The Rio Farce, Day 11: Our first judging scandal, and Ellen steps in it...

• Ellen DeGeneres is the subject of controversy today.  As I've spoken about touchdown celebrations which honor dead friends and teammates getting flags for unsportsmanlike conduct, I must tell Ellen...  Blame the culture we live in.

DeGeneres tweeted after Usain Bolt won his third 100m gold medal that she might need him to carry her to speed up her errands, and included this Photoshopped picture:

This is how I’m running errands from now on. #Rio2016 pic.twitter.com/gYPtG9T1ao

— Ellen DeGeneres (@TheEllenShow) August 15, 2016

For which she was blasted for racism and making Bolt out like a common mule.

*sigh*

Look, the only reason a Black man is probably involved is that, frankly, it's been decades since the last White man who was the World's Fastest Man!

To those slamming Ellen (who has defended herself in a later Tweet):  Shaddap.

(Seen originally on Yahoo!)

• Took a week and a half, but we may finally have our first major judging scandal in these Games:  And SURPRISE SURPRISE!!  It's BOXING!!

Yahoo! Sports records at least three highly-questionable boxing decisions in the last two days (and a Russian gold medal was met with boos on Sunday, according to Inside the Games).  An American was probably robbed of a bronze (at least), and two Irishmen also have been jobbed (one to a Russian, after which the Irish boxer flipped off the judges!!!).
It's been at least 30 years of this shit, going back to that abject debacle at Chamshil in Seoul, capped off by Roy Jones Jr. getting silver to a Korean that was so criminally badly judged, Jones got the main sportsmanship award for those Games, judges were expelled from the Games, and boxing had it's judging system changed.

Then, what happened in either Beijing or London, and we're still back here again.

• So, Brazil...  Want to say Sweden are "a bunch of cowards" too?  0-0 draw after 120 minutes, Sweden wins in penalties to go to the gold medal game.
• A lot of people in the USA (read: NBC) are trying to create a controversy about the dive Shaunae Miller of the Bahamas used to win the 400m gold medal last night.  There's no controversy.  Miller not only dove to beat Alyson Felix to the line (you are judged by when your torso breaks the plane, not your head or arm), but Felix was catching her and probably was going to out-lean her otherwise.  On top of it, Miller stayed in her lane and fouled no one.  A true fall probably can't be with that level of control.  She jumped, she won.  Live with it.
• In the Good News Department:  5000m women's heat.  Nikki Hamblin (New Zealand) falls in the race, American Abbey D'Agostino trips over her as a result.  Both finish at the back end, but both insist to finish the race -- together! -- as an act of sportsmanship.  After judging the incident, both are ruled to be advanced to an enlarged final because of the accident. (Deadspin -- and some of the troll commenters can shut the fuck up)
• Artistic Gymnastics finally wrapped up today, and the USA cleaned up nicely.  More correctly:  Simone Biles did, winning four gold medals (team, all-around, floor, vault) -- the only four golds the USA won.  Although the women were the story, one can't ignore the men, who actually snared two silvers and a bronze of their own.  USA won 12 medals.  Great Britain won 7, including two golds.  Japan won two golds as well.
• The Egyptian judoka who refused to shake his Israeli opponent's hand has been expelled from the Games and sent home.
• Yulia Chermoshanskaya of Russia has been retroactively declared to have doped in Beijing in 2008 when she and her teammates won the 4x100m relay.  Belgium win the gold now, Nigeria silver and Brazil bronze. (Inside the Games daily blog)
• Might not hold up for long, but something interesting:  Great Britain is now also second in the total medals race at the moment -- 50 to China's 49.  Cycling has done very well for the Brits.
• Sebastian Brendel of Germany won the 1000m singles canoeing gold medal today -- one day after the national coach was killed in a taxi cab accident.
• A Bulgarian athlete has become the third person to be charged with attacking members of the cleaning crew at the Olympic Village.  The athlete, not named in the Inside the Games report, apparently went after four maids, punching them and choking at least one!