The Hoddle of Coffee: Tottenham Hotspur news and links for Thursday, August 27

Hi, all.

Let’s just get to it.

Ramble of the Day

I have made the point before, but I think it is worth bringing up again: I appreciate immensely the efforts athletes around the world have put in over the last several months, and many have been putting in that effort for an even longer time, to bring attention to the injustices facing Black people. I frequently think about how often we, as a population, quickly make the choice to move on from injustice, and how that choice gets in the way of true progress. Today, I want to spotlight some of those efforts by athletes in the U.S. to keep the spotlight on Jacob Blake and show that Black lives matter.

Below, a statement from the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks, who first made the decision not to play Wednesday, a decision supported by their scheduled opponent Orlando Magic.

Before Wednesday’s slate of WNBA games were not played, the Washington Mystics wore shirts that spelled out Blake’s name. Each shirt has seven red dots on the back because Blake was shot seven times by police. WNBA players have in many ways led the way for athletes when it comes to supporting the Black Lives Matter movement, dedicating this season to Breonna Taylor.

A number of WNBA players did come onto the court for images of solidarity, also.

Former NBA player and current broadcaster Chris Webber says, “We understand it’s not going to end, but that does not mean, young men, that you don’t do anything. Don’t listen to these people telling you, ‘Don’t do anything because it’s not going to end right away.’”

I’ll cap things off today with a message from Blake’s sister, Letetra Widman, from Tuesday. “So many people have reached out to me and my family telling me they’re sorry this happened to my family,” she said. “Well, don’t be sorry ‘cause this has been happening to my family for a long time. Longer than I can account for. It happened to Emmett Till. Emmitt Till is my family. Philando [Castile], Mike Brown, Sandra [Bland] — this has been happening to my family. ... I’m not sad. I’m not sorry. I’m angry.”

Links of the Day

A Paris Saint-Germain player tested positive for COVID-19 ahead of the team’s women’s Champions League semifinal.

Ajax’s Daley Blind was substituted in a friendly after his heart defibrillator went off, but his manager said he was fine after the substitution.

The U.K. picked test events to allow spectators in stadiums, including Brighton’s upcoming preseason friendly and the September FA WSL match between Arsenal and West Ham.

Harry Maguire’s appeal was accepted by a Greek court after he was found guilty of aggravated assault and attempted bribery.

Transfer updates: Chelsea signed Ben Chilwell from Leicester

A longer read: Nick Ames interviews Mathieu Flamini on using his platform as an athlete to combat climate change, and encouraging other athletes to do the same for The Guardian