athan Quick will return in net for the U.S.3. Marchand will cas

RIO DE JANEIRO -- American Olympians were making a case that this was supposed to be the Year of the Woman.Team USA brought the biggest womens contingent in Olympic history, a group 292 strong that is piling up a heap of gold in events including womens gymnastics, swimming and cycling -- with more likely to come.Fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad became the only American to compete in the Olympics wearing a hijab. And the womens soccer team arrived at the games in pursuit of gold after a yearlong fight to be paid the same as their male counterparts.But audiences arent feeling a golden glow watching the accomplishments. Instead, theyre feeling defensive and taking to social media to slam what they perceive as sexist portrayals of some of the worlds greatest athletes.Some examples so far:- When gay beach volleyball player Larissa Franca embraced her spouse after a match, NBC Sports broadcaster Chris Marlowe referred to her as her husband, not wife.- Corey Cogdell-Unrein won a bronze medal in trapshooting -- the second bronze of her career -- and a tweet from the Chicago Tribune promoted her success in a headline as Wife of a Bears lineman wins a bronze medal today in Rio Olympics. She is married to Chicago Bears defensive end Mitch Unrein.- When Hungarian swimmer Katinka Hosszu set a world record in winning the gold medal in the 400-meter individual medley, NBC play-by-play announcer Dan Hicks noted her coach/husband Shane Tusup in the crowd and said: Theres the guy responsible for turning Katinka Hosszu, his wife, into a whole different swimmer.- The editor of an Italian newspaper was fired over the headline The Chubby Trio Just Misses Out On An Olympic Miracle after the countrys womens archery team finished fourth.- As three-time world champion Simone Biles performed on the uneven bars, NBC commentator Jim Watson said: I think she might even go higher than some of the men. And as the team chatted during preliminaries, he said they might as well be standing around at a mall.Each comment is pounced upon as a dig against women, that they arent as athletic -- important? -- as men, but that tone was set long before the games even opened. When NBC executive John Miller discussed tape-delayed broadcasts for the U.S. audience back in July, he argued that the core female audience isnt invested in the results.The people who watch the Olympics are not particularly sports fans, Miller said last month. More women watch the games than men, and for the women, theyre less interested in the result and more interested in the journey. Its sort of like the ultimate reality show and miniseries wrapped into one.NBC executives said on a Thursday conference call that 55 percent of its 18-and-over viewers for the Rio Olympics are women. Mark Lazarus, chairman of NBC Sports Group, was aware of the criticism concerning sexism in its coverage and said gymnastics announcer Al Trautwig had addressed comments he made regarding Biles adoption.Of course were sensitive if people feel were not being proper to certain groups, Lazarus said. In most of these cases, theyve been addressed very quickly by the talent themselves. In one particular case, we addressed with the talent that we felt the comments that (Trautwig) put on Twitter and not on the air were insensitive and he addressed that. We of course want to make sure that were being inclusive and open to all groups.Still, female viewers have been angered at the way women have been portrayed and have been relentless in pouncing on every perceived slight. Its impossible to know why its striking such a nerve now, but it could be that disgruntled viewers have been offended before, only now have multiple social platforms to talk about it.Social media and the internet have democratized communications globally. Everyone has a voice, no one needs a publisher, said Dennis Deninger, author of Sports on Television: The How and Why Behind What You See.Deninger, who teaches sports media courses at Syracuse University, believes NBC has put tremendous effort into its telecasts and selected its top talent for its coverage. But he noted a lack of female broadcasters at the venues, with the majority assigned to analysis or sideline roes.Andrea Joyce is the only female play-by-play announcer for NBC Sports, which has her assigned to rhythmic gymnastics. The network lists more than a dozen female analysts on its roster, most on less visible sports such as handball, shooting, water polo and field hockey.Even for all the womens events, the first analysis voice you hear is a male. When the message is delivered by a woman, thats a powerful moment for womens sports, Deninger said.He also noted that many of the hot button