They Know and They’re Scared

An NFL player sends his friend a damning request:

Today I received this message from a former NFL player

So many current & former players are scared of what this vax is doing to their friends & they’re not allowed to discuss it publicly

I promised him I would be his voice

But my God what is happening to us

This is horrible

You could see what the players on the field at the Bills-Bengals game were thinking: there, but for the grace of God, go I. And a lot of Americans are now beginning to realize what they have done to themselves, and worse, to their children. That’s why the government and the media are pulling out all the stops to save the Narrative.

But it won’t work. The truth will come out.

DISCUSS ON SG


The Most Likely Scenario

Steve Kirsch consults a series of medical experts and reaches a logical and informed conclusion about the recent NFL incident.

There is a lot of speculation on the Internet about whether or not Damar Hamlin will recover from his injury.

I am very sad to report that this is unlikely.

While I very much hope that I am wrong about this, the evidence that is known is not favorable.

The medical experts I consulted believe that there is a high likelihood that Damar Hamlin was brain dead within 10 minutes after he dropped to the ground.

The primary reason for this conclusion is the 9 minutes of CPR. It is simply very rare for someone not to be brain dead at that point. Nobody I talked to has ever heard of such a case. That doesn’t mean it hasn’t happened. It just means it is rare.

I assume that the reason no information on the unfortunate Mr. Hamlin has been released is because the hospital and the league know perfectly well that he has, for all intents and purposes, passed away. However, this is precisely the sort of highly public incident that the pro-vaxx forces have feared from the start, and they are now promulgating as much confusion and nonsense as they can in order to convince people to deny the evidence of their eyes and linking the young man’s sudden death to his vaccination status.

Now, perhaps this is not true and Mr. Hamlin will be released from the hospital tomorrow. We’ll have to wait and see what happens, but Occam’s Razor suggests that reports of Mr. Hamlin’s death due to cardiac arrest will be delayed for a day or three as the Official Story is concocted in order to hide the fact that it was caused by an elevated heart rate + the adverse effects of the vaxx.

DISCUSS ON SG


NFL Game Stopped Mid-Game

A statement from the National Football League:

“Tonight’s Buffalo Bills-Cincinnati Bengals game has been postponed after Buffalo Bills’ Damar Hamlin collapsed. Hamlin received immediate medical attention on the field by team and independent medical staff and local paramedics. He was then transported to a local hospital where he is in critical condition.

“Our thoughts are with Damar and the Buffalo Bills. We will provide more information as it becomes available. The NFL has been in constant communication with the NFL Players Association, which is in agreement with postponing the game.”

The time in which the media and the medical community is going to be able to credibly deny the pernicious nature of the vaxx is rapidly vanishing. The government, of course, may be a different story, given the way that they’re just beginning to get around to admitting some aspects of the truth of a famous event in 1963.

UPDATE: We know the media is attempting to cover this up because the “tremendous hit” narrative is totally false. On Sunday, Brock Purdy, the quarterback of the 49ers, was hit by the Raiders approximately 200 times harder than Hamlin was.

DISCUSS ON SG


The Greatest is Gone

Pelé, the Brazilian king of soccer who won a record three World Cups and became one of the most commanding sports figures of the last century, died Thursday. He was 82

Pelé was the epitome of the Beautiful Game. He was as gracious as he was graceful, and he was less beloved for his unparalleled athletic abilities than for his joyful and magnanimous spirit. He will not only be remembered by Brazilians, but by soccer fans around the world.

Requiscat in pace.

DISCUSS ON SG


When There is Nothing to Play For

Play to win anyhow. Peter King writes about a meaningless game from fifteen years ago.

Fifteen years ago this week, on Dec. 29, 2007, the 15-0 New England Patriots traveled to New Jersey to try to finish an undefeated season against the New York Giants, who, in a playoff sense, had nothing to play for. They were locked in as the fifth seed in the NFC playoffs, due to play at Tampa Bay in the first round of the playoffs, win or lose in Week 17.

It’s one of the best regular-season games I’ve covered as a football writer, which is paradoxical. Why was a game with two teams locked into their playoff positions so good? The Patriots had clinched home-field advantage through the AFC playoffs entering that night, yet played like it was a playoff game because of the potential for an undefeated season. The Giants, after beating Buffalo the previous weekend, also had nothing to play for.

Tom Coughlin doesn’t play meaningless games, however. I’m glad to see the Giants’ coach that day has written a book now, A Giant Win (written with Greg Hanlon, Grand Central Publishing) to commemorate that championship season for the franchise—with special attention paid to the Saturday night game on the final weekend of that regular season.

Coughlin on the game, and on his decision to play his full team against the Patriots:

“As soon as we won the previous week, you know how this goes because it’s scripted somewhere for the writers. ‘OK, coach, you gonna play your starters against New England?’ It started right away. I listened to that a little bit. I thought to myself, ‘We are the New York Giants. We are the flagship team of the National Football League. We are red, white and blue. I am not going to allow that future historians would look back upon this game, where the Giants would play the Patriots, the Patriots having a chance to have an undefeated season, and the New York Giants do not put their best foot forward. We are going to play our starters. We are going to play to win.’

“When I told our team that on Monday, they rallied. They wanted to play against the 15-0 New England Patriots. If you remember, we’re leading in the fourth quarter. We got the lead. It’s one of those games where, they beat us, but when we walked off, we knew we could play with them.”

