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Evander Holyfield and Vitor Belfort are fighting today! Alongside Anderson Silva with Trump on commentary.

Apparently, Trump will be commentating? 2021 is a helluva year.

Originally, legendary fighter Oscar De La Hoya, 48, who retired in 2009, was set to fight Brazilian ex-UFC champion Vitor Belfort, 44, in an exhibition bout. But earlier this month, De La Hoya posted a video shot from a hospital bed. He has COVID-19 and can’t fight.

“I have contracted Covid and am not going to be able to fight next weekend,” De La Hoya tweeted. “Preparing for this comeback has been everything to me over the last months, & I want to thank everyone for their tremendous support.”

Evander Holyfield, 58, agreed to step in and fight Belfort. Holyfield turns 59 on Oct. 19.

The event begins at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT on Saturday, Sept. 11.

The event was supposed to take place at Staples Center in De La Hoya’s hometown of Los Angeles, but it’s been moved to The Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida. According to a report from ESPN, the California State Athletic Commission refused to sanction Holyfield-Belfort.

The coast-to-coast move certainly makes it more convenient for the Florida-based former president, who reportedly will be at the fight in person.

To watch the fight night on pay-per-view, go to Fite TV to purchase the $49.99 package, which includes unlimited replays until Dec. 11, 2021. Or order it through your existing cable, satellite or telecommunications provider.

To hear the Trumps’ commentary during each match, viewers will need to use the secondary audio function (SAP) on their cable box or TV set, pay-per-view provider iNDemand said in a statement.

Donald Trump is hardly new to combat sports. He’s a longtime friend of Dana White, president of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Trump’s past involvement with hosting major boxing events at his hotels and casinos earned him a place in New Jersey’s Boxing Hall of Fame.

For the Sept. 11 event, the Trumps will offer commentary on all four of the evening’s fights. But they’re not the only soundtrack available. Viewers can pick between the Trumps narrating the fight, or regular commentators Jim Lampley and Shawn Porter.

Here’s everyone fighting on the card…

The Tokyo Olympics are coming to a close. Here’s how you can watch the end in 4K on FuboTV, YouTube TV, cable or satellite.

Read more: Dolby Vision, HDR10, Technicolor and HLG: HDR formats explained

The Olympic rings float in Tokyo Bay near Odaiba Marine Park, venue of the triathlon and marathon swimming events.

The Olympics started on July 23 with the opening ceremonies. The final day of the competition, as well as the closing ceremonies, will take place on Sunday, Aug. 8.

The first matches of the competition actually began three days before the opening ceremony on July 20 (July 21 in Japan).

Read more: How to watch the Tokyo Olympics

NBC is broadcasting the games in 4K HDR with Dolby Atmos sound, though not every TV provider or streaming service offers it. As always, you need a 4K TV and a compatible app or box to view content in 4K HDR.

Comcast, which owns NBCUniversal, offers those with its Xfinity X1 service the ability to watch in 4K HDR with Dolby Vision.

Cable provider Optimum (channel 200) and satellite network DirecTV (channel 105) also offer the games in 4K, though not with Dolby Vision.

Read more: 4K vs. 8K vs. 1080p: TV resolutions explained

Dish says it offers the Golf Channel and the Olympic Channel in 4K HDR in its “usual 4K channel slot” at channel 540 as well as in an “Olympics-centralized location” at channel 148. It notes that “timing will coincide with the events being covered on the Golf and Olympics channels.”

DirecTV says its 4K coverage is available on a one-day delay on channels 105 and 106. It includes footage from the opening and closing ceremonies, track and field, swimming, gymnastics, diving and beach volleyball and other coverage.

Verizon offers the Olympics in 4K to those with its Fios One service. Channels include NBC (Fios TV channels 1491 and 1492), the Golf Channel (1493) and the Olympic Channel (1494).

Read more: Best 4K TV for 2021

You can stream the Tokyo Olympic games on FuboTV and YouTube TV.

If you’re looking to stream in the highest resolution available, you can do so on FuboTV or with YouTube TV, but there are a few things to keep in mind.

