Dropping the Puck for Pride For years, the NHL has been very proactive in supporting the LGBTQ community with Pride Night event games around the league. In 2022, when some players objected to wearing the NHL Pride tape, it made noise in the media. So much noise in fact, that the NHL president banned teams from any use of Pride symbols on the ice, pre-game or otherwise. Then came criticism on social media from fans and some players, claiming that this was singling out the LGBTQ community. One player decided he would slapstick this policy, and wrapped his hockey stick in the familiar rainbow colors. Arizona Coyotes defenseman Travis Dermott likely knew he would get disciplined for violating the ban, but did so because he felt the league was holding players back by passing this rule.
“You can see it as the league’s taking away our voice,” Dermott said, via The Athletic’s Chris Johnston. “We can’t speak. We don’t have any of this expression anymore. I feel like that’s a valid way to think, and it’s easy to kind of see it that way. A lot of people do, and I’m sure will continue to." From NPR's Bill Chappell: Critics say the league's decision is a step backward. High-profile players say they're disappointed. At least one player said he'll likely use the colorful tape anyway.
"I'll use the tape — if I have to buy it myself, I will," Philadelphia Flyers forward Scott Laughton said on Wednesday, discussing how he would mark his team's Pride Night.
What started this controversy?
As reported by NPR.com: "The NHL announced over the summer that its players will no longer wear special jerseys during warmups to mark 'theme nights,' when teams show support for a variety of groups, from the LGBTQ+ community to Indigenous groups, the military, and people fighting cancer. But as the NHL prepared to start a new season, it sent a memo announcing the ban also applies to Pride Tape, saying players aren't allowed to use it at any time."
"The abrupt shift came after several NHL players made headlines last season for refusing to wear Pride Night themed jerseys, citing religious or other reasons.""What happened last year was that the issue of who wanted to wear a particular uniform on a particular night overshadowed everything that our clubs were doing," said NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman. "By taking themed jerseys out of the equation the league is trying to eliminate a distraction."
After all the controversy, the league reversed its ban and Pride Tape will be allowed to be part of NHL events this season. The NHL says it rolled back its prohibition after meetings with the NHL Players' Association and members of the NHL Player Inclusion Coalition. "Players will now have the option to voluntarily represent social causes with their stick tape throughout the season," the NHL announced. If you are interested in getting your own Pride Tape (Not just for hockey sticks!) check out their website here:
NHL and Bettman slipped on the ice again recently, as the Minnesota Wild’s Marc-Andre Fleury was told he could not wear his custom made Native-American Heritage mask to honor his wife on the teams Native American Heritage Night, or he and the team would be fined. Well, he did! The hockey mask went up for auction, and the winning bid was rumored to be $35,000! Final College Football Rankings and Bowl Games After many sports pundits made their predictions, the top four college football playoff teams were announced: #1 Michigan, #2 Washington, #3 Texas, and #4 Alabama. Unbeaten Florida State University (13-0) fans were not amused. Apparently the selection committee felt that a team with an injured starting QB wasn't top-four worthy.
Locally, Cal plays Texas Tech in the Independence Bowl on December 16, and San José State of the Mountain West and the Sun Belt Conference’s Coastal Carolina will meet in the EasyPost Hawai'i Bowl on December 23. See if your alma mater earned its way to a bowl game with this link:
https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/page/cfpbowls2023/college-football-bowl-schedule-2023-24-dates-matchups-every-game.
Heisman Trophy Awarded
The NCAA College Heisman Memorial Trophy was awarded to Louisiana State University senior quarterback Jayden Daniels, who beat out several other top players as best college football player of 2023. This season Daniels also was named the Associated Press college football player of the year, the Walter Camp Player of the Year, and won the Davey O'Brien Award, given to the nation's top college player.
49ers Coach Kyle Shanahan celebrating in locker room: Photo Credit: 49ers.com /Terrell Lloyd
San Francisco 49ers Beat:
After Head Coach Kyle Shanahan and Defensive Coordinator Steve Wilks drew up a game plan that resulted in a 42-19 stomping over the top-ranked Eagles in Philadelphia on December 3rd. Before the Eagles game, the 49ers hosted the Seattle Seahawks on Thanksgiving night, with the result being a 31-13 Niners victory. After the Eagles game, the 49ers that victory with a hard fought 28-16 dog-fight win at Levi's Stadium on Dec 10th. A real fight did break out during the game but that didn't distract from QB Brock Purdy throwing for a career high 368 passing yards! As of this writing, the 49ers are leading in the playoff standings. Next up the 49ers head to Arizona on December 17 (1:05pm), then host Baltimore on Christmas night (5:05pm).
Gym Bag Extras
In Major League Baseball news, the free agency trade window has opened. In the biggest deal ever in MLB, Shohei Ohtani signed a 10-year, $700 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers. This news wasn't met well by SF Giants fans as our team struggles to sign a top-tier player to boost the roster and fill seats at Oracle Park. There's been no movement regarding trades by the Giants as of this writing.
In professional tennis, 22-time Grand Slam men's singles winner Rafael Nadal has announced his return to men’s tennis starting with the Australian Open in January. Welcome back, Rafa!
In F1 news, Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen completed the most dominant season in Formula 1 history, winning a record 19 of 22 races! He’s the series’ top money maker in earnings (minus outside promotion deals) with an estimated $70 million in salary and bonuses this year. Per Forbes.com, the 10 highest-paid drivers in F1 collected an estimated $258 million in 2023 before taxes, a slight dip from 2022’s $264 million.
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