| (Photo: University of Kansas Jayhawks)
SPEAKING OF: TV viewing for the NBA All-Star weekend peaked at 5.4 million viewers during the Steph Curry v. Sabrina Ionescu three-point shooting contest. Ionescu shot from the NBA 3-point line and scored 26 points.
"If you can shoot, you can shoot."
2. The many roads to Paris
In the U.S. the idea of an Olympic Trials is almost sacrosanct. Since 1908, it's been a fairly direct process for selecting an Olympic team: Top three in the Trials races (or top two, sorta, in swimming) get to go. End of discussion.
But it wasn't always that way — in the very first Games, the U.S. used a selection committee — and in most countries and in many sports the teams are still picked via selection or a combo of automatic qualification & selection. (The only other country that relies almost as much on a Trials-based system in Canada, but even Canada uses a combination of early nominations and Trials selection.)
Which is better? Hard to say.
The cons of having Olympic Trials: There's an argument that having a country-specific Trials race means you don't necessarily get the best people going to the Olympics. What if the best athlete in the world has a mechanical issue or is sick on that given day? What if something just goes wrong, or something wild happens? In some ways, getting everything right on the day of Trials is even more stressful than getting it right in the Olympics!
Or, consider triathlon and cycling: Because international pack dynamics are so important, having a domestic Trials race proved too small to really pick the best athletes. (You can't have a 7-person triathlon that plays out the same way as an Olympic race.) And so those sports both moved to a system where a certain level of performance at a global race—like a podium at world championships—automatically gets you your Olympic spot, with a selection component to fill out the rest of the team.
The pros: But the argument against a selection committee just deciding who gets to go to the Olympics is: That doesn't seem fair! And it can get really political!
And, when it comes to the Paralympics, it often gets even more complicated because of rules at the international level and the different categories. And, in team sports, the countries have to earn their spots, but then the team rosters can change. Whew! 😵💫
BOOKMARK: This Olympic Trials calendar
3. How many soccer leagues is too many soccer leagues?
This week, a new first division U.S. women's pro soccer league was announced: The USL Super League. It will launch in 8 markets this August.
Yes, that is the same division as the existing National Women's Soccer League — which has 13 teams. No, they won't play each: first division is simply a designation from the national federation that means it meets certain top-level pro requirements.
There are a lot of questions about how the U.S. will sustain two leagues, if they will compete for audience and TV share and players, and if more focus should be made on the lower-division development leagues in the country.
But, hey, Europe sustains a LOT of soccer leagues and divisions and they're way better at soccer. And the Arsenal women just sold out Emirates Stadium for the first time in history.
WATCH: 'Copa 71' — the story of the first groundbreaking unofficial women's World Cup in 1971
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Tip of the week
A new study looked specifically at the difference in strength and biomechanics in female runners as they age.
The good news: Yes, you slow down as you age, but there was no deterioration of form or efficiency in the older female runners.
The other news: Women do lose strength, however, as they age—and would benefit from strength training, especially in regards to hip abduction and knee extension.
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