YouTube TV — our go-to streaming TV service pick — has 4K channels available for NBC, NBC Sports, Olympic Channel and Golf Channel, according to The Streamable. You need to be signed up for the company’s new 4K option that runs an extra $20 a month on top of the $65 regular monthly rate. There’s a 30-day free trial of the 4K option, however, which is long enough to last through the entire Olympics. You should also note that the 4K feed isn’t available in every market; here’s the full list.

FuboTV’s home screen on an Apple TV is uncluttered and friendly.

FuboTV costs $65 a month and doesn’t charge extra for 4K, but its higher resolution feeds from NBC, the Olympic Channel and Golf Channel are only available to those in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth and Boston.

NBC has confirmed that Peacock is not streaming the games in 4K.

While it isn’t in 4K, the service is streaming some of the major games and competitions for free. This includes events such as men’s and women’s gymnastics and men’s and women’s track and field.

It is not, however, streaming the US men’s basketball games for free. For that, you’ll need to pony up for a Peacock Premium subscription, which starts at $5 per month for an ad-supported plan, or $10 per month for the Plus option that offers on-demand content ad-free.

The many NBC channels and websites broadcasting the Tokyo Olympics in the US.

NBCUniversal owns the US rights to Olympics broadcasting and is once again using its variety of networks to show competitions from the Summer Games. This includes the main NBC channel, as well as NBCSN, USA Network, CNBC, the Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA, Golf Channel, Telemundo and Universo.

Per an NBC press release, the main NBC channel will have 17 “consecutive nights of primetime coverage” as well as a live primetime show.

Read more: Tokyo Olympics: All 6 new sports explained

The pandemic continues to plague countries around the world. Tokyo is currently operating under a state of emergency, and fans are barred from attending the games in person. Officials are also asking that people not congregate on roads alongside outdoor events like the marathon, according to the Washington Post.

Read more: Tokyo Olympics: The athletes that have tested positive for COVID-19

You might know Dieunerst Collin’s wide-eyed expression from a legendary meme, but he’s moved on to win a New Jersey high school football title.

Collin is a member of the East Orange High School team, which won the New Jersey state title in triple overtime on Sunday. Its meme-famous player didn’t go unnoticed.

“Dieunerst from the legendary meme is a state champion!” tweeted the official SportsCenter account.

Collin was just nine when the video of him was taken, and he didn’t ask for the viral fame.

“When it first happened, I kind of felt sad about it,” Collin told Sports Illustrated. “It was somebody randomly recording me, and I’ve never been viral before.”

The video shows someone mistaking Collin for another child who was then famous on Vine, TerRio. Collin’s confused and wary reaction struck a chord with many meme-makers, who snatched the image and captioned it with such phrases as, “When I see my teacher at a store.”

His viral fame led to bullying, Collin told Sports Illustrated, saying, “I did get to a place where it was like, ‘I don’t know if I want to go out any more.'” But eventually things became easier.

“People in my class found it very funny, so then I just continued being myself,” he said. “I got over it once everybody who would randomly come up to me and call me Terio actually met me and learned my actual name and got to know me.”

And now he has a new claim to fame. On Sunday, Collin shared an Instagram photo of himself with the team’s new trophy, writing, “IMAGINE NOT BEING A STATE CHAMP:I CANT RELATE‼️”

Missed the opening ceremony? Here’s how to rewatch…

The Tokyo Olympics opening ceremony takes place at Japan’s new Olympic Stadium.

NBC rebroadcast the event at 7:30 p.m. ET (4:30 p.m. PT) Friday, but that’s been and gone. Thankfully, NBC’s Peacock streaming service also has a page for the opening ceremony, noting it will be streamable the day after it airs.

In addition the Opening Ceremony and the replay will also stream in 4K HDR on two services, FuboTV and YouTube TV. See below for details.

Read more: Tokyo Olympics: Watch in 4K HDR with FuboTV, YouTube TV or broadcast

Sling TV’s $35-a-month Blue plan includes NBC, but only in 11 major markets. Unless you live in one of those markets, you won’t be able to stream NBC live. Read our Sling TV review.

YouTube TV costs $65 a month and includes NBC. Plug in your ZIP code on its welcome page to see which local networks are available in your area. Read our YouTube TV review.

