🏉 Racism Behind Rioli's Retirement

Keep on truckin', it's Wednesday, 6 April

🔊 Sport Today Podcast

This morning, Sam Ferris and Martin Gabor are at the mic. 

Today's listen time: 9.5 minutes.

Listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify

📺  What we're watching 

🏀 10.00am - NBA - Bulls v Bucks - United Centre, Chicago - Foxtel, Kayo

🥊 7.00pm - Boxing - Harry Garside v Manuer Matet - Hordern Pavilion, Sydney - Foxtel, Kayo

⚽ 5.00am (Thu) - UEFA Champions League - Chelsea v Real Madrid - Stamford Bridge, London - Stan Sport

All times are in AEST

🏉 Racism at the heart of Rioli's retirement 

AFL fans smile when they hear Cyril Rioli’s name and immediately picture one of his incredible goals with Bruce McAvaney in commentary. But his was a career cut short, and new information shows it’s quite a complex and sad issue.

Golden points: Rioli was an elite player for the Hawthorn Hawks but stunned the AFL world when he retired in 2018.

• At the time, the then 28yo said he retired because he lost the desire to play after his dad suffered a heart attack a year earlier. But there was more to it. 

• Rioli was fed up with the racism he and his wife Shannyn Ah Sam-Rioli copped while he was at the club.

• There were a couple of red flags, but the tipping point was in 2018 when Hawks President Jeff Kennett made offensive comments about his wife’s jeans.

• Rioli says he’s hurt by the club and wants nothing to do with them while Kennett is there. That’s led to calls for the President to stand down immediately. 

They said it: "I love the bloke, he's a very loveable character...to see those comments, it really saddens you.” Hawthorn’s stand-in skipper Jaeger O’Meara hopes the club can fix things with Rioli.

What's next: Hawthorn coach Sam Mitchell has reached out to Rioli as the club looks to improve its education on Indigenous culture. The Hawks say their three current First Nations players feel "culturally safe". 

🏉 All hail the new Lion queen 

Tina Turner probably didn’t have Emily Bates in mind when she released Simply the Best. But it seems like the shoe fits after Bates took out AFLW’s biggest award. Actually, based on what her coach did, it should be ‘if the shoey fits’. 

Golden points: The Brisbane Lions just missed out on a spot in the Grand Final but at least they can celebrate their vice-captain, who was named the best and fairest player in the AFLW.

• The count could not have been any closer. Bates picked up all three votes in the final round to finish on 21, one clear of Adelaide’s Anne Hatchard.

• It was a huge night with Fremantle’s Ebony Antonio winning goal of the year, while North Melbourne player Tahlia Randall claimed mark of the year. 

• There was also a bit of history made when Orla O’Dwyer was picked in the All-Australian squad. No other Irish player had ever made it.

Watch it: Remember that coach we mentioned earlier? Well, Craig Starcevich did a shoey that Daniel Ricciardo would’ve been proud of. Check it out here.

⛳ Tiger is the hottest ticket in town 

Guess who’s back, back again. Tiger’s back, tell a friend. But don’t get their hopes up because his comeback hasn’t been confirmed just yet.

Golden points: Golf great Tiger Woods says that, as of now, he will play in the Masters in what would be his first pro event since he nearly died in a car crash last year.

• Isn't he leaving it a bit late? You’re right, there are less than 48 hours until golf’s biggest major tournament starts. But Woods wants to squeeze in 9 more holes to see how his body pulls up. 

• That seems reasonable because he nearly had his right leg amputated after the crash.

• Woods loves playing in Augusta. He’s won the Masters 5 times, most recently in 2019, and says he believes he can win it again if he plays.  

What’s next: So we’re still waiting for official confirmation. But if Woods does play, he’s listed to start at 12.34am (AEST) on Friday. You can watch his first round on 9Gem, Foxtel and Kayo. Fair to say the crowd will be going wild.

🏏 O captain! My captain!

Aaron Finch proved form is temporary but class is permanent to help the Aussies end their tour of Pakistan on a high.

