Court of Arbitration for Sport decision to allow Kamila Valieva to compete is a slap in the face to sport integrity Figure skating has a reputation for corruption and questionable scoring techniques seen in the Olympic winter games. In 2002, at the Salt Lake City Olympics, the Canadian team composed of Jamie Salé and David Pelletier were belatedly awarded a gold medal due to a judging controversy...
I know what you’re thinking, figure skating in Obiter? I am a hardcore Raptors fan, but when the Olympics comes around, one of my favourite sports to watch other than hockey and short track speed skating is figure skating. For these Olympics, we will take you into each of the four-figure skating disciplines (men’s, women’s, pair’s, and ice dance) and make our predictions on who will achieve...
With the Omicron variant sweeping through the country, the Raptors may not have an audience to cheer them on right now, but we are always there to support our favorite (by default) Canadian basketball team. Now that the Raptors are nearly halfway through their first NBA season back at home during the COVID era, here’s a look at how the Raptors are faring this season. Overview & the bench The...
Welcome back to our preview of the NBA (National Basketball Association) season! We now turn to the West Coast and see which one of these powerhouse teams has the best chances to lift the Larry O’Brien Trophy come June 2022. Los Angeles Lakers The year 2020 seems like a long time ago, and yet also as if it was just yesterday. During this time, the Lakers championship team has completely...
After another shortened season and a summer filled with TMZ-level basketball drama, the NBA basketball season is back with a full 82 game schedule for its 75th season which began on Tuesday October 19. Let’s get reacquainted with some of the Eastern Conference teams that are expected to contend for the Larry O’Brien Trophy come April 2022. Brooklyn Nets On paper, this is the most volatile team in...
The Philadelphia 76ers appeared to be a team that had it all sorted out on paper: 2 NBA All Stars in Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons, playoff success for the past 5 years, the top seed during the 2020-2021 NBA Playoffs, and a city cheering them on every step of the way. The NBA championship seemed to be within the 76ers’ grasp as many believed that the 76ers would quickly dispatch of the Atlanta...
When Simone Biles walked off the floor and opted out of six of her six artistic gymnastics finals during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics due to a mental block, she shone a bright light on mental health issues in sports and the pressure that high-level athletes competing at both the Olympics and in professional sports leagues face on a near daily basis. Athletes such as Simone Biles, tennis player Naomi...
A Recap of the 2021 NBA Trade Deadline The NBA trade deadline day has always been a nerve-wracking day for NBA fans waiting to see whether their favourite players will be traded. For Raptors fans, this year’s trade deadline had the potential to be franchise-altering with the possibility of trading both franchise star and GROAT (Greatest Raptor of All Time) Kyle Lowry and long-time Raptor Norman...
Welcome back to NBA basketball! The NBA regular season has started once again a mere two months after the end of the 2019-2020 season, this time on a shortened 72 game schedule due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. While the NBA may have returned, the Raptors appear to remain on “vacation mode” as they begin their season with a losing record of 2-7 (at the time of writing), currently the second...
As the clock hit zero, Lebron James let out a shout of triumph as he and his teammates rushed to the court to celebrate winning another championship for Los Angeles. The celebration was different this year: with no fans present at the arena, the only sounds the audience could hear from home were the Lakers’ cheers of joy as confetti fell in the stadium. A few minutes later, the Lakers were...
A championship-proven team. Free food and drinks. Free penthouses. Coaching and medical staff attending to your needs. A city and country that loves and adores you. The opportunity to repeat as NBA champions. Who would say no to that? Kawhi could’ve had everything he wanted had he stayed in Toronto. Ultimately, the allure of playing in his hometown was the deciding factor for Kawhi to leave...
March 11, 2020 changed the 2019-2020 NBA season forever. That night, Rudy Gobert of the Utah Jazz tested positive for COVID-19 and soon after, the NBA season was suspended until further notice. Just five months later, the NBA playoffs are well underway inside a bubble at Walt Disney World in Orlando. It goes without saying that these playoffs are different from others: all playoff teams are...
Maple Leafs’ embarrassing loss to Emergency Goalie causes flashbacks to that Game Seven vs. Boston for fans On February 22, 2020, the Toronto Maple Leafs suffered one of their most embarrassing losses in history when they fell 6-3 to the Carolina Hurricanes, a team that was forced to send out David Ayres, a 42 year-old Zamboni Driver for the Toronto Marlies, as an emergency backup goalie after...
A Tribute to Kobe & Gianna Bryant January 22nd, 2006. I thought it was just another game. It wasn’t. I was at a family friend’s house celebrating his tenth birthday. We spent most of the day building snowmen and playing tag, hide and seek, Nintendo DS, and house. After stuffing ourselves with food and sweets, it was time for the basketball game to start. I wasn’t a basketball fan at the time:...
A re-telling of the Raptors’ incredible run to an NBA title, and the excitement that took over the city of Toronto. I strained to look over the crowd as the buses drew closer, the applause and cheers growing stronger as the bus neared our post next to Osgoode station. The NBA champions, grinning from ear to ear, showered champagne onto fans down below as they brandished the Larry O’Brien trophy;...