Thứ Sáu, 18 tháng 9, 2015
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A high-ranking FIFA official has been placed on leave following accusations that he sought to personally profit in a scheme to sell World Cup tickets above face value.
FIFA announced Thursday that Secretary General Jérôme Valcke had been released from his duties until further notice. The organization also said it was asking for a formal investigation by the FIFA Ethics Committee.
Valcke — a right-hand man to FIFA President Sepp Blatter — is accused of being involved in a scheme to sell tickets above face value and share in the profits, the Guardian reported. Valcke has denied the allegations, which were made by a consultant whose contract was terminated, possibly before any tickets were sold, according to the Guardian.
Allegations of corruption have so far left FIFA's top leader, Blatter, relatively untouched. Though the investigation appears to be ongoing, Blatter has not been indicted on any charges and has said he will not resign before his term expires in 2016. However, with the suspension of Valcke, accusation of corruption have inched ever closer.
Valcke's suspension comes after 14 FIFA officials were arrested on suspicion of corruption, and one former executive admitted to taking bribes.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver spoke candidly about the WNBA on Thursday at a conference on women and sports.
Adam Silver in July 2015.
Grant Lamos Iv / Getty Images
MANHATTAN — NBA Commissioner Adam Silver admitted Thursday that the WNBA is not where it was expected to be by now, nearly 20 years after its debut.
"We thought we would have broken through by now," Silver said during an interview as part of the Sports Business Journal's Game Changers conference in Manhattan. "We thought ratings and attendance would be higher."
In 2014, the WNBA-wide average attendance per game was 7,578 fans. The Phoenix Mercury lead the league with an average of 9,557 attendees per game in 2014, and the Tulsa Shock, who will move to Dallas-Fort Worth before the 2016, had the league-worst attendance with an average of 5,566 fans per game.
"I think we might have been ahead of ourselves 20 years ago in terms of what we were doing," Silver said.
He went on admit that he feels responsible for the WNBA's tepid popularity today.
Still, Silver said, "if there were a silver bullet — an easy answer — we would have made the change."
Silver acknowledged that WNBA players have expressed frustration that the marketing of their league feels inauthentic, and said "the onus is on us" to do a better job of presenting the athletes as "multi-dimensional," showcasing their personalities beyond what they do on the court.
The commissioner pointed to people of influence outside the realm of professional basketball with an ability to help the league grow, specifically media and business partners who he said have largely ignored the WNBA.
"Leading into the playoffs that begin tonight, there's virtually no coverage," Silver lamented. "People in positions of power have to make a decision that WNBA matters."
Saying his comments frame the growth of the WNBA as part of a cause, rather than simply a sport, Silver noted that many companies use feel-good decisions — think Starbucks' announcements of employee benefits — as marketing tactics to attract consumers.
Silver's case for positioning the women's league as a cause to attract more fans were in contrast with comments made by WNBA President Laurel Richie on an earlier panel at the same conference.
"We have, on occasion, sold the WNBA too much as a cause," Richie said. "We at the W are focused on building a genuine and sustained fanbase....That's where our sustainable growth comes from."
Silver was also candid about the comparatively low salaries in the WNBA. As a result, players spend the offseason overseas, where they can make exponentially higher salaries, but the calculus means they play year-round, unlike their male counterparts.
Per the collective bargaining agreement between the WNBA and the players union, the maximum salary for veterans during the 2015 season is $111,500. Minimum salary for players with fewer than three years of experience in the WNBA is $38,193, but that increases to $55,275.
But Silver said the WNBA "can't have it both ways" by asking themselves why the league is struggling to make money while increasing salaries anyway. As a result, Silver said he is supportive of players who decide to play overseas and capitalize on what can often be a "relatively short window in their career."
Though the WNBA can not afford to increase salaries now, Silver said they have established themselves as an incredible league with premium sports entertainment and it's on them to grow their bottom line.
During the panel, Silver was again asked to talk about the New York Liberty hiring Isiah Thomas as team president and asking the WNBA to allow him part-ownership of the team. Thomas, who played 13 seasons for the Detroit Pistons, was successfully sued in 2007 by a female colleague for sexual harassment while he was a coach and front office executive for the New York Knicks.
Silver characterized Thomas as "someone who has devoted his life to this game" and who "clearly made a mistake at Madison Square Garden."
The decision to put Thomas in charge of the Liberty by James Dolan, who also owns the Knicks, was "ultimately a team decision," Silver said.
"The most important questions to me were: Why is this being done, and does Isiah truly have a commitment not just to the game, but to women's basketball? I believe he does, based on conversations I've had with him," Silver said.
When asked on the panel if he sees Thomas' role within the Liberty and WNBA as sending the wrong message, Silver replied: "Life is complicated. That's all I can say."
“YES! YES! YES! YES! YES!”
Kiara Grindrod is a very special 7-year-old, who just won her battle with cancer. She and her dad were guests at WWE Raw on September 14, 2015, where they got a very special shoutout from John Cena and Sting.
youtube.com / Via youtube.com
John Cena took a moment to introduce the crowd to "special fighter" Kiara.
WWE / Via youtube.com
He told the crowd, "She has been fighting quite a tough battle, and I'm proud to announce that she won!"
WWE / Via youtube.com
The fans ERUPTED in the iconic WWE fan chant, "YES! YES! YES! YES!..."
Kiara is a CHAMPION!
WWE / Via youtube.com
“Donkey Kong had the original fist of Zeus.”
We're only one week into the NFL season and we might have already seen the league's best touchdown celebration.
