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Jelena Ostapenko Sports Taylor Townsend

Jelena Ostapenko told Taylor Townsend that she has ‘no class, no education’

jelena-ostapenko-told-taylor-townsend-that-she-has-‘no-class,-no-education’

This year’s US Open has already been full of chaos and drama and they’re not even done with the second round! For the first time ever, the tournament started on a Sunday, and on the very first night, there was one of the biggest controversies of the year, when a photographer stepped ON COURT in the middle of a match, then Daniil Medvedev had a complete meltdown and almost started a riot in the stands. But I think this situation, which went down on Wednesday, will probably get even more play outside of the sports world.

So, first, some background. Taylor Townsend is a Black American woman, the #1 doubles player in the world, and a mom. Taylor has had to deal with a lot of bullsh-t from a lot of people (including the USTA) over the course of her career. She has always handled her business with grace, humor and heart. She is beloved by fans and popular among her fellow players. On Wednesday, she played Jelena Ostapenko, a spicy and mercurial Latvian who is also a fan-fave. Penko won the French Open in 2017, and she won the US Open women’s doubles title last year. Ostapenko and Townsend have played each other before, and in the first set, they played each other hard, with a lot of brilliant shot-making and power. Townsend grinded out the first set, and then Ostapenko completely fell apart in the second set, meaning Townsend won in straight sets. After the match, when the players shook each other’s hands, Ostapenko started bitching out Townsend, who gave it right back. When Townsend was interviewed on court after the match, she revealed what Ostapenko said to her:

Speaking about what happened in her post-match interview with ESPN, Townsend said that “people get upset when they lose. Some people say bad things.”

Townsend, who is ranked No. 1 in doubles, then claimed that Ostapenko, who is from Latvia, told her she has “no class, I have no education and to see what happens when we get outside the U.S., so I’m looking forward to it.” “I mean, I beat her in Canada, outside the U.S. I beat her in New York [inside] the U.S., so let’s see what else she has to say,” she added.

During her post-match press conference, Townsend spoke further about Ostapenko, expressing that there has “never been any history” between the two. Townsend said she attributed Ostapenko’s attitude to competition as she was playing “really well” before the “tables turned.”

“I chalk it up to being upset and, you know, she pulled out all the stops to try and break the momentum. Sometimes people do that, but it is what it is,” she said, noting that she did not expect an apology from Ostapenko’s statement on her Instagram Stories.

“There’s no beef. But again, like you guys saw, I didn’t back down because you’re not going to insult me, especially after I carried myself a certain type of way with nothing but respect,” Townsend continued. “If I show respect to you, I expect respect as well. That’s just the fact of the matter.”

Ostapenko addressed the situation in a lengthy post where she said that Townsend was “very disrespectful” for not saying “sorry” after “she had a net ball in a very deciding moment” in the match. “Her answer was that she doesn’t have to say sorry at all,” Ostapenko added. “There are some rules of tennis which most of the players follow and it was first time ever that this happened to me on tour. If she plays in her homeland it doesn’t mean that she can behave and do whatever she wants.”

When Townsend was asked if she believed Ostapenko’s comment had a racial undertone, she said she couldn’t speak to Ostapenko’s intentions. Ostapenko, however, addressed it in a follow-up post on her Instagram Stories.

“Wow how many messages I received that I am a racist. I was NEVER racist in my life and I respect all nations of people in the world, for me it doesn’t matter where you come from. There are some rules in tennis and unfortunately when the crowd is with you you can’t use it in disrespectful way to your opponent,” she wrote.

[From People]

A few things… it’s the “no class, no education” comment which has upset a lot of people, including me. You just don’t say that to another player, especially a Black woman who has had to fight and grind for everything she has, and who has done so with grace. Ostapenko is also out of her f–king mind to get that upset about her opponent not faux-apologizing for a lucky shot or a ball which bounces off the netcord. While a lot of players “apologize,” it’s not like it’s a rule or anything. Anyway, Ostapenko really messed with the wrong one.

Screencaps courtesy of ESPN.

