The English Premier League resumes today! The opening games are Aston Villa v Sheffield United at noon and Man City v Arsenal at 2:15, both on NBCSN. And empty stadiums aren’t the only difference from regular matches:
… Read the rest “”Players in the country’s top division, the Premier League, will have their names on their shirts replaced with the slogan Black Lives Matter for one round of games. London-based side Tottenham Hotspur just posted a picture of their squad taking the knee before
Not a surprise, but another small step forward anyway: U.S. Soccer repeals ‘anthem policy,’ apologizes to Black community.
The policy was put in place after Megan Rapinoe kneeled in solidarity with the peaceful protest inspired by Colin Kaepernick, who was protesting police brutality, and the systematic oppression of Black people and people of color in America. It has become clear that this policy was wrong and detracted from the important message of Black Lives Matter.
It’s official, and it’s called the “MLS is Back Tournament”. It will be held July 8 to August 11 at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, and here’s the structure:
More details in … Read the rest “”
Jeff Carlisle: U.S. Soccer to consider repealing ban on players kneeling
… Read the rest “”The policy was adopted in response to U.S. women’s national team midfielder Megan Rapinoe’s kneeling for the national anthem before a 2016 match against Thailand. She did so in a bid to show solidarity with then-San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who took a knee during the anthem prior to NFL games to protest racial inequality. Rapinoe did the same several times with her club, the Seattle Reign, now
“Justice for George Floyd”
(and a yellow card for Borussia Dortmund’s English forward, Jadon Sancho)
Something to tide us over until that NWSL tournament: that little league in England may be back in a few weeks. Man City v Arsenal and (the big one) Aston Villa v Sheffield United “set to be played on a Wednesday night before a full round of action on 20 June.”
And there it is:
The NWSL will be the first American professional sports league to return when they begin competitive matches at the end of June.
Some interesting details – and some tough unanswered questions – on NWSL’s possible return to the field in July. The argument that the league’s smaller size and more modest attendances can help them pull this off is a compelling one.
Curb appeal.
