World Bowl XXXVIII Everything Thread

by **The Transmondian Commonwealth** » Thu Jan 30, 2020 12:35 am

A couple of months before the World Bowl, Manchester, New Hampshire, Chrome States...

Melissa Cambridge (Rubble) bumbled into her apartment, set her bags by the door, and heaved a tired sigh. It was a relief to be done with all her responsibilities for the day. Now she was free to relax until bed time. She sat down on the little step between the entryway and the living room, pulled off her sleek high-heeled shoes and massaged the soles of her aching feet. She was a news anchor on a local TV station. She didn't really need to wear heels since she read the news from a desk in the studio and the camera only showed what was above the desk -- but she wore heels anyway because it was socially expected. Her feet were very sore tonight. As she sat there rubbing them, she remembered something she'd read off the teleprompter that day:

A new fusion reactor in Rubble Portsmouth began operating today, restoring electricity to millions of homes and businesses throughout the Rubble States...

She went into her bedroom, letting her hair down and unfastening her belt as she walked. She sat on the side of the bed and pulled off her panty hose. She remembered the video clip of the ceremonial ribbon cutting at the power plant.

She took off her jewelry and set it on the nightstand. She draped her jacket over the bedpost at the foot of the bed and went into the bathroom to wash her make-up off. She thought of her childhood in Rubble Cambridge. She remembered her father and the neighbors cutting ice from the river and storing it in old coolers, or fridges or freezers that were not plugged in. If they filled a whole walk-in freezer, or they stacked the coolers in a garage so they filled the whole space, sometimes it took months for the ice to melt. The whole thing was kind of sad, doing all that work when people in the Home States or the Chrome States could just plug in their freezer. That was why Melissa had left. And yet, she missed the homemade ice cream that she used to make with her dad, using the ice from the garage to chill it.

She missed climbing around the ruins of Harvard, admiring the architectural details on the shattered walls of the buildings, picking trinkets out of the gravel on the ground.

A wave of nostalgia washed over her as she recalled the squat cobbled-together homes that people had built using scraps of rebar and pieces of broken masonry.

She was homesick.

And there was no better time to go home. The re-electrification of the Rubble States meant there would be lots of room for new businesses. It was a perfect time to open stores selling electrical gadgets, or start up some local manufacturing before the big companies moved in.

As Melissa finished wiping off the last of her make-up and rinsing out the face cloth, she had a flash of inspiration. In that instant, she knew exactly what she wanted to do. She wanted to start a local TV station for the Rubble States.

Present day, Happy Valley Stadium...

Melissa was not entire sure how "going home" had turned into tramping around rural Rensylvania with a bunch of video equipment. The Ren Rep University stadium was bigger than most professional sports stadia in New England, and she didn't even begin to understand why a college in such a rural area had a stadium that size. What did they even use it for when they weren't hosting an international tournament?

Right now, though, they were hosting an international tournament, and it was packed with rowdy crowds of local college students and visiting fans. Melissa wasn't really interested in football, but she thought the World Bowl would appeal to her viewers. She'd brought along a handsome 20-year-old named Drew Orson (Rubble) that had played football in high school and was now trying to start a career in journalism. He was totally new to television, having never even watched a TV program until a couple months ago, much less appeared in one. Melissa had to coach him how to talk to the camera so that he wouldn't look awkward. It didn't work all that well. He was trying, and he was a good-looking guy, but he was awkward.

On the field, New England's football team was doing about the same. They were trying and you could see their potential, but they were awkward. They would score a touchdown them clumsily give the lead back a few minutes later. Orson hadn't mastered the art of following the game and talking at the same time. Sometimes he garbled the play-by-play commentary saying things like, "and a pass to Jack Davis" when he meant Jack Davidson. Usually Orson caught the mistakes and corrected himself. Sometimes he didn't. Melissa would have to talk to him about that after the game...

by **Nurkama** » Thu Jan 30, 2020 2:42 am

The Northwilde Informer

NURKAMA EMBARRASSED 43-3 IN FIRST WORLD BOWL MATCH

TONOPSOLIS, YORKOBA, THE FREE REPUBLICS
Nurkama opened their first ever international gridiron football match with a terrible loss against Ranoria at Admiral Theriault Stadium in the Free Republics. The Nurkama Iron Fists failed to get any sort of offense going, only putting up 3 points from a lone field goal by Quinn Paklik. The defense was also ineffective, giving up 43 points by allowing 5 touchdowns, 2 field goals, and a safety. Even though the result was a disappointment, it was to be expected. Ranoria is ranked eighth in the world and is the top team in the BearOil Group, this made Nurkama's odds of winning a long shot. Still, the result put up by the Iron Fists was a total failure by the team, putting up the fifth worst point differential of forty eight teams participating in the tournament for their first match. A loss this massive puts a blemish on Nurkama's status in the international sports scene and the team will have to do better to make up for their poor showing.

Nurkama Coach, Derek Tippens, expressed his opinion on the match today in an interview, stating that "We have be better than that if we want a shot at success, giving up that many points in any match is unacceptable, regardless of the opponent. We're a new and inexperienced team, no Nurkaman football players have ever gathered on a world stage together like this. You can sense that the nerves and pressure are there and they're an obstacle we must overcome. A match like this hurts our national pride and I'm sure many fans back home are disappointed and upset. I can assure that we will never let something like this happen again."

However, things can only get better for Nurkama from this point forward as the other opponents in the BearOil Group are not nearly as high-ranked or experienced as Ranoria. Nurkama will face a fellow unranked team in The Sarian tomorrow where a much stronger result is to be expected.

by **Banija** » Thu Jan 30, 2020 9:22 am

Setting is Big 5 sports agencies meeting

Ousman Kaba, the Executive Chairman of the Olympic Committee of Banija, was ready to gavel the meeting into order. The OCB, as the biggest and most important sporting organization in Banija, was going to have their first say. His words would surprise everyone in the room- and, of course, in a room without reporters, the hope would be that his words wouldn't leak before they could issue a unified statement. What he was going to say, what he was going to put in front of them, would be absolutely crucial to be kept a secret... But it could be important for the future of sport in Banija.

"My friends," Ousman Kaba started. "Thank you for agreeing to attend this meeting with me. Meetings like this do not happen often, so this is a historical event. I even made sure that all the bigwigs would be called for this meeting. I would first like to give a round of applause to the newly elected Vice President of the World Cup Committee, and Banija's permanent representative to the Executive World Cup Committee, Mr. Adama Sowe." And the room politely applauded. "Of course, we all know what kind of impact this man had when he was at the helm of the Royal Banijan Soccer Association, and his career's work was validated on a multiversal level when the nations of the World Cup Committee elected him as the organization's Vice President, and the highest ranking non-royal in all of soccer."

"There are many Banijans serving in prominent roles in administration across the multiverse. As we grow on the field, we grow off the field, as well, and we should applaud that success. Adama Sowe is chief among them, but is far from the only one. We have a Banijan serving as the Vice President of the World Baseball Council. WE have a Banijan serving as Acting President of the World Bowl Assembly, although without the title. It is strong. But we would like to continue that success in ensuring that our Administrators continue to remain strong. That these bodies continue to have confidence in Banijans to serve honorably in those positions. And, of course, that we continue to ensure that people know that you can have a career in sports both on and off the field. The Northern Moravica College of Sports Studies is unique in ensuring that we have lots of grads, and they've really picked up in foreign applications after they started to publish the Fekadu Financial Power Index.

However, while we are here to talk about developing administrators and ensuring that we produce only the best people on the business side of things, another main reason we are here is to talk about us, as a nation, and hosting tournaments. In the past 6 World Cup Cycles, we have hosted quite a few tournaments across a wide variety of sports. The 25th International Basketball Championships have come to Banijan shores. Both World Bowl XXXIV and World Bowl XXXVII have come to Banija. The World Lacrosse Championships were here twice. We've hosted one major tournament in each of the last 5 cycles in soccer. We've shown the world that, despite Banija not being an economic powerhouse, we are still a premium destination in the multiverse to play host to major tournaments.

We've always had our naysayers, and we have consistently proven them wrong. Those who said that we weren't rich enough have had to shut their own mouths. We can have faith in ourselves, when nations that used to criticize our hosting of tournaments ended up bidding with us to host major tournaments." And there was cheering across the room, and that was certainly loudest at the RBSA table after that. Robel Ezera stood up, grinned a little bit, and then sat down. "But of course, there's always room for improvement. Players like coming to Banija. Fans like coming to Banija. Foreign leaders enjoy the trips to Banija. And we've never had to pretend we're something we're not. People are coming to Banija and seeing this country authentically- eating Banijan cuisine, not buying coffee, and seeing our country's beautiful sights.

I know we've all had rumors of plans we have for the next cycle. World Cup 85 is coming up. There are rumors that the RBSA wants to host a major tournament for an unprecedented sixth time in a row. And they want to do so by bringing bringing a World Cup Final to Busukuma for the first time. And, of course, everyone knows that we, we as in the OCB, have an interest in bringing the World Baseball Classic to Banija. We have excellent baseball players, and the WBBL is going to be a fantastic league, so bringing that game to Banija is a priority. However, I have a proposal for all of us." And he paused. He looked around the room. Only a select few knew what he was about to say. He would surely cause anger across the room before he said it, but he had to move on.

"I want to put a moratorium on Banija hosting major tournaments, for the duration of the next cycle of tournaments. Specifically, for the entirety of the 85th World Cup Cycle- from now through the end of World Cup 85, in all sports." And, as predicted, he got a reaction. He could see people's faces change, from generally enjoying the speech to angry. Robel Ezera, specifically, was incensed. Had he already started on a bid to host World Cup 85? "Now, now, think about this. We could put the World Cup Cycle to good use. Work to improve Banijan sporting infrastructure. Focus on the one event that we already have lined up- the Istria Commonwealth Games. And then, we could take this time to do a deep review. Talk about what goes well. Talk about what goes wrong. Talk about making the experience more enjoyable fans. Focus on improving our own lot."

Robel Ezera then stood up. "Ousman!" He said. "This proposal is disrespectful to the work that is already being put in on our side. While we cannot confirm or disclose what has and hasn't been worked on regarding a future bid, you do realize that getting a 3rd World Cup to Banija is a priority, right? Putting the Stadium of the Restoration on the list of stadiums that have hosted a World Cup Final will be good for all of us. What about bringing baseball? You may charter all the other sports, but soccer is an independent organization in Banija. The OCB doesn't run us. We have a Royal charter, and we'll do what is in our best interest."

Ousman could see that he was clearly losing control of the situation. He couldn't disclose the real reason why he wanted this moratorium so far- too many people in the room. He'd have to talk to Robel Ezera privately, one on one. Ezera and Sowe could know, they'd be capable of ensuring that the room would lean towards his view of thinking. He called for a pause in discussions, and then had an aide walk up to Ezera, and another walk up to Adama Sowe, and ask both to join him for a breakout session. They would need to understand why this moratorium must happen...

by **Hapilopper** » Thu Jan 30, 2020 1:24 pm

Following Game 1: Hapilopper 17-33 Equestria
Ducky Jenkins looked like he wanted to throw someone out of a window. For the first half of Hapilopper’s game with Equestria, it seemed like the Haps were doing just fine, thank you very much. Earl Danielson would send the ball flying and right into the hands of receivers such as Josey Jarvis and Detrick Hardy, and at the start of the game, Hapilopper did hold a 10-0 lead. It seemed like everything was going the way of the Haps to start the game.

On the defense, things were clicking pretty well too. The defensive line was finding itself overpowering the Equestrian offensive like, allowing Skychief Williams and James Broadbent to get a sack each. Leland Young stopped several huge plays from the Equestrian offensive effort with ease. By the time the two-minute warning was sounded in the second quarter, it seemed like Hapilopper just needed to keep doing what they were doing and they’d take down those filthy ponies, they of the same nation that had humiliated the Haps on multiple occasions in that other sport named football.

But then, the tempo seemed to change, and it changed with a defensive pass interference penalty on Horatio Chamberlain at the Hapiloppians’ 10 yard line. The penalty wasn’t even questionable. Horatio grabbed the Equestrian wideout, stopping him from making a sure reception. Equestria turned that around into a touchdown, and what was supposed to be a 10-0 game at the half turned out to be 10-7.

It got worse. Equestria received the kickoff, and in spite of the effort of Patrick Vargas and Jeff Bello, the Haps’ “Destruction Crew,” Equestria converted the opening kickoff into a touchdown. Equestria led 14-10. The next kickoff, kick-return specialist Algernon Lewin was leveled with a bone-crushing tackle from an Equestrian defender, effectively knocking him out of the game. There was nothing illegal about the hit, it was clean as could be, but it was still a huge shot that both KO’d Lewin and made all the sports highlight shows in Atlantian Oceania.

That hit wound up haunting the Haps in more ways than one. Members of Hapilopper’s defensive corps decided they would retaliate for the hit. Unfortunately, the difference from the Equestrian shot and the Hapiloppian response was the Equestrian hit was clean. The Hapiloppian response just consisted of cheap shots and penalties that did more harm than good.

