Tom Brady retires from football after 22 years

The University of Tulsa women’s basketball team put on a good show Feb. 2 for the fans that showed up despite the severe weather outside. The game was initially supposed to hold a celebration for National Women in Sports day where they honor the players, coaches and alumni who made the team what it is today. The snow outside though postponed the ceremony, but the women indoors still continued with their game.

Temira Poindexter, a freshman forward on the team who has been crucial to their winning record this season, put up a onegame-high of 20 points. Prior to the game, Poindexter was named the American Athletic Conference freshman of the week,

which brought the tally of her accolades up to six in the 11 weeks of the season. She has shown range in all aspects of the game, with high shooting percentages but also high rebounding statistics.

While Tulsa’s team led the majority of the game, Houston slowly started closing the lead during the second half of the game, until the two teams were just one point apart. A basket by Houston switched them into the lead, and the ball, and score, kept going back and forth between the two teams for the duration of the time left. At a crucial point when the clock was rapidly winding down, Tulsa’s Maya Mayberry scored a layup to put Tulsa ahead 64-63 with 18 seconds left. After holding a timeout, Houston came back strong on offense and with just a few seconds on the clock, with a rebound shot allowing Houston to win the game 6564.

Losing is not a feeling that the Tulsa team knows well though, as they currently hold a 13-5 overall record. Their recent loss against Houston marks the only time in their season where they’ve lost two games in a row, having fallen to Cincinnati just a few days prior.

Like Poindexter, many other players on the team are receiving personal accolades and recognition for their work on the court. Wyvette Mayberry is currently holding the position of most points scored on the team with 248 and was recognized on Jan. 27 for having the highest three-point shot percentage in the nation at 50%. Her sister, Maya Mayberry is right below in points with 195. The team as a whole is also nationally recognized and ranked for having the secondhighest number of three-pointers. They are currently 3-5 in their conference, though all games Tulsa has lost in their conference have been back and forth scoring with a final that could have gone either way.

The next game will be on Feb. 6 at Wichita, before returning home on Feb. 12 against Temple to celebrate National Women in Sports Day. At halftime, Alicia Conner-Todd, a former basketball player in the late 1970s, will be recognized for her contribution to sports. Connor-Todd also received her bachelor’s and master’s in nursing at the University of Tulsa. She is now a member of Tulsa’s Letterwinner’s Association and the Athletic Hall of Fame Committee.

courtesy @TUWBasketball on Twitter

After a thrilling career that has won him the title of the Greatest of All Time in many circles, it has been announced that Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady will officially toss in the towel and hang up his cleats. At 44, he has decided to finally retire, finishing with seven Lombardi trophies success is what I love so much about our game,” he said. “There is a physical, mental and emotional challenge EVERY single day that has allowed me to maximize my highest potential. And I have tried my very best these past 22 years. There are no shortcuts to success on the field or in life.”

and leading both the New England Patriots and the Buccaneers to the Super Bowl a total of seven times (and winning five MVPs along the way), among other great victories in a long and impressive career.

Brady took to Instagram to discuss his career and retirement. “I have always believed the sport of football is an ‘all-in’ proposition—if a 100% competitive commitment isn’t there, you won’t succeed, and

“This is difficult for me to write, but here it goes: I am not going to make that competitive commitment anymore. I have loved my NFL career, and now it is time to focus my time and energy on other things that require my attention. I’ve done a lot of reflecting the past week and have asked myself difficult questions. And I am so proud of what we have achieved. My teammates, coaches, fellow competitors and fans deserve 100% of me, but right now, it’s best I leave the field of play to the next generation of dedicated and committed athletes.”

Although a short-lived run with his current team starting in 2020, Brady speaks fondly on the time with them in his reflections. In his post, he went on to say, “To my Bucs teammates the past two years, I love you guys, and I have loved going to battle with you. You have dug so deep to challenge yourself, and it inspired me to wake up every day and give you my best. I am always here for you guys and want to see you continue to push yourselves to be your best. I couldn’t be happier with what we accomplished together.”

