The most fundamental part of recovering from a business failure is rooted deep inside in the individual mindset. Problem-solving begins with a flexible and positive attitude and the courage to take bold steps to turn things around in your favor. Winston Churchill also stressed this particular factor when he said “To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often”. There is nothing in a world with which you can be 100% sure; there are always chances of failure. How we deal with failures is what depicts how capable we are of doing a certain job. Here I would like to quote the example of our very favorite fried chicken Franchise known as KFC. 

At the age of 65, Colonel David Sanders a financially unstable old man with just $105 to invest was wandering on the roads trying to find himself an investor who could help him with his envisioned fried chicken business. With a positive attitude and commitment, he found someone who believed in his potential and the idea enough to aid him to start his own business. Now, KFC is one of the biggest fried chicken chains in the world. 

Businesses do experience some rough patches but getting through them efficiently is where a robust mindset, dedication, commitment, and honesty come into play. Businesses must adopt a few things to avoid or to effectively deal with catastrophic situations. Let us discuss those key points without any further ado:

1. A Forward-thinking Approach:

No business can survive without a vision or a forward-thinking approach. Technology is getting sophisticated with every passing day and no business can survive for long if it does not adopt that change. Max Mckeown rightly said, “Adaptability is about the powerful difference between adapting to cope and adapting to win.” 

So have a clear vision. Note it down, map your plans accordingly for it to steer your effort in the right direction. To devise an effective business plan, the vision of your business must take into account the following factors: 

• An effective mission statement
• Identifying your niche
• Your business’s offerings 
• Ways to identify problematic areas
• Ways to find potential prospects 
• Devising effective marketing strategies
• Devising a plan to emerge as a strong competitor

Your vision can boost the underlining spirit of your ideas to set your business towards new horizons. 

2. SWOT Analysis: 

SWOT Analysis is an analysis of the external and internal areas of your business. This exercise familiarizes you with all the factors that are working for you and all those that are weighing you down. SWOT is essentially the acronym of: 

• Strengths:

Your strength is the drive that pushes you to identify those entire internal and external factors, which help you meet your goal and get business for you. 

• Weaknesses:

Weaknesses are the areas, which cause damage to the efficiency and productivity of the internal factors. They are mostly reflected in sales and marketing strategies. 

• Opportunities:

Opportunities are found from a deep analysis of all the external factors influencing the business while keeping in view the likely prospects. Capitalize on these opportunities and optimize them to pave new ways for your business. 

• Threats:

Threats are the external factors, which can potentially affect your business like your competitors, inflation rate, etc. 

3. Think of the Customers

Customers are at the heart of any business. Always devise strategies by keeping in view the demands, behavior, and pattern of your potential audience. Artificial Intelligence implemented by search engines and social media platforms is of great help in identifying trends, behavior, and patterns followed by an audience. You must not just work hard on acquiring new customers, but also put the effort into retaining those customers. Stats have shown, a company’s 20% revenue comes from repeated customers. Make your customers feel important by acknowledging their recommendations and appreciating their feedback. Make them feel special by providing special discounts and coupons. This will not just encourage sales but will boost customers’ interest too. 

4. Set Smart and Realistic Goals 

Setting up smart and realistic goals is one of the most important steps. Smart and realistic goals will not burden your employees rather will be a source of motivation for them. They will take the set goals as challenges and will try their best to achieve them. Unrealistic goals will only discourage the employees and make them lose interest in their job. SMART goals are to provide your employees with a productive environment where they don’t have to be dependent on anyone to get their things done. Facilitate them with all the right equipment and technologies like high-speed Cox internet, efficient devices, right tools, etc.  

SMART goals are a business term and mean more than it says. 

• S: Specific
• M: Measurable
• A: Achievable
• R: Relevant
• T: Timely

Develop a plan which can support SMART goals effectively. 

5. Invest in Getting an Advisory Service:

If you think you lack in some domain, do not hesitate in getting an advisor or even a mentor. Draw upon reserves of their knowledge and their pool of experience to grow your business. If you don’t want to outsource this part of your business, then the most suitable option is to hire yourself someone who could act as a mentor, play the role of an advisor, and conduct training. These trainings will educate your employees and help them add to their skillset. A survey showed, 93% of mediocre businesses credit their mentors. Investing in an advisory service is always worthwhile. 

