Today in the Ticker: US Soccer posts an ill-advised social media graphic, women’s college basketball games played in a hotel ballroom, and more.
Uni Watch News Ticker for Nov. 28, 2022
Posted in:
Football
College
- Here’s a piece on the local business that repairs Georgia’s jerseys after each game.
- Left over from Saturday: The Land Grant Trophy, given to the winner of the Michigan State/Penn State game, is now missing the small figure of Michigan State’s Sparty near the middle, below the lion, that apparently broke off. (From William F. Yurasko)
Basketball
College
- An early-season women’s tournament in Las Vegas was held in a hotel ballroom. You might be thinking of the Battle 4 Atlantis tournaments, which are also (competently) held in a hotel ballroom that is turned into a small arena. But this was not that; it was literally a basketball court and almost nothing else, with fans sitting in the ballroom’s chairs or standing behind them, leading several coaches and players both at and outside the event to criticize the tournament.
Hockey
NHL
- After the Capitals won a game while wearing their RR uniform, C Evgeny Kuznetsov said that they should wear it full-time. (From William F. Yurasko)
- Last night’s Kings/Sens game was delayed when a small piece of the boards broke off and had to be replaced. “As a bonus, at the 0:28 mark of that video clip you can see Kings workers with ‘Zam Man’ and ‘Ice Man’ NOBs,” notes Mike Chamernik.
Soccer
International
- Wales, one of the men’s World Cup participants who backed down from wearing the One Love armband, have instead been making rainbow flags more prominent at their training base.
- The Athletic reported last week that Denmark was willing to talk to all 54 other European associations about leaving FIFA over the armbands.
- In non-One Love developments, an Iranian fan on Friday brought a shirt with the NOB of Mahsa Amini, whose death in September kicked off the country’s current protests, but it was taken away. Friday was also the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.
- US Soccer’s social media removed the details from Iran’s flag in one image of the men’s World Cup Group B standings, leaving just plain green-white-red stripes. US Soccer said it was a one-time gesture to show support for the country’s women, displayed the flag correctly in subsequent graphics, and has since deleted the post in question. But saying Iran is not happy may be the understatement of the century. (From Anthony Verna)
- Reader Max Weintraub spotted a Croatian fan at yesterday’s game against Canada wearing a cap from one of the country’s water polo national teams.
- Australia: The A-Leagues have a new number/NOB font. All teams in the women’s A-League wore a pride captain’s armband this weekend commissioned by Adelaide United, who are to wear it all season in both leagues.
- England: Liverpool center-back Gilly Flaherty received a framed No. 176 shirt yesterday for breaking the Women’s Super League appearances record last week.
- England: Manchester City center-back Steph Houghton wore a black armband in memory of former Scottish men’s rugby union international Doddie Weir, who passed away from ALS on Saturday. The connection is that Houghton’s husband, former right-back Stephen Darby, retired in 2018 while at Bolton Wanderers after also being diagnosed with ALS and worked with Weir and other athletes to raise awareness of the disease.
- Germany: Werder Bremen’s women’s team wore their black and green third kit for their first game played in the Werder men’s team’s stadium on Saturday. Frauen-Bundesliga games appear to have had rainbow corner flags lately, though I’m not sure if that’s a coincidence or related to the men’s World Cup.
Auto Racing
- Those of you who watch Formula One may have noticed that McLaren had a different livery at the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix last week. It was part of a program by one of the team’s advertisers where, for the second year in a row, an artist from an underrepresented group designed the livery for the Abu Dhabi race.
Comments (5)
The new A-League number font is hideous. I get that leagues like brand synchrony or whatever hideous corporatespeak is out there now, and they all want bespoke fonts. But this is clunky and hard to read at a close distance. La Liga, EPL and MLS did really well making unique, distinctive and legible fonts for themselves.
I have no opinion whether they should or not, but I wonder if any of the World Cup teams eliminated from moving to the knockout rounds will wear the One Love armbands.
I know the players will get a yellow card, but since the teams aren’t moving one anyways, so what?
Lee
Great idea Lee! I sincerely hope they do this.
Only two teams are eliminated right now before the final set of group matches. Canada could potentially wear the armbands, but it was European teams that were planning on wearing them initially. The other eliminated team is Qatar, so yeah…
The behavior of FIFA, and Qatar (and Iran) are beneath contempt, and has cast a pall over the whole tournament. The only acceptable thing to do would have been to take a knee and (double) forfeit. What a mess.