Olympic Drama: Why Shani Davis Skipped the Opening Ceremony
The 2018 Winter Olympics are officially underway after the opening ceremony Friday. The big story so far for the American team: the controversy over the flag bearer.
World-renowned luger Erin Hamlin was chosen to carry the U.S. flag after a coin toss broke the tie between her and speed skater Shani Davis. The eight U.S. winter sport federations voted 4-4 for Hamlin and Davis. After the coin toss result was announced, Davis took to Twitter saying it was "dishonorable."
Davis did not attend the Opening Ceremony. Matt Foley, sports reporter at OZY, explains that Davis was not originally planning to attend due to training conflicts but said he would make an exception if he was chosen as flag bearer.
According to The Wall Street Journal, four U.S. gymnasts, Simone Biles, Aly Raisman, McKayla Maroney, and Maggie Nichols, penned a letter to Congress asking them to break up the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee board of directors for allegedly turning a blind eye to the sexual abuse committed by team doctor Larry Nassar.
The Drone Racing League kicked off its 2021-2022 world championship season this week. Spanning across 14 different locations over the course of the year, 12 of the world's best drone pilots will be racing against each other to bring home the title. Drone racing has grown in popularity over the past year, with the Drone Racing League seeing an uptick of nearly 200 percent average viewership, 90 percent in virtual drone racing participation and 60 percent fanbase growth over social media. Rachel Jacobson, President of the Drone Racing League, discusses the future of the sport and why she thinks drone racing will soon be on par with traditional sports.
Bill Enright, Editorial Lead for Gambling and Fantasy Content at Sports Illustrated, shares his insight into the strategy behind betting on NFL futures, such as who will win the Super Bowl or MVP award.
Sponsored by BetMGM
Jeff Stoneback, Director of Trading at BetMGM, discusses his betting insights for Super Bowl LVI futures, and says a pair of NFC East teams could make some noise come playoff time.
Sponsored by BetMGM
The final Grand Slam tennis tournament of 2021 will be lacking some of its biggest stars including Venus and Serena Williams, Roger Federer, and Rafael Nadal. However, with legendary names missing from the court, it could provide an opportunity for future superstars to shine. Jon Wertheim, a senior writer at Sports Illustrated, joined Cheddar to discuss the fallout from the cancellations. "This is tennis' version of the NBA after [Michael] Jordan," he said. "Some Kobe [Bryant] or some LeBron [James] will come along, and we'll have new champions to cheer for."
Cheddar Bets, sponsored by BetMGM, is a first-of-its-kind look at the intersection of sports betting and financial markets with insider intel from BetMGM's oddsmakers.
