Here, instead of wasting your time watching soccer highlights, check out how the theme song of the X-Files came about.
(link to X-Files theme song for your listening pleasure)
Friday, February 7, 2025
More reason to despise US Soccer
US Soccer, a bunch of dastardly bastards.
You may notice the video I posted back on December 15th which was a clip from the Netflix report about Hope Solo and her fight with US Soccer is no longer available.
Why? you might ask.
Because the YouTube account that created the video has been terminated!
That's right, US Soccer must have complained and the account was given a red card.
C'mon, commie bastards.
If you are still a soccer fan after all this time, after all the crap US Soccer and MLS has pulled over the last couple of decades, then I can't help you. You are too far gone. You have drank too much of their Kool-Aid.
In my humble opinion, soccer sucks, MLS sucks, US Soccer sucks. (You may feel differently, but this is how I feel, take it or leave it.)
My only wish is that the US national team gets embarrassed at the next World Cup.
Saturday, February 1, 2025
Wow, Utah Hockey really have a mess on their hands
The Yeti is dead.
The Mammoth lives!
The Outlaws are gone, but here comes the Wasatch. The Wasatch?
Wait, the Outlaws are back!
Huh?
Good lord, they should have gone with the Mountaineers since day one, problem solved.
Below are two articles from KSL explaining the whole situation. Really I don't care though, bullfight season in Spain starts this month, and Mexico City's biggest bullfights of the year are this weekend.
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The Yeti is dead: Utah NHL team vote down to 3 names — Mammoth, Hockey Club and Wasatch
(ksl.com 1-29-25)
The Utah Yeti is dead.
The next step to finding the Utah Hockey Club's permanent name will begin Wednesday night at the Delta Center with a fan survey between the final three names: Utah Hockey Club, Utah Mammoth and … Utah Wasatch.
Wait — what?
Yep, a new name (Wasatch) has emerged as things reach the top three — along with a pretty glaring omission.
The perceived favorite Utah Yeti(s) is out as an option; though, not necessarily by the team's choice.
"At the end of the day, (Yeti coolers) have a trademark that allows them to print Yeti or Yetis on clothing and other licensed merchandise, and without a coexistence agreement, we would not be able to print that," Smith Entertainment Group executive Mike Maughan said.
A coexistence agreement is a deal struck by the two companies, allowing each to use the name. But both sides would have had to say yes to such a deal, and the cooler company declined.
"They made a determination that, for the sake of their brand, they didn't want to enter into a coexistence agreement," Maughan said.
But that wasn't for a lack of trying on SEG's part.
Maughan said the team engaged with Yeti "extensively," and the NHL (a Yeti partner) even tried to help tip the scales. But Yeti ultimately wanted to protect its own trademarks.
So with that, the team had to move on from the name that has topped many lists since SEG announced it was picking the name via a fan vote last spring.
"We went through a great process," Maughan said. "The name came from fans, we talked with them at length, the NHL weighed in. At the end of the day, it was their decision."
But the team still wanted to honor the Yeti name for the next round of voting — and that's where Wasatch came into play.
Maughan said the new name allows the team to honor the idea of the "mythical snow creature" (he seemed careful not to use the Y word) and give it a Utah feel.
"We have the Wasatch Mountains, we have the Wasatch Front, we have so many different iterations or ways that we could do it, so we wanted to honor the sentiment of one of those top names while also including a Utah-centric version of it," he said.
So the Yeti is dead, long live Wasatch? The fans will now decide if that's good enough to stick with a Yeti theme for the name.
Fans attending the next four home games (beginning with Wednesday's game against Pittsburgh), will have a chance to vote on not just the name but also get a sneak peek of the potential new look of the team.
There will be iPad stations located throughout the arena where fans can vote on the name and give ratings for logos and ice rink designs. Voting will be ready as soon as doors open and will continue throughout each game. No pictures of the designs will be allowed.
"We'll have people at every level of the arena in each of the different clubs and suites and levels so that anyone who wants to be able to take it will have the opportunity to do that," Maughan said.
And if you liked the name Yeti, you probably won't be too upset about the proposed logos.
The Wasatch and Utah Hockey Club logos feature a similar "mythical snow creature." The Mammoth logo is, as you may expect, a stylized mammoth.
The black, blue and white color palette the team has used this season will continue as part of the permanent brand. But the team's current logo — even if Utah Hockey Club ends up the winner — will be changed.
Maughan said there's a chance this will be the final vote before settling on a permanent name.
"We'll see how the results come in and make a determination from there as to whether there will be one more, or whether this is the final great question," he said.
And while the Yeti hiccup has changed some things — like adding Wasatch to the mix — it hasn't delayed the final steps of the process. Maughan said everything is still on track for a name and brand to be announced ahead of the 2025-26 season.
"We always anticipated that there would be another iteration where we were able to include names and logos, so we're exactly where we thought we would be," Maughan said.
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SEG pulls an audible with Utah's NHL team vote; Wasatch is out, Outlaws is back in
(ksl.com 1-30-24)
Wasatch, we hardly knew thee.
