The Hoddle of Coffee: Tottenham Hotspur News and Links for Tuesday, September 14

Hi, all!

At the top of today’s Hoddle is goalkeeper Becky Spencer.

Ramble of the Day

The Met Gala made its big return last night, and it continues to be an event with a little something for everyone. High fashion may not be your thing, but a widening definition of celebrity means that plenty of sportspeople end up in attendance. The most relevant sport around here is football, and lucky for us (or me, the person looking for an easy enough Hoddle topic), there were a few people from that world at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

As I begin a roundup of the football people at this year’s Met Gala, it’s important I mention the three questions I ask about a given Met Gala look: Does it reference the theme, in this year’s case In America: A Lexicon of Fashion, in a creative way? Is it actually interesting? Is it cool? Many attendees don’t look at dressing up for the Met Gala the same way, but it really is the one place where it doesn’t seem worth walking the red carpet if you’re not going to make an impact.

Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images

Let’s begin with Megan Rapinoe, the lone active footballer at the Met Gala this year. She turned up in a suit by Sergio Hudson that definitely fits the theme and is mildly interesting, but I wish I could call it cool. The clutch is a very nice interpretation of the theme, though.

Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images

Former youth footballer Brooklyn Beckham was in attendance, and I must be blunt: this is the most boring outfit anyone wore.

Photo by ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images

Beckham is hardly alone in serving boring looks on the Met Gala red carpet. Angel City founding investor Alexis Ohanian is just another example, though thankfully the last on this roundup. Fellow founding investor Serena Williams did her best to make up for a lack of effort on her husband’s part, showing up in a Gucci ensemble that she said referenced superheroes. Superhero stories are definitely baked into American culture, and a cape provides a great base for a fashion designer to make something high impact. I’ll give her full marks for this one.

Photo by John Shearer/WireImage

I’ll end the roundup with North Carolina Courage co-owner Naomi Osaka, one of the event’s co-chairs this year. Her Louis Vuitton look was actually designed by her sister Mari, who told Vogue that the look was a nod to their mixed Haitian-Japanese heritage and America serving as a meeting point of many cultures. I love the way the theme was interpreted, it is unquestionably interesting. I’d opt to call it weird rather than cool, but I can’t get offended by a Met Gala look that’s weird.

tl;dr: A recap of the football people (who obviously have no other claims to fame) at the Met Gala.

Stay informed, read this: tennis player Venus Williams on taking care of her “whole self” and prioritizing her mental health for The New York Times

Links of the Day

A Chelsea supporter was caught in a video directing sectarian comments towards Aston Villa’s John McGinn.

England’s Esme Morgan will miss this month’s World Cup qualifiers with a shin injury.

A longer read: Jamie Fahey on sexism in futsal, spotlighted through a letter sent by female footballers to FIFA for the Guardian