| | | | | | | | | | | Axios Sports | | By Jeff Tracy ·Aug 09, 2021 | | 👋 Good morning! Quick note: Kendall is off today, so you're stuck with me until he returns tomorrow. I have faith I won't let you down! 🤯 Stat du jour: 2019 is the only year in the past five that JaVale McGee has failed to win either an NBA Championship ('17, '18, '20) or Olympic gold ('21). - Also, he and his mother, Pamela — a 1984 basketball champ — became the first mother-son duo to win Olympic gold.
Today's word count: 2,025 words (8 minutes). Let's sports... | | | | | | 1 big thing: 🇯🇵 Winners and losers of Tokyo 2020 |  | | | Photo illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios. Photo: Naomi Baker/Getty Images | | | | The Tokyo Games were a wake-up call for the mental health of Olympic athletes and a groundbreaking event for the LGBTQ community. - Yes, but: They were also a big loss for NBC and anyone who wanted Russia to actually get punished for the doping scandal.
WinnersMental health awareness: Simone Biles' withdrawal from gymnastics events generated significant public interest in mental health, and other Olympians also spoke openly about the topic. "Our understanding of and empathy for athletes will never be the same," writes Washington Post's Barry Svrluga. LGBTQ community: Tokyo 2020 featured a record 182 Olympians publicly out as LGBTQ. They include Laurel Hubbard, the first openly transgender woman to compete; Quinn, the first transgender nonbinary gold medalist; and Tom Daley, who proudly said the words, "I am a gay man and also an Olympic champion." The U.S.: With a flurry of gold medals in the final days of competition, the U.S. overtook China to finish its third straight Summer Games atop the gold-medal leaderboard. Women: This was the most gender-equal Games ever, with women making up a record 49% of all participants. Women also drove 60% of betting action, per PointsBet. LosersNBC: It was largely out of the network's control, but broadcasting these Games wasn't exactly a home run. Marquee events whose results were spoiled before airing in prime time, plus masked faces and fan-less arenas, were brutal for ratings. Olympic bans: If cheaters never prosper, how did the Russian Olympic Committee win the third-most medals? Somehow, the only real penalties for a state-sponsored doping scheme were that Russian athletes didn't get to wear their flag or hear their national anthem. Record-holders: Olympic and world records fell at a historic rate in Tokyo. Technology has helped mainly in equipment-based sports (i.e. cycling), but other events are catching up, per the Economist (subscription). Belarus: Sprinter Kristina Timanovskaya entered the spotlight after she was whisked away by the Belarusian government for criticizing her coaches. But with Timanovskaya safe after Poland offered her asylum, it's now Belarus — and its authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko — that enters the spotlight. Go deeper: Lessons for the next Olympics (Axios) |     | | | | | | 2. 🥇 Final weekend Olympics dashboard |  | | | Allyson Felix, after winning her 11th and final Olympic medal. Photo: Ryan Pierse/Getty Images | | | | After 16 days of competition, Tokyo 2020 has come to an end with the U.S. sitting atop both the overall (113) and gold medal leaderboard (39). - 🥇 Top five: The U.S. was followed by China (88), the ROC (71), Great Britain (65) and Japan (58). Full list.
U.S.: - ⚡️ 4x400 double: The women's victory gave Allyson Felix her 11th Olympic medal, passing Carl Lewis for the most among American track and field athletes. The men's win, meanwhile, kept their streak alive — in every Summer Games the U.S. has participated in, at least one man has gone home with a track gold medal.
- 🏀 Basketball double: For the fourth straight Games, the U.S. men and women both captured basketball gold. That makes it seven in a row (!) for the women — including five each for Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi — while Kevin Durant headlined the men's all-tournament team as MVP.
- ♀ Women's dominance: U.S. women won 66 medals, comprising a record 58.4% of the American total. If they were a country, they would have finished fourth overall.
Photo: Koji Watanabe/Getty Images International: - 🇯🇵 Passion over pastime: Baseball may be America's pastime, but in Japan it's a national passion, and Saturday in Tokyo the hosts claimed gold over Team USA with a 2-0 victory.
- 🇳🇱 Treble complete: Dutch runner Sifan Hassan finished her quest for history with gold in the 10,000, completing a week that saw her win three medals and race over 15 miles. She's the first distance runner with three individual medals at a single Olympics since 1952.
- 🇰🇪 Kenya wins again: For the second straight Olympics, Kenyans won both the men's and women's marathon. Eliud Kipchoge became just the third runner ever to win two marathon golds, and Peres Jepchirchir outlasted fellow countrywoman Brigid Kosgei.