Of course, Brady is best-known for his time spent with the Patriots for the majority of his career since 2000. He did not address them directly, but he did take the time to thank the team in a later response, as well as his thousands of fans that have stood by him throughout all his years in the sport. This was prompted by a statement by Robert Kraft, owner of the New England Patriots, in which he said the following:

“Words cannot describe the feelings I have for Tom Brady, nor adequately express the gratitude my family, the New England Patriots, and our fans have for Tom for all he did during his career. A generation of football fans have grown up knowing only an NFL in which Tom Brady dominated. … You didn’t have to be a Patriots fan to respect and appreciate his competitiveness, determination and will to win that fueled his success. As a fan of football, it was a privilege to watch. As a Patriots fan, it was a dream come true.”

This statement by Kraft really says it all. Despite the bumps in the road of his career, all the wins and losses, the only thing to do is to look back on all the amazing moments in this football player’s career, and look to the future with hope that there will be another competitor that brings as much joy to so many people.

courtesy @Buccaneers on Twitter

courtesy @Buccaneers on Twitter courtesy @Buccaneers on Twitter

After the championship match between Rafael Nadal and Daniil Medvedev lasting five hours and 24 minutes ended, Nadal became the first man to win 21 Grand Slam Tennis titles.

Nadal doesn’t hold this record by much, though, as going into the Australia Open there were three men’s players who each had 20 Grand Slam wins, vying for the record: Nadal, Roger Federer, who had to drop out early on due to a recent knee surgery, and Novak Djokovic.

Nadal and Djokovic have been continuously fighting for the ‘Best in the World’ title in a rivalry that spans over a decade. The two players have faced off 58 times, with Djokovic leading the feud 30-28. Last year at the French Open, a tournament generally dominated by Nadal, Djokovic pulled out a win in the championship when the two men went against each other. Since Djokovic was seeded #1 in the Australian Open this year, it’s almost inevitable that if Djokovic would have followed the COVID regulations like every other player, the two men would have faced off again at the championship game at the Australian Open. However, after days of fighting with the Australian government, Djokovic was sent home, unable to compete.

Since Djokovic had 2 more wins than Nadal in their long-spanning rivalry, it’s very possible that the championship game could have had a very different outcome and the record could be held by Djokovic now. However Nadal is quickly rising to be a new favorite in the eyes of the fans, not just because of the major win, but also his outspoken gratitude towards the countries who

let players from all over the world compete in tennis tournaments during the pandemic. It’s a stark contrast from Djokovic’s COVID deportation.

Nadal didn’t have an easy feat even though Djokovic wasn’t able to play, as the championship match against Medvedev went into five games. In addition to the comeback after losing the first game 2-6, Nadal played the five-hour game experiencing chronic foot pain after an injury last year that almost put him into early retirement. After congratulating his teammate after the game and hugging his father in celebration, Nadal collapsed on the court and had to be

courtesy @AustralianOpen on Twitter

assisted up the stairs to his press conference. Even with the pain he endured during the game, and the quintessential rest he’ll have to delay practices for, Nadal says breaking the record was worth it. Federer and Djokovic both congratulated him instantly on the victory.

As these three men have been competing with each other and facing chronic pain, knee injuries and Australian deportation officers on their road to a history book, Margaret Court is still sitting comfortably at the top with 24 Grand Slam wins. Court is currently retired, but has held this record since 1973, and was also the first woman to win all four Grand Slam tournaments in the same year, 1970. Following Court, Serena Williams has 23 Grand Slam wins and is looking to attain more in the coming years. Steffi Graf, a retired German player, is third with 22 Grand Slam wins. This means Nadal’s win on Jan. 30 put him at fourth in the world for overall Grand Slam wins, with Federer and Djokovic still tied for fifth.

courtesy @AustralianOpen on Twitter courtesy @AustralianOpen on Twitter