Twitter & ESPN Strike Deal
140 Character Not Enough
If you like sports highlights but spend more time on social networks than watching TV, Twitter and ESPN are going to do their best to meet your needs.
According to The Wall Street Journal, Twitter and ESPN plan to announce a deepening of their existing relationship, agreeing on a pact under which the leading sports channel will unveil a wide variety of highlight clips in its tweets. The videos would be available on Twitter “shortly after” they take place live.
Naturally, the new arrangement which expands on a pact signed in December under which ESPN began embedding replays of college football highlights into its tweets is all about ad revenue. The sports network will place ads inside the clips, and advertisers will agree to purchase a minimum number of promoted tweets related to the highlights, the Wall Street Journal reported. Sports covered under the deal include World Cup soccer and X Games tournaments, according to the Journal.
A Twitter spokesperson confirmed the Journal’s story, and this afternoon, several people in senior roles at the social-networking giant posted tweets linking to it. Adam Bain, Twitter’s head of revenue, went so far as to note in his tweet,
“More news from the upfronts,” referring to the TV network meetings with advertisers that are taking place this week.
The Twitter-ESPN agreement goes a long way to bolstering the theory that Twitter is moving quickly to strengthen its ties to TV networks. Last month, a Bloomberg report suggested that Twitter was in talks with NBC and Viacom about bringing more of those networks’ content to the tweets users see all in the hopes of boosting ad revenue.
And earlier today, the Journal also noted that Twitter and Fox agreed to bring some of that TV network’s video to users via the tweets they see. As with the ESPN relationship, the Fox pact would be built to leverage advertisers’ ability to reach users.
Stoke City’s retirement present to Michael Owen
Farewell
When people usually announce their retirement they might get gifted something like a watch. When you play for Stoke and your name is Michael Owen, your coworkers just egg and flour your expensive Mercedes.
Thierry Henry Scores Game Winner With Bicycle Kick
Thierry Henry is 35 years old, but Wednesday night against the Montreal Impact, he scored two goals to carry the Red Bulls to a 2-1 victory. His second was a bicycle kick in the 88th minute to give the team the win.
Lokeren Goalie Knocks Himself Out
The Lokeren goalkeeper Boubacar Barry gave a new meaning to the phrase “laying it all on the line” toward the beginning of a match against Club Brugge
8 Gay English Premier League Players Come Out
Progress
According to The Guardian, at least eight players in the English Premier League have revealed to their teammates that they are gay, but have refused to go public in fear of the backlash they may receive from fans and media.
Those eight players have reportedly gained considerable support from their teammates since coming out in the locker room.
The last British professional soccer player to reveal he was gay and still continue his career was Justin Fashanu in 1990. Fashanu played for four more years before tragically committing suicide at the age of 37. Fashanu cited “heavy damage” from the backlash he received for coming out as the primary cause.
More from The Guardian:
Chris Basiurski, chair of the Gay Football Supporters’ Network, said that, although progressive attitudes had begun to infiltrate the dressing room, the fear of how supporters would react remained a problem.
“The danger is not so much coming out, but what happens next,” he said. “One of the problems Justin Fashanu found was that he was the first black millionaire player, and a lot of things were expected of him on the pitch at Nottingham Forest and it didn’t really work out. When that happened, the dressing room and the management used his sexuality as a thing to bash him with.”
Basiurski said the organisation had heard reports of professional players whose sexuality was a secret guarded inside the game: “We have anecdotal evidence that players are out within their clubs and don’t have a problem. But we are trying to create an atmosphere for people to come out safely, but at the moment there is a big barrier. The fact is, we have never really tested the fans, both home or away, on this.
“The danger is what happens when a player comes out and gets loads of support and attention, but then start playing badly. The worry is that fans will start getting on their backs and they may lose the confidence of their manager and it could be connected to their sexuality.”
The news comes nearly one week after NBA veteran Jason Collins became the first player from a United States professional sports league to publicly reveal that he was gay.
Lionel Messi scores off the field
At least the fake Lionel Messi does. If it was really the Argentinian star would he actually wear his full uniform out to do this. Women have to be smarter than this.
Romania players carted off in motorized wheelbarrows
One of the local players need medical care, so he was taken off the field with wheelbarrow! It is motorized wheelbarrow, the medical technology of the future.
Coach steals player’s credit card to buy liquor
Somebody Has A Problem
Former Croatian soccer star Josip Gašpar had been coaching club side NK Precko Zagreb that is, until he stole the credit card of one of his players and bought 36 bottles of Jagermeister.
