world-cup

SOURCE SPORTS: Klarna Supports Women’s Soccer with New World Cup Activation

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Klarna Supports Women's Soccer with New World Cup Activation

Klarna, the global payments network, is set to engage sports fans with a new in-app game called ‘Scream For Your Team.’ Running from July to August in conjunction with the major women’s soccer tournament, the game will reward fans for their loud cheers and screams during matches. Participants can win Nike gift cards worth up to $500 in weekly draws if they successfully score three goals by screaming at the indicated volume.

To support women’s soccer further, Klarna has teamed up with Angel City FC to offer free swag at upcoming watch parties. The first party will be held on July 26 during the USA vs. Netherlands match at The Music Center, with more events scheduled throughout the tournament. Klarna plans to reward the first 500 fans at each party who pose in front of the Klarna backdrop and share their experience on Instagram Stories, tagging Klarna.

According to a recent survey by Klarna, nearly half of respondents believe that cheering for their women’s soccer team can inspire young women and girls to pursue their athletic dreams. Additionally, fans think that vocal support for women’s soccer helps increase visibility and awareness of the sport, fosters camaraderie among fans, and provides inspiration and motivation. Studies have also shown that cheering for a winning team positively affects fans’ self-esteem and may extend life expectancy.

Furthermore, the Klarna research revealed that:

  • Sixty-one percent of respondents noted feeling a sense of pride when their team wins, while 40% feel overjoyed and 35% feel ecstatic. 
  • Over half (53%) noted that they’ve become a fan of women’s soccer through major tournaments or events like the Women’s World Cup. 
  • Notably, over half (53%) of respondents noted their attitudes towards women’s soccer have changed over the past few years. 
  • Of that group, 40% stated that the change was driven due to increased media coverage and exposure, while 36% stated that the sport has become increasingly competitive and reached a higher level of performance over the past few years.  
  • Watching women’s soccer is a family activity, with 60% of respondents saying that they watch games regularly with their family. However, the ability to attend live games in stadiums is still a barrier for 1 in 2 fans (50%) stating that there are no stadiums near their home city. However, almost 30% of respondents noted they are most likely to cheer or scream for their team when attending a game in person. 
  • When it comes to which generation is planning to spend the most time watching the Women’s World Cup this summer, Millennials are the biggest fans (61%), followed by Gen Z (54%) and Gen X (48%). 

Klarna’s ‘Scream for your team’ is just one of the initiatives launched by the company to promote women’s soccer in the U.S. and globally. As a founding partner of the National Women’s Soccer League team Angel City FC, Klarna has been actively involved in various projects. This includes collaborating on limited-edition merch collections with brands like re-inc and Suay Sew Shop and contributing to local Los Angeles philanthropies alongside ACFC.

Josh van Sant, Klarna’s Head of Global Consumer Communications, emphasized the company’s commitment to supporting women’s soccer fans worldwide. With the game, Klarna aims to reward fans for their unwavering support and offer them a unique way to engage with the sport during the summer’s major women’s soccer tournament in Australia and New Zealand.

The ‘Scream For Your Team’ game can be accessed through the Klarna app’s ‘You’ tab, available for free download on Apple and Android devices. For more information on watch party schedules, interested fans can visit angelcity.com/summer23.

The post SOURCE SPORTS: Klarna Supports Women’s Soccer with New World Cup Activation first appeared on The Source.

The post SOURCE SPORTS: Klarna Supports Women’s Soccer with New World Cup Activation appeared first on The Source.

LSU’s Hailey Van Lith Named To 3×3 World Cup Team

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3×3 Basketball has taken off in a major way in recent years. Ice Cube currently runs The Big3, a 3×3 league stacked with former NBA talent. Meanwhile, the event made its Olympic debut at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, with Latvia and the USA taking the men’s and women’s gold medals respectively. The event will return for the 2024 Olympics in Paris, France.

However, the 3×3 World Cup has taken place on a variety of schedules since 2012. Originally every two years, it became an annual event in 2016 until it was canceled due to the pandemic in 2020. The 2023 event is the second edition of the event to held after it was reinstated for 2022. Vienna, Austria will play host to this year’s events. Serbia, a five-time champion, enters as the defending men’s champions. Meanwhile, France enter as the women’s champions, having won their first title in 2022. It’s the sixth time the event has been held in Europe. The 2022 edition was held in Antwerp, Belgium.