James Broadbent wound up receiving the first penalty – for a late hit on the Equestrian quarterback sliding in for a first down. Worse, Broadbent performed an ill-timed dance after delivering the cheap shot, adding an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on top of that.

More penalties would come. A defensive holding here. Illegal hands to the face there. A horse-collar tackle here. A roughing the passer there. Things started coming apart for the Haps, and when the game started to wind down, Equestria had pulled out to a 33-10 lead over the Haps. A touchdown pass from Danielson to Jarvis with 3:15 left in the game seemed to be a mere consolation prize, and the final score turned out to be Equestrians 33, Hapiloppians 17.

After the game, Ducky was absolutely livid.

“OK, I get that you guys are aggressive, you want to protect your teammates and you want to hit some of the other team. But GOD DAMN IT!” Ducky roared. “You killed us with penalties! How the hell are we going to do anything in this contest if we keep doing dumb shit like that?”

He looked over at members of the defensive corps, who realized that yes, they were in a measure of trouble for what had happened out there on the field.

“I need you guys to think a little more about your actions,” Ducky said, calmer than he had been, now that he had gotten that anger out of his system. “Tomorrow, we’re going to practice and we’re going to make sure we’ve got our shit in gear.”

Sure enough, the next day, a team of Hapiloppian referees had flown in to the Free Republics for the national team’s practice sessions to call penalties during the practice, just so the team could understand what they were doing and what they needed to not do. Throughout the next week, the team had worked on reducing the number of penalties it drew, and by the morning of game two, the Hapilopper/Ahrida game, the Haps were actually pretty optimistic they could kick ass, stop the other team and not draw penalties all at the same time.

It would be a match between two unranked teams in their first World Bowl. Ahrida had dropped a 12-6 game to HUElavia, and the Haps were confident they could right their ship on the backs of the Ahridans. It was time to kick ass, and it was time to get the job done.

by **TJUN-ia** » Thu Jan 30, 2020 1:31 pm

TJUN-ia Update: An Shock Out Of Happy Valley!

The TJUN-ia Jaguars had never played an international game of gridiron football before the game at the Happy Valley Stadium vs The Transmondian Commonwealth of New England, ranked 9th overall. It certainly didn't look that way in Rensylvania.

A shootout was played out between the Jags and TCNE, with Jake Griffin and Herman Jones (Reich) trading touchdown after touchdown. Going into the final 10 seconds TCNE were looking to punt on 4th and 10, leading 36-33.

However the punter for TCNE, Phillip Nantucket (Rubble), had trouble with the snap. The ball was free. It was picked up by TJUN-ia's Drew McAllister. He scored on the last play of the game.

The Jags had betten the highest seed in the group in their first game, with one of the most wacky finishes ever. We begin our 3-game stay at the National Organisation of Men Stadium vs unranked Cardo.

GO JAGS!

by **Terre Septentrionale** » Thu Jan 30, 2020 2:04 pm

Terre Septentrionale beat Champagne Socialist Sharifistan

Borotia, Iodara, Free Republics - For the game opener of this new edition of the World Bowl, Terre Septentrionale played against a nation called Champagne Socialist Sharifistan. La Tribune Septentrionale has investigated on this nation and we found out it's some islamic nation who dislikes christians and where capital punishment is legal...

Well, the Nordiques dominated them on the football field, passing for 317 yards and rushing for 234 yards for a total of 551 total offense yards. CCS only had 74 total offense yards but their punter was also dominant. CCS won the coin toss and choose to recieve the ball first. On their first drive they had to punt after 3 plays. Sheldrick Ferguson-McCloud scored a 17 yards passing touchdown on the next drive and took a 7-0 lead. The Reprezentacja Nordycki scored 10 more points before the end of the 1st quarter and took a 17-0 lead early in the game.

Midway in the 2nd quarter, Terre Septentrionale had the ball at their own 42 yards line and Haylie Woo threw a screen pass to backup halfback Keyonte Roberts-Whitaker who ran all the way to the endzone for a touchdown and the score was 24-0. The Northmen added 3 more points before the end of the first half and the score was 27-0 at the halftime.

Terre Septentrionale started off the 3rd quarter with the ball and the drive ended with Montavious McBryde's 7 yards rushing touchdown. 34-0 Terre Septentrionale. On their next drive, CSS also scored a touchdown and tried the two points conversion to catch up with the Nordiques but they failed the conversion. 34-6. Tere Septentrionale added three more points before the end of the 3rd quarter and led 37-6 at the end of this quarter.

Early in the 4th quarter, CSS had the ball at the 47 yards line in Terre Septentrionale territory and Quarterback #1 threw to Wide Reciever #1 but the ball was caught by Roderick McShepard who runs all the way to the endzone for a pick six. It was a 69 yards return and the score is 44-6. The Reprezentacja Nordycki added three more points before the end of the game and won 47-6.

Champagne Socialist Sharifistan   0   0   6   0  -   6
Terre Septentrionale             17  10  10  10  -  47

BOXSCORE

1ST QUARTER
9:41 - Touchdown by Sheldrick Ferguson-McCloud (17 yards pass from Haylie Woo). Extra point by Crockett Burkhead.
5:14 - Field Goal by Crockett Burkhead (44 yards).
0:39 - Touchdown by Stanislaw Krzyzanowski (12 yards pass from Haylie Woo). Extra point by Crockett Burkhead.

2ND QUARTER
6:32 - Touchdown by Keyonte Roberts-Whitaker (58 yards pass from Haylie Woo). Extra point by Crockett Burkhead.
1:23 - Field Goal by Crockett Burkhead (28 yards).

3RD QUARTER
11:20 - Touchdown by Montavious McBryde (7 yards run). Extra point by Crockett Burkhead.
7:53 - Touchdown by Wide Receiver #1 (24 yards pass from Quarterback #1). Two points conversion failed.
2:22 - Field Goal by Crockett Burkhead (34 yards).

4TH QUARTER
9:39 - Touchdown by Roderick McShepard (69 yards interception return). Extra point by Crockett Burkhead.
3:20 - Field Goal by Crockett Burkhead (46 yards).

1st place in FreedomCola group

With this win against CSS, Terre Septentrionale is now in first place in FreedomCola group, tied with Jaspec and Drawkland who also won their opening game. Terre Septentrionale is the nation in this group with the biggest points difference. Jaspec impressed with a 22-14 win against Christos while Drawkland beat Vangaziland 19-16. On matchday two, the Nordiques will face Les Bleus at the Church of Stupidity Stadium, located in Tarita, Quartona. Drawkland will have an easy game against Christos while Vangaziland will have a walk in the park against CSS.

by **HUElavia** » Thu Jan 30, 2020 2:35 pm

HUElavia begin WB XXXVIII with a win!

Los Amarillos once again play in another World Bowl tournament, this time making their first appearance in many years. HUElavia came in with mainly young players looking to gain experience after having just graduated from university. HUElavia (UR) was drawn into the Sporting World Group, along the likes of Hapilopper (UR), Ahrida (UR), Allamunnic States (12), Main Nation Ministry (5), and Equestria (29). Generally speaking, there is not much confidence of the team advancing to the knockout phase of the tournament, but a win or two can go a long way for the team and to start making a name for themselves.

Los Amarillos began their campaign playing at Milne Stadium (38,506), located in Samstown, Nessex, against Ahrida. The first quarter saw HUElavia and Ahrida trade field goals to end it at 3-3. The second quarter was the same with another set of field goals being scored, going into half-time at 6-6.

The third quarter had no score and the majority of the 4th quarter had no score until the Final Play. HUElavia was in the 39 yard line of their half, in a 2nd and 10 stand with 10 seconds left that the coach thought that a Hail Mary would be the best chance to prevent the game into overtime. Gomez went single slot with HUElavia using all 5 of their receivers. The put the ball in motion and dropped back for a few seconds, where he launched the ball up with a huddle of players looking to get the ball, only to get tipped and the only player away from the group, Gallegos, got the ball and ran unopposed for the total of 61 yards, scoring the game winner as time read :00, and HUElavia took their first game at 6-12 being the final score. The mainly Pro-HUElavia crowd jumped and cheered as the team ran up to Gallegos to celebrate the late winner.

It's a good start to the team, but HUElavia needs favorable results against Hapilopper and possibly against Equestria in order to aspire some options to a knockout stage. For now, the team and fans are happy with the result and look to start a good run in Gridiron Football.

FORCA HUELAVIA! VAMOS HUELAVIA! GO HUELAVIA!

by **Drawkland** » Thu Jan 30, 2020 3:51 pm

DRAWKLAND NATIONAL FOOTBALL TEAM (GRID CORPS)

World Bowl XXX Champions
World Bowl XXXV Champions

Name: Grid Corps
Colors: Black with Crimson trim
Denonyms: Drawkian or Drawkish, personal preference
ELEVENTH World Bowl, Rank #4
Manager: Sam Willis
Head Coach: Quentin Averfel
Coordinators:
[O] Alex Gerhardt
[D] Mathis Southers
[ST] George Lindholm

The former champions of the World Bowl (XXX and XXXV), the Grid Corps are back at it again and ready to rough up everyone on their way to the playoffs and (hopefully) ... another championship. Spirits are high, as the team is still blazing, but it feels like the current success will last forever. You can expect Drawkland to once again be a powerhouse in this tournament, and compete for another ring.

ROSTER / DEPTH CHART
Here's the roster containing the names, numbers, and notes for each player. Players are listed in depth chart order.

As far as player rotation goes, generally the starters will go the entire match unless cases of injury or fatigue, obviously. At quarterback, Dak Waterman will start the game, and Dustin Beck will take over at half, provided the game is off to a decent start. In cases where the team is losing big in the 4th or needs a score to win, Waterman will likely be put back in. At halfback, Jack Hoy will go for most of the game, except on short 3rd and 4th downs where Antonio Anders will be in. The lesser receivers (below Miller in the depth chart) will shuffle between drives and periods at random, depending on which player want to be in the most. Starting linemen will generally play the whole game. Defensively, the secondary will shuffle after the half on occasion. Some of the front 7 will shuffle as well, but generally Cross, Tomek, and Masters will always be in. Punters generally trade off punts. Watts always kicks field goals and Stig always does kickoffs.

OFFENSE

# NAME NOTES

QB
17 Dak Waterman Great QB. Best accuracy and arm power. Playmaker. Can scramble if needed.
4 Dustin Beck New rookie. Dual threat QB. Great power, fast and elusive. Accuracy to be desired.
10 Zac Gold Solid pocket passer. Impossible to stop without pressure. Not the most clutch.

HB
49 Jack Hoy Young talent. Small, fast, elusive. Can be unstoppable. Decent hands. Open field wonder.
33 Antonio Anders Older veteran RB. Slower but heavier. Power runner. Sheds tackles easily. 3rd down back.
23 Sammy Wilkins Blazing speed. Can outrun defenses but can't shed tackles easily. Lower football IQ.

FB
42 Dominic Bishop Speedy for a Fullback. Can catch passes and run. Blocking a bit shoddy, but good IQ for it.
45 Gunne Viggo Veteran FB. Can run, but sometimes lacks ball security. Fantastic backfield blocker.

WR
89 Daniel Madison Incredible speed, very tall, great hands. Hard to tackle. Usually requires double coverage.
16 Toby Miller Best hands in the business. Always fights for the ball, good in open field moves.
11 Trey Council Larger player. Nearly a TE. Hard to tackle. Catching is decent. Generally works in slot.
84 Roy Benn Can work from slot. Good hands, great on streaks. Imaginiative ball carrier vision.
85 Lou Reynolds Solid set of hands. Slower than most. Executes sideline catches the best.

TE
87 Rich Covington Very good hands. Great on corner and out routes. Decent blocking. Good in the open field.
88 Riley Hoyt Reliable veteran TE. Can block as well as most O-linemen. Good over the middle.
81 Bobby Bennett Speedy for a TE. Decent hands and blocking. Used to create mismatches.

LT
72 John Christell Great on double teams. Obviously best choice on pass blocking.
70 Niko Boyd Very talented lineman. Great at pass blocking, a bit shoddy on runs to the left.

LG
69 Zach Barber Identifies blitzes very easily. High football IQ. Better for pass than run.
65 Timmo Folk Impossible to get past most times, but has low stamina and prone to injury.

C
55 Gordon Shiva Best center in Drawkland. Has never fumbled or false snapped over his long career. Good leader.
50 Eric Sanders Experienced. Decent Center. Mainly on the team as Long Snapper.

RG
64 Tom Giles Great in the middle. Can overpower many huge defensive tackles and ends. Big man.
66 Jimmu Koios Good blocker. Fantastic for the run. Usually misses delayed blitzers.

RT
75 Jeff Royle Fantastic at run blocking. Very good at pancakes and other special blocks.
74 Hades Gibbs Very decent blocker. Intentionally commits holding if he thinks he can get away with it.

