Just a few random sports related thoughts to ponder.

One of the all-time great coaches passed away. Pat Summitt was not only a spectacular coach but all indications are that she was also a wonderful person. Summitt’s accomplishments as the head coach of the Lady Vols basketball team are nearly beyond belief. She made the University of Tennessee the standard by which all other women’s basketball was judged. In my opinion, Pat Summitt might well have been the greatest coach ever, at any level, in any sport. The lives she touched and improved are virtually countless. She literally revolutionized the sport of women’s basketball.

Summitt was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease five years ago and was soon forced to step down as coach of the Lady Vols. She was a true legend. In an age when that word is used too often and far too loosely, she epitomized the word. Pat Summitt was pure class on and off the court. She will be missed.

Buddy Ryan also passed away this week. Ryan is most noted for being the defensive coordinator and architect of the 1985 Chicago Bears. His 4-6 defense was a thing of beauty and was the reason the Bears won the Super Bowl that year. Buddy had a mediocre stint as a head coach which is often the case with former defensive coordinators but his ability to run a defense cannot be overstated. Unlike Pat Summitt I cannot pontificate on how wonderful Ryan was off the field. He quite often exhibited questionable behavior. His two sons are coaches in the NFL today and unfortunately exhibit similar behavior at times. I cringed when there was talk of the Atlanta Falcons hiring Rex Ryan. I know it is considered wrong to speak ill of the dead but I won’t pretend to give credit where it is not due.

The 2016 Summer Olympics are just a little over a month away. The games are being held in Rio de Janeiro. Strap in folks as this promises to be a wild ride. All indications are that Brazil is in no way prepared to host these Olympics and issues just keep popping up. The country is going through political turmoil after voting to impeach its president caused protests in the streets. The country is in the grip of a deep recession made worse by a huge scandal involving Petrobras the country’s state oil company. It is this scandal that help bring down the president. Rio mayor Francisco Dornelles has warned that financial shortfalls could cause security and mobility issue creating a “big failure” as far as the Olympics are concerned if the city does not receive assistance.

And then there is the Zika virus. Brazil appears to be the epicenter of the virus outbreak and it has now become a much bigger concern in Rio de Janeiro than previously thought. There are some suggesting that the games should be postponed and moved because of Zika. To make matters worse the virus was thought to be mostly a concern to pregnant mothers and their babies but now there are studies showing that it might also lead to adult health issues including Guillain-Barre Syndrome. There are also concerns over the hazards of some of the water athletes may contact. Due to these health issues and the security concerns, some athletes are choosing to just opt out of the games entirely. Most recently the top ranked golfer in the world Jason Day announced that he will forego the games because of the Zika virus. He is not the only athlete to decide to not to make the trip to Brazil. This year “let the games begin” may well be the beginning of a bizarre few weeks.

There are new stories about the slow motion suicide of one Johnny Manzeil but it just isn’t news anymore.