Tag: sports organizations and teams

Real Madrid defeats Barcelona in El Clásico to go top of La Liga | CNN

CNN
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Real Madrid and Barcelona both took to the field unbeaten in La Liga this season, with Barça leading its rival on points difference at the top of the league.

But after the centenary edition of El Clásico at the Bernabeu stadium, it was Real Madrid who stamped its authority on the league with a 3-1 victory on Sunday, despite a late comeback from Barcelona.

Madrid seemed to be cruising to victory after goals from Karim Benzema and Federico Valverde had given it a 2-0 lead at halftime, while midway through the second half, Benzema celebrated as if he had added a third only for it to be chalked off for offside.

But as the game appeared to be petering out towards a regulation Madrid win, Barcelona struck through Ferran Torres to make it 2-1 and set up a grandstand finale.

Although Barcelona continued to press for an equalizer, it was Madrid who confirmed its ultimately comfortable victory late on with a Rodrygo penalty.

More to follow…

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October 16, 2022
Mariners produce sensational comeback to advance in playoffs | CNN

CNN
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Seattle Mariners produced a sensational comeback on Saturday to beat Toronto Blue Jays in an MLB playoff game which also featured a violent clash that had Blue Jays’ George Springer carted off the field after he collided with teammate Bo Bichette.

J. P. Crawford had hit a blooper into shallow center field and as the pair went for the ball, Bichette’s elbow made contact with the back of Springer’s neck.

Bichette stayed on for the remainder of the game, while Springer departed in the eighth inning.

After the game, Blue Jays interim manager John Schneider told reporters the 33-year-old was “doing OK.”

“He’s going to be evaluated for a couple of different things, he said some nice things to his teammates just now,” Schneider said in the post-match press conference. “So, we’ll know more in the next couple of days.”

Springer’s injury compounded what was an awful night for the Toronto team in Game 2 of the American League Wild Card Series at Rogers Centre as the Marines came back from a seven-run deficit to advance to the second round.

According to MLB.com, the comeback was the second-largest in playoff history, the largest for a team on the road and the largest in a series-clinching game.

The Blue Jays had an 8-1 lead after five innings, but the Mariners tallied four runs in the sixth and four more in the eighth to tie the game at 9-9. Second baseman Adam Frazier doubled in the ninth inning to drive in Cal Raleigh with the winning run.

The Mariners will next host the Houston Astros in the best-of-five series.

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October 10, 2022
USWNT defeated by England in front of record Wembley crowd under shadow of Yates report | CNN

CNN
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The United States Women’s National Team (USWNT) was defeated 2-1 by England at Wembley in an international friendly that spotlighted both the increasing popularity of women’s football and its failures.

Billed as a match-up between the world and European champions, both teams had displayed impressive form in recent months – the USWNT arrived on a 21-game unbeaten streak and England on its own 23-game unbeaten run that included winning Euro 2022.

But the build-up to the match was dominated by matters off the pitch as, back in the US, women’s professional soccer had been left reeling from an independent investigation that found systemic abuse and misconduct within the sport.

“It’s been an extremely difficult week for everybody and I’m proud of the players for even being on the field and playing the game,” US head coach Vltako Andonovski said after the match, according to the BBC. “It wasn’t easy.

“I applaud their bravery and I applaud their fearless mentality and relentlessness. Once again they showed that nothing can stop them playing the game that they love. I’m very proud of them and hoping we never have to go through that again.”

Before kickoff, both teams came together, holding a banner that read, “Protect the Players,” while the Wembley Arch was illuminated with teal light to show support for the victims of abuse.

“First and foremost, if the players aren’t protected, then you don’t have a game, you don’t have anything. So for us to put that at the forefront of such an important night and game was really amazing and powerful for all of us,” American soccer star Megan Rapinoe said after the game, per Sky Sports.

Throughout the match, both teams also wore teal armbands in a further display of support.

“To take the time to do that, get the armbands – I think they were flown in from California and a little tight on some people, I’m happy I have a skinny arm – just an incredible show by all of us, some things are bigger than the game and we were able to put that on display,” Rapinoe added.

“Obviously the report came out about our league but … it’s probably a global issue as well. To anyone in the stands tonight who has been affected by it, obviously all the players, to just show that kind of support on a night like this.”

