Football & Futbol! THEY'RE BACK!

Frenchman Find Himself Back in NBA, Premier League is in Full Swing, Matsuyama wins St. Jude Championship

Author

Stomping Ground Sports
August 19, 2024

Happy Monday folks! As we look at the week ahead, we should be lucky to know that international football and American football have come to save us from boring TV schedules, clicking through streaming services to find new shows, and the news. So let’s bask in the glory of a full sports schedule and kick this week’s ass!

People Aren’t Talking Enough About…

🇫🇷 Back in the NBA: The Story of Guerschon Yabusele 🏀 

The Olympics serve as the world’s greatest stage for a bunch of things. For starters, the host city is always under the microscope. France seemed to get mixed reviews this year.

Countries you don’t always hear about on the front pages such as Kosovo, Qatar, and Zambia all had an athlete medal in the Games.

The Olympics are a big stage that is looking for stars to shine. This year in Basketball although all eyes were on Team USA I’d like to focus on a star on the French National Team.

A man by the name of Guerschon Yabusele. If you watched the tournament you’re familiar with Yabusele. He was a consistent enforcer throughout the entire tournament and along with Wemby was the only other reason that France stood a chance in the Gold Medal game.

After his performance this last month, he has RE-EARNED his way back into the NBA by way of a 1/yr contract with the Philidelphia 76ers. He teams up with Joel Embiid, Paul George, and Tyrese Maxey in what could be a serious contender in the East!

Here is Yabusele’s path to here (keep track of how many of these team names you know):

  • In 2013 he played for the French team Chorale Roanne on their Under-21 team (18 years old)

  • In 2016 he took his talents to the Shanghai Sharks in China to play more professional basketball before giving the NBA a shot (yes the Shanghai Sharks are a real team and not just a meme)

  • In 2017 he got drafted by the Boston Celtics with 17th pick in the draft and spent the season with their G-League team the Maine Red Claws

  • From 2017-2019 he was very sparingly used for the Celtics before eventually being cut by the team

  • In 2020 he was back in China and played for the Nanjing Monkey Kings (might be on the Mount Rushmore of team names)

  • From late 2020 to 2021 he found himself back in his home country with the French club ASVEL

  • He finally found a home in Euro League with Real Madrid from 2021-2024

  • Yesterday he signed a 1/yr contract worth $2.1M with the 76ers

The point of this story is perseverance. The guy just has not quit. He kept fighting, kept moving, kept playing, and after a great showing in the Olympics, he earned himself another shot in the NBA.

I don’t know about you but that fires me up on a Monday morning! A guy you can’t help but root for! A name hopefully we all know soon, Guerschon Yabusele!

Today’s Trivia🧠

 

Which country produces the second most major league baseball players after the United States?

  • A. Curacao

  • B. Dominican Republic

  • C. Cuba

  • D. Puerto Rico

  • E. Venezuela

(answer at the bottom of the Stump!)

On This Day…

In 1995, Mike Tyson returns to the boxing ring for the first time following his three-year prison sentence.

Tyson DQ’s his opponent Peter McNeeley in 89 seconds.

Now THIS is Cool

I’m not sure I knew that even sports commentators have their own preseason games… the boys are just getting dialed, gonna watch the film and get better. What I’d do to have this recording!

Talking Points

⛳️ Hideki Matsuyama VICTORIOUS at the St. Jude’s Championship

After a 5-stroke lead heading into the final day in Tennessee, it seemed like the 8th-ranked golfer in the FedEx Standings, Hideki Matsuyama, would COAST to a victory!

It was anything but! After a double bogey on 15, Matsuyama was tied at -15 with both Xander Schauffele and Victor Hovland.

It came down to 17 and 18 where Hideki made BIRDIES and the others did not! Hideki WINS! Here are the Final Standings:

  1. H. Matsuyama (-17)

  2. X. Schauffele (-15)

  3. V. Hovland (-15)

  4. S. Scheffler (-14)

  5. S. Burns (-13)

🏈 Minshew MANIA is BACK!

Raiders Head Coach and ELECTRIC FACTORY Antonio Pierce said that Minshew will get the nod in Week 1 against the LA Chargers! Wins the QB Comp over Aidan O’Connell.

Minshew is synonymous was MADNESS (and mustache)! So we will be in for a great start in LV, what happens after that…who knows?

⚾️ Is baseball… fun again?

Maybe it is, maybe it isn’t. But I’ll say this: watching all of these little leaguers interact with the MLB players surely puts a smile on my face. Maybe the game in Williamsport, PA, the site of the Little League World Series, between the Tigers and the Yankees last night was a little boring up until the Tigers won in extras, but the kids LOVED it.

Seeing swarms of kids head to Aaron Judge and Juan Soto, scrambling for autographs, pictures, whatever, was awesome. It brought the little kid out of the big leaguers too. Guys looked excited, happy, and full of laughs.

Baseball has been struggling to be the cool, hip, and fun game that the new generation watches for awhile now, but I’ll say that those kids look like their having loads of it. Maybe baseball isn’t all the way back, but it definitely isn’t going anywhere.

Worth Your Time

💯 Full Scoreboards: MLB, Soccer, PGA, NFL, WNBA

What’s On TV Today

*All times are ET*

⚾️ Orioles @ Mets (7:10 PM on MLBN), Twins @ Padres (9:40 PM on FS1), Red Sox @ Astros (8:10 PM), full schedule
🏀 Off Day!
⚽️ Leicester City vs Tottenham (3:00 PM on USA Network) English Premier League (NBC), Spanish LALIGA (ESPN+), French Ligue 1, Italian Serie A

🎙️Song OTD🎙️ 

Watch Your Mouth

The Backseat Lovers

Yep! Now this is a great tune to start off the week with! Great band name.

🗣️ Quote OTD🗣️ 

“Today is the only day. Yesterday is gone.”

John Wooden

Stop overthinking the past, it’s over baby! You gotta move on!

❗️Glue Guy OTD❗️ 

Morning Neck Crack

Sensation

Talk about a good feeling, wake up, twist that neck a little. CRACK. Now you can start your day.

Trivia Answer: B. Dominican Republic! As of January 2024, the United States produces an overwhelming amount of the players in the MLB with 999. The Dominican Republic is second following the US with 145, about 10% of the league. Followed by Venezuela, Puerto Rico, and Cuba.

Let us know what you thought of today’s newsletter…