The other sports thread

[Taro T]

8 minutes ago, Night Train said:

I don't pretend to know the economics of the NBA but the contracts many players receive are incredible. I haven't followed the league since Bird and Jordan retired. 

Having a cap and only 12 or so players on a roster tend to cause salaries to be crazy high.

[Night Train]

I started following AFL football from down under several years back when FS1 and FS2 started carrying games. Most are on live during the night while the DVR records them. 5 weeks of playoffs started this past week. 90,000 in attendance . Just fantastic stuff. 

[Porous Five Hole]

Jessica Pegula played the worst set of her life and still found a way to win her third round match at the US Open today. She will be the favorite each match all the way into the Semis if she goes that far. 

[Night Train]

4 hours ago, Porous Five Hole said:

Jessica Pegula played the worst set of her life and still found a way to win her third round match at the US Open today. She will be the favorite each match all the way into the Semis if she goes that far. 

She looks to be a good B+ player who made 1 Grand Slam final. ( 2024). Not a shot at her. 

She has won 11 Masters Singles titles and 7 Doubles titles ( googled)  That's not bad. 

[shrader]

12 minutes ago, Night Train said:

She looks to be a good B+ player who made 1 Grand Slam final. ( 2024). Not a shot at her. 

She has won 11 Masters Singles titles and 7 Doubles titles ( googled)  That's not bad. 

It’s completely subjective, but I’d be curious to see how she compares to anyone else who has never won a major. She always seems to be floating around near the top 5 in the world. 

[mjd1001]

Yet another reason to hate the Patriotos of the Brady Bellichick era...if you need another....

In the link they have pictures, but basically when the opposing team tried to kick a FG or Extra point, they put a close up of the goal posts on the video board that were not 'lined up' with the reaon ones.

Did it work ever? Don't know.  Was it illegal?  supposedly not.  Was it another way to try to hurt the other team outside of the playing field? Yep.

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/nfl-says-patriots-distracting-video-board-tactic-legal/

[Porous Five Hole]

42 minutes ago, shrader said:

It’s completely subjective, but I’d be curious to see how she compares to anyone else who has never won a major. She always seems to be floating around near the top 5 in the world. 

Not what you asked, but she could walk out of the US Open world #1 if she wins it. 

[Night Train]

46 minutes ago, shrader said:

It’s completely subjective, but I’d be curious to see how she compares to anyone else who has never won a major. She always seems to be floating around near the top 5 in the world. 

I read she was injured for several years in her 20's and fell off the map. She's older now and I do hope for the best. 

[Eleven]

Let's clear some things up, since I follow women's tennis.  Jessica Pegula, consistently ranked in the top 5, is an A+ player; do you have any idea how many women are on tour, much less women who want to get on tour?  She is not a B+ player.  She had some problems in her 20s but never, ever "fell off the map."  She may or may not win a major in her career, but she's almost always in the semis if not the finals.

 

She's the second-best American right now, behind Coco, despite her age.

 

I wonder if people would be so critical if not for her father.

[irregularly irregular]

1 hour ago, Eleven said:

Let's clear some things up, since I follow women's tennis.  Jessica Pegula, consistently ranked in the top 5, is an A+ player; do you have any idea how many women are on tour, much less women who want to get on tour?  She is not a B+ player.  She had some problems in her 20s but never, ever "fell off the map."  She may or may not win a major in her career, but she's almost always in the semis if not the finals.

 

She's the second-best American right now, behind Coco, despite her age.

 

I wonder if people would be so critical if not for her father.

Spot on.

If her folks were the guy behind the counter at the tire store and a clerk at DMV, then Jessica would be a goddess to all in WNY and places beyond.

[Wyldnwoody44]

I'm in Londonderry today, there is a triathlon going on and I guess they removed 4 members from Isreal from racing prior to the event this week. 

Causing a bit of a global stir, but the locals are all in favor of it, it appears on the surface. 

This town still has that feel that hasn't left since "The Troubles" still spilt by the Foyle with some Angst in the air. 

