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#are you weekend league players or the freaking national team
lqvesoph · 1 year
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chacha break up this chacha break up that, someone check on carlos sainz because spain just got eliminated
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brokutosan · 4 years
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Title. It Made Me Feel Warm Yet Scared At The Same Time
Pairing. Ushijima Wakatoshi x Fem!Reader
Summary. In which she’s hurtling towards him, but she’s scared he might not catch her. (Spoiler: he does).
Warnings. This contains manga spoilers to up to the latest chapter!
Ushijima Wakatoshi doesn’t look like someone who’s interested in relationships. Or perhaps he truly isn’t. Day in and day out his thoughts are plagued with volleyball, and Y/N isn’t sure if she can find a place she could weasel her way into those said thoughts.
Tendou Satori, her coworker and friend who had introduced her to the man in question, had once said that, “Wakatoshi-kun’s brain is basically a hollowed out volleyball.” It makes sense, though. He’s a Division 1 player that’s made his way to the National Japanese team at the age of 19, so if he wasn’t as dedicated to the sport as he is then Y/N would think his whole career is a fluke.
“Say, Y/N-chan,” Tendou hums, catching the girl’s attention, “why do you like Wakatoshi-kun anyways?” Y/N stops to think about the question. It’s a good and valid question and the eccentric man in front of her had asked it a million times. And each time Y/N does not know how to answer the question.
“Why is the sky blue?” Y/N finds herself throwing the question at Tendou after much consideration.
“Hah?” He jumps up. His reaction is totally over the top, but it’s nothing Y/N isn’t already used to. “How am I supposed to answer that?” He questions back, brows furrowing into a frown.
“That’s exactly how I feel about your question.” Y/N calmly replies, taking a sip of her drink. Tendou’s face relaxes from its frown, and he jumps up exclaiming, “Oh! I see what you did there.”
“Wait. When did we jump from finishing this paperwork to talking about my love life?” Y/N perks up, straightening her back in order to avoid premature back problems. She focuses her attention back on their forgotten paperwork, rearranging them based on importance.
“I’m just a concerned friend trying to help solve your relationship problems. Specifically your lack of one.”
“Well, thanks but no thanks.” At that, Tendou gives it a rest. Or at least Y/N thought so, before he shoots up in his seat again, gaining strange looks from the people seated near the pair in the small café. “I got it! Is it because he’s attractive?”
Y/N throws him a pointed look, one that screamed out her disappointment, before she sighs out, “I like Ushijima-san because he’s Ushijima-san.” Tendou pauses and brings a hand up to his face, indicating some sort of thought process.
“Yes yes, I totally understand.”
“Kinda feels like you don’t.”
“I do.”
Y/N accepts defeat, choosing to just stay quiet just in case Tendou starts trying to dig deeper. A few minutes of silence engulfs the two as they focus on their on work, the topic of Y/N’s ‘tragic’ love life and Ushijima Wakatoshi being forgotten amidst paperwork and deadlines.
“Aki said yes when I proposed.”
“Satori! Why didn’t you tell me earlier?” This time the strange looks are pointed at Y/N, who’s leaning in from across the table to an unamused red head. “I forgot about it ‘til now.”
“So...?” Y/N muses, still standing on the balls of her feet as she shoves her face as close as possible to her surprisingly nonchalant friend. “So what?”
“When did you propose? How did you propose? When’s the wedding?” Y/N gushes, forgetting to let her friend answer her never-ending questions. “Slow down there, Y/N-chan.” Tendou chuckles and waits for her to settle down in her seat before continuing,
“I proposed last weekend over dinner and the wedding’s in four months.”
“Four months? Is that enough time to prepare?”
“It’s a simple ceremony at a shrine back home. All we care about is actually getting married.” Tendou has a dreamy look on his face, one that made Y/N slightly jealous. She hopes that someday she’ll feel it too.
Taking in her friend’s expression that screamed out ‘I’m in love!’, Y/N smiles warmly and says, from the bottom of her heart, “I’m happy for you and Aki, Satori. I really am.”
“Yeah. And I wouldn’t have met her if it weren’t for you, Y/N. So...” Tendou hints, wiggling his eyebrows and craning his neck in a way that implied he’s up to something.
“Oh no no no. No, I get where this is going, but no.” Y/N shakes her head ‘no’ vigorously, and Tendou’s almost worried for her neck but argues,
“I didn’t even say anything yet!”
“You’re grateful that I set you and Aki-chan up so now you want to do the same thing for me and Ushijima-san.”
“Damn, you’re good.” Tendou mumbles as he slouches down in his chair. “I wouldn’t be this happy if it weren’t for your help, Y/N-chan. Let me return the favor.”
“It wouldn’t be a favor if I expected something in return. Trust me Satori, I’m fine.” Y/N is hesitant to say her next sentence, but she does so anyway. “Besides...I don’t think Ushijima-san likes me like that anyways.”
“Hah?! Are you blind?!” At this point the workers are giving them dirty looks and Y/N has to physically wrestle Tendou back down to his chair. “Scream one more time and I’m telling our boss you’re finishing all of my paperwork for me.” Tendou pouts but complies anyways.
“You’re crazy if you think he doesn’t like you!” Tendou whisper-yells while making obscene gestures with his hands. “What makes you say that?”
“Look, it might not be obvious to you, but I’ve known Wakatoshi-kun since highschool!” Tendou states the obvious. Y/N looks at him unamused, but lets him continue anyways. “When he likes or dislikes something, it shows on his face!”
“His facial expression has never changed when he’s talking to me though.”
“But it does when you’re not looking! He has that small, satisfying smile on his face like when he perfects a spike or wins a game.” Y/N is skeptical, though she always is when it comes to Tendou, but she gives him the benefit of the doubt. “Okay. Say he does miraculously like me too. Then why hasn’t he made a move?”
“Why haven’t you?”
“Touché.”
Tendou lets out a dramatic sigh and slams his head down on the table. “You’re both hopeless!”
“I’d like to think of myself more as a realist. And the reality is Ushijima-san probably sees me as your boring friend from work.” Tendou runs a hand through his face and lets out something that sounds like a mixture of a grunt and a groan. He’s overreacting, Y/N thinks to herself.
“He’s a VLeague player, Satori. Meanwhile I can barely make rent on time because my friend won’t let me get my work done.”
“You’re being unfair to yourself Y/N! Why not give it a chance?” Y/N ponders over it for a minute. She could. No, she wants to, wholeheartedly. But the thing is she’s scared of making a fool out of herself. While she’s not technically someone with an inferiority complex, it’s hard to get past the fact that the man is way out of her league.
Then again...how the hell would she know if she doesn’t even give it a shot?
“Damn.” Y/N huffs out in defeat, back slamming her chair as she dramatically drops her body on it. Tendou sees this as a sign of victory, and holds up two peace signs. “Operation Wakatoshi and Y/N is a go!”
-
“I hate you, Satori.”
“Oh c’mon! You love me!”
“Nope. I hate you to death.”
“You’ll thank me for this opportunity later.”
“Sure, if I don’t kill you beforehand.” Tendou lets out a laugh, or more like a cackle, and Y/N has to physically rip her phone away from her ears in order to avoid damage. She’s thankful she’s not in public, like a train or something, or else she would have died out of embarrassment.
“You can’t kill me ‘cus then no one would help you with Operation Wakatoshi and Y/N!” Tendou wheezes out as soon as he’s done with his laughing fit.
“I can help myself.”
“I highly doubt that.”
“Have I said how much I hate you yet?”
“Y/N,” Tendou’s voice is clear with no more trace of laughter. If Y/N knew any better - the guy is being one hundred percent serious. “Just go to dinner with us, you won’t die from it. I’ll say Aki-chan had a free dinner for four and pay our meals in advance.”
“Isn’t that too obvious? Like why him and why me out of all of your friends?”
“Wakatoshi-kun won’t look into the finer details of these types of things. Trust me.”
“What if I freak him out? What if he thinks I’m insanely boring? What if -” Tendou cuts off her unnecessary rambling. From her end of the call, Y/N can just feel the major eyeroll Tendou was probably doing.
“Relax. All you need to do is be yourself, Y/N! Talk to him about your daily life and listen to him ramble about volleyball. If anything Aki-chan and I will be there as a buffer.”
“Thanks for the reassurance, but I’d rather die.”
“You’re so dramatic, Y/N chan.” And at that, she immediately shuts her mouth. If that phrase just came out of Tendou’s mouth of all people, then perhaps she was being just a smidge bit dramatic. Only because Tendou was set on hooking her up with his greek god of a friend.
The call ends after a bit more teasing from Tendou and some more death theats from Y/N that followed. Eventually they decide on a date after considering Ushijima’s training schedule, and it suddenly hits Y/N that it’s actually going to happen. She’s actually going to dinner with one of the finest man she’s ever seen walk the Earth.
