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RIO DE JANEIRO -- American Olympians were making a case that this was supposed to be the Year of the Woman.Team USA brought the biggest womens contingent in Olympic history, a group 292 strong that is piling up a heap of gold in events including womens gymnastics, swimming and cycling -- with more likely to come.Fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad became the only American to compete in the Olympics wearing a hijab. And the womens soccer team arrived at the games in pursuit of gold after a yearlong fight to be paid the same as their male counterparts.But audiences arent feeling a golden glow watching the accomplishments. Instead, theyre feeling defensive and taking to social media to slam what they perceive as sexist portrayals of some of the worlds greatest athletes.Some examples so far:- When gay beach volleyball player Larissa Franca embraced her spouse after a match, NBC Sports broadcaster Chris Marlowe referred to her as her husband, not wife.- Corey Cogdell-Unrein won a bronze medal in trapshooting -- the second bronze of her career -- and a tweet from the Chicago Tribune promoted her success in a headline as Wife of a Bears lineman wins a bronze medal today in Rio Olympics. She is married to Chicago Bears defensive end Mitch Unrein.- When Hungarian swimmer Katinka Hosszu set a world record in winning the gold medal in the 400-meter individual medley, NBC play-by-play announcer Dan Hicks noted her coach/husband Shane Tusup in the crowd and said: Theres the guy responsible for turning Katinka Hosszu, his wife, into a whole different swimmer.- The editor of an Italian newspaper was fired over the headline The Chubby Trio Just Misses Out On An Olympic Miracle after the countrys womens archery team finished fourth.- As three-time world champion Simone Biles performed on the uneven bars, NBC commentator Jim Watson said: I think she might even go higher than some of the men. And as the team chatted during preliminaries, he said they might as well be standing around at a mall.Each comment is pounced upon as a dig against women, that they arent as athletic -- important? -- as men, but that tone was set long before the games even opened. When NBC executive John Miller discussed tape-delayed broadcasts for the U.S. audience back in July, he argued that the core female audience isnt invested in the results.The people who watch the Olympics are not particularly sports fans, Miller said last month. More women watch the games than men, and for the women, theyre less interested in the result and more interested in the journey. Its sort of like the ultimate reality show and miniseries wrapped into one.NBC executives said on a Thursday conference call that 55 percent of its 18-and-over viewers for the Rio Olympics are women. Mark Lazarus, chairman of NBC Sports Group, was aware of the criticism concerning sexism in its coverage and said gymnastics announcer Al Trautwig had addressed comments he made regarding Biles adoption.Of course were sensitive if people feel were not being proper to certain groups, Lazarus said. In most of these cases, theyve been addressed very quickly by the talent themselves. In one particular case, we addressed with the talent that we felt the comments that (Trautwig) put on Twitter and not on the air were insensitive and he addressed that. We of course want to make sure that were being inclusive and open to all groups.Still, female viewers have been angered at the way women have been portrayed and have been relentless in pouncing on every perceived slight. Its impossible to know why its striking such a nerve now, but it could be that disgruntled viewers have been offended before, only now have multiple social platforms to talk about it.Social media and the internet have democratized communications globally. Everyone has a voice, no one needs a publisher, said Dennis Deninger, author of Sports on Television: The How and Why Behind What You See.Deninger, who teaches sports media courses at Syracuse University, believes NBC has put tremendous effort into its telecasts and selected its top talent for its coverage. But he noted a lack of female broadcasters at the venues, with the majority assigned to analysis or sideline roes.Andrea Joyce is the only female play-by-play announcer for NBC Sports, which has her assigned to rhythmic gymnastics. The network lists more than a dozen female analysts on its roster, most on less visible sports such as handball, shooting, water polo and field hockey.Even for all the womens events, the first analysis voice you hear is a male. When the message is delivered by a woman, thats a powerful moment for womens sports, Deninger said.He also noted that many of the hot button topics could have been avoided through simple journalistic rules.Some of the comments that have hit some nerves, all you need to do is go back to the basics and attribute, he said. If Dan Hicks had quoted Hosszu and said she credited her husband for her success, then you are being a reporter.The U.S. womens Olympic basketball team is used to it. While the men are celebrated for blowing out opponents, big victories by the women usually lead to questions about whether or not the big margins are bad for the game.Were never going to apologize for being that good, said Geno