Team USA Announces World Cup Rosters

The United States has become the first of the 20 participating nations to announce their eight-person roster for the World Cup. Each team has four members. On the men’s team, there is Canyon Barry, a former G-League player and son of Hall of Famer Rick Barry. Joining Barry is Jimmer Fredette, a former NBA journeyman who most recently played in China. Also on the roster is Kareem Maddox, a former Princeton standout, overseas player, and NPR producer. Completing the team is Dylan Travis, a 3×3 expert who won gold at the 3×3 AmeriCup in 2022. Team USA won the men’s event in 2019.

Meanwhile, the US women’s team is anchored by college stars. The biggest name to casual fans will be Hailey Van Lith, the Lousiville standout who recently transferred to LSU. However, there is also Cameron Brink, who currently serves as the defensive lynchpin at Stanford. Then there’s Cierra Burdick, a WNBA journeywoman who played 56 games over 6 years between 2015 and 2021. Burdick currently plays in Spain. Finally, there’s Linnae Harper, who has made 25 WNBA appearances since going undrafted in 2018. Team USA are two-time champions in the women’s event, taking home the gold in 2012 and 2014.

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Drake Sings Argentina’s World Cup Song At Lollapalooza

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Drake went viral recently for signing Argentina’s unofficial World Cup song during his Lollapalooza Argentina performance. Moreover, it’s not surprising to see the 6 God show some love to last year’s victors. After all, he bet on the team’s victory, although he lost because they didn’t win within 90 minutes as he anticipated. Still, he riled up the jubilant crowd and only had to sing the first word of the track “Muchachos” for them to follow along. For those curious, the track is fully titled “Muchachos, ahora nos volvimos a ilusionar” and is by La Mosca Tse-Tse.

In the social media clip, the Canadian superstar is wrapping up one of his songs, addressing the crowd. “By the way, that was probably like one of the best moments of my career,” he remarked. “Thank you. I feel like I really made it.” Then, they begin screams of “Argentina!” that quickly ramp up. At that moment, Drizzy leads the crowd into the song that carried them through the legendary soccer- sorry, fútbol tournament to victory. Furthermore, the song is specifically dedicated to some of the nation’s greatest players, like Diego Maradona, Lionel Messi, and Gabriel Batistuta.

Drake Sings Argentina’s Unofficial World Cup Song

Unfortunately, the “Nice For What” rapper faced some stronger controversy and criticism for his performance. According to both Latin American news sources and festival-goer testimonies, Drake came out 15 minutes late for his set. Not only that, but he reportedly blocked the performance’s livestream (which was allegedly agreed on) just minutes before taking the stage. Such a decision goes against the standard of live-streaming Lollapalooza performances. Also, he reportedly only played for 40 minutes, well below the standard headliner slot of about an hour and a half.

In fact, the 36-year-old dealt with a lot of pushback for his live appearances recently. The most salient example of that has more to do with logistics, as people are outraged at the insane ticket prices for his tour with 21 Savage. Despite all that, it’s Drake we’re talking about, and it’s probably beyond his control. With that in mind, maybe his appreciation of Argentina’s people, greatness, and culture goes beyond festival mishaps. But that’s not for us to decide. Regardless, check back in with HNHH for the latest news and updates on Drake.

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Eminem Turned Down $8 Million To Perform With 50 Cent At The FIFA World Cup

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Argentina made history at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, leading to momentous celebrations upon their return to their home fans. Apparently, the only thing missing from this significant sports moment was rap music legend, Eminem. While Nicki Minaj, Maluma, and Myriam teamed up for the official FIFA fan festival anthem, attendees, according to 50 Cent (real name Curtis Jackson), could have been treated to an in-person performance from the Detroit native.

During his visit to REAL 92.3 FM’s show Big Boy’s Neighborhood, the mogul revealed Eminem turned down the opportunity to perform at the FIFA World Cup.

“I got an inquiry about World Cup, and they had a budget of $9 million. I would’ve taken one, and then the other eight would have been for him.” However, it was quickly shot down after sharing the proposal with Eminem’s manager Paul Rosenberg.

“[Paul] like, he’s not gonna do it.” While Jackson has discussed on multiple occasions how he’s walked away from lucrative deals, including a $1.3 million offer from Universal Music Group, he was shocked to hear Eminem’s decision considering he has performed at the Super Bowl with Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige, and 50 Cent.

Jackson mentioned their Superbowl performance and said, “If you would do a one-off show, maybe you would do the biggest live sporting event in the world,” said Jackson referring to the World Cup.

Although Jackson doesn’t explicitly mention which year his mentor was asked to perform at the sporting competition, the rumor about the league having a hard time booking talent for last year’s series in Qatar may have some truth to it overall.

