Category: Sports

Jul 06 2026 2026-07-06 2026-07-06 NoComment by Ross

Two Wrongs Don’t Make a Right…

Posted in Sports

I’m with the crowd that thinks there was no cause for the red card against Folarin Balogun in the last USMNT game. At best, it should have been a yellow. There was no intent or malice and, as many people have pointed out, Lionel Messi didn’t receive a red card for a more egregious incident.

So yes, I’m happy Balogun will play tonight because the suspension was lifted.

But I don’t think it was the right call.

The United States didn’t have the right to appeal the suspension. By FIFA’s rules, Balogun should have been out. Instead, calls from President Trump—or at least from people in his administration – to the head of FIFA apparently persuaded the organization to invoke some rule and lift the suspension.

Great. I understand that there is technically a mechanism that allowed FIFA to do it. But it feels unseemly.

The original decision was wrong, but using political pressure to overturn it doesn’t suddenly make it right. Two wrongs don’t make a right.

And now we’ve created a precedent. Last night England received a red card. What happens if Prime Minister Keir Starmer picks up the phone? Does England get the same treatment? If Argentina calls on Messi’s behalf? If Brazil calls for one of its stars?

Rules lose their meaning when they only apply until someone influential enough complains.

And yes, I know FIFA lifted a suspension against Cristiano Ronaldo back in November so he could play. If that’s true, I think that was wrong too.

What I’d rather see is FIFA amend its rules and allow appeals of red cards in cases of obvious error. Other sports have recognized that officials can make mistakes and have created procedures to correct them. That seems like a fair and transparent solution.  Better (in my humble opinion) is to make red cards more like hockey penalties.  The player leaves the pitch for 10 minutes, and the team plays a man down.  I don’t really get the “and miss the next game.”  Seems pretty harsh.

Nevertheless, as long as there is no right to appeal, the call should stand unless FIFA decides entirely on its own to review the situation – not because a president or prime minister makes a phone call.

Bad calls happen in sports. So does injustice.

The answer can’t be, “Well, our side benefited this time.”

 


May 21 2026 2026-05-21 2026-05-21 by Ross

R.I.P. Kyle Busch

Posted in Sports

When my boys were quite young, we watched a lot of NASCAR.  They weren’t into baseball or football, and the Blackhawks hadn’t yet captured their attention as they would for most of their middle school and high school years.  We watched the race most weeks, and each of us picked someone to root for.

The boys were bandwagon fans and picked either Jimmie Johnson or Jeff Gordon.  I always picked Kyle Busch.

Earlier today, I read he was hospitalized with a severe illness, but figured it was just that, and he’d be fine.  Sadly, I just read that it wasn’t the case, and he died at 41.

He will always live fondly in my memories and, as they say, I hope his memory is a blessing to his family too.


Apr 09 2026 2026-04-09 2026-04-09 by Ross

The Thrill of Victory, the Agony of Defeat, and the Phoenix Rises….

Posted in Sports, Travel

Earlier this week, I received an email telling me that I won the lottery. Not the money lottery, unfortunately, but the chance to buy tickets for the 2028 Summer Olympics.

Even better, my slot was days before my wife’s. Winning twice!

My slot opened today at noon. This was the first day and first time slot for Olympic ticket sales after locals had their crack at it. I went in cautiously optimistic. But some light doom-scrolling beforehand suggested a lot of events were already sold out, and the remaining ones came with ticket prices that required a small home equity loan plus service fees.

Still, hope springs eternal.

Finally, noon rolled around. I was at work at lunch, and I told everyone to leave me alone. I fought through the queue and got to the ticket selection page.

Mother. F—-er.

All the good stuff was gone. Anything remotely interesting that was still available was north of $1,000 a ticket.

Gymnastics? Nothing.
Swimming? I’m not paying $1,000 per ticket.
Triathlon? Sold out.

It was killing me.

Eventually, I called it a day and decided I’d just wait for the 2034 Winter Olympics, when I’ll be local. My new master plan is to buy up every decent ticket I can and then resell them like all the proper Olympic villains who bought up LA28.

But after teaching another class period, I cooled off and decided to take one more look.

My wife was pretty disappointed we didn’t get tickets, so I went back into the system to see if there was anything left.

Turns out there was.  Not the best events, but events I could live with.

First up: a soccer match before the Games technically start in Columbus, Ohio. It’s on a Monday, so we’ll spend the weekend visiting my mother-in-law and then go to the game. The tickets weren’t too bad, and lodging should be free… unless my mother-in-law decides to monetize the visit and Airbnb the guest room to us.

Then the real Olympic portion.

The following Friday, we fly out to Los Angeles for a small buffet of sports: badminton, judo, baseball, beach volleyball (mixed), women’s basketball, and track.

I’m actually pretty happy about the track session. It’s a medal day and includes the women’s 5K. Judo is also a medal session. The rest are prelims, but that’s fine. You still get to see world-class athletes doing world-class things.

Do I care about badminton? Not even a little.

But hey, table tennis was sold out.

Baseball should be a good day, though –  two games, sunshine, and an excuse to see Dodger Stadium. Track is at the historic Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, which is also pretty cool. It’s also a medal session and includes the Women’s 5K.

The tricky day is beach volleyball from 9 to 12 and basketball from 12 to 2 (also two games). These venues are not exactly neighbors, so we’ll probably have to leave beach volleyball early to make basketball.

My bad.

Depending on what my wife manages to get when her ticket window opens next week, I might unload the basketball tickets on the secondary market.

Still, overall, it should be a great trip.

Truth be told, my wife is way more excited than I am. Personally, I’d rather skip LA and attend the 2032 Olympics abroad if I’m still alive. The 2032 Summer Olympics in Australia sound a lot more interesting.

Though, to be fair, I’ve already been to Australia too, but it’s more interesting to me than L.A.

In any event, I’ve never been to ANY Olympics, and it’ll be an experience.  Plus, not to sound so simpy, but it’ll be a great week in the sun with my wife.