I hope the article has helped you identify the seemingly small yet crucial factors, which can not only save you from failure but also help you, recover from failures too.

Momentum seems to be shifting toward legalized sports betting in Massachusetts.

As multiple other states launch sports betting, fans in Boston, and throughout the state, have been waiting to use platforms like BetMGM Massachusetts. Before that can happen, legislation will have to be passed and officials will need to set everything up for a successful launch.

With the state offering so much sports action for fans to wager on, there’s plenty of reason for excitement. So will Boston sports fans be able to legally bet in Massachusetts this year?

Lawmakers Meeting Over Betting Legislation

There’s currently no clear answer on when sports betting will be legalized in Massachusetts. The good news for prospective bettors, though, is that sports gambling is currently on the table for local politicians.

State lawmakers have been at work, recently addressing sports betting legislation. Both the House and Senate have passed sports betting bills, but officials are now in negotiations concerning the legislation after disagreeing on issues such as allowing wagers on college sports.

“We’ll work very hard to get this for the governor as soon and as quickly as possible, and know that the entirety of my team is here to help you and your team to achieve that goal,” Senate Ways and Means Chairman Michael Rodrigues told the lead negotiator for the House, Rep. Jerald Parisella, according to MassLive.

It’s still unclear, though, how lawmakers will move past the differences in the House and Senate bills, of which there are several.

“We don’t know what the negotiations are about right now,” Katie Lannan of State House News Service said, according to CBS Boston. “But there’s lots of other differences between the two bills as well. The tax rate is different, the Senate has more restrictions in their proposal. 

“So there’s a lot of things that might be a dealbreaker for one branch or the other that might be wrapped up in this.”

There’s certainly momentum for a deal on sports betting legislation to get done as soon as possible. That would be a win for supporters, as the legislation would be that much closer to being signed into law.

Of course, officials would then have to work on setting everything up for launch. Based on what has been seen in other states, the process would likely include determining rules and regulations, accepting applications for and granting licenses, and much more. There’s no timetable for how long that could all take, adding another question mark to when sports betting will ultimately launch in Massachusetts.

The fact that legislators are actively meeting to nail down sports betting legislation is a good sign that things are on the right track, though. With still half of the calendar year remaining, there’s certainly a chance sports betting could be up and running by year’s end, but it all depends on how fast politicians and officials work to make it happen.

What Teams Could Fans Bet On?

Boston is one of the country’s major sports cities, so bettors will have their pick of local sports teams to wager on once sports betting is legalized and launched.

The Boston Celtics are one of the NBA’s hottest teams, having lost to the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals. Their future looks incredibly bright under coach Ime Udoka and a talented roster that will return to the court next season hungry for more.

“We’re young … Things we went through to get here showed us what we have to come for us in the future,” Celtics guard Marcus Smart said, according to The Associated Press. “I think that’s why we’re confident about the future. We all know what the goal is in the future.”

In the MLB, not many teams boast as much history and tradition as the Boston Red Sox, who are making a comeback after starting this season off slowly. With some of the most passionate fans in the game and a roster consistently filled with top-tier talent, wagers are sure to come in on the Red Sox once Massachusetts sports betting is open.

The Boston Bruins are a premier organization in the NHL. They finished this season with nearly twice as many wins and losses and are currently searching for a new head coach, so to say excitement surrounds the franchise would be an understatement.

Residents should be excited, too, that once sports betting launches in Massachusetts, special promotions involving local teams are sure to be available, making the experience that much better for Boston sports fans.

Athletes are dedicated, healthy, and happy individuals. However, being an athlete can also put you in dangerous situations. Understanding how to avoid injuries and ensure you’re playing on properties that are set up to keep you safe is essential when you’re constantly involved in sporting events.

Unfortunately, some injuries that can happen on the field are not only avoidable but can be life-changing. Traumatic Brain Injuries are one of the most tragic examples of this, and also one of the most damaging. There are many cases where field operators, athletic directors or individual athletes have caused other athletes to be afflicted with this devastating type of injury. If you ever find yourself in this situation, understanding what type of legal recourse is available to you is key. After all, the suffering you’ll be put through is likely not your fault. 