DEFENSE

# NAME NOTES

LE
71 Phillip Tomek Slower player, but great on the line. Especially great for pass rushing. Hard to block.
51 David Hoffman Easily pushes around linemen. Can create pressure, but finds it hard to escape blocks.

DT
90 Max Demetrio Very strong player. Slow, but relentless. Famous for pushing over many centers and guards.
92 Eric Rock Great against the run. Wraps up tackles very well. Sometimes outsmarts linemen.
99 Theo Killian Very strong, very large, very hard hitter. However, lacks a good amount of awareness.

RE
77 Leo Cross Absolute monster. Relentless, tireless, strong and fast. Impossible to contain. Constant pressure.
79 Matthew Alessi Rookie player. Very good fundamentals. Smaller, can easily escape double teams.

LOLB
54 Edmund Snyder Smaller and speedier, not quite enough to be a CB. Good in coverage and on the blitz.
52 Adair Van Canne Plays well against Tight Ends. Doesn't shed blocks well. Decent in coverage.

MLB
95 Keegan Masters Talented. Good skill set. Can cover middle of the field effectively. Best on the blitz.
40 Julius Wiley Very good against the run. Great on man coverage against backs or tight ends.
97 Harvey Donovan Rookie linebacker. Talented across the board (coverage, blitzing, run defense). Needs experience.

ROLB
44 Abram Ali High awareness and football IQ. Great for delayed blitzes, fantastic in coverage for an LB.
48 Clay Lucas Team player. Plugs holes and takes on multiple blockers for teammates to get tackles.

CB
25 Jordan Max High level player. Amazing fundamental skills. Seamless coverage, however less likely to get picks.
30 Osman Oswald Very good in all kinds of coverage. Very good against deep passes. Good open-field tackles.
36 Robert Lim Great nickel corner. Hits home very often on corner blitzes. Great for run defense.
31 Lenox Daley Rookie player. One of the best at baiting quarterbacks, gets many picks. Needs experience.

SS
22 William Peers Taller than average. Lengthy, can easily grab or swat balls before other players get to them.
35 Dan Teodor Very good on run defense and in open field pursuit. Not easily juked on. Pass defense to be desired.

FS
20 Ross Sterling Decent for safety blitzes. Reads plays very well. Fast, good hands, nearly a WR. Good against deep threats.
24 Wil Comso Great lurking safety. Hands aren't as good, but can reliably defend and deflect passes.

SPECIAL TEAMS

#	NAME	     NOTES

K
7   Matthew Watts    Most reliable kicker out there. Amazing range, and pinpoint accuracy. Responds well to pressure. Starting PK.
1   Raleigh Stig     Largest range of any kicker, but accuracy isn't as up to snuff. Starting Kickoff Specialist.

P
8   Jason McFarland  Specialty punter. Good leg, good accuracy, has a variety of kicks. Can also throw good balls for fake punts.
2   Vander Levy      Big leg, and reasonably good accuracy. Not too crafty, and can't improvise very well.

LS
50  Eric Sanders     Starting long snapper. Very accurate and reliable snaps, makes holders' jobs easy.
55  Gordon Shiva     Second long snapper in case Sanders is injured. Passable long snapper but not his forte.

H
4   Dustin Beck      When Dak Waterman is starting, Beck holds for field goals. Mobile, great for fakes.
10  Zac Gold         When Dustin Beck is starting, Gold is the holder. Very good set of hands, never misplaces the ball.

KR/PR
49  Jack Hoy         Generally returns kickoffs. Fast, small, zippy, hard to pin down. Can fit through small gaps.
89  Daniel Madison   Generally returns punts. Smart, fast, tall. Can shed tackles easily and even jump over players if needed.

STRATEGY
The name of the game for the Grid Corps is aggression and power.

The offense of the Grid Corps is balanced, splitting up responsibilities for yardage between running and passing plays. None is really favored over the other, since everybody on the team is good, but in crunch time situations, they're likely to pass more than run (although running is still used to keep the defense honest). The base formation is the shotgun, although the I, pistol, and sometimes singleback are still common. Most shotgun plays are run from a single RB set, although having a FB or another RB in the backfield isn't out of the ordinary. The most common personnel is RB-TE-WR-WR-WR, but the Corps is willing to mix any amount of personnel thanks to the depth and skill at their disposal.

Most running plays go outside the tackles unless the team they're playing can't cover the inside or far outside. Zone running and power running are evenly split. Starting HB prefers power runs despite excelling at zone, so it's usually either-or. Fullback-led runs are also very common, especially on third down and in the red zone. A very common play is a triple option out of the I formation: it could be a fullback handoff, a halfback pitch, or a quarterback keeper. The Wildcat formation always shows up a couple times a game, especially if the opposing defense can't stop it. Passing plays have a lot of elements, not necessarily a vertical offense but not necessarily a conservative one either. The Grid Corps' go-to passing play features a tight end running a flat slant, another TE running a mid-yardage corner route, an HB running a flat or wheel route, a WR streaking, and a WR running a dig or out route. Balls-out deep plays like 4 verticals are rare, they're no stranger to going deep, but the OC prefers to run posts or double moves than straight fly routes. Deep routes are thrown relatively often to keep the defense honest thanks to the incredible QB and WR talent available.. When the game is tight, the Corps is excellent at the hurry-up offense, having a deep playbook to constantly keep the defense off guard.

The defense is also aggressive. Blitzing is very, very common, as the defense is fearless. Even on non-blitz plays, the defensive linemen go all out, and if a player's zone is totally empty, they'll start rushing to the pocket (for better or worse). Man blitzes on first down are a regularity, but you likely won't see more than 3 non-linemen blitzing on a play (unless it's goalline, of course). When an opposing offense is stuck inside the five, the Corps will likely come out with everyone except the defensive backs blitzing. Scoring safeties are the pride of the Grid Corps, and thus they'll go for it as much as possible. They'll also pack the line on the other goalline inside the five, but if a team is 3rd/4th and Goal outside of the 7 or 8, they're likely to just pack the end zone with as many defensive backs as possible. When not in goalline formation, they'll usually opt for a 4-man rush. 4-3 is incredibly common unless the situation calls for a different formation. The Nickel and even Quarter formations are also seen a few times per drive. The Corps runs both man and zone evenly, but prefers a Cover 3 zone. However, usually they'll start with man coverage until the team they're playing shows proficiency in beating man, then they'll switch to zone with man and the trademark blitzes thrown in. Blitzes themselves are commonly done by the linebackers, corner and safety blitzes are highly unlikely as the Defensive Coordinator doesn't like bringing guys out of the secondary. Zone blitzes on crucial third downs have been known to happen. In all, they aren't afraid to take chances in big spots and bring pressure.

Special teams for the Grid Corps is hallmarked by fake plays. Whether it's a misleading kick return (moving all the blockers to the opposite side of the field from where the ball is going), lateral returns even when the game doesn't depend on it, passes or runs from special teams formations, or even simply pretending to fumble the ball to pull rushers out of their lanes, the Corps practices it all. In addition, the defensive special teams is highly aggressive. Rushing on punt returns, super fast kick blocks, or even line hurdling to block kicks. This is made much easier by the physiology of the Corps of course.

As far as two-point conversions go, the Corps is very likely to go for two-points conversions for their first few touchdowns. In a blowout win, they'll likely shift to normal PATs after the half. Don't be surprised to see fake PATs to try and get the 2PC.

PHYSIOLOGY
I recommend you read this. It contains important information on how Drawkians are different from your average human. In a nutshell, they're over 7 feet tall on average, and have larger proportions to match. Now, they're also lankier and less stocky all-around, but that doesn't mean some like a D-tackle can't get thick and muscular, it's not just not the average build. Now, this may conflict with some of your RPing preferences or make it harder to RP about us, so you're totally free to just ignore that and pretend we're the same as humans. That's totally your call, and I don't mind it either way.

PERMISSIONS

My opponent, if they RP first, may do the following:
Choose my Scorers: Yes.
Choose Scoring Events: Yes.
Godmod Scoring Events: Hell yes.
RP Injuries to my Players: To an extent.
Godmod Injuries to my Players: Fine if it's funny or serves a story.
Godmod Other Events: Ditto ^
Style Modifier: +4.5

As far as these go, do anything except kill or brutally injure my major starters. Other than that, free reign. TG if you want to collab.

by **Geektopia** » Thu Jan 30, 2020 4:25 pm

Geektivities
*Be cool, be woke.

Match Report: East Lemyone
|29| - |6|
1st 2nd 3rd 4th Final
7 6 6 10 29
6 0 0 0 6

Play-by-Play will be updated soon.

by **Free Republics** » Thu Jan 30, 2020 4:55 pm

Sporting World

Sporting World Guide to Football

With the World Bowl coming home for the 3rd claim (OOC: ICly, the Free Republics claims to have invented the sport but this claim is disputed.), Sporting World Magazine has decided to publish a guide to the sport for the benefit of those around the multiverse who may not be overly familiar with the rules and the basic strategies. This is part 2 of our guide.

Offensive Positions

As previously stated, teams can have up to 11 players on the field. While there is no minimum number of players for the defense, there is effectively an 8 player minimum for the offense. Without 7 players on the line of scrimmage and an 8th player to receive the snap, it is impossible to run a legal offensive play. In practice, there is no good reason to play with fewer than 11 players.

There are 3 types of offensive players in football: backs, receivers and linemen. We're going to cover them in that order.

Quarterback: For a typical football team, the quarterback is the single most important position on the field. In practice, quarterbacks almost always receive the snap. They also typically call the plays (with or without a headset connection to a coach) and are generally expected to make adjustments at the line based on what the defense is doing. These adjustments can include changing anything about a play up to and including switching to a different play entirely. Changing from one play to a completely different play is called an "audible".

In addition to his/her other responsibilities, a quarterback is almost always expected to throw virtually all of the forward passes for his/her team. Quarterbacks who specialize in throwing forward passes are called "pocket passers". More mobile quarterbacks who have the ability to make plays with their feet are known by a number of names such as "dual threat" quarterback, "scrambler", "mobile" quarterback, "running" quarterback and even to some less enlightened fans "running back". Due to the success of Dania Sandberg in the NEFL, quarterbacks in the Free Republics are expected to be great athletes too but pocket passers have also had success over the years.

Halfback: A halfback, also called a "running back" or a "tailback" can either refer to a team's primary runner or to a smaller back who specializes in runs to the outside of the offensive line. The halfback primarily receives handoffs from the quarterback. In the "West Coast" style of offense, the running back is expected to be a pass catching threat as well, usually on shorter routes.

Fullback: The fullback is usually a bigger back. He/she is typically utilized in one of two ways. The traditional usage of a fullback is as to run the ball straight up the middle. In other offensive schemes (OOC: most of what you see in RL these days), the fullback is primarily a blocker. In the "singleback" offense, there is no fullback at all.

Slotback: A slotback, also called an "H-back" or a "wingback" is used similarly to a tight end but is positioned in the back field and can also be used to run the ball. Slotbacks, such as those in the Republican National Team's offense, are smaller backs who are used as a hybrid between wide receiver and halfback. An H-back is basically a hybrid between a tight end and a (blocking) fullback. A "wingback" is effectively the same thing as a slotback.

Wide Receiver: A wide receiver, also known as a "split end" is a pass catching specialist. A wide reciever is not expected to be good at blocking and usually doesn't run the ball. When a receiver runs from one side of the field to the other, often going into motion before the snap, and receives a handoff from the quarterback along the way, that is called a "reverse" and is considered a trick play because its extremely rare for wide receivers to run the ball. Wide receivers can very dramatically in terms of size and in terms of their reliance on speed and athleticism vs just being really good at running routes, getting open and catching the ball. Effective passing offenses usually have a varied group of receivers and a quarterback capable of making accurate throws all over the field because that forces defenses to cover the entire field instead of just keying on stopping the deep ball or taking away the short passes.

A "spread" formation is a formation with 3, 4 or 5 wide receivers on the field at the same time. If a team has fewer than 4 backs on the field then some of the wide receivers will be lined up slightly behind the line of scrimmage. Regardless of how many men are on the line of scrimmage, only the players positioned closest to the sideline are eligible. Thus, placing extra players on the line just makes them ineligible to catch the ball or even to run routes downfield.

Tight End: The tight end is a tall player who is somewhere between an offensive lineman and a wide receiver in terms of weight. They are the main position that crosses over between football and basketball, with numerous examples of successful crossovers over the years (OOC: In RL, Antonio Gates was a basketball player in college and Tony Gonzalez was a two sport player). Traditionally a blocking specialist, tight ends have gradually become better and better at catching the ball. The tight end is usually positioned right next to one of the tackles. In the 2 tight end formation, there is a tight end positioned next to each tackle.

Tackle: The tackles are the leftmost and rightmost offensive linemen. They are usually the biggest players on the line. Teams are required to play a "left tackle" and a "right tackle".

Guard: The guards are stationed between the tackles and the center. Like other linemen, they are not allowed to do anything besides block.

