Saudi Arabia's First Female Judo Athlete Wins Greater Victory

Wojdan Ali Seraj Abdulrahim Shahrkhani celebrates being one of the first two female athletes from Saudi Arabia to compete in the Olympics.

Saudi Arabia has had a longstanding tradition of strict expectations on what people should do, including how women should and shouldn't act. In a changing world, things are even beginning to change in the conservative Middle Eastern kingdom. Long discouraged from participating in public athletic competitions, Saudi Arabia took a big step forward by allowing their first two female athletes to compete in Olympics this summer in London.

One of these two distinct athletes is Wojdan Ali Seraj Abdulrahim Shahrkhani. Competing as just a teenager, her sport is judo. Due to the special circumstances, she was allowed to compete against the high-level black belts typical of the competition, despite only being a blue belt herself. In Shahrkhani's first match, things started out slowly before she was defeated in just 82 seconds. As she arose from the mat, the crowd stood and cheered. They had just witnessed history.

This is a historic day. Not only in the history of the Olympics, but furthermore in the history of Saudi Arabia. For a country closed to change for so long, this is a big step forward in the right direction. While many around the world celebrate this accomplishment, it means something extraordinarily special to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia itself. Not being a Saudi Arabian myself, I will rely on the words of Saudi blogger Rafid Fatani. He stated, "I'll walk out later with the Saudi flag around my neck and my head up high as if we won the biggest gold medal in the history of the Olympians."

What a historic accomplishment this is. Shahrkhani will still face criticism and judgment from some who object to her competing. But she will also have the respect and adoration of millions around the world. I applaud the efforts of Shahrkhani, those who made it so that she could compete, and those who continue to support her now. The bravery this woman demonstrated should be inspiring to us all.

2012 MLB Trade Deadline Winners and Losers

The Philadelphia Phillies are one of my losers after treading away both Hunter Pence and Shane Victorino. (Brian Garfinkel and Kirby Lee)

The Major League Baseball trade deadline can have so much of an impact on a franchise. For a team looking to make it into the postseason, it could be adding that missing piece. On the other hand, a team looking to trade away some of their best players, might be looking for the perfect package of prospects in return. Passivity at the trade deadline is an option that can be perfectly fine or quite detrimental. I have sifted through all the trades that occurred before today's trade deadline to determine my three overall winners and losers.

Trade Deadline Winners


Los Angeles Dodgers
I don't think any team was as active at the trade deadline as the Dodgers were. The pitching has been solid all season, so the main focus was on bulking up the offense. Besides Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier, the Dodgers offense had struggled to do much this season. When rumors began to swirl that the Miami Marlins were frustrated with former star infielder Hanley Ramirez, the Dodgers got on the phone. The two sides finally worked out a deal. You can check out my full take on that trade here. Today, the Dodgers managed to acquire another quality veteran bat in center fielder Shane Victorino from the Philadelphia Phillies. While improving their lineup even more, they didn't have to give up much in return. Finally, they bolstered their bullpen with the addition of former Seattle Mariners closer Brandon League. The Los Angles Dodgers made three great moves without giving up either of their top two prospects, Zach Lee and Allen Webster.

Los Angeles Angels
The Dodgers weren't the only ones busy making phone calls in Los Angeles. The Angels were exploring options as well. Their lineup has already been thrust into full throttle by young star Mike Trout. It was the back of the rotation that had to concern the Angels front office. Starting pitching options are always fairly bleak at the trade deadline. Plus, teams are usually looking for an arm and a leg in return. Once Cole Hamels signed a long-term extension with the Phillies, Milwaukee Brewers ace Zack Greinke became the top arm available. The Angels paid the steep price, but got a very good pitcher in return. While I do have some concerns about him pitching in a big market with his anxiety issues, this was the right move for the Angels to make, especially when you consider that their divisional rival Texas Rangers were pushing to get him as well.

Pittsburgh Pirates
I believe the Pirates could be the sneaky big winner here at the trade deadline. The Pirates' first move was to bolster their already solid starting staff. They acquired a familiar opponent in Wandy Rodriguez from the Houston Astros. The move was good because they added a very good pitcher without overpaying. You can read my full analysis of that trade here. The Pirates wanted to add a big bat next. GM Neal Huntington looked to add many different options, but once again didn't want to overpay. Instead, he settled for two smaller hitting additions. The Pirates acquired first baseman Gaby Sanchez from the Miami Marlins. When Sanchez struggled early this year, they designated him for assignment in the minors. He does hit for power though. Each of the past two seasons, Sanchez has hit 19 home runs. He was also an All-Star last season. The Pirates also traded for outfielder Travis Snider from the Toronto Blue Jays. Snider offers similar hitting potential to Sanchez. Finally, the Pirates added reliever Chad Qualls from the New York Yankees to help fill out their bullpen. All in all, the Pirates made a number of great moves, without taking away too much from their bright future in their farm system.

Trade Deadline Losers


Miami Marlins
The Miami Marlins spent tons of money this past offseason. They opened a new stadium with a new team name. The Marlins pledged to their fans that they were going to be contenders and big spenders. They did acquire veteran Carlos Lee from the Astros, but even a third grader could probably tell you that Lee has been in full decline as a hitter. Then, the Marlins let their impatience and frustration with Hanley Ramirez get the better of them. They traded him to the Dodgers when his value was much lower than it should be. As if that weren't enough, the Marlins also dealt Omar Infante and Anibal Sanchez to the Detroit Tigers. So much for being contenders. This team is now somewhere muddled between being contenders and rebuilders.

