Drama, drama, drama - Issue #3

Good morning, and welcome back to the Sports Road. On today’s edition, we have a mix of laughs, disappointments, and even cringe worthy material to share with you.

Here's what we got for ya today:

• Juventus in the news for all the wrong reasons…again

• UFC’s successful-ish return to Brazil

• An eventful start to the Australian Open

• The NBA’s new deal with Meta

Most valuable public market sports teams

Now, onto the good stuff... 

Juventus - Here we go Again

You know the saying; “The first time was so nice, I had to do it twice”.

Surely not again, Juve?

Hailed as the most successful club in Italy, Juventus’ rapid downfall over recent years has been a tough watch. From the highs of nine consecutive Scudettis, an invincible season, and the iconic signing of Cristiano Ronaldo, the Old Lady has not been the same. 

With all that, the last thing Juventus needed was this most recent scandal. So what happened?

• For the second time in only two decades, the Italian giants have been heavily sanctioned by the Italian federation. 

• This time, a 15 point deduction as a result of dodgy transfer dealings.

You would think that with majority underwhelming signings… Vlahovic, Ramsey, and Pogba (yes, he is still playing football)... you wouldn’t need to bend the rules 🤦

• The club has dropped from third to tenth in a very competitive Serie A table 

• Potential of no European football, major financial losses, and departures of big name players

You have to feel for the club's diehard fanbase:

We don’t blame them…

UFC 283: The Good, The Bad, and The Wacky

UFC’s long awaited return to Brazil was finally realised last Saturday, and it was eventful to say the least…

Starting with Thursday’s weigh in, an electric atmosphere gave way to an intense meeting of fighters. Paul Craig and his war paint, Warlley Alves and his slingshot, and Deiveson Figuredo’s banana. Yes, banana.

While seemingly out of place, Figuredo’s unusual gesture was a response to allegations made by the Brazilian’s team of racism. 

• Following the third fight of this rivalry, a member of Moreno’s team posted a picture of Figuredo’s coach using a monkey filter. 

• There was a strong response by the Brazilian's camp, who suggested Moreno should not be given the next title shot. 

• Moreno, acknowledged the issue in a statement, however also claimed it was another tactic by Figuredo to avoid a fourth fight with him. 

Yikes..

Fight night itself saw Moreno winning convincingly via TKO in Round 3. After his win, the Brazilian crowd made their unhappiness known. Having to be escorted out by security following a shower of drinks and other things thrown at him, Moreno’s title crowning cannot have been what he imagined 😬

The crowd did not stop there though. Well, kind of. After putting a beating on fan favourite Glover Teixeira, the crowd were very hasty in leaving Jamahal Hill’s title crowning after the main event. Yes, that means Glover’s retirement speech after a heroic showing of grit and heart was met with near emptiness. Not the type of way you’d want to see a legend bow out.

We Need to Talk About: The Australian Open

The Australian Open started last week and it hasn’t been short of controversy, laughs and unpredictability. From upsets, to hecklers, and many more - I never knew there could be so much to talk about Tennis 😅

Before his exit against Bautista Agut, Andy Murray played an excellent comeback. Full of drama, the match lasted until just after 4 am… that’s 5 hours and 45 minutes. While one would expect the Brit to respond triumphantly after such a win, Murray was outraged.

“It's a joke! We're out here till f***ing 4am and we're not allowed to take a piss”. 

I guess we all get cranky when tired.

Murray also mentioned that if he had been a parent to one of the ballkids (who had come home at nearly 5am), he would be incredibly unhappy. 

• This continues a long debate surrounding Australian Tennis and its reluctance to pay their ballkids. 

• Following a decision in 2008 to classify them as volunteers, there has been an outcry on social media calling on the federation to reconsider.

It’s not just on social media though. Novak Djokovic, who has a long and pretty funny relationship with Australia, has also been in the news. During his demolition of De Minaur, the Serbian was continually targeted with some fans shouting “how has he not been thrown out?”. In his post game interview, despite talking about a recent hamstring injury, he was obviously in a cheerful mood, stating:  

“I've been taking a lot of pills these days, it's not ideal, trying to mask the pain… Not those kinds of pills guys!”

NBA and Meta: New Multi-year Partnership 

The NBA is changing - -and for many - for the better. Aiming to improve fan engagement, the league has expanded their deal with Tech giant Meta.

In addition to their existing deal together, the announcement explained that the NBA will offer:

• A virtual in-stadium view to watch 52 different live game on the Meta Quest

• Five immersive 180 degree monoscopic VR games in 2880 on Xtadium and on Meta Horizon Worlds 

• A selection of other live Basketball content including: Archival content from the NBA, The WNBA, NBA G League, and NBA 2K League games

• NBA licensed material in the Meta Avatar Store

Rob Shaw, Meta’s director of sports media and league partnerships said “Meta’s immersive VR technology is opening up new opportunities for sports fans to engage and interact with their favourite NBA teams”. 

Whether this is successful or not, we are sure that this won’t be the last time we see the two collaborate. After all…

 Quick bites

White card brandished for the first time ever during women football match : New white card brandished for fair play in match between Benfica and Porto 

Several arrested in Uganda following huge victory against Manchester United: At least eight arrested in illegal procession during Arsenal vs Manchester United

Floyd Mayweather announces new opponent: Legend to fight in the United Kingdom for the first time in his career

Meme of the day

This one really hit home

Quote of the day

Photo of the week

Marco Materazzi and Javier Zanetti arguing over who gets Thierry Henry's shirt. Three greats.

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