Behind the Line

FIFA has allowed another World Cup Qualifying Match to be ruined by something that has nothing to do with soccer. The match between Brazil and Argentina was suspended Sunday...because four Argentinian players were deemed to be out of COVID protocols.

Brazilian officials halted the match five minutes into the game...and canceled it. We question what happened...and blast FIFA and Brazilian authorities for allowing this to happen. We also blast FIFA for holding a World Cup qualifier in Brazil in the first place.

We explain how wokeness is ruining soccer...and how matches are being talked about more for the politics...than the game itself.

Sloane Stephens was bounced in the third round of the US Open on Friday. Instead of simply taking the loss and moving on...Sloane Stephens used this as an opportunity to victimize herself by sharing hateful messages she received on social media.

We share some of the messages Sloane Stephens received...and explain how it's wrong and unfair for complete strangers to abuse athletes. However...right or wrong...this is also part of being a public figure.

We also explain how victimization with athletes always happens after losing...not winning. We compare Sloane Stephens to Naomi Osaka...Gwen Berry...and others who have chosen to play the victim after embarrassing losses.

Rex Chapman had a big problem with the North Carolina/Virginia Tech game Friday night. Rex Chapman called the thousands of people gathering in Virginia the COVID bowl. However...it was then revealed that Rex Chapman attended an NBA Playoff game in Phoenix just TWO MONTHS AGO.

We blast Rex Chapman for another example of woke hypocrisy. The far left has always held a disdain for college football. We explain why wokers don't like college football...and how they believe it's OK for them to attending NBA games...but not OK for you to attend college football.

We also look into some negative incidents at college football games over the weekend. We explain how these instances are a side effect of 18 months of negativity from the media.

Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots released Cam Newton earlier this week. The move made sense from a football standpoint. Belichick is going with Mac Jones as his starting quarterback...and you don't want Cam Newton waiting for him to struggle so he could takeover.

However...Cam Newton remains without a team in the NFL. Not only that...one team was interested in signing him. The Dallas Cowboys...and they decided to pass. 

We question why the media isn't outraged over Cam Newton. The media continues to talk about Colin Kaepernick being blackballed today...five years later. Cam Newton likely remains unsigned due to his vaccination status...which is a form of discrimination...but the media fails to mention it. WHY? We explain why the woke media isn't making a big deal about Cam Newton.

Hungary and England took part in their World Cup Qualifying Match in Budapest last night. However...very few people are discussing the actual game on the field. The woke media is focusing on less than one percent of the crowd that were causing problems. Four people to be exact.

We share an interview with England manager Gareth Southgate that took place after the match between Hungary and England. We show that the English coaches and players were unaware of these instances until the media mentioned it after the match.

While coaches and athletes on both Hungary and England team blame the fans...we blame the coaches and athletes for injecting color into soccer matches. We explain how players kneeling before games ignite the fans before the match even starts.

Roger Goodell and the NFL front office announced yet another addendum to their push for social justice in the 2021 NFL season. They're bringing back social justice messaging in stadiums and the endzone...and allowing players to wear social justice messages on their helmets.

We preview the six social justice messages NFL players will be allowed to present. We explain how the NFL taking the path of the 2020 NBA will tank ratings for the regular season. We compare the NFL social justice path to the NBA...and predict how much NFL ratings will decline.

Last season...Mark Cuban sent a virtue signal to the woke community by refusing to play the national anthem before Dallas Mavericks games. This decision was met with resistance by some...and universal praise from the woke media.

Adam Silver stepped in and enforced NBA policy...which requires the playing of the national anthem before NBA games. Now...the state of Texas is taking it a step further. Texas will require Mark Cuban to repay government funds...if he refuses to play the national anthem before Mavericks games.

We react to this decision by the state of Texas...and explain how Mark Cuban...who was once roundly admired and respected...has diminished his credibility by bowing to the woke agenda.

Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka have been involved in a rivalry throughout the PGA season. Chants of BROOKSIE have developed over the last couple of months...and they've caused the mental unraveling of Bryson DeChambeau.

In response to this...the PGA announced this week that they're banning the word BROOKSIE from all PGA events. Starting with the Tour Championship...fans will be ejected for taunting Bryson DeChambeau with this chant.

We react to this PGA decision...and explain how this will actually make things worse for Bryson DeChambeau. We also point out that this is another example of the softness of the modern athlete.

Stephen A Smith has been noticeably missing from First Take on ESPN the last two weeks. Now we know why...the final show for Max Kellerman was this morning. Stephen A Smith called in to wish Max Kellerman well...in an awkward 90 second segment.

Outkick has reported three reasons why Stephen A Smith got Max Kellerman kicked off the show. We react to each reason...and point out a trend in all three. We also explain how ESPN has backed themselves into a corner with Stephen A Smith...and how he is actually in charge at ESPN.

Bill Simmons talked about the Maria Taylor and Rachel Nichols fallout on his podcast on The Ringer a few days ago. Bill Simmons proceeded to blast ESPN for mishandling the situation...and firing Rachel Nichols.

He also made interesting points on the overall decline of ESPN since 2012. We react to Bill Simmons commentary on Rachel Nichols...and compare her firing to how ESPN fired Bill Simmons in 2015.

We also dive deeper into his points on the decline of ESPN...and compare the network to the similar declines of WWE and MTV.