-
“So...” Four pairs of eyes glance around at each other, each seemingly awkward and unfamiliar despite knowing each and everyone there on the table. It was Aki who had decided to take the liberty of breaking the silence, and Y/N silently thanks her friend who’s always been the more extroverted one among the two.
“Wakatoshi-kun, how’s volleyball training?” Aki darts her eyes at the said man, who was busy trying to ignore the awkward stares by stuffing his face with the pork curry in front of him. He coughs, obviously caught off guard, and Tendou is kind enough to pour him a glass of water (albeit he had a shit-eating grin on his face, but it’s the thought that counts).
“Ah, it’s doing well.” Ushijima replies after his mini choking scare. If he did end up choking on that piece of pork, Y/N is certified at performing the heimlich maneuver, but she’s not sure she could handle being that close to him without suddenly freaking out.
Y/N shakes her head in attempt of getting rid of the mental image of her arms wrapped around Ushijima’s torso. His very lean and toned torso. Her eyes wander a below his chest where she’s sure, hiding behind that thick sweater, is a body she’s only ever seen in movies. A testament to his strict training and diet.
“...Y/N? What do you think?” Tendou’s egging her on. She knows he saw her eyeing Ushijima like a piece of man-candy and now he’s making her pay for it. The red haired man is grinning at her, and it took everything in Y/N not to slap that grin off his face from across the table.
“Um...yes...?” It comes out a lot weaker than Y/N had intended it to, and now Tendou’s biting his cheeks to hold in his laughter. Y/N sees Aki elbow his ribs from under the table. Good. The bastard deserves it.
“Oh, so you do think that Wakatoshi-kun’s the most attractive player in the league?” Fuck. If she blurts out ‘no’ right now she’d be offending him. If she blurts out ‘yes’ she’ll be digging her own grave.
“Tendou. She doesn’t have to answer that.” Ushijima’s voice is stern yet indifferent, but good enough to shut Tendou up. Y/N weakly nods her head, a small apology for letting her thoughts wander and creating that awkward situation. He nods back in acknowledgment.
“Wakatoshi-kun, would ‘ya mind walking Y/N back to her apartment? Aki-chan and I here have a long way home and I’m worried about our friend Y/N here since it’s getting late.” There’s the catch. Y/N should have known he had a few tricks up his sleeve.
“No, it’s totally fine! My apartment is only a fifteen minute walk away, and there’s street lights everywhere! You don’t need to-”
“I was already planning on doing that.” Y/N finds herself getting more excited at those words than she should. He truly is a gentleman.
“Are you sure? I don’t want to impose! I know you’re probably busy with training and stuff.”
“Y/N-san. It’s only a fifteen minute walk away. I think I’ll be fine.” He says with a small smile. Ah. So he’s decided to throw her words right back at her. Clever.
The rest of their dinner goes by smoothly, with Y/N being careful Tendou doesn’t make an ass of her for the rest of the night. She learns more things about Ushijima than before, things like how his dad lives in California, and he tries to visit every once in a while. By the end of the night, Y/N feels herself getting closer to her crush. But then she remembers the dreaded 15 minute walk back to her house.
“Ushijima-san, are you sure about this? I really don’t want to be a bother.” She repeats for the nth time since walking out of the restaurant.
Ushijima offers her another smile and says, “It’s fine, L/N-san. I wouldn’t be comfortable knowing I let you walk home alone in the dark.” And at that Y/N gives it a rest, deciding to walk in silence. It lasts about three minutes, until Ushijima asks in a soft voice,
“Do you find being around me uncomfortable?” It comes out almost vulnerable, pretty ironic considering this tower of a man doesn’t look like the type who’d ask this question. Nontheless, Y/N quickly retorts,
“No! I mean...no, of course not! It’s quite the opposite, actually. I find your presence comforting, like...uh...like a giant teddy bear!” Oh god. She said that out loud. As in she said those words. As in she just called Ushijima Wakatoshi, Schweiden Adlers’ opposite hitter and the National team’s cannon, a giant teddy bear. I want to die. Y/N keeps walking ahead, not noticing that the stupidly handsome man beside her had stopped walking about five steps ago.
Y/N is so focused on mentally kicking herself in the ass that she doesn’t notice the feint small that makes its way to his face. And the laugh that follows takes her by surprise. It’s a nice sound. Y/N’s almost glad she made an ass out of herself in order to hear it.
“That’s...that’s a pretty interesting comparison.” He says once his laughter dies down. Looking back at him, Y/N finds it unfair how the moonlight is hitting his features just right, making him look almost ethereal. This man truly is out of her league. (And she just called him a giant teddy bear, Y/N’s never gonna forget that).
“Sorry, that totally came out wrong.” Y/N’s glad Tendou’s not around. The slimy bastard would never let her live it down. She could almost imagine having to go about her day with Tendou reminding her that this happened. She shudders at the thought. Ushijima notices this.
“Are you cold?” Y/N purses her lips and starts to say no, but is interrupted by him sliding off his jacket. “Here, take this.” He says warmly, closing the five-step gap between them with three long strides.
Y/N finds herself at lost for words as an oversized jacket pools her form, and Ushijima zips up the jacket with gentle hands. His face is even closer now, this much Y/N is hyperactively aware of. She feels a brush creeping up her face and curses herself for being so helpless in this situation. If only Tendou could see her now.
“Thank you, Ushijima-san. You didn’t have to.” He’s looking down at her with an unreadable expression, hands still fixed at her shoulders.
“Wakatoshi.”
“I’m sorry?”
“Just Wakatoshi is fine.” His face breakes into a smile as the sentence causes blood to shoot up Y/N’s face, her cheeks no doubt redder than a tomato. Cute, he thinks to himself.
“A-ah, then, thank you, Wakatoshi.” She manages to squeak out, though her voice is a bit muffled from her hands covering her face. She feels warm hands grip her wrist, gently pulling her hands away from her face. Y/N is once again made aware of the fact that his face alone could be used as a deadly weapon.
“You can just call me Y/N, too.” She finds herself blurting out. Ushijima, the deadly weapon, decides to go in for the kill. “Alright. So, Y/N, would you like to have dinner with me some other day? Just the two of us this time.”
Y/N pinches herself to make sure she isn’t dreaming, and replies with a hearty grin and a, “Yeah, I’d love that.”
A/N. Another reupload! There was a certain point in time when I was obsessed with Ushiwaka. This is me praying tribute to that. As always, thank you for reading! Please leave a like if you enjoyed it! - chuu
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mylesudland · 5 years
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Some thoughts on youth sports
Baxter Holmes at ESPN has a fascinating story out about the NBA’s concern over injuries in its young players. For anyone who has spent time training — at any level — the concerns outlined will be ones you’ve heard before: a lack of mobility in explosive athletes and a lack of flexibility in strong athletes create ticking time bombs that go off in the form of broken legs, broken ankles, and warped backs. 
The concerns voiced by executives and doctors at the NBA level are also familiar in the modern world of youth sports — by specializing in one sport at a young age, these athletes are set up for disappointment. They will be disappointed by their health and disappointed by their in-competition performance. In 2019, the issues surrounding the culture of youth sports are not new. The parents, the kids, the coaches, the administrators in every part of the country at every level in every sport have heard this story a thousand times. 
And the “answers” end up sounding a lot like what AAU board member Rod Seaford told ESPN. 
“The NCAA and the NBA loves to lay fault for their ills at the feet of youth sports or AAU,” Seaford told ESPN. “That's a pretty common thing. We've approached the NCAA and NBA with various proposals [only] to get lip service. We don't get much serious conversation. I don't doubt that it's a legitimate concern. But it's really easy to lay all those faults of the youth coach.”
The only answer is that there is no answer. Except that as I see it, the current youth-sports-industrial complex has a pretty straightforward incentive structure that perpetuates and accentuates that unathletic athletes that are filtering into the highest levels of American sports. It’s called the NCAA. 
---
For a brief time, I ran cross country in college. My results are not inspiring. But my path to college athletics began during a heated dinner conversation in the winter of 2006 when I told my parents I was going to give up baseball. It was a decision my father didn’t really understand: why did I need to run all year round? 
The previous fall I’d had a decent cross country season for a sophomore. Especially with the limited training I’d done the previous summer. After a string of races that showed promise, I ended up with a hairline fracture in my leg that resulted from running a race on an already stress-fractured leg. I ended up in a hard cast for a month. For me, the injury did not prompt questions about whether running was a viable long-term pursuit — was there, for instance, something anatomically that would disadvantage me as a long distance runner? — but instead convinced me that a tighter focus on running is what would stave off these injuries in the future. 
In the spring of 2006, the first during which I gave up baseball to pursue distance running as a singular pursuit, I ended up with a lingering shin injury and eventually my season ended with torn ankle ligaments after hitting a rock the wrong way on a run. For the second time in six months, I was in a hard cast. 
