Actually a Sports Blog

Maybe this is just my opinion, but Russian sports need long-lasting consequences. Several things need to be put in place to let Russia know that launching an unprovoked peacetime invasion of a neighboring country is never okay.  Some of these might seem more severe than others, but if that's what it takes to get them to understand that some actions have more consequences then others, then so be it. 1. Revoke their UEFA membership.  For some people, this might be a step too far, which I understand. But maybe taking them out of UEFA for an undetermined length of time- and thereby meaning that they can't compete in European soccer for that length of time- will maybe tell them that if they deploy their military unprovoked and invade a neighboring country during peacetime, they won't be able to compete in international sporting competitions. Peace, after all, is one of the big parts of international sport. Short-term, it means they would miss out on the League of Nations and po...

Why are Russia only suspended from U21 Euros qualifying? To me, suspension from the tournament is too much of a short-term consequence- not only that, a suspension can be lifted at any time. And this is compounded by the fact that the U21 Euros next summer are the continental qualifier for Paris 2024 men's soccer.   So here's what I suggest FIFA does: remove Russia from the U21 Euros qualifiers. As a result, Russia can't qualify for Paris 2024 in men's soccer. I'm thinking that will be much more of a consequence than saying "you can't play in the tournament  now , but maybe in a couple of months".  Why is Russia in the EuroBasket field?  This years' EuroBasket tournament is scheduled for September and, surprisingly, Russia are not only in the field but are in Group A for the opening round. Which begs the question of why ?  As with the above answer, this seems like not even a short-term consequence. FIBA (the international governing body for basketb...

Asia Third round action will conclude in March. Currently, Iran, Japan, Saudi Arabia and South Korea are in the auto-qualifier spots  Europe Playoff semifinals: March 24th Playoff finals: March 29th The playoff winners will join Belgium, Croatia, Denmark, England, France, Germany, Netherlands, Serbia, Spain and Switzerland in the World Cup  North/Central America/Caribbean With six matchdays remaining, there's no room for error as just six points separate second (auto qualifying) from fifth (staying home). Canada, United States and Mexico are the current top three, with Mexico's goal differential v. Panama the reason El Tri's in third and Panama is currently in the playoff spot  South America With four matchdays remaining, only Brazil and Argentina have sealed World Cup spots. It will more than likely come down to the wire for the final two remaining spots, with just two points separating fourth-placed Colombia (final auto spot) from eighth-placed Bolivia  Africa The ...

Lightweight: Islam Makhachev v. Beneil Dariush If you look at the lightweight title picture, it's fairly straightforward right now.  Dustin Poirier is fighting for the title next month.  Justin Gaethje is facing Michael Chandler this weekend.  Makhachev won his ninth straight this past weekend but there's another person who's put together a seven-fight win streak, most recently decisioning Tony Ferguson: Beneil Dariush. Rather than have Makhachev wait and face the loser of Gaethje-Chandler, match him up with Dariush. This effectively means that the winner would need one more fight before fighting for the title.   Welterweight: Khamzat Chimaev v. Edwards-Masvidal loser I can understand wanting to rush Chimaev into a title shot at welterweight especially given Usman's dominance at the top of the 170 pack and the overall trend of striking while the iron is hot. However, although Chimaev's resume is impressive up to this point with a 10-0 record and all ten wins com...

Best: Buffalo Bills One of two teams with less than 100 points yielded (along with New Orleans) One of two teams with more than 200 points scored (along with Dallas) In the Middle: Kansas City Chiefs Only four teams have scored more points so far this season, but they're only ahead of three teams in terms of fewest points yielded   Worst: Miami Dolphins The only team in the bottom five of both most points scored and fewest points yielded   Best Offense: Dallas Cowboys They lead the NFL with 205 points  Worst Offense: New York Jets The have just 67 points in five games for just under two touchdowns per game Best Defense: New Orleans They've allowed 91 points in five games, or around 18 points per   Worst Defense: Washington With 186 points given up in six games, that's a little over four TDs a game   

1. New Orleans (91) 2. Buffalo (98) 3. Arizona (109) 4. Cincinnati (111) 5. San Francisco (119) 6. NY Jets/Carolina (121) 7. Baltimore (123) 8. Chicago (124) 9. New England/Denver/LA Rams (127) 10. Indianapolis (131) 11. Pittsburgh (132) 12. Green Bay (136) 13. Minnesota (137) 14. Las Vegas/Tampa Bay (144) 15. Dallas (146) 16. Atlanta (148) 17. Seattle (149) 18. LA Chargers (150) 19. Philadelphia (152) 20. Tennessee (161) 21. Cleveland (165) 22. Houston/Jacksonville/Detroit (172) 23. Kansas City (176) 24. Miami/NY Giants (177) 25. Washington (186)

1. Dallas (205) 2. Buffalo (203) 3. Tampa Bay (195)  4. Arizona (194) 5. Kansas City (185) 6. LA Rams (179) 7. Cleveland (173) 8. Baltimore (170) 9. Tennessee (166) 10. Cincinnati/LA Chargers (148) 11. Minnesota/Green Bay/Las Vegas (147)   12. Green Bay (144) 13. Carolina (143) 14. Denver/Seattle (140) 15. Indianapolis (139) 16. Philadelphia (137)  17. Washington (136) 18. New Orleans (127) 19. New England (125) 20. Pittsburgh/San Francisco (117) 21. Jacksonville (116) 22. NY Giants (114)  23. Detroit (109) 24. Atlanta (105) 25. Miami (99) 26. Chicago (98) 27. Houston (92) 28. NY Jets (67)