Gronk Still Loves 69
Rob Gronkowski is now 31. Hard to believe given he hasn't matured much by way of off-field activities. The tight end has always been a party boy who on numerous occasions has let the world know that his favorite number is in fact 69. So of course when asked by TMZ what percentage chance he gives former teammate Julian Edelman to come back to the NFL and play with the Bucs, Gronk said 69%. While it is intriguing to think that the WR could resume play with his former pals Brady and Gronk I don't think the chances of him returning to action at that high. But leave it to Gronk to always be on brand and throw that number 69 out there.
Let the Countdown Begin!
We are officially 100 days out from the "2020" Olympic Games in Tokyo. The problem is, not only is COVID-19 still very much a thing, it is a huge problem in Japan. Only 1 million people out of the 126 million that populate the area have been vaccinated up to this point. Of those 126 million people only 0.4% have been given both doses of the vaccine. The Prime Minister of Japan is expecting there to be 100 million vaccines for the country by the end of June, which is great if they can get there. Just last Saturday the country surpassed the 500,000 mark of people who currently have COVID. This occurring during Japan's 4th wave.
Some say the issue in Japan is the lack of coverage on the vaccine. People just aren't as aware of when and how to get it when they are available compared to the mainstream coverage it gets in other parts of the world. Here's hoping that changes quickly.
In the States the NFL pulled off the Super Bowl which most predicted be a "Super Spreader" event. Luckily it wasn't. The Olympics will test athletes prior to their arrival, upon their arrival and throughout their stay in an effort to not be a Super Spreader event. I'm really hoping Tokyo can pull it off and we can have a fun, safe and successful Olympics.
A Player Gets Played
Last weekend's Masters was a wonderful event. Although it lacked some of the excitement most like to see on Sunday it was overall a successful tournament with countless story lines. The latest story from Augusta involves Gary Player's son Wayne. Gary of course took an honorary tee shot prior to the start of the event on Thursday. Serving as his caddie was his son Wayne. For whatever reason, Wayne decided to blatantly promote OnCore golf balls on National TV at the start of the greatest golf event. This was not something OnCore asked him to do. It was not something he was supposed to do. He just did it, by holding up the sleeve of golf balls almost the entire time he was on camera. For this action, Wayne Player has now been banned from The Masters Tournament and Augusta National.
Golfers are walking billboards when they are on the course. From their hats, shirts and golf bags many athletes promote their sponsors by simply getting dressed before each round. Obviously that's not an issue and at this point is part of golf and the PGA's DNA. The issue with Wayne, was taking the moment that was supposed to be about honoring Lee Elder and his father and turning it into a marketing distraction. Wayne of course has had issues in the past, specifically in Augusta. His brother Marc was quick to mention that on Twitter. Now that Wayne has not only been banned from The Masters Tournament but from Augusta National in general, perhaps he will stop causing so much trouble.
Get to the Salty Shakedown to get my complete takes on these matters and more!