The next summer’s training led to a fall with a nagging hip injury. My results did not improve from the prior year. I survived the season, however, without a cast. Then the winter and spring of 2007 proved relatively injury free. And the results were just good enough that the opportunity to run in college was realistic. This, of course, had been the point all along. 
---
In March, the public was made aware of something we all sort of knew was happening, we just didn’t know how. Rich parents were buying their way into college. 
And while the FBI explicitly outlined that putting your name on a building and getting your descendants admission to an elite university as a result is not illegal, paying someone to take the SATs for your kid is. So is sending money to a fixer who sends some money to a college coach who then makes a spot for your kid on a team. Even if they’ve never played the sport. But the system that I think was laid most bare in Operation Varsity Blues is found in the name: it’s about the sports. 
If you watch any college sports, you’ve see a version of this commercial before: “There are over 400,000 NCAA student athletes,” we’re told, “and most of them will be going pro in something other than sports.
And so while the NBA is worried about the load borne by kids playing over 100 games a year between AAU and their school-sponsored team, for those kids the NCAA is the finish line. 
And as the FBI’s investigation into college admissions bribery outlined, one of the surest ways to overachieve your academic limitations is to be a good athlete. 
---
My modest success running long distances encouraged both of my brothers — always superior athletes to me — to pursue running both at a younger age and more seriously than myself. Both of them had considerable success. Both of them attended elite universities they would never have been accepted to based on their academic achievements as a result of this athletic success. The specialization that came to the Udland family ultimately worked out. 
Most weekends in the summer now we play golf together. None of us are particularly great. But the thing with golf is that everyone always thinks that if they could just spend more time practicing... So when we get together, the conversation sometimes leads to “what could have beens” about how things might be if we’d focused on, say, the three sports we all played as young kids (football, basketball, baseball) once we got to high school. Or what kind of golfers we could be if we’d played in high school, and so on. 
It’s the idle talk of former athletes re-living a not-lived version of their glory days. But what these conversations usually ignore is that the specialization we might now dream away was the right decision. It opened to each of us a college experience that would have otherwise been impossible. 
And so when we speak of the ills of youth sports, we must remember that the parents are not motivated because of professional sports, but about college sports. And while playing a sport in college is not realistic for most youth athletes, it is way more realistic than playing a professional sport. And the benefits — namely, an education at a university you might otherwise not be qualified to attend — are worth the risks of having more fun as a kid. Or, at least, that’s how many parents see it. 
---
When I sat down to write this piece, I don’t think I meant to apologize for youth sports culture. And I’m not sure I really did. But re-reading this piece it seems that I have a lot of sympathy for a culture that directs money away from families who don’t have a lot to spare and takes time away from kids who won’t ever get their youth back. 
The youth sports industry is fueled by bitter parents who think things should’ve gone a different way and put that anxiety on a child who is not equipped to know they’re but a pawn in an insecure adult’s do-over. Youth sports should be fun. And for many kids, they are not. 
But the incentives that underwrite the youth sports industry are also not hard to decipher. Athletic achievement for many kids unlocks academic — and in turn, professional — doors that otherwise don’t exist. You can be a national level concert pianist and make your pitch to Harvard on that basis, but if you’re a high school boy that breaks 9:00 for the 2 mile, you’re pretty much in. 
This argument is also the one used by NCAA executives who believe that paying college athletes is not justified. “They get an education,” you hear the amateurism defender saying. “That’s the payment.” And for an Olympic sport athlete, this may well be true. For the members of a major football program where television rights and ticket sales bring in tens of millions of dollars a year, this argument is obfuscating bullshit. 
This argument also leaves out the kids who end up at schools they aren’t really qualified to attend. But the lack of investment in public schools in America is beyond the scope of this post. (The demonization of public schools is one of our nation’s most shameful public policy stances.) 
Holmes’ article simply struck a chord for me because the NBA viewing itself as a relevant stakeholder in the culture of youth sports seems to me like an odd position for the league to take.
The league is defined by a dozen or so stars and their backgrounds are highly varied. LeBron James was The Chosen One at age 16 and has, improbably, exceeded that hype. Kevin Durant went to a major university to play college ball, was a star from the beginning of his freshman season, then entered the league and was one of its best players within three years. Kawhi Leonard and Paul George were overlooked high school players, mid-first round picks, and have grown into themselves. Giannis Antetokounmpo’s journey to the NBA from Greece earned the 60 Minutes treatment. 
All of which is to say that the NBA’s worry about youth sports matters little to the league’s players that actually define for the public what the sport really is about. Which is about stars. 
Certainly, some NBA general managers would like the deeper parts of the league’s pool to be more mobile and less injury prone. The freak leg fracture suffered by Julius Randle — a product of the AAU system and the University of Kentucky’s NBA farm system — was certainly a blow to Randle, his family, and the Los Angeles Lakers. 
But the lesser versions of Julius Randle, the kid from Dayton he played in a summer league tournament back in 2011 that ended up getting a scholarship to Kent State, probably doesn’t regret his choice to overextend himself during high school summers. Because while that kid might’ve had his eye on Ohio State, a scholarship came through. The gamble paid off. 
And when you’re at a desk making calls to sell P&C insurance in suburban Cleveland, you don’t worry about your chronically stiff ankle in the morning. 
Instead you wonder what could’ve been with your buddies, knowing it worked out just fine. 
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an-ephemeral-blog · 5 years
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What’s standing in the way of women’s soccer?
When chants of ‘equal pay!’ ring through soccer stadiums, men jump on Twitter to explain why, despite performing better internationally than the men’s team, women soccer players don’t deserve equal pay because they don’t earn as much revenue.
Over the past two months I’ve become a big NWSL fan.  It’s very different from being an MLB fan, my only previous experience of passionate sports fandom.  There are a lot of things I take for granted that a professional sports team has, which NWSL teams do not have.  These things absolutely affect revenue, either directly, or by lowering the quality of play or the experience of watching games.  Here’s a list.
1.  NWSL stadiums are less accessible than MLS and other stadiums.
My local team, the Washington Spirit, plays at the Maryland SoccerPlex.  To get to the Plex, if you don’t have a car, requires an hour-plus train ride to the end of the metro and then either a 25+ minute car ride or a 45+ bus ride.  I have multiple friends who’ve expressed interested in going to a game but balked when they found out how long it would take to get there.  Another friend had to cancel because she was working late and couldn’t finish by 5:30pm, which was the time she’d have to leave to make it to a 7:30pm game.
As a trial run, the Spirit are playing a game tomorrow at Audi Field, home field of the MLS team DC United.  Audi Field is about 30 minutes away from downtown and is easily accessible via Metro.  Correspondingly, the Spirit is on track to more than triple their season record at the Plex.  They may even sell out Audi Field.  Surely if they can sell out Audi Field, they deserve to play in it?
Which brings me to the next item on the list...
2.  NWSL stadiums are smaller than MLS stadiums.
The Spirit’s plex sells out at around 5,500 tickets.  For tomorrow’s Audi Field game, they’ve currently sold over 16,000 tickets.
Sky Blue’s regular park also holds about 5,000 fans.  When they played a game last weekend at Red Bull Arena, aka the stadium of their local MLS team, they nearly doubled attendance at 9,000+ tickets sold.
I don’t know the breakdown for every team in the league.  I do know that Orlando Pride, despite having access to a great stadium, tends to draw fewer fans do to their lower quality of play.  (They’re second to last in the league.)  On the other hand, the Portland Thorns already share a stadium with their MLS neighbor team, the Timbers, and also boast the biggest and loudest fanbase in the NWSL.  Portland recently set a league record with 25,000+ tickets sold to a game.
Items #1 and #2 combine to make clear that to grow as a league, NWSL teams need to play in larger stadiums that are easier to access.  (This doesn’t even take into account how stadium facilities might impact quality of play.  Some NWSL teams don’t even have showers in their locker rooms!)  Owners and league managers need to invest in securing these spaces for teams, even if they might not be profitable at first. The experience of Sky Blue and Spirit suggests that managers won’t have to wait to reap the benefits.  
3.  NWSL games are often scheduled simultaneously, decreasing viewership.
With only nine teams in the NWSL, there are four to six NWSL games each week.  Given this small number, you’d think they’d all be on at different times, right?
Nope.  Every week, there’s at least one pair of games scheduled against each other.  Often there’s two.  If you don’t have the ability to tape games, you’re forced to miss at least one game every week.  As I have taken to tweeting despairingly at the NWSL each time this happens: whyyyyyyyy.
Schedule creation is complicated, and there are more factors that go into it than I know of.  But one key element is when teams even have their field available.  Most teams don’t own their own fields, and have to work within a restricted subset of dates and times.  To the extent that this contributed to overlapping games, it’s yet another way that issues securing good stadiums get in the way of fans supporting their teams.
