Welcome! This is an unapologetic, agenda-free zone. Just commentaries on current events that’ll move you to think, laugh, rage, and even cry.
Men’s Speedskating 500 (Long Track) Norway is dominating skiing events at these Games much as the Netherlands is dominating skating events. Therefore, it looked like a scene from The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly when one Norwegian took on three Dutchmen and … iced them. Okay, for a more athletic analogy, this is rather… Read more.
Yesterday was the final day of competition in this sport. But my only interest stems from the equal rights campaign the IOC forced women ski jumpers to wage just to compete. The IOC argued ski jumping was simply too dangerous. The female jumpers repeatedly found themselves responding to the idea that jumping would injure their… Read more.
Men’s Figure Skating Truth be told, I am commenting on this event only because of the politics. It speaks volumes that Adam Rippon of the United States got more media coverage after snubbing US Vice President Mike Pence than Yuzuru Hanyu of Japan got after defending his title. That Hanyu became the first man to… Read more.
Women’s Super-G Lindsey Vonn is easily the most successful female skier in history. She racked up a record-setting 81 wins on the World Cup tour between 2002 and 2018. But, despite opportunities at five Olympic Games over that period, she has only one career-crowning gold medal. To be fair, untimely injuries, which she chronicled with… Read more.
The ruling African National Congress (ANC) gave President Jacob Zuma an ultimatum on Monday: resign by Wednesday or be impeached on Thursday (via vote of no-confidence). True to form, the hopelessly beleaguered Zuma strutted and fretted his case on TV until the eleventh hour and then resigned. No doubt he’s now hoping the sinecure he… Read more.
Women’s Giant Slalom Here is how I reveled in Mikaela Shiffrin’s humbling introduction to Olympic competition four years ago in “Sochi Olympics: Day 11,” February 18, 2014: ____________________ You probably know that Lindsey Vonn of the United States was being billed as the darling of these Games until a recurring injury prevented her from even participating.… Read more.
There had already been 17 school shootings in the United States just this year; then came this: A heavily armed young man barged into his former high school about an hour northwest of Miami on Wednesday, opening fire on terrified students and teachers and leaving a death toll of 17 that could rise even higher,… Read more.
Unfortunately, bad weather is continuing to upstage the athletes at these Games. Most notably, it forced cancellation of Alpine events for a third day yesterday. Men’s Halfpipe Here is what I wrote about Shaun White in “Sochi Olympics: Day 4,” February 11, 2014: ____________________ I joined the peanut gallery of those heaping scorn on Shaun White… Read more.
Women’s Halfpipe Chloe Kim is a phenom – whose breathtaking athleticism is surpassed only by her endearing personality. But I can think of no better way to hail her Olympic performance than to say it was every bit as awe inspiring as Shaun White’s was at the 2006 Turin Olympics. White won gold at those… Read more.
Bad weather forced the postponement of more Alpine events. On Day 1, I hailed the grit Cross Country skiers display as a matter of course. Sure enough, they competed despite the weather. Women’s Biathlon 10km Pursuit Again, you really have to watch one of these Cross-Country events to fully appreciate the athleticism and skill these… Read more.
