Thursday, January 28, 2021
"Why I Cancelled My Free Subscription to The Athletic" on No Holds Barred Patreon Page
My latest piece, "Why I Cancelled My Free Subscription to The Athletic", is up on the No Holds Barred Patreon page. A subscription is required to read it. The article is at https://www.patreon.com/posts/why-i-cancelled-46808604.
Labels: Eddie Goldman, gambling, No Holds Barred, sports journalism, The Athletic
Sunday, January 24, 2021
No Holds Barred: Declan Hill on Russia, Qatar, and the Many Faces of Sports Corruption
We spoke with him by phone Friday.
It is well-known that there is widespread cheating and corruption in world sport, including state-sponsored doping. But corruption in world sport is so deep-rooted that state-sponsored organizations and media sites are popping up that claim to be anti-corruption, but which actually promote the corrupt activities of their sponsors.
"Follow the money," advised Declan Hill.
"This has been going on for almost a decade now. And it's linked, listeners, to two of the greatest geopolitical scandals in sports. And when I say geopolitical, I'm not exaggerating. This is like John le Carré, those international spy thrillers, meets 'Chariots of Fire'. This is big-time, major politics, and it's about the survival of states," he said.
"We're moving beyond sports corruption. We're moving beyond match-fixing. We're moving beyond doping," he noted.
"The two classic actors, the ones that are head and shoulders above everyone else, are of course the Russians, and the Qatar people. And they are into sports for two diametrically different reasons, but it is both conditional on the existential strength of their current governing regimes."
We discussed the reasons Russia and Qatar are among the world champions of sports corruption today, with the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups as prime examples, and how they each are spreading propaganda to obscure this.
For real exposures and reporting on sports corruption, he said that the "gold standard" is Play the Game, with its biennial international conferences and web site packed with informative analysis.
We discussed some of the dirty details of how sports corruption and spying on journalists are carried out; how a giveaway that something is not genuine anti-corruption analysis is if it puts the main blame on individual athletes rather than countries' sports systems for doping; how Qatar has used a system of "modern-day slavery"; how the spread of legal sports gambling is making many sports like horse racing, where people watch not for entertainment or to see who wins but mainly for betting purposes; the continued "sports-washing" of tyrannical regimes which overspend to attract major sporting events; the challenges facing honest journalists as much of the media and in particular sports media are in decline; the importance of organizations like Human Rights Watch in fighting sports corruption; and much, much more.
Please also subscribe to the No Holds Barred page on Patreon for much more No Holds Barred content.
You can play or download No Holds Barred here and here. If one link does not work, please try another.
No Holds Barred is also available on these sites and apps:
The PodOmatic Podcast Player app is available for free, both for Android at Google Play, and for iOS on the App Store.
The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", which is also available on iTunes by composer Ian Snow.
No Holds Barred is sponsored by:
LenneHardt.com, the home of Lenne Hardt, the legendary MMA and sports announcer, voice actor, singer, actress, and comedienne. Lenne is also known for her jazz vocals with her Lenne Hardt Jazz Cabaret Band. For more information, to book her, or to order a custom message from her, go to LenneHardt.com.
Skullz Fight Shop, home of the Skullz Double-End Bag, the perfect punching bag for your combat sports training. Skullz Double-End Bags provide a realistic striking target, and help improve speed, distance, and timing skills. Hang it and hit it right out of the box! No pump required. Skullz Fight Shop - Advancing combat sports equipment for the next generation of fighters. For more information, go to https://skullzfightshop.com.
Adolphina Studios. Original art prints and handcrafted fine jewelry. For more information, go to https://www.etsy.com/shop/AdolphinaStudios.
Friday, January 22, 2021
"The Death Rattle of the Tokyo Olympics" on No Holds Barred Patreon Page
My latest piece, "The Death Rattle of the Tokyo Olympics", is up on the No Holds Barred Patreon page. A subscription, for the suggested monthly price of US$10, is required to read it. The article is at https://www.patreon.com/posts/death-rattle-of-46529758.
Labels: cancellation, coronavirus, Eddie Goldman, IOC, Japan, No Holds Barred, Patreon, Thomas Bach, Tokyo Olympics, Yoshihide Suga
Wednesday, January 20, 2021
"Bye Bye Trump" on Brave News Blog
Entitled "Bye Bye Trump", it can be read at https://www.bravenewsblog.com/bye-bye-trump.
It is free to read, so check it out.
Monday, January 18, 2021
"Tokyo Olympics: Going, Going, ...." on No Holds Barred Patreon Page
My latest piece, "Tokyo Olympics: Going, Going, ....", is up on the No Holds Barred Patreon page. A subscription, for the low monthly price of US$10, is required to read it. The article is at https://www.patreon.com/posts/tokyo-olympics-46355092.
