FOOTBALL

Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin is awake and improving after going into cardiac arrest during the Bills/Bengals game on Monday night. Hamlin is connected to a breathing tube so has been communicating by writing and, according to reports, one of the first things he asked was “did the Bills win the game”. The doctors had a perfect response. They said, “The answer is yes, Damar, you won the game of life.” The NFL announced they are officially canceling the Bills/Bengals game, but the week 18 games will still be played on schedule. In what has hopefully been communicated to Hamlin, his toy drive fundraiser has now raised almost $8 million. Keeping our thoughts and prayers going for a thorough recovery!!!

In college football news, the University of Michigan faces a number of violations related to head coach Jim Harbaugh allegedly providing false or misleading information and failing to cooperate with investigators concerning impermissible contact with players during a COVID-19 dead period.

CHESS

One of Iran’s top chess players, Sara Khadem, has been warned not to return to her country after playing in a tournament in Kazakhstan without her hijab. According to reports, her life could be in danger if she returns to Iran.

TENNIS

The legendary 66-year-old Martina Navratilova has been diagnosed with throat and breast cancer. Sending our thoughts and prayers to one of the greatest players of all time.

FOOTBALL

Quarterback Brock Purdy is quickly becoming the Cinderella story of the NFL. From “Mr. Irrelevant” to leading the San Francisco on a road win over the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday night (just four days after beating Tom Brady and the Buccaneers), Purdy has helped the Niners clinch the NFC West.

SOCCER

The World Cup is set. Argentina and France will face each other on Sunday at 10:00 am ET after wins over Croatia and Morocco respectively. France will look to repeat as champions and Lionel Messi will likely be playing in his final World Cup.

BASKETBALL

Steph Curry will undergo an MRI on his shoulder this week following the Golden State Warriors loss to the Pacers. No word yet on the seriousness of the injury.

CHESS

Iranian grandmaster Amin Tabatabaei forfeited his match against Israeli Netanel Levi at the Sunday Chess Festival in Barcelona. According to reports, Amin was concerned he’d be punished back in Iran for playing against an Israeli. Official Islamic Republic policy rejects Israel’s right to exist. The President of the Berlin Chess Association, Paul Meyer-Dunker, tweeted out his anger saying, “How long are you going to tolerate this? Will this hatred of our Israeli colleagues and the oppression of our Iranian colleagues ever have any consequences for the Chess Federation of Iran?”

FOOTBALL

Eight new members were enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The new class included Jackson Jaguars’ offensive tackle Tony Boselli (who is the franchise’s first Hall of Famer), Cliff Branch, LeRoy Butler, Sam Mills, Richard Seymour, Bryant Young, coach Dick Vermeil, and Official Art McNally (who created instant replay in 1996).

Green Bay Packer LeRoy Butler (who is credited with inventing the Lambeau Leap in 1993) had the best quote of the day when he said, “When you play for the Green Bay Packers, a lot of doors open up. You win a Super Bowl, all doors open up. When you make the Hall of Fame, football heaven opens up.”

And, if you’re a Michigan fan, you can’t help but love journalist Rich Eisen roasting Ohio State in his opening remarks at the ceremony.

CHESS

I’ve heard of chess boxing but never Diving chess, which apparently is a thing “and is played underwater, and in which your thinking time is determined by how long you can hold your breath! So, I guess it’s not surprising that somewhere off the coast of India, scuba divers played underwater chess to celebrate the 44th Chess Olympiad. The divers played for over 2 hours at a depth of 60 feet and came to the surface every 20 minutes.

BASKETBALL

Thanks to Chris Paul’s 41 points, the Phoenix Suns cruised past the LA Clippers to secure their place in the NBA Finals.

The Atlanta Hawks will play the Milwaukee Bucks tonight (series tied 2-2).

NCAA

The NCAA will now allow athletes to profit off of their names, images, and likenesses. According to reports, these top 20 athletes have the greatest chance of cashing in immediately on lucrative endorsements.

BASEBALL

Mississippi State beat Vanderbilt (9-0) to win its first-ever College World Series championship.

CHESS

12-year old Abhimanyu Mishra from New Jersey became the youngest grandmaster in chess history.

FOOTBALL

One of the topics of conversation leading up to the Super Bowl is the obvious comparison of how a 43-year old Tom Brady will fare against a 25-year-old Patrick Mahomes. In order to keep in peak physical condition, Brady swears by his TB12 diet. Check out CBS Sports’ Pete Blackburn attempting to live like Brady for a week.