A day after announcing the final three names under consideration, Utah's NHL team is pulling an audible (eh, making a line change?). The Utah Wasatch is being swapped out for Utah Outlaws.
"We listened to your feedback and dug into all the Qualtrics data from last night's survey. For the team name, it's clear that Outlaws should be in the mix instead of Wasatch, so we're swapping it out," the team announced on social media Thursday.
So now it's between the Utah Hockey Club, Utah Mammoth and Utah Outlaws.
Utah Wasatch was never part of any of the previous iterations of the survey and was brought in as a replacement for Utah Yeti after the team ran into trademark issues with that name.
The Utah Outlaws was part of the final six names announced last summer and has long been among the fan favorites on social media. And it should pose a bigger challenge for what had become the new favorite in "Mammoth."
Chants of "Mammoth, Mammoth, Mammoth" echoed throughout the concourse Wednesday from people waiting in line to vote. KSL.com asked 29 people who had just voted or were waiting in line what name they supported. The results? Mammoth 21, Hockey Club, 7, Wasatch 1.
But it wasn't uncommon for voters to mention how they wished Outlaws was still in the mix; they now have their wish.
There was enough momentum behind the name that it got the Smith Entertainment Group to change course. Or maybe the enthusiasm for Wasatch was meh at best.
So out goes Wasatch, in comes Outlaws, and now the voting continues.
"I'm excited. I like the thought process behind the three names and I really like the fact that our fans will have the opportunity to choose what they want," head coach André Tourigny said. "It will be an honor for us to have the name that the fans choose."
Surveys and voting will continue at the Delta Center during Friday, Sunday and Tuesday's games.
Thursday, January 23, 2025
Maybe Yeti, maybe not
My thoughts....
I still think the name of the hockey club should be the Mountaineers. I doubt they would have any trademark issues with that name.
But nooo......... they need to go with some Saturday morning cartoon name.
Whatevs.
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Utah Hockey Club facing trademark hurdles in finding permanent name
(from ksl.com 1-21-25)
The Utah Hockey Club is having issues getting the trademark for its preferred permanent name.
It's no secret that "Yetis" or "Yeti" has long been the favorite to replace the team's temporary "Hockey Club" moniker — with everyone from management and players hinting at it as early as last summer.
But there could be a snag. Namely, YETI is already a pretty big brand.
Earlier this month, the trademark for "Utah Yetis" was refused by the United States Patent and Trademark Office due to a "likelihood of confusion"
"Trademark Act Section 2(d) bars registration of an applied-for mark that is so similar to a registered mark that it is likely consumers would be confused, mistaken, or deceived as to the commercial source of the goods and/or services of the parties," a non-final action issued on Jan. 9 said.
The Utah Yetis trademark application was for use in connection with "clothing, namely, shirts, T-shirts, jerseys, sweatshirts, sweatpants, caps, hats, scarves, infant and toddler one-piece clothing, pajamas, bandanas, underwear, gloves, socks, shorts, suspenders, swim trunks, coats, jackets, robes, pants, leggings, sweaters, ear muffs, cloth bibs, belts, warm-up suits, headbands and wristbands."
The problem: YETI already has numerous trademarks in standard and stylized fonts for just about all of those things.
As for adding Utah to the name, the USPTO said that wasn't enough of a differentiating factor.
"In the present case, the wording 'Utah' in the applied-for mark is merely descriptive of or generic for applicant's goods. Thus, this wording is less significant in terms of affecting the mark's commercial impression, and renders the wording 'YETIS' the more dominant element of the mark," the non-final action said.
No, Utah's NHL team isn't a cooler or drinkware company, but sells similar things. YETI isn't a hockey team, but its trademark includes a number of things that a hockey team would like to sell. So, there's at least some overlap there.
But what about making Yeti plural?
"An applied-for mark that is the singular or plural form of a registered mark is essentially identical in sound, appearance, meaning, and commercial impression, and thus the marks are confusingly similar," the action said.
Welp ...
A future logo or style likely won't help things either with the trademark office saying that "a mark presented in stylized characters" or with a "design element" generally will "not avoid likelihood of confusion"
So, what now?
The team has three months from Jan. 9 to respond with further evidence and arguments to support its claim for the new trademark (it will also have to fix some bookkeeping things).
So there's still hope for those who want to cheer on the Yeti or Yetis. Hey, the Detroit Red Wings and Red Wing Shoe Company have similar names (and even pretty similar logos), after all.
And the team, at least, should be prepared to make its case.
In September, Utah Hockey Club president Chris Armstrong said that while the team knew the name the fans wanted, it was a "complicated process" from a legal, trademarking and intellectual property perspective.
"We're in that process now of determining what is achievable in that realm," he said.
But, in the end, what if the Yeti name isn't achievable?
Here's a look at the applications for the other announced finalists:
Utah Blizzard and Utah Venom: Both of these trademark applications were also refused due to a "likelihood of confusion" — with the trademark office pointing out many of the same issues the team has with trademarking the Yetis.