Center: The center is literally the player in the center of the offensive line. Besides blocking, he/she is also required to snap the ball to start each play.

Offensive linemen are generally expected to be very heavy. Like referees, the best offensive linemen are so good that you don't even notice them. Linemen mostly get attention when they either commit a penalty (most commonly holding which is a 10 yard penalty notorious for killing drives) or blow a block and get the quarterback sacked or the running back stuffed.

Collectively, the backs and receivers are known as the "skill positions". They are the most glamorous positions on the football field and get all of the attention. They're also by far the most likely players on the field to score a touchdown.

In part 3 of our guide, we will cover offensive formations.

OOC: Feel free to ask questions in the discussion thread if anything in this guide is unclear.[/quote]

by **Bolgano** » Thu Jan 30, 2020 5:22 pm

St. Saratoga 9-27 Bolgano
Fascinating debut of Bolgano in the World Bowl

Touchdown
Ryan Miller
Nick Miller
Wilson Calves (2)

I did not expect that, Bolgano wins in his first game in his 27-9 history against someone already known, but not in Football if not in Lacrosse, the first Touchdown was made by Wilson Calves, captain of Bolgano, the best runner in our team from Fedek and trained in the youth of Marele Islands, managed to make a historic run while his teammates gave them their support, kicked calmly and placed 7-0, St. Saratoga managed to score in his turn, how fast it was that, an important Touchdown for them who placed the score 6-7, but failed their shot, nothing was missing, the kick of St. Saratoga and Colorado catches him, in his run he was collapsed, at that time when everything became strategy, The launch of Kalbum-Cheets was bad and they intercepted it, there their short time let them shoot their field goal and put things 9-7 at the end of the first quarter, in the second some changes of strategy took Nick Miller to score your touchdow n and placing things 14-9, open marker and hurried St. Saratoga, intercepting Wilson Calvez and in that same run he made his Touchdown and put things 21-9, but that was a run was very difficult even for Banija, if the I'm challenging, CAREFUL, Ryan Miller, Nick's older brother, closed the game with another Touchdown and made it clear, wait 28-9? I'm sorry they tried to score 2 more points but they failed, triumph with victory flavor, well, what else.

by **Free Republics** » Thu Jan 30, 2020 5:59 pm

World Bowl XXXVIII

Do you know your enemy? If you're RPing at the last minute, its the Papa Joe's Group Stage 1 Matchday 2 Cutoff! Papa Joe's: Good Pizza at a Great Price!

Matchday Two Results

AllMart Group
The Greater Nordics 36–10 Lushansk
Lisander 30–20 Saint Kanye
Taeshan 31–6 La Montevideo

  AllMart Group                            Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD 
1 Taeshan                                    2   2  0   88  22 +66
2 La Montevideo                              2   1  1   18  41 −23
3 Lisander                                   2   1  1   40  32  +8
4 Saint Kanye                                2   1  1   74  33 +41
5 The Greater Nordics                        2   1  1   52  67 −15
6 Lushansk                                   2   0  2   13  90 −77

BearOil Group
The Sarian 0–20 Nurkama
East Lemyone 27–47 Ranoria
Kaboomlandia 13–40 Geektopia

  BearOil Group                            Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD 
1 Ranoria                                    2   2  0   90  30 +60
2 Geektopia                                  2   2  0   69  19 +50
3 Kaboomlandia                               2   1  1   37  49 −12
4 Nurkama                                    2   1  1   23  43 −20
5 The Sarian                                 2   0  2    9  44 −35
6 East Lemyone                               2   0  2   33  76 −43

Dixon Light Group
Transmondian Commonwealth of New England 23–7 Smyth
Cosumar 41–31 Cassadaigua
TJUN-ia 10–23 Cardo

  Dixon Light Group                        Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD 
1 Cosumar                                    2   2  0   74  38 +36
2 Cardo                                      2   1  1   30  43 −13
3 TJUN-ia                                    2   1  1   50  59  −9
4 Transmondian Commonwealth of New England   2   1  1   59  47 +12
5 Cassadaigua                                2   1  1   38  41  −3
6 Smyth                                      2   0  2    7  30 −23

Ecumenical Coalition for Morality Group
Pridnestrovia 53–10 Mushroom Kingdoms and Republics
Abanhfleft 39–13 United States of Devonta
Inner AginanaUsordia 26–17 Tomure

  Ecumenical Coalition for Morality Group  Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD 
1 Pridnestrovia                              2   2  0   94  20 +74
2 Inner AginanaUsordia                       2   1  1   36  58 −22
3 Tomure                                     2   1  1   44  46  −2
4 Abanhfleft                                 2   1  1   59  40 +19
5 United States of Devonta                   2   1  1   31  51 −20
6 Mushroom Kingdoms and Republics            2   0  2   22  71 −49

FreedomCola Group
Jaspec 6–17 Terre Septentrionale
Vangaziland 26–12 Champagne Socialist Sharifistan
Christos 12–46 Drawkland

  FreedomCola Group                        Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD 
1 Terre Septentrionale                       2   2  0   64  12 +52
2 Drawkland                                  2   2  0   65  28 +37
3 Vangaziland                                2   1  1   42  31 +11
4 Jaspec                                     2   1  1   39  31  +8
5 Christos                                   2   0  2   26  79 −53
6 Champagne Socialist Sharifistan            2   0  2   18  73 −55

Nicholls Enterprises Group
Anthor 10–7 Resarkia
Pius Desurongcrandis 0–19 Karditan
Ko-oren 14–17 Newmanistan

  Nicholls Enterprises Group               Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD 
1 Newmanistan                                2   2  0   37  28  +9
2 Ko-oren                                    2   1  1   34  20 +14
3 Anthor                                     2   1  1   13  27 −14
4 Resarkia                                   2   1  1   40  23 +17
5 Karditan                                   2   1  1   32  33  −1
6 Pius Desurongcrandis                       2   0  2   14  39 −25

O'Reilly Group of Greatness
Bolgano 9–13 Banija
Xanneria 24–33 Free Republics
St Saratoga 13–22 Space

  O'Reilly Group of Greatness              Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD 
1 Free Republics                             2   2  0   68  40 +28
2 Xanneria                                   2   1  1   73  39 +34
3 Banija                                     2   1  1   29  44 −15
4 Bolgano                                    2   1  1   36  22 +14
5 Space                                      2   1  1   28  62 −34
6 St Saratoga                                2   0  2   22  49 −27

Sporting World Group
Equestria 20–42 Main Nation Ministry
HUElavia 27–52 Allamunnic States
Hapilopper 36–10 Ahrida

  Sporting World Group                     Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD 
1 Main Nation Ministry                       2   2  0   62  29 +33
2 Allamunnic States                          2   1  1   61  47 +14
3 Equestria                                  2   1  1   53  59  −6
4 Hapilopper                                 2   1  1   53  43 +10
5 HUElavia                                   2   1  1   39  58 −19
6 Ahrida                                     2   0  2   16  48 −32

by **Saint Kanye** » Thu Jan 30, 2020 7:23 pm

WORLD BOWL: YEEZIES FALL 30-20 TO MORE EXPERIENCED LISANDER SIDE

by Castiel Mugabe

PEROXIA, JOLARUS - The St. Kanye Surge were in high spirits after their 54-3 beatdown of Lushansk yesterday in the World Bowl XXXVIII opener here in the Free Republics, but they were quickly brought back to Earth against Lisander today.

Unlike the Kanyeans and Crowleyists (citizens of Lushansk - Ed.), the Lisanderians are not newcomers to the international gridiron tournament, having first shown up in World Bowl XXXII in Bongo Johnson. The veteran team jumped off to a 27-0 halftime lead, holding the upstart Kanyeans to just four first downs while also forcing an interception and a fumble. Things started looking up for the Surge at the start of the third quarter, as Taylor Johns scored his second return touchdown of the tournament, bringing the kickoff back 96 yards and causing the Yeezies at Papa Joe's Crusader Stadium to cheer wildly. Although the Surge defense would hold Lisander to just a single field goal for the remainder of the game, the offense would not be able to do enough to climb back from their deficit, eventually finishing the game with just twenty points to the Lisanderians' thirty. This loss dropped the Kanyeans to 1-1 in the six-team AllMart Group. Only the top two teams from each of the eight groups will advance to the next round.

"They [Lisander] killed us early", said Surge head coach Jeff Delphine. "We were in too deep a hole. We were climbing up, but the clock was ticking. Our opponents just did a good job of not allowing us enough time to recover. They pushed us down, and held us down. That's what you would expect from a team that has been in the World Bowl for seven seasons now. You tend to pick up things along the way. And we learned our lesson the hard way. Let this be a wake up call for us. We can't expect to cruise through games like we did in the Arena Bowl. We're playing with the big boys now." Up next for the Surge is yet another well-established team. The Taeshan Fitin' Falcons, with Andrew Crew calling the shots and Sam Clentimack under center, are seventh in the world and are the only remaining unbeaten team in the group. "If this Lisander game is a tough break for us, we expect tomorrow's game against the Falcons to be even tougher", said St. Kanye's special teams coordinator Ken Kirby. "We say tough, but not a sure loss. Anything can happen", he added, the latter part being the unofficial mantra of Kanyean international sports teams. The Surge will wear their home alternates of purple tops and black pants; play will shift to the AllMart Dome at Reco, Jolarus.

Scoring Information:

LIS - WR1 8 pass from QB1 (Kicker kick) LIS 7-0
LIS - field goal Kicker 31 LIS 10-0
LIS - field goal Kicker 43 LIS 13-0

LIS - RB1 16 run (Kicker kick) LIS 20-0
LIS - QB1 3 run (Kicker kick) LIS 27-0

STK - Johns 96 kickoff return (Rasputin kick) LIS 27-7
LIS - field goal Kicker 37 LIS 30-7

STK - Dobler 17 pass from Klein (Two-point conversion failed) LIS 30-13
STK - Jeffers 21 pass from Klein (Rasputin kick) LIS 30-20

Schedule:

Matchday 1: W 54-3 vs. Lushansk (UR*) @ Papa Joe's Crusader Stadium, Peroxia, Jolarus
Matchday 2: L 20-30 vs. Lisander (32) @ Papa Joe's Crusader Stadium, Peroxia, Jolarus
Matchday 3: Purple/Black vs. Taeshan (7) @ AllMart Dome, Reco, Jolarus
Matchday 4: White/White vs. La Montevideo (UR) @ Papa Joe's Crusader Stadium, Peroxia, Jolarus
BREAK
Matchday 5: Purple/Purple vs. The Greater Nordics (20) @ Armed Forces Stadium, Peroxia, Jolarus

*Unranked.

by **Inner AginanaUsordia** » Thu Jan 30, 2020 8:56 pm

MICALOV MONTHLY
1

Jan 2020 "The people's word"
POLITICS
With no end to the debate on public smoking in sight, East Rijek introduced a bill to make it a province-wide issue to determine. Dyrrachia vehemently disagreed, stating that cities split by borders like Shkakov would be unfairly affected by this. Read more about the gridlock on page 3.
BUSINESS
The Inner AginanaUsordian Stock Exchange is down .04%, or cpe 3.73. But transnational shipping corporation Veprim, of Durrës, Dyrrachia, is worth cpe 32 more than last week. Read more about Veprim, its competition, and experts' predictions on Page 6.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Riots in Gaulia continue to pressure the government to lower petrol taxes. Find out more on the back page.
SPORTS
The Inner AginanaUsordia Lions, a team made of the country's best gridiron football players and coaches, won their very first multiverse-wide World Bowl 38 game! Read more about it on page 2.
CELEBRITIES
The walking headline herself, Lobbyist and Ex-Councilwoman and Minara DiBravos (UP-ABa) has introduced her new line of makeup products: Brava. Read more about the line's inspirational messages and promises of success on page 5.

