aeolianblues

I’m only into football for my Scottish friends when they’re clearly enjoying an English team in agony. I’m only into football when my Welsh friends are experiencing untold euphoria seeing Wales qualify for their first major international tournament since 1958 (Euro 16). I’m only into football when I’m arm-in-arm with Canadian MNT fans in tears watching a team and community build around us in realtime. I’m a football fan when I’m on a plane back from New York watching a sea of red jerseys say, we never had a chance against Argentina, but I admire the way they hung on (Copa 24). I am into football when we see decades of advocacy finally give women a half shot at equal footing and create fans out of little girls and heroes out of the women on the field. I am only a football fan in the way Carlos O’Connell went on telly in the UK wearing his native España jersey the day after England lost the Euros. Icon and legend.

If American comms keep saying ‘semai finals’ I’ll have to revoke their right to host 2026

one of my highlights of the T20 World Cup has been hearing the North American accents in a cricket setting. Come. Join us. Come over to the dark side, we relish in the anguish and the beauty ;) ❤️

Congrats to a guy of all time

*emerges drenched in blood* GOD I LOVE SPORT

The image of Rohit Sharma with his arm round Quentin de Kock’s head, consoling and comforting him and his kid will be one of the enduring images of this World Cup.

Also Rohit recreating the moon landing by digging up the outfield and planting an Indian flag, will also remain an image etched in my mind for a very long time.

I love cricket. I love sport. I love commentators that describe a bowled ball as a 'beauty'. I love sporting rivalries. I love the patterns and the narratives that build: favourite grounds, decades-old curses and chokers, overcoming history; people lounging in the sun, decked out in paint and flags, holding homemade signs forming friendships with people they'd never have otherwise met. I love how long cricket runs. I love that you can genuinely escape all reality for a whole day.

I am about cricket jerseys the way Elis James is about Welsh football kits. On that note, England cricket peaked with the 2013 Champions Trophy kit. The red with the noticeable blue? Delish. The red and white alone lacks that punch, honestly. What good is having the Union Jack if you're not even going to incorporate the nicer bits of its colour scheme into your jersey.

—Grian Chatten on his relationship with poetry and football, ABC’s ‘Take 5’ programme, Feb 2023

I'm being so serious when I say that the US' understanding of international geography, culture and politics would increase tenfold if they as a nation were more exposed to or interested in world sport. If US Americans paid attention to international football (soccer) they'd 100% know where Ecuador is. If they were keen on watching pre/post match interviews and analyses they'd know that Brazilians speak Portuguese. If they went/had friends who travelled for away games to Chile they'd know more about Chilean politics and would even be sympathetic to events happening outside the US.

"World champions" = 10 US cities + Toronto; "we only watch HOCKEY because it's a MAN'S sport and sahccer players are WEAK" nah. Bullshit narrative. Your people in power probably know the power of sports in connecting and educating people, bringing them together in solidarity over shared powerful moments of sporting emotion.

"I'm sorry but most Americans aren't ever able to leave their state or travel" —international sport. I know an ungodly amount about New Zealand and it's not because I've ever been there, it's because I'm obsessed with their cricket team

I literally plan on using this video to reply to ev-er-y-thing from now on

BREAKING: Old man at Wimbledon finds solution to the rain stoppage that has long plagued outdoor sports: boo at it, because if booing at the temporary interruption of two people swatting a ball with a pole has been effective against Just Stop Oil protesters, what's the harm in giving it a go against the elements

Really sucks how such a moment of joy and national celebration must be tempered because FIFA doesn't know how to behave itself. This could've been so good. My team are in the World Cup after 40 years. We could be so proud. I don't think we're watching, really. It doesn't feel right. It could have been so good, it saddens me.

Microdosing on sports outside my timezone and coverage area by reading some of your Tumblr blogs