4.  NWSL teams have a lower quality of commentating.
Complaining about the announcers/commentators on NWSL matches is a sport of its own.  Announcers regularly mispronounce players’ names and sometimes misidentify them.  They repeat facts and stories, and use the same turns of phrase over and over until you can’t help but twitch every time you hear them say “she sprays the ball out wide” or “the ball found it’s way to...” The last Spirit game I attended, I sat in front of a woman who, after Elise Kellond-Knight left with a pulled hamstring, briefly explained to her friends why women were more likely than men to have hamstring injuries.  (It has something to do with women having more developed quad muscles, which puts the opposing muscles, the hamstrings, at greater risk.  This also leads to increased ACL injuries among women.)  This random stranger had more interesting commentary than any of the people I’d heard on TV. But why are these announcers so bad?  The answer’s easy: NWSL announcers are barely paid.  They make $300-$400 a game, with no travel or lodging expenses paid, which means unless you live in Fort Lauderdale where the announcing is recorded, you have to pay to announce.   I don’t know how much MLS announcers make, but I bet it’s better than that.
5.  NWSL teams have a lower quality of refereeing.
Oh boy.  Okay.  There have been some issues with NWSL refereeing lately.  As national team star Ali Krieger put it:
We’re putting a good product out on the field and every year we’re getting better and the referees seem like they are not.  So, I beg the NWSL — just the standard needs to be higher. It’s just unfortunate that you feel like the referee is ruining the game. They are taking the fun out of the game because they are not good enough.
How could we raise the standards of referees?  Well, they could stop treating the NWSL like a training ground for MLS:
There are five tiers in the U.S. Soccer refereeing program. The top-level, called “FIFA,” is the highest tier. These referees can officiate in FIFA-sanctioned matches. 
”The second tier is “P.R.O.” These referees can officiate MLS matches and are selected by the Professional Referee Organization.
The next tier down is called “National,” and these officials are certified by U.S. Soccer. These referees can officiate USL Championship and NWSL matches. And therein lies the problem.
The NWSL will never have officiating as good as the MLS as long as this remains US Soccer’s official policy.  It doesn’t get any clearer than that.
6.  NWSL games are not marketed as well as they could be.
I won’t pretend to understand marketing, but I know that it’s hard for people to go to games they don’t even know about: 
[Portland Thorns defender Meghan Klingenberg ] couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed when she saw Fox discuss the U.S. Men’s National Team’s run at the CONCACAF Gold Cup during halftime of the Women’s World Cup final Sunday, rather than preview the upcoming games in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL).
“I love Fox. I think they did a great job. They gave the Women’s World Cup the attention that it deserves, but I wish we mentioned the NWSL more. [...] We need that to be put into the consciousness of the general public. We need ESPN to talk about the NWSL year-round. We need beat reporters in every single city that has an NWSL team. We need investment in advertising and marketing, in ground support, in make sure that people know that there’s a freaking team in their area.”  [source]
It seems that marketing is another area in which US Soccer is underinvesting in women:
[Soccer United Marketing, the commercial arm of Major League Soccer] handles deals for MLS and the U.S. Soccer Federation but not the NWSL, even though U.S. Soccer runs the NWSL. This fact has long been lamented by the women’s soccer community.
The NWSL marketing team needs the resources to at least let people know that their teams exist and their games are happening.  But beyond that... the NWSL is full of charismatic stars, both current and potential.  Let’s give them the spotlight.
7.  NWSL salaries are, for all but the biggest stars, below average income.
No one goes into women’s soccer for the money, even if a few of the game’s biggest stars have managed to get some lucrative sponsorships.  The league guarantees a minimum salary of $16,538, barely above the poverty line, and caps max salary at $46,200, a bit belong the mean American income.
Talented young women who are making decisions about where to go to college and what to do after college need to take this into account.  If they have dependents, family members with health issues, or significant debt, they simply may not be able to afford to play soccer professionally.  
This impacts the number of women available to play professionally as well as their ability to nurture their own talent by investing in themselves via special camps and training.  For every Megan Rapinoe or Alex Morgan or Crystal Dunn who has made it to the NWSL there’s someone equally talented who stopped playing in high school or college because law school or medical school or learning to code seemed like a more financially viable career path.  
In other words, for all the strides women’s soccer has made over the last twenty to thirty years, the NWSL still selecting from only a fraction of the potential talent pool.
*
I’ve been an NWSL fan for less than two months, so I’m surely missing other ways that women’s soccer has been under-invested in.  But the seven issues outlined above should be enough to convince you there’s a problem.  
Saying that people just don’t want to watch women’s soccer isn’t merely an oversimplification - it’s a self-fulfilling prophecy.  The whole point of investment is you take a risk now to reap a payoff later.  The NWSL needs US Soccer and the wider sports community to invest in them, and given time, everyone will benefit.
You know what keeps ringing in my ears?  Research that shows that men are judged on their potential, while women are only judged on their performance.  The NWSL has the potential to be a thriving league with the revenues and fan enthusiasm of the MLS.  The question is whether women’s soccer will be given the support they need to deliver on that potential.
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junker-town · 4 years
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Tactically Naive: Wayne Rooney for prime minister
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The British secretary of health said footballers should take pay cuts during the coronavirus pandemic. Wayne Rooney reminded him that he should have bigger concerns.
Hello, and welcome to another edition of Tactically Naive, SB Nation’s weekly soccer column. We may be socially distant, but we still love you.
Wayne Rooney for prime minister
In times of strife, a nation needs heroes. And when a flailing government staffed by overpromoted clowns decides to take some heat off itself by pointing the finger of blame at professional footballers, then professional footballers need: Wayne Rooney.
How the past few days have played out is a disgrace. First the health secretary, Matt Hancock, in his daily update on coronavirus, said that Premier League players should take a pay cut. He was supposed to be giving the nation the latest on the biggest crisis we’ve faced in our lifetimes. Why was the pay of footballers even in his head? Was he desperate to divert attention from his government’s handling of this pandemic?
[reloads shotgun]
The Premier League then announced it was looking for its players to give up or defer wages by 30 per cent. This despite owners and the Premier League board knowing players were already deep in discussion about what their contribution should be. It seemed strange to me because every other decision in this process has been kept behind closed doors, but this had to be announced publicly. Why? It feels as if it’s to shame the players — to force them into a corner where they have to pick up the bill for lost revenue.
Rooney goes on to point out that “footballers,” as a category, encompasses a few very rich people and a lot of people in extremely precarious circumstances, and that the rich ones all pay considerable amounts of tax anyway, which should in theory be going towards public services.
Given that his column emerged around the same time that Liverpool, to loud booing, announced they would be availing themselves of the government’s scheme for furloughing workers, it’s probably fair to say the players are winning the PR battle, such as it is. At least within football.
Outside football, it’s harder to tell. Footballers are, of course, the preferred millionaires of anybody looking for somebody to blame. They are public figures, and some of them spend their money in quite extravagant ways. Whole sections of the English media are devoted to recording the indulgences of these feckless, usually working-class youths in horrified tones, offering them up to a nation powered by class snobbery and spite.
“Give nurses footballers’ wages” used to be a meme. Now, apparently, it’s government policy.
Oh, Kyle
Obviously some footballers can, on occasion, be a bit silly. The award for Footballer Most Likely to Appear in a Future Satire of Events Currently Unfolding goes to Kyle Walker, who this weekend apologised for hosting a “sex party” on the same day he issued a statement urging the public not to host sex parties to follow government guidelines on social distancing.
Foundational texts: Netherlands 5-1 Spain
Otherwise known as the game that launched a thousand “Is 2014 the best World Cup ever?” thinkpieces, an energy which lasted all the way through to the knockout stages. Then — with the obvious and glorious exception of Brazil’s self-immolation against Germany — things got a little flat.
This game endures for two reasons. The first is that it was very, very, very, very funny, in a chaotic and emergent way that sport does so well. Such defeats are often called “humbling” in coverage: the BBC report of this game, for example, notes that “Spain, looking to win a fourth consecutive major international trophy, were humbled and humiliated.”
But humbled comes with connotations of pridefulness, even arrogance — something to be corrected. Whereas Spain, here, didn’t look particularly arrogant or complacent. They just got done. For an entire cycle of international football they’d been essentially invincible, and now they were getting vincibled all over the shop. I would suggest that they were not humbled, but rather humanised. Or possibly re-humanised, given how hilariously human Spain at major tournaments had been before the triumphs of tiki-taka.
Here is G. K. Chesterton talking about the importance of “a mood of democracy” in the work of Charles Dickens:
There are two rooted spiritual realities out of which grow all kinds of democratic conception or sentiment of human equality. There are two things in which all men are manifestly and unmistakably equal. [...] But this is a spiritual certainty, that all men are tragic. And this, again, is an equally sublime spiritual certainty, that all men are comic. No special and private sorrow can be so dreadful as the fact of having to die. And no freak or deformity can be so funny as the mere fact of having two legs. Every man is important if he loses his life; and every man is funny if he loses his hat, and has to run after it.