2
SPORTS
By Chad Rozelle

VICTORY AT LAST!
The Inner AginanaUsordia Lions are finally in business. I interviewed some coaches and players after the game at Malifornia's 73 421 seat Barteaux Stadium. Although the country itself seems to be an anarchist's best dream, and mass rioting outside the hotel kept some players awake, the fans were friendly, but unsurprisingly favored the winning team. Before the game, the coaches held a press conference so the media could gain an insight into their plan on getting a win.
Coaches Ryan Kasor, Anna Kasor, and Kannan Novicek were enthusiastic about the team's chances against the unranked Tomure, even after they steamrolled Abanhfleft. Coach Everhart, on the other hand, was annoyed at every question. When we asked if he was optimistic, he replied, "All I'm sure of is death, taxes, and reporters asking stupid questions. I haven't even had a chance for coffee yet."
The quirky quarterbacks coach David Neselhuf arrived to the press conference 20 minutes late with disheveled hair and an unbuttoned polo. He declined to comment on any question we asked.
Coach Kasor directed this one at me as a closing statement, "We aren't playing for ourselves alone anymore. We're playing for the whole country now. We're gonna make them proud."
Box Score:
Quarter Lions Saints Scorers
1 7 0 TD: D Konelle 23 Yd pass left to D V Anor, XP good by M Knight
2 6 7 FG: Knight good from 39 yd; TD: E Johnson 52 yard pass right to J Spitfire, XP good by M Stanford; FG: Knight good from 46 yd
3 3 3 FG: Stanford good from 28 yd; FG: Knight good from 33 yd
4 10 7 TD: Bill Gorisky 2 yd run left-center, XP good by Knight; FG: Stanford good from 43 yd; FG: E Mainwaring good from 56 yd
Final 26 17 D Konelle 18-30 & 268 yd, 1 TD
E Johnson 14-34 & 212 yd, 1 TD & 1 INT
D V Anor 10-14 & 97 yd, 1 TD
J Spitfire 11-20 & 146 yd, 1 TD
B Gorisky 11 & 106 yd, 1 TD
C Nielson 13 & 73 yd

The postgame Press Conference included Ryan Kasor, Davo Konelle, Domra Von Anor, Vincent LeGault, Nils De Bren, and Aaron Vidal.
When asked how their first victory as a team felt, De Bren quickly answered, "It feels good, man. We figured out how to be a team."
Konelle seemed even more energetic than usual, citing great defensive play as the reason he had a chance to let the offense do its work. "I mean, I did my job, but there wouldn't be a job to do if it weren't for our D-Line, especially De Bren's tip and interception. Coach Kas only had one gripe with the game: "Man that one pass to Spitfire completely burnt us. We lost track of him when Shev (Laken Tomasevic) moved up to cover Brock Lopez, and he went 43 yards after catching the ball. You can never leave a player with that high of a football IQ open, especially against a veteran like Johnson... But overall, it was a great game. It feels great to be back.
The Lions look forward to tomorrow's game against the United States of Devonta, at Malifornia's larger Fierro del Infierno Stadium.

by **Terre Septentrionale** » Thu Jan 30, 2020 9:08 pm

Terre Septentrionale wins against Jaspec

Tarita, Quartona, Free Republics - On matchday two, Terre Septentrionale travelled to Tarita and played a game in a stadium named after a fake religion. Well, all religions are fake anyway. The offense had a harder time against Jaspec than on matchday one, the Nordiques passed for only 182 yards and ran for 146 yards for a total of 328 total offense yards. Jaspec's offense only had 126 total offense yards.

Jaspec was the first team to score when Thierry Tetreault made a 40 yards field goal midway in the 1st quarter and the quarter ends with a 3-0 lead by Jaspec. Late in the 1st quarter and early in the 2nd quarter, Terre Septentrionale kept the ball for 8 straight minutes and that offensive sequence ended with a 5 yards rushing touchdown by quarterback Haylie Woo and the score was 7-3. The Reprezentacja Nordycki made a field goal before the end of the 1st half and led 10-3 at the halftime.

Jaspec made another field goal midway in the 3rd quarter and Terre Septentrionale's lead was cut to 10-6. The Northmen followed with a 3 yards rushing touchdown by Montavious McBryde and took a 17-6 lead and this is the final score.

Jaspec                 3   0   3   0  -   6
Terre Septentrionale   0  10   7   0  -  17

BOXSCORE

1ST QUARTER
8:19 - Field Goal by Thierry Tetreault (40 yards).

2ND QUARTER
13:42 - Touchdown by Haylie Woo (5 yards run). Extra point by Crockett Burkhead.
7:18 - Field Goal by Crockett Burkhead (33 yards).

3RD QUARTER
6:48 - Field Goal by Thierry Tetreault (36 yards).
0:39 - Touchdown by Montavious McBryde (5 yards run). Extra point by Crockett Burkhead.

4TH QUARTER
No score

FreedomCola Group

With this win against Jaspec and Drawkland's win against Christos, both teams are still tied in 1st place with two wins in two games. Vangaziland, who beat CSS, and Jaspec are tied in 3rd place with a win and a loss each. On matchday three, Terre Septentrionale will play in a 3rd stadium in 3 games when they face Vangaziland in Googolplex while Drawkland will play against Jaspec in FreedomCola stadium. Emilio Sanchez is questionable against Vangaziland with a foot injury and Dalton O'Halloran will replace him if he's unable to play.

Now I wonder why the Free Republics always have a sponsor to name their group or their stadiums and with some of them being dubious and almost unethics. Well we have some soda companies in Terre Septentrionale either but I don't trust them. I never drink soda, I preffer prune juice. Not Gregoryisgodistani prune juice, I mean real fresh prune juice from Terre Septentrionale without drugs in them. It's much better than soda. And then they call their stadium Church of Technicology Stadium. What the heck is a church of technocology? While I find christianity and other stupid religions very dubious, that church in the Free Republics is even more dubious. And then they have an "Ecumenical Coalition for Morality Group". What? I repeat: "Ecumenical Coalition for Morality Group". You can't have something more questionable than that. And these morons (Free Republics) thinks these dubious churches can teach us about morality? Churches are unethic! Well now I'm gonna send my article to the editor and drink a Dixon Light, maybe the only company in the FFR that isn't questionable. I'm gonna add some prune juice to my Dixon light, it will taste better (prune juice that I brought into the FFR in my luggage).

Logan McPhee,
La tribune Septentrionale

by **Main Nation Ministry** » Thu Jan 30, 2020 11:58 pm

Death and Taxes: The Rundown

Terry Fitzpatrick,
As established from several days ago, you are to attend the Ministry in Victory Square as part of a rehaul within our system, due to a minor inconvenience. Negotiations were already established, which you attended. We believe that your apartment in Victory Square is of good use? You are to meet with a Mr. Rayyan Khan at the Conquest of our Men landmark near the Ministry in Victory Square approximately at 9:00 AM sharp. Mr. Rayyan Khan has already seen a photo of you and will be quick to identify you.

Do not disappoint us, Fitzpatrick. Especially on your first day.
- Ministry of Labor Official Rhoda Folant

Terry Fitzpatrick took a deep breath, as he stepped off of the metro subway car, as he paid for his ticket, before heading up the steps out of the subway. The sun was up, though it was starting to drizzle a little rain from incoming clouds. Terry had put a small flag on his suit to show a little patriotism on his first day of work, though he wasn't pleased that he got dragged out of his home by force. He arrived at the fountains, where which actually beautiful, which surprised Terry. Marble statues on the edge of natural rock, where small waterfalls ended up in a small pool on the side of the nation's Natural History Museum. For a building of propaganda, it was still spectacular. Tourists and citizens alike were throwing chips into the pool for good luck, though it was illegal to try to fish out some for extra change. Terry stood around the pool, where a man dressed casually for a workplace went up to him.

"Mr. Fitzpatrick?"
"Yes. That's me."
"Sorry, if I have gotten you so tense all of the sudden."
"Believe me. Being beaten to unconsciousness and dragged out of my own house isn't something I want to happen again." Terry immediately said, still showing some anger at the whole incident.
"Mr. Fitzpatrick. I promise you that this is the last time any isolated incidents like that will happen to you now that you're working at the Ministry."
"So you going to take me to work?"
"Correct, Mr. Fitzpatrick. I'm noticing you don't have a lunchbox with you?"
"No? Do they have vending machines?"
"They do, but I can buy you lunch."

Terry examined Rayyan Khan in front of him. He appeared of Middle-Eastern descent, where he had black hair and some scars on his arm and other parts of his body. A war veteran, possibly. "I didn't expect my new job to require my lunchbox, though I have to wait until my parents can bring me more of my belongings to my new apartment." Terry explained to Rayyan. "No worries, Mr. Fitzpatrick. Now come along. We have some stuff to get you on the ropes around in the Ministry." Rayyan said, before Terry started to follow him. They walked away from the fountains, where both of them ended up at the square, where the towering building of where the Leader lived appeared before them. "Is that..?"
"Yes. This is where you will work. The Ministry. Keep going." Rayyan said, as both of them entered up through the front doors of the building. "This is the entry area. Since you qualify as a worker, you will appear in the database. So if you were just a citizen, you would have to take the long route." Rayyan said, as there was a long line of tourists and citizens wanting to get further inside of the building. Rayyan led Terry to another line with mostly workers in business suits and outfits. Rayyan stood in front of Terry, as they went through the heavy security checkpoint inside.

Inside of the checkpoint, Terry was subjected to multiple security checks. Metal detectors, database checking, and examination of his current possessions. Terry was about to continue to follow Rayyan, until he told note of a tourist from Fauntenheddo, who had failed the security check. It looks like he was one of those vloggers that would be on social media. "Hey! Yo yo! It's a prank, bro! I'm joking! I'm joking!" the vlogger tried to run, before a soldier inside the building immediately struck him with his rifle, as several other soldiers started to beat the crap out of him. "Hey! Aw shit! No! I'll complain!"

"As you can see, Mr. Fitzpatrick.. We get several morons who don't follow legislation and the rules here in the Ministry. They are dealt with swift precision." Rayyan explained, as they entered into a larger hall. This room continued a large V monument in the center of the room, where several monitors were all around the room. A red platform was near the monument, another with a golden podium that was at the corner of the middle of the room. "This here is the main hall. It's open to the public during some of the most important days."
"What kind of days."
"Mass executions. Roundups. Victories that must be served."
"Right.. I'm guessing you don't have guillitones or gallows?"
"We have gallows, Mr. Fitzpatrick. However, a knife is enough to let the guilty suffer as intended." Rayyan told Terry, as he was looking around the main hall. As they continued on, Rayyan had Terry give his spirits to a bust of the Leader. "Important man to lead. Respect him and he will respect you back."

"Now this is where our citizens go to. This is where we collect information from both our fine citizens and from the other Ministries. Imagine a ministry that uses other ministries. An octopus with as many legs as it can have." Rayyan said, as Terry saw several lines of citizens in a waiting room. A man with some paperwork was walking, until he tripped, dropping them onto the ground. "Hang on a second." Terry said, where he went to help the man. "Oh stupid stupid! Too clumsy of myself!" the man whispered to himself in frustration, as he was trying to collect some papers. "Here, let me help." Terry said, which the man noticed.
"Who are you? You not from here, are you?"
"I'm new. Come on. I want to try to help." Terry said, as he helped organize the papers.

"Thank you very much! I'm Wilfedo. I work here at the Ministry! I'm still trying to work up a ladder or two actually." Wilfedo introduced himself to Terry, where he adjusted the gold buttons on his blue shirt. A business and worker's ID was visible in his breast pocket. "You still work at this type of job?"
"I'm..clumsy. I can't really get enough to improve my rank. I have better things to take things of. I'm still trying to remember to get pet food for my snake Ripper!"
"Were you bought here?"
"No..I..volunteered. I wanted to show my worth to the Leader, if he meets me that is! I gotta get going!" Wilfedo said, before rushing off somewhere else with his papers.

"A good choice, though be careful about people in the Ministry, Mr. Fitzpatrick." Rayyan said, as Terry continued to follow him to an employee's only door. There, he found himself in a list of workplaces and offices. "The canteen is available, though Solen is there trying to get people to sign his junk. I can take lunch from the canteen and bring it to your workplace." Rayyan said to Terry, as he was trying to get settled into his workplace. "So what do I do?"
"You will receive information from your monitor. Sometimes, you will get a visitor and you need to process information from them. You will figure it out as you work forward. It's actually easier than it looks." Rayyan explained, as he was about to leave the workplace. "Hey, Rayyan? What did you mean to be careful about people in the Ministry?"

"Well, Mr. Fitzpatrick.. You may or may not have heard the news. But we had an...accident a couple of days ago. It may or may not have led to your sudden transfer here."
"An accident? Is that a way of saying murder?"
"Murder is a heavy word, Mr. Fitzpatrick. I recommend you don't get too caught up with it. The person who died was a well-respected employee here."

Mr. Rayyan left, where Terry felt nervous. There was a small radio and a monitor in front of him. Terry switched on the radio to see what kind of tunes there were. He switched it to a frequency he enjoyed, though he didn't have any interest in checking the other channels. The sound of a bell rang and a red light appeared near the monitor. It switched on, where a random man face appeared on the face.
"Hi, I would like to file a request, if possible."
"Go ahead, sir."
"I would like to request that own fine soldiers or perhaps some soldiers in the young cadets program to learn capoeira. We have enough martial arts classes as it is, but someone had talked about capoeria."
"Let's see what I can do."
Terry checked some of the programs on his monitor with a mouse and keyboard, where he found an app that lets the user list information. "CITIZEN REQUESTS CAPOERIA CLASSES TO BE TAUGHT TO SOLDIERS AND/OR YOUNG CADETS," Terry typed down the information, where it processed the information. "I have filed your request. I'm getting the notification to leave your personal information, so an email or letter can be sent."
"Thanks. It's best to give some opinions."
'Thank you and have a very good day."

"I like to file a complaint against the radio station 97.3. They have disrespected our fellow country by removing folk music from their lineup!"
"CITIZEN FILES A COMPLAINT THAT RADIO STATION 97.3 IS NO LONGER PLAYING FOLK MUSIC IN LINEUP."
"I'm sure that there is a misunderstanding. Let's treat it like that for now." Terry told the woman at the other end. "Thank you and have a very good day."