And the night showcased the increasing reach of women’s football as 76,893 fans gathered at Wembley Stadium – the highest attended friendly match in USWNT history – to watch both sides beginning to fine tune their preparations for next year’s World Cup.

England took the lead after just nine minutes, as Beth Mead played a ball into the box that eluded US defender Alana Cook and landed at the feet of Lauren Hemp, who guided the ball into the goal.

Although England continued to threaten, the American defense held firm and the USWNT tied the scores less than 20 minutes later as Sophia Smith capitalized on a mistake to fire the ball past England goalkeeper Mary Earps.

“[Smith] seemed like she made a name for herself. But we can’t forget she’s 21 years old,” US head coach Vltako Andovnoski told media after the game, according to CBS Sports.

“To come in an environment like this, and to be a difference maker … it just shows the potential that she has. I think that we haven’t seen the best of her [yet].

“These are games that will expedite Soph’s development, and I’m excited to see what she’s going to look like six months from now, nine months from now.”

But England restored its lead soon after when the VAR intervened to award the home side a penalty after a high foot from Hailie Mace caught Lucy Bronze in the head. Georgia Stanway converted for a 2-1 lead.

And the free flowing first half seemed to show no signs of abating as Smith opened up the English defense for Rapinoe who fed Trinity Rodman for a goal. But once again, the VAR intervened in England’s favor, ruling that Smith had been fractionally offside in the move.

The second half was an altogether cagier affair as England missed two opportunities to extend its lead, allowing the USWNT a glimmer of hope.

When the referee awarded a penalty to the Americans for handball with just 10 minutes remaining, that glimmer widened a little but replays overturned the decision and England held on to close out its first win against the reigning world champions since 2017.

“You are the best team in the world when you have won the World Cup. We haven’t,” England head coach Sarina Wiegman told reporters, per Reuters. “We are in a good place, but there are so many good countries.

“We just have to do what we can, control, stick together and communicate with each other at all times. We need to have the freedom to make our own choices in the game. I think we are doing well in that.”

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October 8, 2022
Baseball great Alex Rodriguez reflects on steroid abuse, his past with J-Lo | CNN

Editor’s Note: Watch “Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace?” on CNN TV Sundays at 7pm ET. New episodes with full-length interviews are availble on HBO Max each Friday.

CNN
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Baseball great Alex Rodriguez is opening up about mistakes in his personal and professional life, and how they are shaping his growing business empire.

In an interview on CNN and HBO Max’s “Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace?”, Rodriguez said the performance-enhancing drug scandal that marred his legacy was “the most embarrassing moment of my career.”

“The hardest thing I’ve ever had to do in my life was face my daughters Natasha and Ella and tell them this is the mistake that Daddy made,” he told host Chris Wallace

Rodriguez said that because of the stringent culture of professional baseball, he was denied a happy ending to his otherwise legendary baseball career.

“I understood my mistake, and I’ve taken full responsibility for it,” he added.

The 14-time Major League Baseball all-star said he was “bullish” about the future of baseball despite warning signs that viewers are less motivated to watch games.

Rodriguez, who just last week was passed by Albert Pujols on the MLB’s home run list, says if he were MLB commissioner he would “open the floodgates,” and give fans more access to America’s pastime.

“We have to be proactive, meaning I would put cameras on guys,” he told Wallace. “The players that are driving to the park, I want to see them at home.”

Rodriguez wanted coverage to expand so that fans have insight into the clubhouses, batting cages and bullpens.

The World Series winner also advocated for Major League Baseball to plant its flag on America’s Independence Day, much like the National Football League does with Thanksgiving.

“If you look at July 4, it’s a wide-open day. There’s no football, there’s no basketball, there’s no soccer,” he said, noting that the MLB should make the Fourth of July “all about baseball.”

“Every game, we’re going to wire (put a microphone on) these guys and we’re going to have interviews, and everybody is at home watching baseball at a barbecue with their families.”

Another change that Rodriguez wanted to make to baseball included increasing financial literacy education for players – like teaching them about capital markets, investments and the importance of balancing a checkbook.

“I read something where it was over 50% of athletes were going bankrupt after their playing days,” Rodriguez said. “That’s a tragedy.”

In his post-playing career, Rodriguez has turned his own focus to business. He told Wallace his investment firm, A-Rod Corp, is a “mini-Berkshire Hathaway” – referring to the multinational conglomerate owned by billionaire Warren Buffett, who Rodriguez considers a mentor.

