Human Interest

On Sunday afternoon, the N.C. Courage announced they had signed a one-year deal with retired fullback Jaelene Daniels, formerly known as Jaelene Hinkle. Now NWSL fans across the country — especially in North Carolina — are furious over the signing. On the other side of the continent, the Portland Thorns angered their fans for drafting a player with a history of horribly racist, homophobic and transphobic behavior on Twitter. 

This is not how the NWSL wanted to end what has already been a shit year for the league. 

LONDON, England - Leicester City's Premier League game against Tottenham Hotspur on Thursday and Manchester United's home clash with Brighton and Hove Albion on Saturday have been postponed as rising COVID-19 cases threaten to play havoc with the season.

Thursday's announcements from the Premier League mean five games have been lost in the past week, although the league says it plans to continue with the current fixture schedule.

Barcelona and Argentina striker Sergio Aguero broke down in tears as he announced his retirement from football on Wednesday due to a heart condition, bringing the curtain down on an 18-year career during which he scored more than 400 goals.

pic.twitter.com/Fek43kBimL

— Sergio Kun Aguero (@aguerosergiokun) December 15, 2021

This summer, the NCAA abandoned its archaic rules prohibiting college athletes from making money off their name, image and likeness. On Tuesday, UCLA women’s soccer player Reilyn Turner was announced as the first Nike NIL deal, a sign the athletic apparel behemoth is interested in more than putting its products in front of the most eyes possible.

As if the recent NWSL trading spree hasn’t been enough to keep track of — Krashlyn off to New York, Julie Ertz to LA and now Alex Morgan going to San Diego — two major financial news stories dropped for the U.S. women’s national team on Monday.

As a society, we’re pretty bad about allowing those in the public eye the opportunity to grow as humans, whether it’s a comedian telling an inappropriate joke 10 years ago or a politician’s evolving ideology. Too often public perception is rooted in the idea that you are who you are and you cannot change. 

With that in mind, I think we should praise Bayern Munich and Germany midfielder Joshua Kimmich for recognizing he was wrong and wishing he had done better. 

GOTHENBURG, Sweden — BK Haecken midfielder Elin Rubensson has called on Swedish football to support players who decide to become pregnant during their elite careers and offer them greater security.

Less than a year after the birth of her son Frans, Sweden international Rubensson was back pulling the strings as her side lost 5-1 to Bayern Munich in the Champions League on a snowy night in Gothenburg on Thursday.

Pelé was hospitalized for a scheduled procedure as part of his treatment for a colon tumor and the Brazilian soccer great will be home in time to spend Christmas with his family, his daughter Kely Nascimento said.

Three-time World Cup winner Pelé, who was admitted to São Paulo's Hospital Albert Einstein on Wednesday, underwent an operation to remove the tumor in September and spent nearly a month under care.