Page 44 - Sports Energy News, Cornwall, Issue No 144

44 Issue #144 January 2025 www.sportsenergynews.com

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Stories And More About The People In Stormont, Dundas & Glengarry
It’s been a busy 2024 in the world of sports. In your opinion, what has been the most important
story in sports during this past year?

Jake Lapierre - Upon reflection of the vast number of sports stories that have transpired in 2024, there are many worth
noting such as (just to name a few,) the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) inaugural season, Connor McDavid
last season 42 points playoff performance, the fantastic athletic achievements by Canadian athletes who competed at the 2024
Paris Olympics.
One story that caught my attention was the story of a young athlete making a big splash in the pool at the Olympics; a Canadian
swimmer named Summer McIntosh. Summer collected three gold medals (first Canadian athlete to win three gold medals at
one Olympic game,) and one silver medal at the Games. The story with this now eighteen-year-old amazing athlete continues to grow as she
competed and dominated the World Aquatics Swimming Championships held in Budapest, Hungary, just a few weeks ago. (December 10,
2024.) On Thursday, December 12, Summer set a second world record of the meet, beating a 10-year-old record in the 200m butterfly.
These Olympians and their stories inspire all Canadians and instill a sense of pride. We should all support athletes, young and old.

Jim Riddell - Looking back over the sporting events of 2024, one thing that stands out is the prominent role that females have
played throughout the entire year. Caitlin Clark was chosen 1st overall in the WNBA draft, set records, won Rookie of the Year
Award as well as Time Magazine’s Athlete of the Year Award for 2024. The Woman’s Professional Hockey League (WPHL) is
building on its successful inaugural season with increased attendance and plans to expand from six to eight teams for 2025-26.
Summer McIntosh won three Olympic medals in swimming and has been named Canada’s Athlete of the Year for 2024. Some
of the other ladies at the Paris Olympics were in the news for the wrong reasons, as the Canadian Woman’s soccer team was
heavily penalized for using a drone camera to gather information on an opposing team. Then there were the female boxers from China (Lin
Yu-Ting) and Algeria (Imane Khalif) who had reportedly failed an undisclosed gender eligibility test at another competition in 2023. Last but
certainly not least is the impact that Taylor Swift has had on the NFL through her relationship with Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs. In
the past year, the NFL’s female fan base has increased by more than 4 million and merchandising sales across its product line are now at an
all-time high.
Peter Collins - Sports Enthusiast - In a year that included the Paris Olympics, the Chiefs repeating as Super Bowl winners,
and Scottie Scheffler dominating golf like no one since Tiger Woods, the most important story in sports may have involved
a hedge-fund manager. Yes, Steve Cohen, owner of the New York Mets, won the Juan Soto sweepstakes recently by signing
Soto to a record setting 765-million-dollar fifteen-year contract. The cross-town Yankees, our Blue Jays, the Red Sox, and the
Dodgers were all finalists in the pursuit of Soto. But once Cohen decided that he wanted Soto for his Mets, it was game over.
That Cohen won the bidding war should surprise no-one. He’s worth over twenty billion dollars, once paid ninety-one million
dollars for a sculpture of a stainless-steel rabbit. If you can pay that kind of cash for a three-foot bunny, signing a baseball player is not that
big of a deal. That’s two years in a row that the Blue Jays miss out on a premium free agent. As rich as the Jays owners are, they cannot match
Cohen’s assets. In fact, they weren’t even close in their bid, they missed by more than a hare!