The great thing about sport is you can have both tragedy and comedy at the same time without anybody actually having to lay down their lives. Here the great, all-conquering Spain died; and here, also, Spain had their hats knocked off their heads over and over again by Louis van Gaal’s giggling pranksters. In the process, they were returned to the rest of us, to the broad sweep of flawed humanity. And all it took was the very public crucifixion of San Iker.
The other reason it sticks in the memory is that after the game, Robin van Persie said this:
This is inexplicable. We trained all those weeks for this. The match has gone exactly as the coaching staff predicted.
I wrote about this at the time, and these words have stuck with me ever since. This is, on the face of it, an entirely peculiar thing to say: if something has gone entirely as predicted, how can it be inexplicable? And yet those apparent contradictions are reconciled by remembering that football is a horrible game where plans are made to fail and fail again.
What a miserable sport! You can turn up with an amazing plan, and implement it really well, and still get rolled over by some lousy finishing, or a couple of decent saves, or David Silva taking a relatively simple chance for 2-0. This game, then, stands as an apology from the universe to every football fan that watched their team get things absolutely right, only to lose anyway because goals are really hard. We were all van Persie, flying through the air, borne by the inexplicable knowledge that everything was going as it should, for once.
The best lockdown video you will see
Featuring, among other things, a perfect impression of Fabien Barthez.
GOAL OF THE CENTURY. CHOOSE YOU’RE FAVOURITE GOAL! pic.twitter.com/wM2cvnrAgl
— Sean O'Hanlon (@sohanlon23) April 4, 2020
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Iconic ‘Pine Tar Game’ items from Royals, Yankees headed to auction later this month
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Nearly three decades ago, Royals star George Brett raced out of the visiting dugout at Yankee Stadium and got in the face of rookie umpire Tim McClelland, instantly transforming what had been a run-of-the-mill regular-season game in mid-July into an iconic moment in baseball history.
It became known as “The Pine Tar Game.” And now, baseball fans can own a piece of the history.
Later this month, a trove of artifacts connected to the seminal game between the Royals and New York Yankees will be sold by Heritage Auctions. The highlight will be the jersey worn by Brett and expected to fetch more than $100,000, but nearly every other significant piece from that game — except the bat, which is at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, New York — is on the auction block with the sale set to end the weekend of Feb. 22.
The game took place July 24, 1983, and the Royals were trailing 4-3 with two outs in the ninth inning. U.L. Washington was on first base when Brett connected off Goose Gossage and seemingly gave Kansas City the lead. That’s when Yankees manager Billy Martin ambled out of the dugout, approached Tim McClelland and asked that Brett’s bat be examined.
Brett was known for using plenty of pine tar to improve his grip, and McClelland decided the amount on his bat exceeded what was allowed by rule. He nullified the home run, called Brett out and that gave the Yankees the win.
That sent Brett into a rage, and he had to be physically restrained by Royals manager Dick Howser and several others. The team lodged a protest and American League president Lee MacPhail upheld it, ordering the game to be continued from the point of Brett’s home run on Aug. 18. The Royals wound up holding on for the win.
“It’s just such a glorious freak out,” said Chris Ivy, director of sports memorabilia for Heritage Auctions, one of the world’s largest sports memorabilia and collectibles auctioneers. “If you had a video of any famous person losing his or her mind so profoundly, it would ‘go viral,’ as the kids say. That kind of passion and anger is universally recognized as fascinating.
“You could show that video to an uncontacted tribe deep in the Amazon,” Ivy added, “and they’d be interested.”
Brett signed and inscribed his powder-blue jersey with “The Pine Tar Game” and the date. The ball hit by Brett for the home run is signed by both the Hall of Fame third baseman and Gossage. Brett signed another ball used to complete the game, while a letter written by MacPhail years later explaining his decision to uphold the Royals’ protest of the game is also up for auction.
Those connected to the Royals — who begin reporting to spring training in Arizona this week — still point to “The Pine Tar Game” as one of the iconic moments in the organization’s history, on par with World Series championships in 1985 and 2015.
“It’s because George is the greatest player ever — greatest player for the Royals,” said outfielder Alex Gordon, the team’s longest-tenured player. “If you saw him play and saw his energy and that fire he played with, that (event) shows that. He hit the home run and then got thrown out. That energy was typical George. It’s the iconic play for the Royals.”
Asked why the game remains such a moment in history, current general manager Dayton Moore said: “I think it has to do with the passion of the situation. It became an event because of George’s passion to find a way to win for his team.”
For years, the artifacts were owned by Barry Halper, a good friend of Brett and perhaps the biggest baseball memorabilia collector in history. Halper ultimately sold his collection at auction in the late 1990s for more than $20 million, and the pieces from “The Pine Tar Game” have been owned by a private collector until the present day.
The jersey is expected to fetch six figures.
“It’s the most famous moment of the most famous player of an entire franchise, and an event that virtually every sports fan knows and enjoys. So that makes it a highly desirable piece,” Ivy said of Brett’s jersey. “Would I say it’s the equal of a Jackie Robinson rookie jersey in significance? I wouldn’t, but then I’m not from Kansas City.”
from FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV | News, Weather, Sports http://fox4kc.com/2020/02/10/iconic-pine-tar-game-items-from-royals-yankees-headed-to-auction-later-this-month/
from Kansas City Happenings https://kansascityhappenings.wordpress.com/2020/02/10/iconic-pine-tar-game-items-from-royals-yankees-headed-to-auction-later-this-month/
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topcbdresearch · 4 years
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Optic Gaming LA: 2020 Season Preview
Everyone around the world is getting excited for the Call of Duty League opening weekend in Minnesota. Online practice is coming to an end and Optic Gaming LA are looking sharp going into the event. Their roster features a combination of young talent and experienced leaders that are looking to make a splash this year. For fans of the Optic Gaming LA team, or just fans of the CDL scene, here is a 2020 season preview.
Roster
Head Coach: Johnathan “Pacman” Tucker
Starting Roster:
Brandon “Dashy” Otell
Jordan “JKap” Kaplan
Kenny “Kenny” Williams
Austin “SlasheR” Liddicoat
Thomas “TJHaLy” Haly
Substitutes:
Martin “Chino” Chino
Jevon “Goonjar” Gooljar-Lim
Optic Gaming LA put together a good roster this season adding solid veterans to the team along with young superstars. Players like JKap and SlasheR have won tournaments time and time again while players like Dashy and TJHaLy provide the raw talent teams look for to take them to the next level. If this roster can find their footing early in the season, they will easily be able to compete with the best teams in the league.
Courtesy of OpticGaming Twitter
Coach Background
Pacman is a long-time Call of Duty veteran who’s playing days date all the way back to 2013 in Black Ops II. His most dominant years were with Rise Nation during the Ghosts and Advanced Warfare seasons. This seasoned veteran knows what it takes to win and should provide solid analysis and help for this roster.
Player Background
Dashy is one of the star players on this roster and it is no secret around the league. After his dominant two year run with OpTic Gaming, Dashy has become one of the premier players in the Call of Duty League. His role as an AR slayer should put him in a position to put up big numbers this season.
JKap has been a part of the Call of Duty scene for over a decade now and there is a reason he is still around today. He brings solid experience to this team while remaining one of the best players in the league. This two-time champion is coming off of a solid season with Evil Geniuses and looks to carry this momentum into the next season.
Kenny has the potential to be one of the best players on the team this year. His ability to heat up in major tournaments provides his team with big momentum boosts to compete at the next level. After his solid run with 100 Thieves these past few seasons, he is in a prime position to take the spotlight in the CDL this season.
SlasheR is easily one of the most entertaining players on this roster. His run with 100 Thieves alongside Kenny was one to remember. This vocal player has the potential to dominate other teams with his elite talent and he is always looking to make a scene while doing it.
TJHaLy is coming off of a solid season with OpTic Gaming last year after putting up solid numbers alongside Dashy. The hot duo of TJ and Dashy are only going to get hotter going into this season. His role as a support SMG player fits him perfectly and he should be able to perform well.
2020 Homestead Schedule
Courtesy of OpticGaming Twitter
Optic will be hosting these teams from March 7-8:
Dallas Empire
Atlanta Faze
Minnesota Rokkr
Los Angeles Guerrillas
Florida Mutineers
New York Subliners
Seattle Surge
Most Anticipated Games for 2020
The whole league already knows LA has a rivalry under development. With the city housing two teams, the LA Guerrillas and Optic Gaming LA will provide an exciting matchup this year. Upcoming matches against the Chicago Huntsmen should be a good matchup as well. The change in ownership of the Optic Franchise has left some fans with a bitter taste in their mouth. Optic Gaming will look to dominate the series against Chicago and cement their identity as a top team.
Player to Watch
Courtesy of esportspedia.com
It is hard to pick just one player to look out for this season but Dashy stands out a little more than the rest. His freak slaying ability and exciting playstyle are sure to give fans something to look forward to. If he is anywhere near his usual self this season, there is a lot to be excited about.