Your Injury is Life-Changing, You Deserve Recourse 

When a person is afflicted with a TBI, the damage to their brain can sometimes be irreversible. Even when the damage can be healed, it is a long, painful, and often costly process. Simply put, the life-changing nature of TBI can not be overstated. Thankfully, you have many rights as an athlete if you find yourself injured during a sporting event. 

For athletes, the long-lasting blowback from a TBI is often that much more tragic. Not only can it cut a career short, but it can significantly impact an athlete’s abilities. If you’re an athlete who has been affected by a life-changing TBI, you deserve recourse. Financial support, medical bill payment and a payout for those who are likely responsible for putting you in the situation that led to you receiving a TBI should all be afforded to you. 

How Much Does it Cost to Hire a Brain Injury Lawyer?

Many athletes who have been victims of situations that have ended in them receiving a TBI forgo seeking restitution due to the assumed legal costs of such an endeavor. However, many lawyers will work on contingency, and for those that do not, there are accessible ways to retain their services. New legislation is making it easier for athletes to get legal help and win cases surrounding TBI injuries. 

Courtesy fee-based lawyer support is also a possibility. While you may be spending a few thousand on legal fees for your lawsuits, the good news is that your payout will not only cover them in the long run but will help you gain the monetary support you need to lead a comfortable life post-TBI. 

Understanding how you will fund your legal expenses can be tricky. But there are always support routes for those who’ve found themselves afflicted with a traumatic brain injury, especially for younger athletes. Reaching out to those in the know within your community is highly recommended. You can also reach out to support groups for those who’ve suffered long-lasting damages from TBIs, where you can vent to other athletes who will understand what you’re going through. Finding empathetic sources of support will be crucial during your healing process. 

How Much of a Payout Can I Expect?

Legal payouts from TBI-related cases can be massive, with the average verdict being $72,168. Although, it should be noted the median amount awarded is just $13,359. Even so, the extra thousands of dollars will help you get back on the right track to lead a comfortable, healthy life. If you end up being in the one percent of those receiving payouts, you could make well over one-million dollars. 

With the payout you deserve, you’ll be able to get your post-TBI life into a stable state. Whether you need physical therapy, emotional assistance or other important medical treatments to help you down this path, your recourse will assure you’re able to lead the best life possible despite your injury. 

Do Not Wait to Hire a Brain Injury Lawyer

Waiting to hire the right brain injury lawyer could prevent valuable information from being gathered that will assist you in your case. Especially in instances where you suspect a playing field or coach might be responsible for the TBI you were afflicted with as an athlete, it’s crucial that you begin the discovery process quickly. Visit rosenfeldinjurylawyers.com, for more information on this stressful process.

Especially for high-school athletes, the payout you’ll receive from a TBI lawsuit can help you enter your adult life with invaluable financial and legal support. Some TBIs can lead to lifelong medical problems, so never underestimating how much recourse you deserve is highly recommended. Preparation, knowledge and a support system are all necessities when you find yourself unrightfully afflicted with a traumatic brain injury. 

Numerous entrepreneurs and manufacturers currently seek a method that will maintain their businesses afloat, namely that of legalizing gambling in all legal spheres. Be that as it may, many of these businesses are not convinced that there is something they can do, legal or otherwise, to remove the wrinkles that prevent their profitability and only a few do not know that it’s as easy as it is to be uncovered. Get a lot more information about the legal gaming on sites like www.betting-sites.in

Whether you are a single man or woman, an entrepreneur or a business proprietor, an entrepreneur or a proprietor of a business establishment, an entrepreneur or a proprietor of a platform or gaming platform or a casino, regardless of whatever issue you might be, or somebody who believes in an idealized policy, the net draw of gambling is exceptionally significant. It has been utilized as an effective way of drawing traffic to venues or shops and is additionally favored by persons who have a desire to form a group. 

There are many associated advantages of legalizing gambling in your world, yet you can easily cover the benefits of gambling to help you decide whether or not to partake in legal gambling.

You are certain to get extra revenue. Legalized gambling aids those in the business to draw additional funds and bring in additional revenue with it. In this manner, you’ll be able to make sure that you will be able to be more financially equipped, the most probable and to accommodate the expenses that will come with the expansion of your business.

Legalized gambling increases your stature

Legally, one particular can be in charge of managing every aspect of the gambling games. In this way, one particular will be in charge of what bets to place, how to place the bets, choosing the betting operators, and so on. It is likewise conceivable to be in charge of when, where, and how much you will be gambling, what wins you’re in charge of what bets, the outcome of the bets, and a lot more. 