Cool city either way as a foreigner seeing it. 

[Pimlach]

15 hours ago, mjd1001 said:

Yet another reason to hate the Patriotos of the Brady Bellichick era...if you need another....

In the link they have pictures, but basically when the opposing team tried to kick a FG or Extra point, they put a close up of the goal posts on the video board that were not 'lined up' with the reaon ones.

Did it work ever? Don't know.  Was it illegal?  supposedly not.  Was it another way to try to hurt the other team outside of the playing field? Yep.

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/nfl-says-patriots-distracting-video-board-tactic-legal/

Statistics show that their optical cheap trick works.  

Google or AI  this.  More teams miss FGs and PATs in Foxbro than anywhere else.  Except for the home team of course.  

The Pats* are scum. 

[Eleven]

14 hours ago, irregularly irregular said:

Spot on.

If her folks were the guy behind the counter at the tire store and a clerk at DMV, then Jessica would be a goddess to all in WNY and places beyond.

You're right in a sense, but her ties to WNY are minimal.  Her parents own sports teams here, but she's not from here, didn't grow up here, doesn't live here, etc.  I root for her and Coco because they're the best US players, not because Jessica is a Pegula.  Coco is on right now.  Expect a win.

Edited September 5 by Eleven

[Porous Five Hole]

54 minutes ago, Eleven said:

You're right in a sense, but her ties to WNY are minimal.  Her parents own sports teams here, but she's not from here, didn't grow up here, doesn't live here, etc.  I root for her and Coco because they're the best US players, not because Jessica is a Pegula.  Coco is on right now.  Expect a win.

As a person who enjoys women’s tennis over men’s, and as a person who roots for Jessie because of local connections, I’m happy to be on this ride of her path on the US Open. She’s a real one whether she grew up as a WNYer or not. 

[Eleven]

36 minutes ago, Porous Five Hole said:

As a person who enjoys women’s tennis over men’s, and as a person who roots for Jessie because of local connections, I’m happy to be on this ride of her path on the US Open. She’s a real one whether she grew up as a WNYer or not. 

Men's tennis is almost unwatchable.  

[Eleven]

Another reason why college football can't be taken seriously.

[Weave]

On 9/5/2026 at 1:07 AM, irregularly irregular said:

Spot on.

If her folks were the guy behind the counter at the tire store and a clerk at DMV, then Jessica would be a goddess to all in WNY and places beyond.

A nepo-baby star certainly isn’t the underdog that most folks like to root for, so yeah, if she were a DMV clerk it would be a lot easier to find a rooting interest.

[Taro T]

24 minutes ago, Weave said:

A nepo-baby star certainly isn’t the underdog that most folks like to root for, so yeah, if she were a DMV clerk it would be a lot easier to find a rooting interest.

True, but when's the last time a tennis player that grew up poor made it onto the scene?  The sport seems to be the individual athlete version of polo nowadays.  Golf is less elitist.

[Weave]

2 hours ago, Taro T said:

True, but when's the last time a tennis player that grew up poor made it onto the scene?  The sport seems to be the individual athlete version of polo nowadays.  Golf is less elitist.

Hence this was my only post in this conversation 

[Pimlach]

3 hours ago, Taro T said:

True, but when's the last time a tennis player that grew up poor made it onto the scene?  The sport seems to be the individual athlete version of polo nowadays.  Golf is less elitist.

American Frances Tiafoe, an immigrant from Sierra Leone, reached the men's US open semi's in 2022. 

The Williams sisters (Serena and Venus) rose from working middle class roots.

Novak Djokovic grew up facing extreme financial distress and wartime scarcity in Serbia. 

But mostly tennis is a game dominated by the wealthy.   

 

 

[Eleven]

95% of both tours are children of privilege.  The Williams sisters are an exception.  

[Taro T]

10 minutes ago, Pimlach said:

American Frances Tiafoe, an immigrant from Sierra Leone, reached the men's US open semi's in 2022. 

The Williams sisters (Serena and Venus) rose from working middle class roots.