2020 Keys to Success
This team can easily make a run for the top this year. To do so, they will need to make strong connections between their veteran leadership and young talent. This will allow fundamentals to come second nature and slaying will not be close to an issue. This combination of players should make teams scared of Optic Gaming LA for the 2020 season.
  You can ‘Like’ The Game Haus on Facebook and ‘Follow’ us on Twitter for more sports and esports articles from other great TGH writers along with Ryan!
The post Optic Gaming LA: 2020 Season Preview appeared first on The Game Haus.
The post Optic Gaming LA: 2020 Season Preview appeared first on Top eSports News.
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viraljournalist · 5 years
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College basketball predictions - Will UNC complete the Duke sweep?
New Post has been published on https://viraljournalist.com/college-basketball-predictions-will-unc-complete-the-duke-sweep/
College basketball predictions - Will UNC complete the Duke sweep?
Duke and North Carolina have their second meeting of the 2018-19 season on Saturday (6 p.m. ET, ESPN), and ESPN.com’s team of college basketball experts weighed in on whether the possibly still-Zion-less Blue Devils would earn the split or fall victim to the sweep. Our experts also made their picks for the much-anticipated Michigan-Michigan State rematch (8 p.m. ET, ESPN) and told us what they expected to be the most compelling conference tourney of the season.
Jump to score predictions for the weekend’s top games
It’s Duke/North Carolina, Part II. Tell us how this is going to go if Zion Williamson plays … and if he doesn’t.
Jeff Borzello, college basketball insider: I’m not sure it matters on Saturday. I guess it’ll be closer if Zion suits up in Chapel Hill, but I think North Carolina wins either way. If he doesn’t play — and Mike Krzyzewski’s comments make that appear the likelier scenario — I think the Blue Devils are really going to struggle. They’re a thoroughly average team without Zion and one that got steamrollered by North Carolina in Durham just two weeks ago. The Tar Heels dominated Duke in the post behind Luke Maye, Cam Johnson and Garrison Brooks, and that seems likely to happen again. At the other end, Duke hasn’t gotten consistent offense from anyone not named RJ Barrett, which could be an issue against a team that loves to push the tempo and put up points.
Coby White and UNC face RJ Barrett and Duke on Saturday. Can the Tar Heels pull off the season sweep? Lance King/Getty Images
Myron Medcalf, senior college basketball writer: Tough question. You can’t rely on the analytics for everything, but Duke without Williamson is a team that falls in love with the 3-pointer (42 percent of its attempts compared with 35 percent with Williamson available) and relies on Barrett’s straight-line drives. The Blue Devils are just easier to figure out and that’s what I think North Carolina will do (again) in a second win if Williamson doesn’t play because, as Jeff said, Duke isn’t really built to stop UNC in the paint without Williamson. If he plays, then Duke wins. Why? Because he’s the ultimate playmaker who fixes the flaws that were exposed (defense around the rim, post production, poor shot selection) in the first game.
Here’s your updated source for all of the latest on the NCAA tournament bubble.
Virginia, Duke and North Carolina all have top-seed cases … if they take care of business this week.
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John Gasaway, college basketball writer: This is going to go swimmingly for Duke if Zion plays. He changes the Blue Devils for the better on both offense and defense. That first part requires no further explanation, one surmises, but on D the freshman is a disruptor and a highly mobile wall of shot-changing menace. Fueled by Williamson’s return and, no less, by a desire to even the score after the game in Durham, Duke wins if Zion comes back. If not, this does not go well for the Blue Devils. Winning in Chapel Hill is a taller order than recording a home victory against Wake Forest.
Fill out your bracket for a chance to win $10,000 in Amazon.com gift cards and a trip for two (2) to the 2019 Maui Jim Maui Invitational! Fill out your brackets
Jordan Schultz, insider/analyst: Duke is winning this game, with or without Zion. As poorly as the Blue Devils played in a near upset loss to Wake, they still received tremendous production from Barrett, whose 28 points helped him pass Marvin Bagley III for most ever by a Duke freshman. Assuming Williamson can’t go, look for Coach K to once again run everything through Barrett, isolating him on the wings with flat sets that allow him to work out against a terrific Heels defense. We should expect more from the uber-talented Cam Reddish as well, who already hit Carolina for a career-high 27 points in Durham. If Zion does play, however, expect a heavy dose of post-ups and highlight-reel plays considering this will be the only time the prodigious future No. 1 pick ever plays in the Dean Dome. Either way, an angry Duke team wins what should be an excellent game.
And then immediately after, it’s Michigan vs. Michigan State from East Lansing. You expecting a Spartans sweep?
Medcalf: I just want to be there. The Breslin Center is just a wild place, especially when that bass player in the school’s band gets going. It’ll be crazy this weekend. And I think that will be the difference in a game that will feature two teams hoping to get healthier before the NCAA tournament arrives. I just don’t see Cassius Winston, who has been a hero and Wooden Award contender despite his ongoing bout with knee tendinitis, falling short in this season finale against his team’s chief rival. Ain’t happening. Michigan State gets the sweep.
Borzello: Man, this is a tough game to read. First, it doesn’t sound like either team is going to be healthy. Charles Matthews has missed two games in a row for Michigan, and John Beilein didn’t sound optimistic that Matthews would play on Saturday. For Sparty, Nick Ward is still hurt and Kyle Ahrens also missed the last game. Michigan State goes through stretches where it struggles to score due to its lack of options, and that theoretically will be magnified against an elite defensive unit like the Wolverines. That said, this is basically the same team that went into Ann Arbor — with Matthews playing 28 minutes — and beat Michigan by seven two weekends ago. In that one, it was all Winston. He had 27 points and eight assists and outplayed his counterpart, Zavier Simpson. I think that happens again and I think Michigan State gets the sweep.
Gasaway: Yes, the Spartans will sweep Michigan after going 0-2 against Indiana. How perfect is that? In the first game, Michigan State did what you’re not supposed to be able to do against the Wolverines. Tom Izzo’s guys attacked in the paint and it worked beautifully. No Big Ten opponent has scored as efficiently against Michigan as did the Spartans (1.23 points per possession), and no Big Ten opponent has shot anywhere near as well inside the arc (68 percent). True, Michigan State took better care of the ball than UM, which we can safely class as a true freak occurrence. Still, I like MSU’s chances in East Lansing.
Schultz: I do not. Michigan was uncharacteristically locked up by the rugged Spartans defense in Ann Arbor, going 7-26 (26.9 percent) from 3 while amassing just six total assists. True, Sparty is elite on both ends — top 10 in offensive and defensive efficiency, per KenPom — but the Wolverines have more firepower and once again will not have to worry about Ward, who continues to be sidelined with a fractured hand. The X factor for John Beilein & Co. is Matthews, if he plays. When he plays well and is confident shooting it, Michigan becomes much harder to guard, because Simpson and Jordan Poole are both deft at creating their own offense as well. Matthews — who went 1-8 with 4 points in the first MSU game — must discover his stroke in this one. I’m betting he will, and in turn, that the Maize and Blue steal a tight one on the road.
You are forced to watch every minute of one and only one 2019 conference tournament. Which one are you picking, and why? (Ivy League mini-tournament not allowed):
Borzello: No naps? I’m going to be at the Big East tournament, so I’ll leave that one out. If literally every second has to be watched, I think you have to avoid leagues with double byes. If you choose the ACC, you’re saying you want to watch Wake Forest or Georgia Tech or Pittsburgh twice in 24 hours. The Big Ten actually has interesting lower seeds, but still, no. The SEC has you grinding through two games involving Texas A&M or Missouri or something. Meh. I’ll go with the Big 12. There’s a ton at stake heading into Kansas City and fascinating storylines abound. Oklahoma, TCU and Texas all still have work to do to feel comfortable heading into Selection Sunday, so those opening-round games are interesting. Does Kansas bounce back after seeing its streak end on Tuesday night? Does Texas Tech stay hot? Can Iowa State stop losing? Will Kansas State start getting national respect? I’m all-in on the Big 12 next week.
Medcalf: Oh, man. Borzello’s pick makes sense. The Big 12 is always fun and it’s in Kansas City, where you can just walk across the street to the Power and Light District and party with Iowa State fans after the games. But I’ll take the SEC. I mean, Tom Crean in the opening round, where Georgia might score 98 points (win over Texas on Jan. 26) or 39 points (Wednesday loss to Missouri)? He might punt a basketball into the stands before halftime. Mizzou’s Jordan Geist taking 30 shots because why not? Can Billy Kennedy save his job? All of that before we even get to LSU, Kentucky and Tennessee? I’ll take it. I’d love to watch everything that happens at the SEC tournament, including Frank Martin and Bruce Pearl possibly pulling off upsets and giving us the best postgame interviews of the week.
