An article entitled "The Future of Men's Gymnastics Is Not Well-Balanced" recently appeared in the New York Times. The fluff piece fed into the failed narrative that is part of the reason for the sport's relative unpopularity. The worst part of it was the reference to a lack of a "Magic Mike effect." The last time I looked, none of the major men's sports (Olympics or otherwise) are marketed via such an "effect." It does not exist. The only time in sports history when Magic and Mike coexisted as a marketing force was in the late '80s and early '90s -- Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan. The double standard exhibited in the article is typical, of course. The author seems dumbfounded as to why Men's Gymnastics has not "captured the imagination of American spectators with the "male ogling" big business aspect inspired by [...more]
As evident from Day 1 competition, a six-for-six performance on Day 2 would absolutely guarantee Sam Mikulak his fifth U.S. championship. Mikulak left no doubt, punctuated by a stuck dismount on his final event (HB), he went six-for-six. His 87.75 on the day gave him a two-day total (172.90) that put him almost 5 points ahead of runner-up Yul Moldauer (168.15). Mikulak placed in the top 5 on all six events, winning additional titles on [...more]
Sam Mikulak (85.15), despite falls on HB and PH, easily took the first day lead. He led all Seniors in scoring on FX (14.75) and PB (14.30). A six-for-six performance on Saturday night will likely deliver him his 5th U.S. all-around title. Co-favorite Yul Moldauer (82.70) was never quite in sync most of the night, and ended up in 6th place. Akash Modi (84.10) sits in 2nd place by virtue of his four top-5 finishes. He was clean and consistent throughout. Allan Bower (83.85) led the field for three rotations, [...more]
