The essence of fandom is hard to capture in words; fans tend to have a more familial connection to their favourite team than to other organizations or businesses. The emotions they invest into sports transcend those of any other service that is provided to the common person. Yet, the reality is[Read More…]
Soccer
UEFA Champions League Matchday 2 Review
UEFA Champions League Match Day 2 is complete, and group standings are starting to shape up. Who stands to emerge, and who has already had their hopes dashed? Group A Cristiano Ronaldo scored his 500th career goal and tied Real Madrid legend Raúl for most goals in a Madrid uniform[Read More…]
UEFA Champions League Matchday 1 review
The UEFA Champions League is back! This week marked the beginning of the group play, and all 32 teams left in the competition have completed their first matches. There was plenty of drama and goals to discuss and analyze. Here are the important takeaways from the first match day's biggest[Read More…]
Takeaways from month one of the Barclays Premier League
Month in brief August saw table-topping Manchester City kill the competition and Chelsea slump to seventeenth place. Manchester United and Arsenal overcame shaky starts to reach second and third, respectively.A mid-table team renaissance, however, saw Crystal Palace, Everton, Leicester, and Swansea nipping at United and the Gunners’ heels. Storied clubs[Read More…]
From the Cheap Seats: Team Canada at the 2015 Women’s World Cup
As hosts of the 2015 Women’s World Cup, Canada has the luxury of playing a home game every time it steps onto the pitch during the month-long tournament. The electric atmosphere and the added pressure of playing in front of friends and family can be a volatile combination; the latter[Read More…]
10 Things: Canada’s Summer sports scene
1) Pan Am Games Toronto, Ontario will be the host of the 17th Pan American Games, a multi-sport international event similar to the Olympics. This year, there will be athletes from 41 nations that span North, Central, and South America in what will be the largest sporting event ever held[Read More…]
Behind the bench: Mourinho, soccer’s witch doctor
Henry Winter of the Daily Telegraph once said, “When [José] Mourinho walks into a press conference, he makes Machiavelli look like an innocent schoolboy.” It’s a hyperbole, but it’s not untrue. Over the course of his illustrious career, Mourinho—the self-proclaimed ‘Special One’—has turned every team that he has coached into[Read More…]
Taking stock of the Barclays Premier League
With 12 games left in the Barclays Premier League, Chelsea is five points clear at the top, putting the Blues in prime position to win. This Premier League season has marked the resurgence of Manager Jose Mourinho, the self-proclaimed ‘Special One,’ and his Chelsea squad. But no one—including Mourinho—is foolish[Read More…]
10 Things: Sports’ greatest rivalries
El Clasico: 93-89-48. Real Madrid and Barcelona are separated by only four wins after 85 years of an intense, hatred-filled rivalry. Real Madrid represents Spanish nationalism whereas Barcelona symbolizes the fight for Catalonian independence. Many rivalries claim to be more than just a game, but El Clasico is one of[Read More…]
From the cheap seats: A damp, Impact-less performance
Major League Soccer is hard to compare to anything—one might say it stands alone, but in the least superlative sense possible.