It increases your credibility and popularity. If you choose to bet in a gambling entity, you will be in charge of your pot. That implies you will be the one who won or lost every bet that you are in charge of. That is said, it will make you the one who gets to decide every little thing, and that, coupled with the legitimacy that you will acquire as a result of the legality of your business, you’ll be a celebrity in the gambling world.

It can assist you in your investment strategy. Legalized gambling is always significantly less risky than your normal gambling venues. That is the reason why you can bet in casinos and online platforms. There are several trusted platforms like bovada, UFABET, and diamond where you can legally bet online and earn more profit.

A professional is always there to guarantee the safety of your funds. Moreover, for legal gambling, you don’t have to worry about winning or losing any money as you do about placing the bets.

Regulatory issues. 

This is about the first advantage listed above, and it is hard to get to make sense of for those who are new to the game. Legalized gambling provides you with the assurance that you’ll not be hit with a big fine for unlawful gambling or regulation. No, gambling is allowed by several governing institutions. That implies you can place bets and get them paid, safely and with no long-term effect.

As it’s discussed previously, one of the foremost advantages of gambling is how it helps to generate traffic and revenue for your business or organization. Even though gambling may be regulated and must meet restrictions, it will not affect the profits you make by it, and it will not affect the group of people you are recruiting. 

Legalized gambling doesn’t only provide an added benefit to your business, it may also improve the profits from your venture.

Losses come at a higher value than expected. When it comes to gambling, there are many kinds of bets that can be made on games, events, or others. The vast majority of these bets won’t win, but the overall turnover will provide you with a sum of money that you cannot get with any other method.

Loose change and traveler checks are not a powerful source of income. You have a vast number of people that visit your business, and that is frequently generous in their willingness to do a great deal in exchange for a service. Of course, the rewards you gain for this are usually worth it, but that’s not going to cover your day-to-day expenses.

Planning and structuring are mandatory

Building an appropriate business around gambling helps you to operate your business without having to deal with many of the obstacles and hassles that come with implementing a profit-making strategy. With legalized gambling, you will get to have a far greater number of more attractive offers. They are going to be especially irresistible to those people who love the gambling culture.

With legalized gambling, it is possible to offer all kinds of different games and events. The games or events you can offer will be different for every gambling establishment, and you will be able to attract a whole host of people all over the globe to your venue.

People are generally more relaxed and enthusiastic. That is one of the advantages of doing your business in a state or jurisdiction where gambling is illegal. 

When the occasion is such that you want to engage with your customers, you are forced to deal with some of the threats that can come with gambling. Such threats include bad reputation and loss, and even some criminals. Legalized gambling provides you with a lot more certainty when it comes to planning, sales, and other important aspects.

The Bay State is home to the Red Sox, the New England Patriots, the Celtics, and other leading sports franchises. It’s also the founding place of DraftKings, one of the most famous sports betting companies worldwide.  

Betting and Gambling Laws in Massachusetts

A number of forms of gaming are accepted, and the corresponding legislation is rather supportive. The state government has approved both tribal and commercial casinos and pari-mutuel, on- and off-track bets on horse and dog racing. 

The state has yet to set industry standards. All gambling laws, including lottery bets, casino gaming, and horseracing, are specified in the Massachusetts Code Book. 

Where to bet on Sports 

It might take some time for legal sportsbooks to arrive within the state. There are some high-quality online operators, and their current Massachusetts sports betting bonuses are not to be overlooked. Online casinos like Bovada and BetOnline are available on mobile devices so that you can place bets via smartphone or tablet. Here is some more information about how and where to bet on sports in the Bay State. 

2022 Prospects 

State legislators introduced a bill around four years ago to regulate online sports betting. In 2019, they tabled an additional 15 to legalize online and retail betting. They continued to table bills in the following years.

The state governor also introduced a bill on the subject. If passed into law, both mobile and retail bookmakers would launch. 

Gambling and sports betting operators are working on partnerships in anticipation of the regulation and approval of sports betting in Massachusetts. 

The Best Form is Online Betting 

To bet on sports in the Bay State, you don’t have to leave your house at all. You can place wagers from your phone, tablet, or computer. You can see the different types of wagers possible, make a deposit, and start playing. If you’d like to place physical bets, though, it will be possible at racetracks and casinos. The state has developed the infrastructure required. 