Categories
Animals Nature Sports

A bear charged the Seattle Kraken mascot while the team was fishing in Alaska

a-bear-charged-the-seattle-kraken-mascot-while-the-team-was-fishing-in-alaska




Alaska’s Katmai National Park has a charming livestream that’s a treat to tune into. The rushing water is soothing, you get to see the salmon making their signature upstream leaps, and you’ll see bears depending on the time. (I was staring at one for a while last night that I thought was a rock until the camera zoomed in and the big galumph started moving, rolling onto its back like my dog asking for a belly rub.) Or you might catch a glimpse of an invasive species: the National Hockey League’s own Seattle Kraken, who make a yearly migration up from their native Washington to the 49th state. Last week, the hockey team visited Katmai for a little fly fishing, with even their mascot Buoy the sea troll in tow. Only the fuzzy costume (yes, Buoy donned fly fishing gear over his mascot uniform) sparked some curiosity from a grizzly bear: the bear full-on charged at the strange, blue-haired troll encroaching on his turf! Luckily, no creatures were harmed. And the team captured excellent video of the near-miss.

Kraken center John Hayden talked through the close encounter in the video, saying, “While we were fishing, we had a pretty close call with a couple [of] bears.”

The footage then cut to a shot of Hayden fishing in a stream as the camera panned to the tree cover behind him and showed a brown grizzly bear making its way out of the woods and into the stream.

“We got a bear,” he told the camera, as another crew member said, “Oh, I got to break you off now. Hey Sam, we got a bear, we’ve got to move down.”

Hayden could be seen handing over his fly fishing pole to a crew member as the pair and filming crew began making their way downstream. However, it appeared that the bear wanted to follow them, as he could be seen dipping into the stream and heading in their direction.

At one point, the bear could be seen spotting Buoy the sea troll, who was also fly fishing with the team. The animal let out a roar and then could be seen charging toward the mascot as he hurried to move away.

Luckily, the grizzly bear stopped a few feet away from Buoy in the water. Another angle shot of the bear charging at the Kraken players and filming crew near the end of the video showed just how close the bear got to the team before they got away.

Hayden said in the video that they “got out of it okay,” but it was quite a “close call.” He also noted that the bear likely went after the mascot as it was “pretty interested in his whole look.”

“That last little sprint, I was worried for you Buoy,” a crew member told the mascot, who could be seen shaking his head before the video ended.”

“TROLL NARROWLY ESCAPES BEAR ENCOUNTER,” the team captioned the video. They added, “*no trolls or bears were hurt in the making, always respect wildlife in their natural habitat.”

In response to the video on X, one person noted that they had a similar close call with a “bull moose” while hiking on the side of a mountain. The person noted that despite getting “chased” by the animal they did not get “hurt.”

Another person joked that the bear may have thought Buoy was a friend, writing, “If not friend, why friend shaped?”

The team had been traveling across Alaska for their annual community engagement partnership trip with the Bristol Bay Native Corporation, according to UPI. The trip also included a “Kraken Week” where the team got to work with the Anchorage Hockey Academy’s youth hockey camp, per the outlet.

[From People]

Yikes!! Thank goodness all critters came out safe and unharmed! Naturally, I have questions. For one, why does a team named “Kraken” have a troll for a mascot? That just seems like Mascot & Branding 101. Plus the kraken is such an iconic, evocative image — why wouldn’t you want to give that the puppet character treatment?! It just doesn’t make sense. Is John Oliver available for one more mascot rebrand? Moving along to my next issue: why does the Seattle team do an annual trip across Alaska, instead of, I don’t know, say their home state of Washington? Is that weird, or would it make total sense if I followed hockey more closely? (i.e., at all.) And lastly, bringing the mascot costume along for the ride. While I admire the dedication, why is Buoy out on the water fly fishing?! And what’s it like traveling through airport security with that thing? I realize he wasn’t wearing it on the flight (or was he?!), but I bet it still raised eyebrows, as hairy as the ones adorning the mascot himself. So many questions…

Categories
Contests food Sports

Joey Chestnut won his 17th title at Nathan’s hot dog eating contest after previous ban

joey-chestnut-won-his-17th-title-at-nathan’s-hot-dog-eating-contest-after-previous-ban

