The Champions League on TNT has had its share of snafus. But what we saw on Tuesday might have been the toughest to watch for fans of the beautiful game.
Turner Sports has not proven a great steward of the world’s most popular annual tournament since taking over the U.S. broadcast rights from FOX starting with the 2018-19 season.
Ousmane Dembélé is a hero of our time, “a man proud, moody, cynical, with defiance on his brow, and misery in his heart,” and capable of exhibiting both sensitivity and distrust in equal measure — look no further than former Atlético striker Kiko describing him as “the most contradictory player I’ve seen” as proof of his status as the melancholic romantic hero of the 21st century. But, to keep the Lermontov reference going, does an unusual beginning necessitate an unusual end?
Kids these days and their dad-gum vidja games!
At least, that’s what tabloids across Europe want you to think, as they try to blame Mesut Özil’s back injury on a Fortnite “addiction.”
Özil, Arsenal’s German No. 10, hasn’t played since Nov. 11. He’s been having back problems, according to the club.
Football is a tribal sport. It’s us against them, good vs. evil, blue versus a more nefarious shade of blue. Soccer fans invest so much of their lives into their respective clubs that losses become marks against their character, burdens upon their very existence.
The coward, infamous, violent attack to the Boca Juniors bus on its way to the Monumental stadium to play the second and final game of the most important Copa Libertadores final in history resulted in a scandalous series of events about which South American soccer, and especially Argentinians like myself, can feel nothing but despair and embarrassment.
Sometimes, 30 uncivilized guys can ruin the party of millions. That’s what happened here.
The now-annual Rainbow Laces Premier League campaign has begun in the UK, with players, clubs and the league sporting rainbow-colored accessories to support LGBT rights. And yet again, it’s evident why such a campaign is even necessary.
In truth, we all knew this would happen eventually. But we’re still pissed.
When Turner Sports took over the UEFA Champions League TV rights from Fox, there was hope that TNT would show the best matches available every day. That’s what would make sense to the average fan, but Fox struggled to figure this out.