There will be sportsbooks in Boston, Cambridge, Springfield, Lowell, and Worcester. Sports betting is a beloved pastime in the northern part of the state, and you’re a quick trip away from the closest physical betting location.  

Who to Wager On

There are all kinds of teams to bet on in Massachusetts. The most popular teams are the Boston Red Sox (MLB), Boston Celtics (NBA), New England Patriots (NFL), New England Revolution (MLS), Boston College Eagles (ACC), Harvard University Crimson (IVY), Amherst Minutemen (A10), and Northeastern University Huskies (CAA).

Massachusetts Daily Fantasy Sports 

You play daily fantasy sports by drafting athletes to create a team and compete against others. This can be done monthly, and the teams have a salary limit. Players can enter individual competitions or become members of a league and win hundreds of thousands of dollars. The Bay State legalized DFS six years ago, becoming one of the first states to do so. 

“IMG_0081” (CC BY 2.0) by wjarrettc

Having topped the Eastern Conference and the overall MLS table in 2021, great things were expected of New England Revolution this season. While the Revs failed to capitalize on a brilliant regular campaign, a positive start to 2022 was widely expected.

It’s still early days but, after 13 games of the current season, New England may already be in danger of missing out on the playoffs. Four wins, four ties and five defeats leaves Head Coach Bruce Arena and his men in eleventh place in the East and the team need to start getting some points on the board.

Early Struggles

It’s tough to see how it’s all fallen apart for the Revs although injuries have played a part. Coach Arena has not had a chance to pair two fit center backs together for much of the campaign so far. Matt Turner has been the biggest miss and those injuries at the heart of the defense have been a major factor.

Those that have stepped up to replace the missing players have struggled. Omar Gonzalez has plenty of experience at the age of 33 but the veteran defender has not been the answer to the Revs problems. 

Recent signs have been more encouraging. New England’s results are showing a slight improvement, but they need to start winning more regularly in order to keep in touch with the playoff places.

Revs Rated

Despite that slow start to the 2022 MLS season, the neutral view is that New England Revolution will make the playoffs. According to sports betting companies as sourced by SBO.net, the Revs are ranked as seventh favorites in the MLS Cup winners market for this campaign.

Winning silverware is an even bigger challenge, but that independent assessment suggests that Arena and his men will progress beyond the regular season at the very least.

Upcoming results will tell us whether the sportsbooks have got it right. Sbo.net will continue to update the markets and reflect any changes to those odds as soon as they come in. While on the site, readers can assess a vast amount of sportsbook reviews while taking in some breaking news and opinion stories.

Anyone aiming to put their knowledge to good use can do so. All of the recommended betting companies mentioned on those pages are set up to take on new customers. Subject to eligibility requirements and a swift and secure sign up form, many sites have a generous welcome package in place.

A range of deposit options helps to add necessary funds while customer services will usually include a live chat operator. Moving forward, a range of other sports, ongoing promotions and the ability to stake via a mobile app will usually be found.

It’s the site to follow in terms of MLS betting but have they got it right as far as New England Revolution’s playoff chances are concerned?

Focus on Key Players

While Bruce Arena’s first choice defense is just starting to piece together, things are more positive in advanced areas of the pitch. The biggest plus point to date has been the form of Adam Buksa. The Polish international striker has scored seven goals in the first ten games of the season and those goals have helped the Revs to reach their modest points tally after thirteen matches.

Buksa needs a little more scoring support from the players around him but that’s a promising start and The Revs can continue to prosper if the Pole can maintain those scoring levels.

Behind the main strikers, there have been some high-quality assists and some scoring contributions from midfield. Carles Gil, Sebastian Lletget, Matt Polster, Emmanuel Boateng and Damian Rivera have all found the net this season.

Based on the stats, the issues for New England Revolution after 13 games of the 2022 MLS season all appear to be in the defense. Coach Arena can point to a run of bad luck with injuries but there will be no more excuses for the Revs from this point onwards.

The team can still make the playoffs and go deeper into the postseason than they did in 2022 but New England needs to start winning or the aim of a place in the next phase will begin to slip away.

