Well, Goddamn, This Is An Awkward Time To Think About Sports: Eight Unrelated Takes

The world changed this week when a kleptocratic dictator rolled tanks into a neighboring country in the first major European land grab in 80 years, and folks? That just seems to make everything -- and I do mean everything -- a whole lot less important than it used to be. Especially sports.

But, well, not why you come here. So some quick hits:

> Until baseball declares the lockout is over, I propose that no one in America says anything about baseball. (Side point where I break my own rule: I'm pretty OK with no one saying anything about baseball after the lockout is over now, too. Every sport is corrupt plutocrats with a closet full of -isms, but MLB manages to add in increasingly unwatchable to manure melange. Three true outcomes, all of them Boring As Hell To Watch? Hard pass.)

> In Ukraine, the Klitschko brothers -- famous brothers who have made millions and presumably could have fled the country because hey, being rich means you can flee -- are staying to fight in what is increasingly looking like a much harder slog for the invaders than expected. (On top of the inevitable insurgency slog that would follow occupation.) Remember that the next time you hear about how such and such is a Great Patriot, especially in a country that hasn't had foreign occupation during the age of electricity. Skin in the game, folks.

> Several medal winners in the most recent Games That No One Should Pay Attention To are giving them up to people from countries that are at risk of, well, genocidal BS from the people who hosted the Games That No Really Paid Attention To. Now, if we could just convince the world's athletes to not go at all, we might have something.

> The NBA All Star Game happened and I don't care and didn't watch because when the game does not count, you should not watch. Life is too short.

> James Harden debuts for the Sixers tonight and I hope he's enjoying the honeymoon period. I also hope it's a very long honeymoon. Dude already looks more physically fit and happy, because anyone who gets to play basketball with Joel Embiid on his team should be these things. 

> The USFL drafted a bunch of people you have not heard of, and possibly a few that you have, especially if you are a draft or training camp nerd. Do not dishonor the uniform, Philadelphia Stars. On a per capita basis, that team gave me more happiness and less sorrow than any team I've ever rooted for, so, you know, no pressure.

> NHL star Alexander Ovechkin, a one-time Putin Pal and all-time great in the league, did not exactly deliver a ringing endorsement for the kleptocrat today. Alex, you might also want to get a new phone and email address; dude might be hitting you up for money soon. Also, prepare your own food.

> The NFL Draft is coming and I don't have anything to say about it, because life is too short to watch grifted teenagers risk their health and livelihood for underaged sports. Besides, I'm an Eagles Fan, so good players in the first round is far from a given.

See you later! Assuming, you know, the Internets still work and the world isn't a charred husk from nuclear weapons when a 69-year-old cynical kleptocrat decides that if he can't have money any more, no one else can, either.

Stay safe! As if.

Why the NBA is more exciting now

Are you not entertained

 This past week, my Sixers were blown out at home by Boston, then won a tight game in Milwaukee. Reasons why include, but are not limited to:

> They took Boston lightly

> They made adjustments to the starting lineup

> They have lost their home court advantage

> They miss their depth guys

> James Harden isn't playing yet

> Joel Embiid is/was hiding a wrist injury

Or, and I'm really going out on a limb here... 

Boston made a lot of three pointers, and it just kind of snowballed. Milwaukee didn't.

Now, does this make Boston the new power in the East? Probably not. They spit the bit the next night. Does this mean that Milwaukee is flawed and can't repeat? Probably not. Khris Middleton isn't a very bad basketball player, but you would not know that from watching the game last night. If he shoots normally, the Bucks probably win.

Does this make Philly prone to outstanding defense? Well, um, no... they won this game last night with Matisse Thybulle riding the pine, so if you want to tell the story that they made Middleton miss... nope. That's not how the Association is now. Very bad defensive players are better than good ones in the past because they are more physically fit, and it just does not matter. Guys either make shots or miss them.

Which means that on some level, it's a lot harder to predict who will win, which is part and parcel of why there is a half dozen teams with a very legitimate chance of winning the title this year... and part of why people love the NCAA tournament more than they love the NBA playoffs.

If the best team always wins, it's not exciting. If the best team never wins, it's pointless. If it seems more or less random and unpredictable... you're going to watch. 

Expect the NBA playoffs to have *fantastic* ratings this year...

Getting Angry About A Pointless Thing

So I've been watching the national media's take on the James Harden / Ben Simmons trade, and learning so many things!

