Tag: Football

Was That The Last ‘Super Bowl’?

This is just something to think about while you go along in your cloud.

In case you were under a rock, which where I wish I had been, then you know the Eagles won the Super Bowl by a bunch…..after more than a month of force feeding the public everything football it mercifully came to a close and is in the history books…..but is it possible that it could be the last ‘Super Bowl’?

No I am not going on about getting rid of America’s favorite game….I am talking about a change in title….after all Trump seems to be on a roll renaming stuff like the Gulf of Mexico then why not the Super Bowl?

This is an op-ed that I read in USAToday…..

Well, I hope everybody enjoyed America’s last-ever Super Bowl. Come this time next year, I imagine the NFL’s signature event will be a thing of the past, replaced by something President Donald Trump deems more … him.

Surely the Philadelphia Eagles shellacking of the Kansas City Chiefs in New Orleans on Sunday night was a turnoff for the new president. It featured the team from the more liberal city winning while Trump’s preferred team lost. (Perhaps he can get the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn Philly’s victory.)

More important, the Super Bowl featured people paying attention to things that are not Trump. And that, based on the early actions of this president’s regime, is not acceptable.

…

Taking all of this into account, tell me you’d be surprised if Trump decided do away with what he’d undoubtedly call the “woke, Marxist, lame Super Bowl” and replace it with “The Donald Trump MAGA-America Bowl, brought to you by The Trump Organization.”

The guy has already declared that the Gulf of Mexico is going to be renamed “Gulf of America.” How could the hijacking of an American sports tradition be any less likey.

The Trump MAGA-America Bowl would be held at a Trump-owned property and feature NFL teams from whichever two cities purchased the most $Trump cryptocurrency coin.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/columnist/2025/02/10/philadelphia-eagles-super-bowl-trump/78338130007/

This move would not surprise me in the least….how about you?

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Famous Mississippian And Welfare Fraud

One famous Mississippian is one Brett Favre…..he went from Delisle in Hancock County to University of Southern Mississippi to Atlanta Falcons to Green Bay Packers where he made a name for himself in football that lead to the Hall of Fame….

Since his retirement he has had his fingers in many things but the one thing that did not add to his good name was he being named in a welfare fraud case……

Former NFL quarterback Brett Favre is repaying $1.1 million in welfare money that he received for multiple speeches where he did not show up, the Mississippi state auditor said Wednesday. Auditor Shad White said his office received $500,000 from Favre on Wednesday, plus a commitment that Favre will repay the other $600,000 in installments over the next few months, the AP reports. Favre’s effort to repay the money came two days after White released an audit of spending by the Mississippi Department of Human Services that showed Favre had been paid by Mississippi Community Education Center, a nonprofit group whose former leader has been indicted in a welfare embezzlement scheme. The center had contracts with Human Services to spend money through the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program, also known as TANF.

In an audit, White said his employees identified $94 million in questionable spending by the agency, including payments for sports activities with no clear connection to helping needy people in one of the poorest states of the US. The audit released Monday said the center paid Favre Enterprises $500,000 in December 2017 and $600,000 in June 2018, and he was supposed to make speeches for at least three events. The auditor’s report said that “upon a cursory review of those dates, auditors were able to determine that the individual contracted did not speak nor was he present for those events.” In a Facebook post Wednesday night, Favre said he didn’t know the payments he received came from welfare funds and noted his charity had provided millions of dollars to poor kids in his home state of Mississippi and Wisconsin, where he played the bulk of his Hall of Fame career with the Green Bay Packers

Not to worry this situation will not tarnish Favre and he will continue to be the hero of every wannabe quarterback in South Mississippi.

For Favre can do NO wrong.

“lego ergo scribo”

Closing Thought–16Jan18

I am not what most would call a sports addict….I like some sports but not to the point of abandoning everything else….but with that said….I have been a New Orleans Saints fan for 40+ years and when they make the playoffs it is time for me to watch them…..once a Saints fan…always a fan…..

