Spain and Australia are targets. 

National Football League owners are trying to conquer the globe. The owners have decided the league needs to go back to Australia and has scheduled a regular season game in Melbourne. A game that will feature the Los Angeles Rams and some other team. The NFL has tried Australia before in 1999 with a pre-season game in Sydney. National Football League owners are looking to get Australian dollars, money from Brazil, pounds and euros. And NFL owners want Mexican pesos. NFL owners also would like to get Flag Football into the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. The NFL is not playing a game in Mexico City in 2025 because the local stadium is being renovated to accommodate 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup matches. The NFL sees gold in Mexico.

The NFL is going to Madrid, Spain in 2025. The NFL is going to Berlin, Germany in 2025. The NFL will continue playing games in London, England. But not everybody is happy with the NFL’s attempt to conquer the globe. National Football League Players Association  executive director Lloyd Howell is against the NFL adding an extra game for a global stop and is concerned with the NFL conquering the globe strategy. He is worried about the players’ safety and health playing in venues that do not host NFL games. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell speaking on behalf of the NFL ownership group has suggested that the league plays 16 international games annually. This is all about money, nothing else. The NFL can cash in with a one-off game from gate revenues but it is more about selling caps and t-shirts than it is about developing football players in Spain or Australia. Goodell, apparently, is not worried about foreign relations impacting the quest to conquer the globe. The NFL wants to bring the circus to town.

Evan Weiner’s books are available at iTunes – https://books.apple.com/us/author/evan-weiner/id595575191

Evan can be reached at evan_weiner@hotmail.com

The NFL will play a game in Australia in 2026

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In the final all hockey fans wanted

Hockey fans wanted to see a Canada-USA final in the 4 Nations tournament and will get their wish Thursday night in Boston. Last Saturday’s game in Montreal started with fans booing the US National Anthem, then came three fights before 10 seconds of the drop of the puck and a USA 3-1 win.

The war on the ice garnered 10.1 million viewers across North America, up 203% from the Canada vs USA game at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey and topping any non-Stanley Cup Final Game since 2014. On Tuesday, Sportsnet also released its ratings from the Canada-USA game.

Some of the NHL’s best showing their talent

Many members of the 4 Nations rosters have had a taste of Canada vs. USA showdowns in championship and gold medal games:

* Sidney Crosby and Drew Doughty helped Canada defeat USA in the last championship showdown between the countries in a best-on-best men’s international tournament, a 3-2 overtime win at the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver. The Americans erased a 2-0 deficit, but Crosby scored the “Golden Goal” and Doughty was on the ice for all three Canadian tallies (a game-high +3) in the win.

* Brock Faber, Matt Boldy and Jake Sanderson all skated away from the 2021 World Junior Championship in Edmonton with a gold medal in front of the USA logo on their chest after defeating Thomas Harley and Canada. Sanderson was on the ice for both goals in the 2-0 victory.

* Adam Fox (0-3—3) and Charlie McAvoy (1-1—2) combined for five points to help USA erase a pair of two-goal deficits (2-0 and 4-2) against Anthony Cirelli and Canada, before clinching gold in a 5-4 shootout victory at the 2017 World Junior Championship in Montreal. Jake Oettinger was also part of the American roster but did not dress in the gold medal game.

* Connor McDavid, Sam Reinhart, Sam Bennett and Josh Morrissey all were part of Canada’s gold medal victory against Jack Eichel and USA at the 2013 Under-18 World Championship in Sochi, Russia. McDavid, Bennett and Eichel all were 16 years old at the time, with McDavid topping all players in goals (8), assists (6; tied) and points (14) in seven games. Shea Theodore also played in the final.

* Chris Kreider scored USA’s first goal in the memorable gold medal game of the 2010 World Junior Championship in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Canada tallied twice in the final three minutes of regulation to erase a multi-goal deficit, but USA won in overtime (Kreider was on the ice for the winning goal).

* Sidney Crosby made his international debut at the 2004 World Junior Championship in Helsinki and got his first taste of one hockey’s biggest rivalries. The 16-year-old Crosby tallied 2-3—5 through five games, before being held off the score sheet in the gold medal game as USA claimed its first-ever championship at the event.

