This article was originally published on September 14th, 2018.
Here is the first weekly dose of “5-Point Friday”. A weekly round-up of the sports news and stories that I find most interesting and enjoyable.
What I'm Enjoying in Basketball -
This week, the WNBA crowned the Seattle Storm as they swept the Washington Mystics in three games. The 2018 championship is now their third in franchise history, their first since 2010. Breanna Stewart (@breannastewart) led Seattle's push for the championship, with 30 points in the 98-82 victory.
Surfing news that excites me -
As surfing seen the first professional tournament take place at a man-made wave pool, the sport took another step into the 21st century. WSL's CEO Sophie Goldschmidt (@sogoldschmidt) announced that it will give equal prize money to male and female athletes in all of its events, starting in 2019. #catchthiswave
What interests me in sport marketing -
It’s been a big week for Nike since it released its controversial ad featuring 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick (@Kaepernick7). While the brand originally saw a drop of 34 points in favorability amid social media calls for a boycott, but 10 days later Nike's stock closed at $83.74. This was an all-time high for the company, helped by the soar in online sales. Digital commerce research firm Edison Trends reports that sales rose to a high of 42% increase on 2017's sales. To cap it off, Apex Marketing says the company reaped more than $163 million in free media exposure.
Tennis story that I am following -
Tennis umpires are "considering refusing to officiate matches involving Serena Williams" over the "treatment of Carlos Ramos during and after the U.S. Open final." The WTA and USTA "have backed Williams’ claims of sexism after she was given a game penalty" during Saturday's match.
This has "further riled some umpires, who were already unhappy with the haphazard organization" of this year's tournament. Umpires are "discussing whether they could take action to stand up for their profession."
Baseball game I attended -
On Wednesday, I joined 33 thousand others at The Big A, to see the Angels take on the Rangers. Both teams are not having the greatest of seasons, and with Albert Pujols (@PujolsFive) out for the rest of the season, meaning the playoff chances are over for the season. Pujols however, was not missed by The Halos as they ran out 8-1 victors on the night. Trout (@MikeTrout) proved his class with a perfect throw from center field to get Chirinos (@robinson28ch) out at home plate. The rest of the night saw three home runs, one from José Fernández and two from, catcher, Francisco Arcia.
Have a wonderful weekend, all!
Jonathan