This past season  they made the playoffs first they had to beat arch rival Carolina Panthers in a wild card game…. and then had to take on the Minnesota Vikings……

It’s a play Minnesota Vikings fans won’t soon forget—nor Marcus Williams of the New Orleans Saints. The Vikings won the NFL’s divisional playoff game 29-24 over the Saints on Sunday in the last 10 seconds, with Stefon Diggs scoring a jaw-dropping 61-yard touchdown that sent the Vikings to the NFC championship. Williams, the Saints’ 21-year-old rookie safety, had likely been told not to commit pass interference and risk a flag, a source tells NBC Sports, and so Williams dived to try to keep Diggs inside the line and keep the clock running. But it looks like Williams went too early and missed his mark, taking out one of his own teammates and giving Diggs a free lane to the end zone—effectively ending the Saints’ season.

The Times-Picayune noted a “red-eyed” Williams faced reporters afterward, his teammates by his side to say their loss could’ve happened in one of many ways. NBC notes the whole fiasco may have been the fault of the Saints’ defensive coordinator for a bad play setup, and the New Orleans Advocate points out Williams had a game-altering interception earlier on. But what’s impressing most is Williams’ resiliency and determination. He noted at the presser he’d “do all that I can to never let that happen again,” and tweeted on Monday that, “No the season didn’t end as planned but one thing for sure I won’t let one play define the type of MAN or PLAYER that I am or will be!

My season is over…..better luck next season…..

See you guys tomorrow…..chuq

Closing Thought–02Jan18

After the bowl games season we have a final set between Alabama and Georgia to see which will become the national champion….personally I cannot think of anything more worthless than a bowl game being something to stop traffic……

But with my thoughts aside does anyone know the history of what we call “bowl games”?

The term “bowl” is taken from the earliest of all bowl games, the “granddaddy of them all,” the Rose Bowl, which is also the name of the stadium in which the game is played. In 1902, the Tournament of Roses Association sponsored the East-West football game pitting teams from opposite ends of the country in an end of season event. The first game was played by Michigan and Stanford, a game that Michigan won, 49-0. Beginning in 1916, the game was played annually and was renamed the Rose Bowl in 1923 when the newly finished Rose Bowl stadium became the host.

https://www.barrystickets.com/blog/history-of-college-football-bowl-games/

Now that I have done my due diligence and given the history lesson I can move on from football…..

First day back after the slow down from the holidays…..glad to be back and hope to see all this year…..love and peace….chuq

Closing Thought–06Feb17

Pathetic toads!

As any American will tell you yesterday was the all powerful Super Bowl….personally I had better things to do that watch this spectacle….and every year the big stories are usually the ads that show during the game…this year was NO different but their was a bit of a twist……

Part of the ritual of the Super Bowl is the analysis of the adverts shown during the game, when US television networks use the large audience numbers to charge astronomical sums for commercial slots.

This year, during the first Super Bowl of Donald Trump’s presidency, the US brewery Anheuser-Busch used its slot to send a pro-immigration message to the nation.

The advert, Born the Hard Way, portrays a fictionalised version of the journey of Adolphus Busch to the US, where he would go on to help create Budweiser beer with fellow immigrant Eberhard Anheuser.

Trump supporters on social media were furious when the advert was launched before the game, vowing not to drink the beer again.

This stupidity goes under #BoycottBudweiser…..

This just illustrates the moronic air around Trump and his knuckle dragging followers…I wish I could find more polite way of putting my thoughts down….about the only one that fits is STUPIDITY.

Does not appear if any sanity will win the day for the next 4 years…..temper tantrums from our fearless leader and his throngs of demented toads…..keeps sanity at bay…..

I wish I could say this was the silliest incident but it hardly registers at all….

God only knows what it will be tomorrow.

My day is done…thanx to all for the visits and the follows…I shall return tomorrow with more….stuff.

Are You Ready For Some Football?

Sunday and my last day of mental clarity……and guess what……I will give you some history that you will enjoy (go figure)……

America’s national pastime……FOOTBALL!

The football season is just a few weeks old….but did you know that was a time when the game was facing oblivion?

The world turns on the games of the week……there are fantasy football leagues where normal people go batcrap crazy putting together a team and  try desperately to win enough money to pay the rent……..then there is the collegiate teams which is much like legal insanity…..