"I have a denunciation that I would like to file against an individual." a soldier appeared on the other end, which Terry told note of.
"Please continue."
"Hartmut Miri is vandalizing some of the animals, mostly llamas and alpacas in our rural sectors with vulgar insults to our dear Leader! He must be punished!"
"Hang on, sir."
"HARTMUT MIRI. DENUNCIATION FILED."
"It requests your soldier ID, sir."
"Right. Here it is."
Terry finished up listening and typing down the ID of the soldier from his dog tags, as he processed the denunciation.
"Thank you and have a very good day."

A vendor-looking fellow with a blue and white stripped shirt appeared on the monitor.
"Would you like some chicken soup, sir?"
"Can't. Plus, I don't think I'm allowed to have food by strangers at work."
"I'm here to process a form of information. It's a copy of my sales. I want a report saved by the Ministry, in case I lose it."
"Right, what is the document ID?"
Terry was quick to copy it down, when he said it.

Terry was at his workplace, when while he was checking out information, the monitor started to fizzle out. "Crap. I need to ask Rayyan about that.." Terry thought, as he tapped on the top of the monitor, thinking it will help. Nothing. He sat up from his cubicle and looked around. He noticed a strange man with dark black hair and a red tie standing across from him from a distance, giving him a scorn. "Hey you? New worker here. You know how I can fix my monitor?" Terry asked the man, however when another co-worker walked past the man, he suddenly vanished. "What the.."

"Mr. Fitzpatrick?" Rayyan appeared behind him, making Terry jolt a bit. "Jeez, don't sneak up on me like that!"
"Apologies, Mr. Fitzpatrick. I brought you some food. Is a sandwich enough?" Rayyan gave him a sandwich, which Terry took a bite. "Nice."
"You almost done working?"
"Rayyan, my monitor is acting up. Is this normal?"
"Let me see?" Rayyan went into his workplace and checked the monitor. "That's odd.. You suffering from technical problems, also. I need to have Maria notify the IT."
"Maria?"
"The secretary for the manager of this floor. Your boss here. Also, eat your sandwich. It's not meant to be cold. Otherwise, you better off eating the cooked worms they sell here.."

Terry complied by eating the sandwich, where he turned off his radio. He had to meet up with the secretary of this place.

by **Ranoria** » Fri Jan 31, 2020 8:56 am

World Bowl Roster
Bios listed under each position group
*: Was chosen for the RFL All-Star Game following the 2020 season
**: Was selected as a first team all pro following the 2020 season
[: Was cut from an RFL roster following or during the 2020 season
{: Was not on an RFL roster during the 2020 season

Style Modifier: +5
All Players are male
Feel free to hate on my punter and kicker when RPing, Ranorian punters and kickers are generally poor, but don’t injur them.

Captains:
Offense:
Derek McNair, QB
Johnny Farmer, TE

Defense:
Ross Monarch, MLB
Alexander von Arris, CB

QB:
*#8 Derek McNair, 6’2”, 225 lb, 28
#7 Terry Grayson, 6’2”, 227 lb, 37

HB:
#28 Mettis Thiel, 6’, 220 lb, 23yr
#29 Gareth Gilliam, 5’9”, 27 yr

WR:
**#19 Earl Beets, 6’0”, 196 lb, 29yr
#80 Mario Terrin, 6’2”, 220 lb, 28yr
#11 Javier Gilmore, 5’9”, 175 lb, 25yr
{#17 Phillip ‘Flash’ Wood, 5’10”, 22yr

TE:
**#82 Johnny Farmer, 6’5”, 260 lb
#81 Kris Richards, 6’2”, 250 lb
#86 Brock Dublin, 6’6, 270 lb

LT:
*Trent Cooper, 6’6”, 315 lb, 25yr
[Allan Jones, 6’4”, 320 lb, 28yr

LG:
[Brandon Jameson, 6’3”, 320 lb, 27yr

C: Junior Dean, 6’2”, 300 lb, 24yr

RG:
Caleb Gourdsman, 6’3”, 300 lb, 26yr
{Jeremiah Grand, 6’5”, 290 lb, 23yr

RT: Jack Hillis, 6’6”, 330 lb, 34yr

RE:
#96 William Teller, 6’3”, 280 lb, 25yr

DT:
#79 John Bronson, 6’4”, 340, 34yr
#78 Argent Thorne, 6’3”, 315 lb, 30yr

LE:
#94 Jarrett Hauptmann, 6’4”, 245 lb, 28 yr
#91 Thione Karak, 6’3”, 268 lb, 27yr

OLB:
*#56 Jakeem Butler, 6’3”, 245 lb, 26yr
#55 Jamie Praxton, 6’1”, 230 lb, 24yr
#53 Axel Ascenion, 6’2”, 235 lb, 22yr

MLB:
**#58 Ross Monarch, 6’3”, 250 lb, 27yr
#52, Evander Elrich, 6’2”, 245 lb, 24yr

CB:
*#23 Alexander von Arris, 6’1”, 218 lb, 29yr
#41 Trent Yewing, 5’9”, 171 lb, 24yr
[#21 Karl Denton, 5’10”, 187 lb, 23yr
{#33 Daquan Morestead, 6’, 185 lb, 26yr

S:
#40 Kyle Browning, 5’8”, 191 lb(FS), 25yr
[#43 Travis Litwick, 6’1”, 200 lb(SS), 25yr
[#46 Dylan Thomas, 6’, 200 lb, 32yr

**K/P: Barry Chlorid, 6’2”, 198 lb, 24yr

by **Banija** » Fri Jan 31, 2020 9:07 am

Setting is Continuation of Big 5 sports agencies meeting

Ousman Kaba, the Executive Chairman of the Olympic Committee of Banija(OCB), was in a room with Adama Sowe, the Vice President of the World Cup Committee(WCC), Kamoyo Chikondi, the Executive Vice President of both the baseball division of the OCB and the Vice President of the World Baseball Council(WBC), as well as Robel Ezera, the Chairman of the Royal Banijan Soccer Association(RBSA). Because of the urgency of what was happening, Kaba decided to make it strictly a principals meeting- just those four, the four most powerful men in Banijan sport. While, of course, there were other powerful people at the meeting as well, it was these people whose buy-in they'd need. Including Adama Sowe- even though Adama Sowe didn't hold any positions within Banijan sport, just on the multiversal level, he garnered such respect in a room like this that it would be crucial to have him on board.

And with that, Ousman Kaba explained his thoughts, and his long-term plan for the future. He explained it to his colleagues for a good 15 minutes. He explained exactly what he wanted to happen, and why he wanted to ensure that Banija would not be hosting anything major over the course of the World Cup Cycle, outside of the Commonwealth Games that were upcoming in Istria, with Kabonero III Stadium as the centerpiece of those games. His colleagues were coming around. But then, of course, Ousman Kaba had to ensure that once they were on board, they could get the rest of the conference on-board, without telling the rest of the conference the real reason behind what was going to happen.

"Damn, that is ambitious." Said Robel Ezera, the RBSA Chairman. "But you'd have the RBSA's support. Do you have support from the levels of government? What are the Katikkiro's thoughts? Or anyone on the Guardian Council?"

"I haven't spoken to them, yet." Replied Ousman Kaba. "But we don't need to involve government just yet. Eventually, yes- but not now. Now, we just need to focus on conducting a thorough review of tournaments-" at that, the men in the room laughed, for they knew that it was a lie. "A thorough review of tournamnets we've hosted, see what went well, and what didn't, take a step back, to ensure that Banija's consecutive successful bid streak will continue." And then the four men in this room hammered out some sort of compromise, that they took to the main body. After a lot of yelling in the main body, when Adama Sowe took to the stand to gave a hearty endorsement of Kaba's plan to review previous Banijan hosting experiences, most of the room deferred to him. Were people happy about it? Not a chance. But who was going to argue against the WCC Vice President?

Of course, Kaba knew what he had to do to convince the public that this was a good idea. He'd throw out an idea, one that was so ridiculous that it would be immediately panned, but one plausible enough that it would stop the media from digging further. And he thought of just the one...

Big 5 Sporting Agencies announce agreement to not host any major tournaments for the duration of the World Cup 85 Cycle

BUSUKUMA, NATIONAL CAPITOL REGION- Banija, over the course of the past six World Cup Cycles, has played host to quite a few major tournaments. Of course, the last 5 cycles have seen us land 5 major tournaments in soccer- a Baptism of Fire, two World Cups, the AOCAFs, and the Cup of Harmony. We've co-hosted major tournaments in other sports, including the 25th International Basketball Championships and the 30th World Lacrosse Championships, as well as solo hosting a pair of World Bowls and the 29th World Lacrosse Championships. Just to say- over the past 6 World Cup Cycles, Banija has been a premier destination to have sporting events, and that has been recognized by suits across the entire sporting community.

But those days are coming to an end, for now. First reported here by the All-Banija Sports Magazine , Banija's major sporting agencies have announced a self-imposed ban on hosting major tournaments, to last throughout the World Cup 85 Cycle. Ousman Kaba, the Executive Chairman of the OCB, was there to announce it. "Everyone knows the hosting capabilities of this country. And we have hosted plenty of tournaments in the past, and we look forward to doing so in the future. But we are not looking to rest on our laurels- we are always looking to improve the experience. And we believe, firmly, that taking a break from co-hosting major tournaments, in all sports, will allow us to take a step back and reflect. What has gone right? What has gone wrong? This will be our plan, to canvass both those within Banija and outside of Banija, talking about good hosting practices, and ensuring that we continuously improve in this arena."

From there, the Executive Vice President of the Baseball Division(among his myriad of job titles), Kamoyo Chikondi, spoke. "It was an open secret that we had interest in bringing the 48th World Baseball Classic to Banijan shores. Baseball is a sport that has explosive growth in fan interest over the past few years, and the team had record ratings when we won our first championship at the Casaran Classic in the Free Republics. 13 knockout stage wins in a row! What a run that was. Bringing the World Baseball Classic to Banija would have been beneficial for the country and the game, both for its growth within the country and its growth outside the country. However, I am in full agreement with Ousman Kaba- conducting a review of what has gone right, and what has gone wrong, in recent years in Banijan hosted tournaments will be beneficial for the nation in the long-run. We are patient, and there will be future World Baseball Classics. 48 won't come to Banija, and it's likely we won't be bidding on 49 either, but the long-term plan is still for Banija to eventually host baseball's most prestigious tournament."

From there, it would be Robel Ezera who would speak. "Whether we had discussions on bidding to bring the World Cup to Banija's shores for the third time in the last five cycles, is something that I cannot talk about, on the record. We would have been an excellent destination to host the tournament, and I still believe that eventually, we should host a World Cup Final, right here in Busukuma. Congratulations, once again, to Farfadillis, and their fans are surely enjoying the parties that are going on in parts of this city. But of course, this is a nation that has the infrastructure to host all sorts of major tournaments here. But, like my friend Ousman said, sometimes you have to take a step back. Review what has gone right, review what has gone wrong, and do what needs to be done."

Ousman Kaba then stepped back up to the microphone and spoke. "Now, of course, we won't be hosting or co-hosting any major tournaments here for the next few years. But that does not mean we cannot host one-offs. For example, the NSSCRA will be coming to Ruwani Motor Speedway for the first time ever- that is a major event out in Hangaza. And it does not preclude Banijan authorities from bidding for other one-off events." And he went on to explain what kind of reviews they'd be undertaking.

That exclusion, of course, seems to mean that Banijan authorities will continue to bid for single-match events to bring to the country. Things like the NSCF Championship Game in Busukuma, or the NSCAA Final Four at Liberty Stadium, or the RBSA reaching for their longtime goal of bringing the IFCF Champions League Final to the Stadium of the Restoration, all that will still be possible. Of course, we'll see how this review goes. One of the more controversial ideas leaked out by aides would be potentially asking the Lukiiko to allow foreign visitors, both fans and players, to purchase coffee within Banija- which created a quick reaction across the political spectrum, especially on the right. We'll see how far that idea goes.

Well, there you have it. You've read it here first- no major tournaments coming to Banija in the near-term future, and there's a chance that these organizations could ask anti-coffee laws to be relaxed within the country for these tournaments. While that seems rather unlikely, it will be an interesting next couple of years for Banija's bigwigs in the wide world of sports.

OOC: This is the end of this storyline for now. I'll pick it up later in a different tournament, but I just wanted the groundwork out now.

by **The Transmondian Commonwealth** » Fri Jan 31, 2020 1:18 pm

A couple of months before the World Bowl...

Ari Cramer (Chrome) didn't know what to make of it when his girlfriend Melissa, who he had been dating for a couple of months, said she wanted to start a TV studio in the Rubble States. He didn't know much about the Rubble States. She was from there, but she didn't talk very much about it.

