Summer Olympics
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A petition calling for action against alleged misconduct by Paris Olympics breaker Raygun went viral with over 58,000 signatures.
The Paris Olympic Games have ended, but the controversy over Australian B-girl Raygun and her performance – which included a move some called a “kangaroo hop” – is ongoing. It led to an online petition that was created accusing her of “unethical conduct,” which has garnered thousands of signatures. The petition, which was created on Tuesday (Aug. 13) by an individual identifying themselves as “Someone Who hates corruption,” was on Change.org and at last report had over 58,000 signatures.
“We, the undersigned, call for immediate accountability and transparency in the recent actions of Rachel Gunn and Anna Mears in the selection process for Australia’s female breakdancer representative at the upcoming Olympics,” the petition begins. “Rachel Gunn, who set up her own governing body for breakdancing, has manipulated the selection process to her own advantage. Despite the clear talent and qualification of other outstanding female breakdancers like G Clef and Holy Molly, they were unfairly overlooked. The NT Youlong Boys, a group of incredibly talented and underprivileged youth from the Northern Territory, were denied crucial funding by Dr. Gunn to attend the qualifiers—a decision that directly impacted their chance to showcase their skills on a national stage.” The theory sprang up online after Raygun aka Rachel Gunn earned an astonishing score of zero through her three preliminary rounds of competition, which became viral across social media leading to a bevy of memes making fun of her.
The Sydney Morning Herald began their investigation into Gunn, a lecturer at the Department of Media, Communications, Creative Arts, Language and Literature at Macquarie University in Sydney. They found that the claim behind the online petition wasn’t true and that Gunn advanced due to coming in first in one of three regional competitions. The Change.org petition has since been taken down after requests from the Australian Olympic Committee on Thursday (Aug. 15). AOC spokesman said in a statement that Gunn was “selected through a transparent and independent qualification event and nomination process.”
Gunn, however, is still dealing with the international response to her Olympic showing calling it “pretty devastating” but remaining positive. “I went out there, and I had fun. I did take it very seriously. I worked my butt off preparing for the Olympics, and I gave my all. Truly,” she said in an ESPN interview.
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Team USA‘s Women’s basketball team survived a thriller in their gold medal contest against Team France, and it was far closer than the Team USA Men’s basketball gold medal game. With the victory, the Women’s team became the first team in any sport to win eight consecutive gold medals.
With some of the WNBA’s best talent on the squad, Las Vegas Aces star A’ja Wilson led the team with 21 pints and 13 boards to go along with four crucial blocks. They needed all they could get from Wilson as France’s Gabby Williams, a former WNBA player and past collegiate champion with the University of Connecticut. Williams led the charge for Team France, who wouldn’t go away, and nearly tied the game up at the buzzer with a last-second heave but it was ruled a two-point shot.
From NBC Olympics:
Not without a whole lot of agita first, though. Less than 24 hours after these countries’ men’s teams delivered a fourth quarter for the ages, the women did the same, with six ties and six lead changes over the final 10 minutes of play. France had an answer every time the U.S. looked primed to make a run, taking a two-point lead with just 5:03 to go. But Copper poured in four straight points to put Team USA back ahead, and Wilson hit a circus jumper to stretch the lead to three.
It seemed like the U.S. had finally put things away when Plum cashed two free throws to go up 65-61 with just 11 seconds left. But then Williams almost pulled off a final flurry for the ages, hitting one quick 3 to keep France alive and then, after two more free throws, getting a heave to go that very nearly forced overtime.
It was one of the better sporting events to take place at the 2024 Summer Olympics and proved that the world is indeed catching up with the American basketball stars on both sides. Kudos to Team France for an exciting finish.
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Snoop Dogg became quite the fixture at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France, employing his affable charm and eternal smooth image at will. It should safely be assumed that Snoop Dogg isn’t doing the Summer Olympics gig at a pro bono rate, and it’s being reported that he stands to rake in millions for his contributions.