Philadelphia Phillies
Which of the following is most surprising? A: The Phillies are 11 games under .500 under in August. B: The Phillies are in last place in the NL East. C: The Phillies are 15 1/2 games out of first place. D: The Phillies were big time sellers at the trade deadline. It has to be all of the above. It is hard to believe that the Phillies are having this terrible of a season. When they were first rumored to be sellers at the trade deadline, I couldn't believe it. This team isn't that far removed from being in the World Series. I was even more surprised when they decided to trade both outfielders Hunter Pence and Shane Victorino, two of the team's best hitters. The Phillies are definitely not going to get any better the rest of this season. If they don't make any moves in the offseason, they could be one of the worst teams in baseball next season. I don't really see how what the Phillies did at the trade deadline helped their situation at all.

St. Louis Cardinals
I was looking at the top contenders for the postseason, and most every team made at least one considerably key move, except for the St. Louis Cardinals. The Cardinals have been stuck in third place in the NL Central for awhile now. The first place Cincinnati Reds are playing great baseball and look like they are going to be difficult to catch. As I already mentioned, the second place Pirates made several key moves. The only move the Cardinals made was to add reliever Edward Mujica from the Marlins. Mujica tends to give up the home run ball and hasn't been at his best this year. The Cardinals weren't good enough to catch the Reds and Pirates before and little has happened to change that now. Unless something unexpected happens, I believe the reigning World Series champion Cardinals are going to miss the playoffs.

Nigerien Rower Issaka Inspires Spectators With Determination

Despite being far behind, Nigerien rower Hamadou Djibo Issaka keeps rowing as he listens to the cheers of the crowd watching. (AP Photo)

Prior to May, Hamadou Djibo Issaka had probably never even heard of a single scull. After all, he was from Niger, a land-locked country consisting mostly of desert. Suddenly, Issaka was told by the Niger Swimming Federation to give up swimming and go to Egypt to try and learn rowing. While this may seem puzzling, many people don't realize that the IOC Tripartite Commission gives out wild card spots in given sports so that countries can send up to five athletes to participate in the Summer Olympics.

Despite having only three months to learn, the Nigeriens felt as though Issaka had a chance to be good enough to earn a spot in London. Issaka spent additional time training at the International Rowing Development Center in Tunisia. Despite the hard work, little changed over the course of time. Issaka admitted, "I have no technique. I only have strength." That didn't matter because he was named as one of the six athletes to compete for Niger at the Summer Olympics this month in London.

Issaka was discouraged from participating in the Opening Ceremony because of how close it was to his first race. He decided to attend anyway to honor his native people back home. When asked about the experience, Issaka exclaimed, "It was magnificent! I had never seen fireworks before in my life!" The next big experience for him was his first race.

Issaka rowed and rowed. His form wasn't consistent, but slowly he was making progress. As the race wore on, he became more tired and slowed even more. When the winner crossed the finish line, Issaka was still rowing in the middle of Dorney Lake. The crowd took notice and came to their feet. They cheered and urged Isska on. Even an announcer proclaimed, "You can do it!" Finally, his boat crossed the finish line, but the applause and cheers did not stop.

It didn't matter to the crowd that Issaka finished nearly 1 minute and 40 seconds after the winner and over a minute behind the second-to-last finisher. He had shown them something different. True determination and perseverance. After the race, Issaka was jubilant and thankful. He stated, "There were so many people encouraging me. I was happy to finish under their applause. Really, I am happy for the whole country.

This is what the Olympics is all about. There are many athletes like Issaka who inspire their fellow countrymen with their valiant efforts. They might not win medals or be the talk of social media, but what they are is inspirational. By one man's efforts, a crowd of people was reminded of that. Then, there was the media who witnessed or heard about it, such as myself, who was reminded of that. Now, there is the reader, you, who is reading this and are inspired. We have all been inspired to persevere, just as a humble man named Hamadou Djibo Issaka of Niger did in a single skull on Dorney Lake.

France Gets Revenge Against USA in 4x100 Freestyle Relay

The French 4x100 relay team celebrate their come-from-behind victory to win the gold medal Sunday night. (Mark Terrill)

Since its inception, the Summer Olympics 4x100 freestyle relay has been one of the most highly contested competitions of all. Its history has been full of trash-talking, surprising upsets, and exciting finishes. In Beijing four years ago, France were the favorites to win it all. With a substantial lead going into the final leg, Alain Bernard looked like he would be able to bring the French the gold. However, American anchor Jason Lezak started to make a move down the stretch. Exerting all his effort, Lezak just beat out Bernard by 0.08 seconds to bring Team USA the upset victory.

This year's installment lived up to the billing of excitement as well. The Australians were the heavy favorites to win the gold, led off by James "The Missle" Magnussen. The United States relay team, featuring Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte, was among the other top contenders, along with France and dark horse Russia.

A shockingly poor first leg by Magnussen seemed to completely throw the Aussies out of sync. The United States took full advantage, building a substantial lead. France and Russia hung back just off the pace. American Cullen Jones gave Lochte, the anchor, a full second lead. But then all of a sudden, French anchor Yannick Agnel began to make his move. As the final stretch wore on, he got stronger and stronger before finally passing Lochte and winning the gold by 0.45 seconds.

While the French celebrated, the United States had to settle for silver. Meanwhile, Australia, the favorite, got beat out by Russia for the bronze. For France, winning the gold was sweet vengeance served. Agnel swam a beautiful final leg. At just 20 years of age, he is one of the bright young international stars of the sport. It will be interesting to see if this result will have any carry over effect into the rest of the swimming that is still to come.