Let's Fix Football

James Rushton and Evan Mateer help Gabe Lezra through his brutal struggle session hangover. It was rough, folks, he almost expired on-air (he's dead now RIP). They discuss the USSF's decision to hire lobbyists to argue against equal pay for women to the Democratic presidential candidates, and the incredibly dumb ongoing failure of the the Federation.  They also discuss some of the transfer deadline day news, and break down the absolute lunacy behind Paulo Dybala's life rights contract, which he signed with some sort of Argentine multi-level marketing scam company which now owns... all of his future? It's insane!  And, James walks Gabe and Evan through the catastrophic situation in the English Championship, where multiple teams are sitting on negative points because of financial catastrophe. And, of course, there's some sort of nuts clown criminal trying to buy one of the clubs to do money laundering.

Gabe Lezra and Evan Mateer signed James Rushton in the offseason to be a new host for LFF. We think it's a strong signing, good value overall, and that the fans will have to be pleased with the overall increase in quality on the pitch.  Oh ffs, this week we're back, we're talking WWC, and some intense, real takes about gender discrimination and pay disparity and why investing in the women's game is a smart move (and also, the women's game is awesome in general).  And then of course we're bringing back your favorite characters from last season! We're talking:  Alexi Lalas is on one about VAR! Piers Morgan picking a fight with Megan Rapinoe!Neymar fleeing PSG to an institutional club because of all the crimes!Antoine Griezmann being a fucking weirdo! Like really weird! Enjoy folks!

Let's Fix Football returns as hosts Gabe Lezra and Evan Mateer break down this place, the awful place. Some topics: Shoutout to the PSG Fan who destroyed his TV Why the fuck do we watch sports? Jack Graelish being decked mid-game is why And Kepa manages Chelsea now? Gareth Bale     The expectations and responsibilities of fans with respect to foreign players, and the responsibilities of foreign players to fit in The recurring theme in English football where fans have a reputation for being biased against foreign players USWNT Lawsuit Legal and substantive basis.  Our boss Prince MBS of Saudi Arabia wants to own Manchester United! Do it king!

Shout-out to our haters, by the way. Your hate only makes us stronger, including you, guy who sent Gabe a two-page email. We love you.  In all seriousness, thank you to everyone who responded so nicely to our Cristiano Ronaldo episode. We are very proud of the work we did breaking it down for you.  SO, here you go. Here's Episode 1 of your Football Leaks double feature. Gabe and Evan are back to discuss the potential European SuperLeague being spearheaded by Real Madrid and Bayern Munich. There's so much more in this one, folks--everything from FIFA's legal recourses and potential lawsuits, to questions about whether players might have their contracts voided should their teams leave.  And of course, we really are back on our bullshit. Guys, RG and Tancredi fought. They fought publicly. And that's not even the funniest thing that happened this week. Oh yea.

*TRIGGER WARNING: This episode contains discussions about sexual violence that might be painful for survivors of sexual assault and might nnot be appropriate for all audiences.* Hosts Gabe Lezra and Evan Mateer speak with their friends Chloe White (an attorney who has worked on sexual violence and women's issues), Jess Houwen (read Jess's fantastic article about the Ronaldo allegations here: https://www.managingmadrid.com/2018/10/17/17977576/irresponsible-responses) and Om Arvind (read Om's meditation on what it feels like to be betrayed by an idol here: https://medium.com/@supersain5/on-ronaldo-mayorga-the-rape-allegations-the-issue-with-idolization-ba6891bda340) about the Cristiano Ronaldo rape allegations.  The crew takes a very deep dive into the allegations, and unpacks why it's important that we believe survivors of sexual assault, what it means when we say that, and how rape culture can pervert our understanding of sexual violence. They discuss how survivors are reacting to the accusations, and why it's so painnful for survivors to have to hear the horrific responses from Ronaldo fans that diminish and degrade woman who have come forward. They discuss why it's crucial to center women, and the victim's pain, in any discussion about sexual violence--rather than immediately labelling the alleged perpetrator a victim, we should strive to make sure the real victim isn't brushed aside (as often happens in sports media). And they discuss why it's appropriate--in fact, crucial, to underline the heroism and courage of the people who have come forward with their stories, and why it is so important to stand up and say enough.  They finish by discussing what it feels like to have your idol, your hero, fall from grace, betray you like this. Is this a way in to discussing these issues with people that might otherwise be unreachable?

