Category: Sports

World Cup 2022–WTF?

Tomorrow the US will play Iran in the group stage…..and the news is the antics by the US team….

In a move well beyond posting a cliche quote in the locker room, the US Soccer Federation angered Iran by publicly airing its support for Iranian protesters—two days before the nations’ teams meet in the World Cup. The US federation posted Iran’s flag on social media in a graphic without the emblem of the Islamic Republic—four curves with a sword between them—which means, “There is no God but Allah,” the Wall Street Journal reports. The US federation confirmed Sunday that the alteration was intentional, per Yahoo Sports, made to show “support for the women in Iran fighting for basic human rights.” Iran’s supreme leader told the country Saturday that the protesters are being used by the US.

Iran’s soccer federation complained to FIFA’s ethics committee, quoting what it said is a rule calling for anyone “who offends the dignity or integrity of a country” to be suspended for at least 10 days or face other discipline, per the Guardian. After reactions began surfacing, from Iran and other places, US soccer officials discussed the matter and decided Sunday evening to delete the posts. They had consulted Iranian American experts before posting the altered flag but not the US team or government, per Yahoo. A spokesman said the US federation nonetheless stands by its support of the protesters.

At a press conference Sunday, the US players fielded as many questions about the flag as they did about soccer. The Americans said repeatedly that they empathize with the people of Iran but are focusing on preparing for their next match. The protests have been an issue at the World Cup for Iranians, as well. Players didn’t sing the national anthem before their first match in Qatar, and Iranian fans in the stands booed as it played. Some Iran fans have displayed flags with the emblem of a previous ruler, the late Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, and have carried signs reading “Women, Life, Freedom” at the tournament. FIFA and Qatari officials have declined to provide assurances that fans wearing T-shirts with the slogan will not be kept out of the stadium Tuesday.

This was stupidity…..where was the team captain or the coach?

If it was the American flag that was so defiled there would be a great uproar…..

Even more stupidity arising from the World Cup….this time in Belgium…..There has been many clubs that were not suppose to move on….teams like Saudi Arabia, Ghana, Senegal and Morocco….and this is the game in question.

Riots broke out in several Belgian and Dutch cities after Morocco’s 2-0 upset win over Belgium at the World Cup on Sunday. Police detained about a dozen people after they deployed water cannons and fire tear gas to disperse crowds in Brussels and eight more in the Northern city of Antwerp. Dozens of rioters overturned and torched cars, set electric scooters on fire, and pelted cars with bricks. Two police officials were injured in the Dutch port city of Rotterdam. By late evening Sunday, an uneasy calm had returned to most of the cities involved, the AP reports.

Brussels Mayor Philippe Close urged people to stay away from the city center. Even subway and tram traffic had to be interrupted on police orders. “Those are not fans, they are rioters. Moroccan fans are there to celebrate,” Close said. There were also disturbances in the cities of Antwerp and Liege. “Sad to see how a few individuals abuse a situation to run amok,” said Interior Minister Annelies Verlinden. Police in the neighboring Netherlands said violence erupted in Rotterdam, with riot officers attempting to break up a group of 500 soccer supporters who pelted police with fireworks and glass. Media reported unrest in the capital of Amsterdam and in The Hague. Morocco’s victory was a major World Cup upset and was enthusiastically celebrated by fans with Moroccan immigrant roots in many Belgian and Dutch cities.

What part of this incident is a way to celebrate or protest the score?

It is a game…..if people cannot accept that then maybe it is time to re-think priorities.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Sobering Moment At The World Cup

The 2022 World Cup is beginning play today in the nation of Qatar…personally I asked what they were thinking when Qatar was announced…..

People from all over the world will go to Qatar to cheer on their nation on the road to the Cup.

The big news from Qatar has little to do with play but rather the spectators….2 days before the start an announcement has been made….

Two days before the opening ceremony of the 2022 World Cup, Qatar has stunned fans with a decision to ban beer sales at stadiums despite Budweiser’s $75 million sponsorship deal with FIFA, world soccer’s governing body. The snap decision suggests FIFA “may no longer be in full control of major decisions related to its event,” the New York Times reports. FIFA confirmed the move in a statement Friday, saying that after “discussions between host country authorities and FIFA,” a decision was made to do away with beer sales in “stadium perimeters” and focus on sales in the official FIFA fan zone and “other fan destinations and licensed venues.” ESPN reports that the move followed last-minute pressure on FIFA from Qatar.

