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The prospect of winning gold isnt good enough for some of tenniss most decorated players. Last week, Bob?and Mike Bryan, owners of 16 Grand Slam titles, became the latest to drop out of the Rio Games, which start later this week.The brothers, who won the gold medal in London four years ago, joined a number of top-10 singles players bailing on Rio. Unfortunate, yes, but a permanent blemish on tennis? Far from it.We still have Serena Williams, who will enter the competition fresh off her record-tying 22nd Grand Slam title run at Wimbledon. The mens top player, Novak Djokovic, will also be there. After running through the French Open field to cap a career Grand Slam, the only chasm in his résumé is Olympic gold.Yes, tennis will survive the defections.In fact, many elements in the Olympic controversy underscore how successfully tennis has lifted itself out of the gilded ghetto of elitist, individual sports to become a full-fledged member of the Olympic family. If you want to see just how far tennis has come, you only have to look at the crisis in golf.Jason Day, Dustin Johnson, Jordan Spieth and Northern Irelands Rory McIlroy -- the top four golfers in the world -- are among those skipping Rio, most of them because of concerns over Zika.Golf, back in the Olympics for the first time after an absence of 112 years, might not get invited back because of the lack of enthusiasm. McIlroy rubbed a little salt in the wound when he said during an interview at The Open that he wouldnt even watch the Olympic golf on TV. Instead, he would watch the stuff that matters.Tennis got off to a somewhat rocky start in the Olympics as well. Canceled in 1924, it returned with the Games of 1988 in Seoul, South Korea. Only two of the top 10 men were entered that year -- and not because injuries prevented them from going.Top-ranked Mats Wilander withdrew, citing shin splints, but then played a tournament in Italy before the games in Seoul were even over. No. 2-ranked Ivan Lendl couldnt get official sanction to play for his adopted home in the U.S., and he refused to play for his native Czechoslovakia.Jimmy Connors and John McEnroe were indifferent, as was Martina Navratilova. To them, it was all about the Grand Slams. All that hullabaloo about the Olympic Village, hobnobbing with the worlds greatest athletes, the Olympic spirit ... it just wasnt for them. They were lone wolves, mercenaries who got paid to play. Years later, McEnroe would come to regret his stance.But globally, Olympic champions have always been accorded national-hero status almost everywhere. And today, tennis has become no different. Lindsay Davenport and Andre Agassi, who understood the Olympic cachet, won gold for the U.S. in Atlanta in 1996. It helped shape the attitude of American players for years to come.You certainly cant overlook the fidelity of the Williams sisters, Venus?and Serena. You can analyze their loyalty to the Olympic cause many ways, but maybe it just comes down to this: Its impossible to predict who will -- or wont -- be susceptible to the tug of patriotism. Its a deeply personal thing.Top-ranked European players have generally all reveled in the opportunity.Roger Federer made his Olympic Games debut in Sydney, Australia, in 2000. He still glows when he describes the experience, either because he was just 19 and made the semis or because he began dating his wife, Mirka, there -- or both. His respect for the Olympics has burned undiminished for nearly two decades. Its influence cannot be overestimated.Its a pity that Federers left knee gave out before he could make good on his promise to spend his 34th summer chasing gold in the molten light of the Brazil afternoon. It unfairly dampens the impressive response the players have mustered to the challenges of Rio.Realistically speaking, tennis players dont need the Olympics, especially these Olympics. They play a sport with great material rewards, loaded