A-Rod Corp is an investment firm that houses his vast real estate holdings, as well as private equity and venture capital investments.

“If you were to put value in our enterprise, it’s probably somewhere between 1 billion and 2 billion,” Rodriguez told Chris Wallace.

The former shortstop also discussed his break-up with pop icon Jennifer Lopez. Lopez married actor Ben Affleck in July 2022 after she and Rodriguez ended their multi-year relationship the year prior.

“With Jennifer, look, it was a good experience. And I wish her and the children – who are smart, and beautiful and wonderful – I wish them the very best,” Rodriguez said.

Telling CNN’s Chris Wallace that, despite his multiple high-profile relationships, he now feels that his previous relationships and the impact of his 2014 suspension from the MLB have made him “husband material” in the future.

Wallace asks A-Rod if he thinks he’s ‘good husband material.’ See his response

“I think I’m going to make a wonderful partner or husband and father post-suspension because of the lessons learned of my biggest mistakes.”

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October 2, 2022
London is stage for NFL’s milestone 100th international game | CNN

CNN
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The NFL returns to London on Sunday as the Minnesota Vikings (2-1) and New Orleans Saints (1-2) contest the first of five international slate of games scheduled this season.

With Justin Jefferson and the Vikings taking on Alvin Kamara and the Saints at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Sunday’s game will mark the 100th game played outside of the US regular and preseason.

After edging out a victory against the Detroit Lions in week 3, the Vikings are looking to reprise the magic of the ‘Minneapolis Miracle’ – Stefon Diggs scored a remarkable 61-yard touchdown in a NFC Divisional semifinal four years ago – against a struggling Saints team, which will be without starting quarterback Jameis Winston and All-Pro wide receiver Michael Thomas.

This year, 10 teams will travel to three different countries, including the first-ever regular season game in Germany, when Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers host the Seattle Seahawks at Allianz Arena – home of Bundesliga football club Bayern Munich – in November.

During weeks 4 and 5 over 200 players, coaches and executives will celebrate their heritage by sporting international flags on their helmets and attire.

Players like Arizona Cardinals star Kyler Murray, who will don a South Korea flag, and Detroit Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown – Germany’s flag will be on his helmet – will highlight the NFL’s global diversity within the league.

“My mom is from Germany, so having German grandparents, speaking German, every summer the heritage and culture has been a part of my whole life,” said St. Brown.

“I’m half German. It’s a part of me. I love it. In my young career, I have already been amazed to see the influence my culture and heritage has had and I’m excited to continue to see the German representation have an impact within our game.”

Brady and the Bucs (2-1) will play at Raymond James Stadium on Sunday night against Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs (2-1).

Earlier this week, the Bucs were forced to practice at the Miami Dolphins’ team facility due to the impact of Hurricane Ian, leaving the primetime matchup in Tampa in limbo.

Despite the destruction caused by the hurricane, the team confirmed the game would go on as scheduled, with Brady highlighting how the match could serve as a moment where fans can come together.

“I always feel like sports has brought people together over a long period of time,” Brady said on Thursday during a regularly scheduled media session.

“Watching different adversities, whether that was 9/11, whether that was Katrina, sports has an amazing way of healing wounds and bringing people together and bringing communities together and start to cheer for a common interest for the common good.”

Weather concerns aside, both teams enter week 4 coming off their first losses of the season.

In a rematch of Super Bowl LV, in which Brady won his seventh career championship, the two superstar quarterbacks will meet again for a sixth time and first since the title game.

Brady, who owns a 3-2 record over Mahomes, will enter Sunday’s game with the return of some much-needed offensive weapons – star wide receiver Mike Evans is back from his one-game suspension for an on field scuffle with New Orleans Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore.

However receivers Chris Godwin and Julio, who have been out since the season opened with hamstring and knee injuries, are doubts for the Bucs.

“Any time you get your starters back you’ll happy to have them back and have them healthy,” said Bucs head coach Todd Bowles on Friday about the possibility of having the three wide receivers back on the field. “So, we just want to make sure they’re all healthy when they come back.”

The game on Sunday is at 8:20 p.m. ET on NBC.

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson has started the season at a historic pace, tallying 12 total touchdowns through the first three weeks of the season while leading the team to a 2-1 record.

