Friday cannon fodder: respect

A lot of the gratitude shown for things online these days verges on the performative. It’s expected that people react certain ways to certain things, so that’s what happens. It’s a shame, in a way, because a lot of honest sentiment gets lost in the noise of people rushing to be the next person to say the expected thing.

Saturday is Veterans Day. For those unfamiliar, Veterans Day is a day set aside to honor all the people in the US that have served in the military, in any capacity. It differs from Memorial Day in that Memorial Day is specifically to honor those who died in military service; Veterans Day is the day we honor anyone who makes the choice to serve our country. It coincides globally with Armistice Day and Remembrance Day, both also on the 11th, which honor the end of World War 1.

So, without trying to sound trite or rote, I want to take a minute to say thank you to any veteran that is reading this today. Today’s the day the holiday is legally celebrated, it’s the day I’m given off work, so while the actual holiday is tomorrow, TSF will use today to thank the people who choose to serve in the military, in this country and anywhere else that military people are reading this.

We wouldn’t be who we are as a country without you, and we wouldn’t be able to say and do the things we say and do without your implicit and explicit backup. So, thank you again for everything you do, and I hope you know it’s appreciated.

Now back to the silly irrelevance of sports!

Who the hell votes in the US Soccer presidential election? - Stars and Stripes FC
Anthony DiCicco deep dives into how, exactly, USSF installs its presidents.

Landon Donovan explains why he won't run for US Soccer president | SI.com
After considering a run for the federation's president, USMNT great Landon Donovan has ruled himself out of contention, but he still hopes to be a driving force in correcting the wrongs on all levels in U.S. Soccer.

World Cup playoffs: Croatia takes big step; Switzerland in front | SI.com
The UEFA World Cup qualifying playoffs kicked off on Thursday and the opening legs of the opening two series went about exactly as expected.

Safety-first managers will leave Premier League on the hard shoulder | Liam Rosenior | Football | The Guardian
Why innovate when you can retread?

Checkatrade Trophy: Leeds United fan spends birthday at Grimsby v Sunderland - BBC Sport
Why did Leeds fan Steve Thompson spend his 65th birthday at Sunderland's EFL Trophy tie in Grimsby? His grandson explains.

Hazard: De Bruyne is the best player in the Premier League - Football365
Football365 - "It's easy to play with Kevin because we're good players." You can say that again, Ed.