with year-round opportunities. They heard the horror stories about raw sewage in the streets, and theyve been aware of the security concerns. They play an individual sport. They can choose to take a pass and its nobody elses nevermind.They can skip the Olympics, as some invariably do, because the Games are shoehorned into an already loaded summer schedule. This year, they can skip them because of Brazils notorious crime. Because theres a Bruce Springsteen concert somewhere. Because of deadly Zika mosquitoes. Because the internet in Rio is slow. Because there are no ranking points to be gained.But the wonderful thing for tennis is that the vast majority of eligible players, including the very best players, are all-in for Rio. Theyre setting aside their concerns and going. Tennis is loved by the Olympics, and its loving the Olympics back. Everybody wins. Dale Weise Jersey . The 20-year-old Pelicans big man glanced up and smiled widely at the well-wishers -- a fitting end to a day he wont soon forget. Davis responded to his selection earlier in the day as a Western Conference All-Star with 26 points and 10 rebounds, and the New Orleans Pelicans overcame a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit to defeat the Minnesota Timberwolves 98-91 on Friday night. Ron Hextall Jersey . Mickelson barely made the cut but had the best round of the day with nine birdies and an eagle coupled with two bogeys to sit two shots behind leader Craig Lee of Scotland. Lee shot a 69 for a 12-under 204 total. "I just love the fact I am in contention and have an opportunity in my first tournament of the year here in Abu Dhabi," Mickelson said. http://www.flyersjerseyscheap.com/?tag=bill-barber-jersey . To the surprise of many, it isnt the Wolverines but their in-state rivals the Michigan State Spartans. Wholesale NHL Flyers Jerseys . Robredo, ranked No. 16, bounced back from an upset loss to Leonardo Mayer in the second round of the Royal Guard Open in Chile last week to down Carreno Busta in 1 hour, 25 minutes. On a day filled mostly with qualifying matches, fifth-seeded Marcel Granollers of Spain also entered the second with a 7-5, 3-6, 6-2 win over Aljaz Bedene of Slovenia, while Guido Pella of Argentina defeated Guillermo Garcia-Lopez of Spain 7-6 (6), 6-4 to advance. Travis Konecny Jersey . Dukurs winning time was 1 minute, 45.76 seconds, a quarter-second better than Russias Alexander Tretiakov. Lativas Tomass Dukurs was third, 1.41 seconds off the pace. Jon Montgomery of Eckville, Alta. (STATS) -- Hes already coaching what he considers to be the best offense of his three-plus decades on the sideline.What Sam Houston State coach K.C. Keeler especially likes about his newly minted No. 1 team in the FCS is that it practices better than any of his previous teams.And the 57-year-old coached Delawares 2003 FCS championship team and seven more national finalists between the Blue Hens and Rowan.When we run a practice, theres a standard that we continually try to set and thats being the best team in the country, Keeler said. And now that were ranked there, its just a nice reminder that we need to keep on pushing through and need to try to practice like the best team in the country every single week.Sam Houston (6-0) has risen to No. 1 behind the most prolific offense in the FCS. Quarterback Jeremiah Briscoe has thrown an FCS-leading 26 touchdown passes and the Bearkats are averaging 54.8 points and 608.2 yards per game. Running backs Remus Bulmer and Corey Avery are both averaging over seven yards a carry and have combined for nearly 1,000 yards.The Bearkats are putting opponents away early, outscoring them 112-24 in the first quarter and 203-51 in the first half.But its also a team which has beaten a 1-6 Division II opponent and five Southland Conference teams that are a combined 9-23, so the Bearkats know most of their toughest games are ahead, including a trip to Nicholls (3-3, 3-1 Southland) on Saturday.Its just