His head said it was stupid to leave a well-paying job and a nice condo with all the amenities to go on a wild goose chase in the Rubble States. Even with the new power plant restoring power, it would not have all the modern conveniences he was used to.

But his heart said he wanted to be with Melissa and he couldn't tell her not to follow her dream.

And soon he found himself standing in a crumbling mess of a building where Melissa wanted to build her studio. "What do you think?" she said.

"It looks like a dump," Ari said truthfully.

"It will look better when we bring our equipment in," said Melissa, "And we'll put something over those old bricks so nobody sees that when we're on the air."

"How much is the rent?"

"This is the Rubble States, Ari. People have been leaving in droves ever since we joined the Commonwealth. There's no rent. We'll buy the property before the real estate prices start going up."

The studio did look better when it was furnished and equipped with lights and cameras, but it still looked like something a couple of high school students set up in their parents' basement.

Present day...

This wasn't Phillip Nantucket's first World Bowl, but it was the first one that all his friends and family would be able to watch on TV instead of just asking him about it when he got home. That meant there was no way for him to minimize his role in blowing the game against TJUN-ia.

The crew from RRTV (Rubble Restored Television) were still rather amateurish. Nantucket wasn't sure how well they could handle close-ups or replays, and they definitely weren't broadcasting live. They had to carry their video cards back to the studio before they could put anything on air in the Rubble States. But they still had the footage of him fumbling the ball into the hands of Drew McAllister, and he couldn't just tackle the camera crew to stop them from airing it.

Well, technically, he COULD tackle the camera crew, but he didn't think it was a good idea. It would probably be more effective if the team could just win a few games and hope everyone would forget the TJUN-ia game by the time they went home.

Their next opponent were the Smyth Dragons. The Dragons were unranked, but TJUN-ia had been unranked too, so nobody was taking anything for granted. Cody Bolt ran the ball into the endzone to score the first touchdown of the game, and from that point forward, the New Englanders played a very clean, conservative, defensive-minded game, more concerned about holding the lead than running up the score.

When it was all said and done, RRTV had good news to bring back to their world. New England had won 23-7.

And the only player's name that Drew Orson had butchered in his play-by-play commentary was Lamar Montague. Orson had accidentally referred to Montague as "Montgomery," before immediately correcting himself.

by **TJUN-ia** » Fri Jan 31, 2020 2:38 pm

TJUN-ia Update: Estonopolis Pt. 1: Of Course

Of course.

Of course The Jaguars, after beating the top seed in the Dixon Light Group, would then proceed to lose to unranked Cardo. 23-10 the final score.

Still, 1-1 after 2 games is more than the young Jags can ask for.

Pt. 2 of this trilogy for TJUN-ia is against Cassadiagua, ranked 23rd in gridiron.

GO JAGS!

by **Vangaziland** » Fri Jan 31, 2020 3:59 pm

Vangaziland Royals Take Gridiron Victory

Eyes were on Josh Depzman as he took on a less intimidating opponent in Champagne Socialist Sharifistan for game 2. Not only are they smaller than the Drawks, Sharifistan carries significantly less firepower. They enter World Bowl XXXVIII unranked. Vannish fans watched with wide eyes in hopes of seeing the former University of Auster QB perform. "I live for the pressure", Depzman said before kickoff. "As a team, we should approach every opponent the same. You gameplan in different ways for each opponent. My outlook is still the same."

This time the Vangazi kicked off to start the match. Defense looked to establish pace early. Sharifistan fought hard to get up the field, converting three 3rd downs in route to the red zone. "We needed to do a better job of keeping them closer to the center of the field", said defensive coordinator Mike Waterhouse. A big tackle by linebacker Richmond Tiller lost Sharifistan 4 yards on a 2nd and 5th situation. This was almost destined to set up a pass play, which ended up swatted down by CB Earnell Gordonsen.

"No way, baby", shouted the #2 corner as he waved his arms across his body.

Vangaziland would not fair any better on their first drive. An attentive Sharifistan cornerback picked off a Depzman pass, only to be quickly tackled by Vannish TE Fred Loxingsen. The QB seemed frustrated, swearing under his helmet and throwing an overhand right punch through the air.

Vangaziland closed out the first quarter without giving up any more points. The Royals did not score until their first drive in the 2nd. This came in the form of a field goal. Alena Jarosova sent the kick gliding through the uprights for her first of two FGs in the sunny midday game.

The Royals seemed to stall in this early stage of the match as they looked to establish the run. "It can be tough not being a power back", said the relatively small HB Norton Lind. The man known as the blonde bombshell finally broke a 33 yard run to give Vangaziland its first touchdown. He acted as if he were about to spike the ball as he lifted the ball and wound up. Instead he suddenly broke form and jogged to hand the ball to the nearest referee.

From this point out, Depzman found moving the ball through the air a bit easier. Sharifistan's defense seemed to buy into the Royals' playaction movements just a bit more. "Sometimes it's easy for teams to dismiss Lind as a threat", said head coach Kenton Tillford. "If he beats them once, they're forced to pay more attention."

Vangaziland would score three touchdowns, two of which came at the hand of Josh Depzman. Parker Vangaard and Benny Banks each walked away with a TD reception. After Banks made a two-handed vertical grab, Tillford sent his offense back on the field to try for a two point conversion.

"We didn't mean to rub it in", said offensive coordinator and assistant coach Gavin Wicks. "This is something we wanted to practice in preparation for the future." Fullback Taye Poconos was dropped mere inches behind the TD line. Many believe it was a way for Vangaziland to give their fullback more experience on the ball.

"Sharifistan played strong a strong line", Poconos said. "Props to them." Despite a solid performance up front, Sharifistan couldn't make much headway offensively. They scored one TD through the air, also going for two. It appeared they wanted to try to one up the Vangazi by converting. In the end, their extra grab also failed. Both head coaches seemed to share a laugh about their extra point attempts after the game. Sharifistan added one more close field goal towards the end of the game.

Vannish fans in attendance at a packed FreedomCola stadium stood and applauded their team as the 4th quarter drew to a close. Vangaziland was on the board with their first victory. "All eyes look to Geeattle and Terre Septentrionale", WR Parker Vangaard said before downing a cup of water. "101 yards for me.. Not a bad start", he added introspectively.

by **Hapilopper** » Fri Jan 31, 2020 4:35 pm

After Game 2: Hapilopper 36-10 Ahrida
That was more like it. The Haps had done some damage against the team from Ahrida, whoever they were, and left the stadium with a decisive 36-10 victory, putting them into a logjam in the Sporting World group. Four teams – the Allamunnic States, Equestria, the Haps and HUElavia, all stood with 1-1 records, while the Main Nation Ministry held a 2-0 record. But how the Haps got to that 36-10 beatdown of Ahrida, however, went beyond the scoreline.

That 36-10 scoreline showed just how the Haps had overcome the mistakes they had made the week before in their loss to Equestria. Rather than getting pissed off over something, the Haps stayed disciplined and avoided getting tagged with penalties. Sure, there was a false start or two, but that was about it. Rather than playing recklessly, the defense took the opportunity to lay down some huge hits at the right times. Potentially because of the Haps’ defense firing on all eight cylinders, or potentially because Ahrida’s offensive line broke down like nothing else, the Haps sacked the Ahridan quarterback six times.

Three of those sacks came from Roy Butler, a monster of a man who is rarely seen without a lipful of chewing tobacco. Roy would come in and smash the Ahridan quarterback, seemingly making him wish he put a little bit more in the offering plate at church this morning. While we can’t speak for the religious beliefs of a player from Ahrida, we can say that Roy intended to put the fear of a deity into them on this day.

Meanwhile, it seemed like the offense was clicking as well. Earl Danielson was able to send the ball where he wanted to send it, and as a result, he was 35 for 48 on the day with 302 yards, including four touchdowns – two to Josey Jarvis, one to Scott Walmsley and one to Detrick Hardy. The gunslinger from Surrey had found his targets again and again on the day, and it helped the Haps turn around what had been a poor performance the week before.

There had been some other bright spots – big Cyril Ellery, all six foot five, 265 pounds of him, ran straight through an Ahridan linebacker like he was nothing on the way to scoring a touchdown. When asked later on about the hit, Cyril acted as if it was no big deal, even though it looked like he had run through the linebacker like he was a big semi truck.

“You do what you have to,” Cyril said. “He was in the way and I moved him out of the way. Things like this happen.”

Hapilopper would find themselves going up against the Allamunnic States in their next game. Practice got going bright and early the morning after the game, with players reviewing film of the team’s 52-27 shellacking of HUElavia. The team had to find some weakness or another in the team. By the end of the day, they think they had found it, and practiced a gameplan to exploit those weaknesses. The question of if the team was correct in figuring out the team’s weakness would remain to be seen.

by **Free Republics** » Fri Jan 31, 2020 5:08 pm

Sporting World

Sporting World Guide to Football

With the World Bowl coming home for the 3rd time (OOC: ICly, the Free Republics claims to have invented the sport but this claim is disputed.), Sporting World Magazine has decided to publish a guide to the sport for the benefit of those around the multiverse who may not be overly familiar with the rules and the basic strategies. This is part 3 of our guide.

Offensive Schemes and Formations

In football, there are a wide variety of different offensive formations and approaches. While an extensive list of every offense ever used in the history of the sport is not something we could compile, we will cover various schemes and formations that teams have used over the years.

Single Wing Formation: The single wing formation was extremely popular in the early days of the sport. Unlike modern formations, it utilized an unbalanced line with 2 tackles and a guard positioned to one side of the center (the strong side) and just a guard and end on the other side (the weak side). In the single wing, the tailback is the primary ball carrier with the quarterback used as a blocking back and a wingback to the strong side. The single wing is designed for running the football and is not a particularly effective passing formation despite its superficial resemblance to the modern shotgun formation.

Double Wing Formation: The double wing formation is similar to the single wing but utilizes two wingbacks, one on each side. It is an early version of the flexbone that utilizes tight ends instead of wide receivers.

Flexbone: Used by the Republican National Team, the Flexbone is an offense that uses 2 slotbacks, 2 wide receivers, a quarterback (under center) and a fullback (behind the QB). The flexbone emphasizes the triple option where the quarterback can hand the ball to the fullback, toss it to a slotback or run it herself. It can also be used as a passing offense as opponents of the Republican National Team know all too well.

Pistol: In the pistol formation, the quarterback is positioned a few yards behind the center, with a single running back behind him. Typically, the pistol has 3 wide receivers and a tight end, making it a spread offense that allows for read options (plays where the quarterback can hand it off to the running back or run it himself/herself) and run/pass options (plays where the quarterback can choose to run or to pass based upon what the defense does. (OOC: In RL, the pistol was used by the Colin Kaepernick 49ers during their Super Bowl run and by the 2019 Ravens.) Like the flexbone, quarterback mobility is extremely important in the pistol but the pistol is more pass oriented than the flexbone.

Wildcat: A "wildcat" formation is any formation in which a running back or wide receiver receives the snap instead of the quarterback who may or may not be on the field. To utilize the wildcat effectively, the player receiving the snap must be capable of completing a pass or the defense must be caught completely off guard. If the player receiving the snap is not a passing threat and the defense realizes they're playing against a wildcat formation, they will almost certainly stack all 11 players on the line of scrimmage and stop the offense for a loss.

Wishbone The Wishbone has a quarterback behind center with a fullback stationed directly behind him and 2 running backs deep. It uses a wide receiver and a tight end or (alternatively) 2 wide receivers. It is a more run-heavy offense than the I formation and unlike other run heavy formations does not require a mobile quarterback.

I Formation: Traditionally, the I has been one of the most popular formations. In the I Formation, the quarterback is positioned behind the center with a fullback directly behind him and a tailback standing behind the fullback. Teams that use the I Formation typically rely heavily upon the tailback as a "feature back" while utilizing the fullback as a blocker. The quarterback on an I formation team is generally expected to be a pocket passer. The I usually has at least 1 tight end. If it has 2, it is called the "Double Tight End" formation If there are 3 tight ends, its called the "Goal Line" formation. There are also variants of the I where the fullback is on the weak side (Weakside I) or the strong side (Strongside I).

Singleback Formation: The singleback has become extremely popular in recent years. It is basically an I formation without a fullback. Instead, the team adds an extra tight end or wide receiver. When a team utilizes 3 or 4 receivers, that is called a "Spread" formation and is a pass oriented formation.

Pro Set: The pro set or the "Split Backs formation" features 2 running backs directly behind the quarterback positioned where the fullback would be in a strong side I and a wide side I. Otherwise, it has the same variations as the I. It is called the "Pro Set" because it used to be extremely popular in professional football. More recently, it has been supplanted by the I Formation, the Singleback and the Shotgun.