People liked our talk about stats last week so much that we had to do another one. This week: we brought on Jamon Moore of American Soccer Analysis, and one of the minds behind Expected Possession Goals (xPG) to break down the new cutting edge of soccer analysis. Om Arvind joins hosts Gabe Lezra and Evan Mateer -- and they break down how analytics can help make the experience of wathcing soccer more fun, and what the new era of analytics means for the casual fan. Jamon walks us through the intricacies of xPG (and some of the other stats he and his colleagues at ASA are working on), and helps explain how it allows fans and pundits to get a deeper understanding of how teams play, and how individuals within the team play. They discuss how xPG can help analysts visualize and quantify the style a team plays--and whether the style they want to play lines up with how they actually play. Then, Gabe, Om and Evan talk about ex-Real Madrid president Ramón Calderón having an extremely normal one, and break down Gabe's article about Real Madrid's nonexistant women's team (and the super regular response to it).

Gabe Lezra and his Managing Madrid Podcast co-host (and worst account on football twitter-nominee) Om Arvind talk about the Financial Times' article about Juventus' Cristiano Ronaldo gamble (from a financial angle). Juve is banking on a massive increase not just in their own publicity but in Serie A's publicity--but how smart is that gamble? Is the "Cristiano Ronaldo effect" as pronounced as they think? They also talk about the ongoing soccer analytics revolution and the fact that some of the friving forces behind the movement are American. Big shoutout to American Soccer Analysis, and their fantastic article on negative and positive Expected Possession Goals (xPG): https://www.americansocceranalysis.com/home/2018/8/28/expected-possession-goals-part-1 Also, Gabe wrote about the coming revolution back in like 2012 for The Atlantic, so read that, too: https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2012/08/make-way-for-the-soccer-geeks/261634/ AND you know we had to do it! Checkin IN on our main man Registability and football Twitter generally. As always we're #TeamAdam.  It's Evan's 30th birthday so he's having a third-life crisis and jumping out of a plane (with a parachute), so happy birthday buddy.

It's Season 2 let's goooooo.  Petr Cech and Didier Drogba dunked on Registability. Infantino (the guy) went to Washington to meet with the large moist boi i the White House. Infatino (the toy company) hit Gabe up on Twitter.  It has been a very Let's Fix Football summer, so we had to come back and break it all down. Gabe Lezra and Evan Mateer are back to break down all of the stupid bullshit going on on line, on the pitch and in your hearts.  There's League of Nations talk. There's Champions League talk. There's MLS, la Liga and EPL talk. And all the dumbass Football Twitter nonsense you could ask for. Coming up this season: that totally normal blend of dumbass jokes about how Sepp Blatter is our dad who beats us and serious lawyertalk about serious things going on in soccer.   Here we go, Season 2, it's happening.

Hosts Gabe Lezra and Evan Mateer are BACK ...and are streamers now I guess? They break down the TERRIBLE news that the Japanese psychic octopus has been killed. But, you know, sequels are never as good... And more. But seriously, it's all about the Wayne Rooney transfer to DC United, and how he might actually be....good? Really? They also recap the World Cup, talking about this French side and their tactics, talk about the weirdest news of the Cup--Salah's relationship to Chechen dictator Ramzan Kadyrov, and more.  Then they get into club transfers...very briefly. Cristiano Ronaldo to Juventus, of course, but how will Juve justify the expense of his salary when UEFA comes knocking?

Hosts Gabe Lezra and Evan Mateer are back to break down everything FIFA World Cup--especially all the bad takes and hillarious news.  First, it's Burger King's absurd "did you get pregnant by a footballer? How about a burger" ad campaign. (Real thing, folks). Then they discuss Alexi Lalas' recent self-own, and Landon Donovan's Wells Fargo-sponsored shilling for the Mexican national team. (And shout out to friend of the show David Rudin for the best burn of the week--you'll have to listen to hear it) THEN they have an all-time great reading series from the very famous conservative paper of record--the National Review, folks, and they're here to tell you that, surprise surprise, soccer is bad! And it's socialism, somehow! And football has less referee involvement! Finally: Argentina's collaps, and a World Cup review.