To watch in 4K HDR you’ll need to subscribe to be signed up for the company’s new 4K option that costs an extra $20 per month on top of the $65 regular monthly rate — although there’s a 30-day free trial that’s long enough to last through the entire Olympics. The 4K feed isn’t available in every market however; here’s the full list.

Hulu with Live TV costs $65 a month and includes NBC. Click the “View channels in your area” link on its welcome page to see which local channels are offered in your ZIP code. Read our Hulu with Live TV review.

FuboTV costs $65 per month and includes the five NBC channels. Click here to see which local channels you get. Read our FuboTV review.

Unlike YouTube TV, Fubo’s 4K coverage of the Olympics doesn’t cost anything extra. Unfortunately it’s only available in five markets: New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth and Boston.

AT&T TV’s basic, $70-a-month package includes NBC. You can use its channel lookup tool to see which local channels are available where you live. Read our AT&T TV Now review.

Peacock offers three tiers: a limited free plan and two Premium plans. The ad-supported Premium plan costs $5 a month, and the ad-free Premium plan costs $10 a month. Peacock won’t show the Opening Ceremonies live but you’ll be able to watch the replay on either of the Premium plans. Read our Peacock review.

All of the live TV streaming services above offer free trials (except Peacock, which just has a free tier), and all allow you to cancel anytime and require a solid internet connection. Looking for more information? Check out our live-TV streaming services guide.

In the UK the BBC and Eurosport have the rights to the Tokyo Olympics. It was broadcast live on BBC One and available to stream on BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website. Now it’s over, you’ll be able to catch up on iPlayer.

Much like in the UK, the Tokyo Olympics is available to watch on free-to-air TV. The opening ceremony will be available to rewatch via the 7plus streaming service.

Want to watch the Olympics via a streaming service from another country, or in another language? Try a VPN to change your IP address. See the best VPNs currently recommended by CNET editors.

In a matter of hours a new UFC champion will be crowned. Here’s everything you need to know…

This has to be one of the greatest UFC photos ever.

While Oliveira vs. Chandler isn’t a blockbuster fight that’ll have the mainstream buzzing, it’s absolutely the right fight to make. Chandler, a long time champion in rival promotion Bellator, made an incredible entrance to the UFC, icing Dan Hooker in one punch at UFC 257. Charles Oliveira, after a mixed early career in the UFC, has developed into maybe the most feared grappler in MMA. Both have earned this shot.

Who’s gonna win? Really tough to tell. It’s a fascinating style match-up. Oliveira is rangy and incredible from his back, Chandler possesses incredible one-shot power and dynamite wrestling.

This one could go either way. I have no idea what’s going to happen.

The UFC 262 main card starts at 10 p.m ET (7 p.m. PT) but here are all the details…

This year the UFC entered into a new partnership with ESPN. That’s great news for the UFC and the expansion of the sport of MMA, but bad news for consumer choice. Especially if you’re one of the UFC fans who want to watch UFC live in the US.

In the US, if you want to know how to watch UFC 262, you’ll only find the fight night on PPV through ESPN Plus. The cost structure is a bit confusing, but here are the options to watch UFC on ESPN, according to ESPN’s site:

You can do all of the above at the link below.

MMA fans in the UK can watch UFC 262 exclusively through BT Sport. There are more options if you live in Australia. You can watch UFC 262 through Main Event on Foxtel. You can also watch on the UFC website or using its app. You can even order using your PlayStation or using the UFC app on your Xbox.

Need more international viewing options? Try a VPN to change your IP address to access those US, UK or Australian options listed above. See the best VPNs currently recommended by CNET editors.

As always fight cards are subject to change…

On CNET’s I’m So Obsessed podcast, the talented Huang opens up about making his feature film directorial debut and his love for writing.

Eddie Huang (center) sits between two of the actors in his debut film Boogie: the late rapper and songwriter Pop Smoke (left), who plays Monk, and Taylor Takahashi (right), who plays Alfred “Boogie” Chin.

“It’s not about basketball, right? He [Boogie] plays basketball. But it’s the Taiwanese-Chinese New York Rocky. Rocky is not about boxing, it’s an Italian American coming-of-age story,” said an energized Huang. “That’s what Boogie does with the Asian American immigrant experience. And then it also intersects with the Black experience.”

