The Hoddle of Coffee: Tottenham Hotspur News and Links for Monday, October 11

Hi, everyone!

I wanted to share this picture of Brighton and Tottenham players from yesterday’s FA WSL match standing in solidarity with their NWSL counterparts against abuse. (Here’s a little more information on the protest itself.)

Ramble of the Day

Last week, the LA Galaxy unveiled a statue of Landon Donovan ahead of the team’s draw against rivals LAFC. The statue, as they tend to be, is maybe not the best recreation of Donovan’s likeness.

Photo by Shaun Clark/Getty Images

I understand that it’s a nice gesture, and I hope Donovan and the Galaxy are happy with the statue’s existence. It does make me reconsider my opinion on Madame Tussauds and wax figures. You know why? They tend to recreate a person’s likeness really well, and have a much better success rate than statue makers do.

For the record, I don’t think the Galaxy should’ve had a wax figure of Donovan erected instead or anything like that. The statue still carries more prestige, and that’s fine. I wonder if the powers that be should switch out of building statues and instead find other ways to pay tribute. Naming stands after people is a nice touch, but there’s a real limit on that. I wonder if a banner in a stadium might be a nice touch, or a plaque or something.

These are just ideas off the top of my head, about a topic I have no particularly deep feelings about. It does, though, say a lot that I gave myself a week to reflect on the thought I had that wax figures might be better than statues and haven’t changed my mind doesn’t feel like a great sign for statues, though.

tl;dr: I think wax figures might be better than statues, at least in terms of recreating someone’s likeness.

Stay informed, read this: Jay Caspian Kang on the umbrella term Asian-American as a false catch-all for a group of people that is incorrectly perceived as a monolith for The New York Times

Links of the Day

France’s Adrien Rabiot tested positive for COVID-19.

MLS suspended Sporting Kansas City’s Felipe Hernandez for betting on matches. He has since undergone treatment for a gambling addiction.

Eight people were arrested after violence during a friendly between the San Jose Earthquakes and Cruz Azul.

A longer read: Hannah Ryan on the lack of protection football’s governing bodies have provided for members of the LGBTQ+ community for CNN