New study says 2019 playoff balls were de-juiced - New York Daily News

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Enam Tokoh Sepak Bola Meninggal Akibat Corona - CNN Indonesia

Jakarta, CNN Indonesia -- Mantan Presiden Marseille, Pape Diouf, meninggal dunia setelah didiagonis positif virus corona dalam usia 68 tahun. Kabar ini membuat sudah ada enam orang meninggal akibat virus Covid-19.

Pihak klub mengumumkan kabar ini pada Selasa (31/3) waktu setempat. Diouf meninggal setelah mendapatkan perawatan di sebuah rumah sakit di Senegal.

"Olympique Marseille sangat berduka dengan meninggalnya Pape Diouf. Pape akan selamanya ada di hati Marseillais sebagai salah satu pengrajin hebat dalam sejarah klub. Belasungkawa kami untuk keluarga dan orang-orang terkasih," tulis pihak klub di akun Twitter resmi mereka.
[Gambas:Twitter]
Diouf merupakan keturunan Afrika Amerika pertama di kompetisi kasta tertinggi Eropa saat didapuk jadi Presiden Marseille tahun 2005. Sebelumnya, Diouf merupakan jurnalis dan agen pemain.

Beberapa pesepakbola yang pernah jadi kliennya yaitu Marcel Desailly, Basile Boli, William Gallas, Samir Nasri, hingga Didier Drogba.

Kabar duka dari Diouf menambah panjang deretan tokoh sepak bola yang meninggal akibat virus corona. Para tokoh itu yaitu mantan Presiden Real Madrid Lorenzo Sanz, Benito Joanet, Elham Sheikhi, Andrea Micheli, dan pelatih Atletico Portada Alta Francisco Garcia. Garcia jadi orang pertama di lingkungan sepak bola yang meninggal akibat Covid-19. Garcia yang baru berusia 21 meninggal pada 15 Maret lalu.

Pelatih tim yang berbasis di Malaga, Atetico Portada Alta itu diketahui mengidap leukimia yang membuatnya rentan terhadap virus corona.

[Gambas:Video CNN] (jal/jun)

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Enam Tokoh Sepak Bola Meninggal Akibat Corona - CNN Indonesia
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Pemotongan Gaji Pemain Bola dan Sarkasme Barkley - CNN Indonesia

Jakarta, CNN Indonesia -- Pemotongan gaji pemain sepak bola menjadi salah satu hal yang tidak dapat dihindari di tengah wabah virus corona. Sebuah situasi yang seharusnya diterima para pemain.

Wabah virus corona menunjukkan betapa rapuhnya industri olahraga seperti sepak bola. Klub-klub kaya Eropa mengalami krisis keuangan menyusul dihentikannya kompetisi karena wabah virus corona.

Penghentian kompetisi berarti klub-klub tersebut tidak ada pemasukan dari pertandingan atau hak siar. Sepak bola berhenti hingga setidaknya akhir Mei, namun diprediksi akan berhenti lebih lama karena virus corona.
Bisa Anda bayangkan klub-klub raksasa macam Barcelona saja harus memotong gaji pemain hingga 70 persen untuk menyelamatkan kondisi keuangan klub. Lalu bagaimana dengan nasib klub-klub kecil.

Lionel Messi memastikan skuat Barcelona menerima pemotongan gaji. (AP Photo/Joan Monfort)

Bagi sebagian orang sepak bola adalah 'kehidupan' mereka. Bahkan sepak bola sudah dianggap sebagai 'agama'. 'Kehidupan' dan 'agama' bagi sebagian orang ini mungkin akan hilang jika para pemain tidak melakukan pengorbanan dengan menerima pemotongan gaji.

Klub-klub sepak bola mungkin tidak akan selamat usai wabah virus corona karena dinyatakan bangkrut. Terlebih kita tidak bisa memprediksi kapan pandemi ini akan berakhir.

Memotong gaji pemain merupakan salah satu cara terbaik untuk menyelamatkan klub. Dikutip dari The Guardian, rata-rata uang yang dikeluarkan klub di lima liga besar Eropa (Inggris, Spanyol, Italia, Jerman, dan Prancis) untuk membayar gaji setiap tahun adalah 64 persen dari total pendapatan.

Dalam laporan Deloitte, klub-klub di lima liga besar Eropa mengeluarkan 9 miliar euro atau setara Rp162 triliun sepanjang 2019 untuk membayar gaji pemain. Sebuah angka yang fantastis dan tidak mungkin dikeluarkan klub di tengah wabah corona saat ini.

Aneh melihat ada pemain sepak bola yang menolak pemotongan gaji di tengah kondisi yang tidak menentu ini. Seperti yang terjadi dengan para pemain Sion FC di Swiss dan Dinamo Zagreb di Kroasia.