1) Seth Curry is absolutely irreplaceable. 

Because slow-and-dough guards that can't create their own shot, won't shoot unless they are wide open, aren't great with the ball in regards to turnovers, can't defend their position and get exposed when they have to play starter's minutes... boy and howdy, can't replace that guy. Especially when they are on the wrong side of 30 and have a hard time staying healthy. (But he's a Curry! The one who has been on a half dozen teams.)

2) The Sixers are really going to miss Andre Drummond.

Yes, because the NBA was just beating a path to his door before the Sixers came along and gave him the back up minutes to rejuvenate his career. Also, he's definitely going to stop making insane turnovers and taking unnecessary fouls any minute now. And the good work done by Paul Reed and Paul Milsap in the games since Drummond was moved is in no way going to continue.

3) They killed their depth.

Playoff games, where you play every other day at most, when you shorten your rotations routinely, and when games are decided by stars... totally reveal depth.

4) They shouldn't have burned their bridges with Simmons.

Because coddling him -- and national media? Philly Fan cheered for this chucklef*** to make the free throws like we were trying to keep Tinker Bell alive -- had totally worked out. That's why he's such a better player now then when he was a rookie! (Oh, crap, he's not.)

5) There's no way it will work with Harden because Harden is fat / selfish / a defensive sieve / a quitter / a guy who likes strip joints / bearded / whatever.

Because fat guys are top 10 in the NBA in terms of statistical impact, average double digits in assists, can't defend as well as Seth Curry(?), have no desire to shut their critics up... I give up. Along with the idea that they aren't just a lot better for having a star instead of a void.

Look, the Sixers probably went from a 3% chance of a title before the trade to about a 12 to 15% one. That's not just my estimate, it's also what you can bet at various sports books. If you want to argue it can't work, feel free -- but maybe go after actual reasons (HEALTH is what keeps me up at night, with secondary concerns about how Doc Rivers will screw this up, and a side bar of they are going to need Tobias Harris, Tyrese Maxey and several other less than sure things to make threes) that make sense. Rather than the bad faith nonsense that's previously listed.

A 15% chance is great. It's probably about the same as a half dozen other teams right now. For everyone who was screaming to the heavens that they were wasting Peak Joel Embiid... um, we're not doing that any more, yes? Perhaps we should just be grateful and watch, you know, their actual Games rather than try to convince the viewer that Hope is Stupid?

And oh, by the way... getting angry at the media for intellectually lazy and annoying opinions about sports? *Way* better than doing the same about topics that actually matter...

What Should Be Obvious About Gender Issues In Sports

Totes Unfair

 At the risk of annoying people with a whole lot more skin in the game than I have… a few thoughts on a point that will serve to inflame a portion of the sports audience for decades.

 Transgender people are not, I promise you, trying to game your Game. The idea that anyone on the planet chooses their orientation should be dying a fast and forgotten death, but for heaven’s sake, people… the odds of making it in sports are never good, regardless of your gender or activity, and the life span of an athlete in any event is not exactly a lifelong occupation. If you think someone is trying to pull something, you have serious issues. Not the athlete.

 Being transgender is not a super power. If you hear about an athlete who is that way and doing well, please keep in mind that if transgenderism was giving such an edge, all of a sport’s stars would be trans. They are not. People with memories or a knowledge of history will hear echoes to how African Americans are just “naturally” better (no reason to praise the individual for something they can control) at certain things, and if you want a Fun Historical Moment of Eugenics Bigotry… Jewish boxers in the 19th century were thought to have an unfair advantage due to a larger nose. No, seriously.

 People who complain about the people who beat them in a game or sport are not exactly inspirational. Every athlete is going to lose sooner or later, even if they only lose to time. Doing so with grace should not be optional. It should be table stakes for anyone who wants anyone to root for them. Feel free to cast a jaundiced eye for the people with an excuse for everything.

 Creating an equal playing ground based on arbitrary rules is not new, or even all that problematic. We do not put cruiserweight boxers in the ring with heavyweights and think sure, that’s fine. We do not put teams of very young players against teams of athletes in their prime and say, nope, sorry, your team can’t have anyone over 20. If the business of sport to create relatively equivalent competition gets to the point of testosterone counts, that’s new and remarkable now, and won’t be later. No reason to draw any further generalization, thanks.

