Spain’s football association president Luis Rubiales plans to resign after the kiss

Update from August 24th: According to several reports Luis Rubiales plans to resign.

Spain’s triumph in the World Cup final Yesterday brought some joy to fans given what had happened over the past year. Still, it was hard to suppress the appreciation for what the players had accomplished with so much enthusiasm, skill and pride. They have certainly earned the supporters’ affection and recognition at the frustration of those above them, whether in the coaching chair or at FA headquarters.

But man, was that put to the test immediately afterwards:

I’m not going to pretend to know if FA President Luis Rubiales was deliberately playing a power game or just being a historical idiot, but that doesn’t matter. He’s clearly a guy who never thought he was wrong and has little patience for anyone who might suggest he might be wrong. We know that due to the quick rebuttal, the 15 players who gave up their national team duties instead of playing under the same conditions were forgiven. It was never about listening to the players or evaluating their complaints and proposed changes, it was always about asserting power and defining the same roles as always. Did he intend to (He finally apologizedRubiales’ forced kiss on Jenni Hermoso was certainly a testament to how he thinks things work in Spanish football and women’s football. He’ll do what he wants and the players just have to persevere because he’s the boss. Known waiver in many places. Oh, and it’s assault. It should probably be mentioned that this is an attack.

It’s hoped that players can use their newfound global notoriety and the increased attention they’re devoting to their battle to hang Rubiales anywhere by their eyelids, be it figuratively or literally. We won’t be picky.

Alcaraz and Novak take over the baton from Rafa and Federer

If there were concerns that there might no longer be a rivalry in tennis due to the imminent retirement of Rafa Nadal and the departure of Roger Federer to further push the sport, Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic assure everyone that this is not the case. Following their classic Wimbledon final yesterday, a best-of-three set match lasted nearly four hours, with Djokovic winning in the third set tiebreak. It had more of the ridiculousness you might recognize from the July epic:

Federer-Nadal has never been in New York at the US Open, but now fans can look forward to something different, something along the lines of Bjorg-McEnroe or Agassi-Sampras. And if you’ve ever met someone from New York, you know full well that nothing really happened until it happened there.

On the other hand, Coco Gauff won her first Masters 1000 in Cincinnati, and it’s kind of amazing considering she’s only 19 years old.

Simply by beating Venus Williams at Wimbledon when she was 15, great expectations were placed on her, which admittedly is quite a statement of intent. It’s not her fault that ESPN or anyone else gives her so much coverage at the majors because she’s American, and that’s where the interest lies. She still has plenty of time to make amends. It looks like it rounds that way.

Oh shit, the Yankees are in last place…

Let’s take a look at the bottom-ranked Yankees, a phrase many of us will never get tired of writing:

The Bombers have lost eight in a row and are under .500 in four games. It’s been a while since New York banked on the Jets and Giants to save the New York sports scene, a position no one should wish for.

What’s better than a custom made pencil bat #2?

We’ll close with another baseball fun moment:

I can’t wait for someone to grab a magic wand or a pool cue.

Follow Sam on Twitter @Felsgate and on Bluesky @Felsgate.bsky.social