Sion FC memecat sembilan pemain, termasuk dua mantan pemain Arsenal Alex Song dan Johan Djourou, karena menolak pemotongan gaji.

Di tengah kondisi wabah virus corona di mana sepak bola menjadi tidak penting, pernyataan fenomenal legenda NBA Charles Barkley sangat tepat untuk digunakan.

Sepak bola tidak berdaya tanpa ada pemasukan uang. (Anthony Devlin/PA via AP)

"Saya beritahu kamu, ada lima pekerjaan sesungguhnya di dunia ini: Guru, pemadam kebakaran, polisi, dokter, dan tentara. Yang lain tinggal diam dan nikmati kehidupan," ujar Barkley.

Pernyataan Barkley itu menjadi sarkasme bagi pesepakbola yang tidak mau gajinya dipotong. Padahal gaji mereka jauh di atas rata-rata profesi lain di dunia ini, bahkan dokter sekalipun yang saat ini menjadi salah satu pihak yang ada di garis terdepan melawan wabah virus corona.

Bahkan gaji pemain bola jauh di atas perawat yang saat ini mengorbankan nyawa mereka untuk merawat para pasien virus corona.

Acungan jempol pantas diberikan kepada para pemain yang secara ikhlas gaji mereka dipotong demi menyelamatkan klub, seperti para pemain Barcelona yang rela 70 persen gaji mereka dipotong. Lionel Messi dan kawan-kawan juga memperhatikan karyawan klub dengan memastikan 100 persen gaji mereka dibayar selama kompetisi berhenti.

[Gambas:Video CNN]
Yang kemudian harus dipastikan adalah klub tidak semena-mena mengambil keputusan sepihak dalam pemotongan gaji. Harus ada kesepakatan mengenai besaran potongan gaji antara manajemen klub dan pemain. Hal itu juga harus dilakukan di Liga Indonesia.

Tidak semua pemain sepak bola memiliki gaji yang tinggi, terutama mereka yang bermain di kasta rendah dan mungkin hanya mengandalkan penghasilan dari bermain di atas lapangan hijau.

Federasi sepak bola dan asosiasi pemain di negara masing-masing harus memastikan pemain terlindungi dengan adanya kesepakatan bersama dengan klub terkait pemotongan gaji. (jun)

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5 Pesepak Bola Ternama yang Tak Suka Sepak Bola - Liputan6.com

Jakarta- Tak dimungkiri, banyak dari kita yang mungkin tidak suka dengan pekerjaannya. Hal tersebut ternyata juga dialami para pesepak bola, yang ternyata malah tidak suka dengan sepak bola.

Di sisi lain, sepak bola merupakan satu di antara olahraga paling populer di dunia. Kondisi tersebut  membuat banyak orang berkeinginan menjadi pemain bola profesional.

Apalagi menjadi pesepak bola juga bisa dikatakan menjanjikan dalam hal penghasilan. Gaji pesepak bola papan atas dunia sudah menembus nominal miliaran rupiah per pekan.

Belum lagi sisi ketenaran yang mereka peroleh. Pesepak bola top kini telah sejajar dengan pesohor dari dunia hiburan, seperti penyanyi ternama atau aktor papan atas.

Wajar tentunya jika banyak pemain yang bersungguh-sungguh saat menjalani karier sebagai pesepak bola profesional, karena itu menyangkut nama besar dan citra.

Menariknya, ada beberapa pemain bola yang ternyata tidak suka dengan olahraga sepak bola. Meski berprofesi sebagai pemain, ada di antara pesepak bola yang justru jarang menyaksikan pertandingan sepak bola.

Terasa aneh? Nah, kira-kira siapa saja pemain yang justru tidak suka sepak bola?

Berikut Bola.com merangkumnya dari Give Me Sports, Selasa (31/3/2020), lima pesepak bola top dunia yang ternyata tidak suka dengan sepak bola. 

2 dari 6 halaman

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Marc-Andre Ter Stegen

Kiper Marc-Andre ter Stegen dipastikan absen dalam laga leg kedua babak 32 besar Copa del Rey kontra Villanovence, Kamis (3/11/2015) dini hari WIB. Ter Stegen mengalami cedera lutut. (AFP/PAU BARRENA)

Kiper Barcelona, Marc-Andre Ter Stegen, secara terang-terangan mengakui bukan penggemar berat sepak bola. Mungkin jarang seorang pemain mengungkapkan hal tersebut, apalagi di depan umum.

"Orang-orang tertawa ketika saya memberi tahu mereka bahwa saya tidak tahu tentang sepak bola," ujar Ter Stegen, seperti dikutip dari Give Me Sports.

"Saya tidak suka menonton sepak bola. Kecuali ketika ada pertandingan menarik. Bahkan, kadang-kadang mereka menanyakan nama pemain dan saya tidak tahu," tambahnya.

