Posts tagged as Soccer
Can Women's Soccer Survive In America?
On June 23, Landon Donovan paused America with his 91st minute goal against Algeria. The strike sent the United States national team into the second round of the 2010 World Cup, landed the midfielder on the back page of the New York Post, and spawned wild celebrations in bars across the nation. It launched the men's team into the spotlight. READ MORE
President Whacks Man In Groin
Let's all take a moment to enjoy the majesty of Evo Morales, the president of Bolivia, kneeing an opponent in the 'nads during a friendly soccer game. Life is certainly full of delightful surprises sometimes, isn't it! Okay, back to work.
A Terrible Goalie Looks Back
When the ball skirted past England goalkeeper Robert Green for the game-tying goal against the United States on Saturday, I leaped from my chair, whooping. A few seconds later, I was stunned by a sensation I hadn't felt in nearly 30 years. READ MORE
Me Against The World
It's not, generally speaking, a good idea to read too much into a Nike commercial. Maybe if you're Naomi Klein, seeking a way in to an examination of the dozens of interlocking injustices behind the brand's bleakly glib brand of vicious uplift, but almost definitely not if you're a sportswriter type trying to pin down why you feel weird on the first day of the largest sports event in the world. This isn't to say that Nike commercials don't have something (gross and weird) to say about sports on occasion, but relying on Nike's reliably grandiose advertisements for anything other than a reflection of what makes Nike so squeamy is not necessary a good look. And yet: here I am, and here you are, and here is what is actually a pretty impressive and obviously hugely expensive long-form Nike commercial directed by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu. It's being hailed as one of the great commercials of all time, and it has been viewed over 14 million times. And while I can't say it makes me want to buy Nikes as much as it makes me want to barf at the sadness of this crew of Special Economic Zone profiteers dropping $24 million on a freaking commercial, I have to say: the commercial does go some of the way towards explaining why I'm feeling more dazed than anything else as the World Cup begins. READ MORE
How To Save European Soccer From The Players
Soccer players are stealing our profits! READ MORE
Penguins Play Soccer
You know what? Be whatever level of stupid you are comfortable with. It's hot out and it's a Friday and it is essentially summer. These are penguins, dressed like soccer players, moving a ball around. I think that's pretty much all the explanation you need, right? Enjoy. Or don't. It is completely your call.
Coca-Cola Diagnosing A Few Too Many People With World Cup Fever
Here is a slice of a dispatch from today's ESPN presentation in New York City that confused me: "Coca-Cola is looking at aiming its World Cup advertising not only at Hispanic consumers, Mr. Tripodi said, who traditionally follow the World Cup closely, but also African-Americans and the general market, particularly 'soccer moms.'" Hold up — I understand the desire to expand marketing efforts, but I thought soccer moms were dubbed such because they spent a fair amount of time ferrying their children to activities like soccer, and not because they had a passion for the game? If the latter were true, certainly attendance at Major League Soccer events would be increasing at a faster clip than it currently is.
Japanese Soccer Robot Will Maim World Cup Opponents
Frustrated by the fact that their country has never won a World Cup soccer championship, Japanese scientists have developed a robot that can kick a soccer ball over 200 kilometers an hour. (That's about 125 MPH in American.) Japan hopes to field a team of these motorized super-players in this year's tournament, which kicks off in South Africa in June. As demonstrated in the horrific video above, the potentially lethal machine can blast appendages off any defender foolhardy enough to try to defend the net. "Do not stand in the way of our soccer robot's power," warned Japan's Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Tatsuo Kawabata. "We will achieve a World Cup victory. We will stop at nothing."
English Soccer Hooligans Celebrate The New Season
Here's some footage of the riots that broke out at east London's Upton Park last night between supporters of two rival soccer teams. One man was stabbed, because it's not a proper British riot without a little knife crime. If you want to find out which British team boasts the most violent supporters, check the league tables here.
