Posts Tagged ‘english premier league’
Tuesday, April 5th, 2011
We all know that, more than ever before, the business side of pro sports is just as important to teams as the sport itself, but how far is too far?
Whether it’s an athlete losing endorsements because of slip-ups in his or her personal life (Tiger Woods, for example) or a sponsor threatening to pull its money over a league’s decision (Air Canada’s empty threats to the NHL), it’s all about the almighty dollar in pro sports these days. Here’s one I’ve never seen before though – I honestly thought this story from Britain’s The Guardian was an April Fools’ joke when I first read it:
“Standard Chartered wants Liverpool to sign more players from Asia.”
Imagine my surprise when I read the article and realized that it wasn’t a joke at all – the bank says it wants the team to sign some Asian players so that it can “exploit one of [its] largest markets.” Is this really happening? Are they really telling the team that they want them to buy players based on nationality first and skill second? Do they not understand how soccer works? (more…)
Tags: air canada, april fools, Edmonton, endorsements, english premier league, epl, liverpool, NHL, Soccer, sponsorships, standard chartered, tiger woods, yeg
Posted in Soccer |
Monday, April 4th, 2011
Sometimes I wonder just how detached the higher-ups in pro sports actually are from the game itself, don’t you?
Perhaps the worst sport for that is soccer, and this weekend gave us another glimpse into that side of things. Quite often you’ll hear about a manager being suspended for something silly like swearing on the sidelines while arguing a call, for example. Of course you want your players and coaches to be respectful, but it’s a bit harsh to ban someone for colorful language, given how often it is used in pro sports, or sports in general!
The latest victim of this scenario is Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney. (more…)
Tags: Edmonton, english premier league, epl, Football, manchester united, sir alex ferguson, Soccer, swearing, wayne rooney, west ham, yeg
Posted in Soccer |
Tuesday, March 8th, 2011
Things are heating up in England as the race for the Premier League title takes a few sudden turns and gets much more interesting…
If you haven’t been paying attention, here’s the Coles Notes version of what’s been going on: The current leaders, to a Man, are coming Untied at the wrong time, the second place Gunners have a shot but no ammo and the defending champions, once singing the Blues, are now playing their way back into the conversation as the season winds down!
On Monday, Chelsea beat Blackpool 3-1 thanks to a double from Frank Lampard and while it wasn’t their best outing of the season, it certainly wasn’t their worst and it earned them a huge three points. With the win, the Blues move to within nine points of league leaders Manchester United as they try to mount a late charge and repeat as EPL champs.
Nine points is a long way to come back, but it’s worth noting that Chelsea have a game in hand and also have a say in United dropping at least three more points when the two sides meet again on May 7th at Old Trafford… (more…)
Tags: anfield, arsenal, chelsea, Edmonton, emirates stadium, english premier league, epl, fa cup, Football, frank lampard, gunners, jamie carragher, liverpool, manchester city, manchester united, nani, old trafford, sir alex, Soccer, stamford bridge, trophy, wolverhampton wanderers, yeg
Posted in Soccer |
Friday, February 11th, 2011
“I LOVE CANADA”
Do you think UFC president Dana White ever wishes he could move his entire production up to our side of the border?
Every time the UFC comes to Canada, records are set and that’s a trend that continued this week with a couple of new ones ahead of UFC 129 in Toronto – the organization’s first Ontario-based event. If Las Vegas didn’t have the deep connection and history with the fight game that it has, I’m sure more cards would find their way up here given our country’s track record.
In less than one hour on Thursday, more than 42,000 tickets (valued anywhere from $50 to $800) were sold for the April 30th event! That’s right, the “pre-sale” for the Toronto date almost doubled Montreal’s UFC attendance record of 23,152! (more…)
Tags: Baseball, boston red sox, calgary flames, city, dallas cowboys, dana white, david beckham, derby, Edmonton, english premier league, Football, georges st. pierre, hockey, jake shields, la galaxy, las vegas, manchester city, manchester united, mcmahon stadium, MLB, mls, mma, montreal canadiens, NFL, NHL, ny yankees, phoenix coyotes, rogers centre, shape-ups, skechers, toronto, tottenham hotspurs, UFC, ufc 129, united, university of kansas, washington redskins, wayne grezky, yeg
Posted in Mixed Martial Arts, NFL, NHL, Soccer |
Wednesday, February 2nd, 2011
What a start to the week in the English Premier League!
It was soccer’s version of the “trade deadline” that we all love so much in the hockey world, as the January transfer window came to a close with a flurry of player movement – none bigger than the transaction between Chelsea and Liverpool.
It cost them dearly but The Blues managed to secure the services of Spanish striker Fernando Torres from Anfield, where he spent the last three and a half seasons. Chelsea paid £50-million to bring the player over, smashing the British record by almost £20-million and making it the fourth most expensive transfer in the history of world football!
Who saw that one coming? By all accounts, Torres was happy at Liverpool and wasn’t really interested in a move. Or was he? James Sharman, who hosts The Score’s “The Footy Show,” says it’s coming out now that, in fact, the 26-year-old may have wanted out as early as last year! (more…)
Tags: chelsea, david luiz, didier drogba, Edmonton, english premier league, epl, fernando torres, financial fair play, Football, james sharman, liverpool, manchest united, michel platini, roman abramovich, Soccer, Spain, sunderland, the blues, the footy show, the reds, transfer window, uefa, yeg
Posted in Soccer |
Friday, January 28th, 2011
Mamma Messi
We’re going to start off this week talking about birthdays – with all the media attention given to Wayne Gretzky turning 50, you’ve probably had enough of “birthday” storylines, but I’ve got an important question to ask all of you:
What did you get your Mom for her last birthday?
The reason I ask is that there is literally no way it was as awesome as what two-time FIFA player of the year Lionel Messi got for his Mom! When she turned x years old last weekend, her superstar son got her a La Liga goal!
Moments after beating Racing Santander goalie Toño on a 33rd minute penalty kick attempt, the Barcelona striker lifted up his jersey to show off the message he had written on his undershirt before the game: “Feliz Cumple Mami!” (Video after the jump!) (more…)
Tags: ALL-STAR GAME, aston villa, barcelona, blackpool, Edmonton, english premier league, epl, Football, gil meche, hockey, ian holloway, kansas city royals, karl oyston, la liga, lionel messi, manchester united, MLB, NHL, PGA, racing santander, rehab, skllls competition, Soccer, ted williams, Toño, Wayne Gretzky, yeg
Posted in MLB, NHL, Soccer |
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