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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Gold Medal
Soccer star Carli Lloyd played her last game for Team USA. She has 2 World Cups and 2 Olympic Gold Medals under her belt. She also has the third most goals for TEAM USA with 134, while being the first American to score in four different Olympics.
The Kansas City National Women’s Soccer League is making sports history. It is building the FIRST professional sports stadium constructed for a women’s team. The stadium will seat 11,000 fans at a cost of $70 million.
Tom Brady threw his 600th touchdown pass last week to Mike Evans. Unbeknownst to Evans of the historical milestone, he pitched the ball to fan Byron Kennedy. To get the ball back as a memento for Brady, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers gave Kennedy:
*2 signed jerseys from Brady
*2 Season Passes for the remainder of 2021
*$1,000 to use at the Bucs game store
*a helmet from Brady
*1 signed jersey from Evans
*2 Season Passes for next season
*Evans game cleats
Psst Byron Kennedy! I would have asked for LIFETIME season passes! LOL!
Happy 75th birthday to the NBA! To commemorate the achievement, the NBA announced its 75th Anniversary Team.
Silver Medal
Serena Williams’ 2003 rookie card just sold for $44,280 - the largest amount ever paid for a female athlete’s sports card.
Another sports icon’s collectible went for mega-dollars as well recently: a pair of Michael Jordan’s game-worn sneakers from his 1984 rookie season sold for $1.472 million! He wore them during his 5th game where he scored 17 points against the Denver Nuggets.
Harvey Lewis broke a world record by running 354.2 miles in 85 consecutive hours! My body is in pain just thinking about that crazy record! He was competing in the Big Dog’s Backyard Ultra World Championship in Bell Buckle, Tennessee.
Congratulations to Katie Guay who became the first woman to referee a game for the AHL:
Bronze Medal
My husband is a Track & Field/Cross Country Coach and my son ran Cross Country for the first time this year. So when I read this heartwarming story about a cross country runner who pushes her brother in a wheelchair each race, I had to post about it.
Here is another great story from the Cross Country world: a Nebraska senior running in the state championship qualifier stopped to help up a sophomore who had fallen several times. Good sportsmanship should be noticed and celebrated!
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