Snoop Dogg, as we’ve said in these pages previously, might be the most recognizable public figure in the United States, if not the world. The Doggfather brought his signature cool to the Paris Games starting on July 26 with an epic showing as a torchbearer for the opening of the Summer Olympics that won’t be soon forgotten.
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According to venture capitalist Henry L. McNamara, Snoop, 52, is making six figures daily for his time in Paris but we will continue to state that these reports remain unconfirmed.
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“Sat next to an NBC exec at dinner, he said Snoop gets paid $500k a day plus expenses to be here promoting Olympics. From Gin and Juice to a few million to be a celebrity at the Olympics – what a world,” McNamara wrote on X on Sunday (August 4).
McNamara’s quip should be taken with a grain of salt as it isn’t expected that Snoop or NBC would want to reveal such detail to the public. That said, the expert job Snoop has done in getting involved with all aspects of Olympics coverage is commendable and he should be handsomely compensated. Further, there exists a relationship between the major broadcasting network and the rapper as Snoop worked as a judge on the hit series The Voice.
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From donning full equestrian gear to hopping in the pool with swimming legend Michael Phelps and exchanging words with Team USA’s women’s gymnastics team, NBC has gotten a lot of content and mileage out of the Long Beach, Calif. legend so perhaps the $8 million Snoop Dogg is slated to earn isn’t that much of a stretch once you tally up the 17 days of service.
The 2024 Summer Olympics will have its closing ceremonies on August 11.
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Veronica Fraley is currently living out her dreams as a part of Team USA’s Track and Field team at the 2024 Summer Olympics. However, the 2024 NCAA discus champion expressed that she was struggling to pay her rent which caught the eye of Flava Flav and Alexis Ohanian.
On Thursday (August 1), Veronica Fraley took to X, formerly Twitter, to share with her followers that her school, Vanderbilt University, didn’t send her the full percentage of her rent as she attempted to figure out how to make up the rest.
“I compete in the Olympic Games TOMORROW and can’t even pay my rent my school only sent about 75% of my rent while they pay football players (who haven’t won anything) enough to buy new cars and houses,” Fraley wrote.
Flava Flav, who has shown amazing charity and support for all things Team USA, reached out to Fraley and said that he’d cover the costs.
“I gotchu,,, DM me and I’ll send payment TODAY so you don’t have to worry bout it TOMORROW,,, and imma be rooting for ya tomorrow LETZ GO,!!!” Flav added.
Alexis Ohanian, the co-founder of Reddit and husband of tennis legend Serena Williams, chimed in and said he’d split the costs with Flav.
“C’mon now! I’ll split it with @flavorfav, Ohanian wrote in a reply.
Both Flav and Ohanian showed proof that they paid Fraley, with Flav saying he’ll come and watch her compete in the discus event.
When a fan inquired why Ohanian paid $7,7600 to Fraley, he kindly explained that there was a deeper reason.
Salute to Flava Flav and Alexis Ohanian for putting their money where the mouth is. Best of luck to Veronica Fraley in her quest to capture Olympic gold.
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Simone Biles achieved a remarkable feat during the 2024 Summer Olympics, becoming the most decorated U.S. Olympic gymnast in history. After making the historic mark, Simone Biles subtly hit back at former gymnast MyKayla Skinner Harmer, who made disparaging comments about the work ethic of Team USA.
Simone Biles, 27, and the U.S. women’s gymnastics team captured gold which adds to Biles hefty medal total. As reported by NBC Olympics, Biles has five gold medals, bypassing Shannon Miller. In all, Biles owns eight Olympic medals in total.
Much has been made of the age of the women’s gymnastics team, especially after they won silver as a team at the 2020 Summer Olympics. Fellow gymnasts Suni Lee, Jordan Chiles, Jade Carey, and Hezly Rivera join Biles in becoming the fourth American gymnastics team in history to win gold in the Olympics.