But back at the turn of the century football was just catching hold in American colleges, especially in the Ivy League region…..it was so brutal that players died playing the game…..one college president decided it was time for this practice to end and pushed to abolish the sport on campus……

But one person who enjoyed the game stepped up to save the game for prosperity…….Teddy Roosevelt.

A little history on how Teddy saved football…..

………. look back at football’s brutal beginnings and President Theodore Roosevelt’s quest to save the sport from abolition.

Source: How Teddy Roosevelt Saved Football – History in the Headlines

Every time you watch a game think about Teddy……for without his intervention the game may well have disappeared from college campuses…..and where would school spirit be if that had occurred?

Are You Ready For Some Football?

I know it is Sunday and all eyes will be on the TV screen…… I do not post much that is too complicated….but I found this and since today is  a day of football…..I thought some might find this piece a bit interesting….and possibly a little frightening….or at the very least disturbing.

Are you a sports fan?  Cool!

How about football?  Me?  I am not a fan, yes I watch a game or two but it is not all consuming…..to me I think football is a diversion that the media wants people to fixate on so that real news will not be that important to them.

I mean look at your news…..always reports on this team, that player or that scandal…..none of which plays a very big part of the grand scheme of the universe…..sports is a way to control the news and in doing so to control people’s responses.

I mean what does Brady’s balls have to do with the grand scheme of the world?

Now let’s move on shall we?  Remember when you went batcrap crazy over the NSA and its collection of your personal data?

This article reports on many aspects of the game….from the ball to players to spectators……how long before the government or corporations use this data in one fashion or another……

Source: How the NFL—not the NSA—is impacting data gathering well beyond the gridiron | Ars Technica

While you spend all your spare time working on your fantasy team….the government and business will be spending all their time using your data against you……

Still a sports fan?

FIFA: Say Good-Bye To An Era

Once again I feel it necessary for me to post on sports…..something I seldom do…..but this is just too big to ignore.

The big story around the world has been the corruption indictments against FIFA, the world football organization……ever since the story broke there have been calls for Sepp Blatter the Prez of FIFA to resign….not because he was involved but there are those that believe he had knowledge of what was happening around him.

Blatter was up for re-election to the presidency of FIFA and after a couple of rounds he won……I believe it was Jordan’s Prince Ali that was the runner up…….maybe he will get his chance at the spotlight now……..why now?

Sepp Blatter’s triumphant fifth term as president of FIFA is crashing to a halt after all of four days. Blatter today announced that he will resign as president of soccer’s governing body as soon as a successor is named in special elections, reports the BBC. In an almost comical understatement amid the growing corruption scandal, Blatter said, “My mandate does not appear to be supported by everybody.” While Blatter has avoided any criminal charges so far, the New York Times reports that his top lieutenant, Jerome Valcke, has now been linked to $10 million in bribes, suggesting that charges against Blatter himself are possible.

In case anyone is interested in what Blatter had to say in his resignation………

“I have been reflecting deeply about my presidency and about the forty years in which my life has been inextricably bound to FIFA and the great sport of football. I cherish FIFA more than anything and I want to do only what is best for FIFA and for football. I felt compelled to stand for re-election, as I believed that this was the best thing for the organisation. That election is over but FIFA?s challenges are not. FIFA needs a profound overhaul.

While I have a mandate from the membership of FIFA, I do not feel that I have a mandate from the entire world of football ? the fans, the players, the clubs, the people who live, breathe and love football as much as we all do at FIFA.

Therefore, I have decided to lay down my mandate at an extraordinary elective Congress. I will continue to exercise my functions as FIFA President until that election.

That chapter is closed and now we can open a whole new line of pay to play…….

FIFA: The Conspiracy

From the fleeting thoughts of Chuq

Since the mid 90’s conspiracy theories have been spread around like peanut butter in grade school……today we have them on just about anything you can think of……coming from Far Right to Far Left…….and they all somehow make the 6 o’clock news…..

After these couple of days of non-stop reporting on the FIFA scandal……could there be a conspiracy going on behind the scenes?

I know Americans are not too keen on football (soccer to them) but this story is too big even for those small minds to ignore.

It appears the the Department of Justice, after an exhausted investigation, has issued indictments against several within the FIFA organization……..from simple bribery to money laundering to coercion to corruption….a total of 13 people and/or institutions……..

