Serena Williams Was a Pretty Good Olympian, Too We’re inevitably, unfortunately, and finally at the cusp of the end of a tennis era, with the announcement from Serena Williams in Vogue of her impending retirement from the professional circuit. Following her older sister Venus into pro tennis, Williams debuted on the WTA Tour in October 1995 and by…

Will Modern Pentathlon Stay ‘Modern Pentathlon’? The conclusion of the UIPM Pentathlon World Championships this past weekend had me thinking of the sport and its future. Namely, will modern pentathlon stay ‘modern pentathlon’? That’s a key question these days, as the sport is under the gun to drastically reform — become more viewer-friendly, more accessible, more…well…”modern”…

Games and Rings’ Spotify Playlist Celebrates Olympian Musicians We generally recognize that Olympic athletes are accomplished, driven, and talented humans — of course, in sport. But often they display drive and talent beyond the playing field, too. Some have been — or are — accomplished musicians. …

Badiucao’s Olympic-Inspired Protest Art Continues a Long Trend CBS News’ recent 60 Minutes profile of Chinese dissident artist Badiucao gave mention to his new work highlighting China’s role as next month’s Winter Olympics host in Beijing. A political satirist since 2011 now in exile, Badiucao looks to target his home government through provocative and searing street art and…

Thoughts on Beijing 2022’s Men’s Ice Hockey Tournament, Now Turns out, we won’t see the top men’s ice hockey players at the upcoming Winter Olympics. We all know the National Hockey League (NHL) — specifically the owners and league officials — doesn’t like the Olympics the way they sh/could. The Winter Games, although just once every four years, interrupts…

Let’s make the Winter Games bigger! What winter sports are not in the Winter Olympics but maybe should be? This past July, the International Olympic Committee added ski mountaineering to the Winter Games program for Milano Cortina 2026. It’s the first full sport addition to the Winter Olympics since Salt Lake City 2002, when skeleton reappeared, last seen at St. Moritz 1948. That’s in stark comparison to the Summer…

It’s a Shame Some Sports Get Only One Shot… As Tokyo 2020 winds down in its final weekend, I’m struck by the impact of the new Olympic sports. Debuts of karate, skateboarding, sport climbing, and surfing came, along with the return of baseball & softball. All of them offered intense and diverse competition. Unfortunately, only some of these new…

Why is Squash Not in the Summer Games? As the 2020–21 Squash World Championships get underway today, I’m struck by the absence of the sport on the Olympic program. One wonders what sin squash must have committed to result not being included ever. It’s not like the sport hasn’t recently tried. The World Squash Federation (WSF)’s bids for…

Cuban Baseball’s Olympic Qualification Collapse Continues a Downward Trend Cuba has a storied history of success in the Olympic Games. Since its Games debut at Paris 1900, its much-vaunted boxers have won 73 medals (second only to the United States), and its fabled baseball program has won three of five golds (and won silver the other two times). Outside…