This article was originally published on September 27th, 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.
What I've been listening to -
Why The Playoff Contending Rays Can't Fill Their Stadium, from The Lead. The podcast reviews the Tampa Bay Rays and the team's relationship with their fans and the local community. They try to offer an insight into how the team's attendance figures continue to remain low, no matter how well the team is doing on the field.
Football news I am paying attention to -
The New England Patriots released Antonio Brown (@AB84) on Friday afternoon, ending his brief but turbulent tenure with the team as the NFL was investigating him for multiple sexual assault allegations. The Patriots dropped Brown a day after Nike confirmed it had parted ways with the mercurial wide receiver.
Soccer news I am interested in -
Fifa has announced a series of measures to restrict fees paid to players' agents and the number of international loan deals clubs can be involved in. They will see agents of the selling club receive a maximum of 10% of the transfer fee. In addition, the cap will be 3% of the player's fee and 3% of the player's fee for agents of a buying club. The restriction on international loans is designed to "prevent player hoarding and ensure that loans have a valid sporting purpose for youth development as opposed to commercial purposes".
Athletics story I am following -
Russia could face a ban from all major sports events over "discrepancies" in a lab database, the World Anti-Doping Agency has warned. The country has been given three weeks to explain "inconsistencies" or risk being excluded from the Olympics and world championships.
What I have been watching -
Jim Jefferies aired a segment on his show, centering on the debate over Canadian Football League's Edmonton Eskimos and their team name and whether it was considered offensive.
Have a wonderful weekend, all!
Jonathan