During the same interview, Jackson shared that he is currently working on a television series honoring Eminem’s life and legacy, “I wanna bring… I’m gonna bring 8 Mile to television,” said Jackson, “We in motion. It’s gonna be big. I’m working. I ain’t got no duds.”

Watch the full interview above.

Eminem Rejected $8 Million Offer To Perform At World Cup

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Slim Shady’s one of the most successful and profitable names in hip-hop, but even he missed out on some major bags sometimes. In a recent interview with Big Boy’s Neighborhood, 50 Cent revealed that Eminem rejected an $8 million offer to perform at last year’s World Cup. Moreover, the offer came after the two performed alongside Mary J. Blige, Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, and Kendrick Lamar at the 2022 Super Bowl Halftime Show.

NEWARK, NEW JERSEY – AUGUST 28: Eminem performs onstage at the 2022 MTV VMAs at Prudential Center on August 28, 2022 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for MTV/Paramount Global)

According to Fif, organizers of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar reached out to his and Eminem’s teams to sign the on to perform.

“Because of the Super Bowl, I got an inquiry about the World Cup,” the Queens mogul stated. “They had a budget of $9 million for it. So they was gonna give— I would have took one, Big. Then the other eight would have been for Em.”

Meanwhile, 50 said that if anybody was interested in a one-and-done, they’d do “the biggest live sporting event in the world.” If the FIFA World Cup won’t cut it, what could?

Still, once they made the offer, 50 Cent called Em’s manager Paul Rosenberg to talk it over. Ultimately, they turned it down. While it seems likely, there’s no telling whether the news got directly to the “Lose Yourself” rapper.

“I called and spoke to Paul and everybody around him,” 50 said. “They was like, ‘He’s not gonna do it.’”

However, they didn’t show such hesitation when discussing a TV show adaptation of Eminem’s hit movie, 8 Mile. 

“I wanna bring — I’m gonna bring 8 Mile to television,” Fif stated. Also, he told Big Boy that the prospect is already “in motion.”

“It’s gonna be big,” he went on to state. “I’m working. I ain’t got no duds. I’m batting 10… I think it should be there for [Eminem’s] legacy because it’s important to me that they understand it.”

What do you think of Eminem turning down $8 million’s worth of a World Cup performance? Whatever the case, let us know in the comments down below. Also, as always, check back in with HNHH for the latest interview highlights and hip-hop business.

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Soccer Legend Pelé Dead At 82

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If you are a soccer fan, or just a sports fan in general, you absolutely should know who Pelé is. He is a man who pioneered the sport of soccer, and in many ways, he was the sport’s first International superstar. In fact, he won three World Cups, which is a monumental achievement.

Throughout his incredible career, he played in both Brazil and the United States. While playing for the New York Cosmos, Pelé was able to make the sport that much more popular in North America.

Legendary Brazilian footballer Pele, speaks during the opening event of the 2018 Carioca Football Championship at Cidade das Artes in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on January 15, 2018. Pele was named ambassador of the Championship. / AFP PHOTO / MAURO PIMENTEL (Photo credit should read MAURO PIMENTEL/AFP via Getty Images)

Unfortunately, Pelé’s health has been deteriorating over the past couple of weeks. Throughout the World Cup, there was this sense that he could pass away during Brazil’s journey. However, he was able to hold on. Unfortunately, over the past couple of days, Pelé’s condition had gotten worse.

Pelé Passes Away

According to reporter Philip Lewis, it has been revealed that Pelé has officially passed away. The Brazilian soccer legend was 82 years old at the time of his passing. Many throughout the soccer world expected this news, however, many remain saddened and impacted by his death.

In the tweets below, you can find numerous tributes to the soccer pioneer. Overall, Pelé is someone who inspired generations of soccer players, regardless of age. If you loved the sport and played it, you wanted to have his talent. He wasn’t just a Brazilian hero, but a global one.

Our heart goes out to everyone who has been impacted by his passing. He was a truly special talent and someone that will forever be remembered.

RIP Pelé.

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Salt Bae Banned From 2023 L.A. Rolling Loud After World Cup

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Salt Bae’s faced extensive backlash since the World Cup. Now, one of hip-hop’s premium festivals is banning him from attending their upcoming L.A. event.

Rolling Loud issued a statement on Friday announcing the ban of the chef from their March festival in Los Angeles. Though it’s likely just a joke, Rolling Loud joins other establishments in barring the viral figure from attending their events.

