The nimble wit that helped launch the star of the Irishman was a distant memory when he faced off with Eddie Alvarez at Thursday’s UFC 205 press conferenceThere was a time not very long ago when a Conor McGregor press conference was still something engaging. Now, as his popularity has boomed and his face dominates the sides of buildings, he has become a caricature of his worst self: a man seeking attention, devoid of the substance that once made him fun.During Thursday’s press conference for UFC 205, perhaps the biggest fighting show ever, McGregor wore a white fur coat he said was mink, stomped around in red pajama pants and held a blue folding chair high above his head, threatening...
When teams such as the Warriors have depth throughout their roster, the chances of someone like Anthony Davis dragging his team to the Finals diminishI have very little hope for the upcoming Donald Trump presidency. I know, I’m really out on a limb with this one. Don’t worry, folks. The rest of this column won’t be nearly as controversial. A xenophobic, racist Batman vigilante figure chasing women around the Oval Office like a billionaire Benny Hill sounds particularly odious to me and about 45 million other people in this country.But one thing I do know about Donald Trump that could work out in our favor is that he is a sports fan. Sure, he’s the type of sports fan that...
This week’s roundup also features Barry Davies’ finest commentary moments, Juninho Permanbucano’s 75 free-kick goals and a scarcely believable squash rally1) England v Scotland is the oldest game in international football, older even than the tradition of embroidering poppies on to football shirts. Here’s Barry Davies talking us through the 1921 altercation, played at Hampden Park and won 3-0 by the home side. Seven years later, Scotland arrived at Wembley to field a curious, controversial team, whereupon a dazzlingly technical and imaginative performance devastated England to the tune of 5-1, making the Wembley Wizards immortal. But they were rivalled in 1967 when England, protecting an unbeaten run stretching back 19 games, were despatched 3-2 by a team inspired by the...
The welterweight champion and Ferguson native, who defends his title on Saturday at UFC 205, is keen to use his platform for meaningful activismUFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley is an African American athlete in the modern age of sports activism. He does not take this responsibility lightly. He grew up in Ferguson, Missouri, and that fact alone gives him a voice on racial matters for it was his town, his neighborhood, his very street where Michael Brown was shot and his body lay for hours baking in the summer sun. As a young black man in Ferguson he was racially profiled, pulled over needlessly by police and once thrown in a paddy wagon with a group of friends because he...
With the two adversaries preparing to meet, we look at half-a-dozen of the rivalry’s best moments, from the very first Dos A Cero to an upset at the AztecaThe game that kicked it all off. Back in 1934 you had to play a one-off game to qualify for the still-new World Cup, and Mexico and the United States were among the 32 nations sending teams. Mexico expected to win over a loose group of amateurs and semi-pros; the fact that they did not has never been forgotten south of the border. The result sent the USA to a meeting with Italy (they were hammered 7-1 by the eventual champs); and sent Mexico home to lick their wounds. Related: The Joy...