Latest news with #sportsdebate
Yahoo
30-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Skip Bayless Has Accused Tom Brady Of Being A 'Sellout'
Skip Bayless Has Accused Tom Brady Of Being A 'Sellout' originally appeared on The Spun. Skip Bayless has stuck by Tom Brady's side for almost 20 years now. But backing LeBron James? Well that might've been a bridge too far— even for the GOAT. Advertisement In a video posted to Bayless' YouTube channel, the former "Undisputed" debater labeled Brady as a "sellout" since walking away from the NFL and also accused the seven-time Super Bowl champ of "kissing LeBron's ass" for all to see at Fanatics Fest in NYC last weekend. "Tell me I'm wrong about this," Bayless began. "LeBron James just can't help himself. He just can't hide his runaway insecurity over knowing deep, deep down that he will never ever be seen as the greatest basketball player ever by those who really know the game, by anyone who really matters." "And yeah, I know that over the weekend Tom Brady called LeBron James the greatest ever while sitting up on stage with LeBron at the Fanatics Fest in New York City," he added. "What a sellout Tom Brady has become post-football off the field, and he was undoubtedly the greatest football player ever on the field." Advertisement The rant continued from Bayless. "When it comes to maximizing his money, Tom Brady will say and do whatever is required to polish his good guy image," Skip argued. "He loves everybody and everybody loves Tom Brady. And he even kissed LeBron's ass in front of LeBron because he knows how many billions of followers, how many fans LeBron has and what a powerful financial alliance he could form with the King post-football, probably post-basketball for LeBron." May 25, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Tom Brady prior to the IndyCar Series 109th Running of the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images© Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images Skip has long been one of LeBron's harshest critics. So to see arguably his favorite athlete call James "the greatest ever" in front of a live audience— he took it personal (insert Jordan meme). Advertisement Bayless has gone over chapter and verse why he believes Michael Jordan will always be better basketball player than LeBron. And believe it or not, this latest argument is (slightly) more well-adjusted than we've seen in years past from the ex-ESPN personality. Related: Beloved NFL Super Bowl Champion Dead At 83 Skip Bayless Has Accused Tom Brady Of Being A 'Sellout' first appeared on The Spun on Jun 29, 2025 This story was originally reported by The Spun on Jun 29, 2025, where it first appeared.
News.com.au
27-06-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
Women's national team humiliated 7-1 by U15 boys team
Piers Morgan has been an outspoken figure in a war of words that has followed the Switzerland national women's team's humiliation at the hands of an U15 boys team. The sight of the Swiss team losing 7-1 to U15 Swiss Super League side FC Luzern on Wednesday has sparked a fierce backlash as the team prepares for its Euro 2025 campaign. Switzerland is ranked the No. 23 women's national team on the planet and have high hopes heading into next month's tournament, which begins July 3. However, that optimism appears to have disappeared in a flash after a nightmare outing on Wednesday where the Swiss conceded seven goals against 14-year-old boys. The unofficial practice match was not publicised on the Swiss national team's social media profiles. However, the final scoreboard has gone viral across social media with Morgan pouring fuel on the fire of a burning debate about the issue of men competing against women in sporting contests. 'This is why we separate the sexes in sport,' he posted on X in response to a photo of Swiss national team player Alisha Lehmann. The Juventus star is widely known as one of the most followed athletes in women's football with more than 16 million Instagram followers. With the war of words swirling, Lehmann shared training session photos on Instagram with a caption 'work, work, work'. The Swiss team has since moved to defend the team's honour. According to Swiss publication Blick, the team's head of communications, Sven Micosse, said: 'The focus during this phase of preparation is on the physical aspect. 'Regardless of the result, these training matches are very similar to our international matches in terms of intensity and mileage.' The women's team were missing four players, including captain and Arsenal star Lia Walti, according to Blick. It is common for national women's teams to use friendly matches against local men's clubs to help condition players for tournaments. Midfielder Leila Wandeler said: 'The result didn't matter. For us, it was about testing our game principles.' The team did not appear to take the contest very seriously, using 28 players in the 90 minute match. The team's ugly defeat is still particularly concerning with Switzerland being the host nation for the Euros. Their preparations have not been ideal. They defeated the U15 team of Swiss third tier outfit FC Biel, before a narrow 2-1 defeat to FC Solothurn.