According to Croatian news the coach swiped the card from the locker room and went on his shopping spree at a local liquor store, with the bill amounting to $676. Gašpar tried to buy more alcohol at the same location a second time, but the card was declined, and a police investigation began. The store security camera proved to be his downfall.
Goal-Line technology to be implemented for 2014 World Cup
GOOOOOOOAAAALLLLL
After a successful trial period at the Club World Cup, the 2013 Confederations Cup and World Cup 2014 will see goal-line technology implemented in matches.
FIFA has decided to use goal-line technology from this summer onwards, starting with the 2013 Confederations Cup.
After what the footballing governing body deemed to be a successful trial at the Club World Cup in December last year, the technology will be used at the upcoming international tournament being held in Brazil this summer.
Subsequently, goal-line technology will be used at World Cup 2014 in the South American nation, and it is safe to assume that if the two tournaments see the technology implemented successfully then it will be used in future competition as well.
FIFA released a statement on Tuesday which said: “The aim is to use GLT in order to support the match officials and to install a system in all stadia, pending the successful installation, and pre-match referee tests.
“With different technologies on the market, FIFA has launched a tender today, setting out the technical requirements for the two forthcoming competitions in Brazil.
“The two GLT providers already licensed under FIFA’s Quality Program for GLT, and other GLT providers currently in the licensing process (that must have passed all relevant tests as of today) are invited to submit tenders.
“Interested GLT companies will be invited to join an inspection visit to the Confederations Cup venues, currently scheduled for mid-March, with a final decision due to be confirmed in early April.”
UEFA president Michel Platini is unlikely to follow the road being trodden by FIFA as he is adamantly against its implementation, which means the likes of the Champions League and the Europa League will not be graced by goal-line technology any time soon.
Nigerian prostitues offer free sex if team wins African Cup of Nations
TALENT
Nigeria defeated Ivory Coast this past Sunday in the quarterfinals of the African Cup of Nations and will now face Mali in the sem-finals on Wednesday. If they get passed Mali, the Super Eagles will have to face off against new favorites Ghana, which will not be an easy task, but they received some unexpected motivation that has many Nigerians natives hoping more than ever the West African nation can win the it all and bring home the hardware.
Before their match against Ivory Coast, the Association of Nigerian Prostitutes – yes, that’s a real thing – sent this message to the team via their national secretary, Jessica Elvis:
“We want to congratulate the Nigerian national team, the Super Eagles, for qualifying for the next round of the competition.
We want to assure them of our usual support and partnership, we want them to bring back our lost glory in football.
To show our support for the national team, we’ll be declaring one week free sex if the Super Eagles can win the trophy.”
Best goal ever
Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s stunning fourth goal in Stockholm could possibly be one of the beset goals ever seen. The Paris Saint-Germain striker bagged four goals for Sweden as the host ran out the 4-2 winner over Roy Hodgson’s side.
The stunning quadruple moves Ibrahimovic ahead of Henrik Larsson on the all-time Swedish goalscorer list with 40 international goals.
Jeremy Stevens arrested on domestic violence charge on Hope Solo
TALENT
On the morning before they were supposed to be married, U.S. women’s soccer team goalkeeper Hope Solo and former NFL tight end Jerramy Stevens were involved in an altercation that left Stevens in jail and their wedding plans up in the air, police said.
Stevens was arrested early Monday for fourth-degree domestic violence assault but was not charged. He was eventually released when a Kirkland Municipal Court judge ruled there was no evidence connecting him to an assault.
StevensKirkland police said the case was still under investigation, and charges could be brought later if prosecutors and police find other evidence, a police spokesman told the Associated Press.
Stevens, 33, and Solo, 31, applied for a marriage license Thursday, according to King County records. The couple, who have been in a relationship for two months, were reportedly set to be married on Tuesday. There is no word on whether the wedding actually took place.
In the police report, Stevens said he and Solo had been arguing over whether they would live in Washington or Florida after the marriage.
Court documents show that Solo’s 34-year-old brother, Marcus, called 911, and that he and Solo told officers there was a party and blamed the disturbance on two to three unknown men who were at the party. Marcus Solo told police he used a stun gun on one of the men, who left the party before police arrived, according to court records.
According to court documents, a police officer found Stevens, “who appeared to be hiding,” lying between the bed and the wall in an upstairs bedroom. Stevens told officers he was sleeping on the floor and didn’t hear the fight. The officer saw signs of a fight, and dried blood on Stevens’ shirt from Solo’s elbow.