Boogie stars Taylor Takahashi in the titular role and the late rapper and songwriter Pop Smoke as rival Monk. In February 2020, Pop Smoke was killed when four men broke into and robbed a house he was renting. Along with Boogie being the only movie he was in, Pop Smoke has original music on the film’s soundtrack.

When I watched Boogie, I was taken aback by its smart and raw storytelling. This is an independent film that is both contemporary and old-school. Huang is incredibly gifted when it comes to dialogue, and Boogie reminds me of the satisfaction I get from the dialogue in a film penned by Quentin Tarantino or Diablo Cody.

During our conversation, Huang discussed the challenges of directing his first feature film, how he absolutely loves writing and how Chinese Americans to this day are still hurt by the myth that MSG is harmful.

You can listen to my entire conversation with Huang on Spotify or Apple Podcasts. You can currently see his film Boogie in theaters. Also, you can subscribe to I’m So Obsessed on your favorite podcast app. In each episode, Connie Guglielmo and I catch up with an artist, actor or creator to learn about their work, career and current obsessions.

Is the rematch on?

Jake Paul vs. Tyron Woodley is live!

See below for our round-by-round coverage of the fight.

Jake Paul at the press conference earlier this week.

And we’re off. Woodley swings wild to open. Is now trying to walk Paul down, but the size difference is noticeable. Paul is trying to lead with the jab and is doing so effectively. Woodley seems a little frozen and struggling with the range. Paul on the other hand is getting comfy in there.

Our score: 10-9 Paul

Paul lands with a big right to open, but Woodley is trying to cut him off. Paul is not having it. Low activity round so far and Woodley is biting too hard on the feints. Not much happening here and Woodley is down another round.

Our score: 10-9 Paul

Already a better round for Woodley but Paul comes back. Woodley is trying to get inside and gets countered for it. Paul is looking good so far, this could be a long night for Woodley.

Our score: 10-9 Paul

Paul’s punches looking a little less discipled now. Tyron seems like he can get inside better now and is landing the better shots.

Woodley lands a big shot and Paul is rocked. He almost goes down and desperately tries to recover. He makes it out of the round but man… Now we have a fight!

Our score: 10-9 Woodley

Paul looks very tired now and this could be a big problem because Woodley is just getting started. This could be an interesting final three rounds. Woodley should be pressing but he’s slowing down here. Still, this is Woodley’s round.

Our score: 10-9 Woodley

Paul seems to have regained a bit of steam here, landing shots on Woodley and getting his combinations going. Woodley has slowed down and seems to be chasing a one shot kill. This is anyone’s round to steal, but in the end it looks like Paul took it.

Our score: 10-9 Paul

Woodley’s corner is urgent. It appears they know they need a KO at this point. He comes out more aggressive but it doesn’t take much to put him back in his shell. But Paul’s punches are sloppy and surely Woodley could counter here. 

Paul looks tired but Woodley simply isn’t doing enough here.

Our score: 10-9 Woodley

Final round and surely Woodley needs a stoppage here. He comes out with some tight offence and lands some shorts, but it’s not enough. Paul can easily cruise to a victory here. Woodley is pot-shotting now when he really needs something definitive. 

In the end he wins the round on my scorecard, but he has almost certainly lost the fight.

Our score: 10-9 Woodley

Jake Paul wins by split decision

Amanda Serrano, one of the pound-for-pound best female boxers on the planet.

Our co-main event is the sole women’s fight on the card.

Amanda Serrano, the champion, is the overwhelming favourite in this contest. Yamileth Mercado hasn’t been given much of a chance by oddsmakers here, but this is boxing and anything can happen.

But Serrano is one of the best female boxers ever. She hasn’t lost in over 10 years and I can’t imagine her losing here.

Okay here we go. This could be a real showcase for Serrano. Can’t wait to see what she can do in this spotlight.

Serrano comes out super aggressive, huge volume early. But she gets a little stung by a great shot from Mercado. Doesn’t appear to phase her though. Quite a tight round all up.

Our score: 10-9 Serrano

Mercado isn’t exactly out of her depth in this fight, but she is losing. Serrano is marching forward and landing heavy shots, Mercado is landing a few here and there, but Serrano takes the round.

