This article was originally published on May 1st, 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.
Degree I earned -
This week, I received a Masters in Sport Management, from the University of San Francisco.
FIFA news I'm interested in -
Plans to expand the 2022 World Cup to 48 teams have been abandoned by Fifa. The change would have required Qatar to share hosting duties with other countries in the region. World football's governing body said after a "thorough and comprehensive consultation process" the change "could not be made now".
Sports apparel news I am learning about -
Global sportswear company Adidas announced that it will commit to only using only recycled plastics by 2024. The recycled plastics will be used in everything from t-shirts to sports bras, the material is popular in sportswear because it dries quickly and weighs little.
Soccer story I have been following -
English semi-professional soccer team Leatherhead, has been taking part in a pioneering experiment, with technology giant IBM. The experiment looks at how the company's artificial intelligence (AI) technology, also known as Watson. Watson analyses big data relating to football in two key ways. Watson Discovery explores match reports and social feeds to gather information and analyze Leatherhead's opposition, providing a snapshot view of opponents' recent games across key areas, such as players and tactics.
Baseball game I attended -
I attended my first Giants game since, they had changed the stadium to Oracle Park, as they took on the Atlanta Braves. I got to see first hand why Mike Soroka (@Mike_Soroka28) has been receiving such plaudits. Soroka carried a perfect game into the sixth inning, Ronald Acuna Jr. (@ronaldacunajr24) homered twice and Austin Riley (@austinriley1308) also homered as the Braves beat the San Francisco Giants 4-1.
Have a wonderful weekend, all!
Jonathan