The officer noted in his affidavit for probable cause for arrest that he arrested Stevens based on his admission that he argued with Hope Solo, the injury to her elbow, signs of a fight in the bedroom where Stevens was found and blood on Stevens’ shirt.
One 32-year-old woman was taken to the hospital for treatment of a hip injury, and another man suffered multiple bumps, scrapes and contusions, Murray said.
“If officers find that an assault may have taken place, then we have to make an arrest on who we determine is the primary aggressor,” Murray said.
Stevens was selected with the No. 28 pick of the 2002 draft by the Seattle Seahawks after playing at the University of Washington. But he also was involved in incidents away from football that included reckless driving charges for crashing into a nursing home.
Stevens’ most recent arrest came in 2010, while he was playing for Tampa Bay, when he was arrested the night before a game for possession of marijuana. He was almost immediately released by the team.
Alex Morgan & Sydney Leroux Dress As Gymnasts
TALENT
Alex Morgan and Sydney Leroux of the US women’s national soccer team decided to trade cleats for leotards for a Halloween party and looked damn good doing so.
Wayne Rooney Stars As James Bond
This is what it would look like if soccer star Wayne Rooney was and James Bond instead of Daniel Craig in the upcoming movie “Skyfall.”
Crystal Palace Cheerleaders Dance Gangnam Style
Gangnam Style is the new Call Me Maybe in the sports world video and the Crystal Palace cheerleaders have thrown their bodies into the ring of making a video.
Belgian Soccer Player Crashes Porsche Into Store
Belgian soccer player Jonathan Legear, who once drove into a house after a night out, has now crashed a sports car into a gas station convenience store in Tongeren, Belgium.
AC Milan Signs 10 Year Old Girl
Groundbreaking
History will be made when AC Milan’s annual European academy tournament gets underway in October. The tournament among youth players won’t be historic just because the club recently signed a 10-year-old. It actually isn’t that rare to sign a player so young on the chance they blossom into the next Messi, who was signed at the ripe age of 13 by Barcelona after years of playing in Argentina. History will be made because the youngster AC Milan just signed is Aisha Saini of Scotland, who will be the first female ever to play in the tournament.
Saini was participating in another tournament while her family was vacationing in La Manga, Spain when Milan spied her skills.
“The scouts said they have never asked a girl to join their academy before but they saw her play and knew immediately she would be able to hold her own among a load of boys,” Saini’s father told Metro.
It’s not uncommon for soccer clubs to ink deals with young talent. Last summer, Real Madrid signed a deal with Argentine youngster Leonel Angel Coira at age 7.
Coming off a Premier League championship in 2010, Chelsea reeled in 11-year-old striker Michael Gyasi, who had already been playing with the academy team of League Two club Northampton Town for three years.
Dutch club VVV-Venlo even signed an 18-month-old last year after seeing a video of the toddler kicking balls into a toy chest.
Pele Movie Biography Coming
Greatest New York Cosmo Of All Time
Pele the movie is expected to play in the next World Cup. Imagine Entertainment is planning a film about the Brazilian soccer superstar to coincide with the 2014 World Cup in Rio de Janeiro.
Jeff and Michael Zimbalist, who wrote and directed “The Two Escobars” for ESPN’s 30 for 30, have been tapped to write the film. The movie will be in English with some scenes in Portuguese.
“This will be more of a coming-of-age story that will trace Pele’s childhood until he won his first World Cup in Sweden at the age of 17,” said Imagine’s Kim Roth.
7 Seven Cameroon Olympic Athletes Disappear
Live Long & Prosper
Seven athletes from the Cameroon Olympic team have allegedly “disappeared,” officials say. The athletes are five boxers, a swimmer and a soccer player are suspected of having absconded so as to be able to “stay in Europe for economic reasons,” Reuters news agency reports.
“What began as rumor has finally turned out to be true. Seven Cameroonian athletes who participated at the 2012 London Olympic Games have disappeared from the Olympic Village,” Team Cameroon mission head David Ojong said in a message sent to the Cameroonian sports ministry.
According to the BBC, Drusille Ngako, a reserve goalkeeper for the women’s soccer team, was the first to abscond. A few days later, swimmer Paul Ekane Edingue had similarly vanished.
Then on Sunday, five Cameroonian boxers who had been eliminated from the games allegedly disappeared from the Olympic village.
MLS Game Marred By Vicious Headbutt
Antoine Hoppenot of the Philadelphia Union started it but Nelson Rivas of the Montreal Impact took it up a notch and things got really ugly in the MLS when he took justice into his own hands and headbutted Hoppenot.
