DanDanTony Sports - Episode 6: NBA Playoffs

Hello all!

Here is the latest episode of DanDanTony Sports! This week we discussed the NBA playoffs, and made our predictions for who we think will win the whole shebang! As always, listen right here on the embedded player, on SoundCloud or on iTunes!

Here is where we got our This Week in Sports History information!

Women Crushed Wednesday - Kathy Switzer

The Boston Marathon is one of the premier athletic events that the United States has to offer. Every year, people from all over the world come to participate in the race, watch the race, and partake in the "Patriots' Day" festivities. This year, there was a very special entrant. Katherine Switzer, a 70 year old female who ran in the marathon. Her age is not what makes her special, because there have been older participants. It's what she did 50 years earlier that makes it a big occasion. 

In 1967 Switzer, then 20 years old, became the first female to get a number and run in the Boston Marathon. While we sit here and applaud this feat now, it was much more controversial when she first ran the event. During the race, one of the officials of the race tried to physically stop her by grabbing her bib. Jock Semple, the official, was unsuccessful as her then boyfriend stopped him. 

Running a marathon at age 20 is impressive. Running a marathon at 70 is extremely impressive. As someone who can not run a 5K, let alone a marathon, I do have a great appreciation for those who can, especially so late in life.

Switzer does have some solid finishes in her running career. She finished first in the New York Marathon in 1974. The following year, she finished 2nd in the 1975 Boston Marathon. 

It wasn't until 1972 that women were officially allowed to run the Boston Marathon. Had it not been for Switzer, this would not have happened so soon. She is a pioneer, a leader, and to this day, an icon of the Boston Marathon. That is why she is our Women Crushed Wednesday!

DanDanTony Sports - Episode 5: NHL Playoffs

Here is our 5th episode of DanDanTony Sports! As always, you can listen on the embedded player right here on our page, on SoundCloud, or through iTunes by searching and clicking subscribe!


A minor correction to make: The LA Kings in 2014-2015 did not sweep the first 2 rounds of the NHL playoffs as an 8 seed. In 2011-2012, they were an 8 seed and won the first series 4 games to 1, the second series 4 games to 0, the third series 4 games to 1 and then beat the New Jersey Devils 4 games to 2 in the Finals.

Our source for this week in sports history can be found here!


Enjoy!

Women Crushed Wednesday - Becca Longo

College football history will be rewritten as Adams State University in Colorado (a Division 2 football school) has offered a scholarship to Becca Longo, who will become the first female to receive a scholarship offer to play football at the Division 2 level or higher. Becca will also play basketball for the school, making her a rare multi-sport athlete at the college level.

Becca isn't the first female to play college football at a high level. Katie Hnida became the first female to score in a Division 1-A college football game for the University of New Mexico in a blowout of Texas State in 2003. The situation is different in Longo's case because Hnida had been a walk on at both schools she attended (Colorado and New Mexico), while Longo received an athletic scholarship.

Last season, Longo had a strong kicking record going 30-33 on extra points (which in high school and college is a very high percentage). She was also successful in her lone field goal attempt, which was good for 30 yards.

Becca began playing football as a sophomore in high school. She transferred high schools the next year, and was forced to sit out her junior season, but, as noted above, she had a very strong senior campaign. One could only wonder, if she had 4 years of high school football, how much higher could she have gone?

Becca Longo will go down in football history, and will certainly cement her football legacy. However, this is only the beginning. For trailblazers like Longo and Hnida, what they do for future athletes is much more important than any individual accomplishments they have. Longo will, for many, be a fan favorite when she takes the field in the fall, but she will also be a beacon of hope for any female who wants to play football. And that is why Becca Longo is this week's Women Crushed Wednesday! Good luck Becca!

DanDanTony Sports - Episode 4

Hey everybody! Here is our 4th episode for your listening pleasure. Enjoy as Dan, Dan, and Tony discuss their top 5 dirtiest athletes! As always, listen here with the embedded player, on SoundCloud, and now on iTunes!

The source for our This Week in Sports History can be found here!

Women Crushed Wednesday - United States Women's National Hockey Team

It's not news that the popularity of hockey is declining, and will continue to do so as NHL players will not be allowed to participate in the Olympics. Couple that with the stigma that women's sports are not entertaining (a completely false claim) and you get the recipe for women's hockey going unnoticed. The United States women's national ice hockey team found themselves in an exhilarating championship game that ended in an overtime victory over their "rival" Canada. 

Earlier this year, this was an unlikely matchup, not because of skill, but because the United States team was boycotting the tournament over fair pay practices. Just like with the United States Women's National Soccer Team, the female athletes were being paid significantly much less than their male counterparts.

Leaving social justice issues aside, the United States Women's National Team captured their fourth straight gold medal at the Women's World Championship. The game winning goal was scored by Hilary Knight securing the eighth overall championship and fourth in a row. What made it sweeter, is the fact that the win came against an old foe, the Canadian National Team, the only team that has been historically better in international competition. However, this year, Canada will have to settle for number 2, the silver medal, losing in what could be an instant classic in overtime. 

The Americans were so dominant throughout the world championship tournament that they outscored opponents 26-5 including an 11-0 win over Germany. 

The United States Women's National Hockey Team is quietly the most dominant team in American sports, and it doesn't look like that trend will be changing anytime soon. That is why they are this week's Women Crushed Wednesday!

DanDanTony Sports - Episode 3

Hello all! Here is our third episode of DanDanTony Sports! Listen as Dan Snyder and Tony Casper help Dan O'Shea select a new favorite college football team! We also discuss upcoming non-conference matchups, and the UAB football team.

As always, you can either listen here on the embedded player, or you can go directly to SoundCloud. We are excited to announce that we are now available on iTunes as well! Simply search for DanDanTony Sports and subscribe!

The source for our This Week in Sports History can be found here!

Women Crushed Wednesday - South Carolina Gamecocks

For the first time since 2013, NCAA has a Women's basketball Champion that is not named UConn. 2017 marked the year of South Carolina, as they took home Women's basketball's top prize by easily dispatching Mississippi State 67-55 in the tournament final. For South Carolina, this was their first championship game in program history. The Gamecocks made the most of their only trip (so far) to the Championship game, coming away victorious, and now owning a perfect record in NCAA title games. But basketball didn't always come easy for South Carolina before current head coach Dawn Staley arrived. Prior to Staley, the Gamecocks were under the tutelage of Susan Walvius, who had gone 165-160 in her 11 seasons in South Carolina.

Dawn Staley completely revitalized the South Carolina basketball program, leading to the team's three best records in the last four seasons. Since she began her coaching career at South Carolina in 2008, she has amassed a 221-80 record. This is a winning percentage of just a bit over 73%. In the past 3 seasons, The Gamecocks were 100-9, coming in at a 91% winning percentage, which is insane. In 2014, the Gamecock's only other Final Four appearance, Dawn Staley was named the NCAAW coach of the year.

The Gamecocks will surely come into the next season with high expectations, as they will only be losing 2 players this year to graduation or the WNBA Draft. They are returning star player A'ja Wilson, who won the 2017 NCAA tournament Most Outstanding Player award.

They certainly have a lot to look forward to, but more importantly, a lot to celebrate now. That is why the University of South Carolina Women's basketball team is our Women Crushed Wednesday!

DanDanTony Sports- Episode 2

It's that time of the week again! Here is our second episode of DanDanTony Sports. This week, we identified the issues we have with the four major sports leagues, and discussed what we would do to fix them. You can listen here on the embedded player, or if that doesn't work, simply click here. We would like to thank you all and hope you enjoy!

Credit: This Week In Sports History fact found here