Embed from Getty Images


I hope everyone had a fun, safe, well-hydrated Fourth of July weekend! Mine went to the dogs: shortly before our country marked 249 years young (and immature), my rescue pup My Guy turned four. It was his first birthday we spent together! Which meant days later it was also my first taste of how this kid reacts to fireworks; thankfully, the answer was silently. (If a fly so much as buzzes in the lobby of our building, he sounds the alarm. But bombs bursting in air? Nothing to bark about. Silly floof.) As for the other dogs of our holiday festivities, I speak of course, of Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July Hot Dog Eating Contest. Our buns were smoked last year when Nathan’s and Major League Eating banned 16-time Mustard Belt champ Joey Chestnut from participating, on allegations of Chestnut violating “basic hot dog exclusivity provisions” (a term that never ceases to bring me joy when used in a legal context). But the relationship wasn’t charred so badly as to be irreparable, and Chestnut was invited back to compete this year, where he once again cut the mustard to win his 17th title:

The competitive eater emerged victorious in the 2025 Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July Hot Dog Eating Contest in New York City after ingesting a staggering 70.5 wieners within 10 minutes, helping him claim his 17th non-consecutive win at the annual event.

While Joey, 41, managed to scarf down 24 more hot dogs than his next closest rival Patrick Bertoletti, he admitted to falling short of his own expectations.

“My goal was 70 to 77,” he told ESPN moments after his triumph. “I really wanted a little bit more, but you know what? There’s next year. I’m just happy I’m here.”

Indeed, Joey—who consumed a record-breaking 76 wieners in 2021—pointed out that his biggest obstacle is often himself.

“Showing up is the hardest part sometimes,” he continued. “But I love being here. As soon as I found out I was coming, my body was easy to train. I love doing it. I love pushing myself and beating the heck out of people.”

After scoring his first Mustard Yellow Belt in 2007, Joey embarked on an eight-year winning streak before being defeated by Matt Stonie in 2015. He reclaimed the title the following year, kicking off another hot streak that would continue through 2023.

Last year, however, Joey was barred from competing after Major League Eating, the contest’s organizer, ruled that his sponsorship deal with plant-based alternative Impossible Foods—deemed a competitor to Nathan’s—made him ineligible to compete, an MLE spokesperson told ESPN at the time.

Fortunately, the matter appeared to be resolved in June when Joey announced his return to the competition.

“While I have and continue to partner with a variety of companies, including some in the plant-based space,” he wrote on Instagram June 16, “those relationships were never a conflict with my love for hot dogs.”

[From E! News]

Listen, I know a perfectionist when I see one (being in recovery myself), and I could taste the disappointment in Chestnut’s assessment of his own performance. Even though he proved victorious! But Chestnut has recently been hitting numbers much higher than 70.5 dogs & buns. When he broiled off against Takeru Kobayashi last year (in an event he booked after Nathan’s ousted him), Chestnut downed 82 hot dogs, in the industry standard 10 minutes. I remember it vividly because on that occasion, Chestnut uttered the endearingly earnest comment: “I’ve been trying to hit 80 dogs for years.” So for a GOAT like Chestnut, I’m sure losing steam by 10 dogs in less than a year gives the man heart burn. I just hope he doesn’t torment himself in his training for next year, because he described what said training entrails (gastro pun!) ahead of his win, and it was thoroughly disgusting. Yet in an odd way, a lot of what he said simply sounded like any other athlete preparing for the tournament. I walked away from the interview with three life lessons: 1) What makes you unique can be your ticket to success; Chestnut said that growing up he was always self-conscious about how fast he ate. 2) Champions are made through practice; I won’t detail his regimen here, but it’s, um, rigorous. And, 3) Don’t forget to breathe! (He also said don’t forget to swallow, but I thought that one through before highlighting it on the internet, ha! Oh, wait…)

Lastly, I know it’s a d-ck-shaped sport so naturally the focus is on the men, but there’s been a women’s division for the last 15 years with its own star player. Big shout-out to Miki Sudo for nabbing her 11th overall title (again, out of 15 years). She probably would’ve had the wins be consecutive, too, only she sat out 2021 for her pregnancy. Mamas for the win!