really a testament to our leadership that were halfway through the season and they just go and really get after it, Keeler said. Their belief is the best offense theyll see every week is going to be ours and the best defense theyre going to see every week is ours.The Bearkats know the route to Frisco, Texas, site of the national championship game, as its just 200 miles upstate from their Huntsville campus. They made it there in 2011 and 12 before losing to North Dakota State, and they also reached the national semifinals in 2014 and last year.Keeler has been saying the Bearkats are just another 10 percent of effort and production away from winning the national title.Achieving that goal begins in practice.Im so proud of our work ethic and how were doing things, Keeler said. Its really not been about the team right in front of us, its more about us just getting better. I told them, the final destination wasnt being No. 1 in October. Thats just part of the journey. We have a lot in front of us to still accomplish, a lot more because its gonna get better. We are not a finished product by any stretch of the imagination.---=FCS GAME OF THE WEEK=The Matchup: No. 13 Youngstown State (5-1, 3-0 Missouri Valley) at No. 7 South Dakota State (4-2, 3-0)Kickoff: 3 p.m. ET at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium in Brookings, South DakotaTelevision: WBCB/ESPN3Series: South Dakota State leads 10-7 (most recent meeting: SDSU won 38-8 at Youngstown Oct. 17, 2015)The Skinny: The road team has captured the last three meetings. Youngstown State won 30-27 in Brookings two years ago for the first time since 1974.YSU has 22 sacks in its four-game winning streak, with all-time program leader Derek Rivers and fellow defensive end Avery Moss collecting eight and six, respectively, this season. The Penguins are the only Division I team not to allow a rushing touchdown. They rank third in the FCS in average time of possession (34 minutes, 41 seconds) boosted by a running game that features tailbacks Martin Ruiz, Tevin McCaster and Jody Webb.The host Jackrabbits are coming off a win at then-No. 1 North Dakota State and are led by quarterback and STATS FCS Offensive Player of the Week Taryn Christion (351.5 total yards per game, 24 total touchdowns). Tight end Dallas Goedert and wide receiver Jake Wieneke have combined for 84 receptions, 1,414 receiving yards and 20 TD receptions. Freshman linebacker Christian Rozeboom leads the team with 66 tackles, winning two of the last three Missouri Valley Conference newcomer of the week awards.Prediction: Cal Poly won at SDSU with its rushing attack, so Youngstown State must do the same to keep Christion off the field. South Dakota State, 24-20.---=STATS FCS TOP 25 SCHEDULE=X-Predicted WinnerSaturday, Oct. 22All Times ETX-No. 24 Stony Brook (4-2, 3-0 CAA) at Delaware (2-4, 0-3), 1 p.m. -- Tricky game for Stony Brook with the underachieving Blue Hens wanting to win for new interim coach Dennis Dottin-Carter.X-No. 14 North Carolina A&T (5-1, 3-0 MEAC) at Howard (1-6, 1-3), 1 p.m. -- A&Ts all-time MEAC rushing leader Tarik Cohen has three straight games of at least 200 rushing yards.No. 5 The Citadel (6-0, 4-0 Southern) aat X-Wofford (4-2, 2-1), 1:30 p.ddddddddddddm. -- Its a difficult follow-up to The Citadels win over former-No. 5 Chattanooga. The Bulldogs lead the FCS in rushing yards per game (381) and Wofford ranks fourth (312).VMI (3-3, 1-2 Southern) at X-No. 11 Chattanooga (6-1, 4-1), 2 p.m. -- The Mocs seniors are primed to become the winningest class in program history. Their 33 wins are tied with the 1980 and 2015 senior classes for the team standard.Central Connecticut State (1-5) at X-No. 17 Coastal Carolina (4-2), 2 p.m. -- Injuries at quarterbacks have set back Coastal wide receiver Bruce Mapps production, but the senior has a touchdown catch in four of the last five games and could become the schools all-time leading receiver by seasons end.Murray State (1-5, 1-2 OVC) at