Jackson, who is playing on the final year of his contract, will lead the Ravens against fellow MVP candidate Josh Allen and the tough Buffalo Bills defense.

Both teams have suffered their only defeats this season in epic showdowns against the resilient Miami Dolphins.

The 2018 NFL first round picks have been a big part of their team’s early success as Allen is coming off a 400-plus yard passing game against the Dolphins, and at nine passing touchdowns trails only Jackson for most this season.

Jackson and Allen are the only two players in the NFL’s 103-year history to reach both nine touchdown passes and 100 rushing yards over the first three games of a season.

Sunday’s showdown kicks off at 1 p.m. ET on CBS.

The reigning Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams (2-1) will travel to San Francisco to take on the division and in-state rival 49ers (1-2) on Monday Night Football.

In recent years, the 49ers have been the Rams’ Achilles heel, as Los Angeles has failed to notch a victory at Levi’s Stadium since 2018.

Notably, before their victory in the NFC Championship last season, the Rams had lost six games in a row to San Francisco.

After losing quarterback Trey Lance for the season with an ankle injury in week 2, Jimmy Garoppolo and the 49ers will look to continue their recent success against the Rams to fix a rough start to the season in which they sport a 1-2 record in the highly competitive NFC West.

The game between the NFC West rivals kicks off on Monday at 8:15 p.m. ET on ESPN.

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October 2, 2022
NFL players’ union terminates neurotrauma consultant involved in evaluation of Dolphins’ player concussion, reports say | CNN

CNN
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The National Football League Players Association has terminated the unaffiliated neurotrauma consultant who was involved in the evaluation of Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa for a concussion during their game against the Buffalo Bills last Sunday, according to multiple reports, including from NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, citing unnamed sources.

The unaffiliated neurotrauma consultant was terminated after it was found they made “several mistakes” in their evaluation, according to ESPN, citing an unnamed source.

CNN has reached out to the NFLPA but did not immediately receive a response.

The National Football League and the NFLPA released a joint statement on Saturday, saying that while the investigation into the handling of Tagovalioa’s concussion protocols remain ongoing, both sides have agreed that updates to the protocols are required.

The NFL and NFLPA said they “anticipate changes to the protocol being made in the coming days based on what has been learned thus far in the review process.”

On Sunday, the NFLPA told the league it would initiate a review into the handling of Tagovailoa’s apparent head injury. The NFL later confirmed to CNN that a joint investigation would take place.

In the Dolphins’ 21-19 win over the Buffalo Bills, Tagovailoa was knocked out of the game briefly in the second quarter after a hit by Bills linebacker Matt Milano forced the back of his helmet to hit the turf. The 24-year-old third-year quarterback got up stumbling and was taken to the locker room for a concussion check. Milano was flagged for a roughing the passer penalty.

The Dolphins initially announced Tagovailoa was questionable to return to the game with a head injury but came back out onto the field in the third quarter and finished the game throwing for 186 yards and a touchdown.

Tagovailoa told reporters after the game that he fell onto his back before his head hit the turf causing his back to lock up and the stumbling. He added that he was evaluated for a concussion but was ultimately cleared.

“The adrenaline kept me going,” Tagovailoa added.

Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel alluded to a back injury after the game, saying that Tagovailoa back got “bent” on an earlier play but the hit “loosened his back” causing his legs to get wobbly. McDaniel added that Tagovailoa told him that his back was like “Gumby.”

The NFL and Dolphins are under scrutiny for the decision to allow Tagovailoa to play another game on Thursday.

Tagovailoa was sacked by Cincinnati Bengals defensive lineman Josh Tupou in the second quarter of that game and lay motionless on the field for several minutes. The entire Dolphins sideline walked onto the field as he was placed on a backboard and stretcher before being taken to the hospital. Bengals fans in attendance at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati showed their respect as Tagovailoa was carted off the field.

In a statement Thursday night, the NFLPA said player health and safety were at the “core” of their mission.

“Our concern tonight is for Tua and we hope for a full and speedy recovery,” it said. “Our investigation into the potential protocol violation is ongoing.”

McDaniel told reporters on Friday that Tagovailoa was in concussion protocol after Thursday’s but gave no timetable for his return to the field.

Video showed Tagovailoa’s forearms were flexed and his fingers contorted – a sign that CNN’s Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta, a neurosurgeon, said is a “fencing response” and can be linked to a brain injury.

