Author: Emily Vernik

Basketball, Events, watch party

NBA Season Opener: A Brief Overview

Posted on by Emily Vernik

The NBA 2017-2018 season is officially underway as the first games of the season were played over the last two days.

The season started earlier than usual to avoid overexertion of players that have to play too many games back-to-back. In the past, teams have benched players to ensure they don’t hurt themselves. This presents a problem to fans who pay money to watch their favorite player. For instance, the Cavaliers opted to rest Kyrie Irving, Kevin Love, and LeBron James in a game against the Clippers last season. Fans chanted for their players to make an appearance to no avail and their unhappiness resonated to the league. Adam Silver thinks that extending the season by a week should help prevent injuries throughout the course of the season.

Visit FanWide.com to find a NBA watch party or fan club near you.

Events, Soccer, watch party

USMNT: The downfall of US soccer

Posted on by Emily Vernik

The US Men’s National Team failed to qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup last night after a tragic 2-1 loss to Trinidad and Tobago. This is the first time the USMNT has been left out since 1986. All they needed was a tie and they would have moved on. However, their loss mixed with Panama’s victory over Costa Rica and Honduras’s over Mexico put the final nail in the USMNT’s coffin.

Basketball, Events, Football

eSports: The Rise of an Empire

Posted on by Emily Vernik

A recent study from Limelight Networks shows that men aged 18-25 prefer to watch eSports over other, more conventional sports.

In the last few decades, eSports have become a major industry competing with traditional sports such as basketball or football. The Season 3 World Championship of League of Legends in 2014 gathered 32 million viewers, exceedingly more than the World Series or NCAA Final Four that year. The winners of The International (a tournament for Dota 2) won a combined $11 million this summer, whereas Tom Brady made a mere $183,000 for winning the Super Bowl. The International Olympic Committee even flirted with the idea of including eSports as an event in the Olympic Games to increase their appeal to millennials.

Baseball, Boxing, Football, News

Why Athletes Have the Power to Change History

Posted on by Emily Vernik

On Wednesday, Michael Bennett, a defensive end for the Seattle Seahawks, posted a letter about his arrest in Las Vegas to Twitter claiming that the police had used an excessive amount of force to detain him. He is looking to sue the Las Vegas police for their unjust treatment of him during the incident.

Every football fan is familiar with Colin Kaepernick’s choice to sit down during the national anthem to protest inequality in the United States. Or JJ Watt helping to raise $28 million for Hurricane Harvey relief.

News, Soccer

Transfer Deadline Day

Posted on by Emily Vernik

Tomorrow is Transfer Deadline Day for international soccer, meaning there is a lot of exciting news to look forward to in the next 48 hours.

For those unfamiliar with Transfer Deadline Day, it is the final day at the end of a 12-week period in which soccer clubs can make international transfers. In order for the transfer to go through, the deal has to be signed and filed before the deadline closes.

Oh, and clubs tend to throw around insane amounts of money that Uncle Scrooge McDuck would salivate over. The transfer record was recently broken by PSG in their acquisition of Neymar a few weeks ago at a whopping $250 million USD.

Events

eSports Are Sports Too

Posted on by Emily Vernik

In a world that idolizes traditional sports centered around robustness and brute strength, eSports are often overlooked.

Last week, Seattle hosted the largest eSports tournament in the world. The 7th iteration of The International featured teams of nerds from all over the world competing for a prize of $11 million. To put this into perspective, Tom Brady earned $183,000 for winning this past Super Bowl, only a fraction of what team members that win the International earn.

Soccer

Most Expensive Man Alive: Neymar’s Transfer to PSG

Posted on by Emily Vernik

On August 4, Neymar officially made his move from football’s powerhouse, Barcelona, to Paris Saint-Germaine (PSG). PSG paid a transfer fee of over $250 million USD, breaking the record set by Manchester United in 2016, and making Neymar the most expensive football player in the world. His contract is set to go through 2022 where he will earn around $35 million per season (after taxes) and before his major signing bonus.

It is indisputable that Neymar would ruffle the feathers of Barcelona fans with his acceptance of PSG’s offer. Some believe that there is no reason to leave Barcelona as it is at the top of football – there is no better place to go once you reach Barcelona. Some fans even retaliated to Neymar’s “disrespectful” move away from Barcelona by burning his jersey.