Posts

In Defense of the PHF

The Beginnings of Professional Sports Often Looks Amateur to the American Eye      I am not a fan of Hilary Knight. She is an amazing player, possibly the best women's player I will see in my lifetime, and an icon in Boston's sports history. Her work was crucial in bringing about the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL), which claims to be the first league for professional women's in the United States. And in the mind of most Americans, that is true. The previously existing league that was bought out by the PWHL was known by two different names, it was founded as the National Women's Hockey League  (NWHL) and was dissolved as the Premier Hockey Federation (PHF). Legally, the PHF was always considered a professional league. But Hilary Knight and several other top level players disagreed and decided to boycott the league starting in 2019 and found the  Professional Women's Hockey Players Association (PWHPA). I am not saying Hilary Knight is wrong for this, un...
Post a Comment
Read more

Russia's Ban

Image
Why the Russian national and club ban from FIFA & UEFA is bad for the political climate of world football   On the 28th of Februrary, UEFA announced that Russian teams, both national and club, will be banned from competitions due to the invasion of Ukraine. While this has been hailed internationally, and I agree on the principal, I call into question FIFA’s decision to get involved in geopolitics. I am not calling out their decision to ban Russia, to be clear, but rather their refusal to ban other nations for similar events.   Many nations in FIFA’s lived history (the organisation was founded in 1904) such as Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Syria, Israel, Iran, Spain, Germany, Chile, even Russia in the past, have committed attrocious acts similar to, if not worse than, what the invasion of Ukraine has been while Football teams have not been banned from playing. I ask, why now? It is almost rhetorical. I know it is because the countries are European and seen, as many western p...
Post a Comment
Read more

Political Football

 Warning! There will be some heavy topics in this essay including Racism, Antisemitism, Homophobia, Naziism, and Violence. Association Football (called Soccer in select countries,) like many sports, is not immune from the world of politics. While many Britons and Americans lament the idea that politics don’t end outside the voting booth, many football clubs around the world, including the US and England, have rich political histories, some even existing solely because of political differences. From tiny clubs like the overtly Marxist AS Livorno to world powerhouses like Real Madrid and FC Barcelona, many teams have politics to thank for not only their creation but the existence of their “apolitical” fanbases today.  The world of politics is ripe in football. Many popular clubs notable for their political base are Celtic FC and Rangers in Scotland; FC Barcelona, Real Madrid, and essentially every other club in Spain; and Atalanta, AS Roma, Lazio, and Livorno in Italy are all ex...
Post a Comment
Read more