 People who don’t want to compete against trans athletes can, well, stay the hell home. Just as their spiritual ancestors stayed the hell home instead of competing against people who did not share their skin color. The wrong side of history is not exactly known for its great athletes with major promotional opportunities.

 If you are a parent and very butthurt that your child did not win, and want to engage in hate speech about it… once more, your home awaits you, and I hope you enjoy being there. I also hope your kid gets out of it with all speed, rather than becoming an adult that is like you.

 Yes, change is scary and off-putting and Those People aren’t like what you are used to. So is your phone, and your car, and your television and a great number of other things. Adjust. And maybe even be glad. It’s a very valid choice of a way to live your life.

Answering The Bell

Falcon Fan Should Care... Why?

This year, Atlanta Falcons star wide receiver Calvin Ridley opted out of much of the season, citing mental health issues. While there were occasional sparks of grumbling about this in various parts of the Internet, the plain and simple is that the Falcons were not really contenders, Atlanta isn’t a national television market, and Ridley wasn’t agitating for a new team (at least not publicly). His fantasy team owners were bent, but nerd betters being bent is not exactly a cause for concern. He’ll probably move on to some other team, and get snark on his social media channels if he shows himself doing, well, anything, but for the most part, this is a non-story. Football player does not play football. That happens all the time. No film at 11.

Last week, any number of Winter Olympians seemed to do badly and cite mental issues, and since no one really gives a flip about these sports, let alone with the backdrop of Let’s Celebrate Genocide… well, um, flip not given and I am not going to any more details about it. With a side point of maybe your sport has real issues when the best people in the world at doing it are freaking children. Seriously, the only people who should be watching children play sports are their parents. Impose an age limit already.

And, of course, the Sixers moved Ben Simmons on to Brooklyn and – spoiler alert! – no one in town misses him, let alone his ex-teammates. Who have, for the most part, overachieved despite a star-sized hole in their lineup, because chemistry and the like.

Ridley, the Olympians and Simmons should all, presumably, get the same level of sympathy and support. That's what we should give them if we are decent human beings.

And never, ever will.

Because here is the thing about mental injury issues… they kind of start to resemble physical injury issues. If your injuries are persistent and non-healing, you probably will have to find a line of business that is not sports. If there is someone who can do your role without injury issues, they will get the job, either now or later, because Game’s still going to Game. 

This is Not Nice, or human, or maybe even the best long-term use of an asset. It’s also reality. 

In your real life, there is nuance and trade offs and personal lives and long-term health. In your sports life, there are wins and losses and that’s about it.

So, if you feel some sort of relief that your team has moved on from an oft-injured player, even though that feels kind of not nice? Or start to demand that your team either improves the training staff or the coaching regime to not create or rely on oft-injured players?

Sports is not life. We’re here for Game. Not the people, with their baggage, who play it.

Talent isn’t just how fast and powerful you are, or skilled at studying your opponent, or whatever.

It’s also just plain answering the bell.

So do what you can to do that, make choices that help you do that, and don’t expect the audience to follow you down the rabbit hole of Not Game when you can’t.

The Superb Owl Happened And I Have Thoughts That You Should Read

Give The Dude A Moment

 > Asking Aaron Donald if he's going to retire in the greatest moment of his life is one of the reasons why America can and should hate the media

> In the time it took you to read this, Peacock has showed a half dozen increasingly desperate ads begging you to watch the content that you are not watching

> I'm not sure if this is body positivity, hip hop culture or Covid weight, but the halftime show had way more thickness on the dancers than pre-pandemic

> If you had a favorite ad and remembered it, I'm sorry that you were not paying attention to a wildly more compelling game, and please stop ruining the world with your nonsense

> Kudos to Matthew Stafford for trying the arm punt interception in the first half. It cost the Rams nothing in terms of field position, and QBs that never risk their numbers are selfish jerks

> Congrats to the Bengals for having the Bungle moment of losing 10 yards for illegal celebrations from guys who were not even playing in the game

> If I am Joe Burrow and management does not get me offensive linemen with a quickness, I am Carson Palmering my way out of town before I wind up drooling through meals

> Anyone who gives Eminem a live mic in front of 100+ million people is much more brave than I will ever, ever be

> On some level of Karmic Justice, I'm glad that the team that face masked their way to a go-ahead touchdown did not win

> The Bengals somehow lost a Super Bowl where a non-QB threw a touchdown pass, so yet again, the Nick Foles Eagles are clearly the best team ever