CHESS

The best chess player in the world, Magnus Carlsen shockingly lost to 18-year old Andrey Esipenko at the Tata Steel Tournament. In a tweet after the match, Carlsen jokingly said, “Had a very unpleasant experience at the playing hall today, felt like a swab was being shoved into my nostril and all the way inside my brain, causing a lot of pain. Covid test after the game was not that bad though #TataSteelChess”

TENNIS

The 2021 Australian Open will begin on February 8th, but the players are already on-site due to quarantine protocols. Unfortunately, though, the accommodations are not ideal. Number 28th ranked Yulia Putintseva documented the mice problem in her hotel room, but rather than trying to solve the issue, local authorities are blaming the players for feeding the mice and contributing to the problem.

FOOTBALL

The NFL is discussing having the Black National Anthem, “Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing,” performed live or pre-recorded prior to “The Star Spangled Banner” at each of the week 1 games this season. “Lift Ev‘ray Voice and Sing” written as a poem by James Weldon Johnson was later turned into a song by his brother J. Rosamond Johnson.

COMPETITIVE EATING

Thankfully, Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest will provide some live sports over the 4th of July holiday weekend. This iconic event normally takes place in Coney Island, NY but will be held indoors (with no fans) for the first time in its history.  Joey Chestnut, who traditionally dominates in this sport, will be looking to capture his 13th Mustard Yellow Belt and his fourth straight win. His world record is 73.5 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes.

BASKETBALL

Chess grand master and human rights activist, Garry Kasparov, criticized the NBA and Commissioner Adam Silver for not standing up to human rights violations carried out by the Chinese Communist Party against the Uyghur population. Kasparov responded to Silver’s comment saying, “NBA-China relations have improved…they have a different view how things have been done, how things should be done. And hopefully, we can find mutual respect for each other.” Kasparov tweeted, “The NBA’s concern for human rights stops right at the bank, China has Uyghur concentration camps and is preparing to crush Hong Kong and he talks of ‘mutual respect’? What a joke.”

NASCAR

Kevin Harvick won NASCAR’s first race back following a 10-week pause due to the pandemic. With no fans in the stands, Harvick (who recorded his 50th victory) spoke about his win at Darlington Raceway and said, “I just want to thank everybody from NASCAR and all the teams for letting us do what we do. I didn’t think it was going to be that different, then we won and it’s dead silent out here. We miss the fans.”

CHESS

Chess is one of the few sports that can easily be played and watched online, so it’s no wonder it’s gaining in popularity. World Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen organized a successful and profitable online chess tournament, the Magnus Carlsen Invitational (which he won), and will be adding three more tournaments plus a grand final event with combined prize money of $1 million dollars. The tournament marks the first time online chess has been broadcast on TV. Carlsen is planning to kick off the next tournament on May 19th with the final on August 20th. Many athletes have been playing online chess recently including NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo who said, “Chess is tough, it takes skill. You can’t just be 7 feet and dunk over everybody.”

BASEBALL

Three baseball superstars have transformed the baseball world with their astounding contracts. In just over a month, these players as a trio have amassed $1 billion dollars in commitments. It all started with Manny Machado who agreed to a 10-year $300 million agreement with the San Diego Padres. Not long after, Bryce Harper signed a 13-year $330 million deal with the Philadelphia Phillies. Not to be outdone, this week, Mike Trout signed an extension with the Los Angeles Angels creating a 12-year  $426.5 million deal.

FOOTBALL

Clay Matthews, the accomplished Green Bay Packers linebacker, agreed to a 2-year contract with the Los Angeles Rams. Matthews grew up in LA and walked on at USC, becoming a standout player. In the 2009 draft, Matthews was selected in the first round (26th pick) by Green Bay where he excelled and made the Pro Bowl six times. Matthews, a self-proclaimed rom-com fan, had a memorable scene with some of his Packer buddies in Pitch Perfect 2. Check it out!

CHESS

Tanitoluwa Adewumi (goes by Tani), an 8-year-old Nigerian refugee who lived in a homeless shelter, won the New York State chess championship in his age group. The New York Times reported Tani and his family left Nigeria in 2017 fearing attacks on Christians and moved to New York where he learned to play chess in school. Tani’s coach at PS 116 in Manhattan, Russell Makofsky, said, “It’s unheard of for any kid, let alone one in a homeless shelter.” Tani stated he wants to be the youngest grandmaster. Makofsky created a GoFundMe page for Tani and his family after the tournament, and with the success of the crowdfunding, Tani and his family were able to move into an apartment.