T Formation: The T Formation was a contemporary of the single wing that placed the quarterback directly behind center with 3 running backs behind him. The running back directly behind him was called the fullback. The other 2 running backs were the left halfback and the right halfback. They were positioned to the left and right of the fullback, respectively. In other words, basically a Pro Set with a third running back directly behind the quarterback. Typically, it featured a single wide receiver called a "Split End" and a single tight end. It is not particularly popular in the modern game but has been used to some success by Army Academy in the NSCF. (OOC: In RL, the T Formation was popularized by the George Halas Bears when they blew out the Redskins 73-0 in the NFL Championship game, which is still a record for most points scored and largest margin of victory in an NFL game.)

Empty Backfield: An empty backfield formation is a type of spread formation where there is no running back. The only back on the field is the quarterback. Typically, empty backfields feature 4 or 5 wide receivers. Using an empty backfield is a dead giveaway that you will be throwing the ball but teams usually only use it when everybody knows they're going to be throwing the ball anyway. In an empty backfield, a mobile quarterback can be particularly lethal since the defense isn't going to be expecting a quarterback run. Likewise, a reverse out of an empty backfield can catch the defense off guard and result in a big gain.

Shotgun: The shotgun formation features a quarterback positioned 7 or so yards behind the center. It is primarily used as a passing formation. The standard shotgun does have a running back. However, there are also variations with 2 running backs and 0 running backs. Regardless, the shotgun is typically used in passing situations and shotgun running backs are generally expected to be small and fast as the shotgun is not conducive to a power running game.

Swinging Gate: The Swinging Gate is a trick formation where the offensive line and several receivers are positioned to a side of the field. The center is left all alone with the quarterback behind him. It can also be used for a fake field goal or fake punt. Attempting to use it as a regular formation is not recommended as it is unlikely to be effective if the defense is expecting it.

Now that we've covered all of the offensive formations, let's cover a few types of offensive schemes that you might see.

Run and Shoot: The Run and Shoot is an extremely pass heavy offense where a team attempts to throw the ball on almost every play. Run and shoot teams traditionally do not utilize fullbacks or tight ends at all and will use 4 or 5 receivers on a typical play. The Run and Shoot can produce extremely dangerous offenses but Run and Shoot teams are also notorious for blowing large leads. (OOC: One famous example of this was the game where the Houston Oilers famously blew a 35-3 lead to the Buffalo Bills who were playing their backup quarterback because the Oilers had injured their starter in a blowout win in the regular season finale. The Bills would win that game 41-38 and would go on to lose the Super Bowl for the 3rd year in a row.)

Spread Offense: The most popular offense in football these days, the spread relies heavily on 3 and 4 receiver sets. The difference between the spread and the run and shoot is that spread teams do not completely abandon the running game. Thus, they are less likely to blow big leads than Run and Shoot teams. (OOC: The key here is "less likely". Anybody who's watched the NFL over the last few years knows that teams are blowing leads more often than ever these days.)

West Coast Offense: Another popular offense these days, the West Coast offense utilizes short passes, including passes to running backs, as a high efficiency alternative to the running game. Known as the "West Coast Offense" because of its origins at the far west of the Free Republics (OOC: In RL, its called this because the 49ers under Bill Walsh popularized it back in the 80s and 90s when they were winning 5 Super Bowls with Joe Montana and Steve Young at quarterback, which made them the most prolific dynasty in NFL history until the Patriots came along.)

Pro Style Offense: The traditional "Pro Style" offense emphasizes a strong armed pocket passer at quarterback and balance between the run and the pass. Pro style teams will "run the ball to set up the pass" and when they pass will usually throw intermediate and deep passes. The "Pro Style" is called that because it used to be extremely popular in professional football but it has been falling out of style in recent years.

Martyball: The preferred style of play of legendary coach Marty Grignon (OOC: Of course, in RL, its named after Marty Schottenheimer, a great NFL coach who regularly won lots of regular season games, often ended up with a first round bye and then lost in the playoffs.), Martyball is a conservative offensive strategy where the offense almost always runs the ball on first and second down, throwing a pass on third down if necessary. While it wasn't always necessarily "run, run, pass" like the stereotype, it was an effective style of offense that has since fallen out of style. The last prominent Martyball practitioner in the Free Republics was former National Team and Ren Rep coach Jak Hamilton. Martyball wins but its boring and most teams would rather be exciting than win.

Option Offense: The Option offense is an offense built around the triple option play. It is built around a mobile quarterback and an array of talented running backs who can take handoffs up the middle (fullbacks) or tosses to the outside. Option teams tend to be very run heavy but you shouldn't necessarily count them out as passing threats either. The Free Republics National Team runs this style of offense.

Royal Offense: Made famous by King Petrus I of Saintland, the Royal Offense took the World Bowl by storm nearly 20 years ago. While Saintland ultimately would win only 1 title with this offense, they would only lose a handful of games during their 5 years or so at the top that started with World Bowl XXII when they co-hosted the World Bowl with the FFR. The Sanctii offense relied heavily upon the pistol formation, the read-pass option and pre-snap motion with Petrus combining elite passing ability with elite rushing ability. (OOC: RL examples of this are the Kaepernick 49ers during their Super Bowl run and the 2019 Ravens. The name is purely IC and you're more than welcome to come up with your own name for it as it doesn't really have a name in RL yet.) This is an extremely difficult scheme to pull off as it requires a quarterback who is extremely good at both passing and running because the quarterback has to carry a heavy load in the air and on the ground.

In the next part of this guide, we'll cover defense since you have to be able to stop these offenses to win football games.

OOC: Feel free to ask questions in the discussion thread if anything in this guide is unclear.

by **Free Republics** » Fri Jan 31, 2020 5:59 pm

World Bowl XXXVIII

Its a deadly game that we play. The Safari Bell Group Stage 1 Matchday 3 Cutoff is another chance to fall! Safari Bell: The Internet-Connected Camera that lets you see what's going on in your house 24/7!

Matchday Three Results

AllMart Group
La Montevideo 16–32 The Greater Nordics
Saint Kanye 21–27 Taeshan
Lushansk 21–3 Lisander

  AllMart Group                            Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD 
1 Taeshan                                    3   3  0  115  43 +72
2 The Greater Nordics                        3   2  1   84  83  +1
3 Saint Kanye                                3   1  2   95  60 +35
4 La Montevideo                              3   1  2   34  73 −39
5 Lisander                                   3   1  2   43  53 −10
6 Lushansk                                   3   1  2   34  93 −59

BearOil Group
Geektopia 37–14 The Sarian
Ranoria 41–14 Kaboomlandia
Nurkama 33–13 East Lemyone

  BearOil Group                            Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD 
1 Ranoria                                    3   3  0  131  44 +87
2 Geektopia                                  3   3  0  106  33 +73
3 Nurkama                                    3   2  1   56  56   0
4 Kaboomlandia                               3   1  2   51  90 −39
5 The Sarian                                 3   0  3   23  81 −58
6 East Lemyone                               3   0  3   46 109 −63

Dixon Light Group
Cardo 45–30 Transmondian Commonwealth of New England
Cassadaigua 28–20 TJUN-ia
Smyth 7–14 Cosumar

  Dixon Light Group                        Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD 
1 Cosumar                                    3   3  0   88  45 +43
2 Cassadaigua                                3   2  1   66  61  +5
3 Cardo                                      3   2  1   75  73  +2
4 TJUN-ia                                    3   1  2   70  87 −17
5 Transmondian Commonwealth of New England   3   1  2   89  92  −3
6 Smyth                                      3   0  3   14  44 −30

Ecumenical Coalition for Morality Group
Tomure 20–18 Pridnestrovia
United States of Devonta 24–23 Inner AginanaUsordia
Mushroom Kingdoms and Republics 27–44 Abanhfleft

  Ecumenical Coalition for Morality Group  Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD 
1 Tomure                                     3   2  1   64  64   0
2 Abanhfleft                                 3   2  1  103  67 +36
3 Pridnestrovia                              3   2  1  112  40 +72
4 United States of Devonta                   3   2  1   55  74 −19
5 Inner AginanaUsordia                       3   1  2   59  82 −23
6 Mushroom Kingdoms and Republics            3   0  3   49 115 −66

FreedomCola Group
Drawkland 40–20 Jaspec
Champagne Socialist Sharifistan 7–21 Christos
Terre Septentrionale 17–26 Vangaziland

  FreedomCola Group                        Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD 
1 Drawkland                                  3   3  0  105  48 +57
2 Vangaziland                                3   2  1   68  48 +20
3 Terre Septentrionale                       3   2  1   81  38 +43
4 Jaspec                                     3   1  2   59  71 −12
5 Christos                                   3   1  2   47  86 −39
6 Champagne Socialist Sharifistan            3   0  3   25  94 −69

Nicholls Enterprises Group
Newmanistan 20–34 Anthor
Karditan 14–9 Ko-oren
Resarkia 13–24 Pius Desurongcrandis

  Nicholls Enterprises Group               Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD 
1 Anthor                                     3   2  1   47  47   0
2 Karditan                                   3   2  1   46  42  +4
3 Newmanistan                                3   2  1   57  62  −5
4 Pius Desurongcrandis                       3   1  2   38  52 −14
5 Ko-oren                                    3   1  2   43  34  +9
6 Resarkia                                   3   1  2   53  47  +6

O'Reilly Group of Greatness
Space 14–24 Bolgano
Free Republics 30–3 St Saratoga
Banija 17–27 Xanneria

  O'Reilly Group of Greatness              Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD 
1 Free Republics                             3   3  0   98  43 +55
2 Xanneria                                   3   2  1  100  56 +44
3 Bolgano                                    3   2  1   60  36 +24
4 Banija                                     3   1  2   46  71 −25
5 Space                                      3   1  2   42  86 −44
6 St Saratoga                                3   0  3   25  79 −54

Sporting World Group
Ahrida 3–30 Equestria
Allamunnic States 20–19 Hapilopper
Main Nation Ministry 46–7 HUElavia

  Sporting World Group                     Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD 
1 Main Nation Ministry                       3   3  0  108  36 +72
2 Equestria                                  3   2  1   83  62 +21
3 Allamunnic States                          3   2  1   81  66 +15
4 Hapilopper                                 3   1  2   72  63  +9
5 HUElavia                                   3   1  2   46 104 −58
6 Ahrida                                     3   0  3   19  78 −59

by **Inner AginanaUsordia** » Fri Jan 31, 2020 7:18 pm

Heartbreaking Loss In Malifornia!
Lions' luck is cut short by last-second field goal.
Chad Rozelle, Micalov Monthly
With no time on the clock (Place Kicker) of the United States of Devonta drove the game-winner home from 58 yards.
Box Score:

Quarter	Lions	Devontans	Scorers
1	7	7	TD: QB USD 73 Yd pass left to WR USD, XP good by PK USD; TD: D Konelle 13 Yd pass right to A Slatek, XP good by M Knight
2	0	7	TD: QB USD 52 Yd pass right to TE USD, XP good by PK USD
3	13	7	TD: Konelle 42 Yd pass right to V LeGault, XP no good by Knight; TD: RB USD 3 Yd run right, XP good by PK USD; TD: Konelle 15 Yd pass left to J Kenera, XP good by E Mainwaring
4	3	3	FG: Good by Mainwaring from 41 yd; FG: PK USD good from 58 yd
Final	23	24	D Konelle 24-36 & 383 yd, 3 TD QB USD 20-26 & 264 yd, 2 TD & 2 INT V LeGault 14-18 & 124 yd, 1 TD WR USD 8-23 & 143 yd, 1 TD R Villenueva 9 & 83 yd RB USD 24 & 84 yd, 1 TD

The team declined interview after the game, citing preparations for the upcoming game against the winless Mushroom Kingdoms and Republics, once again at Barteaux Stadium. This should be an easy win against a team with the worst point differential in the tournament, but nothing is guaranteed.
The only evidence of most of the team's postgame attitude was Omar Piniero's live stream on Twitcher, which involved a dimly lit locker room filled with very demoralized men in varying stages of nudity. Omar's account was later removed from the site. Sara Sersky also posted some pictures of the MRI that revealed her fractured femur, which will make her unavailable for at least three months.
The Lions' only hope for a good seed is to win the rest of their group stage games, because of their large point deficit after the first game's shellacking from Pridnestrovia.

World Bowl XXXVIII Everything Thread

Grid Corps is back again ...

Who is online

Quarter	Lions	Saints	Scorers
1	7	0	TD: D Konelle 23 Yd pass left to D V Anor, XP good by M Knight
2	6	7	FG: Knight good from 39 yd; TD: E Johnson 52 yard pass right to J Spitfire, XP good by M Stanford; FG: Knight good from 46 yd
3	3	3	FG: Stanford good from 28 yd; FG: Knight good from 33 yd
4	10	7	TD: Bill Gorisky 2 yd run left-center, XP good by Knight; FG: Stanford good from 43 yd; FG: E Mainwaring good from 56 yd
Final	26	17	D Konelle 18-30 & 268 yd, 1 TD E Johnson 14-34 & 212 yd, 1 TD & 1 INT D V Anor 10-14 & 97 yd, 1 TD J Spitfire 11-20 & 146 yd, 1 TD B Gorisky 11 & 106 yd, 1 TD C Nielson 13 & 73 yd