self an ambassador for his native Serbia. Djokovic still has just one Olympic medal, a 2008 singles bronze he earned in Beijing. A US Open title would certainly help him overcome his Olym

While Super Smash Bros. might be big in North America and parts of Europe, its far more niche in other parts of the world. Luckily, a new YouTube series is shedding light on the franchise in those communities. The show is Smash Scenes, and its latest episode takes place in one of the worlds largest havens for esports: South Korea.The episode delves into what its like to play a console title like Smash in a country like South Korea, where PC gaming dominates. The scene has had to reckon with other interesting challenges as it has taken shape, especially related to Smashs developer Nintendo. First, Nintendo has very little presence in South Korea, which means the Smash community there hasnt had support from the games greatest and most well-resourced advocate. Second, Nintendo didnt release the Wii U in South Korea, which meant Smash fans havent been able to play the most recent version of the franchise. South Korean players have gotten around the latter point by sticking to Super Smash Bros. Melee, the GameCube version of Smash from 2001 that is still an esports powerhouse today.ESPN caught up with Smash Scenes director Jason GosuJasu Russak and audio engineer Thomas Toggle Goedecke to get some insight into the series.Toggle had his own personal reasons behind making Smash Scenes. We always wanted to highlight our own smaller scenes, said Toggle. Everyone knows about SoCal and Norcal and MD/VA and Florida, and even Arizona to some extent. Being from Hawaii, no one knew about our scene and we?re often just brushed off.What else about the scene proved inspirational? Smash has interesting material, even among other, similar esports. The Smash Bros. series is in a unique position, GosuJasu said. In a world of online gaming, [Smashers] still meet locally and form communities. Because Melee predates online console gaming, and the new Super Smash Bros. for Wii U doesnt have the best online functionality, players still make a concerted effort to organize local tournaments.But finding and documenting smaller communities can be challenging, especially when aiming for a different location in each of ten episodes. The biggest issue has been traveling and locations, Toggle said. The idea behind the series is to get diverse locations and scenes, but thats limited by the budget we have. The team is doing what it can to work around financial constraints, including leaning on internet communication to supplement travel. We believe there is a narrative to be told about every scene, so we find ways to work around it, said Toggle. Some of our workarounds have been doing Skype interviews and working with local players to get b-roll for more distant locations.Smash Scenes is certainly not the first effort at depicting Smashs flavorful esports world on camera. Most people credit The Smash Brothers, a documentary series released on YouTube in 2013, for revitalizing the scene and bringing in new fans. Each episode focused on an individual top competitive Smasher. Viewers became attached to these players and the personality they brought to the game. However, that focus on the individual is something Smash Scenes has been trying to avoid.Most documentaries currently focus on the individuals and not the communities around them, GosuJosu said. These communities are what make Smash the game it is. This is their chance to tell their stories.What weve learned is that no two scenes are remotely similar, and that every community, no matter our large or small, has a story, said Toggle.Smash Scenes wants to establish itself as a staple of video storytelling in the community. Currently, the team is set to release its remaining eight episodes weekly. Then after a short reprieve, the series is hoping to upgrade its equipment and set off on finding other Smash communities all over the world.MLB Jerseys For Sale . -- Golden State Warriors coach Mark Jackson asked his players a simple question during Fridays morning shootaround: How many of them had ever been on a team 14 games over . Cheap Baseball Jerseys Online . PETERSBURG, Fla. http://www.chinajerseysmlb.com/ . The Brazilian goalkeeper signed a loan deal with the Major League Soccer club on Friday as he looks to get playing time ahead of this summers World Cup in his home country. Authentic MLB Jerseys Cheap .ca! Hi Kerry, Heres an interesting one. I know its common knowledge that all players are responsible for their sticks. We witnessed that when Zack Kassian hit Edmontons Sam Gagner in the face after a missed check. Wholesale MLB Jerseys . -- Josh Sterk scored once and set up two more as the Oshawa Generals edged the visiting Belleville Bulls 3-2 on Friday in Ontario Hockey League action.NEW YORK -- Serena Williams has a sore right shoulder. Novak Djokovics problem lies