Sports

FIFA is officially launching an investigation into Salt Bae‘s “undue access” to the World Cup Finals’ pitch. In a report from ESPN, FIFA is said to be taking “appropriate internal action” to address the incident of the celebrity chef breaching World Cup protocol to get his own photo opp with the gold trophy. The chef, who has regularly been seen with FIFA president Gianni Infantino, posed for many photos with the trophy and even gave a kiss and his signature salt touch to the “priceless icon.” FIFA has detailed that the trophy “can only be touched and held by a very select group of people, which includes former winners of the FIFA World Cup and heads of state.” The sport’s governing body released a statement that reads, “Following a review, FIFA has been establishing how individuals gained...

The commercial success of the recent FIFA World Cup in Qatar has brought news that, on top of 2025’s Club World Cup expansion, FIFA president Gianni Infantino is looking to shorten the tournament’s cycle to every three years. The recent controversial World Cup was a financial hit as it was recorded as one of the “best” World Cups with regards to revenue, bringing in a total of $7.5 billion USD in revenue — $1 billion USD more than 2018’s World Cup in Russia. While the idea of a biennial World Cup was shot down just last year (regardless of the $4.4 billion USD revenue increase over the four-year cycle) Infantino’s promise to serve three full terms as FIFA president, ending in 2031, may give him enough time to see this proposal through. In other sports news, FIFA to investigate Salt Bae’s “...

The Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame has officially announced its nominees for the Class of 2023. The NBA has announced a list of star-studded legends that have become first-time candidates. The players include long-time Dallas Mavericks icon Dirk Nowitzki, Miami Heat staple Dwyane Wade, Lakers Pau Gasol and Spurs‘ Tony Parker. Chauncey Billups who played between 2000 to 2013, was also nominated once again. Players have to go through a three-step election process to make it to the cut-down list of finalists, set to be released on February 17, 2023, at the NBA All-Star Weekend in Salt Lake City. The official Hall’s Class of 2023 will be announced on April 1, 2023, at the NCAA Final Four Weekend in Houston where the next step will be the enshrinement held on August 12 in Springfield. The baske...

Over the years, Nike has thoroughly evolved its options for personal training programs. Nowadays, a host of applications and programs from the Swoosh are just a tap away. Designed for “everybody and every body,” its Nike Training Club (NTC) offers a combination of guidance with motivation as it assists athletes around the world in reaching fitness goals. Now, in an effort to expand access to a wider range of athletes, Nike has teamed up with streaming giant Netflix. In this latest initiative, Netflix will host over 90 NTC workouts for all of its members, totaling over 223 million worldwide users. Packaged in programs, these workouts are designed for minimal to no equipment and cater to all fitness levels with 12 of Nike’s world-class trainers leading the exercises. These programs feat...

Fans of the Phoenix Suns have been through a tough 2022. Following a brutal game seven collapse to the Dallas Mavericks, an NBA investigation of franchise owner Robert Sarver revealed an alleged trail of misogyny and racism. Having to pay $10 million USD in fines alongside serving a one year suspension from the Phoenix Suns and the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury, Sarver was quick to share his intent to sell both franchises. Now, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski has reported that a deal to sell both franchises is nearing completion. The interested party is United Wholesale Mortgage president and CEO Mat Ishbia. Ishbia, a former basketball player for the historic Michigan State University roster that appeared in three Final Fours, winning the NCAA Tournament in 2000, has pursued several teams in both the N...

Lionel Messi has overtaken Cristiano Ronaldo in having the most-liked Instagram post by an athlete with over 43 million likes. Following Argentina’s World Cup Final win against France last night, Messi took to Instagram after playing a key part across the first 90 minutes, extra time, and the penultimate penalty shootout. After getting his hands on the coveted trophy, Messi uploaded a post that included ten images of himself and his teammates celebrating. The Paris Saint-Germain forward accompanied the post with a caption that reads: “WORLD CHAMPIONS!!!!!!! I dreamed of it so many times, I wanted it so much that I still haven’t fallen, I can’t believe it. The merit belongs to this group, which is above individualities, it is the strength of all fighting for the same dream.” Messi’s upload ...

After Argentina won the 2022 FIFA World Cup last night, Lionel Messi was honored by the Emir of Qatar with what many are seeing as just a “black cloak.” What is it and why was it presented to him? The black and gold drape worn by Messi is a “bisht.” The traditional article of clothing is worn by Middle Eastern men in order to celebrate prestige occasions — such as weddings and FIFA World Cup closing ceremonies — and symbolize wealth and royalty. Usually worn over a “thobe” – similar to how Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani was dressed last night – the bisht typically comes in three colors but is mostly common in black with (real) gold trimmings. The bisht has been embraced by politicians, high-ranking individuals and royalties throughout the Middle East as it sets a distinction between those...

Capping off undoubtedly the most exciting game of the tournament, Argentina shocked France to become the 2022 FIFA World Cup Champions. Despite looking dominant to secure an early 2-0 lead in the first half, Argentina started to crack under the pressure in the second half with France going on to equalize with two goals. Becoming the eighth World Cup Final to go to extra time, both teams fought hard to try to edge out of a victory. Lionel Messi scored a devastating goal in the 108’ minute to take the lead at 3-2, but France continued to press, with Kylian Mbappé equalizing once again to make the game 3-3 and take the game into penalty kicks. Just the third World Cup Final to go into a penalty shootout, Mbappé started the tense sequence by scoring against Argentinan goalkeeper Emiliano Martí...

Recently freed in a controversial prisoner swap between the United States and Russia, Brittney Griner has shared her first statement since being released. The release of Griner saw convicted arms dealer Viktor Bout returned to Russia ending her detainment after being caught in possession of cannabis oil cartridges in Moscow. Following her family’s statement directed to President Joe Biden expressing their “sincere gratitude,” Brittney Griner shared a statement on Instagram. Accompanying a photo of her exiting an airplane and hugging her wife Cherelle Griner, the WNBA star wrote, “It feels so good to be home! The last 10 months have been a battle at every turn. I dug deep to keep my faith and it was the love from so many of you that helped keep me going. From the bottom of my heart, thank y...

Steph Curry suffered a left shoulder injury in Wednesday’s loss against the Indiana Pacers. ESPN‘s Adrian Wojnarowski has reported that Curry is expected to be out for “a few weeks”. The sharpshooter suffered the injury with 2:04 left in the third quarter against the Pacers after he attempted to strip Jalen Smith of the ball as Smith drove to the hoop. Immediately after the play, Curry can be seen grabbing onto his left shoulder and continuing to hold it as he ran down the court. The Warriors called a timeout and minutes later, Curry went back to the locker room and was ruled out of the game in the fourth quarter. Curry underwent an MRI on Thursday, assessing the extent of the injury which was later diagnosed as a subluxation. Entering into Thursday’s game, Golden State is currently in pla...