Tag football players

Lionel Messi Beats Cristiano Ronaldo In Top 50 Athletes List

The two lead the field globally, ahead of NBA star LeBron James and India cricket captain Virat Kohli, but it’s a shock to see the Barcelona player placed ahead of his rival at Juventus. CR7 has often been listed as the world’s most marketable athlete and is the planet’s most followed person on Instagram (238 million compared to Messi’s 167 million). But Messi is the reigning Ballon d’Or winner and SportsPro’s study allowed for factors such as “social following, content engagement, fanbase growth over time, media value, and the performance of branded versus organic content.” There is an argument that because Ronaldo is seen to work with a greater number of sponsors and brands than Messi, the Argentine might be perceived as therefore more valuable to those he does choose to endorse. SportsPro admitted it was “narrow” between the pair, who are undoubtedly the two most high-profile sportspeople on the planet. And there can be little argument with their putting the face of the NBA James in third, while Kohli – a sporting idol across India – is in fourth. The top five is rounded out by the highest-placed female athlete: Canadian tennis player Bianca…

Read MoreLionel Messi Beats Cristiano Ronaldo In Top 50 Athletes List

Husker Air Takes Flight—Did It Land Any Prime Football Recruits

A year ago, Nebraska Athletics launched a novel transportation arrangement they hoped would pay off in efficiency and in landing top recruits. It is now February 2020—how did it turn out? I’ll grant you, Lincoln, Nebraska is in the middle of the country. It’s 53 miles from Omaha, Nebraska; it’s 226 miles to Kansas City, Kansas; it’s 188 miles to Des Moines, Iowa; it’s 520 miles to Chicago, Illinois. While I’m sure the drive is scenic and enjoyable, it takes a long time to get somewhere. So flying makes sense. Bill Moos, athletics director at Nebraska, wanted to open up the recruiting landscape to his new head coach. With roughly 2 million residents in the Husker State (and fewer football players), Moos wanted head coach Scott Frost to be able to reach far flung recruiting hot beds like Florida, California, Ohio and Texas easily and quickly. He came up with Husker Air. Husker Air relies on the private planes fully owned and fractionally owned by donors to the Husker Athletics Program. Donors, in exchange for their aircraft, receive a tax deduction. Those who purchase jet cards, where they buy hours on a private charter, may…

Read MoreHusker Air Takes Flight—Did It Land Any Prime Football Recruits

Opinion: Baylor football back on top four years after sexual assault scandal rocked campus

Exactly four years ago, the nation’s premier college football matchup took place under a cloud of uncertainty and defiance when Baylor’s unbeaten team hosted Oklahoma. For a lot of people around the country, the game was secondary. In August of that year, details began to emerge about the widespread sexual assault scandal that would later consume the university. At the same time, questions about whether coach Art Briles and his staff enabled a culture of violent behavior in the football program started to gain momentum, creating an uncomfortable dynamic with many fans who refused to believe he had done anything wrong. Not many outside the Baylor community shed a tear when the Bears lost that night, 44-34, ultimately fading into irrelevance by the end of the season. And from a football standpoint, that’s pretty much where the Bears have remained — until now. For people who are immersed in college football, Baylor’s return to the national spotlight Saturday — once again unbeaten, playing at home vs. Oklahoma — seems like a feel-good story. Some of that is related to Matt Rhule, the coach who cleaned up the toxic culture left by Briles and spent much…

Read MoreOpinion: Baylor football back on top four years after sexual assault scandal rocked campus