Monday, January 11, 2021
"Call Them By Their Real Name: FASCISTS" on Brave News Blog
In a return to political and news commentary, I am contributing articles to the Brave New Blog, established by K-Hive founder Bianca Delarosa.
On the January 6, 2021, riots at the U.S. Capitol incited by Trump, my article is entitled Call Them By Their Real Name: FASCISTS.
I also have a sendup of the alt-left called The Alt-Left’s First Food Fight Of 2021.
These are free to read, so check them out.
Labels: alt-left, Bianca Delarosa, Capitol riots, Eddie Goldman, fascists, Trump
January Sumo Tournament Article on the No Holds Barred Patreon Page
My piece, "Amidst Raging Pandemic and Tokyo Area State of Emergency, January Sumo Tournament Proceeds", is up on the No Holds Barred Patreon page. A subscription, for the low monthly price of US$10, is required to read it. The article is at <b><a href="https://www.patreon.com/posts/amidst-raging-of-46068096" target="_blank">https://www.patreon.com/posts/amidst-raging-of-46068096</a></b>.
Labels: Eddie Goldman, Japan, No Holds Barred, Patreon, sumo, Tokyo
Friday, January 01, 2021
No Holds Barred: Eros Armstrong on Sumo, Women's Invitational National Sumo Tournament, and Soul Combat
On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman spoke with Eros Armstrong, the women's heavyweight sumo wrestler on the 2020 U.S. National Team.
We spoke with her by Skype Wednesday.
Based in Austin, Texas, Eros Armstrong has already found much success after competing in sumo for just a little over a year. Previously she had wrestled in high school and college, and trained in boxing and the hand-to-hand combat techniques of the military. But for her, sumo wrestling is special and "different from the brutality of boxing and American wrestling."
Sumo wrestling, she said, "when you step into that ring, it's like soul combat. It's the only way I can describe it.
"You go in there. You're getting in the zone. As soon as the clap happens, it echoes throughout your whole being. And whatever was a problem in the outside world just melts away. The only thing that's there is that center, your center. You're in the center of the center. And the person that is in there with you is going to move. That is all that matters, is that they will be moved, out of the center."
She added, "You can't really understand it until you do it. And that's the only way I guess I can explain soul combat."
Besides training for national and international competitions, and hoping that one day sumo becomes an Olympic sport, she is devoting particular energy to getting more women to compete in it.
Towards that goal, she is working with her club, Dark Circle Sumo, in hosting the first Women's Invitational National Sumo Tournament, or W.I.N. Sumo Tournament, scheduled for March 6, 2021, in Austin. A women's sumo training camp is also being planned for before the tournament, all of which takes place right before International Women's Day 2021 on March 8.
"Women are built for sumo, especially with that lower body strength," she said.
"I hope you're going to tell your friends about sumo wrestling," she noted.
"If you've got sisters or aunties that you want to push around, get them to Austin, Texas, March 6, or before that so that they can get a little bit of a foundation in the sumo wrestling."
We also discussed more on how she first got involved with sumo, how her military and wrestling training were not nearly enough for sumo, how she was "extremely lucky" to find sumo, how she has learned so much from training with Justin Kizzart of Dark Circle Sumo, training and competing during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, how sumo involves people from many different sports and backgrounds, the culture of respect in sumo, how she is dedicating herself to sumo, and much, much more.
Please also subscribe to the No Holds Barred page on Patreon for much more No Holds Barred content on the combat sports and martial arts, for only US$10 a month.
You can play or download No Holds Barred here and here. If one link does not work, please try another.
No Holds Barred is also available on these sites and apps:
The PodOmatic Podcast Player app is available for free, both for Android at Google Play, and for iOS on the App Store.
The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", which is also available on iTunes by composer Ian Snow.
No Holds Barred is sponsored by:
LenneHardt.com, the home of Lenne Hardt, the legendary MMA and sports announcer, voice actor, singer, actress, and comedienne. Lenne is also known for her jazz vocals with her Lenne Hardt Jazz Cabaret Band. For more information, to book her, or to order a custom message from her, go to LenneHardt.com.
Skullz Fight Shop, home of the Skullz Double-End Bag, the perfect punching bag for your combat sports training. Skullz Double-End Bags provide a realistic striking target, and help improve speed, distance, and timing skills. Hang it and hit it right out of the box! No pump required. Skullz Fight Shop - Advancing combat sports equipment for the next generation of fighters. For more information, go to https://skullzfightshop.com.
Adolphina Studios. Original art prints and handcrafted fine jewelry. For more information, go to https://www.etsy.com/shop/AdolphinaStudios.