Gasaway: Is this even up for discussion? Absolutely the Pac-12 tournament. One, no one in the conference not named “Washington” or, possibly, “Arizona State” (and even that second one is very iffy) is getting anywhere near the NCAA tournament without an automatic bid. These teams will all be playing like hungry carnivores, not like the “let’s just stay healthy” locks in certain other major conferences. Two, these completely off-bubble teams can, paradoxically win a game or possibly even two if they do get in the field of 68: Utah’s offense is excellent and the two Oregon teams are both playing quite well without anyone much noticing. Three, UW’s Matisse Thybulle is possibly Division I’s most entertaining player who’s also healthy. Last thing, 12-team tournaments feel like less of a slog on the first day than your true mega-leagues. I’d love to be there with my Maui Jim sunglasses celebrating the conference of champions.
Schultz: This is relatively easy for me, if hardly conventional, but I love the OVC, mainly because Belmont and Murray State each have All-America candidates. We all know about Racers all-world point guard Ja Morant, who is arguably the best player — and highlight — in the country, save for Mr. Williamson. But don’t sleep on Bruins senior hybrid forward Dylan Windler, a sterling offensive machine who can shoot it (43.2 percent 3s), make a play off the bounce and post up as well. Windler (21.1 PPG, 10.3 RPG, 2.5 APG, 1.4 SPG) is one of the most efficient all-around players in the nation and a legitimate pro prospect as well, as one NBA scout recently noted to me. To be sure, a Belmont-Murray State OVC final is the matchup we all deserve.
ESPN.com expert picks for this weekend’s top games
(Lines, published as they become available, from the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook.)
2018-19 college basketball predictions leaderboard
ESPN.com experts Last week SU Season SU Last week ATS Season ATS Jeff Borzello 7-3 51-19 4-5-1 38-28-4 Jordan Schultz 8-2 51-19 6-3-1 38-29-3 John Gasaway 8-2 51-19 4-5-1 31-33-6 Myron Medcalf 7-3 50-20 4-5-1 29-36-5
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flauntpage · 5 years
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How to Pick Your New Favorite NBA Team
There’s never been a better time to love, watch, or invest your time in the NBA. The most appealing sports league in the world has become more than a nightly roller-coaster ride that lets countless scenarios unfold in the most entertaining ways, on and off the court. It’s a vibrant cultural touchstone with ceaseless momentum, planting seeds in Hollywood and the fashion industry, altering societal stigmas linked to mental health, gambling and marijuana, and engaging with complex and divisive political/racial/societal issues as they appear.
It's imperfect, but also couldn't minimize its own relevance even if it wanted to. While the NFL represents a divided nation, the NBA embraces incongruity. It’s full of young, engaging stars from all over the world. As they enter, ready to make a name for themselves, the identifiable stars who make the league so profitable dip in and out of free agency. They sign with different teams and demand trades. Next year, more recognizable characters will wear different jerseys than they are now—enough to spark countless narratives that are irresistible even to the most casual fan.
It’s helped create a hyper-competitive environment that, unlike the NFL, isn’t tribalistic. Rooting for a favorite team is almost antiquated in a world where people are fine sitting through a random Pelicans-Bucks game just to witness the moment Giannis Antetokounmpo squares up against Anthony Davis, as if it were a thrilling set piece directed by 35-year-old Steven Spielberg.
But nomadic viewership lowers emotional stakes. To cheer for one team over another is to glide from pain to joy and back again with timelessly indescribable feeling. If you don’t have a favorite team, I suggest you latch onto one before opening night; as the 2018-19 season gets under way, with a tasty collection of story lines, rivalries, and rumors all whip into a bottomless reservoir of talent, now is a terrific time to fall in love.
Let this guide do the heavy lifting as you try and find the most appropriate franchise to lead you through what promises to be the most captivating season in NBA history (until 2020 immediately blows it all away, of course).
You’re extremely indecisive: Phoenix Suns
You can’t remember the last time you actually watched something on Netflix, even though you open the app on your iPad every single night. The thought of committing to one show or movie is too difficult when there are so many other options. You mindlessly scroll through streaming purgatory, not quite understanding why you can't just watch everything at the same time.
The Suns—a team that somewhat-curiously fired their GM one week before opening night—don’t know who they are or what they want. Is it the playoffs? A slow-cook rebuild? Should they tank? Pay veterans? If you’re the type of person who returns 95 percent of what you buy on Amazon Prime, you deserve the Suns.
You don't have internet access: Charlotte Hornets, Memphis Grizzlies
No disrespect to these two teams, which have several interesting and undiscovered qualities that make them fascinating in their own way. But Miles Bridges and Jaren Jackson Jr. aren’t enough. Kemba Walker and Mike Conley can, in the right light, be seen as draws all by themselves, but if you don't see yourself staying awake for four quarters when they're on the west coast, don't pick them. On the other hand, if you're indifferent, don't mind losses, and can appreciate how beautiful life's absolute-slightest pleasant surprises are able to be, let's just flip a coin and be done with it.
You're a frontrunner with low self-esteem: Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Lakers
Bandwagon jumping is a timeless, ever-irritating sports fandom felony. Not to judge people who willfully commit such crimes, but those involved probably wear knockoff Yeezys with pride and/or regularly test drive a Ferrari through their neighborhood without telling anyone who asks that it’s not technically their car. These people love finishing first, especially if they can get there by cutting corners. They cheat at golf.
The Warriors are here for an obvious reason: they’re the best team, have won three of the NBA’s last four titles, and something will go horribly wrong if they don’t three-peat. If you choose them, you’re avoiding disappointment and the general misery that comes with cheering for any one franchise in a 30-team league. You're also extremely risk averse and painfully boring.
The Lakers (currently) do not have the same cachet as Golden State, but there’s an undeniable swagger that takes shape whenever the best player alive/ever is leading your favorite team. Even though L.A. almost definitely won’t win the championship in 2019—and may not even make the playoffs—there’s a certain confidence that comes with cheering them on. And in the back of your mind, you also know that there’s a decent to definite chance they add another superstar next summer and immediately become the prohibitive favorite. You’re not fooling anyone with this pick. LeBron still equals world domination.
You’re a masochist: Sacramento Kings (application pending: Minnesota Timberwolves)
Fans who’ve spent the past dozen years rooting for these two teams remind me of the flagrantly NSFW opening to Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning. They are the hopeless drifter who wouldn’t wish what they’ve endured on their worst enemy.
The Kings are perennially hopeless. If you intentionally choose them, one can only assume that you take cold showers and eat ice cream for breakfast. Your favorite adjective is “numb.” Pessimism lords over your decisions, backed by the belief that something will eventually go terribly wrong because it usually does. Choose this team if you expected Kevin McCallister to die the first time you watched Home Alone 2.
Since 2007, the only team with a lower winning percentage than Sacramento is Minnesota (and they’re coming off a 47-win season!). It’s too early to say whether they belong here, though. Karl-Anthony Towns might be the best player alive in a few years and it’s probably too early to make any definitive statements about Andrew Wiggins’s trajectory. But Jimmy Butler’s trade demand hit this organization like a PTSD diagnosis. This franchise can’t have nice things. Go all in at your own risk.
You’re patient, possibly to a fault: Atlanta Hawks, New York Knicks, Orlando Magic, Brooklyn Nets, Los Angeles Clippers, Chicago Bulls
Even as each one of these organizations embarks on a rebuild with fresh ideas coming in from their front offices and coaching staffs (except Chicago), it’s so hard to trust any of them (including Chicago). The Knicks are carefully constructing a new house, brick by brick, behind David Fizdale’s militaristic obsession with conditioning, but their best and most unique player may miss the entire season. Orlando is all in on size, length, and seemingly illogical physical proportions found in their two most recent lottery picks. The Hawks are collecting assets. The Nets and Clippers have serious cap space. The Bulls are focused on their curious core of talented misfits.
It could be a while before any of these teams see playoff action, and some of these rebuilds may top out with a first-round elimination. But there’s value in getting in on the ground floor with a long-term investment.
You’re either older than 35 or younger than 12: Dallas Mavericks
This is a strange category for any team to be in, but it’s fitting for the Mavs. In what will unofficially be Dirk Nowitzki’s final season, sentimentalists will not want to miss any Mavericks games this season. Given his age (40), it’s possible that any minute could be Dirk’s last. It won’t take much, maybe a badly sprained ankle or severely pulled hamstring. If you believe “stop and smell the roses” is the most important expression ever uttered, ride with Dallas.
Beyond Dirk, this is a fun team that may be on the cusp of something special. Athletically, Dennis Smith Jr. looms as a natural disaster, and Luka Doncic may someday be the face of the freaking sport. The Mavericks won’t make the postseason (again), but it’s not a bad time to get in, even if you don’t remember or care about Dirk’s prime. (If you’re one of those people, please let Ian Thomsen teach you about it ASAP.)