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October 1, 2022
Two concussions don’t always add up to second impact syndrome | CNN

CNN
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The NFL has been thrust back into the concussion debate after Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa took two big hits just four days apart.

This time, the debate involves whether Tagovailoa was appropriately cleared to play, with some fans concerned he was at risk of a condition called second impact syndrome.

On Sunday, Tagovailoa left a game in the second quarter after a hit from the Buffalo Bills’ Matt Milano caused him to fall backward and hit his helmet on the turf. On his way back to the line of scrimmage, Tagovailoa stumbled and fell.

NFL Network reporter Ian Rapoport said Tagovailoa was checked for a concussion and cleared, and he came back onto the field in the third quarter.

In a postgame news conference Sunday, Tagovailoa explained it felt as if he had hyperextended his back.

“My back kind of locked up on me. But for the most part, I’m good. Passed whatever concussion protocol they had,” he said.

On Thursday, Tagovailoa was back in the lineup against the Cincinnati Bengals. During the second quarter, he was sacked by defensive lineman Josh Tupou and lay motionless for several minutes before being taken off the field in a stretcher and sent to a hospital for evaluation.

The Dolphins reported Tagovailoa was diagnosed with a concussion at the hospital but cleared to fly back home with the rest of his team. On Friday, head coach Mike McDaniel said Tagovailoa is following the NFL’s concussion protocol, with no clear timeline of when he’ll return to the field.

A concussion is a brain injury which happens after a hit to the head causes the brain to move back and forth inside the skull. But even after the organ itself stops shaking, there can still be changes in the brain.

Neuroscientist Julie Stamm, a clinical assistant professor in the Department of Kinesiology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, describes it as a cascade of chemical events. “It takes time. Each of these metabolites and chemicals in the brain has a different trajectory in how they recover,” she said.

She pointed out it can typically take 10 to 14 days after a concussion for the brain to get back to its baseline condition.

Stamm has not treated or evaluated Tagovailoa but noted, based on what she saw of Sunday’s game against the Bills, it is very possible he had a concussion.

“He initially grabbed his helmet and shook his head. That is a clear sign that you’re trying to shake the cobwebs,” she observed.

Watching him fall was particularly concerning. “It didn’t look like it was his back that caused him to fall down. It looked like he just lost balance, and then his teammates are trying to hold him up.”

The team stated it followed the concussion protocols, and Tagovailoa was cleared to return to the game.

Later, McDaniel told reporters, “Tua went out with a lower back. He really got bent back on a quarterback sneak earlier. … His legs got wobbly because his back was loose. As he described it, his lower back was like Gumby.”

But Stamm acknowledged even if someone doesn’t notice symptoms, they can still have a brain injury. “It’s possible that he may have felt better after, so he may not have felt like he had symptoms anymore.”

Before Thursday’s game, social media lit up about Tagovailoa starting despite his injury from Sunday. But after Thursday’s hit, many fans began to suggest Tagovailoa may have second impact syndrome.

“What we currently believe second impact syndrome to be is a second blow to the head or second concussion prior to the resolution of a first one. And that can result in uncontrolled swelling of the brain,” explained Steven Broglio, director of the University of Michigan’s Concussion Center. Broglio is a certified athletic trainer and is a lead author on the National Athletic Trainers’ Association position statement on management of sport concussion. He has not been involved in Tagovailoa’s care.

Broglio said to think of your skull like a box, with your brain inside the box. In the case of second impact syndrome, the second hit compresses the box, and portions of the brain controlling vital functions like breathing and heart rate can stop working.

Stamm said the changes happen very rapidly and can lead to permanent brain injury or even death.

But both Broglio and Stamm stressed second impact syndrome in this sense is very rare, and happens typically among younger athletes.

“This is a part we don’t quite understand, but it tends to be only in younger athletes; so middle school or high school,” Broglio said.

Even if Tagovailoa had been concussed in Sunday’s game, what happened Thursday night wouldn’t be second impact syndrome in the traditional sense, Broglio emphasized. “If somebody had true brain swelling and potentially brain herniation through the bottom of the skull, he would not be getting out today.”

But even without brain swelling, a potential second concussion could make recovery worse, Stamm added.

“When someone has a second concussion before they’ve healed from the first one, we often see worse symptoms compared to the first one. Those symptoms can be more severe. The symptoms tend to last longer. The recovery is much slower,” she said.

