Free Republic

SUPER BOWL LIX: Live Thread Your home for all things Fool's Ball! In Memoriam Danny Lee (BENDER2)

He saw it I saw it. Everybody saw it. VIDEO AT LINK...................

The only thing hotter than a ticket for the Bills-Chiefs AFC title game might be football fans' hatred for referees' perceived partiality toward the Chiefs. I caught wind of a penalty trend from Warren Sharp (Sharp Football Analysis) via ESPN and had to see for myself just how rare it was historically. Turns out, Kansas City is in rare air. The Chiefs have gone 11 straight playoff games without committing more penalties than their opponents, the longest streak by any team in the last 30 years. The only teams with longer streaks in playoff history were the 1970-82 Dolphins (18)...

What a Juan-der-ful holiday season it will be for the Mets. In a move that will reverberate through not just MLB, but the entire worldwide sports landscape, Juan Soto agreed to a record 15-year contract worth $765 million with the Mets on Sunday, according to sources, to usher in the Winter Meetings. The deal eclipses the $700 million contract over 10 years (which included significant deferrals) that Shohei Ohtani received from the Dodgers last winter. MLB valued that deal at $460 million in present-day value because of the deferrals. SNIP The Yankees pushed hard to re-sign Soto, with managing partner...

BREAKING: Superstar outfielder Juan Soto and the New York Mets are in agreement on a 15-year, $765 million contract, sources tell ESPN. It is the largest deal in professional sports history. Juan Soto's 15-year, $765 million deal with the New York Mets includes no deferred money, according to sources, and has escalators that can reach above $800 million.

From the Kingdom of Nye, as Art Bell would say, and following up on my yesterday's UFO report... Ex-officials allege US reverse-engineered alien tech for ‘secretive arms race’ Further expanding upon our coverage of the November 13 House subcommittee hearing, witnesses, including former Pentagon officials, claimed that the U.S. government had withheld extensive information on unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAPs)—more commonly known as unidentified flying objects (UFOs)—for decades.

Congress met Wednesday to discuss "Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena" in order to "further pull back the curtain on secret UAP research programs conducted by the US government, and undisclosed findings they have yielded."

It's easy to forget how little protection there is for free speech around the world. Especially in countries like Brazil, where one Supreme Court justice can effectively take over making and enforcing laws at will. That's exactly what Alexandre de Moraes, the Brazilian minister of the Supreme Federal Court, has done during his tenure, culminating in his recent unilateral ruling banning X (formerly Twitter) across Brazil and imposing heavy fines for anyone found using the app. All of this stems from de Moraes' disagreement with Elon Musk, his extreme, anti-free speech views, and willingness to use authoritarian measures to enforce...

The greed is unreal. When football fans realized that it costs a whopping $679.99 for NFL Sunday Ticket through the Apple Store, or $739.99 if you decide to bundle in NFL RedZone, a ton of them went absolutely bonkers in anger. The ridiculous prices were revealed by NBC Sports’ ProFootballTalk, and understandably so, it set off a reaction of rage among the NFL‘s fanbase. And to nobody’s surprise, that $679.99 price tag (or $739.99) to watch through Apple TV, iPads, iPhones and other Apple devices is the highest price out of all streaming services. Because of course it is. It...

The NFL is close to finalizing a deal with Netflix to carry its upcoming Christmas Day slate. That's fine. Netflix costs anywhere between $6.99 and $22.99 a month. However, Netflix is yet another bill that fans have to pay to watch the NFL closely this season. Let's review: Viewers still need basic cable to watch games on CBS, NBC, Fox, ESPN, ABC and NFL Network. Did we miss any? Cable options include YouTube TV, DirectTV, Dish, Xfinity, AT&T, Spectrum, etc. etc. On average, cable costs around $80 a month. **SNIP** To watch the NFL this season, you need cable (ESPN,...

I learned a few days ago that tonight is the start of the NFL Draft. For many years this date was marked on my calendar months out, and today I don't even now in which city it will be held. That was then; this is now. It's hard to believe that it's been almost four years since I got tired of being insulted by the NFL and walked away from decades of fandom. Then two years later the league was kind enough to offer several reasons to affirm my decision. So now we check in at 2024, and the league...

Super Bowl LVIII: Live Thread Your home for all things Fool's Ball! In Memoriam Danny Lee (BENDER2)

The Caleb Williams saga is going to be one that we're going to get tired of quickly. It's a unique situation. As long as Williams stays healthy and doesn't completely shit the bed, he will go number one in next year's draft. He's already got a Heisman Trophy, and now it seems like he's making demands. About a month back, it was reported that Williams would consider staying in college if the Cardinals ended up with the number one overall pick. I think that's such an insane thing to entertain. It was like the first week of the season, why...

Fool's Ball Week 4!!!!!!!!!! Your home for all things Fool's Ball! In Memoriam Danny Lee (BENDER2)

The 2023 Pro Bowl introduced a new format that eliminated the traditional tackle football all-star game that we’ve seen in years past. With players putting forth only a marginal effort and so many players opting out in the name of health and safety, the Pro Bowl simply hasn’t meant what it did in years past. The NFL’s attempt at fixing this event featured skills challenges for several major position groups on Thursday night, then capped things off Sunday with three flag football games coached by the Manning brothers and a few more skills competitions. Yesterday, Chris asked if you guys...

I went ballistic when I first saw this. The “NFL is rigged” conversation has been happening for years now, but with how things went down in the Jan. 29 AFC Championship Game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Cincinnati Bengals (specifically with the officiating), the talks have ratcheted up. And now, former Houston Texans and Miami Dolphins running back Arian Foster is getting involved, throwing some fuel into the fire with one statement: “The league is scripted.” Speaking on his “Macrodosing” podcast with PFT Commenter, Foster elaborated on an off-air comment alleging that NFL players receive a script. “We were...

The NFL Pro Bowl is going to look different this year. Rather than an exhibition game, the league is doing a showcase of sorts, with flag football being the flagship event, so to speak.

The rookie quarterback who has surprised NFL observers by guiding the San Francisco 49ers to the NFC Championship says his Christian faith has given him peace and confidence amidst the spotlight. Rookie Brock Purdy started the season as the 49ers' third-string quarterback but became the starter in early December due to a string of injuries, guiding his team to an undefeated December. On Sunday, he led his team to a 19-12 victory over rival Dallas in the playoffs and into an NFC Championship game at Philadelphia. The winner goes to the Super Bowl. Purdy, who played at Iowa State, is...

[Note: for those who could care less about the NFL or football in general in this forum, you can skip this thread] Oh, to be in the board room of the National Football League right now. All thought are on the player Damar Hamlin. Our thoughts and prayers go out, and this Bills fan has been receiving support from around the country from friends and family. But with that said, it’s going to be asked: What to do with the rest of the NFL season? [Full disclosure: Bills fan for 43 years] The complications are manifested by the importance of...

Maybe "go woke go broke" is something that the "wokes" should take a look at. How many more in-your-face messages do you need? Last week, I read that 2022 was "an annus horribilis" for the people who make movies: Major studios, streamers, cable providers, and other media giants lost a combined $542 billion in market value in 2022, with left-wing studios the Walt Disney Co., Netflix, and Comcast accounting for the bulk of the bloodshed.You don't need to speak Latin to know that losing that kind of money makes it "an annus horribilis.” Maybe the next movie from Hollywood is...