“We have also banned Salt Bae from Rolling Loud LA 2023 in March,” a statement from their Instagram reads.

The statement comes after the U.S. Open Cup banned him from attending the finals in 2023. “Salt Bae is hereby banned from the 2023 U.S. Open Cup Final,” they wrote.

Soccer fans have expressed their frustration with him for storming the pitch after Argentina’s win. He held and kissed the World Cup while pestering a slew of the team’s players, like Messi, for pictures.

LUSAIL CITY, QATAR - DECEMBER 18: Nusret Goekce, nicknamed Salt Bae, kisses the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Winner's Trophy after the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Final match between Argentina and France at Lusail Stadium on December 18, 2022 in Lusail City, Qatar. (Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images)
LUSAIL CITY, QATAR – DECEMBER 18: Nusret Goekce, nicknamed Salt Bae, kisses the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Winner’s Trophy after the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Final match between Argentina and France at Lusail Stadium on December 18, 2022 in Lusail City, Qatar. (Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images)

The World Cup finally responded to Salt Bae’s actions in a statement on Thursday where they denied allowing him onto the pitch. They explained that only World Cup winners and heads of state have the authority to touch the trophy during the closing ceremony.

“Following a review, FIFA has been establishing how individuals gained undue access to the pitch after the closing ceremony at Lusail Stadium on 18 December,” said a statement from the world soccer’s governing body. They said they will be taking “appropriate internal action.”

So far, Salt Bae hasn’t responded to any of the controversy surrounding his actions on Sunday. However, he continued to post a string of photos and videos on Instagram from his trip to the World Cup. World soccer’s governing body didn’t suggest that they’d ban Salt Bae, though it seems like he’s happy with getting as close as he did to the trophy.

We’ll keep you posted on any more updates surrounding Salt Bae at the World Cup.

Salt Bae’s World Cup Antics Even Got Him Banned From Rolling Loud In Los Angeles — Allegedly

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salt bae world cup
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With Rolling Loud’s return to Los Angeles right around the calendar corner, the festival recently revealed its lineup featuring headliners Future, Playboi Carti, and Travis Scott. This week, though, the fest’s organizers added someone to the list of people who can’t go to the 2023 event: Nusret Gökçe, aka viral chef Salt Bae. Jumping on the recent announcement that FIFA would be blocking his attendance from future events after his antics at the recently concluded World Cup in Qatar, the Rolling Loud Twitter account wrote, “We have also banned Salt Bae from Rolling Loud LA 2023 in March.”

Of course, it’s pretty obvious that the statement is more of a joke than anything else. The Rolling Loud social media manager has proven to have a pretty wicked sense of humor — even razzing a rapper whose stage was only attended by 13 people — so it’s probably just a reference to all the other events showing Gökçe the proverbial red card for wandering onto the pitch after Argentina’s World Cup final victory over France to kiss the trophy last Sunday. FIFA issued the salty chef with a ban from the 2023 US Open Cup final as it considers what other actions it will take against him.

Salt Bae’s World Cup Antics Lead To Swift Reaction From FIFA

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Salt Bae has been catching a ton of flack as of late. The infamous restaurant owner who goes by the real name Nusret Gokce, was present during the World Cup Final celebrations. For some odd reason, the man kept trying to take photos with the Argentinian superstars.

Overall, it was a very bad look for the man as he came across as a clout chaser. No one likes it when people do this, and overall, you can’t help but feel some second-hand embarrassment. Regardless, the whole display had people wondering how he ended up on the field.

Nusret Goekce, nicknamed Salt Bae, kisses the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Winner’s Trophy after the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Final match between Argentina and France at Lusail Stadium on December 18, 2022 in Lusail City, Qatar. (Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images)

FIFA Reacts To Salt Bae

According to reports, a reporter named Tariq Panja was able to get a comment from FIFA about Salt Bae’s antics. Of course, FIFA has made it clear that only winners of the World Cup should be allowed to touch it. With that in mind, it seems like FIFA is going to be taking a good look at what happened Sunday.

“Following a review, FIFA has been establishing how individuals gained undue access to the pitch after the closing ceremony at Lusail stadium on 18 December. The appropriate internal action will be taken,” the organization explained.

In the following tweets below, you can see how people felt about the restauranteur. For the most part, he is being heavily roasted, and it is pretty well-deserved. He went out there and acted like he won something, which is grounds for social media ridicule.

Hopefully, something like this never happens again. After all, it is annoying to the players who worked so hard to achieve their glory. Additionally, it makes FIFA look completely unserious.

Let us know what you think about this situation, in the comments down below.

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