Embed from Getty Images

Embed from Getty Images

Categories
Contests food Sports

Joey Chestnut is returning to Nathan’s hot dog eating contest

joey-chestnut-is-returning-to-nathan’s-hot-dog-eating-contest




Avid sports watchers like myself will undoubtedly remember the great schism of 2024 that boiled the annual Nathan’s Fourth of July Hot Dog Eating Contest that year, leaving many with upset stomachs and raw nerves. But for those who missed the beef, here is a ketchup: 16-time Mustard Yellow Belt champion Joey Chestnut, the kid who’s become nearly as synonymous with the event as Nathan’s itself, was BANNED from partaking in last year’s proceedings. Nathan’s and Major League Eating (MJE) jointly took the drastic measure after alleging Chestnut had violated “basic hot dog exclusivity provisions” when he made a deal with Impossible Foods to support their plant-based franks. Chestnut maintained that all his actions had been above the carving board and accepted an alternate gig, appearing in a special Labor Day contest on Netflix. Throughout that whole summer, tempers were searing, and the buns and puns were flying. But now? A truce! Balance has been restored to the buns, with MJE announcing that this year Chestnut will be back at Coney Island, baby!

Joey Chestnut, competitive eating legend, announced Monday that he is returning to the Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest after a one-year hiatus from the annual Fourth of July event.

Chestnut, the 16-time champion, missed last year’s event because of a dispute with Major League Eating over his sponsorship deal with Impossible Foods, a company that makes plant-based hot dogs.

“I’m thrilled to be returning to the Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July Hot Dog Eating Contest,” Chestnut wrote on X. “This event means the world to me. It’s a cherished tradition, a celebration of American culture, and a huge part of my life.”

Chestnut added that he continues to partner with companies in the “plant-based space,” but those relationships never conflicted with his “love for hot dogs.”

“I’m excited to be back on the Coney Island Stage, doing what I live to do, and celebrating the Fourth of July with hot dogs in my hands!” he wrote. “Stay hungry!”

Major League Eating president Richard Shea told ESPN in an email that the contest is “extremely excited to welcome Joey back to Coney Island this 4th of July for what will surely be the greatest Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest of all time.”

Patrick Bertoletti downed 58 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes to win last year’s men’s contest, while Miki Sudo ate 51 hot dogs and buns to capture the women’s title. Chestnut owns the contest record with 76 hot dogs and buns in 2021.

This year’s event will take place July 4 at Coney Island in New York and be broadcast on ESPN platforms.

[From ESPN]

I don’t know about you, but for me, in these fraught, uncertain times, to see once-quarreling sides find a way to thaw relations so they’re less chili, well it’s Pepto Bismol for the gut, frankly speaking. Because what matters most, here? Not records or winning (and certainly not health!), or getting into culture wars over what constitutes a real hot dog. It’s love of the game! And yes, cherished, time-honored tradition, like Chestnut says. It commemorates the celebratory meal our Founding Fathers had after they all signed the Declaration of Independence. Most of those delegates were away from their wives and homes while holed up in Philadelphia — they weren’t making themselves complicated meals!! And HELLO, where do you think Betsy Ross got the red stripe idea from for the flag?!?

But actually, I think Chestnut is right in that the Fourth of July Hot Dog Eating Contest is perhaps the single most appropriate representation of American culture: it’s gluttonous, wasteful, unhealthy, centered around a phallus (at least in imagery), and a complete misuse of language, in that there really is no “eating” done at all. Chestnut’s record with Nathan’s is 76 dogs & buns in 10 minutes, but he crossed 83 hot dogs & buns in the Netflix special (also in 10 minutes). Will he break both of those records this year? Tune in on July 4 to see him defying gastronomy.

I respect that there were differences in interpretation, but I’m grateful we’ve been able to find common ground.

I’m excited to be back on the Coney Island stage, doing what I live to do, and celebrating the Fourth of July with hot dogs in my hands!

Stay hungry!