Utah Hockey Club: This one was refused on the Principal Register due to "the applied-for mark is primarily geographically descriptive of the origin of applicant's goods and/or services." In simpler terms, you can't just trademark "Utah."
But there looks to be a simple workaround here.
The team filed the name under a 1(b) application — or an intent-to-use application — back in the spring of 2024. If the team files an amendment to show it's using the name (which ... should be pretty easy) then it can amend the application to the Supplemental Register. That should clear things up.
Utah Mammoth: There were "no conflicting marks" found here, but some bookkeeping will need to be cleared up on the application (a proper address, making a disclaimer that the team has no claim to "Utah", etc.).
The Mammoth non-final action was sent on Nov. 5, so the response deadline is in just a couple of weeks. If that deadline passes without a response, the application will be abandoned.
Utah Outlaws: The Utah Outlaws application also doesn't have issues apart from some clerical things. The non-final action was sent on Jan. 9, though, so a little more waiting to see what happens with this one.
Sunday, December 15, 2024
Untold: Hope Solo vs. U.S. Soccer (Clip 8)
A small clip from the Netflix sports doc "Hope Solo vs U.S. Soccer" which I recently watched. Why? I don't know, I guess I was really bored.
I never followed the Hope Solo drama, I remember all the news stories about it when it was going down but I never really cared for women's soccer even when I was a soccer fan so I didn't pay much attention.
But this revealing Netflix production just made me dislike US Soccer even more.
Sunday, December 8, 2024
Garber, after all these years still trying to make MLS look better than it is
Garber is a bum, after all these years as head of MLS he is still out there trying to blow smoke up people's butts and make MLS look better than it is. That is his job I guess.
I just can't believe I fell for MLS' crap all those years ago, and Garber is still up to his shenanigans.
Take for example his "state of the League" address or whatever it is now.
Oh, first off, I hadn't thought of MLS for quite awhile until last week when I started to watch the Hope Solo vs US Soccer thing on Netflix and then all of a sudden it dawned on me that it was that time of year again that MLS should be having their championship game. I had to actually look it up because of course if you don't go look it up for yourself you would never even know MLS existed, it is that irrelevant.
So anyway, I went to MLS' website and there was a news article about Garber and the state of the League. I read it and started to almost vomit immediately.
(link) https://www.mlssoccer.com/news/mls-commissioner-don-garber-we-have-an-unbelievable-opportunity
But here is what really caught my eye.
"MLS recently became the second-highest-attended soccer league worldwide, with over 12.1 million fans filling stadiums this year. There are new benchmarks in sponsorship, consumer products and digital engagement as well – powering increased investment in soccer across the U.S. and Canada."
"Wow", I thought. "Second-highest-attnded soccer league worldwide"?
That seems sketchy to me. You can't tell me MLS gets more fans than the Bundesliga or La Liga or any of the other European leagues. C'mon Garber, don't give me that sh*t.
But then they provide a link to the stats.
League - Country - Total Attendance
English Premier League
England
14.6M+
MLS
United States
12.1M+
Bundesliga
Germany
12M+
Serie A
Italy
11.6M+
La Liga
Spain
10.7M+
Brazilian Série A
Brazil
10.2M+
Ligue 1
France
8.4M+
LIGA MX
Mexico
6.9M+
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Wow, there is the proof.
But wait a minute, this is total number of fans, not an average of how many fans show up each week. And doesn't MLS have way more teams than all those other leagues? Something stinks in Smallville.
So lets's see if we compare apples to apples.
MLS had 12.1 million fans over 29 teams playing 34 games a year. That breaks down to 12,272 fans a game.
The Bundesliga had 12 million fans over 18 teams playing 34 games a year. That breaks down to 19,608 fans a game.
La Ligue 1 had 8.4 million fans over 20 teams playing 38 games a year. That breaks down to 11,053 fans a game.
Etc. etc. You get the idea. MLS is right around the same amount of fans as the French league. Which we've always kind of known that.
But, MLS is cooking the books with statements like these. They always have.
This is just more bs from Garber and his crew. (Not the Columbus Crew which he wanted to see go away.)
Anyway, you get the idea. Keep buying their crap if you want.
I'll watch bullfights in the meanwhile.
Wednesday, November 20, 2024
Chile vs Venezuela - Nov. 19th, 2024 - World Cup Qualifiers
So, my international team I cheer for most is Chile.
(Japan and Jamaica are my next favorites.)
I don't cheer for the US, they are always too cocky. I don't like that.
So it has been rough so far for Chile in World Cup qualifiying. They have only scored 1 point in their last 4 games and as of yesterday morning they were at the bottom of South America's table. What is even worse is with the new World Cup format 6 teams from South America go with a 7th team possibly going after the new playoff format.
So you have to play pretty poorly to not qualify out of South America, but so far that is what Chile has been doing.
Last night though they regained a little life in their soccer boots and pulled out a victory. With that hopefully can carry some momentum into their next game only problem is the next round of qualifiers isn't until March! Good heavens, that is a long time from now.
Anyway, I will enjoy this victory for now.
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