Soccer

[Clitical Thinking]

I doubt it. Maguire has the self awareness of moldy bread 

[ObiDongKenobi]

Man City just signed Haaland for 51mil. McGuire must be shitting himself

That's a snip for someone with his scoring record.

[watcher1]

The United States finally caught up to other countries by agreeing to pay their National Women's Soccer team the same amount in winnings as the National Men's team. A long, hard fought victory for the women. 

[Dirtymind]

The United States finally caught up to other countries by agreeing to pay their National Women's Soccer team the same amount in winnings as the National Men's team. A long, hard fought victory for the women.

Does that mean they get the same medical deal as the men as well? Cause from what I read they had accepted the same pay deal before only for them to cancel that when they realised they had a much better medical deal than the men?

[watcher1]

The United States finally caught up to other countries by agreeing to pay their National Women's Soccer team the same amount in winnings as the National Men's team. A long, hard fought victory for the women.

Does that mean they get the same medical deal as the men as well? Cause from what I read they had accepted the same pay deal before only for them to cancel that when they realised they had a much better medical deal than the men?

Good question.  I had not read or heard that.

[Clitical Thinking]

I keep trying to jump back into this thread, but there's so much going on, that I'm not sure what to focus on 

[ObiDongKenobi]

I keep trying to jump back into this thread, but there's so much going on, that I'm not sure what to focus on 

Too much football.  The recently created UEFA Nations League games show just how tired the English players are after a long and arduous season.  Some have played over 60 games.

[watcher1]

I keep trying to jump back into this thread, but there's so much going on, that I'm not sure what to focus on 

Too much football.  The recently created UEFA Nations League games show just how tired the English players are after a long and arduous season.  Some have played over 60 games.

I agree. Players want more money. Owners want more money so they charge advertisers more. End result - more games to capture more money. Then the road to the World Cup... and on and on.  Has to be especially hard on the legs of the older players.

[ObiDongKenobi]

Another despicable (to this old fashioned football fan) nod to greeed is the rise (literally) of the video advert screens.  Some teams have now installed double height video panels deliberately aimed at the TV cameras.  At some grounds they are beginning to dwarf the players.  Manchester City actually removed 1100 seats to install them, although as the stadium is nicknamed the Emptihad maybe it hasn't had much impact on fans attending matches. 

[Hilda]

Another despicable (to this old fashioned football fan) nod to greeed is the rise (literally) of the video advert screens.  Some teams have now installed double height video panels deliberately aimed at the TV cameras.

When did the commercialization start? I definitely remember a time when uniforms were uniforms, and not advertising media. I also don't remember advertising around the pitch, but that could be my memory playing tricks on me.

[ObiDongKenobi]

Another despicable (to this old fashioned football fan) nod to greeed is the rise (literally) of the video advert screens.  Some teams have now installed double height video panels deliberately aimed at the TV cameras.

When did the commercialization start? I definitely remember a time when uniforms were uniforms, and not advertising media. I also don't remember advertising around the pitch, but that could be my memory playing tricks on me.

There has been advertising around the pitch for as long as I can remember (70+ years) at all levels of UK football where a team had its own stadium. But they were either static or rolling canvas about 2 feet high. The obnoxious video screens must have been introduced around the 1990s, but I don't think the UK were the first to introduce them. Wembley Stadium has introduced the large variety and are so determined to cover every inch of space that they even extend across the managers' technical areas.

At least football doesn't copy the heinous crime of the rugby authorities and actually advertise on the pitch!

Readers please don't think I abhor advertising.  I don't, it's a time and a place thing. 

[Clitical Thinking]

Speaking of advertising, I believe Barcelona were the biggest club to hold out the longest against finding a shirt sponsor. They finally gave in and got Qatar Airways in 2013 and then Rakuten in 2017. That'll change over to Spotify this July, and they're even renaming the stadium to the Spotify Camp Nou.

Fun fact, Barcelona actually put a "sponsor" name on their jersey starting in 2006, but it was to advertise Unicef.