“There is no impact to the sale of [non-alcoholic] Bud Zero, which will remain available at all Qatar’s World Cup stadiums,” FIFA said. Budweiser hasn’t officially commented on the move, which follows an order last week for its beer tents to be shifted to locations in stadiums away from where crowds would pass. A tweet from Budweiser saying, “Well, this is awkward” was later deleted, the BBC reports. Qatar, like its neighbor Saudi Arabia, strictly controls alcohol, but it agreed to allow the sale of alcohol in stadiums when it launched its controversial World Cup bid, reports the AP. Budweiser was to have been the only alcoholic drink available to most fans in stadiums, though the sale of beer, wine, and spirits is expected to go ahead in luxury areas.

In a statement, the Football Supporters’ Association said that while “some fans like a beer at a game and some don’t,” the “real issue is the last minute U-turn” and the lack of clarity from organizers. “If they can change their minds on this at a moment’s notice, with no explanation, supporters will have understandable concerns about whether they will fulfil other promises relating to accommodation, transport, or cultural issues,” the FSA said. The AP notes that Qatar is an “autocracy governed by a hereditary emir, who has absolute say over all governmental decisions.” Sunday’s opening ceremony will be followed by the tournament’s first game, Qatar vs. Ecuador.

Clever!  Wait until just before the tournament starts and all plans have been made by the spectators then announce there will be NO beer sold….too late to change to change their plans.

Qatar should never have won the bid….my question is how much grease did they spread around to bribe the bid?

Enjoy!

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

OMG! Another Sports Scandal!

This post is for my readers that need a good chuckle on this Saturday.

There have been many scandals in the sports world….sex scandals, gun scandals, fights, dog fighting scandals, gambling on and on….there seems something endemic in sports that seems to breed abuses…….few sports are immune….sports like baseball, basketball, football (both American and international) etc.

Let me go on record here…..because an activity has a winner and loser does not make it a sport….like poker, pickleball, teqball and whatever that thing is with a frisbee and of course….corn hole (us old farts have a different definition of the term)…..This is where I pick up this post…the world of pro corn hole…..

Like pickleball, cornhole has exploded in popularity in recent years—but fans are worried that corruption is creeping in as the sport moves further from its roots at tailgate parties and backyard barbecues. In what the Wall Street Journal describes as “perhaps the greatest controversy in the sport’s history,” allegations of cheating rocked the 2022 American Cornhole League World Championships earlier this year. The sport involves throwing fabric bean bags at a board with a hole in one end, and both sides in a high-stakes doubles match accused their opponents of using illegal bags. After a one-hour delay, officials at the August event, which aired on ESPN, determined that both sides were using noncompliant bags, but they decided it probably wasn’t intentional and the contest could go on.

The fabric bags used to be filled with corn, which gave the sport its name, but the preferred filling is now resin pellets, per SB Nation. Flatter, thinner bags can give players an edge, and manufacturers say that instead of just breaking them in through playing, they have heard of players boiling the bags, putting them in the washer and dryer, and even running them over. Some players treat the bags with vinegar or fabric softener to reduce stiffness and friction. At the ACL championships, some of the bags officials inspected were found to be below the regulation size and weight of 6 by 6 inches and 16 ounces.

In the “BagGate” game, a $15,000 prize was at stake. With the sport now attracting sponsorship deals, top cornhole players can make around $250,000 year. ACL spokesman Trey Ryder says the league is cracking down on noncompliant bags and is “exploring infrastructure for automated bag testing.” “I think it’s funny that anyone believed it would be all friendships and rose petals forever in cornhole,” a commenter on the Addicted to Cornhole Facebook page said, per the Journal. “Now the dirty underbelly is being exposed.”

This news is corny (no pun intended)….but damn hilarious.

Have a great Saturday and tune in tomorrow for more titillating news to entertain and inform.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Closing Thought–23Feb22

Just days ago the Winter Olympics ended with Norway running away with the meddle count….the US could not manage many medals……..

I use to cross country ski so those events are to my liking……

A whole new meaning to the term ‘blue balls’…..

