We see them before seemingly every match on television. They walk out, hold hands with the players and look absolutely adorable. They are kids, but those in the know call them mascots. But what purpose do they serve? Do the players know the kids before they become mascots? Is there anything in it for the kids besides holding hands with a professional athlete? Quite simply, why do soccer players walk out with kids in the first place?
After finishing in fourth place at the 2018 FIFA World Cup and following that up with victories over Spain and Croatia in the inaugural UEFA Nations League, support for England is at a fever pitch.
There’s a profound sense of optimism surrounding Gareth Southgate’s side, and the nation is relishing an exciting crop of players that features Harry Kane, Raheem Sterling, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Marcus Rashford.
Just two days after celebrating Liverpool’s Champions League triumph in riotous fashion with roughly 750,000 Liverpudlian’s lining the city’s streets, international compatriots Virgil van Dijk and Georginio Wijnaldum have shown up for international duty ahead of the Netherlands’ UEFA Nations League semifinal match against England on June 6.
Liverpool FC returned home on Sunday to present its sixth European Cup on an open-top bus parade through the city’s streets. It’s the club’s first major title since the 2006 FA Cup (no, we don’t count the 2012 League Cup), and a massive crowd turned out to greet the players and staff as they made their way around the city before finishing near Strand Street, where the River Mersey empties into Liverpool Bay.
After winning MLS Cup in its second season as a club, Atlanta United struggled following the departure of manager Tata Martino.
They were thoroughly outplayed by Monterrey in the CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinals, won one out of their first six matches of the 2019 MLS season and couldn't muster anything going forward. Martino's replacement, 49-year-old Dutchman Frank de Boer, became the scapegoat for Atlanta fans.
And out of the frustration and anger rising from the state of Georgia, the #deBoerOut Twitter account was born.
On Sunday, Union Berlin (third place finisher in the 2. Bundesliga) upset VfB Stuttgart (16th place finisher in the Bundesliga) in the Relegation Playoffs to send the second division side into Germany’s top division for the first time in its 54-year history.
The final whistle was greeted with delirium inside Union’s home ground, the Alte Försterei. The club, which is located in the south east of Berlin, has a passionate fanbase and routinely draws 22,000 to its unique all-standing stadium.
FOX, for all its issues covering the 2018 World Cup in Russia (and there were a lot of them), was given a Sports Emmy award on Monday for its coverage of the event.
FOX was awarded “Outstanding Trans-Media Sports Coverage” for the 2018 World Cup, combining the coverage from FOX, FS1 and FoxSports.com at the Sports Emmy Awards on Monday night in New York.
As the Premier League season wound down, polls such as this indicated that neutrals preferred to see Liverpool win the title. Some pundits claimed that this tendency was owing to sympathy that Liverpool hadn't won the title in 29 years, or perhaps to an affinity for Liverpool’s playing style or their affable manager Jurgen Klopp.
There is another explanation that has received no attention whatsoever, namely that spectators judge Liverpool’s record to actually be superior to Manchester City’s.
It was a fascinating English Premier League season. The title race between Liverpool and Manchester City went all the way to "Championship Sunday." Both were incredibly talented sides who had incredible seasons. But automatic qualification for a Champions League spot by finishing in the top four was more of a story of teams dropping points than collecting them.