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Had a bunch of articles built up this week, so I went deep today. Enjoy!
Football
Tottenham’s Eric Dier goes into stands, confronts fan
After Spurs lost on penalties to Norwich in the FA Cup, Dier went into the away support section because, according to Jose Mourinho, he saw his brother involved in an altercation. Fortunately, that was about the extent of it, because things could have gotten much uglier.
25 years since the Cantona kick
Whenever there is a fan-player fracas, my mind goes to Eric Cantona. This article from January of this year looks back at that infamous karate kick.
Hector Bellerin and recovering from an ACL tear
I know we try to stay away from Arsenal news in CF, but this is a good piece from Tim Stillman (who does great Arsenal Women coverage too). Basically, just because he’s back playing doesn’t mean he’s “back” from the injury. ACL’s can be 18-monthers.
Leeds goalkeeper Kiko Casilla banned eight matches for racial slur
He called Jonathon Leko, a loanee striker at Charlton, an f-word-ing n-word. Eddie Nketiah was on the pitch, heard the incident, and testified to the FA investigatory committee.
ESPN+ to broadcast the Bundesliga in the US next season
More soccer coverage is a good thing. ESPN+ gives you great bang for your buck in general.
FIFA imposes new restrictions on loans
But per We Ain’t Got No History, it’s going to have little effect on Chelsea’s loan army, so what’s the point? Apparently it’s aimed more at curtailing the number of senior players that clubs may send out on loan but shouldn’t have much of an effect on young guys being sent out for development.
Coronavirus and Sport
There’s a lot of stuff out there, most of which is “we’re monitoring the situation and have plans in place for if we need them.” Here are some links: Euro 2020, Olympics, Olympics op-ed. The exception is Italy, where all sporting events through April 3rd are going to be played to empty stadiums.
Other Sports
Some Princeton students unhappy with Marshawn Lynch being named class speaker
I can’t understand why. I had Oprah, and I’m still jealous! A Princeton student penned a good response to the original op-ed complaining about the selection.
The Colorado Avalanche emphasized straight allies on NHL pride night
It may have been a nice idea in theory, but according to Outsports, in practice, they botched it pretty spectacularly.
XFL’s St. Louis Battlehawks celebrate wins with hard seltzer
I’m here for all of this.
16-year old “rockstar” girl tearing up the cricket ground
Her father used to cut her hair so she could pass as a boy and play with them. It’s a cool story, check it out.
Spike Lee feuds with New York Knicks owner James Dolan
The Knicks’ most visible fan says he won’t be attending any more games this season. What a soap opera. That team is a mess.
Sports betting could begin in D.C. as early as April
Pretty self-explanatory. Probably more meaningful to me than to most of you, but the sports betting wave is gathering steam.
Other Stuff
The Dystopian Lake Filled by the World’s Tech Lust
Just going with the article subhead here: Hidden in an unknown corner of Inner Mongolia is a toxic, nightmarish lake created by our thirst for smartphones, consumer gadgets and green tech.
Cartographers have been secretly hiding illustrations in maps for decades
If you want something more fun and whimsical, apparently map-makers have been hiding doodles inside maps right under the noses of map-vetters...the people who evaluate (?) maps...I don’t know what to call them.