A cross-country skier froze in a very sensitive spot following the men’s 50km mass start skiiing race at the Beijing Olympics Saturday. After finishing 28th, Remi Lindholm of Finland applied a heat pack to his genital area, the Guardian reports. “You can guess which body part was a little bit frozen when I finished,” he told reporters. “When the body parts started to warm up after the finish, the pain was unbearable.”

Organizers had been concerned about competitors because of Saturday’s freezing winds, Reuters reports. They ultimately shortened the race by 20km, making it just 30km long, but Lindholm still told reporters it was “one of the worst competitions I’ve been in.” He was on the course an hour and 16 minutes, the New York Post reports. Skiers wear only thin suits and under-layers along with plasters covering their faces and ears.

Alexander Bolshunov took gold, followed by his teammate Ivan Yakimushkin. Norway’s Simen Hegstad Krueger took bronze in his only Olympic event due to a lengthy isolation period following a positive COVID test. “Just to get to the race today is a small victory in itself and the rest is really a bonus. I think I got absolutely everything out of my body today and I didn’t have a chance to do any better,” he said. Bolshunov is now the only man to have won five cross-country medals at one Olympics; in addition to his three golds, he took home a silver and a bronze, having medaled in every event in which he competed.

Broken bones….strained muscles…..but frozen genitals is not something one would expect as a hazard for the Olympic sports.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Closing Thought–28Dec20

During this pandemic many Americans as well as the rest of the world has been struggling to make ends meet…..our government sent checks out to many Americans as an assistance as well as many for profit corporations got cash…..something I did not…but why would the government subsidize a sports team during the pandemic?

I know WTF?

Yep the government sent funds to a hockey team….

The Pittsburgh Penguins, an NHL team valued at $650 million, received a $4.82 million loan through the Paycheck Protection Program, part of the CARES Act passed at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic. According to Larry Brooks at the New York Post, the hockey team was the only one of the 123 teams that make up the Big Four North American Men’s Sports Leagues (MLB, NFL, NBA and NHL) to get a loan from the aid program, which was supposed to help small businesses keep employees on the payroll.

365 Out Of 1350

Did you know that this weekend’s golfing outing by Trump is his 365th day of golf since taking office?

This country is facing several situations that demand some leadership from the president…..a growing pandemic….protests…..unemployment and hunger growing….let’s not forget the international problems that are mounting up…….and yet there is still time for the 365th time on a course since January of 2017

Today marks the President’s 365th day at a Trump-owned property since he was sworn in on January 20, 2017. It’s also his 273rd day at one of his golf resorts, according to CNN’s Jim Sciutto.

https://www.rawstory.com/2020/07/right-now-trump-is-at-his-virginia-golf-club-and-its-his-365th-day-at-one-of-his-properties-since-becoming-president/

His problems are amounting up…..he has given Pharma the green light to gouge….

Government contracts obtained by consumer advocacy group Knowledge Ecology International show that the Trump administration is giving pharmaceutical companies a green light to charge exorbitant prices for potential coronavirus treatments developed with taxpayer money by refusing to exercise federal authority to constrain costs.

Through the Freedom of Information Act, Knowledge Ecology International (KEI) last week got hold of a number of heavily redacted agreements between the Trump administration and major pharmaceutical companies like Johnson & Johnson, Regeneron, and Genentech.

Five of the seven documents reviewed by KEI are classified as “other transaction agreements,” which allow federal agencies to loosen regulations designed to protect the public in order to help companies streamline the product development process.

https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/07/02/scandal-contracts-show-trump-giving-big-pharma-free-rein-price-gouge-taxpayer-funded

Trump’s other problem is that it appears the Moscow Mitch has had enough of Trump’s bullshit…and may tell the GOP what to do during the run up to the election…..

Mitch McConnell could advise Republicans to start distancing themselves from Donald Trump, according to a new report. The President’s recent poll n

A Reuters report suggested on Thursday that the Senate Majority Leader could is concerned that Trump could cost Republicans the Senate this November.

“Trump’s falling poll numbers worry some fellow Republicans they will lose control of the U.S. Senate, having already lost leadership of the House of Representatives in 2018,” the report claims.

