Dear Fabian,
We have deliberately taken our time before writing you this letter because we are loathe to make any rash statements that we may later regret, even once, let alone twice.
It's more than 24 hours now since you completed your messy, faith-destroying move to Manchester City and ensured your new status as Villa Park's public enemy No.1.
But those 'Delph You Snake!' banners, those Facebook clips of fans burning replica shirts bearing your name, those mocking memes on social media all could have been avoided if only you had not laid it on so thick.
If only you had not tried to trumpet yourself as the second coming of commitment, if only you had not awarded yourself the loyal seal of approval.
You could have gone to Manchester City with your reputation intact had you not...
Sport
I was 12 when I helped my NCAFA team, the Orleans Bengals, put together an off-season program aimed at helping kids like me (bullied, angry and socially isolated) develop stronger social skills and a sense of community – both of which are key protective factors to help young people cope with bullying.
I had no idea what I was doing, neither did my mother who was helping administer the program and interestingly enough, my coaches didn’t know exactly what do to either.
Football coaches are in charge and direct their players with authority and command respect and discipline on and off the field. Direction usually starts at the top, with the head coach, filters to the coordinators, down to position coaches and finally to the players. So imagining a scenario where coaches shared program...
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My girlfriend likes to do the classic 'let me pick a movie', then she takes unto an hour to decide what she wants to watch and promptly falls asleep after the first five minutes. So the other day it was her 'turn' to choose a movie and she said lets watch Trainwreck, tired of protesting I agreed and we settled down to watch it.
First of all I had no idea LeBron was in it! Bill Hader is a funny guy who has never seemed to be able to crack a lead role and I wasn't too familiar with Amy Schumer's work either. But upon watching it all three of them shined and if there's an indication of how enjoyable it was it is that my girlfriend stayed up to watch the whole thing.
But LeBron was perhaps my biggest surprise! In a film that also featured sportsman John Cena in a hilarious role, it was...
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Dear Fans,
Friday was a very special day for me.
In my first at-bat against the Tigers, I was fortunate enough to collect the 3,000th hit of my career. At Yankee Stadium.
And it was a home run.
As I was circling the bases at a pace respectful to both my opponents and the game we love, I pinched myself to make sure it was all really happening.
It was.
The ball was really in the right-field stands. I was really in the middle of a home run trot. I was really living this dream.
And all I could think was: I am humbled by the opportunity to be a member of the 3,000-Hit Club, the most important club in sports history. There may be even fewer people in the 600-Homer and 2,000-RBI Clubs I share with only my hero Hank Aaron, but none of them means as much as being a part of...
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Dear José and various Chav$kis—I gotta hand it to you. You've won this thing before a minute of football has even been played. No matter the actual outcome, you've got the inside angle on winning. If Chelsea win, of course, the story is simple: Arsène continues to be a specialist in failure. If Arsenal win, however much this complicates the plot, you can dismiss it in your snide, sneering self-serving way. It's only the Community Shield, after all. No one takes it seriously anymore—that is, if anyone ever did take it seriously in the first place. Yep. That's right. You and Chelsea are in the enviable no-risk position of going into a match whose outcome means nothing. Do whatever you want. Win, lose, it doesn't matter. And yet...In any other season, this might all be true. Then again, this...
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With Ronaldo nominated for the 2014/2015 Best Player In Europe award, it had me wondering and many others for that matter, whether Madrid are pretty fortunate to have him in their team and as a result rely upon his talents too much?
I'm not writing this as a huge Madrid or Ronaldo fan, rather as someone with an interest in football and an opinion on what appears to be happening in European football.
I remember school football and there would always be players who were substantially better than others because of their speed and strength. Of course the standards wouldn't necessarily be very high and this meant the good players truly stood out.
But this gulf in talent isn't something that you expect to see in professional football. Yet the likes of Ronaldo and Messi can truly win...
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Dear Arsenal Football Club
Attention: Stanley Kroenke, Ivan Gazidis and Arsene Wenger.
As a customer, I would like to complain about several issues that need to be addressed and I trust it will be taken sincerely and with utmost concern.
These issues at hand are generally the flippant and apathetic attitude taken towards fans of late. Need I remind you, that Arsenal is and always will be a football club at its core. It is not some kind of faceless, corporate entity through which you can continually abuse and exploit the loyalty and passion of us fans who have been supporting all our lives.
We have been told by CEO Ivan Gazidis over the past few years that there is money and resources to be spent on top players to bolster and strengthen our squad, in order to compete at the...
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Dear Mourinho,
Regardless of what our rivals say or think, the truth is that Chelsea was the best team in the premiership last season, organized by one of the best managers of all time in the game of football. Chelsea over the years has grown into one of the big boys of world football, thanks to the emergence of Mr. Abramovich and the arrival of you ‘the special one’, the blue family has grown a lot since then, that is why here in Africa, we do not only support Chelsea but we also love the ‘special one’ so much.
After celebrating our convincing title win last season, we are anticipating a wonderful title defense in the coming season and at least a champions league final. Here are some of the reasons why I personally think we will have a successful title defense;
1. Chelsea is the...
5,926
Gymnastics is one of the hardest, toughest, and most rewarding sports in existence. It pushes you to your breaking point and tests your strength and willpower at all times.
Sometimes you emerge triumphant, other times you feel defeated. The feeling that you get when you finally land a skill you have been working on for weeks, or you nail a perfect routine, or even getting a compliment from your coach are what makes all of the bad days worth it. The feeling of triumph, of knowing that you have accomplished something, is what reminds you how far you have come and how much closer you are to accomplishing your goal.
I love gymnastics. Other than another gymnast, no other person can even begin to fathom the fierce, all-consuming love I feel for this sport. It's more than just a hobby,...
4,496
Dear fans of Manchester United,
I understand that you are busy preparing to watch the team take on Liverpool, and so I thought this would be a good time for me to share my ideas and thoughts with all of you. Why would I do that? Because I think you are the most important part of the institution that is Manchester United, and I want your support as I do whatever it takes to get the club back to where it belongs.
I will admit this – when I took over the role of trainer-coach here, I did not realise how big the club is. I had not imagined how people across the world view the team as their favourite, and I definitely did not know how huge the fan base was. Fair to say it did take me a little by surprise, but that never fazed me. It just meant that I had to work harder to achieve all that I...
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