on the opposite side, in his left wrist. The main question hovering over the US Opens top singles seeds might not be which of them will win the event and bag yet another historic title but which of them will last longer.Im doing everything in my power, with obviously the medical team, to make sure that Im as close to 100 percent as possible during the course of this tournament, defending mens champion Djokovic said Friday at the National Tennis Center, ominously adding, ... at least for the beginning of it.Williams, who has played just three singles matches since she won Wimbledon, echoed Djokovics sentiments when she said, I have not played a lot, I havent practiced a lot, but Im just now starting to feel a little better. Hopefully just every day I will keep going higher.Each of the Grand Slam icons is coming off a severe disappointment at the Rio Olympic Games, with early losses for both attributed partly to their injuries. Theyre trying to balance the demands of practice with those of rehabilitation. Which is the priority?Somehow [Im] managing to do both, Williams said, enigmatically. Definitely am trying to practice more because I dont want to go into an event without having practiced. ... [And having] a lot of physical therapy.Williams said the last time she felt that her serve was a fully functioning weapon was at Wimbledon, where the womens final was contested July 9. She might have relied on it too much while earning her record-tying 22nd Grand Slam title in London. But it clearly was not that familiar, lethal tool during her three matches in Rio, where she and sister Venus also saw their unbeaten Olympic doubles streak broken in the first round at 15 matches (and three gold medals).The big Cincinnati combined event, the most significant of the US Open tuneup tournaments, followed immediately on the heels of the Olympic tennis event. Williams arrived on site and practiced once before withdrawing because of her shoulder. She said Friday that shes physically as fit as shes ever been but is concerned about her lack of recent playing time.I think usually I prefer to play more [matches] coming into the final Grand Slam of the year, she said. But theres nothing we can do about it. You just have to make the best of every single opportunity. Thats all I can do now.Djokovic is being equally philosophical in the wake of his tribulations. His glorious 2016 suddenly blew up in his face in the third round of Wimbledon and later at Rio. On Friday he confirmed thhat private problems unrelated to his game or fitness contributed to his poor performance at Wimbledon.ddddddddddddIt was the first time he had lost in the first week at a Grand Slam event since 2009.The loss and its attendant issues launched the 29-year-old Serb on an emotional voyage that he said helped him to evolve as a human being. He emerged from it refreshed. He blasted his way through the field at the Canada Masters without losing a set. It took a while to get centered, he said, But I started to feel great again.At Rio, though, the wrist injury flared up out of nowhere just a few days before the start of singles. Ironically, Djokovics first-round opponent was Argentinas Juan Martin del Potro, whose own multiple wrist injuries have ruined what might otherwise have been a Hall of Fame career. Del Potro, on the comeback trail once again, eliminated Djokovic. Then Djokovic and partner Nenad Zimonjic were knocked out in the second round of the doubles.The losses were devastating for a player who considers himself an ambassador for his native Serbia. Djokovic still has just one Olympic medal, a 2008 singles bronze he earned in Beijing. A US Open title would certainly help him overcome his Olympic disappointment, but Djokovic, like Williams, is in a race against time.Im just hoping that Monday, when the tournament starts, Ill be able to get as close to the maximum of executing my backhand shot as possible, Djokovic said, referring to the shot most affected by his injury. Sometimes what you need as an athlete is time, but, because the US Open is around the corner, I dont have too much time.If he needs cheering up, he might try lobbing in a call to Williams. She left Flushing Meadows in a depressed daze last year after she was upset in the semifinals by heavy underdog Roberta Vinci. The loss killed Williams quest to earn a historic calendar-year Grand Slam just two matches shy of the goal.That match has vanished in Williams rearview mirror. She said Friday that shes very happy to be back at the National Tennis Center, where shes had so many wonderful memories and moments. She has likewise relegated her recent Olympic failures to her trash file.At the end of the day, I knew I gave the best effort I could [in Rio], and it just wasnt enough, she said. I just practiced two days before playing my match. Its not ideal, but it was all I could do. So, you know, Im starting to feel better now, and thats really positive. ' ' '