Analysis

Following the Euro 2020 final where Italy narrowly defeated England on penalties, both sides displayed the true highs and lows of soccer.

Italians were put on top of the world as they secured just their second-ever European Championship and first since 1968. From their fans pouring onto the streets and erupting in joy to Italy’s team stripping down to tighty whities, Italians made sure to properly celebrate the moment.

But the spectrum of reactions following the Euro 2020 final from both squads and their fans couldn't have been further apart.

When Brazil was preparing to take on Argentina in the Copa América final, it was widely acknowledged that while many Brazilians were tacitly supporting the Seleção, they’d also partially warmed to the idea of Lionel Messi finally reaping from what he’d painstakingly sown over the last 16 years with the Albiceleste — so much so that Neymar felt compelled to issue a stinging rebuke on Instagram that told those Brazilians to “go to hell.” 

The NCAA has adopted a new interim policy that provides college athletes with the opportunity to profit off their name, image and likeness (NIL). Including all the top three divisions of all NCAA sports nationwide, almost 460,000 athletes now have the liberty to be compensated for their worth and what they bring to their school. Before the new policy came into effect, the NCAA owned the public rights of every athlete as a part of their scholarship agreement. 

International tournaments often seem like a red carpet event for the biggest names in world football, yet often the most intriguing players on the pitch are the up-and-coming stars, the b-listers of the footballing world, if you will.

Euro 2020 introduced us to a wide range of talented young players. Some were familiar by name and statistical output, but this was the first chance for them to prove themselves on such a large stage. Others were relative unknowns, ony entering the public footballing consciousness within the last month.

Soccer is unique in so many ways, and perhaps no play in all of sports is more meaningful than the penalty kick. 

Points are more scarce in soccer than they are in any other sport, and no other sport includes one play with such a high percentage chance of scoring.

A game that features 22 players on the pitch is condensed into a one-on-one battle for a few crucial seconds, and in the end, there are only two possible outcomes: either a goal is scored or the ball fails to cross the goal line — with the former being the most likely.