Sports

Argentina has officially secured their spot in the FIFA World Cup Finals, defeating Croatia in a 3-0 victory in Tuesday’s semifinal. Lionel Messi‘s final dance dream remains alive, scoring the first goal in the first half of the match with a penalty. The second point of the game was from Julián Álvarez, who put Argentina in a commanding position by half-time. Álvarez secured the victory with Argentina’s third goal in the second half, thanks to an assist from Messi, cementing the Argentinian captain’s role in the World Cup. As Messi plays into the twilight of his football career, the 35-year-old forward and his national team now have a chance to rewrite their wrongs, coming back from the demons of the 2014 finals defeat. This would be the first time Argentina has entered the finals since 20...

The NBA has officially unveiled six redesigned and renamed trophies to be given to the Kia Performance Award winners at the end of every season. The list is led by The Michael Jordan Trophy, which will be presented to the Kia NBA Most Valuable Player. The trophy stands at 23.6 inches tall and weighs 23.6 pounds, features a six-sided badge, a 15-degree angle of the base and a crystal basketball consisting of 23 points and measuring at 1.23 inches in diameter — all of which honor MJ’s jersey number, the number of his NBA championships, his 15-season career and the singularity of his career. Meanwhile, the trophy for Defensive Player of the Year will now be known as The Hakeem Olajuwon Trophy, which pays homage to the two-time DPOY winner and sees the player in his classic defensive stan...

Following his controversial decisions in the heated Argentina vs. Netherlands match for the Qatar World Cup quarterfinals, Spanish referee Antonio Mateu Lahoz has reportedly been released from the tournament while the game’s VAR officials will still be given the option to participate in future competitions. The game which has been coined the “Battle of Lusail,” ended 2-2 in extra time and was decided in a penalty shootout which Argentina ultimately claimed the victory (4-3). During the match, the La Liga referee issued a record of 18 yellow cards and one red. At one point in the game, midfielder Leandro Paredes kicked the ball into the Netherlands bench with Dutch captain Virgil van Dijk responding by bumping him into the ground, resulting in multiple bookings as the game seemed to spiral ...

Illustrious skateboarder and entrepreneur Andrew Reynolds has officially joined the global professional skateboarding team, New Balance Numeric. From Lakeland, Florida, Reynolds first garnered attention in the skating world for his talked-about tricks in amateur skateboarding competitions across the Southern state in the early 1990s. Upon gaining notoriety in the sport, he was personally recruited by Tony Hawk to join his newly-established imprint, Birdhouse Skateboards, and subsequently moved to California to pursue skating full-time. Today, Reynolds is known as one of the most productive skaters in the professional sphere, with more than 40 video appearances for several of the industry’s top-shelf brands. Among his plentiful productions, Reynolds has appeared in The End (1998), ...

Following Morocco’s upset defeat of Portugal at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Portugal’s Head Coach Fernando Santos shares that he has “no regrets” about not starting Cristiano Ronaldo. The soccer star only made his way on the field during the 51st minute as his team was trailing 1-0. Earlier in the tournament being held in Qatar, Ronaldo was played as a substitute during Portugal’s 6-1 win over Switzerland during Round of 16 play. Santos noted that the level of play that he saw from the Portugal team pushed him to keep the same lineup for the Quarterfinal game that loss. “I don’t think so, no regrets,” said Santos. “I think this was a team which played very well against Switzerland. Cristiano Ronaldo is a great player, he came in when we thought it was necessary, so no regrets.” Adding, “If we...

adidas has unveiled the official match ball for the semi-finals and final of the Qatar World Cup. Titled “Al Hilm,” translating to “The Dream” in Arabic, the new match ball replaces the existing ball used in the tournament thus far named Al Rihla, which means “The Journey.” The technology and overall design remain relatively unchanged, with in-ball IMU sensors and “Connected Ball” tech continuing to assist match officials in making faster and more accurate decisions on the pitch. The ball’s built-in sensors famously debunked Cristiano Ronaldo’s “hair goal” in its 2-0 victory over Uruguay and have also helped support the semi-automated offside system in place over the course of the tournament. Made using environmentally friendly water-based inks and glues, the Al Hilm ball is set in a textu...