[johngriffen]

SPORTS CENTER CONTEST #136

It's all OVER!
FRANCE WINS


And THANKS TO EVERYBODY who posted results, match up reviews, team information, participated in contests and Joined the Discussion for the 2018 World Cup
It was a great Tournament and was a lot of fun, providing us with many contests and many winners

As far as the Bracket Challenge goes, it was close until the very end.
Going into the 3rd Place game, over 10 people were in the hunt, and many more were hanging on
Those that stuck with the favorites in Round 4 and 5 were well rewarded, and as the smoke cleared, four people were tied at 36 points and it came down to the Tie Breaker. However, it really wasn't much of a Tie Breaker since 3 people picked the same number of goals, and one simply forgot to provide one. (Someone remind JG next time to come up with a better tie breaker )


CONGRATULATIONS TO
powerpoint
sr55
yousofine

They all finished in 1st place and will share the 1st through 3rd place WRZ$
pjmpjm lost out on his shot for the title by not including a tie breaker, and finished in 4th place
The other winners were
matina
WordDiva
EmpressReece
hija
kathyln
ms772
9trogue lost out on the last paying position by also not including a tie breaker
Also, 16 people in total had France for the Final Day, and all have earned the 25 WRZ$ Daily Bonus
Congratulations to ALL THE WINNERS!
Again, thanks to everybody for making this years World Cup special

For an index of open events and a directory of recent contest results, go HERE
If you are new to SPORTS CENTER or if you have questions, check out the Sports Center FAQ, go HERE

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[johngriffen]

SPORTS CENTER CONTEST #114

2018 WORLD CUP FINALS



Way bay back when, over a month and 35 contests ago, we asked a simple question...
Which two teams will make the Finals, and who will win it all
29 People gave it their best shot, and after a long wait, we now know the results
Needless to say, in this crazy cup year, nobody got it totally right
NOBODY picked the two finals team correctly thanks to Croatia's magical run
And only 8 people picked France to survive until the end
And only 5 people picked France to win it all...

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE WINNERS
hija
MaestroZanni
13Ice
lucidusgirl
WordDiva

They will all share the pool

It wasn't that simple predicting the 2018 WORLD CUP FINALS

And don't forget, you still have plenty of time to sign up for this first post World Cup and Wimbledon contest...
TRIFECTA - SPORTS CENTER CONTEST #161 GO HERE

For an index of open events and a directory of recent contest results, go HERE
If you are new to SPORTS CENTER or if you have questions, check out the Sports Center FAQ, go HERE

Bringing you 24 hour 365 days a year sports coverage

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[EmpressReece]

TRIFECTA CONTEST
Gibbs Flashy Lady
Hit'n Time
Super Miss B Haven

[yousofine]

TRIFECTA CONTEST
Hit'n Time
Oye Como Va
Gibbs Flashy Lady

TRIFECTA CONTEST
Hit'n Time
Oye Como Va
Gibbs Flashy Lady

[pjmpjm]

TRIFECTA CONTEST
Gibbs Flashy Lady
Hit'n Time
Super Miss B Haven

[johngriffen]

SPORTS CENTER CONTEST #160
WIMBLEDON PICK'EM

Again, a special thanks to Anna for providing the results. She's been doing a great job with the Recaps, but since this is a PICK'EM...

And just in case you missed her post...
FINAL SCORE
NOVAK DJOKOVIC beat KEVIN ANDERSON 6-2,6-2,7-6

12 smart people looked at the odds, and made the right pick
They will share the Pool - 42 WRZ$ each.

And while the match wasn't even close...
Picking the bonus winners was.
I've been reviewing them all day. Everybody really deserves a reward because every response met the criteria for Pick'em
We were pleased with the results. But unfortunately, WRZ$ don't grow on trees (or do they), so we narrowed it down to 7 winners.

Here are our Seven Winners

Totally Wrong, but good = Rd9011 with "He will ace his way towards victory. I think he is getting used to playing such marathons consistently. Also, Djokovic seems to get frustrated pretty quickly. I bet he would be eating the tennis ball the way Stan did last year against Nadal at French Open Finale"

Google didn't help and I still have no clue who Randy C is = EmpressReece with "Because he's Randy C.'s pick"

The Big Picture = hija with "Because he's european, and luck seems to favor them more in football and tennis this week"

Honesty = NeneJa with "I don't have time to think about it and this was the fastest one to copy paste"

True Pick'em Spirit = powerpoint with "He does have a cooler name"

Research = Angel Sardar with "Because he is the first South African in the final in 97 years!"

