"It's all politics. I think they've got to put it aside when it comes to the games." Korosh Asli, Iranian fan
The first week of the 2018 World Cup has been an exciting one with many fascinating storylines off and on the pitch. Here's a quick rundown of what transpired.
We kick things off with Russia, the tournament's host country. While the local national team is having a fantastic World Cup — they've already secured their place for the knockout stage thanks to two decisive victories — Putin has been busy courting further controversy by inviting Sepp Blatter to two matches and to the Kremlin. For the unfamiliar, Blatter was the head of FIFA for 17 years until he was banned over accusations of corruption. Despite being barred, Blatter claimed that he was merely suspended, and that he was permitted to go to the World Cup as a fan. That Putin invited Blatter shouldn't come as a surprise, since many believe that Russia's winning bid was helped by bribery. In other non-Blatter-related news, the Russian leader is also being criticized for using the 5-0 drubbing of Saudi Arabia to bury an increase in the pension age.
Elsewhere, Iranian fans have had a mixed week. Not only did they lose to Spain thanks partially to VAR, but supporters can't even get their team's jersey because of U.S. sanctions. On the upside, the World Cup has been great for Iranian women, who are being allowed to watch the tournament in the same stadium as men for the first time since 1979.
Then there's Mexico. After stunning the world by beating Germany 1-0, America's World Cup team finds itself in hot water thanks to a homophobic chant popular among El Tri supporters. FIFA has fined Mexico for the chant, and key players like Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez are begging supporters to cut it out. For their part, Germany is dealing with division within their team and back at home.
And finally, we'd be remiss if we didn't mention asylum seekers, both on our border and abroad. During Wednesday's broadcast of the Uruguay-Saudi Arabia match, a Telemundo commentator announced that Donald Trump had signed an executive order reversing his administration's policy of family separation. Fitting that this happened during the same week that individuals from countries like Morocco and China are using the World Cup as an opportunity to seek asylum in Finland, which borders Russia.
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MSU trustees do not remove Engler as calls for resignation grow louder - Michigan State University interim president John Engler apologized for his “regrettable” email regarding victims of disgraced doctor Larry Nassar, stating that “it was never my intent to have an adversarial relationship with some of the survivors.” Engler also touted that the school has created policies that will ensure nothing like Nassar’s crimes will ever happen again. However, more than 120 of Nassar’s victims feel that the former governor of Michigan has "failed miserably" and should resign from his post, and early on Friday, the university trustees voted 2-6 to retain Engler. The school board is still considering plans on how to distribute payouts on its $500 million settlement with victims.
Gleason on track to receive Congressional Gold Medal - Former New Orleans Saints safety Steve Gleason received all 100 U.S. Senate votes in his nomination for the Congressional Gold Medal for his advocacy for people living with ALS. The vote now goes to the House before going to the president for his signature.
NCAA settles lawsuit with widow of former Texas player - In a civil trial, the NCAA reached a settlement with Debra Hardin-Ploetz, widow of former Texas Longhorns defensive tackle Greg Ploetz, who died in 2015. Hardin-Ploetz believed that her husband’s passing was a result of brain injuries suffered during his collegiate career in the late 1960s.
Sports betting hearing postponed - Weeks after the Supreme Court’s decision on sports betting, which effectively legalized the practice across the nation, the House Judiciary Committee indefinitely postponed its planned hearing on the matter.
NFL players move from protesting to requesting pardons - Several NFL active and retired — players Doug Baldwin, Anquan Boldin, Malcolm Jenkins and Benjamin Watson — requested President Trump put his clemency powers to use for nonviolent drug offenders in federal prisons, among other potential reforms. On a local level, several New England Patriots are pressing candidates in the Boston district attorney race on how they plan to bring fairness to the criminal justice system. As for the NFL itself, civil rights groups are demanding that the league reconsider its controversial national anthem policy before the new season begins.
New L.A. Times owner will retain Lakers’ stake - Patrick Soon-Schiong, a surgeon and entrepreneur, recently purchased the venerable Los Angeles Times. His foray into the media industry will not impact his minority stake in the Lakers.
L.A. Live key to Downtown L.A. resurgence - It had taken about four decades to transform the area which houses STAPLES Center, but a major key to the redevelopment has been the nearby L.A. Live entertainment and hospitality complex, which has helped Los Angeles host three NBA All-Star Games since 2004.
Ray Allen emphasizes education on the Holocaust - Through the entirety of his playing career and post-retirement, soon-to-be Basketball Hall of Famer Ray Allen has taken great interest in learning and educating his peers on the Holocaust, from visiting museums to traveling to the sites where the horrors took place.
Semenya to challenge testosterone ruling - Olympic champion distance runner Caster Semenya plans to challenge the IAAF’s recent decision to limit testosterone levels in female athletes competing in races of at least 400 meters.
Cincinnati proposes raising tax on sports, entertainment events - Saddled with a ballooning budget and one of the least taxpayer-friendly stadium financing deals, the city of Cincinnati wants to raise the ticket tax on sports and entertainment events, which doesn’t sit well with the city’s pro teams.
San Antonio tries pro football… again - The recently launched Alliance of American Football granted the eighth and final franchise to San Antonio, although the Texas city has had a poor history of building a pro football fan base . A league going in the opposite direction is the contracting Arena Football League, where Philadelphia Soul owner (and former Eagles quarterback) Ron Jaworski believes that the indoor football operation will rise again.
New ESPN chief contends with internal political war - Jimmy Pitaro, the new president at ESPN, is dealing with issues on all fronts with the sports media empire — from strengthening its brand in various media platforms to battling the external perception of ‘liberal bias’ to the political factions within the company.
MLS to Austin move faces challenge - The Columbus Crew’s planned relocation to Austin may hit another snag as several city councilmembers want to solicit more development plans for the McKalla Place site.
Lack of public funds for Phillies spring training upgrades - The city of Clearwater may want to make close to $80 million worth of upgrades to Spectrum Field, the minor league park for the Philadelphia Phillies. The problem? It could end up $40 million short since Pinellas County may not have the money until 2020.
This week in sports and politics history: World War II gives birth to the "Steagles"
"So, it don't think it's an exaggeration to say that by merging the Eagles and Steelers, they were keeping the league alive. The NFL really, really saved itself during WWII." - Matthew Algeo, author of Last Team Standing
There was a time in which the Philadelphia Eagles and the Pittsburgh Steelers were two of the worst franchises in professional football. From 1939-1942, the two franchises combined for an abysmal 13-65-7 record (SEVEN TIES!), and things looked just as bleak heading into the 1943 season with nearly all of the players on both teams heading overseas to fight in World War II.
After losing players to the war effort, Pittsburgh only had six players left on their active roster; Philly had 12. And since the Cleveland Rams had already canceled their season, the league suggested that Pittsburgh and Philly merge their teams for the season — effectively saving both franchises and the NFL in the process.
The team was filled out by men who were classified 4F, meaning unfit for military service. Many had disabilities, including leading wide receiver Tony Bova, who was blind in one eye and partially blind in another.
Despite the contention between the two teams (the head coaches hated each other), the Steagles went on to finish the season with a winning record, 5-4-1, including a 4-1-1 record at home.
Both teams were born on July 8, 1933 and both teams could have died before the 1943 season had they not set aside huge cultural and philosophical differences to become one for a single season. And if they didn’t combine to become an eighth team, the NFL could have floundered with emerging leagues looking to grow the sport.
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