The LuLac Edition #3685, December 30th, 2017

TOP SPORTS STORIES OF 2017

SPORTS

1. SPORTS NO LONGER REFUGE FROM POLITICS……Sports has now intersected with divisive social issues this year. There was always one or two events that crept in but this year with Colin Kaepernick kneeling during the National Anthem and President Trump’s insertion in that issue, it is sometimes a rarity when a game just gets covered for its own sake. The lines are drawn and while there are those who say sports should occupy a type of rarefied air of neutrality, I think dialogue is important among all the parties involved. As long as there’s free speech and opinions, those who bemoan the fact that sports should avoid this conflict just aren’t willing to live in these interesting and provocative times.

2. NEW ENGLAND WINS SUPER BOWL AGAIN….I know there are Patriot haters out there but let me say that the 2017 Super Bowl was one of the most incredible games I have ever seen. The Belechick/Brady Patriots are like those characters in horror movies that you think are killed off before the credits start to run. Then they come back. True the Falcons folded but the Pats took advantage of that failure and never gave up.

3. CAVS AND WARRIORS, PERENNIAL FOES….Warriors won this year. There is a good chance you might see a rematch in 2018.

4. ASTROS WIN FIRST CHAMPIONSHIP….in a year when the Playoff Series were the interesting prelude to the first 7 game World Series in years, baseball did show its interest and intensity. The Yanks and Indians played a great series setting up their return in 2018 and the Dodgers who lost to the ‘Stros are built to stay for a while too. To some, the slog of baseball might be boring as the summer wears on but once mid September comes around, Baseball, for those wise enough to enjoy it, is temporary king of the sports world.

5. SEXUAL ABUSE OF  FEMALE GYMNASTS ALLEGED…. Olympic gold medalist McKayla Maroney says the group that trains U.S. Olympic gymnasts forced her to sign a confidential settlement to keep allegations of sexual abuse by the team's doctor secret. Maroney filed a lawsuit Wednesday in Los Angeles against the U.S. Olympic Committee and USA Gymnastics. The suit also seeks damages from Michigan State University, where the team's doctor, Larry Nassar, worked for decades. The lawsuit alleges that the settlement was illegal and "for the purpose of silencing a known victim of Nassar." 
This will continue well into 2018.

(Source: ESPN, CNN, LuLac)