CONCACAF qualifying campaigns for the World Cup are usually fairly straightforward. A bunch of preliminary rounds, then down to a final round-robin qualification competition in which the USA, Mexico, and Costa Rica reach the finals, one of them usually getting there after a play-off with New Zealand or a similar team. After 2018 saw the USA fail to qualify, the round-robin was expanded, and while the USMNT did much better this time around, they were not the story of 2022 qualification. That honor, with not a single doubt, went to Canada.

The Maple Leafs’ qualification was certainly timely, as they’re co-hosting in 2026 and it could have looked bad if they’d qualified for their first tournament in 40 years via that backdoor. It was attention-grabbing, as fans flocked to visit Canadian-sports-betting.com to find out how to bet on their new heroes. But the big question is … why? With Canada having been largely a spectator in any of the important global soccer occasions in several decades, why did they manage to top the CONCACAF pool ahead of at least three more fancied sides?

A “golden generation” of players

For decades, even a relatively keen soccer fan would have been hard pushed to name a single Canadian national soccer player. Owen Hargreaves, born in Calgary and representing Bayern Munich to great acclaim, was a standout player at the 2006 World Cup. For England. It’s not that there were no good Canadian players, but there certainly weren’t enough to make a team. This time around, players like Cyle Larin, Alphonso Davies, Jonathan David and Tajon Buchanan are part of the team, and have featured in title-winning teams in Germany, France and Belgium among others.

A coach with obvious talent

There’ll be 32 head coaches at this World Cup, and most of them have played at one themselves in the past. John Herdman is one of the former group, but assuredly not one of the latter. His greatest experience as a player was turning out for Hibiscus Coast, an amateur side based in New Zealand. At the time he was playing for them, though, he was in a more important job, as coach of the national women’s team. 

His time there saw the Football Ferns qualify twice for World Cups. Moving on to coach the Canadian women’s team, he steered them to another World Cup and won bronze in the Olympic finals. That earned him a shot at coaching the men’s team as well as overall responsibility for all male Canadian national teams. It’s fair to say his time there has worked out well.

Some intelligent gamesmanship

When Canada’s men faced the USMNT in January, both sides were in a position where they could top the pool, or could equally fail to qualify altogether. Every point mattered. So Herdman arranged for the qualifier to be played on the plastic pitch at Edmonton’s Tim Horton’s Field. The stadium hadn’t been used for a soccer game of any note before, but it was close to zero degrees Fahrenheit at the time of kickoff and had a very narrow playing surface. The American players, used to wide grass pitches and not having to wear gloves, didn’t like it much, and Canada recorded a 2-0 win, which was pivotal in ensuring their qualification.

Soccer has been growing across Boston quickly with more sports fans looking to take part in the game or to head to stadiums to watch the matches live. Many sports fans have been starting to place soccer bets due to the incredible odds that they can get and with casino zonder vergunning en cruks online here you can find plenty of options that have become a popular choice for soccer fans across America and Boston.

Soccer

Soccer has become one of the most popular forms of sport in Boston with more young people now looking to get involved in the world of soccer as it has become a popular sport for many to now watch across America. We can expect to see soccer become more popular in the next few years due to more companies looking to provide funds for soccer clubs to ensure that they are performing at the top level.

The MLS league has become a popular and competitive league with some world-class footballers already playing in the league and more looks are set to join when clubs can make new signings to improve their squads. There are many popular sports in Boston and soccer is quickly becoming one of the more popular ones due to more soccer games starting to be shown on tv.

The future of soccer

The future of soccer across America looks to take the sporting world by storm as more clubs are starting to take place due to sports fans needing and wanting more soccer leagues and Boston is starting to see more sports fans turning their attention to soccer teams and soccer matches over other sports. 

Soccer betting has increased around America So far, this season has been the most bet on out of all the other seasons as more people take to soccer bets each day. Soccer has always been a popular sport for many people across the USA and not to mention the world, soccer has been increasing over the years with more people looking to take part in the sport. With more people taking part in soccer there has been a rise in soccer bets due to a lot more people becoming familiar with the sport and looking to get involved.

We can see why soccer has become a popular sport to follow as football in other countries is one of the most-watched sports with millions of sports fans tuning in to watch the games each week.

Live-action roleplay, or ‘LARP’, has exploded in popularity since the start of the 2010s, riding the wave of ‘nerd cool’ into the cultural mainstream. Although casual observers sometimes stereotype it as ‘playing dress-up’, players and enthusiasts find it an enormously rewarding and social activity that espouses teamwork, problem-solving, physical exercise and outdoor leisure. But one question dogs LARPing: is it a sport?