> You have to be happy for the dozens and dozens of true modern Los Angeles Rams fans that had to wait months and months to finally get a championship

> I was very disturbed by the fact that Stafford and Burrow seem to have sired all of the children in several towns

> Any NFL franchise that wants to hire a coach over 40 is clearly tanking

> Nice of the refs to not be noticeable until the money was on the table

> Cheer up, Browns and Giants fans -- Odell Beckham Jr. may have a ring, but he also got hurt

> Cheer up, Lions fans -- the season is over and football can't hurt you for another six months

> Cheer up, America -- you can go back to a world in which the Olympics, Peacock and crypto currency is much more easy to ignore

James Harden is a Sixer, and Daryl Morey Is Owed An Apology

 As I type these words, the Internets are ablaze with the news that the Sixers have traded Ben(edict) Simmons, Seth Curry, Andre Drummond and a couple of first round picks to Brooklyn for James Harden and Paul Milsap.

Thoughts!

> For anyone who has spent the past 6+ months howling how the Sixers were wasting Joel Embiid and had to do a deal (any deal) now now now... um, I'm glad Daryl Morey is in charge of the Sixers, and you are not.

> For anyone who is convinced the Sixers will miss the slow-and-dough stylings of Curry, a guy who can't defend, stay healthy, and is best used as a bench scorer than a starter... um, nope, not in crunch time. Seth is adorable and I liked him and all, but reality. 

> For anyone who is worried that the Sixers won't be able to rebound or defend when Embiid is off the court with the loss of Drummond... um, team stats and not individual ones, please. The Sixers have been a bad rebounding team all year even with Embiid, and Drum's irrational faith in his passing abilities has also been a very mixed bag. You can get much of what you've "lost" from him with a motivated Milsap, or just by playing Charles Bassey or Paul Reed. Fungible big men do not change playoff game outcomes.

> For anyone who is anything but thrilled at the idea of Embiid and Harden in half court without having to give up Tyrese Maxey or Matisse Thybulle... um, you do not deserve Daryl Morey as your GM. Dude just aced this.

> For anyone who is worried that Harden will quit on the Sixers like he quit on Brooklyn and Houston... um, all of his teammates here are vaccinated, and he's playing with the best big man in the world. He also wants a ring and to get paid, like, a billion dollars. Motivation should not be an issue.

> For anyone who is worried about the draft picks, for heaven's sake, live a little. You already have Peak Embiid, you can't just assume that will last forever.

> If you really want to worry about something, sweat Harden's health, fitness, age. Imagine how small Tobias Harris will be now that he's super low usage third guy, or that Maxey will stop being the most delightful player in town. Remember that thrown together teams rarely gel fast enough to win right away. And such.

I don't think they are valid worries, but there are 30 teams and only 1 gets to win. Betting against the Joel/Beard Sixers is always defensible, because betting against any team is always defensible.

Me, I'm just going to watch Peak Joel Embiid play with the best teammate he has ever had. And enjoy it.

Player GMs

A different kind of Player GM

 A few thoughts as we are on the cusp of an NBA trade deadline.

Ben Simmons quit on the Sixers. James Harden quit on the Nets. (After quitting on Houston.) LeBron James quit on the Cavs and Heat. Kevin Garnett quit on the Wolves, Shaquille O’Neal quit on the Magic, Charles Barkley quit on the Sixers, and yeah. Let’s talk about the trend.

The old-school fan in me wants to rage at these guys, talk about how bad teammates who are not committed to improving themselves or their franchises are grifters, worthless, doomed to fail.

Here’s the problem with that narrative. It has no basis in reality. See the earlier paragraph and count the rings on, well, half of the guys who quit on a team.

In an era and league where players have relatively long careers and massive individual impact on championships, teams have less control over their fates than ever before.

Is this fair, or right, or something you’d design for in a perfect world? Hell and no. It’s also not something that always works out in reality. It’s not as if Milwaukee seems like the kind of place to get a ring, attract free agents, etc., and yet that’s the guys holding the crown, and as I check the standings right now, they sit at second in the East. In the West, it’s Phoenix with the endless Chris Paul doing his usual magic before getting hurt in the playoffs. Charlie Brown with the football has nothing on Point God fans.

