Kutty stories from sports / #2
Hey folks🖐,
We hope you enjoyed the first edition of Trivial Pursuit. For more exciting stories and fundas, keep following this space.
Last week was very memorable for the Men in Blue as they breached the fortress called Gabba. Despite the Paine and heartbreak, Oz fans cheered on their team very unusually: dressing up as Stormtroopers from Star Wars. They even played the Star Wars anthem during the game. Hmmm, like it we do! This edition of our newsletter is based on such fun anecdotes from the world of sports. Get in on some of the action!
Fun Fundas
Bjorn Legend: One of the all-time greats in Tennis history is Bjorn Borg, who commanded great strength and coolness in the field, earning him the nickname "Ice-borg." He won Wimbledon 5 times a row, each time starting the campaign with a clean-shaven face and ultimately lifting the trophy looking like Jesus Christ. Thus was born the "playoff beard" superstition now prevalent in different sports where male athletes stop shaving their beards to continue the winning streak.
Australia , you beauty!! :This is the Australian team chanting their victory song "Underneath the Southern Cross." Rod marsh started the tradition in 1974 after they regained the urn after four long years. He penned this victory song, inspired by Henry Lawson's 1887 poem, "Flag of the Southern Cross." It may not have the poetic of lines or a catchy tune, but sure does have a whole lotta emotion!
Kiss-mat of France: While France lifted the 1998 FIFA World Cup purely riding on the skill and talent of the players in their team, nobody can say that what they did pre-game didn't help their cause. Their defender, Laurent Blanc, had a rather amusing pre-match ritual, where he would kiss goalkeeper Fabien Barthez's shaved head. The wins kept piling up, and by the end, Blanc had the entire French team - from the substitutes to the coaches, rubbing the then-26-year-old goalkeeper's head for good luck. When they reached the final, Blanc could not participate in the decisive match due to disqualification. Still, he came out in ordinary sports uniform and kissed Barthez's head before the game began. France won their first-ever World Cup, and the tradition continued, bringing luck to France in UEFA Euro 2000 as well.
BATTLE ROYALE
Woah Woah, slow down, no one's racing you to the gallery, talking of which let's turn our heads to the infamous "Battle of Nuremberg." No, not the one which crushed the army of the Great German Reich at their stronghold. Well, I can't keep you guessing since I have to leave before underground Nazi sympathizers track me down. I am talking about one of the most ruthless international football matches the world has ever seen, a battle that saw intense animosity between Portugal and the Netherlands' national teams. It is the round of sixteen fixtures of the 2006 FIFA World Cup held at the Frankenstadion in Nuremberg, Germany, on the 25th of June 2006 that I am talking about. A game which saw Russian referee Valentin Ivanov take out a record four red cards and 16 yellow cards, setting a new record for cards shown at any FIFA-administered international tournament. But this was not enough, albeit, to overshadow what was to come in the tournament's final. Yeah, you got it right. Zinedine Zidane's legendary head-butt!
SOME INTERESTING READS ON THE WEB
The crossover we didn't ask for : To all the boxing fans, you know what we're referring to? Yes, I'm talking about Floyd vs. Paul, a professional boxer vs. an amateur YouTuber. Why is it such a big deal? Because it almost never happened before. For all of those who don't know Floyd, he is the undisputed lightweight champion of the boxing ring at 50-0(50 wins 0 losses). Yes, he's putting his entire flawless career in jeopardy against a YouTuber. Standing at 5'8", Floyd will go against Paul, who's 6'2; though experience matters, we can't deny the massive difference between the weight and size of these two boxers, hence the David vs Goliath.
The rise of Zerodha : All of you must have heard of massive tech entrepreneurs from other countries like Musk or Bezos, but we do have some titans of our own. NITHIN AND NIKHIL KAMATH, one of the founders and creators of one of the biggest online brokerage firms. The two brothers come from humble backgrounds and have created a tech empire that made Nikhil the youngest Indian billionaire with a net worth of close to 24000 crores. The online trading platform is the third-best in the country and rose to such fame in just a matter of 8 years! Its massive success can be attributed to many factors, but the one that stands out the most is, it is India's first discount brokerage firm.
DAILY DOSE OF TRIVIA
Which country became the first in the world to use blockchain technology to verify votes in an election?
Which city, which did not "exist" until recently, is set to host Qatar's 2022 FIFA World Cup?
Before emerging as the iconic Grand Theft Auto, what was the game going to be called?
Which beverage was initially invented as an alternative to morphine addiction and to treat headaches and anxiety?
What is the name of the holiday celebrating the emancipation of those who had been enslaved in the United States?
(Answers at the end. We don't want you guys to peek at the answers that easy ;) )
What's happening!
Here is a snippet from the sports quiz conducted last week.
ANSWERS
Sierra Leone
Lusail City
Race 'n' Chase
Coca Cola
Juneteenth (a portmanteau of June and nineteenth).
Finally ,
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