What’s the buzz from the world of sports? Here are some items that will have people talking:
1
The Tennis Channel has come up with its top 100 players of all time, men and women in one list.
It’s cool that organizers refused to split up the genders for separate lists. But we also know that just based on physical strength, the men would dominate any list of who is the actual better tennis player.
So instead, we are left to believe that it is for play on the tennis court, against their quality competition, while trying to compare different eras.
The Tennis Channel picked Roger Federer as its best of all time. Followed by Rod Laver, then Steffi Graf and Martina Navratilova.
If it just based on what happens on the court, we’d have to go with a woman as the top player ever.
Graf with her 22 Grand Slam singles titles is better than Federer’s 16. Navratilova won 18 Grand Slam singles titles, plus was considered the best doubles player of all time with 31 more Grand Slam doubles titles and 10 more mixed-double titles in the majors.
Or what about Margaret Court? Sure, she played long before the women’s game really took off, but she has 24 Grand Slam titles.
Lists are fun. They allow us to argue.
Our argument is if we’re just talking accomplishments on the court, the best women are better than the best men in tennis.
2
Boxing is not dead, but it took another step in that direction Sunday night with the death of journalist/historian Bert Sugar.
There are very few boxing experts that can make conversations about the sport fun for those who are not fans of the sport.
Bert Sugar was one of those guys.
Not only did he know everything about boxing, he looked like he knew everything about boxing. That’s a big deal in the TV world.
With his fedora and cigar and his old-school style, Sugar had the look. Then when he opened his mouth, the stories would flow and flow, taking us back to yesteryear.
Not sure if there is a sports fan alive who did not like listening to Bert Sugar.
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