But there are many routes to a flag, and flags fly forever. If you do it with your home-grown young guys that you’ve watched grow up (and yes, Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid make what is otherwise a painfully slow-and-dough Sixers team fun), that’s The Most Fun. But flags are flags, people. If your team is the one celebrating a win at the end of all meaningful games, the fact that you did it with mercenaries just Does Not Matter. Malcolm Jenkins came and went to the Eagles, got a ring, and we’re going to just like him forever because hey, ring.

So if any of these hybrid player-execs isn’t on your team, or refuses to play for it? Hate them all you like. They are everything you should hate in modern sports, which is an era in which everyone dreams of being a shadowy executive rather than someone good at sports.

But also know this – some of this is just players wanting to win more than anything, more than their personal reputation, more than their future legacy with a half dozen teams on their call sheet.

And if you were them… are you so certain that you would not do the same?

And have you ever left a job to go work for someone with a better chance at winning?

Setting Money, Time, And Your Eyes On Fire

The Meme Changed

The average Super Bowl ad will now cost $7M for 30 seconds.

And they are all sold out.

Because when it was $3M 20 years ago and obviously insane and a poor choice of money, um, time passed and we live in the darkest timeline.

Since many of my hustles involve marketing and advertising, my newsletters are filled with “previews” of these ads.

Which are ads.

Ads that you assiduously avoid 364.75 days in the year.

The fact that companies are willing to set money on fire to get you to watch their ads during the quarter of a day of the year that you will, for no good reason at all, consent and even in some cases look forward to watching ads…

Should not be a reason to go along with their idiocy, honestly.

And I say that as someone with a professional reason to watch.

Especially since that, if people did not do this?

Maybe they could lower prices. Kind of a thing during an inflationary period. Maybe they could hire or retain people in the United States to do all, rather than just some, of their work. Maybe they could hire people with full benefits, rather than nickel and dime and “flextime” their way to a world that resembles the robber baron era in terms of workers having leisure time. Maybe they could donate to charitable causes, do more to limit climate impact. Or a thousand other things. $7M spends a long way.

Rather than, you know, continuing to give more and more money to people who, regardless of deserve, clearly do not need so much more of it.

Or, shorter: Enjoy the game! Don’t watch the ads.

The Rooney Rule Is Working Exactly As Intended

Nothing to See Here, Folks, Move On

So, ex-Dolphins coach Brian Flores, fresh off a questionable firing by his obviously questionable organization, has decided to go full-on enemy of the league with a de facto class action lawsuit. I have, well, thoughts.

 Can’t wait to see how right-wing football uber alles folks spin this one. It’s not like Flores did something so reprehensible as taking a knee near a flag during a song.

If someone really believes that Duce Staley and Eric Bieniemy don’t deserve head coaching jobs, I have a bridge to sell you. In a foreign land.

 If anyone really believes that this is a racist league with racist hirings… take a look at the number of white guys who have gotten multiple chances at being a head coach, then the list of black guys with multiple chances. Hint: that second list won’t take you long to compile.

To my Eagles-added mind, this: Duce Staley, never a head coach. Rich Kotite, a head coach twice. End of lawsuit. Give Flores all of the monies.

 Needless to say, but Flores has about as much chance as getting another job in the NFL as that guy who took a knee near a flag during a song. (Unless Jolly Roger decides that having some garbage franchise like Houston take him on will kneecap the lawsuit.) 

On just the level of I hope the guy can provide for him and his people, I hope he wins the damn lawsuit. For a lot. He’s 40 years old and has decades of paychecks on the hook here, and the fact that a guy has to risk everything to get a league to join the 21st century is also all kinds of wrong.

 If I’m the NFL (puts on complete troglodyte hat), I do everything possible to avoid legal discovery. Think about what came out of the Washington cesspool in re the Jon Gruden affair, and multiple that by, well, 32. If anything can ever get advertisers to shy away from the NFL, airing all of that dirty laundry at once would be it. (Yes, this includes just cutting Flores a very large go away check… but, um, dude might have scruples. He’s risking 2-3 decades of work; that either indicates a lot of scruples, or none.)

 To play devil’s advocate… yeah, no, not going to! The NFL is an organization of corrupt rich blood ticks who deserve an advocate or the benefit of the doubt as much as, well, anyone else who speaks in bad faith. They are grifters; burn them to the ground and salt the earth where they are buried, so that all may learn from their example. (Hmm, this took a turn.)