Biles, who suffered the “twisties” during the vault event at the 2020 Tokyo Games, landed her vault in Paris with confidence and beaming pride. While one announcer called her vault, quote, “safe,” it was clear that whatever fears and concerns Biles had before are now behind her.
“I was like, phew, at least no flashbacks or anything,” Biles said. “I did feel a lot of relief and after I landed vault I was like, ‘Oh yeah, we’re definitely going to do this.’”
And “do this” they did.
The win is a direct jab back at Skinner Harmer, this after the Olympic silver medalist posted a now-deleted YouTube video saying, “Besides Simone, I feel like the talent and the depth just isn’t like what it used to be. Just notice like, I mean, obviously a lot of girls don’t work as hard.”
Skinner Harmer has since apologized by Biles isn’t letting it go as evidenced in the Instagram post below.
Further, Biles took to Twitter to share the team’s real nickname after the F Around And Find Out team name went wide.
“[O]kay on the real though, the official team name is golden girls (because oldest olympic team) s/o to cecile,” Biles wrote on X.
Although we can’t confirm it, it appears that Skinner Harmer blocked Biles on X after the win. Check out the assumed jab below.
Congratulations to Simone Biles, Suni Lee, Jordan Chiles, Jade Carey, and Hezly Rivera! Keep scrolling for comments from X.
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Flava Flav has lived a life that spans decades marked with extreme highs and some requisite lows but life is certainly sweet for who is arguably Hip-Hop’s best hype man. The founding member of the famed Public Enemy collective is in Paris to support the USA Water Polo teams, sparked by his passion for being a girl dad and wanting to elevate women in sports.
As reported by the Associated Press, Flava Flav, 65, is enjoying his first time experiencing the Olympics in person after years of watching the games on television. His enthusiasm and million-dollar smile have been hard to avoid for anyone observing the USA Water Polo teams, most specifically the women’s group.
From the AP:
Flav, a founding member of the hip-hop group Public Enemy, is in Paris as part of his duties as the official hype man for USA Water Polo — a partnership that came together after he connected with U.S. captain Maggie Steffens on Instagram in May.
The 65-year-old Flav is embracing his new responsibilities with his usual brand of seemingly boundless enthusiasm.
“I’m so ready, man. … I’m so hype right now about this sport,” said Flav, wearing a custom USA Water Polo clock around his neck. “I wish I was playing it. I’m hyping myself up right now to ask them to let me on the team.”
The outlet goes on to add that Flava Flav reached out to Maggie Steffens on social media after learning about how the team has struggled financially. Flav offered to sponsor the team, sparking the partnership. As seen in the report, Flav will work with USA Water Polo for five years while using his fame to bring visibility to the sport. It should be noted that the women’s water polo team has brought home the gold medal in the past three Summer Olympics.
Adding to this, Flav’s work with the team is bringing the sport into the homes of Black families as they learn about the little-known sport. One member of the team, Ashleigh Johnson, who is the first Black member of the water polo Olympics team, added that Flav’s work is spreading to those communities and beyond.
In sad news, Steffens is currently mourning the loss of her sister-in-law and artist Lulu Conner, the sister of her husband, Bobby Conner. Ms. Conner designed the custom clock that Flava Flav has been wearing for the games, as reported by PEOPLE.
Details are scant but Steffens confirmed it was a medical emergency.
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Source: Patrick Smith / Getty Sha’Carri Richardson
We love a good redemption story. Three years after losing a spot on the U.S. Olympic track team due to outdated doping rules regarding marijuana use, Sha’Carri Richardson will get another opportunity to represent Team USA in the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
Even after getting off to a bad start, Richardson knew she had the race in the bag, ending her race with a resounding victory. Putting an exclamation mark on her “I’m No Back, I’m Better” tour with an impressive 10.71-second sprint in the 100 meters during U.S track trials over the weekend.
Her performance on Saturday cemented her as the fastest woman on the planet. Richardson was also .09 seconds ahead of training partner Melissa Jefferson, the 2022 U.S. champion.