— Joey Chestnut (@joeyjaws) June 16, 2025

photos credit: Netflix and Dennis Van Tine/Avalon

Categories
Coco Gauff Sports

Coco Gauff won the French Open & graciously clapped back on a sore loser

coco-gauff-won-the-french-open-&-graciously-clapped-back-on-a-sore-loser

I was really looking forward to the French Open women’s singles final on Saturday. It was the dream final between the top two seeds, Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka (#1) and American Coco Gauff (#2). They just played in the final of the Madrid Open, and when Coco won her 2023 US Open trophy, she beat Sabalenka. They were the two best players during the clay-court swing, and a lot of tennis fans hoped this would be the final. Incidentally, I just love this matchup, and it’s one of my favorite matchups in the current WTA: Aryna is one of the most powerful WTA players on the tour, and Coco is one of the best defenders on the tour, not to mention one of the fastest.

At first, it looked like Aryna was going to roll through Coco, but then at some point in the first set, Coco started to get into a rhythm. Aryna began to malfunction, showing waves of emotion and panic. Aryna ended up winning the first set, then Coco just didn’t go away as Aryna’s level dropped off. Coco just kept running, kept getting everything back, kept fighting. Coco easily took the second set, and then the third was all about both women tussling, fighting, scrapping, running. Coco held her nerve spectacularly as Aryna continued to implode (similar to what happened in the 2023 US Open final). Coco Gauff defeated Aryna Sabalenka, 7-6, 6-2, 6-4. Coco won her second major singles title, and third major overall (she won the doubles title in Paris last year). She’s only 21!

The story of the match was multifaceted: it was about Coco’s mentality, her spectacular defense, her variety, her speed, her grit, her ability to handle the conditions, and her worst shot (her forehand) not letting her down in the last two sets. The match was also about Aryna’s implosion, Aryna’s enormous unforced-error count, her overhitting and inability to power through Coco’s defense.

Unfortunately, Aryna was incredibly bitter about the loss. In her loser’s speech on stage, some of the first words of her mouth were about the wind and the conditions. She also sobbed on stage and said her performance was “terrible.” Then it got worse in Aryna’s press conference:

On a day where Sabalenka described her 6-7 (5), 6-2, 6-4 defeat to Coco Gauff as “the worst final I ever played”, the world No. 1 concluded her press conference by expressing her belief that had she lost to Iga Swiatek in the semifinals, the Pole would have gone on to clinch a four-peat in Paris.

“If Iga would win me another day, I think she would go out today and she would get the win. Yeah, it just hurts,” said the three-time major winner. “Honestly hurts. I’ve been playing really well, and then in the last match, go out there and perform like I did.”

Sabalenka notably ended Swiatek’s 26-match win streak at the clay-court major, but Gauff also had a recent win over their mutual rival—sweeping Swiatek over a pair of 6-1 sets to reach the Madrid final before losing that 1000-level championship to Sabalenka.

Upon hearing what Sabalenka said, Gauff understanbly saw it far differently.

“I don’t agree with that. I’m here sitting here (laughter). Last time I played—no shade to Iga or anything—but I played her and I won in straight sets. Yeah, I don’t think that’s a fair thing to say, because anything can really happen,” she said.

[From Tennis.com]

I won’t defend Aryna whatsoever – she sounds like a bitter loser and she needs to clean this up quickly. That being said, I do think she meant to criticize herself and compare herself unfavorably to Iga Swiatek, and basically say: Iga has a better mentality than me, she’s better in finals. But it’s still crazy for Aryna to say it in that way, especially because… Aryna bageled Iga in their semifinal. Iga has been losing to EVERYONE this year. Iga’s mentality and game have been in the dumpster since she flunked a doping test last year. As Coco said, she beat Iga with ease when they played a month ago. Coco is actually on a three-match winning streak against Iga! Anyway, Aryna’s inability to give Coco credit for the win is really awful. Aryna is getting TONS of sh-t from the tennis community for her comments. On Sunday, Aryna did post a statement on her IG Stories, but the statement sucks and she’s still going to have to apologize and clarify when she gets to Wimbledon in a few weeks.