You're searching for a religious experience: Milwaukee Bucks, New Orleans Pelicans
If you can’t fall asleep, stay up and watch Giannis and AD dominate everything. Both will spend random weeks throughout the season looking like God. Right now, there might not be a more terrifying mass-adrenaline moment associated with basketball than whenever these two leave their feet. Neither has yet to peak; each enters the season with a refurbished supporting cast. So long as they stay healthy, you should be extraordinarily pleased with either team. If not, prepare yourself for an inescapably deep depression.
You believe loyalty is the glue that holds society together: Cleveland Cavaliers, San Antonio Spurs
There were moments over the summer when I completely forgot Cleveland had a basketball team. LeBron was (and in some ways, still is) the entire organization. That doesn’t mean the Cavaliers are wretched or incompetent—Kevin Love just signed a lengthy contract extension and Collin Sexton may win Rookie of the Year—but it does speak to how demoralizing it can be to lose the greatest player who ever lived two times in the same decade.
To go from the thrill of an annual Finals appearance to the sudden realization that you may never make the Finals ever again is dark. And if you weren’t born in Cleveland but willingly choose to root for this team two years after they won their first championship and two months after LeBron left town, please know ahead of time that there’s now a hard cap on how much joy professional basketball can bestow upon you.
The Spurs would be in a different category had Dejounte Murray not torn his ACL over the weekend. For an organization that heads into every season with higher sustained expectations than any other over the past 20 years, this season will either be an ephemeral off ramp that Gregg Popovich and R.C. Buford withstand as practically as any two minds possibly can, or the epilogue for an era that often felt like it'd never need one.
Choosing the Spurs or the Cavaliers is admirable, but don't do it if you can't handle having people in your life suddenly wanting to avoid eye contact.
You think modest expectations are the key to true happiness: Indiana Pacers, Denver Nuggets, Utah Jazz
By far the most fulfilling teams to root for are those talented enough to overachieve, young enough to learn from mistakes, armed with an exciting direction and a clear identity. In short, pick one of these teams if you’re content with a team that will probably fall short, but in doing so provide a memorable, fun season that bears a ton of optimism going forward. And in the outside chance any one of these organizations reaches the conference Finals, or beyond, you’ll look like a genius.
You hate change (and possibly yourself): Washington Wizards, Portland Trail Blazers, Detroit Pistons, (application pending: Miami Heat)
This isn’t a statement about how any of these teams play. Each of them has star power—assuming Jimmy Butler ends up in South Beach—and should be pretty good. It’s more an indictment of the hole their front offices have thrown them into. Even with a Pistons team that just fired its president and head coach, these organizations are, for the most part, stale. They aren’t going up and they aren’t going down. Right now, they just sort of exist.
You’re on their side if you don’t understand why your Blackberry is no longer socially acceptable, still watch network television (but found Amazon’s Forever kind of interesting), and have never owned a car with power windows.
You want to have your cake and eat it too: Houston Rockets, Boston Celtics, Toronto Raptors, Oklahoma City Thunder, Philadelphia 76ers
There are specks of a blatant antagonist in your DNA, but you picked one of these five teams because you hate losing but don't want the grief that comes with attaching yourself to a prohibitive favorite. The Rockets, Celtics, Raptors, Sixers, and Thunder may not favorites, but they're not underdogs either—all of them should be better than the Lakers—and if you pick any one of them, you've done so because you believe they will win the whole damn thing.
You’re setting yourself up for probable disappointment and that’s okay! You’re the type of person who’s 100 percent confident Tiger Woods will win two majors in the next eight months and convinced that fanny packs are a trend with staying power. There’s a decent chance neither of those predictions come true, but anything is possible in your world. We’re talking about a calculated gamble. You acknowledge that all of these teams may lose their last game (with Philly and Oklahoma City far more likely to fall than the other three), but where’s the fun in siding with a juggernaut? Go one or two rungs below that and feel more astute if everything works out. Which...it may!
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medproish · 6 years
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Associated Press
HUMBOLDT, Saskatchewan — A hockey arena became the epicenter of grief for a small Canadian town on Sunday, as friends and relatives gathered to mourn 15 people killed after a semi-trailer slammed into a bus carrying a junior hockey team in western Canada.
Fourteen were also injured, some critically, in a collision that left a country, its national sport and the hockey-obsessed town of Humboldt, Saskatchewan, reeling.
The bus had 29 passengers, including the driver, when it crashed at about 5 p.m. Friday on Highway 35, police said. Among the dead are Broncos head coach Darcy Haugan, team captain Logan Schatz and radio announcer Tyler Bieber.
Humboldt mayor Rob Muench (in the Broncos jersey), along with other mourners, lay flowers on the stairs that enter into Elgar Petersen Arena, home of the Humboldt Broncos, in Humboldt, Saskatchewan, Canada. Liam Richards/The Canadian Press via AP
Forward Jaxon Joseph, who is the son of former NHL player Chris Joseph, along with forward Logan Hunter and defensemen Stephen Wack, Adam Herold and Xavier Labelle were among the dead, according to family members and others. Bus driver Glen Doerksen and stats keeper Brody Hinz, who was 18, were also killed.
Herold, who would have turned 17 on Thursday, played for the Regina Pat Canadians hockey team until just weeks ago, but was sent to join the Broncos for their playoff round when the Pat Canadians’ season wrapped up, said John Smith, the Pat Canadians’ manager.
The names of all the dead and injured have not been released by police.
A vigil will be held on the hockey team’s home ice on Sunday night, and a makeshift stage and hundreds of chairs sit ready for the memorial.
Residents of this town of less than 6,000 have been leaving flowers, team jerseys and personal tributes on the steps of the arena’s entrance, forming a makeshift memorial. One tribute included a Kraft dinner box, which was a favorite meal of deceased forward Evan Thomas. A bouquet of pink roses adorned the box, which read “to Evan, game day special, love your billet brother and sister Colten and Shelby.”
Canadians have become mourners as they have learned more about the identities of the deceased on the bus that was carrying the Humboldt Broncos to a crucial playoff game Friday against the Nipawin Hawks.
“It’s small town anywhere. We’re devastated,” said hockey club vice president Randolph MacLean. “At the center of this, we have 15 souls who’ll never go home again. We have 29 lives that will never be the same.”
Canadian police said the truck driver, who was not hurt, was initially detained but has since been released and provided with mental health assistance. Royal Canadian Mounted Police Assistant Commissioner Curtis Zablocki said it’s too early to state a cause for the crash.
“An entire country is in shock and mourning,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said. “To the entire Humboldt community: We are here for you. As neighbors, as friends, and as Canadians, we grieve alongside you.”
In a tweet, President Donald Trump said he called Trudeau to offer his condolences to the families of victims.
Hassan Masri, an emergency room doctor at Saskatoon’s Royal University Hospital who has done work in war-torn Syria, said the crash reminded him of an airstrike.
The hockey world was stunned and saddened to hear the news of a bus crash that killed 15 members of the Humboldt Broncos junior hockey team. Said Maple Leafs coach Mike Babcock: “It’s got to rip the heart out of your chest.”
Photographs of the wreckage showed the twisted trailer with most of its wheels in the air and the bus on its side with its back portion destroyed. The force of the crash sent both vehicles into the ditch at the northwest corner of the intersection.
Aerial footage showed the roof of the bus peeled back and its front end destroyed. The trailer of the truck lay nearby in a shattered mess, with bags of its peat moss cargo scattered all around. The tractor part of the truck was intact, lying on its passenger side.
The tractor-trailer would have had to come to a full stop before crossing over the highway that the bus was traveling on. There is a stand of trees on the southeast corner of the intersection, limiting visibility of the approach on both roads.
Police said a lot of issues have to be investigated, including weather conditions at the time and any mechanical issues with the vehicles.
The tragedy brought to mind an accident in 1986, when the Swift Current Broncos team bus slid off an icy highway and crashed in late December, killing four players.
It also brought Canadians to tears in a country where hockey is a way of life.
The Broncos are a close-knit team who dyed their hair blond for the playoffs. While most of the players were from elsewhere in western Canada, they were put up by families in the small town of Humboldt.
“We’re all hurting,” said hockey arena cook Diane Sawatzky. “We’ve become like a family and try to help each other.”
Earlier in the weekend, Humboldt Mayor Rob Muench, wearing a green and yellow Broncos team jersey, hugged people as they came to the Elger Petersen Arena in the Saskatchewan town to comfort each other and learn more.
“It’s overwhelming. It’s been tough on everybody,” Muench said. “We’re a small community; some of those kids have been on the team for a number of years. A lot grew up in the community and everybody knows each other.”
Multiple crisis workers were assisting relatives and friends.
The Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League is a junior “A” hockey league under Hockey Canada, which is part of the Canadian Junior Hockey League. It’s open to North American-born players between the ages of 16 and 20.
Michelle Straschnitzki, who lives in Airdrie, Alberta, said her 18-year old son Ryan was transported to a hospital in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.
“We talked to him, but he said he couldn’t feel his lower extremities, so I don’t know what’s going on,” she said. “I am freaking out. I am so sad for all of the teammates and I am losing my mind.”
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