New York Times
23-06-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Longevity vs. peak: The Hockey Hall of Fame debate and 5 players who define it
What kind of Hall of Fame fan are you? With the Hockey Hall of Fame committee meeting tomorrow to pick the class of 2025, and a stellar crop of first-time candidates added to some impressive holdovers, it's time to have the annual debate. After all, half the point of a sport having a highest honor is for fans to argue over who deserves it and who falls just short. Advertisement When we talk about which kind of Hall a fan wants, we usually default to the old 'small hall' debate, which basically amounts to just how high you want to set the bar and inevitably ends with a fight over Bernie Federko. But there's another way to look at it, and it's the one we'll focus on today: Which matters more, a player's short-term peak or their long-term consistency? Obviously, the ideal answer is 'both.' But the players who are truly great for an extended period aren't the ones we typically argue over. Joe Thornton and Zdeno Chara had MVP/Norris peaks to go with long careers of sustained excellence. Both are also getting in on the first ballot, so there's no debate to be had. It's the fringe cases that usually force us to pick one side or the other. So, who you got? Let's look at this as a sliding scale, with five stops along the way. You want: Career numbers. The bigger the better. And if those numbers are the result of a 20-season career built on consistent production, even better. The point here is that having a few great years is nice, but you're just as impressed by someone who can contribute year in and year out. You don't need to see a bunch of individual awards, or even any at all. But you'd better see the big milestones — 500 goals, 1,000 points, that sort of thing. Current HHOFers: Pierre Turgeon, Dino Ciccarelli, Mike Gartner But not: Vince Damphousse Today's poster candidate: Patrick Marleau His case: These candidates are often slapped with the dreaded 'compiler' label, which in sports is usually a derisive way to say that somebody stuck around forever to produce numbers that look more impressive than they really are. Well, nobody compiled more that Marleau, whose 1,779 career games were enough to break Gordie Howe's once unbreakable record. Over that time, Marleau racked up 566 goals and 1,197 points, which would be enough to get any player into the HHOF consideration. Advertisement But … he never won an award, or was a postseason All-Star, or finished higher than ninth in Hart voting. He was rarely in the conversation as the best player on his own team. And to a certain type of fan, Marleau just never 'felt' like a Hall of Famer. Should that matter, when the numbers are so high? Yeah, actually, there's a good case that it should. Odds he gets in: Good. He's o-for-1 since becoming eligible last summer, and he feels like a long shot this year given how strong the new candidates are. But eventually? I think it's more likely than not. You want: Big career numbers, same as the first group. But while you're not focused on a player's short-term peak, you'd like to at least see a few personal accolades. You don't need to see a Hart Trophy or a bunch of first-team All-Star honors. But you do want to see at least a few standout seasons, preferably with some awards balloting love, if only to reassure you that this player was in the conversation as being the best at something, at least for a while. After all, consistency is crucial, but just hanging around forever isn't enough — let's see some flashes of true greatness. Current HHOFers: Mark Recchi, Mike Vernon, Phil Housley, Joe Nieuwendyk But not: Bernie Nicholls Today's poster candidate: Rod Brind'Amour His case: He got to 452 goals and almost 1,200 points over a 20-year career, despite never being an All-Star, hitting 100 points or getting any Hart votes at all aside from one year where he finished 10th. That's pretty compile-y. But unlike Marleau and others, his trophy case isn't empty. Brind'Amour won two Selke Trophies for his two-way game, taking home the trophy in 2006 and 2007. That's one more Selke than guys like Jonathan Toews, Doug Gilmour or Steve Yzerman. Advertisement In Brind'Amour's case, those two Selke years are a bit weird because they were the only two seasons where he was given serious consideration. Not only was he not a finalist any other year, he only had one other year where he was even in the top 10 (he finished ninth in 1999). Is that enough to turn a guy who was rarely the top center on his own team into a Hall of Famer? I've mentioned this before, but the evolution of the Brind'Amour bandwagon has been fascinating. Ten years ago, I pitched him as an underrated comparable to (assumed sure thing) Marian Hossa, and people thought I was nuts. But over the years, he's gone from a virtual afterthought to a sneaky dark horse to a guy some of you are willing to go to battle for. Meanwhile, he's carving out a career as a very successful coach, which isn't supposed to help his case — players and builders are supposed to be completely separate categories — but can't hurt. Odds he gets in: I think I'm with HHOF maestro Paul Pidutti, who suggests Brind'Amour