After her win, Richardson spoke about her performance, saying, “I feel honored,” Richardson said. “I feel every chapter I’ve been through in my life prepared me for this moment.”
After easily punching her ticket to the Summer Olympics, Richardson, overwhelmed with emotion, went down on one knee. She also spoke on that moment.
“The emotion was just joy because of the hard work I put in, not just physically on the track, but mentally and emotionally to grow into the mature young lady I am today,” Richardson said.
She also entered the stands to embrace her family in a touching moment.
A Tale of Redemption For Sha’Carri Richardson
Richardson’s redemption has been a pleasure to watch. Only three years ago, we saw her dominate the same race, only to see her lose her chance to compete on the world stage because of a positive marijuana test.
The fallout revealed that Richardson was also struggling with depression while shining a spotlight on the anti-doping agency’s out-of-date rule book.
Salute to Sha’Carri.
You can see reactions to her impressive showing in the gallery below.
2. Love to see it
3. SAY THAT LOUDLY
4. LET’S GO!
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Source: Scott Legato / Getty / Flavor Flav
The US women’s water polo team aims for an unprecedented fourth consecutive gold at the 2024 Summer Olympics, but that isn’t attracting much attention. Team member Maggie Steffens is making a loud case that her squad needs support, and one person is stepping up to the plate to get people excited about them.
FLAVORRRR FLAAAAAVVVVV has signed up to use his legendary hypeman skills to spread the word about the US women’s water polo squad.
The co-founder of the iconic rap group Public Enemy and reality star will do his part after being moved by Steffens post. He is finalizing a deal to become an official sponsor and hypeman for USA Water Polo, hoping to give them a bigger spotlight.
Flav has already hit the ground running and is taking his new gig seriously. He highlights some of the team’s standout players on X, formerly Twitter.
Flav Promises To Be Team’s Biggest Hypeman
Speaking with the AP on Friday, Flav said, “When I come out and I watch this water polo team … ‘USA! USA!’ Yo, I’m going to be the biggest hype man that they ever had in their life. I’m going to be bigger than any cheerleader that they had in their life. I’m going to cheer this team on, and I’m going to cheer this team into winning a gold medal.”
Flav made the decision after his manager brought the post to his attention.
“One thing about me, I know what it feels like to want to see a dream come true,” said Flav. “I know what it feels like to want to achieve a goal, and I’m the type of person that, if I see you trying, then I’m going to do whatever I can to help you.”
Salute to Flavor Flav and go TEAM USA!
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Snoop Dogg is possibly the hardest-working man in Hip-Hop, as he picks up more side gigs than a jazz musician. The D-O-Double-G will join the NBC broadcast of the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, adding to his sports broadcasting experience.
As seen at Olympics.com, Snoop Dogg, 52, will be in Paris as part of the coverage team for the 2024 Summer Olympics as a special correspondent. The announcement was shared during the halftime segment of Sunday Night Football’s contest between the Green Bay Packers and the Minnesota Vikings.
Some might recall that Snoop has covered the Olympics after providing hilarious and expert commentary during the 2020 Summer Olympics, which took place in 2021 after a delay due to the pandemic.
“I grew up watching the Olympics and am thrilled to see the incredible athletes bring their A-game to Paris. It’s a celebration of skill, dedication, and the pursuit of greatness,” Snoop Dogg said in a press release.
Snoop continued,”We’re going to have some amazing competitions and, of course, I will be bringing that Snoop style to the mix. It’s going to be the most epic Olympics ever, so stay tuned, and keep it locked. Let’s elevate, celebrate, and make these games unforgettable, smoke the competition, and may the best shine like gold. Peace and Olympic LOVE, ya dig?”
Snoop Dogg will join NBC Olympics host Mike Tirico and offer his takes and observations, no doubt exhibiting his usual Long Beach, Calif. coolness.
The Olympic Games Paris 2024 are scheduled for July 26 through August 11, 2024, and will air on NBC and its various cable network holdings.
Check out the video of the Doggfather stepping lively in front of the Eiffel Tower below.
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