Barry remains the chairman of Matchroom Sport — an empire built on his relentless work with snooker in the 1980s, and then boxing, before his staggeringly successful reinvention of darts. Matchroom now promote 11 different sports and their last set of company accounts recorded a turnover exceeding £70m with an annual profit over £7m.
The saga of Tom Brady’s twin number 12 jerseys took investigators from Houston to New England to Mexico’s capital, roughly 4,000 miles of hazy legal interpretations and geopolitical intrigue. In a way, it was a fitting end for one of the most thrilling comebacks in NFL history; a mild-mannered man with extraordinary gall took advantage of the chaos around him and pulled off a heist for the ages. And he almost got away with it.
Durant is 28 now, an eight-time All-Star hoping to lead the Golden State Warriors to an NBA title, and his No. 35 jersey has been one of the NBA’s best sellers for nearly a decade. Fans around the world wear jerseys with Durant’s name and number. At the University of Texas, where Durant spent one season before joining the NBA in 2007, his No. 35 is retired. To some, it is just a number. To Durant and those who knew Chucky Craig, it is a person and a moment.
Photosport / Joe Allison/INPHO
Photosport / Joe Allison/INPHO / Joe Allison/INPHO
While SBW could never suffer the way WW1 objectors did, there remain social parallels if you want to see them; in 1917 Defence Minister James Allen decided objectors on religious grounds should be rounded up, put aboard the Waitemata in Wellington, and shipped off to the war. One step away from traitors.
In July, Kevin Durant, Westbrook’s teammate for eight years, shook the balance of power in the NBA when he left the amniotic Jacuzzi womb of Oklahoma City for the Warriors and the promise of 4–7 odds to win a title. KD took stock of his years of service alongside Russ, surveyed his options, and notified Westbrook of his decision to leave via text, the least passive-aggressive of the passive-aggressive breakup options. Russ, infamously, responded with an Instagram of cupcakes.
Also, players with kids get a daily childcare allowance while away on duty, the squad has five vans at their disposable during training camp, and the guaranteed availability of a chef. Minor provisions that put Emma Byrne and her comrades having to demand to stay in hotels with proper wi-fi in some context.
It has always been easy to underestimate Mark Davis. After all, he is known for his wacky bowl cut and silver-and-black suits and for managing the Raiders from the bar at a PF Chang’s. Since his Hall of Fame father, Al, died six years ago, Davis has been an afterthought in league circles, easy to malign and hard to take seriously. A year and a half after that dinner at Dan Tana’s, Davis’ fellow NFL team owners publicly embarrassed him when they voted for the St Louis Rams to move to Los Angeles and gave the San Diego Chargers — who had partnered with the Raiders in a losing effort to move to Carson, California — a year to decide whether to join them.
The hunt for Tom Brady's missing jersey and more of the week's best sportswriting
– The Guardian’s Donald McRae explores the Matchroom Sport empire of Barry and Eddie Hearn.
– Robert Klemko and Jenny Vrentas for Sports Illustrated on the saga that surrounded Tom Brady’s missing Super Bowl LI jersey.
– The story behind Kevin Durant’s jersey number, by John Branch for the New York Times.
– Kevin Norquay for Stuff.co.nz on the controversy that Sonny Bill Williams has become embroiled in.
– The eight best lies Russell Westbrook has told this season, by The Ringer’s Jason Concepcion.
– Dave Hannigan for the Irish Times on why funding for women’s soccer in the US should embarrass the FAI.
– ESPN’s Seth Wickersham and Don Van Natta Jr on how Oakland Raiders owner Mark Davis outflanked power brokers to put the Raiders in Las Vegas.
Emotional Bartra opens up on the bomb attack – ‘It was the longest 15 minutes of my life’
From Dingle to Geelong – a Kerry All-Ireland winning captain starting an Aussie Rules career
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