This article was originally published on October 18th, 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.
Soccer news I am following -
This month's El Clasico between Barcelona and Real Madrid has been postponed because of fears of civil unrest. The match was scheduled for 26 October but there have been days of protest in Barcelona after nine Catalan separatist leaders were jailed on Monday. La Liga had asked for El Clasico on 26 October to be switched from Barcelona's Nou Camp stadium to Real Madrid's Bernabeu. However, both Barcelona and Real Madrid disagreed with this idea.
Formula 1 article I have been reading -
Formula 1 rules: Six teams oppose the 2021 F1 regulations proposal by Andrew Benson (@andrewbensonf1). Six of the 10 teams indicated in a questionnaire organized by Ferrari, Mercedes and Red Bull that they do not agree with the plans for the new 2021 technical regulations, as they stand.
Sports sponsorship story that interested me -
LAFC announced a multi-year partnership with retail brand Target that sees them become the first MLS club to sign a sleeve sponsorship deal. The deal is set to start in January 2020 and will see Target’s bullseye logo displayed prominently on the sleeve of the players. The terms of the arrangement, which lists Target as the official retail partner of LAFC, have not been disclosed, but the Athletic said that MLS sleeve deals could be worth anywhere between US$500,000 and US$1 million per year.
Women's soccer story that excites me -
French soccer giants Olympique Lyonnais have confirmed that they are in talks to purchase a franchise in North America’s NWSL.
“Our international expansion also involves a project in the United States with the decision to take over a women's football franchise,” said Lyon owner Jean-Michel Aulas. “The project is progressing well and we aim to be operational before the start of the next season, in March to April 2020.”
Lyon is the second European soccer side to express their interest in joining the NWSL. Spanish giants Barcelona confirmed in October last year that they were in talks to have a team join the competition.
Sports tech news I am interested in -
Adidas and Dick's Sporting Goods are sponsoring the first Snapchat video game that lets mobile users buy products directly. "Baseball's Next Level" is a home-run derby game that can be played inside the image-messaging app through the end of October, coinciding with the Major League Baseball playoffs and World Series.
Have a wonderful weekend, all!
Jonathan