Hello everyone and welcome to the weekly edition of the Sportstalk show case where we highlight posts that deserve a mention. The aim is to cast a spot light not only on the sports tribe in general, but also showing other Hive users what we have and that is quality posts that are interesting. All of these posts are live meaning they all fall within the 7 day period for curation. Most of these posts are highly rewarded already so a follow would be a welcome result if you find a particular author or topic you enjoy.
A very different type of post from @ga38jem who talks about the various footballs used in the World Cups. Balls are one way that can influence how teams perform as they are definitely not all the same. In other sports like cricket or rugby nothing changes as balls are basically standard. I know at the 2015 Rugby World Cup the ball pressure was tampered with so kicking was not going to dominate the tournament. I am against that sort of thing as I kind of think that is cheating as who made the final decision and who benefitted the most?
A football having certain grooves or the make up of the ball through stitching and patterns can change the trajectory in the air. Balls can dip or swing/curve and why all the teams take time to get used to them. This is a ploy by the ball manufacturers to keep adapting and evolving in order to create sales. The sponsoring of equipment like the match ball is all about sales and the more talked about the better for the cash registers. During the 2010 World Cup I got to visit a few teams as they needed certain sporting equipment which we sold them. Each team will literally have hundreds of the tournament balls to practice with and why arriving 2 weeks before the first match is so important. My view is a ball should be standard no matter the branding and should be the individual skill of the player to be able to bend the ball in the air.
@olawalium discusses his favorite team Manchester United and makes some very valid points. The team hasn't improved all season and this is down to attitude. If you are struggling for form you train harder and is never an enjoyable aspect of the game, but a necessity. Training sets the tone for the matches that follow and if the training is not taken seriously then you will encounter problems. I can recall my rugby team going through a difficult patch and we trained harder with no days off as work has to be done to make things right or you will never improve. This applies to the professionals no matter what the name says on your shirt. @olawalium watched a training session and raised the question why players were smiling and laughing knowing the team is failing as this is no laughing matter. The problem with the team lies with their attitude and nothing else. A new manager can fix this very quickly but we all know the big names wont like that and why the team has gone through so many managers over the years. Discipline and teaching the players a lesson knocking them down a peg or two would be the only way or to get rid of them and start a fresh. A real eye opener of a post and is spot on with his thoughts.
@jobiker is off on his travels yet again and can understand after the lockdown periods we have all endured. This time it is Jakarta in Indonesia for a bit of surfing on a budget. How can anyone argue with accommodation and 3 meals per day for $10 as that is for nothing. In many places $10 wont even get you into a city as the train fare is more expensive than that. Kind of envious as I don't know any cheap destinations and must be living in the wrong place. Looking forward to @jobiker and his follow up posts regarding this trip.
@empress-eremmy discusses something that is guaranteed in every sports persons career and that is of retirement. Time always catches up with you and knowing when the best time to bow out is very important. Some professionals will try and cling on forever wrecking their image along the way. There are too many sad retirement stories with many having nothing for after their career is over. The smart athletes will either retire financially because they can or have another leg in their career doing something else. A name can only be used for so long and why going out at the top of your career is the smartest and best way to act.
@wolfgangsport always has interesting sporting topics and this is just another example. There are many spirting names out there that don't sound quite right yet they are their real names. I am sure the parents had a fun time when choosing their kids names as who would come up with Max Power or a Wolfgang Wolf. We have a rugby player in SA called Pepsi Buthelezi which makes you start wondering why or how that even happened. Surnames you can do nothing about as that is what you are born with, but first names is all down to your parents and if they have sense of humor or not. Some are good for marketing I suppose but I would not be overjoyed if I was called Max and my surname was Power. I had a customer in London who I will never forget and his surname was Gotobed and had to ask him a few times if he was serious or not.
Thanks yet again to the entire sportstalk community for making the curating of the tribe such an enjoyable task. I never know what to expect next and you learn so much by just reading which keeps me entertained for hours. Until next time have a great week and stay active.
