
Where have I been the last few years? Obviously, living under a rock! I didnt know about “Bananas Baseball” until the fabulous Kendall Baker of Axios Sports wrote about it this week. The team is the Savannah Bananas and their story is such a great one. Watch it here:
Baseball where the players do choreographed dancing, the umpires dance, the players bring spectators onto the field to help play, and so much more! It looks like so much fun!
Have they been studying the kick line of the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders? They might have a ways to go before they look like the DCC!
2. Ginooooobliiiiiiii !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Did you hear my Charles Barkley impersonation when I said Manu Ginobli’s name? My NBA all-time favorite player is former San Antonio Spur Manu Ginobli.
He will be inducted into the NBA Hall of Fame. Here is a complete list of the other inductees: LIST
Manu has 4 NBA Championship titles, was a 2-time NBA All-Star and an Olympic Gold Medalist. His stats are incredible (from Jordan Howenstine @AirlessJordan on Twitter) :
*one of only two players in basketball history to win a EuroLeague title, an NBA championship and an Olympic gold medal (Bill Bradley)
*one of just 7 players in NBA history to play with 1 team a minimum of 16 seasons, along with Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan, John Havlicek, Reggie Miller, Dirk Nowitzki and John Stockton.
Then there is this stat:
3. NFL Rule changes
After last season’s Kansas City Chiefs/Buffalo Bills intense playoff game, overtime rules have been criticized. The owners, in a 29-3 vote (Dolphins, Bengals, Vikings voted “no”) elected to have both teams get at least one possession in overtime in Playoff games ONLY.
Another important change was added to The Rooney Rule. Beginning this season, each team must hire a minority offensive assistant. A minority is defined as a woman or member of a racial or ethnic community.
4. Figure Skating
Congratulations to Team USA who kicked some butt at the World Figure Skating Championships:
*Alexa Knierim and Brandon Frazier for winning the Gold Medal in Pairs.
*Vincent Zhou won Bronze in Men’s Skating
*Alysa Liu won Bronze in Women’s Skating
*Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue earned Silver in Ice Dance
*Madison Chock and Evan Bates earned Bronze in Ice Dance
5. Heading to the World Cup baby!
I am super excited to watch Team USA compete in the World Cup later this year in Qatar. Here is their schedule:
Monday, Nov. 21: USMNT vs. Winner of Scotland/Wales/Ukraine playoff (2:00 p.m. EST, Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium)
Friday, Nov. 25: USMNT vs. England (2:00 p.m. EST, Al Bayt Stadium)
Tuesday, Nov. 29: USMNT vs. Iran (2:00 p.m. EST, Al Thumama Stadium)
I get to watch my favorite player: Christian Pulisic! Lets goooooo!!!!!!!!!!
6. What I am tweeting…
*Celebrating the 50th anniversary of Title IX
I will submit my own Title IX picture - just have to find the perfect picture! I played volleyball through college and credit Title IX for so much of who I am today!
*Did you know that there was a National Women’s Football League from 1974-1989? I learned so much listening to this podcast episode from Unsung History:
*Even though my Texas Tech Red Raiders lost in the Sweet 16, Coach Mark Adams received this terrific award!
*Hat Trick for Christian Pulisic when Team USA played Panama:
*When was the last time you saw a player steal home to win a game? This was AWESOME!!!!!!!
7. Inspirational stories
*A touching story of friendship: when Jordan Sloan suffered a traumatic brain injury playing football, his best friend Marcos San Miguel stepped in to help. He has started a fundraiser to help cover expenses for a wheelchair and reformer machine, in addition to other items that insurance doesnt cover. Watch their story HERE
*Justin Hardy’s story: he has stage 4 stomach cancer but continued to play basketball for his team, Washington University in St. Louis. Get your kleenex ready:
*How did Bryce Weiler, who is blind, become a college basketball announcer? Watch this:
*When Dan Bryan lost his 16 year old son Ethan in a car accident, he wanted a way to honor his son. He was given the book “A Year of Playing Catch.” He knew that playing catch with friends, family and even strangers was a way of helping him deal with his grief.
Thank you for reading! Are you looking for a speaker for your next event or conference? I would love to share some sports history with your audience! Email me at historybeene@gmail.com