eventually gets in on the strength of his coaching success, as the committee bends the rules just a bit to get a solid candidate over the finish line. He wouldn't get my vote, but I won't complain too loudly if (or when) he gets the call. You want: Everything. Or at least long-term consistency and a strong peak. You want the major milestones, sure, but you're also going to need at least a couple of seasons where a guy was in the conversation as the very best at this position. He should have an All-Star honor or two, and ideally would have led the league in something important along the way. In theory, this is the easiest slot to settle into, because you're covering all the bases. After all, most of the true legends would fall into this category, mixing longevity with a high peak. Hey, that's what Wayne Gretzky and Joe Sakic and Nicklas Lidstrom did, right? But it gets tricky with guys whose cases aren't as strong, and they often seem to be the ones who get overlooked by the committee. Current HHOFers: Michel Goulet, Jean Ratelle, the Sedin twins But not: Henrik Zetterberg Advertisement Today's poster candidate: Keith Tkachuk His case: He got over 500 goals and over 1,000 points, so he checks those boxes. He was also a second-team All-Star twice, in 1995 and 1998. In between those seasons, he had back-to-back 50-goal years, including one where he led the league. All told, there was a roughly four-to-six season stretch where he was considered one of the best power wingers in hockey. And while he wasn't dominant after that, he stuck around for another decade, playing well enough to get those career numbers into Hall-worthy territory. Odds he gets in: Strong. In fact, with Jeremy Roenick going in last year, I'd expect Tkachuk and his arguably better case are now a question of when and not if. You want: A sustained peak, with multiple All-Star picks. One or two won't cut it — you want to see something more like four or five years of 'best at his position' conversation. As long as you see that, you're not too worried about whether the player's career lasted long enough to rack up big lifetime totals. If anything, you view those late-career 60-point seasons as empty calories that don't mean much. Instead, you just want to know that a player was among the very best, for an extended period. That's what a Hall of Famer looks like, even if they don't add another decade of stat-padding. Current HHOFers: Cam Neely, Pavel Bure, Eric Lindros, Paul Kariya But not: Tim Kerr The poster candidate: John LeClair His case: From 1995 to 1999, LeClair was a first- or second-team All-Star every year. He also had back-to-back-to-back 50-goal seasons, in an era where barely anyone was hitting that milestone. The All-Star streak ended in 2000, but not by much, as he still put up 40 goals and finished third in All-Star voting. But after that, injuries and age caught up with him. Mix in the fact that he was a late bloomer, and his career totals don't really look HHOF-worthy; he just barely cracked 400 goals and 800 points. Advertisement Still, you could make the argument that LeClair was the single best left winger in the league for a six-year stretch. Good luck finding anyone at any position who can say that and isn't in the Hall of Fame. Odds he gets in: Low, presumably, since he's been eligible since 2010 and hasn't made it yet. You still see his name when we talk about potential candidates, but you rarely meet a fan who's adamant that LeClair has been snubbed. Still, who would you rather have for one season, or one game — peak LeClair, or peak Marleau? It's not a hard call for fans who remember watching both guys. You want: The best of the best. That's it. That's what you're looking for. You want a candidate to be truly and inarguably elite, even if only for a little while. What did this player look like at their very best? How high do they rank on the 'you have one game to win and your life depends on it' draft board? You don't care how many seasons a player had where they were the seventh or eighth best in the league. The Hall of Fame should be for guys who were the absolute best, at least for a while. Current HHOFers: Are there any? I'm not sure there are, which maybe isn't surprising given how rare this player is. I could see some fans trying to put Alexander Mogilny here when he eventually gets inducted, although I think his case is strong even without his legendary 76-goal year. But not: Reggie Leach Today's poster candidate: Tim Thomas His case: I mean, if you have to play one seven-game series for everything you own, how many goalies would you take over 2011 Tim Thomas? That was the year he went .938 with a 2.00 GAA in the regular season and won the Vezina, then was even better in the playoffs to the tune of .940 and 1.98 to add the Conn Smythe and a Stanley Cup ring. If you wanted to call it the single greatest season any goalie has ever had, I'm open to hearing the case. And I'm almost certain you couldn't find a full season that beats it from anyone who isn't in the Hall, probably as a first-ballot pick like Dominik Hasek or Patrick Roy. Advertisement Thomas only played four NHL games before turning 30, wasn't a regular until he was 32, and his entire career spanned fewer games played than part-time starters like Petr Mrazek, James Reimer and Jake Allen have today. But that legendary 2011 season, combined with another Vezina win in 2009, means he can clearly claim best-in-the-world honors, if only briefly. Odds he gets in: They don't seem especially high. But maybe they should be? (Top photo of Tim Thomas and Keith Tkachuk: Dilip Vishwanat / Getty Images)