A Question of Sport

Questions of this nature tend to elicit extremely strong feelings, such as the cold war being fought in pubs across the land as to whether darts is a sport. Part of the question is tied up in the legitimacy which is afforded to those activities that we bestow with the label of sport-hood: sports are worthwhile and meaningful, whose players are afforded a degree of social cachet and public esteem by the fonts of popular wisdom; whilst mere ‘hobbies’ are, at best, pleasingly unproductive diversions, and, at worst, meaningless fripperies that expand to take up time that could be otherwise spent productively (eg., playing sports). So it’s an emotive question that risks legitimizing or delegitimizing something that many hold dear.

For the purposes of this discussion, we’ll assume that an activity has to have three elements to qualify strictly as a ‘sport’: firstly, that it requires the use of skill; secondly, that it is competitive, involving either opposed teams or competing individuals; and finally, that it is performed for the enjoyment of an audience or for the players themselves. We’ll compare LARP against these three elements to answer the question once and for all time.

What Is LARP? (Baby Don’t Hurt Me)

At its most basic, LARP is a form of role-playing game where the participants fully inhabit their created characters by donning costumes and armor, wielding weapons and props, and acting out their roles in physical space. Think of it as the method-acting of the board game world. LARP events (or ‘cons’, from ‘conventions’) often take place over several days, and are usually held in woodlands or fields – though some take place in period locations that have been decorated as to transport the players to another realm. The aim of these events is to be as immersive as possible, with everything geared to keep the players in-universe, often featuring themed food, canvas tents, campfires and so on. Many games involve a Game Master or GM, who oversees the event, determining the course of events as they unfold – this might be themed towards a war with a band of goblins, or figuring out who poisoned the King, or any other scenario. Players band together, break alliances, and even participate in fighting with safety weapons to tell their tales.

The Prehistory of LARP

Live-action roleplay is probably as old as humans have existed – it is intensely connected with our innate need to tell stories. Nomadic hunter-gatherers around the campfire would re-enact the day’s hunt for the elderly and the children. Early agriculturalists would play wolf-and-sheep amidst the empty mountainsides. The Romans would re-enact famous military battles in the bloody coliseums, dressing up each side in the national dress of the Gauls or the Greeks. Modern LARP can probably be traced back to the 19th century, when Medieval-obsessed Georgians elites got the penchant for historical dress-up – and some went even further. The Eglinton Tournament of 1839 saw 100,000 spectators watch a panoply of medieval-esque combat games, fought by aristocratic gentlemen wearing period armor: whilst some of which was genuine historical armor, most of it had been made specially for the tournament.

The 20th century saw roleplay mixing with fantasy for the first time, with the emergence of psychedelia in the 1960s, and the rediscovery of early 20th century fantasy writers like JRR Tolkein. Would-be storytellers were soon looking for ways to explore fantasy concepts in a more immediate way, and the 1970s and 80’s saw the creation of roleplaying and wargaming games like Chainmail, Dungeons and Dragons and Shadowrun. These in turn stimulated players to act out in the real world, mingling with concurrent trends in historical re-enactment and theatre to create the modern LARP phenomenon.

Is It A Sport, Though?

LARPing is a diverse activity that encompasses an enormous degree of variation: some that bear no resemblance whatsoever to sporting, and some that are highly regulated and competitive.

Yes – It’s Fencing In Costumes

The LARP style that most closely fulfils our three-pronged definition of a ‘sport’ is probably the LARP fighting game called ‘Dagorhir’. It is focused almost exclusively on armed combat between participants, and is governed by a set of rules not dissimilar to fencing, with points scored for making contact with different parts of the body. Participants arm themselves, sometimes with home-made padded weapons but increasingly high-quality professionally made LARP swords, and go toe-to-toe, either 1-vs-1, or in group combat scenarios. Usually these are pretty story-light, being given a general scenario (eg. Roman Legionaries vs Zombies), with the main focus being on the fights. Dagorhir was founded by Washington college student Brian Weise in the 1970s, who ran a series of events known as the ‘Hobbit Wars’ in the woods near campus – where he and his friends wore homemade costumes and smacked one another with padded sticks, known as ‘boffers’. Now, the activity is much more refined, being an international organization in many different countries with a unified set of rules and safety codes.