..and to stray off topic, I was thinking about Ronaldo earlier today (R9, not Cristiano) and how he played for rival clubs twice, first Barcelona and then Real Madrid, and Inter Milan and then AC Milan. But I don't remember there ever been a huge outrage, like when Figo switched from Barcelona to Real Madrid for example.

I might be remembering wrong 

[MissBarbara]

...and to stray off topic, I was thinking about Ronaldo earlier today (R9, not Cristiano)...

A couple of years ago I saw an interview with Pep Guardiola. At one point, he began speaking about Ronaldo.

Then he paused, and added, "I mean the real Ronaldo, not that Portuguese guy."

[watcher1]

I found this little article when I was searching about advertising on team uniforms:

A new age in jersey sponsorship began in 1973, when Günter Mast, the nephew of Jagermeister creator Curt Mast, had the brilliant idea of placing the German liqueur’s stag and glowing cross logo on German Bundesliga squad Eintracht Braunschweig’s uniforms.

[Clitical Thinking]

...and to stray off topic, I was thinking about Ronaldo earlier today (R9, not Cristiano)...

A couple of years ago I saw an interview with Pep Guardiola. At one point, he began speaking about Ronaldo.

Then he paused, and added, "I mean the real Ronaldo, not that Portuguese guy."

To be completely honest, I used to get annoyed that the Portuguese guy marketed himself as 'Ronaldo' - thinking he was trying to use Ronaldo's fame to help himself. That was back when he was with Manchester United the first time 

In hindsight, of course he never needed Ronaldo's fame to help him, I think the insane stats of the Portuguese guy can do that by themselves. But I still think that going by 'Cristiano' would've been more unique and better marketing overall   

Edit: At least Ronaldinho had a better idea 

[ObiDongKenobi]

When the Poruguese guy first started for Man Utd the opposition fans would immediately chant "you're not the real Ronaldo", he soon put that to rest.

[ObiDongKenobi]

Speaking of advertising, I believe Barcelona were the biggest club to hold out the longest against finding a shirt sponsor. They finally gave in and got Qatar Airways in 2013 and then Rakuten in 2017. That'll change over to Spotify this July, and they're even renaming the stadium to the Spotify Camp Nou.

Fun fact, Barcelona actually put a "sponsor" name on their jersey starting in 2006, but it was to advertise Unicef.

..and to stray off topic, I was thinking about Ronaldo earlier today (R9, not Cristiano) and how he played for rival clubs twice, first Barcelona and then Real Madrid, and Inter Milan and then AC Milan. But I don't remember there ever been a huge outrage, like when Figo switched from Barcelona to Real Madrid for example.

I might be remembering wrong 

I would say you are correct on all points CT.

The name Spotify Camp Nou makes my heart sink; it's the first I have heard of it. 

[MissBarbara]

'

When the Poruguese guy first started for Man Utd the opposition fans would immediately chant "you're not the real Ronaldo", he soon put that to rest.

It's worth noting that Ronaldo is neither his first nor last name.

His full name is Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro.

Ronaldo is his middle name, and his father gave him that name to honor Ronald Reagan.

[Clitical Thinking]

his father gave him that name to honor Ronald Reagan.
[/b]

Very interesting, I didn't know that 

I still like to fanboy about the 'real Ronaldo,' maybe because I caught a brief glimpse of him between the time when he joined Inter and then started having his injury problem, and there was just an excitement about him that I haven't felt even while watching Cristiano or Messi or anyone else.

He was still pretty good after his injuries, but during that brief time at Inter (I didn't get to see him when he was with Barcelona) he was sometimes like a man among boys, and that against the famed Italian defenses, and among some of the biggest names in football at the time.

[ObiDongKenobi]

'

When the Poruguese guy first started for Man Utd the opposition fans would immediately chant "you're not the real Ronaldo", he soon put that to rest.

It's worth noting that Ronaldo is neither his first nor last name.

His full name is Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro.

Ronaldo is his middle name, and his father gave him that name to honor Ronald Reagan.

Also from Wikipaedia "His mother revealed that she wanted to abort him due to poverty, his father's alcoholism and having too many children already, but her doctor refused to perform the procedure"