Our score: 10-9 Serrano

Fantastic exchanges here with Mercado and Serrano trading blows. Mercado has a chin on her, but she’s also landing here. This fight is being fought at a tremendous pace.

Our score: 10-9 Serrano

Serrano is slowing the pace down here and pot shotting her jab a little more. She’s managed to catch Mercado coming in a few times. Nice round from Serrano, but Mercado maybe stole the round at the end there with a flurry.

Our score: 10-9 Mercado

These rounds are rattling in, with the two minute rounds. Mercado has earned Serrano’s respect. Serrano isn’t just running in for knockout shots, she’s trying to out-box Mercado and it’s working. Great shots at the end of the round there.

Our score: 10-9 Serrano

Serrano boxing well from the outside, but Mercado landed one helluva body shot. In fact both women are landing to the body frequently. Serrano is really finding her range here and looked to have hurt Mercado at one point.

Our score: 10-9 Serrano

Serrano is looking really sharp now. Completely taking over the fight with her jab. This feels like Serrano’s most comfortable round.

Our score: 10-9 Serrano

Mercado is making this more of a dogfight, digging some real body shots at close range. This is a different type of fight. A much closer round, but Serrano still takes it.

Our score: 10-9 Serrano

Mercado is hanging in here. She’s done a great job in this fight. But Serrano is walking Mercado down now, landing huge body shots. She’s teeing off on Mercado now. Serrano’s best round yet.

Our score: 10-9 Serrano

Last round. Both fighters appear keen to leave it all on the canvas here. Serrano stings Mercado badly and she looks hurt. Mercando is hanging on by a thread here it seems but she survives. Great finish to a great fight.

Our score: 10-9 Serrano

Serrano wins 97-93, 98-92, 99-91 via unanimous decision.

The up-and-coming heavyweight Daniel Dubois.

This is a heavyweight fight between two well tested fighters with solid record. Daniel Dubois is the current WBA interim heavyweight champ. His only loss came at the hands of Joe Joyce last year. Joe Cusumano is a more experienced fighter. At 33 he’s 10 years the senior of the 23 year old Dubois.

These are some big boys. 

Blam! Cusumano goes down early after a series of hard shots from Dubois. He’s back up and ooft, they’re swinging. Cusumano goes down again, then for a THIRD time and it’s all over in round 1. 

Damn, this Dubois guy can hit. That was a wild, wild round of boxing.

Daniel Dubois win via TKO in the first round.

Ivan Baranchyk during an open workout.

This should be a good one. A well matched fight between two up-and-comers. Baranchyk is ranked the fourth best active light-welterweight in the world by The Ring, Love is still undefeated. This should be a high level scrap.

Baranchyk is the aggressor early feinting Love to the ropes with jabs, but Love lands with a straight down the pipe. Love started to loosen up in the second half of the round with slick defence and sharp shots. Baranchyk landed heavy in the last 30 seconds. 

Tough one to call.

Our score: 10-9 Love

Baranchyk come out more aggressive in the opening seconds, but Love is landing. A couple of nice body shots and a great uppercut. Also the check hook is money for Love, he’s landing it over and over. He’s taking over this fight.

Our score: 10-9 Love

Again Baranchyk comes out with urgency, but he’s missing big against Love. Just great footwork. He has gotten caught a couple of time though. 

And whoa… Baranchyk unloads. He’s stunned Love but he manages to stay on his feet. Baranchyk is going hard now, this is clearly his round. Huge moment. Massive flurry at the end there and Love catches Baranchyk clean with a wild hook that almost floors him. Wow. What a round.

Our score: 10-9 Baranchyk

Baranchyk is just clipping Love now. The shots Love was evading now seem more dangerous. Love is standing his ground more now, though and is outlanding Baranchyk. Great round for Love who appears to stun Baranchyk and then pauses to admire the shot.

Our score: 10-9 Love

Love’s check hook can’t miss at this point. His counters are sharp and Baranchyk is struggling. He’s still marching forward though — this is a great fight.

Just when Love seemed to be landing at will, Baranchyk landed clean and hard. Man this fight rules.