Novak Djokovic grew up facing extreme financial distress and wartime scarcity in Serbia. 

But mostly tennis is a game dominated by the wealthy.   

 

 

And the Williams sisters came on the scene, when, 2002-ish?   Their dad was obsessed with tennis and teaching/coaching them as well.  They were kind of analogous to Tiger Woods (who was a child prodigy too, btw).

Djokovic has been around for over 20 years too.

And Tiafoe lucked into his dad being a maintenance man at the Junior Tennis Champions Center.  Awesome for him.  It's a shame more non-rich kids can't get that sort of instruction at a young age to be able to break into the pro ranks.  But, unless you're getting pro training at a young age it's almost certain you aren't going to be joining the tour.

 

[Pimlach]

4 hours ago, Weave said:

A nepo-baby star certainly isn’t the underdog that most folks like to root for, so yeah, if she were a DMV clerk it would be a lot easier to find a rooting interest.

Jesse Pegula is not a nepo-baby star.    What past connections to professional tennis does she or her family have?  

Does she come from an extremely wealthy family?  Yes.  But the wealth is all current first generation.  

Terry Pegula grew up in the working class from rural northeast Pennsylvania.   His father was a coal miner and a truck driver.  He was a good student and got into Penn State on academic scholarship, became an engineer, and eventually started a business.  Like many others in this country he is self made.  

Kim Pegula was found orphaned on the streets of South Korea.   

Certainly Jesse's family had ample resources to put her in good tennis clubs with top notch coaches, but she did the work.  My understanding of nepotism is different.  She plays tennis and has to win matches to advance, no favors are given.  

[Taro T]

12 minutes ago, Pimlach said:

Jesse Pegula is not a nepo-baby star.    What past connections to professional tennis does she or her family have?  

Does she come from an extremely wealthy family?  Yes.  But the wealth is all current first generation.  

Terry Pegula grew up in the working class from rural northeast Pennsylvania.   His father was a coal miner and a truck driver.  He was a good student and got into Penn State on academic scholarship, became an engineer, and eventually started a business.  Like many others in this country he is self made.  

Kim Pegula was found orphaned on the streets of South Korea.   

Certainly Jesse's family had ample resources to put her in good tennis clubs with top notch coaches, but she did the work.  My understanding of nepotism is different.  She plays tennis and has to win matches to advance, no favors are given.  

She does put in the work.  But if her parents weren't billionaires that could start getting her absolutely world class coaching (even at a slightly more advanced age than most of her competitors) she likely would never have even gotten on a junior tour.

ALL of the players on the mens and womens tours put in the work.  (Even the ones like Agassi who partied as hard as he worked, put in the work.)  But darn near every single one of them had the opportunity to get absolute world class coaching which carries a very hefty price. 

Nowadays, there's also the training, conditioning, and recovery staffs that keep the top players at the top.  Kind of feel bad for the kids that made the toor in the last 10 years because on the men's side nobody was beating any of the big 3 who all stayed at the top of their game way longer than most stars of the past did (Connors being an exception; he had a crazy long career too) and Serena had the women's side locked down for a crazy long stretch too.  The current era Navratilova.

[Weave]

30 minutes ago, Pimlach said:

Jesse Pegula is not a nepo-baby star.    What past connections to professional tennis does she or her family have?  

Does she come from an extremely wealthy family?  Yes.  But the wealth is all current first generation.  

Terry Pegula grew up in the working class from rural northeast Pennsylvania.   His father was a coal miner and a truck driver.  He was a good student and got into Penn State on academic scholarship, became an engineer, and eventually started a business.  Like many others in this country he is self made.  

Kim Pegula was found orphaned on the streets of South Korea.   

Certainly Jesse's family had ample resources to put her in good tennis clubs with top notch coaches, but she did the work.  My understanding of nepotism is different.  She plays tennis and has to win matches to advance, no favors are given.  

As Eleven mentioned, its a sport of the super wealthy.  I suppose my definition isn’t narrowed to just those of privilege gotten from a specific industry.