Of greatest concern to Stamm is immediately after Thursday’s hit, Tagovailoa’s hands were stiff and splayed, a posture known as the fencing response.

“That was something that jumped out at me right away,” she recounted. “Whenever you have a posturing like that, it suggests an injury that is potentially involving the brain stem.”

McDaniel admitted after the game “it was a scary moment. … That was an emotional moment that is not part of the deal that anyone signs up for, even though you know it’s a possibility in football to have something that you have to be taken off on a stretcher.”

Tagovailoa issued a statement on Twitter on Friday, which read, “I’m feeling much better and focused on recovering so I can get back out on the field with my teammates.”

The NFL Players Association is conducting an investigation into whether the Miami Dolphins violated concussion protocols in determining Tagovailoa’s readiness to play.

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October 1, 2022
Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa taken off the field on stretcher during game against Bengals | CNN

CNN
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The Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was taken off the field on a stretcher on Thursday during a game against the Cincinnati Bengals, after suffering apparent head and neck injuries.

Tagovailoa is conscious, has movement in all his extremities and was taken to a local hospital for further evaluation, the team said in an update.

In the second quarter, Tagovailoa was sacked by Bengals defensive lineman Josh Tupou and laid motionless on the field for several minutes.

The entire Dolphins sidelines walked onto the field as Tagovailoa was placed on the backboard and stretcher.

Bengals fans in attendance at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati showed their respect as Tagovailoa was carted off the field.

The injury comes days after the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA) told the National Football League (NFL) it wants to initiate a review into the handling of Tagovailoa’s apparent head injury suffered during the team’s game on Sunday.

The Dolphins later said Tagovailoa suffered a back injury, not a head injury.

Tagovailoa was listed as questionable to play before tonight’s game with a back injury.

The Bengals currently lead 14-12 at halftime.

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September 30, 2022
Spain stuns Portugal with late goal to reach Nations League finals | CNN

CNN
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Spain secured a dramatic, late victory against Portugal to qualify for next year’s Nations League finals.

Portugal had looked more likely to take the lead throughout Tuesday’s match in Braga, but Álvaro Morata’s goal with two minutes remaining handed Spain an unlikely victory – the country’s first win in Portugal since 2003.

The 1-0 scoreline means La Roja narrowly topped Group A2 on 11 points – one ahead of Portugal and two ahead of Switzerland – and joins Croatia, Italy and the Netherlands in the finals.

Portugal, needing only a draw to the top the group, came close in the first half when Diogo Jota was denied by a strong save from Unai Simón.

The goalkeeper then denied Cristiano Ronaldo, who was put through on goal by Jota’s pass, from close range at the start of the second half before Rúben Dias saw his shot cleared over the bar by Dani Carvajal.

As the match entered its closing stages and a draw seemed the likeliest result, substitute Nico Williams headed across goal and into the path of Morata, who hooked a shot into the open net to spark jubilant celebrations among the Spanish players and coaching staff.

Portugal had one more chance to level and return to the top of the group, but Ronaldo once again had a shot blocked by the legs of Simón.

“If we were knocked out, it had to be by leaving everything on the field and that’s how it was one more time for us,” Atlético Madrid’s Morata told reporters after the game, according to Reuters.

“Every time that Spain have to show up in big games, we do it. That’s how we do it and tonight we did it again.”

A surprise 2-1 defeat at home against Switzerland on Saturday seemed to have put qualifying for the Nations League finals out of reach for Spain before Morata’s late goal.

The finals take place in June next year with the host country chosen in January.

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September 28, 2022
Golf’s new Saudi deal presents questionable political, business and sporting realities | CNN Politics

CNN
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The PGA Tour once advertised its brightest stars with the catch phrase “These guys are good.” A better slogan might now be “These guys are even richer.”

In a bombshell announcement so staggering that many golf fans thought it was fake at first, the venerable PGA Tour unveiled a partnership Tuesday with Saudi Arabia’s public investment fund, the financier of its sworn rival LIV Golf – a breakaway circuit that split the sport and seeded feuds among its top players.

The deal means that the PGA Tour – built on the image of quintessentially American Arnold Palmer, who epitomized post World War II US values – will now rest atop a pile of money put up by the regime that the US blamed for the murdering and dismemberment of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi, that was home to 15 of the 19 hijackers of September 11, 2001, attack, and that has frequently been condemned by Washington for infringing women’s rights.

