Kia ora, Talofa, Ma’lelei, Bula, Aloha and Welcome to Season 10 Episode 18 of Breakfast Bites, by TEIVOVOdigital.com – a wrap of Pasifika people’s sports news, on Friday morning 19 July 2024, where it is partly cloudy and 22 degrees Celsius at 5am.
 
Coming to you with tons of hanisi from the 180th meridian, in the middle of the blue continent.
 
In Rugby Union: New All Blacks Coach, Scott Robertson has named almost the perfect storm of a team to take on the Flying Fijians in San Diego tomorrow.
 
His six All Blacks debutants will be bursting at the seams to make a big impression, especially though their new young bucks coming off the bench to boost their forward pack – 16. George Bell, 18. Pasilio Tosi, 19. Sam Darry and 20. Wallace Sititi.
 
Billy Procter starts at Centre on debut, while Emoni Narawa is on the bench.
 
Fiji boss, Mick Byrne is counting on young debutant flyhalf, Isaiah Armstrong-Ravula to lead the Fijians around the park with his Christchurch educated boot.
 
In Rugby League: Oh boy – ORIGIN III sure took its toll on some Clubs!
 
While 10 players were charged by the NRL’s Match Review Committee, for the first half scuffle, only Haumole Olakau’atu, who was dressed in a suit and watching from the sidelines, and Rabbitohs star Cameron Murray, who ran in from the bench, were suspended by the NRL Judiciary.

Several other players, like Broncos stars Reece Walsh, Selwyn Cobbo and Payne Haas have been sent for medical tests.

Pat Carrigan was seen the following morning in a moon boot, with the lock reportedly suffering a rolled ankle.

Eels halfback Mitchell Moses suffered the most - a season-ending injury.

In Football: The French Football Federation “condemns with the greatest firmness the unacceptable racist and discriminatory remarks made against players of the France team” and plans to lodge a complaint with FIFA, plus take legal action, after racist chants from members of Argentina’s Copa America winning team in the wake of the Copa victory over Colombia in Miami on Sunday.
 
The chants were heard during a live video posted on social media by Chelsea and Argentina midfielder Enzo Fernandez from the team bus.

Some players, including Fernandez, sang a chant dating back to the 2022 World Cup final that Argentina won against France that targeted France’s star striker Kylian Mbappe and includes homophobic insults as well as racist remarks.

Don’t you just love social media for recording famous wins!
 
In the WNBA: The WNBA’s reported 11-year US$2.2Billion media-rights deals with ESPN, NBC and Amazon is just the latest win for women’s sports, which has been riding a wave of historic momentum in recent years.
 
When the WNBA’s new deals begin in 2026, media companies will be paying at least US$325Million annually for three of the top women’s sports properties:
· WNBA US$200Million, up from US$60M currently
· Women’s March Madness @ US$65M with ESPN
· NWSL @ US$60M with ESPN, Amazon, CBS, Scripps Sports

In SportsBiz: Revenue is up 11% in Q2 for the German powerhouse brand ADIDAS, with its profit of US$371.7Million for the quarter nearly doubling last year’s figure. The results follow a strong Q1 for ADIDAS, which has seen its stock increase nearly 30% year-to-date. 
 
Nike on the other hand is heading the other way.
 
Finally, only in America: A two-time Super Bowl Champion and NFL Hall of Fame legend, Terrell Davis was handcuffed on a United Airlines flight from Denver to California after a flight attendant accused the former Denver Broncos star of hitting him.

The 51-year-old, who was flying with his family, posted about his ordeal on social media, saying the claim was false and described feeling "traumatised" by it.

Davis explained that during the flight's beverage service, his son asked for a cup of ice, so he lightly tapped the flight attendant on the arm to get his attention, only to hear him respond, "Don't hit me!"
The flight attendant then left the cart and went to the front of the plane.

"I was confused, as were other passengers who witnessed the exchange, Davis wrote. "I thought nothing of it other than this particular employee was incredibly rude and blatantly wrong in his accusations of me hitting him.”

Davis said that when the plane arrived at Orange County's John Wayne Airport, FBI agents and local authorities boarded the plane, placed him in handcuffs in front of his wife and three children and removed him from the flight.

Mr Davis was a star running back for the Denver Broncos, playing for them from 1995 to 2001. He helped Denver win Super Bowls XXXII and XXXIII, remains the team's all-time leading rusher and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2017.

United Airlines has removed the flight attendant from duty while it investigates the matter, reviews its policies, and is in discussions with Mr. Davis.

Just beautiful United!
 
And that’s a wrap peeps!
 
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Mahalo and Ka kite; for TEIVOVOdigital.com, I’m Culden Kamea tanking you all too mass for all your love and support.
 
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