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History means something

1996 World Cup of Hockey Final – Three-Game Final
* Game 1 – Canada 4, United States 3 (OT) – A back-and-forth thriller played in Philadelphia opened with a goal by Flyers captain Eric Lindros – coming off his only 100-point NHL season – and featured a total of three tying goals, including one by another Flyers forward, John LeClair, with seven seconds left in regulation. Steve Yzerman settled the score with his overtime tally, assisted by yet another Flyers player, Rod Brind’Amour.

* Game 2 – United States 5, Canada 2 – The best-of-three final shifted to Molson Centre in Montreal, where the tournament’s top three goal scorers – Brett Hull, John LeClair and Keith Tkachuk – all tallied to help the United States rebound from an overtime loss to force a winner-take-all finale. Mike Richter, who mishandled the puck on Canada’s overtime winner in Game 1, bounced back by making 17 of his 35 saves in the third period and received “First Star” of the Game honors.

* Game 3 – United States 5, Canada 2 – Wayne Gretzky recorded his 64th and final point at an NHL International Tournament on a tying goal by Eric Lindros to help Canada pull ahead, but Brett Hull’s second goal of the game (and tournament-best seventh overall) helped the United States secure its first major international title in men’s hockey since the 1980 “Miracle on Ice” Olympics. Tony Amonte secured the clinching goal against a Canadian team that also included Mark Messier and Steve Yzerman. American goaltender Mike Richter stopped 101 of 109 shots he faced across the three-game series and secured tournament MVP.

1991 Canada Cup – Best-of-Three Final
With 18 future Hockey Hall of Famers dressed between Canada (11) and the United States (7) during the two-game final, the Canadians emerged with their third consecutive Canada Cup title (fourth overall). Mike Modano, Brett Hull, Brian Leetch, Pat LaFontaine and Mike Richter were among the American Hall of Famers who squared off against Canadian counterparts Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier, Dale Hawerchuk, Al MacInnis and Paul Coffey. Gretzky assisted on the first of two Steve Larmer game-winning goals in the final and claimed his fourth tournament scoring title in as many appearances despite missing Game 2 of the final. Canada assistant coach Rick Tocchet skated in both contests.

Bucs Report – Special to Sports Talk Florida

ampa Bay Buccaneers fans will forever be grateful to coach Bruce Arians for his transformative impact on the franchise. His impressive tenure was marked by two major milestones: securing a Super Bowl victory in 2020, just his second year at the helm, and capping off his final season in 2021 with an impressive 13-win record. These achievements cement Arians’ well-deserved place in the Buccaneers’ Ring of Honor.

Arians’ tenure was relatively brief, as he stepped down after the 2021 season, passing the torch to Todd Bowles, who remains the team’s head coach to this day. The transition sparked controversy, fueled by rumors that quarterback Tom Brady had played a role in Arians’ departure. However, Arians later set the record straight during an appearance on the Coach Mark Gottfried Show, a podcast hosted by former basketball coach Mark Gottfried.

Initially, Arians cited health concerns as the reason for his retirement, and he reaffirmed this explanation when questioned further. Notably, his comments suggested that his health issues may have been more severe than they initially appeared.

“It got very, very hard for me to stand on the sideline.I tore my Achilles like, the third week of the season,” Arians stated. “So I had those high heels on, and back pain — I mean, I had to [have help to] get undressed after games. It got to the point where I was like, ‘I don’t know if I can physically do this. I’ll do it for one more year.’”

On The Buccaneers Fence

Arians had initially considered staying on for another year after Tom Brady’s retirement, hesitant to hand over the reins amidst uncertainty surrounding the team’s quarterback position. However, when Brady unexpectedly returned for the 2022 season, Arians felt confident enough to step aside, paving the way for Todd Bowles to take the helm.

“Tom was going to retire. I didn’t want to hand it over to somebody without a quarterback,” Arians stated. “Tom decided to come back, so I said, ‘Ooh, perfect.’ I can step back and give this thing to Todd, knowing that he’s got a shot — a better shot than he had in New York.”

Although Arians stepped down as head coach, he remains involved with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as a front office consultant. From this vantage point, he’s had a firsthand view of the job his former defensive coordinator, Todd Bowles, has done as his successor. While Bowles’ tenure has been marked by controversy, the Buccaneers have achieved notable success under his leadership, winning their division every year he’s coached. Arians likely takes pride in this accomplishment.

Here’s the entire Coach Mark Gottfried Show

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