Auriemma, coach of the womens team.These are Olympians. Theyre supposed to play at a high level. Theyre professionals, theyre supposed to put on a show. Theyre supposed to entertain you.Diana Taurasi, who broke the U.S. Olympic record Wednesday with six 3-pointers, wondered why the mens team is never questioned about the negatives of being so dominant.I dont know how to answer it anymore, she said. Its a bit disrespectful, I would say. Its the world we live in. Seattle Mariners Shirts . Having already announced that the race will start May 9 with three stages in Northern Ireland and Ireland and finish in Trieste on June 1, the rest of the route was unveiled Monday. Custom Seattle Mariners Jerseys . Oaklands loss to Seattle clinched the ALs best record for the Red Sox with one day to spare in the regular season. "I think everybody was kind of watching," catcher David Ross said. "Demp (Ryan Dempster) came out before he went to the bullpen and was just yelling that they lost. https://www.cheapmariners.com/ . One game after a miserable showing in Oklahoma City, Gay tied a career high with 41 points and the Sacramento Kings cruised to a 114-97 victory at the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday night. Wholesale Mariners Jerseys . John Tavares, Thomas Vanek and Kyle Okposo were also being counted on to slow down sizzling Rangers forward Rick Nash. That plan didnt go so well early. Fake Mariners Jerseys .B. - Sebastien Auger made 44 saves as the Saint John Sea Dogs edged the visiting Acadie-Bathurst Titan 2-1 on Saturday in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action. Since the Lynx began their run of excellence in 2011, theyve wanted to be equally good on both ends of the floor. That might sound simplistic -- who doesnt want that, right? -- but the reality for even most really good WNBA teams is theyre probably going to be a little better at either offense or defense.Minnesota, though, has proved to be excellent at both for a long time. Now the Lynx will take on an opponent in the WNBA Finals, the Los Angeles Sparks, that this season can say the same thing.Were kind of meeting our match, if you will, Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve said. How we get things done is a little different. But both teams can score, both can defend. Its going to be a fight.The WNBAs 20th anniversary season comes to an end with a Finals matchup featuring star power, intriguing storylines and two coaches with a lot of respect for each others ability to strategize and prepare their teams.Its the matchup that everyone recognized back in June was going to be the WNBAs most competitive rivalry this season. The Lynx finished 28-6, and the Sparks 26-8, and both got byes into the semifinals under the new playoff format.The Lynx then swept Phoenix, and the Sparks beat Chicago 3-1. Theyll start their best-of-five WNBA Finals series Sunday in Minneapolis (ABC, 3 p.m. ET). The Lynx hope to tie the former Houston Comets record of four titles, and the Sparks will try to win their first championship since back-to-back titles in 2001-02.The Lynx have been able to maintain their hunger even though their core group -- Maya Moore, Lindsay Whalen, Seimone Augustus and Rebekkah Brunson -- has three championships. That says a great deal about their chemistry.None of the Sparks have won a WNBA title, and only one player on their roster, Ann Wauters, has been in the WNBA Finals before. She was a starter in 2008 for San Antonio, which was swept by Detroit. Now shes a reserve near the end of her careeer -- she turns 36 on Oct.dddddddddddd 12 -- but with another chance to try to win a championship.For players such as Candace Parker (all nine seasons with the Sparks) and Kristi Toliver (seven of her eight seasons with L.A.), Tuesdays 95-75 victory over Chicago helped put to rest some of the playoff ghosts that had been haunting the franchise the past several years.Then theres Alana Beard, who is Los Angeles longest-tenured WNBA player. She has been in the league since 2004 and has played 11 seasons; she missed 2010 and 11 dealing with severe ankle problems. (Wauters entered the league before Beard, in 2000, but has played nine seasons.)Beards first six years were with Washington, which has never gone to the WNBA Finals. So you can imagine how much this means to her.And its also a very big deal to Nneka Ogwumike, who like Parker was a No. 1 draft pick for the Sparks. Ogwumike was the league MVP this year; Parker won that honor in 2008 and 2013.One member of the Sparks who has WNBA championship experience is coach Brian Agler, who led Seattle to the 2010 title. He also guided Columbus to the only two ABL championships, in 1997 and 98.The Sparks arent just happy to have made the WNBA Finals, though. They know they can compete with Minnesota. The Sparks won one of their three games in the regular season against the Lynx: 94-76 on June 24 at Minnesota. And their two losses in Los Angeles -- June 21 and Sept. 6 -- were both by just three points.But the Sparks also know there is no opponent they could face with more experience in what it takes to prevail in the WNBA Finals. The Lynx have advanced that far four of the past five years, winning three of them.Well see how it plays out, but on paper the series is exactly what youd hope for from the WNBA Finals. ' ' '