The world of sports does not stop for a minute? and there is always a fresh portion of news for real fans. In this article, we have collected the latest news.
Lionel Messi won the Ballon d’Or
Lionel Messi, 34, retained his trophy after a long wait due to the Covid pandemic. He won the Copa America with Argentina, but he had to leave Barcelona.
In football, the most popular players won the Ballon D’Or award only once. It is the most prestigious award for an individual sport. It is a rarity for a player to win twice. In the history of soccer, Ronaldo won twice, and Johan Cruyff won three times.
Lionel Messi, however, has seven. He finished the vote strongly with 613 points. He had a small 33-point advantage against the runner-up, Robert Lewandowski.
Although Barcelona lost Messi in its roster, the team still bagged some awards in the recently concluded ceremony. Alexia Putellas became the third female winner of the Ballon d’Or. Meanwhile, Pedri received the honour as the best player under 21 years of age.
Enes Kanter Freedom: Turkish NBA player changes name
Turkish player Enes Kanter changed his name to Enes Kanter Freedom as he became a US citizen. Born is Switzerland, he grew up in Turkey.
At the age of 29, he recited the oath of citizenship using his new name. An outspoken player, he has spoken against human rights violations in Turkey and China in the past. He also said that the Turkish government revoked his passport in 2017.
Currently playing for the Boston Celtics, he said in an interview with CNN that his name change reflects his fight for freedom. He added that in the US, there is freedom of speech, religion, expression and press, all of which are non-existent in Turkey.
Kanter also said that the greatest thing a human being can have was freedom. He said he wanted to make the word “freedom” a part of him and carry it no matter where he goes.
End of Tiger Woods era
Tiger Woods is one of the rarest of all athletes in the world. He transcended golf at his peak, and millions of people watched him play, including those who never had any interest in golf.
Recently, Tiger has announced that he is retiring. He had an illustrious career and is leaving the sport as a 15-time champion.
Woods is currently recovering from a leg injury. He said that because of this, he would be selective about competing. He said he would pick and choose and is likely to play on a tour, but not as a full-time athlete.
Woods was a force to reckon with from 1999 to 2008. He was one of the most recognized athletes in the world. His playstyle was intimidating that his opponents lost to him despite him not playing well.
As a star, he also made a lot of money, not just for himself but for brands. Advertisers also took a share of the pie, and he closed a lot of TV deals. Those who placed bets in an online casino facility also benefitted from his prowess.
MLB lockout is on
Meanwhile, MLB is on a lockout. The MLB’s collective bargaining agreement with the association of the players expired last Wednesday. The owners of MLB teams, all 30 of them, voted to lock out the players. The result is a work stoppage that has not been seen since 1995.
Several MLB officials met several times in the week with their counterparts in the union. The meetings were not fruitful, and they did not reach a conclusive agreement.
Commissioner Rob Manfred, at the urging of the teams’ owners, issued a freeze on all league business until such time that they reached an agreement. There will be no trades, and no free agents can sign. Players cannot go to club facilities, too.
A free agent frenzy happened hours before the expiration of the deal. In these deals, six players got a nine-figure contract, and teams spent a cumulative of $1.7 billion in contracts in November.
Although work has stopped, there is still time to reach an agreement before the season starts. Pitchers and catchers will report on February 15, 2022. Exhibition games will commence 11 days after that.
What is next for LeBron after health issues?
LeBron James will miss several games after entering health and safety protocols. There is no confirmation whether or not he has COVID-19. However, Anthony Davis said that LeBron mentioned something about being asymptomatic.
Despite the absence of this confirmation, players in the league must go into isolation even if the test is inconclusive.
Vaccinated players like LeBron do not have to go through regular testing. However, the NBA management told all players that they have to test if they socialized with family and friends during Thanksgiving.
James has to clear any of these two things: test or time. For the test, he must test negative for the virus. For the time, he would have to isolate himself as recommended by health experts. He has to stay isolated for at least ten days.
This clearance must occur after the test for COVID showed that his results were either positive or inconclusive. The team will naturally lose one of its star players during this period, and his absence will impact their performance.
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