This article was originally published on April 5th, 2019.
Here is this week's dose of “5-Point Friday”. A weekly round-up of the sports news and stories that I find most interesting and enjoyable.
Football story I have been learning about -
The newly formed Alliance of American Football (AAF) announced that it is suspending operations three weeks before the end of its first regular season. AAF Chair Tom Dundon (@TDCanes), who had bought the league after the first week, decided the league could not survive without a formal affiliation with the NFL. Numerous people inside the AAF, from front office personnel to coaches and players, expressed how utterly blindsided they were at Tuesday's news.
Sport I'm looking forward to this weekend -
Despite not being an avid horse racing fan, I do generally do take an interest in the Grand National, which is happening this weekend. The Grand National at Aintree attracts tens of millions of dollars worth of bets from across the world. People bet on a variety of different factors, most relating to the physical appearance or name of the horse. According to the Grand National Statistics website 47% bet because of the horse's name; 19% because of horse color; 19% because of jockey number and 7% because of a particular jockey. Although I will not be placing any money on the race, I have still had a go at choosing a winner from the 40 horses running. My thoughts are that Tiger Roll will become the first horse since the legendary Red Rum 45 years ago to win back-to-back runnings of the Grand National.
Hockey news that I am following -
The AAF was not the only league to announce it was ceasing operations, with the Canadian Women's Hockey League (CWHL) stating that due to the 'economically unsustainable' business model it will not be able to continue. However, discussions have been held with the National Women's Hockey League (NWHL) about a possible merger with the CWHL. The news comes less than a month after the CWHL announced that a record 175,000 viewers tuned in to watch the Calgary Inferno down Les Canadiennes 5-2 and win the Clarkson Cup final. Graeme Roustan (@GraemeRoustan), the former Governor and a financial contributor to the CWHL, has also made an offer to assume control of the league.
"It’s a business that is 12 years in the making,” said Roustan. “In the first year, it was $100,000 in revenue, and the last year it was $3.7 million. It’s grown in revenue, it’s grown invisibility, it’s grown in credibility, it’s grown in every single way possible. So it makes no sense to me to shut down a business that has grown year after year. It makes no sense whatsoever. I really cannot understand what caused them to make the decision they made.”
Athlete I'm learning about -
Bongi Msomi (@BongiweMsomi2) is the captain of Spar Proteas, otherwise known as the South African netball team. Msomi's story is a very interesting one, after shining at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, her life would change after receiving a message through social media.
What I've been watching -
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver and the discussion on how the WWE takes care of its wrestlers. The HBO show did a 23-minute takedown of WWE’s employment practices, calling for fans to make signs and chant during the biggest show of the year to put pressure on Vince McMahon to treat his superstars better by offering healthcare, benefits and take responsibility for the drastically increased mortality rate of former wrestlers.
Have a wonderful weekend, all!
Jonathan
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