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Hello, everyone!
We have made it to Friday, which means it is almost time for another match! I hope the next one does not leave this group as disappointed as the last one did.
Ramble of the Day
I have no idea if they have this kind of thing in the U.K. or the other places you nice people come from, so I must introduce you to a strange American sports phenomenon if you are unaware: themed nights.
There are some normal ones, like supporters’ night or pride night, but I am not telling you about this because there are normal ones. I am telling you about this because there are weird ones.
Let’s start with the one I saw yesterday. The Indy Fuel and Cincinnati Cyclones, two teams in the ECHL, are set to have a Nickelodeon themed night, and these are the jerseys they will don:
The @IndyFuel and @CincyCyclones have teamed up for Nickelodeon night.
— Front Office Sports (@frntofficesport) March 8, 2018
The Fuel will be rocking the SpongeBob jerseys, while the Cyclones will don Patrick jerseys. pic.twitter.com/KybekQGE9B
Nickelodeon night is popular with sports teams in America for some reason, and SpongeBob SquarePants is just as popular. The New York Cosmos also had a Nickelodeon night, which was all about SpongeBob SquarePants. They had lots of content, including a scavenger hunt and this:
WATCH @SpongeBob on the pitch with the #NYCosmos. SPONGEBOB NIGHT at MCU Park tomorrow at 7PM! #NYCvNCFC
— New York Cosmos (@NYCosmos) September 22, 2017
- https://t.co/6IW7bcB3ON pic.twitter.com/KxiGDXwoVn
Why is SpongeBob SquarePants everyone’s first pick? Why not The Fairly OddParents, Hey Arnold!, The Wild Thornberrys, or Rugrats? (If you could not tell, those were some of my favorite shows growing up.)
There are some other bizarre choices, too. In MLS, the Philadelphia Union hosted a Star Wars night in 2013, and did a short video of their players reading quotes from some of the films.
Additionally, D.C. United hosted a “Swipe Right night” back in 2015, and their pickup line was, “Find your match at our match!” Tinder users could swipe right and match with the club’s profile, leading to $20 tickets. Plus, there was a “Tinder District” ahead of the match, which included an open bar, Happy Hour games, and a live performance from “90s/2000s coverband, Mr. Blonde.” The Atlanta Hawks of the NBA have also hosted a Swipe Right night.
Outside of football/soccer, here is what I found from a simple Google search, in list form.
- The Toronto Raptors (National Basketball Association) have hosted a Drake Night to honor Toronto’s own Drake.
- The Bakersfield Condors (American Hockey League) had a night called “Undie Sunday,” where people threw underwear onto the ice.
- The Dallas Mavericks (National Basketball Association) had a “Redhead Night,” with an appearance from Ronald McDonald.
- The Albuquerque Isotopes (Pacific Coast League, minor league baseball) had a Better Call Saul Night, and had jerseys with Bob Odenkirk’s face on them.
The Albuquerque Isotopes will be wearing these "Better Call Saul" jerseys later this summer https://t.co/JNWoYJBJyM pic.twitter.com/SnevQS7aK2
— Chris Creamer (@sportslogosnet) February 25, 2016
American sports are weird.
Links of the Day
Thousands of people gathered in Florence for Davide Astori’s funeral, from Fiorentina fans to players from other teams in Serie A.
Phil Neville is going to give the FA an earful after they booked economy class flights for their women’s team while the men’s team flies first class.
Italy and Juventus captain Sara Gama is now a Barbie doll.
Today’s longer read: Simon Kuper on France’s favorite son, Zinedine Zidane, for ESPN