And finally
OUR GRAND CHAMPION

The DUH Award = sr55 with "Because I looked at the stats and went "yes, this one"."

Now THAT is the SPIRIT!


All seven winners will receive a 25 WRZ$ bonus

Thanks to all for playing. More PICK'EM Contests are in your the future.

And there is still plenty of time to get in
TRIFECTA - SPORTS CENTER CONTEST #161 GO HERE

For an index of open events and a directory of recent contest results, go HERE
If you are new to SPORTS CENTER or if you have questions, check out the Sports Center FAQ, go HERE

Bringing you 24 hour 365 days a year sports coverage

SPORTS CENTER

[pjmpjm]

John, silly me . . . non-soccer fan . . . thought 'tie-breaker' must mean 'Chose the winner of the England vs. Belgium match' and was too lazy to look it up. My own fault. At least there are no tie breakers in baseball . . .

[johngriffen]

That's a great book Pj...
And bummer about the lack of a tie breaker... however, you still won

[gorkevv]

I'm pretty sure a photo of the 2018 French team lifting the World Cup trophy can be found to replace whatever's on up there...

[johngriffen]

I'm pretty sure a photo of the 2018 French team lifting the World Cup trophy can be found to replace whatever's on up there...

PICKY... PICKY... PICKY...



In my own defense, that is the first picture that popped up in the "photo of 2018 French World Cup Champion" Search

OK, I've edited the pictures... IS THAT BETTER

And thanks Nonny

[matina]

TRIFECTA CONTEST
Oye Como Va
Gibbs Flashy Lady
Sweet May Kay

[Angel Sardar]

TRIFECTA CONTEST
Hit'n Time
Gibbs Flashy Lady
Tengas Rush

[pjmpjm]

Tour de France 2018: Why is there no women's equivalent?

https://www.bbc.com/sport/cycling/44831758

Why is there no women's Tour de France? Simply business or "blatant sexism", as former cyclist Kathryn Bertine claims? And will there be one any time soon?

On Tuesday, before the men's Tour resumes with stage 10, the world's top female riders will race in La Course.

It will only run as a single mountain stage this summer, having been a two-day event last year and held on the Champs-Elysees before the final stage of the men's race in its previous three outings since it began in 2014.

Bertine, who helped found campaign group Le Tour Entier to press the case for a women's Tour, describes that as "throwing women a token".

"It should be a five to 10-day race minimum by now," she told BBC Sport. "They probably don't even see it as sexism, but you could also say that it's just very lazy.

"The very top of the sport is where sexism is still strongest and that's what needs to be dismantled."

Tour organisers Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO) relented to Le Tour Entier's lobbying in 2014 by introducing La Course and Yann Le Moenner, the company's chief executive, said in March that the growing profile of women's cycling meant it "will definitely deserve a dedicated" equivalent of the Tour and "the sooner the better."

But what is the view from the world of women's cycling? What would a women's Tour look like? And will finance always be an issue?

Former British cyclist Nicole Cooke, who won the 2004 Giro Rosa and the Grande Boucle in 2006 and 2007, told a parliamentary select committee last year that cycling is a sport "run by men, for men".

Do female riders still fear the consequences of speaking out?

Bertine is heartened by hearing more current professional riders speaking with "courage" but says being under contract with teams makes that difficult for many others, especially because of the current lack of a minimum wage in the sport.

Australian Tiffany Cromwell, who rides for Canyon SRAM, told BBC Sport it is "a fine line" between wanting to be positive to have opportunities and "needing to speak up" to ensure progress does not stall.

And Britain's former world champion Lizzie Deignan says a lot of women "may be put off speaking out about sexism" because of reactions they have had and "there is no doubt staying quiet is the easier option".

"I sometimes get frustrated that I am asked about politics rather than my performance," she told BBC Sport. "But I am a passionate feminist and I understand people won't get to watch without me pushing for change with my voice as well as my legs."

TRIFECTA CONTEST
Hit'n Time
Gibbs Flashy Lady
Tengas Rush