It is beyond doubt that the new reality of pro-golf will mean a better spectacle for fans since it will end the split between the two rival tours and will also fold in the DP World Tour (formerly known as the European tour) and mean the brightest stars will play one another more often.

For many sports fans in the US and elsewhere, that’s just fine. They like to plop down on the couch and watch their favorite golfer on the back nine on Sunday or their Gulf-owned Premier League team on TV. Who can begrudge them one oasis free from bitter, tribal modern politics?

And the deal is also undeniably a great piece of business, assuming PGA Tour players accept it. Global golfers stand to win a lot more money, various tours will be invigorated and Saudi Arabia’s government and its ruthless leader, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS), get to be associated with one of the planet’s most prestigious year-round sporting properties. And all pending litigation between LIV Golf and the PGA Tour was also mutually ended under the new agreement.

But for others, Tuesday’s peace deal on the links raises painful moral issues. It also exposes top PGA leaders – who had blasted golfers who defected to LIV – to accusations of hypocrisy and reflects the way modern professional sports are hostage to the highest bidders. This can only pose uncomfortable questions to fans whose values and history clash with those of distant and sometimes politically dicey entities who effectively own their teams and top stars.

PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan, for instance, had some explaining to do – not least to the tour’s players gathered at the Canadian Open this week after many tweeted that they had no advance notice of the deal. Monahan had played the 9/11 card last year at the same event, saying that two families that were close to him had lost loved ones in the worst terror attack on American soil, adding, “I would ask any player that has left, or any player that would ever consider leaving, have you ever had to apologize for being a member of the PGA Tour?”

Now Monahan stands to be the effective supremo of global golf, save for the four majors – the sport’s most prestigious tournaments – aided by a gusher of Saudi cash.

9/11 Families United effectively accused Monahan of using the tragedy as leverage in a business deal to reunite golf. He “co-opted the 9/11 community last year in the PGA’s unequivocal agreement that the Saudi LIV project was nothing more than sports washing of Saudi Arabia’s reputation,” the group said in a statement. “But now the PGA and Monahan appear to have become just more paid Saudi shills, taking billions of dollars to cleanse the Saudi reputation so that Americans and the world will forget how the Kingdom spent their billions of dollars before 9/11 to fund terrorism, spread their vitriolic hatred of Americans, and finance al Qaeda and the murder of our loved ones.”

Monahan was asked about his reversal after what he said was a “heated” meeting with PGA Tour players on Tuesday.

“I recognize that people are going to call me a hypocrite,” he said. “Anytime I said anything, I said it with the information that I had at that moment, and I said it based on someone that’s trying to compete for the PGA TOUR and our players.”

Major champions who jumped to the rival circuit last year like Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson, Patrick Reed and Cam Smith might also now wonder whether their PGA tour brethren will face the same grilling over human rights that they had to endure at the time.

One very famous golfer was delighted by the deal and seemed keen to claim some reflected credit – former President Donald Trump. The current front-runner for the 2024 GOP nomination associated himself with LIV after the PGA Tour and other golf governing bodies distanced themselves from him over his radioactive political reputation. Trump has hosted several tournaments at his courses for LIV – a circuit that sits well with his record of refusing to sever links with the Saudis over the murder of Khashoggi in 2018, reasoning that the Saudis were great customers of the US.

“A big, beautiful, and glamorous deal for the wonderful world of golf. Congrats to all!!!” Trump wrote in block capital letters on his Truth Social platform.

Some defenders of LIV golfers have pointed out that the players were only making a choice to prioritize personal interests over moral ones in partnering with the Saudis – a calculus that mirrored decades of US foreign policy. Indeed, President Joe Biden had called on the 2020 campaign trail for the kingdom to be treated as a “pariah” because of Khashoggi’s murder only to travel to the kingdom as president to fist-bump MBS when he needed a spike in oil price production to bring down American gas prices.

On Tuesday, after the LIV/PGA partnership was announced, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken sat down for talks with the Crown Prince in Riyadh.

The idea that politics and sport shouldn’t mix has always been quaint. The Olympics and the World Cup are two of the planet’s most political spectacles after all. And modern sport has long run on money as monster TV rights contracts translate into huge salaries for top soccer players, Formula One Drivers, NBA stars and the top names in other sports.