X-No. 15 Eastern Illinois (5-2, 3-1), 2 p.m. -- If the Panthers hold serve at home, they will get a chance to move into first place on Oct. 29 when they visit two-time defending Ohio Valley Conference champ Jacksonville State.X-No. 3 Eastern Washington (5-1, 3-0 Big Sky) at Montana State (2-5, 0-4), 2 p.m. -- Although he missed 1? games with a shoulder injury, EWU senior wide receiver Cooper Kupp still leads the pass-happy Big Sky in receptions (46) and receiving yards (712).X-No. 2 Jacksonville State (5-1, 2-0 OVC) at Eastern Kentucky (2-4, 1-2), 3 p.m. -- Gamecocks wide receiver Josh Barge has caught a pass in 44 straight games. With one against EKU, he will tie the FCS consecutive games record.X-No. 22 Grambling State (4-1, 3-0 SWAC) at Mississippi Valley State (0-7, 0-5), 3 p.m. -- The Tigers return from a three-week break in their schedule. They could probably return from a 30-week break and beat MVSU.X-No. 6 Richmond (6-1, 3-1 CAA) at Elon (2-4, 1-2), 3:30 p.m. -- Pressure from the edge? No, Richmond defensive tackle Winston Craig is leading CAA Football with 7? sacks.X-No. 1 Sam Houston State (6-0, 5-0 Southland) at Nicholls (3-3, 3-1), 3:30 p.m. -- Getting back cornerback Darion Flowers was huge for Sam Houston last week as he had a team-high nine tackles, a sack and forced a fumble against Abilene Christian. Nicholls has won its last two games in two overtimes.No. 23 Albany (4-2, 1-2 CAA) at X-No. 16 Villanova (5-2, 3-1), 3:30 p.m. -- If Nova quarterback Zach Bednarczyk isnt cleared from a concussion, sophomore Adeyemi DaSilva will get the start. Albany is coming off two straight losses.X-No. 19 North Dakota (5-2, 4-0 Big Sky) at Idaho State (2-4, 1-2), 4:35 p.m. -- Idaho States 37-31 upset at UND in a 2-9 season last year was one of the reasons the Fighting Hawks failed to earn an FCS playoff bid.Presbyterian (2-4, 1-1 Big South) at X-No. 9 Charleston Southern (3-2, 1-0), 6 p.m. -- With Hurricane Matthew canceling one of their games, the Buccaneers are playing for the first time since Oct. 1. Said coach Jamey Chadwell: The challenge as a coach is you have some rhythm -- thats what you try to develop throughout the season -- and then it comes to an abrupt end.Lamar (3-3, 3-1 Southland) at X-No. 20 Central Arkansas (5-1, 4-0), 7 p.m. -- UCA handed McNeese its first shutout at home since 1987 and doesnt have to face Lamar All-America running back Kade Harrington (broken foot).X-No. 10 Montana (5-1, 2-1 Big Sky) at Northern Arizona (3-4, 2-2), 7 p.m. -- Sorry, coach: With 1,757 career rushing yards, UM senior John Nguyen needs just 28 more to pass his position coach, Justin Green, and take 10th place on the schools all-time chart.Western Carolina (1-5, 0-4 Southern) at X-No. 21 Samford (5-1, 3-1), 7 p.m. -- Its three straight Southern Conference offensive player of the week awards and counting for Samford quarterback Devlin Hodges.X-No. 4 North Dakota State (5-1, 2-1 Missouri Valley) at No. 12 Western Illinois (5-1, 2-1), 7 p.m. -- NDSU, the five-time reigning FCS champion, has won its last 12 games when coming off a loss. With 242 career receptions, WIU senior Lance Lenoir is eight shy of the MVFC record.No. 25 Tennessee State (5-1) at X-Vanderbilt (3-4), 7:30 p.m. -- The Tigers simply go across town to face Vandy. They have lost their two previous games against FBS opponents -- 38-9 to the Commodores in 2006 (Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie had an interception) and 63-24 to Air Force in 2011.UC Davis (2-5, 1/3 Big Sky) at X-No. 17 Cal Poly (4-2, 2-1), 9:05 p.m. -- The visiting team has won the Battle for the Golden Horseshoe in three straight years. Last week, Cal Poly racked up 658 yards and never punted in a 55-35 win at Portland State. China NFL Jerseys White Cheap NFL Autographed Jerseys Black China NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys From China Black China NFL Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys Wholesale NFL Camo Jerseys ' ' '