topics could have been avoided through simple journalistic rules.Some of the comments that have hit some nerves, all you need to do is go back to the basics and attribute, he said. If Dan Hicks had quoted Hosszu and said she credited her husband for her success, then you are being a reporter.The U.S. womens Olympic basketball team is used to it. While the men are celebrated for blowing out opponents, big victories by the women usually lead to questions about whether or not the big margins are bad for the game.Were never going to apologize for being that good, said Geno Auriemma, coach of the womens team.These are Olympians. Theyre supposed to play at a high level. Theyre professionals, theyre supposed to put on a show. Theyre supposed to entertain you.Diana Taurasi, who broke the U.S. Olympic record Wednesday with six 3-pointers, wondered why the mens team is never questioned about the negatives of being so dominant.I dont know how to answer it anymore, she said. Its a bit disrespectful, I would say. Its the world we live in.Adidas Superstar Goedkoop . Halladay signed a one-day contract with the Toronto Blue Jays on Monday that allowed the veteran right-hander to retire as a member of team with which he broke into the majors and spent the bulk of his distinguished 16-year career. Adidas NMD Aanbieding . -- In a span of seven Washington Redskins offensive plays, Justin Tuck sacked Robert Griffin III four times. http://www.nmdtekoop.com/stan-smith-sneakers.html . The parade and rally were held to celebrate the Saskatchewan Roughriders 45-23 win over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Sunday in the CFLs championship game. Adidas NMD Korting . The team says the Spain international has a muscle pull in his right leg. Barcelona hosts third-division side Cartagena in the return leg of their round-of-32 tie after winning their first meeting 4-1. Adidas Ultra Boost 19 Nederland . Lack made 20 saves for his third shutout of the season as the Canucks blanked the St. Louis Blues 1-0 in the first post-Olympic game for both teams night.Youve heard of Buccis Overtime Challenge? Well, this is Buccis Hat Trick Challenge. Whats the challenge part? Regularly coming up with three hits about the World Cup of Hockey. Sundays games are Team Russia vs. Team Sweden (3 p.m. ET, ESPN) and Team Finland vs. Team North America (8 p.m. ET, ESPN2).1. Starting strong: For the first time in my broadcasting career, I got to say Crosby scores! Canada vs. the Czech Republic was my first non-#cawlidgehawkey play-by-play broadcast outside of the times I turned down the sound on the TV and broadcasted hockey games into my Panasonic tape recorder. (Girls LOVED me in my teenage years.) For my first broadcast of NHL players to be a Saturday night in Toronto describing the movements of 29-year-old Sidney Crosby, who has now entered his true prime intersection of mind, body and soul, well, it was exhilarating. Team Canada was a unit of energy, concentration and confidence against the Czechs in a 6-0 win. The Mike Babcock-Crosby-Carey Price triumvirate has no peer here at the World Cup of Hockey.2. On the other hand: Team USAs collective slog through oatmeal against Europe (a 3-0 loss) was surprising. It was a rainy, humid (90-plus-percent) day in Toronto on Saturday, and that did make ice quality a challenge, as humidity always does. Humidity is the enemy of fast, firm ice. Humidity is still high Sunday. It was surprising to see Kyle Palmieri and Dustin Byffuglien sit as healthy scratches.ddddddddddddCoaches know their players better than we do, but Byfuglien is such a special, versatile force, I cant ever imagine not playing him. If Bill Belichick were a hockey coach, he would love using versatile players such as Byfuglien. I would think Palmieri and Byfuglien would be in versus Canada on Tuesday (8 p.m. ET, ESPN) and Jonathan Quick will return in net for the U.S.3. Marchand will cash in: Brad Marchands next contract will be something to watch for Boston Bruins and NHL fans of teams that want him. Marchand will become an unrestricted free agent next summer. For a seven-year deal, a team would be paying for Marchands age 29-35 seasons. An eight-year deal by the Bruins obviously makes the contract for ages 29-36. Marchand is in great shape and loves to train. In fact, a Bruins player told me last season that the Bruins have to slow Marchand down sometimes from overtraining. He should age well, and Mark Recchi, I think, is a good comparable to Marchand. Recchi continued to produce and be durable in his 29-36-year-old years. I think its going to take eight years at about $7 million per to sign Marchand, and Im surprised that it hasnt already been done by the Bruins. Teams will be lining up next summer if he becomes a UFA. ' ' '