Mitch McConnell May Tell Republicans to Distance Themselves from Trump

News that is slipping through the cracks in the media reporting…..it may be useful to those that actually care about this country.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

That Flag Thing Again

Closing Thought–22Jun20

I recently wrote about my city voting to take down the offensive Mississippi flag….and flag another state flag…..the Magnolia Flag……read my thoughts on this…..State Flag Is Gone! – In Saner Thought

Now the beleaguered state flag is under assault again….this time from the NCAA……

Mississippi is the only state in the nation to still feature the Confederate symbol, which consists of 13 stars and a blue cross, on its flag—and that hasn’t escaped the NCAA’s eye. Now, the college athletic organization’s Southeastern Conference is warning the state that if it doesn’t nix the symbol from the flag, it risks a big consequence. “It is past time for change to be made to the flag of the State of Mississippi,” reads a Thursday statement from SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey, noting if that significant tweak isn’t made, the conference will mull keeping SEC championship events out of the Magnolia State. “Our students deserve an opportunity to learn and compete in environments that are inclusive and welcoming to all.”

ESPN notes there hasn’t been an SEC championship game held in Mississippi since 2016. In a 2001 referendum, voters in the state opted to keep the flag as is, but after the death of George Floyd and a resurgence of Black Lives Matters rallies, the outcry to change the flag was re-upped. Among those who’ve joined that call: the University of Mississippi and Mississippi State University, both SEC members that say they’ve been lobbying for years for this change. “Mississippi needs a flag that represents the qualities about our state that unite us, not those that still divide us,” reads a statement from University of Mississippi Chancellor Glenn Boyce and his vice chancellor for intercollegiate athletics, Keith Carter. A bipartisan proposal to change the flag has been submitted to the state’s Legislature.

We will see just how far a bi-partisan proposal will go n the “good old boys” club of Mississippi.

Before some unknowing dolt tries to give me heritage BS…the present flag was adopted in 1894….had more to do with post Civil War sentiments than anything historic…..read a book!

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Death Of A Statesman

Sad news today….the death of one of the last statesmen left in the US Congress, Rep. Elijah Cummings of Maryland….

Rep. Elijah Cummings died early Thursday at Johns Hopkins Hospital due to complications from longstanding health challenges, his congressional office says. He was 68. A sharecropper’s son, Cummings became the powerful chairman of a House committee that investigated President Trump, and was a formidable orator who passionately advocated for the poor in his black-majority district, which encompasses a large portion of Baltimore as well as more well-to-do suburbs. As chairman of the House Oversight and Reform Committee, Cummings led multiple investigations of the president’s governmental dealings, including probes in 2019 relating to the president’s family members serving in the White House, the AP reports.

Cummings was born on Jan. 18, 1951. In grade school, a counselor told Cummings he was too slow to learn and spoke poorly, and he would never fulfill his dream of becoming a lawyer. “I was devastated,” Cummings the AP in 1996. “My whole life changed. I became very determined.” It steeled Cummings to prove that counselor wrong. He became not only a lawyer, but one of the most powerful orators in the statehouse, where he entered office in 1983. He rose through the ranks of the Maryland House of Delegates before winning his congressional seat in a special election in 1996. The Baltimore archdiocese tweeted that Cummings “generously shared his God-given gifts and talents w/the people of his beloved city, state, and nation for so many years.”

Rep, Cummings will be sadly missed by the Congress and the nation…..our Congress have so few actual statesman…men/women of conviction and decency….

IST would like to offer our warmest feelings toward the Representative and his family……

May He Rest In Peace.

I Read, I Wrote, You Know

Those Damn Dem Centrists!

2020 election is in the wings and all efforts are being played.

Pundits are screaming for a centrist candidate for the Dems…..a centrist will be inclined to protect the corporations that own the news these days.

Personally, I do not think centrtists do anything to help the situation…they are more likely to feed the partisan BS that has crippled this country for damn near 4 decades.

Let me illustrate my opposition…..

https://lobotero.com/2011/06/27/centrist-vs-independent/

https://lobotero.com/2014/07/29/centrists-the-bane-of-politics/

Who are the centrists?

For those that are not sure who is who in the Democratic field….watch for their election strategy…..

I hate the term “centrists”…….. they are “corporatists”…… meaning they will do what it takes to keep corporations in control of government…..