📆 Coming up: The Paralympics begin in Tokyo on Aug. 24. Go deeper: Photos from the closing ceremonies (Axios) | | | | | | | | 3. 🇨🇳 Looking ahead: Beijing 2022 |  | | | Illustration: Shoshana Gordon/Axios | | | | The Winter Games are just six months away, kicking off in Beijing on Feb. 4. Why it matters: Beijing will become the first city that has hosted both the Summer and Winter Olympics, and it will do so at a time when the virus that originated in China will still be wreaking havoc on the world. The big picture: We don't yet know the exact COVID protocols and attendance restrictions that the Beijing Games will use, but other storylines will compete to dominate the narrative. - Calls for boycotts have been widespread, with a coalition of 180 human rights groups saying participation in Beijing 2022 would be "tantamount to endorsing China's genocide against the Uyghur people, and legitimizing the increasingly repressive policies of the totalitarian Chinese regime."
- Beyond that, foreign journalists who say anything negative about China have become increasingly subjected to a campaign of state-backed hostility, sometimes escalating to threats of physical danger. It's unclear how the 15,000 foreign media and broadcasters expected to attend will be received.
The newly built National Ski Jumping Center is shaped like a ruyi, a talisman symbolizing power and good fortune in Chinese folklore. Photo: Noel Celis/AFP via Getty Images Details: Geopolitics aside, here's what to expect in Beijing: - 109 medal events across seven sports in 15 disciplines: biathlon, bobsleigh (including skeleton), curling, ice hockey, luge, skating (including figure, speed and short track), and skiing (including alpine, cross-country, freestyle, Nordic combined, ski jumping and snowboard).
- Venues will be spread among three clusters: Beijing, hosting the opening and closing ceremonies and indoor ice events; Yanqing, 60 miles northwest of Beijing, hosting alpine skiing and sliding events; and Zhangjiakou, 120 miles northwest of Beijing, hosting other snow events like ski jumping.
- Of the nearly 3,000 athletes, more than 45% will be women, making these the most gender-balanced Winter Olympics in history.
What to watch: Between the pandemic's uncertain course and the many calls for a boycott, the IOC really doesn't want to talk about Beijing 2022. Could be a long six months. Go deeper: Taiwan and Hong Kong will be welcome at Beijing Games (ESPN) | | | | | | | | A message from Axios | | The biggest video game news delivered to your inbox | | |  | | | | Get the latest scoops, trends and news from the world of video games with Axios Gaming, delivered every weekday to your inbox. Why it matters: A crucial view into an industry that is an essential part of millions of people's lives. Subscribe for free | | | | | | 4. ⚾️ Bryce Harper is back on top |  | | | Photo: Rich Schultz/Getty Images | | | | Bryce Harper is quietly putting together the second best season of his career, and if he keeps it up, he might win his second MVP award, too. - With 50 games left, the Phillies RF is slashing .302/.413/.570 with 20 HR, 26 2B and 12 SB. His .983 OPS ranks third in the NL.
The state of play: Jacob deGrom and Fernando Tatís Jr., led the NL MVP race for much of the season, but with both currently injured, Harper has jumped out in front. - Other contenders should challenge him down the stretch, but playing on a superteam (Max Muncy and Trea Turner) or a disappointing one (Juan Soto) may hurt their chances.
- And, because narratives often factor heavily in awards consideration, if Harper can get the Phillies — now leading the division — back into the playoffs for the first time since 2011, it'll be tough to ignore his case.
The big picture: The perception of Harper is that he's a good player who had one great season (MVP in 2015), but the reality is that he's a great player whose MVP campaign was among the best this century. - By the numbers: Since 2000, only Barry Bonds (3x) has equaled the .460 OBP, .649 SLG and 9.7 WAR that Harper put up in 2015.
- Even removing 2015 from the picture, Harper and Mike Trout are the only two players since 2016 with at least 150 HR, 70 SB and a .900 OPS.
The bottom line: Harper has flown under the radar as younger superstars have taken over the game. Maybe we should have paid more attention to him all along. Go deeper: | | | | |  | | | | If you like this newsletter, your friends may, too! Refer your friends and get free Axios swag when they sign up. | | | | | | | | 5. 🏈 Welcome to Canton |  | | | Photo: Emilee Chinn/Getty Images | | | | The Pro Football Hall of Fame just got a lot bigger, with two classes getting inducted over the weekend in Canton, Ohio. - 2020: The 20-person centennial class, highlighted by Edgerrin James, Troy Polamalu and Jimmy Johnson, was enshrined Saturday after a one-year delay.
- 2021: The newest class, comprising eight men led by Peyton Manning, Calvin Johnson and Charles Woodson, took the stage Sunday night.
