National Women & Girls in Sport Day is upon us

According to the Women’s Sports Foundation, February 5, 2020 marks the 34th Annual National Girls & Women in Sports Day (NGWSD), first established in 1987 under President Reagan. This celebration inspires girls and women to play sports and be active because “the confidence, strength and character gained through sports participation are the very tools girls and women need to become strong leaders in sports and life.”

NGWSD honors the achievements of female athletes, coaches and leaders and acknowledges the power of sports to unlock limitless potential. The Women’s Sports Foundation applauds the vital role played by the individuals and organizations who join us in championing this effort: advocates seeking to protect Title IX and advance gender equity, athletes using their platform to inspire greatness, and coaches working daily to promote play.

According to MUTigers.com, Mizzou Athletics will be offering ticket promotions to upcoming women’s sporting events so fans can catch Mizzou’s inspiring female athletes in person.

Women’s Basketball will hold an official celebration of NGWSD on Sunday, February 2 for the Arkansas game.

Promotional packages from Mizzou Athletics (with the links to purchase), are below:

• $15 Week Pass - Includes tickets to Mizzou Women’s Basketball vs. Kentucky (Jan. 30), Mizzou Gymnastics vs. Arkansas (Jan. 31) and Mizzou Women’s Basketball vs. Arkansas (Feb. 2). Purchasers get a free GRL PWR T-Shirt, and are invited to a mini clinic.
• $5 Day Pass - Includes tickets to Mizzou Women’s Basketball vs. Arkansas (Feb. 2) and a free GRL PWR T-Shirt, and a mini clinic.

Changes are among us with the WNBA’s new collective bargaining agreement (here - again- is the link to SB Nation’s guide to the new CBA), and support for women’s sports continues to be at the forefront as a result of the devastating news of Kobe Bryant and his daughter, Gigi’s passing. Kobe, as you probably know, was a huge proponent of women’s sports, and could often be seen (and heard) talking about the WNBA, the US Women’s National Team, Olympic swimming champions Katie Ledecky and Simone Manuel, as well as college and youth sports. Continuing to support girls and women in sport is so very important, and I only hope there are others out there willing to step up and do the same going forward.

Photo by Kelly Defina/Getty Images

A quick side note before moving on to the links... YESSSSSSSIRRRRR. Damn. What a game. Sweet mother of God. Pretty sure my voice is going to be gone, and I definitely held my breath in several instances for long enough I could have passed out. Sam should talk smack about the team more often on twitter (I say sarcastically), as that clearly had an effect on the outcome.

And Reed Nikko, I think I love you. Like, for real.

On to the links!

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Yesterday at Rock M

• Josh previewed Tuesday night’s home matchup against the Bulldogs, calling UGA young, exciting, and extremely beatable.
• Ryan posted a Georgia game thread if you wish to see what the rest of the commentariat had to say. Judging from the first ²⁄₃ + of the game, maybe skip way far down in the comments. (Side note- I have not looked at it)
• Matt A told us in his highly entertaining gamer that the comeback is complete.

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More Links:

Football

• PowerMizzou (subscribers): Sean Williams wrote a commitment analysis of the newest Tiger, Johnny Walker (excellent name).
• Get to know new tight ends coach & recruiting coordinator, Casey Woods!

Hoops

• St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Dave wrote that the team is trying to capture the form that led to the Illini/Florida wins. His game day blog covered Cuonzo’s thoughts on Kobe Bryant, Tray Jackson, and Georgia’s lottery pick.
• PowerMizzou (free): Mitchell previewed the Georgia game, saying in order to win the Tigers would need to 1) put the ball through the basket, 2) protect the paint, and 3) don’t let freshman phenom Anthony Edwards beat you, before predicting a WIN for the Tigers. (editor’s note: we definitely calmed AE down in the second half)
• Choose Your Own Gamers available in various places, all of which you should read because they’re all glorious, basking in that winning glow: Souichi Terada (KC Star). Dave Matter (St. Louis Post-Dispatch). Adam Reckamp (Columbia Missourian). Wilson Moore (Maneater). Thomas Huitt-Johnson (Trumans Tales).
• PowerMizzou Gameday wrap up coverage (free): Jessi Dodge provided a photo gallery and Mitchell said Reed Nikko emerged as an unlikely star in an unlikely comeback.
• Rivals.com (free): Corey Evans gave an update on the recruiting situation of Josh Christopher. Looks like right now it’s all Michigan and Arizona State, but there’s still plenty of time!
• 2020 signee, big man Jordan Wilmore, is hard at work. Love to see it.

• The women’s team is back in action on Thursday for a Gold Rush game. They are offering various promotions to kick attendance up a notch and add to the fun.

Other Mizzou Sports News

• Helen Hu for the win again!!! Freshman Helen Hu keeps racking up more and more SEC Specialist of the Week honors, according to this story by the Columbia Tribune.

• Gymnastics is hosting a Pink Out for breast cancer awareness on Friday at 6:30pm against Arkansas.

• In other SEC something-or-other of the Week news, congrats to Mizzou Track’s Ja’Mari Ward, winner of the SEC Men’s Track & Field Athlete of the Week! More news on this at MUTigers.com

• #TigerStyle added two-time NCAA qualifier at 133lbs, Matt Schmitt, a Missouri native and grad transfer from WVU, to the 2020-21 roster. More news on this at MUTigers.com

• Softball season is only 10 days away, and the team is hard at work. To prepare you, here’s a video from Head Coach Larissa Anderson about the culture.

• Looks like the soccer team did some training at MizzouRec on Tuesday!

Mizzou in the Pros / Former Player News

• CBS Sports said in a post a few days ago that Michael Porter, Jr may be the playoff weapon everyone thinks Denver needs to trade for, but if he keeps playing like this, they won’t need another star— because they already have one.
• SBNation site, the Denver Stiffs, said the Mike is helping Denver stay in the conversation as one of the best teams in the NBA.
• In the Denver Post’s Super Bowl Journal, Kyle Shurmur says his dad is super excited to work with Drew Lock.
• According to Sports Illustrated, in interviews at the Pro Bowl, it didn’t take long for Von Miller to bring up his favorite player, Drew Lock!
• Congrats to former DE, Justin Smith, on his induction to the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame!

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