The Sun
28-05-2025
- Health
- The Sun
Moment trans netball player flattens opponent before being banned from league as rival teams threaten to boycott matches
THIS is the moment a transgender netball player sent a rival crashing to the court - just days before being banned from competing as teams threatened to boycott matches. Footage shows Manawa Aranui, a former elite men's player, crashing into an opponent during a hard but legal play in Australia. 4 4 4 4 The rival Romsey player hits the deck as Aranui — towering over her — immediately offers a hand to help her up. The clash on Sunday's match has since sparked outrage across the Victorian netball community with. On Wednesday, the Riddell District Netball Football League (RDFNL) announced that Aranui and another transgender player from Melton Central have now been banned for the rest of the 2025 season. The bombshell move came after Melton South Netball Club threatened to boycott all games involving the pair over safety fears. The league said: 'After lengthy consideration and consultation, the RDFNL has ruled that the two transgender participants be excluded from the RDFNL Netball Competitions for the remainder of the 2025 season on the premise that both participants exhibit superior stamina and physique over their competitors deeming Section 42 of the Sex Discrimination Act relevant.' That section of the law allows sporting bodies to exclude players if "strength, stamina, or physique" could create an unfair advantage or risk. Aranui — who previously starred in men's netball — has become a lightning rod in Australia's growing trans-in-sport debate. She was named best on ground in a Division 1 grand final for Melton Central, fuelling calls for a ban. Melton South netball coordinator Melissa Dawson said: 'One of the players is six foot something – it's ridiculous. Netball Victoria needs to put the safety of biological females first.' B Grade player Erin added: 'I went up for the ball and just got pushed and dropped. They're so much stronger, and I'm genuinely scared I'll get hurt.' Trans women are NOT women, Supreme Court rules in win for anti-woke campaigners after battle over female-only spaces She said she would sit out any future games against Melton Central if the players remained in the lineup. Another player added: 'It deters women from playing the sport they love. We've worked hard to keep girls in the game.' Women's rights campaigner Sall Grover also weighed in, demanding Aranui's immediate removal from female competitions. 'There are many mixed-sex netball competitions at the recreational level,' she said. 'Everyone on those teams is making a choice to participate in a mixed-sex competition.' Grover, founder of women-only social app Giggle for Girls, warned: 'Males on female teams put the females in danger, while taking away the limited opportunities there are for sportswomen.' She continued: 'There are protections in the Sex Discrimination Act for female-only sport — look them up. 'It's about women having the right to play sport without fear of injury or losing opportunity.' Despite being ruled ineligible by the Ballarat Football Netball League in April, Aranui was still playing for Melton Central until the RDFNL stepped in this week. Melton Central president Paul Sinclair previously confirmed both transgender players would continue taking the court while the club awaited direction from Netball Victoria. Now, that direction appears to be coming into sharper focus. Netball Victoria has launched a formal investigation, engaging an independent expert to assess concerns raised by multiple clubs and players. A spokesperson said: 'We support and welcome netballers of all backgrounds. That includes gender diverse players who have rights under anti-discrimination laws.' Netball Victoria's 2018 policy — developed with Proud 2 Play and based on national guidelines — allows players to compete based on self-identified gender, not legal sex. But the fierce backlash has put pressure on officials to review how those policies are applied when safety and fairness are raised. Equality Australia argues against blanket bans, insisting 'community-level sport should focus on inclusion and participation.' But critics say the current system fails to protect female athletes.
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Why Canucks Fans Should Focus On Cap Percentage Rather Than AAV When Discussing Elias Pettersson
The 2025 off-season has been tense for Vancouver Canucks fans. After a disappointing season from center Elias Pettersson, there have been plenty of debates online about whether the organization should keep or trade the former Calder Trophy winner. At this point, it is fair to say that these conversations will continue until the start of the 2025-26 season, even though Pettersson does have a no-move clause that kicks in on July 1, 2025.