What they're saying: Though all the inductees delivered excellent speeches — and Manning was affable as ever, cracking jokes at Tom Brady's expense — James' remarks undoubtedly stole the show: "To all those who have been judged prematurely because of their appearance, the way they speak, where they come from, and in the minds of many should be locked up in prison, I represent us. I'm forever immortalized, locked up in the Canton Correctional Institution. Inmate number 336 in the Pro Football Hall of Fame." "My career started with gold teeth, and ended with this gold jacket." — Edgerrin James Go deeper: Highlights from Saturday and Sunday (ESPN) | | | | | | | | 6. 🇺🇸 Photos across America | | Photo: Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. — Michael Jordan, co-owner of 23XI Racing, looks on as Bubba Wallace drives MJ's No. 23 car during Sunday's NASCAR Cup Series race. Wallace, if you can believe it, finished 23rd. Heat rookie R.J. Nembhard rises up for a dunk against the Nuggets. Photo: Bart Young/NBAE via Getty Images LAS VEGAS — Summer League tipped off Sunday, as various NBA rookies, sophomores and even a few vets will compete for the next nine days to help coaches build lineups and make roster decisions ahead of the season. Photo: Sam Greenwood/Getty Images MEMPHIS — Abraham Ancer (-16) outlasted Hideki Matsuyama and Sam Burns in a playoff to win the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational — his first PGA Tour victory. | | | | | | | | 7. ⚡️ Lightning round |  | | | Photo: Eric Alonso/Getty Images | | | | ⚽️ Messi says goodbye: The Barcelona legend on Sunday gave a tearful goodbye to the only club he's ever known. He's expected to sign a two-year deal with Paris Saint-Germain, whose new attacking trio of Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappé should be among the best ever. ⚾️ For Doc: On the same day the Phillies retired Roy Halladay's number, Cy Young favorite Zack Wheeler became the first Phils pitcher to retire 22 straight batters ... since Halladay's perfect game in 2010. Chills. 📈 NFL valuations way up: Despite revenue and operating income both plummeting last year, the average NFL team is now worth $3.48 billion — a 14% increase that represents the biggest gain in five years, per Forbes. Dallas ($6.5B) is the most valuable; Buffalo ($2.27B) is the least. 💰 Securing the bag: Bills QB Josh Allen (six years/$258M), Colts ILB Darius Leonard (five years/$99.25M), Heat F Jimmy Butler (four years/$184M) and Nets F Kevin Durant (four years/$198M) all signed huge extensions over the weekend. | | | | | | | | 8. 📆 Aug. 9, 1988: "The Trade" |  | | | Photo: Andrew D. Bernstein/Getty Images | | | | 33 years ago today, the Edmonton Oilers traded an in-his-prime Wayne Gretzky to the Los Angeles Kings for a package of young players, draft picks and $15 million in cash. - The backdrop: Gretzky and the Oilers made their NHL debuts together in 1979, and over the next decade he won eight Hart Trophies (MVP) and led them to four Stanley Cup titles.
- The reaction: This trade came just months after that fourth championship, and caused such an uproar in Edmonton and across Canada that politicians tried to block it from happening.
"The Oilers without Gretzky is like apple pie without ice cream, like winter without snow, like 'Wheel of Fortune' without Vanna White." — New Democratic Party House Leader Nelson Riis, per NHL.comThe aftermath: - The Kings' attendance increased by 27% in Gretzky's first season, and by 1991-92, they became the first L.A.-based team to sell out every home game.
- The Oilers won another championship in 1990 thanks to an MVP season from Gretzky's former teammate, Mark Messier, but haven't won since.
Watch: Gretzky's tearful goodbye to Edmonton (YouTube) | | | | | | | | 9. 🏈 College football trivia |  | | | Photo: Doug Benc/Getty Images | | | | Legendary FSU coach Bobby Bowden, who won 377 career games and two national championships ('93, '99), died Sunday at 91. - Question: Who were his championship-winning QBs?
- Hint: They share the same initials.
Answer at the bottom. | | | | | | | | 10. 🌽 "Field of Dreams" game | | Source: Giphy Thursday night in Iowa, right next to the site of the iconic 1989 film, the White Sox and Yankees will don retro threads to play the long-awaited "Field of Dreams" game. - The newly-constructed, 8,000-seat stadium in the middle of a cornfield has been waiting for its moment, and after a one-year delay the game is finally almost here.
They built it. Here we come. | | | | | | | | A message from Axios | | The biggest video game news delivered to your inbox | | | | | | | | Get the latest scoops, trends and news from the world of video games with Axios Gaming, delivered every weekday to your inbox. Why it matters: A crucial view into an industry that is an essential part of millions of people's lives. Subscribe for free | | | | Talk tomorrow, Jeff "Moonlight Graham" Tracy Trivia answer: Charlie Ward ('93) and Chris Weinke ('99) 🙏 Thanks for reading. Don't forget to follow us on Twitter: @thekendallbaker and @jeffreytracy. |  | | It'll help you deliver employee communications more effectively. | | | | | | Axios thanks our partners for supporting our newsletters. If you're interested in advertising, learn more here.
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