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Hello, all!
I imagine we’re feeling better than we have previously. Weird, isn’t it?
Ramble of the Day
I remain fascinated by footballers’ interests outside of sport, be it in the world of business or otherwise. Yesterday, I stumbled upon the fact that Lionel Messi may have joined the likes of Mousa Dembélé and Ryan Giggs with having involvement in some hotels, and that it isn’t actually news. (I’m just behind.)
Messi shared these pictures on his Instagram story yesterday, very clearly advertising for Hotel MiM Mallorca. He also linked to the account to that hotel, which looks lovely. It definitely isn’t unheard of for famous people to do promotion for hotels, but Messi isn’t just advertising for this hotel — he owns the hotel, and a few other hotels under the umbrella of the Majestic Hotels Group, a company from Catalonia.
The other two hotels Messi owns are in Sitges and Ibiza, and it appears one in Baqueira will open this winter. The hotel websites describe the hotels as a “lifestyle by Messi and Majestic,” probably not an uncommon description in the hospitality industry, and all have the high level amenities you’d expect from hotels owned by Messi. A couple of notable things about the hotels: the Mallorca one is adults only; the Sitges hotel received certification from the U.S. Green Building Council; and the Ibiza one says it’s the most funky on the island, but the pictures don’t make it appear that way at all. Per reviews on Trip Advisor, the Ibiza hotel has one of Messi’s Ballon d’Or trophies in reception and the Sitges hotel has one of his Golden Boot awards in reception.
Like you’d also imagine for hotels owned by Messi, they are fairly pricey but it appears decent deals do exist. They’re also reviewed well on Trip Advisor — both the Sitges and Ibiza hotels are ranked in the top ten of hotels in their areas, and both have four stars or more. They all look like hotels where you’d enjoy the stay, so well done Messi and partners.
Stay informed, read this: Howard Bryant on the choice then Oakland Athletics player Bruce Maxwell to kneel in 2017, and the Black Lives Matter movement in Major League Baseball since for ESPN
Links of the Day
England World Cup winner Jack Charlton died aged 85.
West Midlands police arrested a 12-year-old after he racially abused Crystal Palace’s Wilfried Zaha on social media.
Australia’s Mile Jedinak retired after a 19 year career.
Parma players are in self isolation after a staff member tested positive for COVID-19, but will play their remaining games as scheduled after all players tested negative.
The MLS match between Toronto FC and D.C. United was pushed a day after two players, who have since been cleared, tested positive for COVID-19.
Additionally: NBC Sports and The Athletic (paywall) reported that MLS and NBA COVID-19 tests are processed faster than those of the general public by one lab in Florida
A longer read: Aria Gerson remembers the 1999 women’s World Cup final in the U.S. and the signs of its large impact in the moment for USA Today