Sports Then and Now

While most team sports in the United States are just getting started on the path back to competition, soccer (known as football to the rest of the world) is back in full swing. As can be expected, football betting is also back on track as the competition heats up.

Though there are still more games left to be played, Liverpool has already staked their claim as the English Premier League Champions with a record of 28-2-1. Given the impressive record, some are wondering if this Liverpool squad ranks among the greatest teams in Premier League History. However, the season disruption due to COVID-19 certainly makes it a bit hard to compare this season to other past campaigns.

Bill Connelly from ESPN did a great job ranking the 27 previous Premier League seasons to identify the greatest champions in league history.

While the Premier League season is nearing conclusion, there is still a lot to be decided including Champions League and Europa League spots, the fight for relegation and the FA Cup.

The Coronavirus pandemic has left us all in shock. As much as it has caused harm to the lives of thousands of people, it hasn’t done any less damage to various sectors of our economy. The entertainment sector, especially the sports world, is facing a massive set back because of the infamous horrors of COVID-19. If we talk about Football mainly, the loss is immeasurable. It might be hard to digest, but Football stadiums will have a whole new look after the pandemic settles down. What’s worse is that changes are inevitable, mainly this one. While we don’t know what is exactly going to change in football stadiums, here are a few presumptions.

Empty for a few months 

It is well known to everyone that the current situation around us doesn’t permit traveling for our own sake. Stepping out of the house these days is nothing short of a challenge. We barely go out to buy essential commodities. Now, if we talk about football stadiums, it is pretty much evident that they are going to be empty for quite a while now, given the pandemic. Even after it is over, which doesn’t seem to be happening any sooner, people will shy away from going out to watch matches. Large gatherings of people are not allowed, anyway. So, fans will have to make do with viewing live matches on television until we are given further notice. 

The Premier League has been glittered with some of the best footballers from around the world, with 111 of the 2017 foreign FIFA-affiliated countries represented over the league’s 28-year history. Included in that are six players from New Zealand that have enjoyed successful stays in the top-flight in England.

Gambling on the sport has always been popular, with bettors able to wager on their favourite players to score the first goal. However, it isn’t just football that gamblers can bet on as they can also play at Casino Dreamz and find all their favourite slots, poker and blackjack titles. However, which Kiwi players have enjoyed more success than others in the Premier League?

Chris Wood

The only active player in the Premier League to have been born in New Zealand is Chris Wood. The striker has only got better with the more experience he has had in the top-flight throughout his career.  His talents were quickly noticed by Burnley, who paid a then-club record fee of £15 million to take him to Turf Moor in the summer of 2017. He scored on his debut for Burnley as they drew 1-1 at Wembley against Tottenham Hotspur.

Since then, he has scored at least ten goals in each of his last two seasons in the Premier League. Wood is currently on course to set his best-ever goals return in the Premier League this season having scored eleven goals in 26 appearances. Before having success at Burnley, he had finished the 2016-17 season as top scorer in the Championship for Leeds United.

Ryan Nelson

Ryan Nelson played in the top flight in England for eight years. His career in England spun across three different clubs, with the majority of his success coming during his seven-year stay with Blackburn Rovers. He made 208 appearances for Rovers during his stay and scored eight goals. During his time at Ewood Park, he helped Blackburn maintain their Premier League status and also played a part in the club finishing in the UEFA Cup spots.

He left Blackburn on transfer deadline day in January 2012. Nelson was released on a free transfer after sustaining a knee injury, but Tottenham Hotspur were quick to add him to their squad. He went onto play eight games for Spurs before being released at the end of the season. His final season in England came in the 2012-13 campaign, as he played 24 times for Queens Park Rangers.

South Africa has been lucky enough to host some of the most epic sports events in history, and we haven’t stopped there. Alongside some international events, our proudly South African country hosts a variety of successful annual sporting events too! 

With the pressure on, and excitement practically tangible, these events bring some thrilling opportunities to take part in online sports betting. So, what are some of the biggest sports betting events of 2020?

Annual South African Soccer Events

Telkom Knockout Cup 

This soccer fan favourite event sees sixteen Premier Soccer League teams go head to head for the highest paying cup in Africa. The total prize money amounts to R14.2 million. The Telkom Knockout Cup will take place in August 2020.

Premier Soccer League (PSL) 

1997 saw the rise of South Africa’s top soccer league where SA’s 16 best soccer clubs competed annually. It gave local players the opportunity to play professional soccer and put them on the map to be discovered by international teams. 

Annual South African Cricket Events 

The SuperSport Series

This four-day cricket event brings together six provincial teams. Broadcast all over the country, this event began for the purpose of improving the overall cricket skill that local teamscan compete more successfully in international games. 

The six teams that participate in the SuperSport series are the Dolphins, Highveld Lions, Cape Cobras, Titans and the VKB Knights. Over the four days, the best teams prove themselves, and a final is played on the fourth day to determine the overall winner. 

Liverpool Football Club is without a doubt one of sport’s most historical establishments and the most successful football team in England, an accolade only challenged by nearby rivals Manchester United. The current success of the club on and off the field begs the question, how does this team compare to that of Liverpool’s most successful years?

LFC City Explorer is a sightseeing tour bus based in Liverpool. The bus is one of the best ways for supporters to catch the city’s best sights before it stops outside one of sport’s most iconic stadiums. In this article, LFC City Explorer walks us through how the modern Liverpool FC team compares to that of the 1980s. 

Modern Success vs 1980s Glory

When it comes to sports history, Liverpool FC is right up there with the absolute best and biggest names in the industry. The history of LFC began all the way in 1892 when the club was founded. Since then, the club has consistently played in the top fight for several decades, boasts one of the largest fanbases in the game and has an impressive trophy cabinet bursting with silverware.

The 1980s are widely regarded as the most successful period for this illustrious club. Liverpool FC dominated English and European football during these years. Under the leadership of managers such as Bob Paisley, Joe Fagan and Kenny Dalglish, Liverpool won two European Cups, two FA Cups, four League Cups and seven League Titles. The club’s trophy success and pass-and-move style of attacking football was lauded at the time and has since been described as an inspiration by some of football’s most iconic names.

Less than 24 hours after the World Health Organization declared the spread of the coronavirus to be a pandemic the sports world is coming to a screeching halt as sports leagues and college conferences struggle to deal with this intersection between public health and the sports world.

It started Wednesday afternoon with the NCAA announcing that all of their upcoming championships would be played without fans.

With most of the premier Division I conferences having started their men’s basketball tournaments earlier this week, it didn’t take long until they all announced that they would not admit fans starting on Thursday.

However, after a Wednesday evening address by the President as well as continued uncertainty on how best to address the growing crisis, by soon before game time on Thursday most conferences, including the ACC, Big Ten and SEC had all canceled the remainder of their tournaments. The Big East tipped off their first game on Thursday (Creighton against St. Johns), but the game and tournament were later canceled.

 So, what is typically one of the most exciting weekends for college basketball now looks to be an opportunity to catch up on shows from Netflix or Amazon Prime.

College basketball is not the only major sports group impacted by the growing crisis.

After two members of the Utah Jazz tested positive for the virus the game Wednesday night between the Oklahoma Thunder and Utah Jazz was postponed and the NBA later announced an immediate suspension of their season.