NBA Denies Kevin Garnett Opportunity To Own Soccer Team
Ticket Punched Out
The NBA has blocked Kevin Garnett’s investment in AS Roma because the Italian soccer club’s principal owner, James Pallotta, owns a piece of the Boston Celtics.
Miami Heat star LeBron James, through his investment in Fenway Sports Group, is a part-owner of English Premier League club Liverpool. But the potential conflict of interest resulting from Garnett and Pallotta having financial interest in the same operation prompted the NBA to step in.
“If you enter into a business agreement with the owner of a team that doesn’t involve playing service, there are potential problems,” a league source said. “Maybe not in this case. But there is a chance of, say, making a contract a lot larger.”
No such conflict arises with James’ involvement in Liverpool, according to the league, because Fenway Sports Group has no NBA ties.
Hope Solo Airs It Out In New Autobiography
TALENT
Hope Solo likes to talk. She’s typically unfiltered and has been even more so in the weeks leading up to the London Games. We in the page-view business aren’t mad at that one bit.
So it should come as no surprise that Solo will capitalize on what she hopes will be a gold medal for the U.S. women’s national soccer team in these Games with an autobiography to be released Aug. 14, just after the Olympics. You might think the goalkeeper has nothing else to reveal about her storied life, and you’d be wrong. For starters, she was conceived during a conjugal visit, a tidbit she revealed in excerpts from Solo: A Memoir of Hope, provided to NBC Olympics.
“… my mother, who had moved to Everett, Washington, as a young woman, married my father and became pregnant with me during a conjugal visit while my father was serving a prison sentence in Washington. My brother, Marcus, was a toddler at the time. Overwhelmed, my mother had no choice but to move in with her parents in Richland. My father followed after his release. He and my mother eventually set up house behind the smiley-face fence, a few blocks from my grandparents.”
In a majority of the excerpts provided Hope describes her adolescent relationship with her father, who was a noted thief and, as she describes, a “con man.”
“It’s a complicated thing, knowing how much pain my father caused in my life and the lives of others whom I love, yet still holding love for him in my heart. No matter what he did, he was my father. He helped create the person I am. He showered me with love; he just didn’t know how to be a husband or a father or a responsible member of society. Yes, he was a con man. Yes, he was a ladies man. Yes, he was unreliable at best and a criminal at worst.”
Hope Solo Admits To Being Drunk On Today Show
TALENT
U.S. women’s soccer star Hope Solo is back in the headlines just days after making waves with a positive drug test. This time, it’s because of a tell-all interview in ESPN The Magazine’s “Body Issue.”
In the interview, she admitted to appearing drunk on the Today show while being honored for the 2008 Olympic gold medal. The team’s goalkeeper attributes that to spending the night before partying with her teammates and a few celebrities.
“When we were done partying, we got out of our nice dresses, got back into our stadium coats and, at 7 a.m. with no sleep, went on the Today show drunk,” she told ESPN The Magazine.
“Vince Vaughn partied with us. Steve Byrne, the comedian,” Solo continued. “And at some point we decided to take the party back to the village, so we started talking to the security guards, showed off our gold medals, got their attention and snuck our group through without credentials – which is absolutely unheard of.”
Solo went on to discuss the Olympic Village and the unique atmosphere it provides, but she wasn’t the only athlete to speak out about it. One Olympian described it as a “frat party with a very nice gene pool.”
“Athletes are extremists,” Solo says. “When they’re training, it’s laser focus. When they go out for a drink, it’s 20 drinks.”
Diego Maradona Fired
Impressive Shape
Diego Maradona was fired as coach of Al Wasl on Tuesday after a season in which the soccer club finished in eighth place in a 12-team league and even failed to win a second-tier competition.
The former Argentine great had one year left on his contract. The club’s board of directors met Tuesday and released a statement, saying it was “decided to terminate his services and his technical staff.” A successor was not announced.
Expectations were great when Maradona arrived in Dubai on a two-year deal in May 2011. He was popular with fans and helped put United Arab Emirates soccer on the map, but his team did not qualify for next season’s Asian Champions League or win any domestic titles.
The final straw appears to have been the team’s failure in the GCC Champions League at the end of the season after winning the first leg of the final against Bahrain’s Al Muharraq 3-1.
Two players on the Dubai club, including the goalkeeper, were ejected for head-butting opponents. With the teams tied on total goals, Al Muharraq won the title 5-4 on penalty kicks. The loss led to the board of directors resigning
