Sports
Jerry Lawler says his Akira Tozawa joke was not racist, got him banned from WWE
During a virtual signing with K&S Wrestlefest over the weekend, Jerry “The King” Lawler reflected on the controversial name he gave to a Japanese wrestler’s move that got him removed from his long-time role as commentator from “WWE Raw” in April 2020.
What happened: Lawler, a WWE Hall of Famer, defended his dubbing of a high-flying wrestling move by Akira Tozawa as a “Ramen Noodle Moonsault” during a match between Tozawa and Austin Theory. He alleges Tozawa told him days later that what he said was not racist, according to Post Wrestling.
Yoshihito Omi has a chance to become the first-ever Japanese NFL player
Japanese football player Yoshihito Omi was one of the talented 44 international athletes invited to the NFL’s international combine at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London on Tuesday.
The first Japanese NFL player?: Omi, 25, has a shot at becoming the first-ever player to represent Japan in the NFL after being invited to participate in Tuesday’s event, which was a part of the league’s International Player Pathway program created in 2017, according to USA Today.
Japanese grandfather discovers love for skateboarding after buying his first board for $7
An 81-year-old Japanese man accidentally discovered a new passion for a hobby most people his age don’t typically dabble in.
Sk8r boi: Yoshio Kinoshita, who picked up skateboarding two years ago, continuously gets better at the sport by learning from skaters much younger than him, reported Reuters.
Japanese robotics company solves empty stadium dilemma with 100-humanoid-robot cheerleading squad
The official Instagram account of Guinness World Records has posted a video of 100 humanoid robots performing a synchronized cheerleading routine at a baseball game in Japan.
Robot cheer team: Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, people around the world are not permitted to enter stadiums for sports events. Because athletes are missing the adrenaline rush of applauding audiences, a Japanese robotics company created an artificial cheer team of robots, reported Asianet News.
Red Sox announcer facing backlash for on-air joke mocking Asian American general manager’s name
WEEI Red Sox Radio Network announcer Sean McDonough drew criticism online for seemingly mocking San Francisco Giants executive Farhan Zaidi’s name during a wild card game between the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees on Tuesday night.
What happened: The issue was first brought to the public’s attention by Reuters tech correspondent Paresh Dave on Twitter on Wednesday, according to SF Gate.
‘I just heard the final bell’: Manny ‘PacMan’ Pacquiao announces retirement from boxing
Legendary boxer and Filipino politician Manny “PacMan” Pacquiao has officially announced his retirement from boxing.
Hanging up his gloves: After a 26-year-long career, the 42-year-old boxer has decided to retire from the sport, Hypebeast reported.
Shohei Ohtani just reached a milestone achieved by only one baseball legend ever
Major League Baseball two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani reached another milestone this year by matching a statistic only the greatest living baseball player has ever accomplished.
One of the GOATs: Ohtani joined Hall of Famer Willie Mays in an exclusive club after scoring back-to-back triples on Saturday to lead the Los Angeles Angels to a 14-1 victory over the Seattle Mariners, reported NBC Sports.
Dante Chen is the first Singaporean to ever wrestle in a WWE match
Dante Chen, whose real name is Sean Tan, is the first Singaporean to wrestle in a WWE match.
A star is born: Tan, 25, made his WWE debut on Sept. 21 when he beat his opponent Trey Baxter, subsequently making him the first Singaporean wrestler to not only be a part of the WWE stable but also the first Singaporean to win a WWE match, according to Channel News Asia.
Lakers ink $100 million partnership with Korean dumpling brand Bibigo
NBA team the Los Angeles Lakers have signed a five-year partnership with Bibigo, a South Korean food company best known for its dumplings.
Why it matters: Bibigo is a brand under CJ CheilJedang, which hails itself as “Korea’s No. 1 food company.” The deal, reported to be worth over $100 million, marks the Lakers’ first-ever international partnership.
US Open finalist Leylah Fernandez and her father give emotional thanks for how Canada ‘opened their doors’ to their immigrant family
After a hard-fought run in the U.S. Open, finalist Leylah Fernandez reflected on her time up until that point and how it “meant the world” to her.
The Journey: On Monday, Leylah, 19, joined the “Today” show to talk about how her tennis journey to the finals impacted her family and why she will continue to fight for her dreams.
MMA Champion Angela Lee gets into heated argument with Filipino reporter over pregnancy ‘vacation’
ONE Championship atomweight belt holder Angela Lee got into a heated debate with a Filipino reporter from GMA News when he asked if she should have vacated her title after going on a pregnancy “vacation.”
The two-year “vacation”: The argument happened on Sept. 8 during a virtual call attended by Lee, 25, her brother Christian and their sister, Victoria, on Sept. 8, South China Morning Post reported.
Emma Raducanu wanted to win U.S. Open so she could buy herself new AirPods
Emma Raducanu entered the U.S. Open as an underdog and emerged a global phenomenon.
Driving force: Raducanu showed tenacity throughout her U.S. Open campaign, winning 20 consecutive sets in 10 matches, partly because she wanted to buy herself a new pair of AirPods.