MLS and the USMNT have helped each other out down the years. But the domestic league deserves at least some time under the microscopeA full week has passed since a dreadful 90 minutes took the USA from part of the World Cup furniture to tournament spectators. A lot of blame has understandably fallen on the coaches this cycle, the system that developed the players and the federation’s leadership, namely its president, Sunil Gulati.However, the influence of Major League Soccer deserves its time under the microscope too. MLS is very much indebted to the US men’s soccer program, having been founded as a condition to the country’s successful bid to host the 1994 World Cup. Ever since the league’s post-expansion revival...
ESPN asked Jemele Hill to ‘discuss sports topics, news, culture, and social issues’ and to tweet on ‘a current issue impacting sports’ – then suspended her for doing exactly thatMore than a week into her suspension for some highly anodyne tweets related to the Take the Knee protest, it feels long overdue to devote space to the ESPN anchor Jemele Hill. Still, I vaguely heard we were listening to women for a minute, and wondered if a black woman could catch a little of that entitlement to be heard. The traditional answer to that has been “No, I’m afraid she can’t” – which accounts for the nagging sense among many women of colour that sisterliness only stretches so far. Its...
Don’t let all of the mascots, cheerleaders, Kiss Cams and marriage proposals give you the wrong idea: US sports stadiums are often as dangerous as European onesLoud, violent, armed. If you polled the world on what Americans are like, all three of those descriptors would surely merit frequent mentions. But when it comes to rabid support of sports teams, it’s Europeans who have long had the reputation for mayhem and violence. Football hooliganism dates back all the way to the Middle Ages in England, when King Edward III banned football in 1349 because he felt the disorder and violence that accompanied matches led to social unrest and distracted his subjects from practicing archery. Another decree 14 years later doubled down...
Can anything stop the Warriors? Will the 76ers finally make the playoffs? And who will win MVP? Guardian writers on what’s coming up this seasonSeeing how Oklahoma City will fit Paul George and Carmelo Anthony with Russell Westbrook. The Thunder have essentially rented George and Anthony for a season. Both will want the ball and while Westbrook’s reputation is as a player who craves control he also knows he must share to win – and challenge Golden State. LC Continue reading...
No player is bigger than their team. But the Green Bay Packers quarterback, who broke his collarbone on Sunday, comes closeThe cruelest thing about the NFL is how quickly Super Bowl dreams can die. For five games and seven minutes the Green Bay Packers had to believe they were legitimate contenders to win the NFC and play again in the league’s championship game. On Sunday morning they walked into this season’s Super Bowl stadium – US Bank Stadium in downtown Minneapolis – the leaders in the NFC North with a 4-1 record, a formidable defense and the player who may be the best quarterback in the NFL: Aaron Rodgers. Related: Why Aaron Rodgers is an even greater NFL quarterback than...