Part of what makes the Olympics fun is that if someone from your country is competing, you know who to root for. It doesn’t matter if you’ve never heard of the athlete. It doesn’t matter if you’re not really sure how the event works (do shot putters have to hold the shot put against their neck?). If, in my case, I see someone representing the US of A, that’s my guy/girl.
Simple, right?
To use a phrase never applied to the subject of this story: Not so fast.
Which teams outside the top 15 have a shot at the playoff? Steve and I discuss some sleeper picks for the upcoming college football season. We also talk Olympics: Is there a not-yet-Olympic-sanctioned sport for which we could medal? Send questions for next pod!
I always hope my articles, in some way, inform readers. But this post in particular serves no other purpose. If you’ve been watching the Olympics — and since these are the Summer (and not Winter) Games, I sure hope you are — you might have seen some dark red splotches on Michael Phelps’ back last night. I’ve noticed them on other athletes, including gymnasts. They are the result of “cupping,” a post-exercise process that involves sticking plastic suction cups on sore muscles.
I know this because my wife “cups,” so I’d seen the softball-sized circles on her back and shoulders before. She convinced me to try it once, but the cups wouldn’t stick to my Lebanese skin. We’ve debated the effectiveness of cupping , but now that Olympic athletes are using them, my wife has been proven “right.”
Anyway, I hadn’t heard an announcer mention them, but I have to imagine people are wondering if Phelps had been repeatedly hit with a mallet or something. Now you know he’s just a cupping addict.
The Sportswriting of Andrew Kahn 
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