On Sunday night, sporting power couple Zach and Julie Ertz were both in action — Zach with the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship game and Julie with the USWNT in a friendly against Denmark. With the NFL game kicking off at 6:40 p.m. ET and the women’s match beginning at 7:30, the two went about their business without knowing what was transpiring across the country.
Following the NCAA football National Championship Game, you might think the hero of the day was freshman Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. You would be wrong about this, because the actual hero of Monday's game was bespectacled sophomore, former walk-on Georgia kicker Rodrigo Blankenship, a.k.a. Hot Rod a.k.a. Gawdrigo a.k.a. Rowdy Roddy Blankenship (I made the last one up).
You may be wondering why, on a soccer website, we are talking about college football. Well, how are legendary college footballers made? With soccer.
It's no secret that soccer fans in America get a lot flak for being fans of such a "lame" sport. We always counter their criticisms of soccer with "it's the most popular sport in the world" and "in football you don't even use your feet 99% of the time". Nevertheless, they still mock us relentlessly, and who does more than the rest? NFL fans.
A short while after many his fellow Americans took a knee during the national anthem at Wembley Stadium, DeAndre Yedlin showed solidarity by taking a knee in the middle of Newcastle’s match against Brighton & Hove Albion south of London on Sunday.
Tomer Hemed took exception and stamped on the back of the American’s leg.
The National Football League returns to England on Sunday as the Baltimore Ravens face the Jacksonville Jaguars at Wembley Stadium, a now biannual feature as the league is desperate to gain British NFL fans. Meanwhile, soccer leagues across Europe are considering bringing regular-season games to the U.S.