The score: Australia 7/163 defeated Pakistan 8/162.

Golden points: Finch has struggled for runs this year but he played a captain’s knock to score a match-winning 55 in the run chase.

• He had some help with 4 other batters passing 20, while Nathan Ellis did the damage with the ball with 4 wickets.

• The win this morning caps a pretty solid tour of Pakistan. It had been 24 years since the Aussies last went there because of security reasons, but they’ll head home having won the Test series and the one-off T20.

What’s next: Keep an eye out on the Indian Premier League to see how the Aussies do. The men's national team won’t be in action until June when they travel to Sri Lanka.

🏀 We're not in Kansas anymore 

North Carolina players and fans found out the hard way that no lead is ever really safe in sports. 

Golden points: North Carolina led by 15 points at half-time in men’s college national basketball championship against Kansas. That lead wasn't enough, they lost 72-69.

• Hopefully all of the 70,000+ fans in New Orleans stayed until the end because this was the biggest comeback in national championship history. 

• The party is still going in Kansas. That was their 4th title and first win since 2008. 

They said it: "I've never had a script flipped like that. To win and show that much grit is off the charts." - Kansas coach Bill Self has probably studied those charts.

Watch it: Here are the highlights from the big game which North Carolina almost levelled at the end. That one has to hurt.

👀 Quick singles

🎾 Tennis players who misbehave on court will now face harsher punishments. The stronger fines and suspensions come after players like Nick Kyrgios and Alexander Zverev were reprimanded for outbursts on court that some people thought were too lenient. 

🏉 The Roosters have had a win ahead of the NRLW Grand Final with forward Sarah Togatuki cleared to play. Togatuki was in danger of missing the game through suspension but had her charge downgraded at the judiciary on Tuesday night.

⚽ England's 2 top teams had a very good morning in the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals. Manchester City beat Atlético Madrid 1-0 while Liverpool won 3-1 away to Benfica. 

🎾 Russian tennis star Daniil Medvedev could be banned from playing at Wimbledon this year. There are concerns that a Russian win would be a good thing for President Vladimir Putin but it might not be an issue because Medvedev is injured and in doubt for the event

🏉 The SCG will host its first rugby union Test since 1986 when England tours later this year. The Wallaroos will also be in action when they play a couple of Tests in May against Fiji and Japan. 

🏀 The Melbourne Boomers need to win tonight to keep their WNBL title hopes alive. They lost by 27 points in game one to the Perth Lynx, but this time they’re back on their home court. 

🎾 A 15yo tennis player is facing a lengthy ban after he slapped an opponent at the net in their juniors match in Ghana. Michael Kouame was the #1 seed and wasn’t happy after he lost to Raphael Nii Ankrah, so he slapped him when they were supposed to shake hands.

🙃 Left of field…

Aussie cricketer Alyssa Healy has shared the secret to her success in the Women's World Cup final. It's a breakfast of champions we can definitely get around. 

Golden points: Healy scored the highest individual total in a men's or women's World Cup final on Sunday, a mammoth 170 in Australia's win over England in Christchurch.

• Forget patience, discipline, watching the ball and things like that (although they certainly help), because Healy has shared the special breakfast she had on the morning of the final.

• It's a giant hotcake, covered in syrup with a big dollop of ice cream. It cost NZD$22 (AUD$22.20)

• Healy says she usually skips breakfast but now she might reconsider given the incredible performance that followed.

Watch it: After you watch Healy and teammate Beth Mooney talk about the breakfast of champions you can start preparing your own breaky. A hotcake, perhaps? 

📽 The highlight reel

No wonder Béni N'Kololo is smiling. The Mariners won 5-0 in the A-League Men last night, and he curled home this beauty.

📸 Photo finish

Nothing to see here other than NFL great Eli Manning dressed up as a Trojan Warrior standing next to a true USC Trogan Willie McGinest Jr for a new episode of the show Eli's Places. 

🏃‍♀️ The finish line

🏆 Today's trivia answer

Hideki Matsuyama was the first Japanese player to win the event when he won the 2021 Masters by one stroke.