Tom Szczerbowski / Getty Images
Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce sent the football flying with an amazing wind-up punch.
NFL
In an interview with NFL Total Access, Kelce claimed the celebration was inspired by none other than Donkey Kong's Giant Punch from Super Smash Bros.
Nintendo
Thứ Năm, 17 tháng 9, 2015
“I have been staring at this man’s bum for 20 minutes now.”
Thinkstock / BuzzFeed
1. What a gorgeous day for a swim!
2. Jfc, it's cold.
3. One mile in a 50-metre pool is 32 lengths, which is just 16 back-and-forths, which is only a little bit more than 10, and that's really not very far.
4. My body kinda hurts already though.
5. And I've only done two lengths.
6. OK, front crawl is not a sustainable stroke.
7. If I keep doing front crawl, my legs will fall off, I will have nothing to kick with, and then I will drown.
8. I must not drown.
9. Isn't it weird that swimmers literally put themselves into a situation where they have to keep exercising to stay alive?
10. For fun.
11. There are no other sports like that.
12. Running would be, if you were being chased by a murderer.
13. But then you'd have to employ a murderer to run behind you.
14. Damn, I've lost count.
15. Have I done three lengths or four?
16. Hang on, I can work this out. I started from the shallow end on one, which is an odd number, and I'm now swimming towards the shallow end, so I must be on an even number.
17. I must be on four.
18. I should be timing myself.
19. I wonder how long swimming a mile takes.
20. Probably like half an hour.
21. 5 – 5 – 5 – 5.
22. 5 – 5 – staying alive.
23. That's a funny rhyme.
24. It would be weird if someone knew I wrote that lil' rhyme just now.
25. OK, this is a good system. I swim to the deep end doing front crawl, and back to the shallow end swimming breaststroke.
26. That way, I can get my breath back every other stroke.
27. Except my face is under water, so I can't really.
28. I need to overtake this guy.
29. Why is he speeding up?
30. I can't just slip back in behind him now I've started overtaking him, can I?
31. Well, that's the fastest I've ever swum – thank god I can do breaststroke back.
32. Oh Christ, he's overtaking me.
33. This is embarrassing.
34. Oh god, I stroked his leg. He probably thinks I'm coming on to him.
35. Now I'm staring at his bum.
36. I've done 11. Legs 11, like in bingo. Except with two kicking legs that are getting more and more toned the more I swim.
37. I wonder if my arms will get too muscly though?
38. I don't want to look like a bodybuilder.
39. Hang on, people work hard to become bodybuilders. You can't accidentally become one. I'm probably safe.
40. Maybe I should venture into the fast lane?
41. No way, I'm scared of the fast lane.
42. There's a woman in a wetsuit in it.
43. I'm not serious enough to own a wetsuit.
44. How do people dry wetsuits? I feel like they must always smell.
45. Hey, I'm at 16. I'm halfway through.
46. Tbh, I could just stop now.
47. "I swam half a mile this morning" still sounds impressive.
48. I'd be lying to myself though.
49. And that's the worst person you can lie to.
50. At least I'm not in the slow lane.
51. Is that woman walking? In a pool? She probably has an injury, I shouldn't judge.
52. It looks fun. I wanna walk.
53. Whoa, the lady who just overtook me has a float between her legs.
54. Which means that just her arms are faster than my arms and legs put together.
55. That's crazy.
56. Ahhhh, I'm wearing contact lenses.
57. It's probably fine, hardly any water gets inside goggles; that's literally their purpose.
58. Except they are leaking, and it stings.
59. I wonder if I should attempt one of those somersault-and-kick-off-the-side moves when I get to the end of this length?
60. I'd hit someone in the face, wouldn't I?
61. Also, it's nice to have a little breather at the end of a length.
62. 20 lengths! I'm basically done.
63. For every 20, I will think of a person I know who is that age for the whole length.
64. My sister is 21. I must call her later.
65. OK, I don't know any 22-year-olds.
66. There's that Taylor Swift song though.
67. I don't know any 23-year-olds either. This is the worst method.
68. I AM 24! THIS IS MY LENGTH!
69. What's the time?
70. Jesus, it's been half an hour. Miles take ages.
71. I wonder how many miles the Channel is.
72. If I swam the Channel I would look like a prune.
73. Twenty-six! My boyfriend is 26!
74. Wait, stop. Leave my head, random age method. You're rubbish.
75. I need to buy a new swimming costume.
76. Every time I push off the side, I show the entire pool my boobs.
77. Everyone will probably talk about it once I get out.
78. "I love swimming here, but I wish that girl didn't insist on showing us her boobs every two minutes."
79. Hang on, that would be crazy. These people have better things to think about than my boobs.
80. Do I still have my locker key?
81. It'd be good if you could listen to music as you swim.
82. Or if I had one of those length-counter watches.
83. But they're like, a million pounds.
84. And if I wore one, everyone would think I was a very serious swimmer, which would mean I'd have to go fast all the time.
85. I wonder if swimming is bad for your hair.
86. I'll deep-condition it when I get home.
87. It'd be bad if scarecrow hair was the price I had to pay for a banging bod.
88. Ow! Why would you do backstroke in a busy pool?
89. Thirty! I am so close!
90. I only have two more lengths, which is basically just one there and back, which is nothing.
91. I'll try to do front crawl for both.
92. And I'll try to breathe every third stroke.
93. OMG I AM DYING, I must breathe every second.
94. One length left.
95. I'm gonna do breaststroke.
96. I've swum a mile.
97. I deserve it.
98. I bet I could swim two miles.
99. I must eat a very large meal.
