Here We Go!

   When some graphic designer gets the idea that an emerging country's flag should be a combination of purple and pink, we're in trouble.  Not for the general esthetic questions of flying those colors over an embassy, but because athletes from that country are going to be, in a sense, all alone.


    The colors of the rings of the Olympic flag - Blue, Black, Red, Yellow and Green were chosen so that at least one color of every flag in the world is represented.  So, new Caribbean nation:  as much as it might bolster the tourism, no teal flag, please.


    The Nigerian men's basketball team arrives in Rio today - they are at the same time the African continent champion, and the lowest ranked team in the competition.  They scrimmaged the USA's latest Dream Team edition and kept it close - a 110-66 final.  Why bring this up?  The Nigerian's coach, Will Voigt, is a native of the state of Vermont.  He hopes that his team's play will inspire more young Nigerian men (and women) to take up basketball.  The D'Tigers have a small chance to make it out of group play, we'll be noting their results here on the blog.  They open against a very talented Argentina squad on August 7.


   One blog reader may be interested to learn about an American athlete named Ibtihaj Muhammad.  She is a fencer, a 30 year old, from Maplewood, New Jersey.  She was named an All American three times, during her fencing career at Duke.  She becomes the first American athlete who will compete while wearing a hijab.  What say you, @realDonaldTrump?


   Predictions for today:


   Women's soccer:


    Brazil over China
    South Africa over Sweden
    Germany over Zimbabwe
    USA over New Zealand
     Columbia over France