 So how should this resolve? All coach and coordinator interviews now need to be on tape and reviewed by an outside group that is *not* chosen by the NFL. Sprinkle it with ex players, and have them represent the actual current demographic mix of the NFL. Give this group the ability to levy fines, payable to the charities of their choice, for anything that smacks of malfeasance. Tax the living hell out of bad behavior, take some teams away from their owners, and create a promotion and relegation system with a spring league (the USFL! Sure to last more than a few weeks!) where racist asshat owners get cycled out of the league.

 How will this resolve? With none of the above, of course!

Tom Brady Is Gone And Yet Still Insufferable

What A Sportsman

Folks, I’m not a Brady fan. I’ve never been one. The number of times that I’ve rooted for him to win a football game... well, I guess it must have happened at some point, either through real betting or nerd betting (fantasy), but I don’t remember it. The one year that I held my nose and bought him for a big price in fantasy, he snapped his leg in the first game and missed the entire year. (You’re welcome.)

The news that he’s retiring should be a celebration, in that whenever a bad situation ends, you should celebrate. For 31 out of 32 fanbases, it’s dancing in the streets happiness that he’s gone. Done. No reason to keep talking about him; plenty of time for you to do that, if you care to, in the off-season or in the weekend when he goes into the NFL Hall of Fame.

He’s Not Game now, and I’m not here for Not Game.

And the fact that he had to draw this out when the spotlight should really be on others?

Shows you everything that you already knew about the man is still true. From excusing reprobate teammates (noted murderer Aaron Hernandez! noted psychopath Antonio Brown!) and coaches (noted adulterer Bill Belichick! Likely gaslighter Bruce Arians!), to pseudo-science for everything (I’m in the league at 44 not due to luck and ridiculous protection from refs, but because I have Nutrition Secrets You Can Buy), and making monomaniacal focus something the media lauds, rather than presents as a mixed bag…

Oh, and the fact that he’s more, not less, throwing his supermodel wife and inevitably supermodel kids under ths bus for having to give up the game he loves? Probably leading to some unhinged Florida Man or 20 to threaten the same for taking away their very special QB when the Bucs don’t just roll on next year to another playoff run?

Well, I think we’re going to be just swell without this man in our lives.

If you want to keep giving him the full service you’ve given him for 22 years, it’s a free country. He certainly wants you to. The annual “Will Brady Return?” clickbait you will all indulge in? Feel free to start it now. After all, we do live in the darkest timeline.

But as that kind of thing is no longer Game, please go do it in private?

To the Media in re Tom Brady’s Retirement

Not seen: integrity

I don’t know about you, Dear Theoretical Reader, but I don’t want to spend an unproductive amount of time watching sports. Most effectively football.

Games are three hours or so, you can do your laundry and other things while it’s on due to all of the commercial breaks. When it’s done, maybe you can spend a few minutes with your chosen media to cover what happened or whether or not there was an injury or something… but honestly, there is Game and there is Not Game.

Not Game, is for the most part, the drizzling shits. It’s also what most sports channels sell, most maddeningly, when they decide that there are more interesting things to talk about then THE GAME THAT IS IN FRONT OF THEM.

Which leads us to this week’s will-he-or-won’t-he and I guess he’s now gone and did… retirement of Tom Brady.

This isn’t about the man’s career.

What is it about is clickbait.

To wit… Tom Brady is not playing football right now.

Other people are.

Let’s hear about Matthew Stafford and Joe Burrow and any number of Bengals and Rams, please. They won. They are playing football. They have a game coming up. Give me reasons to think about it other than, well, yes, that’s happening. Their fans deserve as much.

What would have been the right thing to do if you were the media covering Brady? Ask him about retirement after the game, and then DO NOT COVER HIM UNTIL AFTER THE SUPER BOWL.

What happened instead? Several days of More Attention on Brady because that’s more fun / easy / clickbait then, I don’t know, finding a fresh insight or nugget of delight about the people who are still playing football. Or just not wasting all of our time until Lord Brady His Own Damn Self quit.

It made them money. It will always make them money. It also just infuriates anyone who, I don’t know, wanted to think about football without having to get dragged into the same (insert insult that will get me on naughty lists) that we’ve been living with for 22 years.

Instead, you did the lazy thing. (Which, shh, I might be doing as well. But this is a mostly unpaid hobby for me, while it’s your actual job and such. Besides, my clickbait is better than your clickbait. It just is.)

Can we please stop doing the lazy thing, and cover Game?

Because you have been missing some unbelievably good Games recently.