No – It’s About Complicated Feelings

However, many forms of LARP have sought to move away from the regimented, tabletop-game-inspired forms that might lend themselves to being considered a ‘sport’. The ‘Nordic’ trend in live-action roleplay emerged in the 1990s, out of a desire to invert traditional fantasy tropes and to explore the darker side of human nature. Frequently, Nordic LARP is much more ‘adult’, dealing with themes of grief, trauma, betrayal and death. It has few if any rules, often rejecting the players/GM split, drawing on theatre techniques like workshopping and debriefs to create a collective process of story-telling in which players explore their characters, rather than anything that might resemble ‘winners’ and ‘losers’. It certainly involves skill – but not in the competitive sense; rather in the sense of skilfully getting to the dark heart of existence itself. Which is definitely less of a sport than darts.

All in all, the answer to ‘Is LARPing a sport?’ is a rather unsatisfactory ‘it depends’. Some streams of LARP have strongly embraced the forms (if not the aesthetic) of sporting competition, whilst some have revolted against all strictures and created a postmodern rejection of anything resembling sport. Ultimately, the answer is: LARP can be whatever you want it to be!

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The United States national soccer team has qualified for Qatar’s World Cup, which will be played later this year. Making it to the finals is a huge achievement for a side that had been written off by many before a ball had been kicked in anger, but qualification proves soccer in the US is thriving, going from strength to strength. The boys are in Qatar and, having already caused a shock by getting there, they will be eager to ramp up their efforts and make it to the latter stages. Can America win the World Cup? Fans are beginning to realise there’s no harm in dreaming.

The Vegas bet online apps reacted quickly, offering odds on Team USA winning the World Cup for the first time, joining an honours list that already includes giants of the game such as Brazil, Spain and England. For many years, supporters passed off the USA’s lack of success in this tournament as not a big deal. Soccer isn’t anywhere near as popular in the US as in South America, Africa or Europe, but attitudes are changing. 

The success of the USA women’s soccer team has cranked up the pressure on their male colleagues to do better and pull their weight at the sport’s biggest and best-loved competition. With the MLS thriving, bringing through a steady stream of young, ambitious soccer players, the sport in America has never been healthier. Despite the big kick-off in Qatar still being several months away, soccer lovers and those new to the game are beginning to ask an important question – why not?

What can we expect from Team USA at the World Cup, and what dates should you stick in your diary? This article provides readers will all the information they need to prepare for the World Cup. Whether you are travelling to Qatar to take in the match or plan to follow the boys’ progress on television, you’ll want to keep us close.

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Qatar 2022 dates and info

This will be the first World Cup to be staged in the Arab World and the first not to be held during the summer months. Games will be played between 21 November and 18 December with the move made to avoid the unbearable heat Qatar experiences during June and July. Summer soccer in the region could be deadly, even for the spectators, so organisers agreed to reschedule in a bid to keep the games as safe as possible for all involved. 

The United States will play their first match of the World Cup on 21 November in Al Rayyan, with their second game just four days later. They round up the group stages with a game against Iran in Doha on 29 November, and the result of that match could decide if the nation progresses to the knockout stages or goes home.

Group stages

The tournament begins with the group stages, with each set made up of four teams, with the USA playing England, Iran and a yet to be confirmed the third opponent. The reason for the delay in deciding the other team in the group is the ongoing war in Ukraine and the nation’s playoff match against Scotland in Glasgow. 

The winner of that one will meet Wales in Cardiff for a spot at the World Cup. At present, Team USA could be joined by Scotland, Wales or Ukraine, but we are no closer to that being decided. Talks are ongoing to secure a date of the playoff involving Ukraine and Scotland, but with several of the Ukrainian team fighting in the war, soccer fans must remain patient.

Can Team USA win the World Cup?

Will this USA team make history by becoming the first to win the World Cup? It’s possible at this stage, but traders working in Las Vegas won’t hold their breath. As it stands, America are expected to come through their group, finishing either as winners of the pool or behind favourites England. That would be a fine achievement.

If they do make it through to knockout football, then anything can happen. Fans have every right to dream about a huge effort in Qatar as 2022 could be the year Team USA wins the trophy and etches its name in history.