Jim Alexander: This was a really good week for sportsmanship. We saw it at the Olympics, when Simone Biles (the undisputed GOAT, it says here) and Jordan Chiles bowed to Brazil’s Rebecca Andrade on the medal stand after Andrade won the floor exercise final Monday in Paris. That photo is going to be remembered long after the details of the competition fade away.
And we saw it at Dodger Stadium later that night, when the people welcoming Freddie Freeman back to the field after eight days’ absence because of his son’s illness included members of the Philadelphia Phillies. When Freeman singled in his second at-bat, Bryce Harper gave him a hug and some words of encouragement. This is the best of our athletic pursuits, competitors who respect each other and aren’t afraid to show it.
And yet ...
yes, there are always dissenters (disguised as troglodytes). In this case, Baltimore Ravens’ cornerback Marlon Humphrey posted on social media that he found the medal stand display “absolutely disgusting.” Sounds like toxic masculinity at its finest.
Mirjam Swanson: I’ve learned that some people are only happy when they’re unhappy. My favorite podium moment so far: The South Korea-North Korea selfie following the mixed doubles ping pong competition. That viral photo featuring the gold medalists from China along with the North Korean silver medalists and South Korean bronze medalists – the latter two duos obviously representing their famously divided nations.
Ping pong dip.
