Sports Talk: Top 8 sports news stories summer 2020

1. Serena Williams and Alexis Ohanian’s daughter becomes the youngest team owner at age 2. She has been gifted a share of the newest NWSL (national women soccer league) team based in Los Angeles, California, named Angel City. The team will begin playing in the league spring 2022. Alexis Ohanian said in a statement, “I’m personally investing on behalf of my family because creating more opportunities in women’s sports is important to my wife and me, and we want to be a part of making a better future for our daughter.” The team also has an ownership group that includes a few stars like Natalie Portman, Uzo Aduba,  Eva Longoria and many more.

2. The Washington Redskins will officially retire the franchise name in light of the racial acquisitions that are being exposed in 2020. Formerly known as the Washington Redkins, the local football franchise will now refer to themselves as the Washington football team temporarily while trying to finalize a new marketable name.  The  Washington football team will not change the color scheme of the uniforms, but the logo will be replaced by the player’s number in gold. The Redskins name has always been deemed hateful to Native Americans considering “redskin” is a racial slur in the Native American community. The logo and colors are considered to be cultural appropriation.  The Washington football team is hoping to rebrand in the next month and a half in time for the season opener.

3. Mike “kid dynamite” Tyson will be back in the ring on September 12th for an 8-round exhibition against Roy Jones Jr.
“Iron” Mike Tyson is 54 and hasn’t fought professionally since 2005. Tysons heavyweight career started in the 80s and retired in 2005, losing to Kevin McBride. He has a total of 58 fights with 44 KOs and only six losses. He reigned heavyweight champion from1987-1990. Though he has been retired for some years, he has been seen on Instagram training, fighting, and showing his preparation for this fight.  Roy Jones Jr., last match in the ring, was in 2018 with a record of 66-9.

4. The Denver Nuggets are shaking up the roster making 7,2 big man Bol Bol a small forward in hopes this will give the team an advantage to the playoffs. Bol bol had a stellar scrimmage performance against the Washington wizards. Bol bol closed out the game with 26 points, six blocks, and ten rebounds. Fans were excited to see bol on the court, considering he did not play the entire season after a left foot injury. Bol bol balled out for his scrimmage for Denver’s victory that the NBA awarded him with a “random” drug test.

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6. NBA stars Tracey McGrady and Jermaine O’Neal are starting a sports and entertainment agency called Seven1 sports. The name is a combination of both halls of Famers numbers worn during their professional careers. Mcgrady stated, “We think it’s needed, and we have a passion for it…… We’re around kids every single day because we have youth programs. It just makes sense. We see the lack of information that these kids are getting, so we would be doing a disservice to our people if we don’t lend our expertise of what we know and help guide them. This is a calling that we have.”

7. Kobe Bryant’s legacy continues with another book coming out entitled “Geese are never swans”. Vanessa Byant announced the new book in a series of published content from the LA Star. “We’re so proud to continue Kobe’s mission to teach the power of emotion to the next generation of athletes. Kobe’s first YA (young adult) title, #GeeseAreNeverSwans is officially out today,” This adult fiction book shines a light on the importance of mental health in young athletes. It also shows how much sports can impact your life and overcome some of the most significant setbacks. The book’s main character goes by the name Gus, and his life is all about swimming. Gus’s number one goal is to get to the Olympics. Simple enough, Gus wants a specific coach to train him and believes the road to success is just hard work. Despite the bumpy road of getting to the Olympics, Gus begins to understand the power and impact sports have on his life.

Readers have said this book is “packed full of emotion with an influential read of a powerful message.”

8. The newest NHL franchise team is the Seattle Kraken. The Krakens will make an official debut in the fall of 2021. The NHL approved the 32nd team in the franchise back in December of 2018. For two years fans, have been speculating names, but the team has been officially announced in July of 2020.