But Tuesday’s LIV/PGA Tour agreement lays bare questions of morality so starkly precisely because of the way golf has sold itself. In a sport where players call penalties on themselves, and commentators idolize top players in whispered tones as paragons of gentlemanly conduct, patriotism and family values, the origin of the sport’s new financial lifeline is glaring.

The PGA Tour and Saudi partnership may be the most prominent example yet of the phenomenon known as sports washing, whereby an authoritarian nation seeking to buff up its image – despite serious criticism over its political system and human rights performance – woos the world’s top sporting stars. China was accused of such an agenda with its 2008 and 2022 Summer and Winter Olympics, where attempts at political activism largely fizzled under its repressive rule. The Qatar World Cup last year was another example of a nation that used its financial muscle to present a new image to the world. Various controversies during the tournament over LGBTQ rights and the plight of workers who built the stadiums undercut global governing body FIFA’s pretensions to inclusion.

The Saudis, Qataris and others are using their oil wealth to buy themselves a foothold among the world’s most powerful nations and to create tourism, entertainment and sporting legacies to sustain them when their reserves of carbon energy are depleted.

This mirrors a global shift in power and especially financial muscle – from the capitals of Western Europe to new epicenters in the emerging economies of the Middle East, India and China. Soccer, like golf, is taking its share of the cash. Traditional working class football clubs knitted into their communities for decades in the UK, for example, now suddenly find themselves owned by foreign energy magnates. Premier League giant Manchester City was bought by a United Arab Emirates-led group. And Newcastle United is owned by a Saudi Arabia-led consortium, forcing fans to consider (or not) the ethical dimensions of their support for their hometown clubs. And global cricket has been transformed by the Indian Premier League, which pays lavish salaries in a shortened form of the game.

One of the top names in soccer, Cristiano Ronaldo, is playing out the twilight of a glorious career spent at Europe’s top clubs in the up-and-coming Saudi league for a massive salary. And on Tuesday, Saudi team Al-Ittihad announced the signing of Real Madrid and French forward Karim Benzema, completing a sporting double whammy for the kingdom.

There are as many sporting questions about the PGA Tour/LIV Golf partnership that remain unanswered. The partnership combines the Saudi Public Investment Fund’s golf-related commercial businesses and rights (including LIV Golf) with the commercial businesses and rights of the PGA Tour and DP World Tour into a new, collectively owned, for-profit entity. A spokesman for the PGA tour told CNN that the deal is not a merger.

“After two years of disruption and distraction, this is a historic day for the game we all know and love,” Monahan said, describing a “transformational partnership” that would “benefit golf’s players, commercial and charitable partners and fans.”

Yasir Al-Rumayyan, governor of the Saudi Public Investment Fund, told CNBC he expected the partnership to be finalized within weeks and revealed, in a stunning move, that he had told LIV figurehead and Hall of Famer Greg Norman about the deal only moments before going on air.

LIV lured some of the PGA Tour’s top stars with massive signing bonuses and huge purses at substantially fewer events than the PGA tour, prompting the premier US circuit to unveil its own select “designated events” with upped prize money. The two sides were locked in bitter legal battles that have now been resolved.

It remains unclear, however, what steps LIV stars will have to take to potentially be able to return to events like The Players Championship, currently hosted on the PGA tour from which they were banned.

Then there is the question of how current PGA Tour members will respond.

Former British Open Champion Collin Morikawa tweeted, “I love finding out morning news on Twitter.”

The sudden announcement also did not specify what would happen to LIV tour events, which have struggled to draw a strong TV audience, beyond this season. Monahan’s announcement did hint that the new entity was committed to the new format of team events that has been introduced by LIV, to compliment golf’s traditional reliance on individual tournaments.

The golfer with the widest smile on Tuesday was probably Mickelson. The three-time Masters champion took the most heat for deserting the PGA tour for a reported massive payday, and was one of the most outspoken supporters of LIV – a breakaway he argued was a way to revolutionize the structure of professional golf and to secure more rewards for players.

Mickelson was also open about the reality of partnering with the Saudis, calling them “scary m*therf**kers to get involved with,” in an interview with golf journalist Alan Shipnuck that he later claimed was off the record. Shipnuck has written that he offered Mickelson no such agreement.

On Tuesday, Mickelson simply tweeted: “Awesome day today,” with a smiley sunshine emoji.

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April 12, 2021