This article was originally published on January 24th, 2020.
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.
Sport Marketing I am enjoying -
Event managers of the J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions (ToC), one of the most prestigious events on the Professional Squash Association World Tour decided to host the finals in Grand Central Terminal’s Vanderbilt Hall in midtown Manhattan. Opening the sport to 10,000's of thousands of potential new fans.
Rugby story I am following -
Premiership Rugby confirmed that reigning champions Saracens will be relegated from rugby union's top flight at the end of this season following persistent salary cap breaches. The team had already been deducted 35 points for the current Premiership campaign and fined £5.4m for three seasons' spending above the cap.
Sports Tradition I have been paying attention to -
The Loving Cup is a ceremony that Rangers have celebrated every year since 1937. The unique tradition celebrates the club's long-held association with the reigning monarch.
The cup was presented to Rangers as a thank you by Stoke City President, Sir Francis Joseph, after Rangers participated in a special match to raise funds for dependents of local Stoke miners. Sir Joseph's only request was that the vessel should be used in perpetuity to drink to the health of the reigning monarch prior to the club’s first home match of every year.
Sports technology I am interested in -
Formula E racing series has rolled out a new camera angle that gives viewers a driver’s perspective of the race. The move has been hailed as the first time that such a camera angle has been used in any category of FIA-sanctioned single-seater racing.
What I've been watching -
Cheer on Netflix. The new six-part documentary series, follows a super-elite squad of cheerleaders at Navarro College, a junior college in Texas, as they train to defend their title at the national cheerleading championship in Daytona Beach, Florida. Cheer gives viewers a front-row seat into the process of perfection. Over the course of the series you see dozens of practices, you see the team’s members, in the peak athletic condition of their life, left panting on the ground. Showing concussion after concussion, ice baths, and the bruised ribs and broken elbows that are part of the process.
Have a wonderful weekend, all!
Jonathan