Our score: 10-9 Love

A much quieter round in the first minute. Love getting the best of the exchanges so far, with guard splitting straights. Love appears to have recovered just fine from that big shot at the end of the fifth round.

Our score: 10-9 Love

Love smells blood here, he’s marching forward for the first time in the fight, wailing on Baranchyk. Love is just too slick for Baranchyk, whose punches have lost a bit of sting. Baranchyk misses a massive shot and falls over. He needs a knockout now you suspect.

Whoa, an incredible counter shot sends Baranchyk to the floor right at the end of the round. Incredibly clean shot.

Our score: 10-8 Love

And Baranchyk’s corner waves it off. The fight is over. Montana Love takes it by TKO.

Yes, he’s related to Tyson Fury.

Tommy Fury is the brother of current heavyweight king Tyson Fury. He’s a lot younger, a lot more handsome and he’s currently unbeaten with six wins. Anthony Taylor’s record isn’t quite as inspiring with seven wins and five losses… in MMA. Also this fight was changed from a six round contest to a four round fight at the last minute.

Let’s see how this one plays out. Many are saying Fury is next for Jake Paul if he gets past Tyron Woodley and he’s a dramatic, overwhelming favourite for this one.

Man, the height and size difference here is pretty intense. Fury looks like he’s getting quite the layup here. 

Fury is leading with a sharp jab and quickly lands heavy to the body. Taylor walked into a sharp uppercut and is slowly starting to get lit up here. The uppercut seems like a good shot for Fury and Taylor is swinging wild.

Our score: 10-9 Fury

Well the predicted round 1 KO didn’t happen.

Fury is landing with sharp punches, but the old MMA style overhand right is there for Taylor, who is getting outworked here. He’s running out steam and energy. He survives the 2nd round, but hard to imagine him surviving this fight.

Our score: 10-9 Fury

Taylor is spirited here and comes out aggressive. He slips early, but it’s not ruled a knockdown. Fury is going hard to the body here, which is smart because he’s struggling to find the head. This is probably Taylor’s best round but he’s still getting pieced up here. 

Our score: 10-9 Fury

Well, maybe this will go the distance!

If Fury doesn’t get the knockout here, or at the very least a knockdown, it’s not a good look for him. He lands a few big shots, but Taylor clinches and survives. 

Taylor makes it to the bell as the crowd boos.

Our score: 10-9 Fury

Fury wins by decision 40-36 on all scorecards

Survivor Series is live right now.

But of course, it woudln’t be Survivor Series without 5-on-5 elimination matches. We’ll have two such eliminator matches, one that pits Raw men against SmackDown men and another featuring Raw women facing a team of women from SmackDown. True, the whole “brand versus brand” thing is a bit contrived and definitely lacks stakes. But in spite of that, the wrestling in these champion versus champion matches is usually a bunch of fun.

The show also marks 25 years since The Rock’s debut, and to celebrate there’s a 25-man battle royale — one person for every year of Rock, I suppose. Who knows, maybe we’ll even catch a glimpse of The Great One on Sunday.

As you probably know by now, Peacock is the new home of WWE’s pay-per-views. The WWE Network has in essence migrated to NBC’s Peacock streaming service and that’s where you’ll go to watch Survivor Series 2021. Peacock has three tiers: Free, Premium and Premium Plus. To watch WWE content, you’ll need a Premium subscription. The good news is that’ll set you back $5 a month, less than the $10 for WWE Network.

If you’re outside of the US, you’ll watch Survivor Series 2021 on the WWE Network as usual.

Survivor Series 2021 takes place at New York’s, Barclay’s Arena on Nov. 21. For those without a live ticket, it starts at 5 p.m. PT/8 p.m ET. Grappling fans across the pond will have to stay up late, as the show starts at 1 a.m. UK time. In Australia, Survivor Series begins at 12 a.m. AEDT on Monday.

Many wanted the Tokyo Olympics cancelled, but in the end, they were incredible.

The best.

Pushing past the flimsiest steel barrier ever constructed, into a restricted area he clearly shouldn’t have had access to, Boxall ripped off his required mask and proceeded to… dry hump a fence like The Ultimate Warrior circa Wrestlemania 6?

Like I said. Beast Mode.