In his book Failed States, preeminent linguist Noam Chomsky described the significant gap between the policy positions of the U.S. electorate and their elected “leaders” as a “democracy deficit.” That gap, he concluded, is the product of the deceptive manner in which “elections are skillfully managed to avoid issues and marginalize the underlying population…freeing the elected leadership to serve the substantial people.”

https://www.commondreams.org/views/2019/08/08/step-one-closing-democracy-deficit-stop-referring-corporatists-centrists-or

What is this strategy?

Democrats voting strategy: 1). Vote blue, no matter who   2). Refuse to discuss voting records, donor history   3). Yell at anyone discussing voting records, donor history   4). Refuse to support any progressive candidates   5). Wonder why Trump wins re-election   6). Repeat in 2024……. 2028.

It is a false allure of centrism that the MSM is pushing on the viewing public……

Nancy Pelosi is worried about 2020. As, of course, is every Democrat, but Pelosi has an analysis of the challenge the party faces that is striking in how tentative it sounds, even frightened. Here’s what she told The New York Times over the weekend:

Sitting in her office with its panoramic view of the National Mall, Ms. Pelosi—the de facto head of the Democratic Party until a presidential nominee is selected in 2020—offered Democrats her “coldblooded” plan for decisively ridding themselves of Mr. Trump: Do not get dragged into a protracted impeachment bid that will ultimately get crushed in the Republican-controlled Senate, and do not risk alienating the moderate voters who flocked to the party in 2018 by drifting too far to the left.

“Own the center left, own the mainstream,” Ms. Pelosi, 79, said.

It wasn’t that long ago that Pelosi was supposed to epitomize the left’s radicalism, a “San Francisco liberal” who filled every heartland American with rage and disgust. Now she’s telling the Democratic Party that the path to victory is by limiting conflict with Donald Trump and offering a sedate policy centrism.

https://www.commondreams.org/views/2019/05/06/fearful-democrats-and-false-allure-policy-centrism

If you want more of the same from your Dems then vote for those damn centrists…..Biden, Mayor Pete, Harris, Booker, etc etc…….and please stop attaching the “progressive” label to these corporate toadies.

Get Smart!

Learn Stuff!

Then VOTE!

“Lego Ergo Scribo”

Gentlemen–Start Your Engines

The weekend and I am in search of something different for posts….continuing my attempts at FYI.

The Olympics is approaching and there is a try to get a certain “sport” that is pressuring the committees to include it…..the sport is “pole dancing”……not just for strip clubs anymore….at least that is their belief……

Normally associated with seedy night clubs, pole dance is desperate to distance itself from of an undesirable image, and supporters believe the gymnastic and acrobatic elements of ‘Pole Sport’ warrants Olympic Games recognition.

In 2016, The International Pole Sport Federation (IPSF) submitted a request to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for Pole Sport to be officially acknowledged as a sport.

Pole Sport practitioners are working hard to challenge stereotypes, rid itself of preconceptions and promote a family friendly and competitive environment in order to gain recognition, which is something as diverse as breakdancing has provisionally achieved.

RT Sport hooked up with Nyashi Dance school in Moscow to find out why Pole Sport deserves Olympic recognition.

https://youtu.be/hZZdAGMmXUk

Gentlemen! I have wonderful news that I know you’re going to want to hear: As of early this month, the Global Association of International Sports Federation granted pole dancing “observer status,” meaning it’s officially recognized as a sport! Woohoo!

I’m sure pole-dancing women everywhere are overjoyed, because they know for a fact that it takes a shit ton of coordination, strength, and skill to spin around a pole with a single arm and hang upside down and still manage to look insanely hot.

https://www.maxim.com/sports/pole-dancing-olympic-sport-2017-10

Okay my thoughts…..the Olympics are for actually sports…..to me there are too many “sports” included that should be eliminated….horse dancing, sailing, circumcised (yes I know it is the wrong word) swimming…a few year back they eliminated softball but kept horse dancing….why?

What is next a “spin class” event for the Olympics….how about mountain climbing?

This could be the hot ticket if the outfits befit the idea of “pole dancing”…..talented yes…….. a sport not really.

That is my offerings for the day….I need to nurse an aching back….enjoy your Sunday and thanx for your time.