Now football yanks in fans
FOURTH largest attendance at any football stadium last weekend?
A crowd of 70,425 for Atlanta United’s meeting with Orlando City.
Only the gates at Borussia Dortmund, Manchester United and Bayern Munich were greater.
On the same weekend, the game between FC Cincinnati and New York Red Bulls reserve team in the United Soccer League – the second division of football in the States – drew a crowd in excess of 30,000.
In the meantime, parents are sceptical about letting their kids play American football because of the risk of head injuries. Football, as we know it, always seemed destined to lag way behind traditional American sports.
Not any more. Don’t think the Premier League has not noticed.
Don’t think it is a coincidence there is fevered talk of American giants Facebook and Amazon raising the financial bar of television rights to even greater heights.
Growing interest in the game is good for soccer in America.
It is also good for the most commercially-savvy league in the world.
Those waiting for the Premier League’s financial bubble to burst might be waiting for a long time. THERE was a time when football fans were relatively imaginative with nicknames. Or at least they tried. They tried at Goodison Park, in particular.
Stuart Barlow, the striker who never really fulfilled early promise in the 90s, was known as “Jigsaw” because he went to pieces in the box.
Less politically correct, Daniel Amokachi was often referred to as “Amotaxi”. Something about carrying passengers.
And a few fans liked to hail Earl Barrett as “The Fireman” because everything he touched went out.
That particular sobriquet sprang to mind when watching Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s full debut for Liverpool on Tuesday.
In fact, it was hard not to feel sorry for him as a ‘highlights’ reel did the social media rounds the following day.
It is just worth remembering, though, that Chelsea wanted to buy Oxlade-Chamberlain (left) and Arsenal tried to keep him.
That means Antonio Conte, Arsene Wenger and Jurgen Klopp are all fans.
For that reason alone, he deserves a bit of time at Anfield before being ridiculed and written off. LIVERPOOL are releasing a new black jersey to commemorate the club’s 125th anniversary.
It won’t be worn by the first team, but it wants punters – sorry, fans – to fork out £90 for the top. Yep, ninety pounds. Apparently it is so expensive because it is ‘elite’ and features, wait for it, ‘heat-activated laser vents under the arm’.
Otherwise known as holes. Maybe, to acknowledge those who buy the shirt, it will also feature a picture of a capacious, handled drinking vessel.
Otherwise known as a mug.