The best part: In the background, a Japanese Olympic official, doing her level best to provide resistance, raises her hands like a frightened gazelle and then succumbs. Slowly those raised hands are lowered, evolving into confused claps. OK, she seems to say. You’re here now. There’s nothing I can do about this. I’m just going to try and enjoy this front row seat to Beast Mode, starring Dean Boxall.

In this metaphor, Boxall is the Tokyo Olympics. Both as an event and an idea. In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic both probably shouldn’t be here. As the world reels from the effects of the delta strain and global vaccine hesitancy, this is the Olympics no one asked for. Dean, what are you doing here? Bugger off, Dean. Now is not the time.

High jumpers Mutaz Essa Barshim and Gianmarco Tamberi gave each other their gold medals. This is too much.

Me? I’m the Japanese official. We’re all the Japanese official. Nervous, unsure how to react, ultimately acquiescing to this moment completely out of our control. Even in Japan, the host country, people were protesting the Olympics. First we collectively raised our hands in passive resistance. Seconds later we were all clapping.

And we were clapping because Dean Boxall is awesome. Reckless, sure. But so awesome. The Olympics were reckless too — but also awesome.

This is what the Olympics delivers: Beast Mode direct to your screen and your heart. It’s in the business of providing iconic moments like Boxall’s. Moments that simultaneously inspire and subvert our sense of what’s possible. Weird shit, displays of pure athleticism.

Two men collapsing into one another’s arms when they realize they can share a gold medal instead of duelling to the death for it. Skateboarding girls cheering each other on, making quick friends in the face of fierce competition. Runners stumbling, falling over in potentially race-ending collisions, miraculously recovering to win races.

Incredible, awe-inspiring moments.

Maybe it’s because we live in a universe where moments like these are worshipped, contorted and shaped into GIFs, tweets and memes in an infinite social media content spiral, but it somehow feels like we’ve had more of these moments compared to previous Olympics. That these Olympic Games have meant more than we ever could have expected when we cynically, reluctantly invited them into our homes.

Personally, as a man living in Sydney, a city wrestling with strict lockdowns that could potentially last for months, the Olympics was been a salve I didn’t realize I needed. It was a welcome distraction as I juggled home-schooling, work and a near-permanent dread at the daily ritual of waiting for Sydney case numbers to drop so we can all go back outside and live relatively normal lives.

There were a million reasons why the Olympic Games shouldn’t have happened in 2021. A million reasons why we shouldn’t have watched and supported what is arguably an irresponsible event run for the wrong reasons. But it’s also equally possible that — this year — the Olympics were more useful than ever.

The Tokyo Olympics probably shouldn’t have happened because of COVID-19. But I’m also happy it happened — because of COVID-19. If that makes sense.

None of it makes sense.

But right now, sport — with its simple rules and digestible outcomes, with its warm blanket of normalcy and straightforward narratives of triumph over adversity — is maybe the only thing that makes sense.

The Olympics, much like Dean Boxall, busted its way into our homes and televisions and refused to leave. An unwelcome guest. But, like the uncertain Olympics official dealing with the uncontainable Boxall as he dry humped a fence, I’m glad the Olympics forced their way into my life. I couldn’t have done lockdown without it.

Ray Allen’s 10-year-old NBA record was no match for Curry.

“The way he changed the game, it’s almost like how Babe Ruth changed baseball with the long ball,” said TNT announcer and former player Reggie Miller, who is now third on the three-pointer list behind Curry and Allen. “He has changed the game with the three-point ball. How all 30 teams approach the game is because of Number 30.”

Reaction? Oh, there was a little bit.

“Just landed in Dallas to see Stephen Curry broke the record and to make it even doper he did it in the GARDEN!!” tweeted NBA legend LeBron James, who was born in the same Akron, Ohio, hospital as Curry, though four years apart. “WOW CONGRATS BROTHER!! INCREDIBLE.”

NBA star Kevin Durant is already looking to Curry’s future, tweeting, “2974…more on the way. Congrats to the God Stephen Curry.”

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson joined in too, writing, “Congrats legend!”

On Wednesday, Curry himself thanked his fans. “Dream come true,” he said in a tweet. “In the Garden too. Thank you everybody for reaching out and showing love. This means so much to me and my family.”