I know….I know…..where’s the conspiracy?

There is to be a vote and NO I am not talking about the vote for the president of FIFA……there is another vote that the world may not be aware of coming up…….that is the vote to sanction Israel……HUH?

a dramatic shift in focus for the FIFA conference, and the planned vote on suspending Israel for the mistreatment of Palestinian footballers seems almost certain to be delayed.

The indictments have been issued by the US…….is this the US doing what it always does…….protect Israel?

I question the timing of the indictments.  Were they issued to do as much damage as possible to stop the vote against Israel?

When the issue came up Israeli Premier Benjamin Netanyahu was crowing about this, and bragged of telling FIFA president Sepp Blatter that a vote of the suspension of Israel would mean the destruction of FIFA outright.

A bit odd if you ask me……..is it possible that the timing was not necessarily about justice but rather to protect Israel from a possible suspension from football?

I am not a big conspiracist….but I also do not believe in coincidences……

Just a final thought on a Friday afternoon……

P.S.  CRAP!  I had a perfectly good conspiracy theory going and then the news hit……..

The Palestine Football Association (PFA) on Friday dropped its motion to have FIFA suspend Israel from international football, with the Jewish state saying the decision helped it avoid “an absurd situation”.

Better luck next time, Chuq…..this is why I do not like conspiracy theories…..they can bite you in the ass…..

What kind of unholy deal was made for this to happen?

Enjoy your weekend and a good night…….

Later

The World’s Game

I do not normally post much on sports…..but this story is too big too ignore……

Football, soccer to Americans, is the most popular sport in the world…..and unless you are asleep you have noticed that this is a major international story……..all the corruption and pay to play stuff…….but how many know what to look for or what they are talking about?

In case you would like to be better informed then here is your source….

(Newser) – It’s FIFA corruption scandal, day two. Here’s a guide to what you should know, watch, and read:

  • Vladimir Putin had strong words for the US regarding yesterday’s FIFA arrests, which he framed as “yet another blatant attempt [by the United States] to extend its jurisdiction to other states.” Among his comments, per the Guardian: “I suppose that someone broke some rules, I don’t know. But definitely, it’s got nothing to do with the USA. Those officials are not US citizens.”
  • The AP notes that in fact, of the 14 people charged (nine current and former FIFA officials, four sports marketing execs and an accused intermediary), at least two hold American citizenship.
  • Jon Stewart last night translated the scandal for a US audience in a segment flavored like this: “FIFA is so bad, they got arrested by the Swiss, a country whose official policy on Nazi gold was, and I quote, ‘we’ll allow it.'” Watch.
  • As for FIFA leader Sepp Blatter, the AP reports he today missed a scheduled speech—his third skipped appearance in 24 hours as many clamor for his resignation and for tomorrow’s election (he’s up for a fifth term) to be delayed. What he has done, per the BBC: chaired an emergency meeting. The New York Times takes a look at Blatter, who “has been dodging scandals almost from the moment he was elected president … in 1998” in a piece worth reading.
  • Another New York Times piece worth a read: “Chuck Blazer, a Soccer Bon Vivant Laid Low.” He’s the former FIFA executive committee member who appears to have become a “cooperating witness.” When indictments were unsealed yesterday, the feds revealed Blazer pleaded guilty a year and a half ago.
  • The AP looks at American and Swiss investigators’ months-long preparations for the raids’ dramatic end point: FIFA’s annual congress in Zurich. The AP puts it dramatically: “Any leak could have given the game away, allowing international soccer officials to scramble out of Switzerland or time to destroy important evidence.” Read more.
  • At Politico, Josh Gerstein zeroes in on Loretta Lynch, who has gone from being “known mostly as the woman who couldn’t get an up-or-down vote on her nomination as attorney general” to making a “stunning debut” as the world watched. Read.
  • What’s next, in terms of extradition, additional arrests, and the Russia 2018 and Qatar 2022 World Cups? This CNN guide has you covered. Read.
  • Still confused? John Oliver broke down FIFA’s corruption … last year. Watch.

Now you can talk like a pro……you are welcome!