????️ Sabalenka’s statement on her IG ???? https://t.co/O7Ekh82wz6 pic.twitter.com/8r6EDlK723

— Olly Tennis ???????????? (@Olly_Tennis_) June 8, 2025

“(Coco) won the match not because she played incredible, just because I made all of those mistakes.”

-Aryna Sabalenka on struggling with the conditions and how she handled herself mentally pic.twitter.com/IQB6iS1wM9

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) June 7, 2025

Coco’s response to Aryna’s post-match comments is about as good as you could ask for.

Essentially, “I played the best player in the world and won. Anybody else (not just Iga) would have been an easier assignment.”

#rolandgarros #cocogauff

[image or embed]

— Tick Tock Tennis (@ticktocktennis.bsky.social) June 7, 2025 at 4:56 PM

Photos courtesy of Backgrid, Avalon Red.

Categories
Dogs Pets Sports

Team Fluff beat Team Ruff in the 2025 Puppy Bowl

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They came, they saw, they cavorted. And unlike that other bowl that happened on Sunday, the 142 ready-to-be-adopted players of Puppy Bowl XXI made the game a real nail biter for the entire three hours! But in the end it came down to the intrepid work of labrador retriever mix Paws Allen, who led Team Fluff to victory over longtime competitors Team Ruff, with a final score of 68-66. I can only imagine revenge was sweet for Team Fluff, who narrowly missed out on the Lombarky Trophy last year after Team Ruff pulled a cheeky last minute move to run out the clock. Not that dogs are particularly known for their sense of time… or that any of last year’s athletes were back on the field this year… but still!

Game day stats: The Underdog Award went to Mercury, while Foxtrot won the Most Valuable Puppy Award. … This year, the show had 142 rescue dogs from 80 shelters across 40 states and two countries competing on both teams — more than ever before. Eleven special needs dogs also entered the field. Throughout the broadcast, the four-legged players scored touchdowns on a gridiron carpet when they crossed any goal line with a toy in their mouth. The bark of the town is a fun way to raise money and awareness for shelters across America, while showcasing adoptable dogs and other pets.

A wee by any other name: “There’s many different euphemisms we can use like pooch puddle or fertilizing the field, tinkle on the 20, turd and long,” [referee Dan] Schachner explained. “There’s a lot of ways that we can describe it in a funny way. But at the end of the day, we have a game to play. … How we deal with it — because again, we’re trying to show all sides of dogs — is we scoop it up, clean it up as quickly as possible,” continued Schachner. “We have a team that’s almost like a NASCAR pit crew that comes in and just quickly scoops it up. You wouldn’t know it was there after a minute, and we resume play as quickly as possible.”

The Bowl is in NY, but the pups come from all over: “Of course, we have some New York rescues, but you name it. Florida, Texas, Phoenix, California, Midwest. This year we have a pup from Nicaragua because we want to showcase some of the overpopulation issues in Central America,” Schachner exclaimed. “We cast as wide a net as possible, and the beautiful thing is these shelters will bring themselves to Puppy Bowl,” the ref noted. “They have no problem transporting these puppies — which is not easy. But they have no problem doing it because the reality is once this dog is on national TV, it will, of course, get adopted right away. … But, more importantly, the shelter will receive a lot of attention it might not otherwise have. And all the shelters we work with report a huge increase in adoption inquiries after they are featured on Puppy Bowl. So it’s a win-win.”

[From NY Post]

It really is a win-win, that’s the beauty of the Puppy Bowl! Shelters and pets get valuable exposure that (overwhelmingly) leads to pups finding their forever homes — and all the floofs have to do is spend a few hours ruff-housing with each other over toys galore. It’s brilliant! But this game was more than just fun, it was history-making: with 15 seconds to go before the Kitty Halftime Show started, Team Fluff player Charlotte, a cocker spaniel, scored a touchdown AND a field goal at the same time. I mean, if that’s not sportsmanship I don’t know what is!! Spiritually I have to say I’m totally aligned with MVP Mercury, the great pyrenees–maremma sheepdog mix who just wanted to lie down, for pete’s sake. But honorable mention must go to cairn terrier Demure, for playing a very mindful game.

