Categories
Sports Tech

Cryptocurrency Mania Comes to the Premier League?

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File under: Life in 2018, cryptocurrency edition:

My favorite Premier League team, Arsenal, now shows ads at its grounds for Cashbet Coin, which bills itself as the club’s “official cryptocurrency partner.”

I did a little digging.

Apparently I missed this Reuters story from January:

English soccer team Arsenal is entering the cryptocurrency world by signing a deal to promote new digital tokens being sold by an American gaming software company.

California-based CashBet said on Wednesday that the Premier League club had agreed to become its “exclusive and official Blockchain Partner” ahead of the upcoming “initial coin offering” (ICO) of its new cryptocurrency, “CashBet Coin”.

The partnership makes Arsenal “the first major team in world football to officially partner with a cryptocurrency”, CashBet said in a statement.

Who knew?

Categories
Misc. Sports

Is This Arsenal’s Year?

Alexis Sanchez just scored a panenka in the 98th minute to secure three points for #Arsenal and move into second place — after Arsenal gave up a foolish penalty just a few minutes earlier in stoppage time. 

Chelsea have a five point lead with a game in hand. 

But still. 
But still:
Could this be our year? 

UPDATE: Naturally, Chelsea won and the gap is back to eight points. As you were. 

Categories
Sports

Video: Italians Try to Pronounce Wojciech Szczesny’s Name

With the recent signing of goalkeeper Petr Cech — see my previous post and bold prediction — it looks like Arsenal’s Wojciech Szczesny is heading to AS Roma on loan.

This tweet from football writer James Horncastle alerted me to an excellent video in which Roma fans try to pronounce their new Polish goalkeeper’s name.

The video is embedded above and online here.

For the record, here’s how you say his name:

Categories
Sports

Petr Cech: The Signing that Will Win Arsenal the Premier League Title

I’m calling it right here, right now.*

Arsenal signing world-class goalkeeper Petr Cech from Chelsea is the move that will lead to their eventual Premier League triumph.

The 33-year-old — just entering is his goalkeeping prime — is said to be in final talks with the North London club, and could be unveiled today.

Maybe they won’t win the title this season, for reigning champs Chelsea look too strong. But perhaps next.

Arsenal’s other top goalkeepers, Wojciech Szczęsny and David Ospina, are excellent. But Cech is a step above. He is more consistent than Szczęsny and commands his box better than Ospina.

This is the kind of signing that, along with a strong defensive midfielder, will give Arsenal the defensive fortifications to finally match their attacking prowess.

(*I am fully aware that as an Arsenal supporter and a life-long goalkeeper, this analysis may be colored by my emotions.)

Categories
Sports

Arsenal Players + Durian = Funny

English Premier League sides Arsenal, Everton and Stoke are coming here to Singapore in July for some pre-season exhibition matches.

Ahead of the trip, Arsenal players were asked to try the notoriously stinky durian fruit, native to Southeast Asia. Love their reactions.

The video is embedded above and on YouTube here.