In the eyes of many, it was a 35-38 Giants’ victory over New England. Coaches hate moral victories, but this was one for the Giants. It was also memorable for New England, of course, finishing a perfect 16-0 regular season by beating back a gallant bid for a big upset by a heavy underdog. I remember Tom Brady and Randy Moss in the New England locker room post-game. They couldn’t stop smiling. Brady was downright giddy.

He wouldn’t be giddy five weeks later, but that’s another story. When I spoke to Coughlin recently about the game, it was a pre-dawn memory the next day that stood out.

“I gotta tell you one more story because this is what will be most meaningful,” he said. “It was a great performance. I’m really proud of my team. That’s a team that’s 16-0, we know we can play with them. All that stuff. Next morning at 5 o’clock I come into my office and I see the red light’s on the phone. A voicemail. I pick up the phone and it’s John Madden. He’s saying, ‘Tom, I just wanted to call. Because I want you to know that is the greatest thing that’s happened to the NFL in the last 10 years.’ He said, ‘This is the National Football League—we don’t NOT play our players. We owe a responsibility to our fans to perform every day. That’s what you did. I’m just so proud to be a part of that. I’m so proud of what you’ve accomplished and what your team has accomplished.’ He said, ‘I’m very emotional right now. But I want you to know how I felt.’ I played it for my team in our next team meeting. It was moving. Very moving.”

The two teams met in the Super Bowl. The Giants beat the previously 18-0 Patriots, 17-14.

This historical anecdote is a useful reminder that excellence has its roots in effort. And success isn’t just luck combined with talent, it’s also a consequence of positive philosophy.

DISCUSS ON SG


2-2 (4-2)

Argentina have won the World Cup. Congratulations to the Albiceleste and their fans. It’s good to see a national team that actually represents its nation win, instead of the team that represents the state that successfully imports the best Africans. And while it was a fun and exciting tournament, one is left with one conclusion.

Too many penalties. So many penalties.

The game really should not be designed to encourage teams to build their offense around playing for fouls in the box.

DISCUSS ON SG


Death at the World Cup

We don’t know it was the vaxx… but it was the vaxx. Grant Wahl, the dean of American soccer journalism, is dead at 48.

Grant Wahl, a former Sports Illustrated senior writer, died Friday in Qatar while covering the 2022 World Cup. He was 48. Wahl is survived by his wife, Dr. Céline Gounder, and two dogs, Zizou (named after French soccer legend Zinedine Zidane) and Coco, who readers came to know over the years through Wahl’s coverage of the sport.

In a joint statement, SI’s co-editors in chief, Ryan Hunt and Stephen Cannella, said: “We’re shocked and devastated at the news of Grant’s passing. We were proud to call him a colleague and friend for two decades—no writer in the history of SI has been more passionate about the sport he loved and the stories he wanted to tell. Our hearts go out to Céline and his family, as well as everyone who loved his work. He will always be part of the SI family.”

Wahl spent 24 years at SI, joining in November 1996. Two years in, as a budding reporter, he volunteered to cover a growing game that few around SI’s offices cared about: soccer. He covered the World Cup in France that summer and quickly worked his way up to a senior writer for the publication in 2000. Eventually he would become one of the most respected soccer authorities in the world.

He was an excellent sportswriter, and he died with his boots on:

American sports journalist Grant Wahl, who died unexpected while covering the World Cup in Qatar, was in good spirits and joking with colleagues just minutes before his sudden death, an eyewitness said. Wahl, 48, died after he “fell ill” at the Lusail Stadium in the final minutes of the FIFA World Cup quarterfinal game between the Netherlands and Argentina Friday, a Qatari spokesperson said.

His SI colleague John Wertheim remembers him. RIP.

DISCUSS ON SG


Goodbye Brazil

And this is why no Brazilian has ever considered Neymar to be anywhere near Pele’s level despite setting the all-time scoring record for the Selecao. Nice goal in extra time, to be sure, but scoring just one goal in 120 minutes is a very bad idea against a team as good at taking penalties as Croatia.

FIFA’s dream final of Portugal (Ronaldo) vs Argentine (Messi) is still possible.

DISCUSS ON SG


The Ultimate Troll

“It truly has been a second home to me.”
–Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers, on Soldier Field, after the Packers beat Chicago 28-19

You really have to keep in mind the context here. Because, with yesterday’s victory, the Green Bay Packers finally surpassed the Chicago Bears for the most NFL wins by a franchise. Both teams entered the game with 786 wins; the Packers now have 787. The New York Giants are in third place at 713. This is the first time the Bears haven’t led the NFL in all-time wins since 1921, when they were known as the Decatur Staleys.

DISCUSS ON SG


Banzai!

  1. Japan
  2. Spain
  3. Germany
  4. Costa Rica

Needless to say, I did NOT see that coming! I still think Spain is the obvious favorite; that was Spain’s B team that lost 2-1 to a very spirited Japan team that absolutely merited both the game and the group. Japan has been the most entertaining team of the tournament so far. And it’s both unexpected and extremely satisfying to see that the Gerfrican team, which looked like a joint German-Ghanaian effort, is going home without even reaching the knockout stage.

DISCUSS ON SG