PS — I cannot walk away without acknowledging this comment from Ref Dan: “Of course, we have some New York rescues, but you name it. Florida, Texas, Phoenix, California, Midwest.” First of all, to any kids out there: these are not all states! And second, did this remind anyone else of John Cazale in Dog Day Afternoon, when Al Pacino asks what country John would like to run off to, and Cazale says, “Wyoming.” ?

Mercury, the chillest dog on the field, is presented the coveted Underdog Award! #PuppyBowl pic.twitter.com/CdNyGyJBlp

— Animal Planet (@AnimalPlanet) February 9, 2025

Photos via Instagram/Animal Planet and Dan Schachner

Categories
Good Causes Sports

The Hershey Bears hockey team beats world record with 100k stuffed animals on the rink

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I was yesterday years old when I learned that the Hershey Bears — Hershey, PA’s ice hockey team — have been holding an annual, teddy bear-centric charity drive for nigh on 25 years. The delightful event goes down like this: fans are alerted in advance which game will be the Teddy Bear Toss and come to the venue armed with large trash bags filled with stuffed animals accordingly. Upon the Bears scoring their first goal of the game, the madness ensues, with fans gleefully hurling their fuzzy friends into the rink. Really, watch the video the team posted to their Instagram and you’ll see that nobody waits for a formal invitation; as soon as the goal is made it’s raining bears. And unicorns. And dogs and cats and frogs and a menagerie of cuddly creatures. Last year’s Teddy Bear Toss made a world record with 74,599 stuffed animals collected from the rink. This year? Hershey broke its own record at last Sunday’s game with a whopping 102,343 teddies that will be donated to charity.

The Hershey Bears are getting quite a bit of mascot support!

On Sunday, Jan. 5, the ice hockey team hosted their annual Teddy Bear Toss, which saw 100,000 bears flying into the ice rink, breaking their previous world record of 74,599 last year.

In a video shared on Instagram by the Hershey, Pa. team, numerous stuffed animals were thrown over the glass to celebrate the team’s first goal against the Providence Bruins.

“The world-famous event, held during today’s game against the Providence Bruins, sees fans throw stuffed animals onto the ice following Hershey’s first goal of the game in what is a spectacle that truly must be seen,” a press release from the Hershey Bears reads.

The club added, “Hershey forward Mike Sgarbossa scored the Teddy Bear Toss goal at 14:45 of the first period to tie the game against Providence at 1-1 and ignite the downpour.”

Piles of teddy bears were then collected on the ice rink, with many players such as right winger Pierrick Dubé and goaltender Clay Stevenson jumping on top of the stuffed animals.

The early celebration preceded the Hershey Bears’ 5-1 victory at the end of the game, which was attended by a sold-out crowd of 10,514.

The Teddy Bear Toss, which has taken place for charity since 2001, has collected a total 566,450 teddy bears.

Sunday’s stuffed animals will be donated “to over 35 local charities as part of the club’s Hershey Bears Cares program.”

The club’s numerous local and regional charities include Vista Autism Services, Schreiber Pediatric, Central PA Food Bank, Off the Streets, Gigi’s Playhouse Lancaster, Milton and Catherine Hershey Schools and Autism Society Greater Harrisburg Area.

[From People]

Who knew that the sight I deeply needed to see this week was a big, burly pro athlete launching himself with abandon into a mountain of stuffed animals. Let alone two big burly athletes doing it! It’s a life-affirming, heartwarming image. (Though a bit of a slippery slope as I quickly devolved into envy in wanting my own teddy bear mosh pit to dive into, like Daffy Duck swimming in piles of gold. Sigh…) I’m trying to wrap my head around the fact that the Teddy Bear Toss has collected a total of 566,540 stuffed animals over the 25 events they’ve held since 2001, and that 102,343 of that amount is from this year alone. I’m not the best mather, but that’s about a fifth of the total all from one game, right? At this rate, I’m envisioning the Bears being completely buried in the mounds of bears at next year’s Toss. Thank you Hershey Bears for bringing us such a charming act of charity. Man, chocolate and hundreds of thousands of teddy bears? Hershey, PA is really pulling their weight in joy output.