The 2018 Brewskies
by rick olivares
It’s the end of the year and you know what that means (if you have been following my column in Business Mirror since 2006). Every end of the calendar year, we dish out our dubious achievements in the world of sports!
Let’s get on right with it.
The John McEnroe Award for Congeniality
Goes to… envelope please… Serena Williams. During Williams’ two set loss (6-2, 6-4) to Japanese counterpart Naomi Osaka during the US Open, the American superstar constantly raged at umpire Carlos Ramos, who she called a “liar” and a “thief.” Williams was docked a game and had a point penalty for smashing a racquet and a code violation for coaching. Furthermore, she was fined by the US Tennis Association $17,000 for her “transgressions.”
Tennis presenter Sue Barker pointed out, “The umpire was following the rules, but Serena had a point.”
The controversy took away the spotlight from Osaka who became the first Japanese tennis player to win a Grand Slam title.
Pep Talk of the Year Award
This award goes to another tennis umpire!
Tennis umpires remained in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons when veteran official Mohamed Lahyani went down from his chair to give an on-court pep talk to Nick Kyrgios also during the same US Open.
Lahyani left his chair with Kyrgios trailing Frenchman by a set and a break.
The United States Tennis Association (USTA) later said that Swede Lahyani left his chair to check on Kyrgios' condition because he could not hear him properly and was concerned the player might need medical attention. But Lahyani was also heard telling Kyrgios, "I want to help you. This isn't you. I know that."
Kyrgios turned the game around and won in four sets.
"Lahyani was advised to adhere to proper protocols in all matches that he officiates," pointed out US Open officials.Lahyani continued to officiate during the 2018 US Open.
The Stand By Me Award
Goes to Nike. The athletic apparel maker made controversial former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick the face of its line causing controversy and reigniting all sorts of controversies and debates stemming from the latter’s taking a knee during the US national anthem before games. Nike has made a career of standing by controversial figures from Lance Armstrong, Andre Agassi, and Maria Sharapova. With their new campaign, consumers have burned Nike shoes and cut out the Swoosh logo from their socks as a sign of protest.
Mud on that Teflon Award
Goes to football superstar Cristiano Ronaldo who was embroiled in a rape case with an American model (that allegedly happened in 2009). Then he left his club of nine years, Real Madrid, for Italian giants, Juventus, after a tense relationship with club president Florentino Perez. It is all about money (getting paid more bucks than Barcelona rival Lionel Messi) and a comment by Perez that for Neymar to win the Ballon d’Or Award, he might have to move (from Barcelona to Real Madrid but the Brazilian is now with Paris St. Germain).
Hmm. Like how many people earn all those millions in a year? And that still isn’t enough? Oh, well. I guess enough is never enough.
Now, Ronaldo is acknowledged as a sports gentleman and right now, a lot of his corporate sponsors are closely monitoring the rape case which is ongoing (Ronaldo claims the sexual encounter was consensual). But it does throw some black on his carefully sculpted public figure.
The Win At All Costs Award
Goes to Australian cricketer Cameron Bancroft who was caught stuffing sandpaper down his pants (after he unsuccessfully tried to scuff the ball during a test in Cape Town, South Africa.
Bancroft later lied by saying he used tape exacerbating the situation.
Australia captain Steve Smith, his deputy David Warner,and Bancroft all sent home. Smith and Warner were both banned for a year by Cricket Australia while Bancroft was given a nine-month ban.
The Fight of the Year Award
Goes to the Philippines-Australia Brawl during a Fiba World Cup Qualifying Match at the Philippine Arena in July this year. That trumps the UFC Ronaldo Souza vs. Chris Weidman and the Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje bout and the Canelo Alvarez versus Gennady Golovkin last September 2.
That was a black eye not only for Fiba, but also for Philippines that has been battling for respect in the international arena after a series of stirring achievements in the past several years. After the brawl with multiple suspensions and fines (not to mention wholesale changes in the coaching staff), the Philippines lost three of its next four qualifying matches.
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