Amy Bass

So I want to talk about Mikaela Shiffrin. But before I can do that, I feel the need to talk about one of my favorite things about sport, about athletes: redemption.

I’m a big fan of lists. I write a “to do” list just about every day, including things I know I’m going to do, like shower; things hope I’m going to do, like go to the gym; and things I have to do, which mostly revolve around work but also tend to center on the dog and, occasionally, my family.

In 2019, a Nike ad featuring Serena Williams told us all to “dream crazier.” The campaign looked to throw a spotlight on women who had broken barriers in sport, inspiring us to pursue our goals, but also go beyond them, to conquer the seemingly unimaginable. The ad inspired the hashtag “DreamCrazier” on what we used to call Twitter, enabling a company with a somewhat shaky reputation with some of its own stars -- I see you Alyson Felix -- to project a female-forward image.

I want to talk about the World Series, but not the catastrophic fifth inning that brought the Dodgers a championship in Game 5. No, I want to talk about Tuesday night’s game 4, and to do so, I am going to take off my Red Sox hat for a moment -- although I’m going to keep it nearby, just in case I need it.

A lot of my social media memories recently have been from 2021, when I seemed to have lost my mind on an hourly basis as the Red Sox trashed the Yankees to face the Houston Astros for the American League pennant. Shouty caps permeated my brain, with the likes of Kike Hernandez and Chris Sale and Rafael Devers and JD Martinez filling my Instagram and Facebook posts at night, and complaints of exhaustion saturating my mornings.

Summer, I’m afraid, is officially over. Sigh. This summer felt exceptionally, well, summery — spent time at the beach, read a lot of really good books, grilled some good food, and watched a lot of sports.

The Olympics are coming -- just in time for Americans to take a big breath, settle on the couch, and root for the home team. In the midst of more political chaos than my brain can handle, the Paris Olympics might be exactly what we need right now. Lafayette, to rephrase Colonel Charles Stanton’s famous words in 1917 when Paris celebrated American Independence Day, we are coming.

It would appear that we are going to have to say this once more for the people in the back: women’s basketball is a thing. And if it isn’t your thing, then hush.

On Sunday, Caitlin Clark became the leading scorer in NCAA Division I basketball, passing Pistol Pete Maravich’s longstanding mark in Iowa’s 93-83 win over Ohio State.

Redemption is a key element of sport. That moment of “play again?” keeps us -- players and spectators alike -- engaged, wondering if the result will be different the next time and then the time after that.