3 dari 6 halaman

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Gareth Bale

Gareth Bale - Kapten timnas Wales tersebut dijuluki sebagai “Bolt”. Julukan tersebut didapatkan usai mempermalukan bek Barcelona, Marc Bartra di final Copa Del Rey 2014. (AFP/Gabriel Bouys)

Gareth Bale diketahui tak hanya menekuni olahraga sepak bola saja. Pemain asal Wales itu juga sering bermain golf.

Bahkan, Bale lebih suka golf ketimbang sepak bola. Bale menyebut jarang menonton sepak bola dan lebih suka melihat pertandingan golf.

"Saya benar-benar tidak menonton banyak sepak bola. Saya lebih suka menonton golf, jujur," tutur Gareth Bale.

4 dari 6 halaman

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Carlos Tevez

Carlos Tevez - Bergabung pada rentang 2007 hingga 2009, Tevez cukup banyak tampil bersama skuat Setan Merah. Penyerang asal Argentina mencatatkan 99 penampilan dan menyumbang 34 gol. (AFP/Paul Ellis)

Seperti halnya Gareth Bale, Carlos Tevez juga bisa dikatakan lebih menyukai golf ketimbang sepak bola. Pemain asal Argentina itu mengungkapkan hanya suka bermain bola, bukan menontonnya.

"Jika Barcelona dan Real Madrid bermain satu sama lain, tetapi ada turnamen golf di saluran lain, saya akan memilih untuk menonton golf sebagai gantinya," tutur Carlos Tevez

"Saya tidak menonton sepak bola di televisi. Saya tidak suka sepak bola, saya tidak pernah menjadi penggemar sepak bola, saya hanya suka bermain dan menguasai bola," tambahnya.

5 dari 6 halaman

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Ronaldinho

Ronaldinho (AFP/lluis Gene)

Ronaldinho merupakan satu di antara pesepak bola terhebat di dunia. Kendati demikian, Ronaldinho tak begitu fanatik dengan sepak bola.

Legenda asal Brasil itu hanya suka bermain dan tidak menonton.

"Saya tidak suka menonton sepak bola, saya suka memainkannya. Saya tidak bisa berdiri di depan televisi selama 90 menit," kata Ronaldinho.

6 dari 6 halaman

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Dani Alves

Ekspresi Dani Alves saat diperkenalkan sebagai bek baru Sao Paulo di stadion Morumbi, Brasil (6/8/2019). Mantan pemain Barcelona dan Juventus berusia 36 tahun ini dikontrak selama tiga musim, atau hingga 2022. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)

Dani Alves merupakan pesepak bola dengan raihan trofi terbanyak. Pemain berusia 36 tahun menorehkan catatan spesial sebagai pemain bola pertama yang mengukir 40 trofi.

Meski sukses sebagai pemain, Alves ternyata tak terlalu suka dengan sepak bola.

"Saya banyak benci dengan sepak bola. Saya memang hidup di sepak bola, tapi bukan berarti saya suka," ujar Dani Alves.

"Ketika saya meninggalkan sepak bola, saya akan mengenakan tas punggung dan berkeliling dunia," ucap pemain yang pernah liburan ke Bali ini.

Disadur dari Bola.com

Real Madrid adalah klub yang kerap melakukan pilihan bagus soal transfer pemain. Meski terkesan menghambur-hamburkan uang, tak sedikit transfer yang mereka lakukan justru membawa kesuksesan.

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NBA Draft 2020: Expert Mock Predictions for LaMelo Ball and Top Prospects - Bleacher Report

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There is no shortage of opinions about the NBA draft.

While the only ones that ultimately matter are those of people connected to the Association's 30 franchises, the most interesting to track, for now, are those of media experts.

They know these prospects. They know how those in the hoops community feel about the class. And even if they don't know specifics about where these players will land, they have a good approximation of their values.

Their opinions are worth checking out, and that's what we're doing here. After laying out our latest mock draft, we'll check where three different experts—B/R's Jonathan Wasserman, ESPN's Jonathan Givony and SI.com's Jeremy Woo—have three of the top prospects in this class landing.

                        

2020 NBA Mock Draft

1. Golden State Warriors: Anthony Edwards, SG, Georgia

2. Cleveland Cavaliers: Deni Avdija, SF/PF, Maccabi Tel Aviv

3. Minnesota Timberwolves: LaMelo Ball, PG/SG, Illawarra Hawks

4. Atlanta Hawks: Isaac Okoro, SF/PF, Auburn

5. Detroit Pistons: Tyrese Haliburton, PG, Iowa State

6. New York Knicks: Cole Anthony, PG, North Carolina

7. Chicago Bulls: James Wiseman, C, Memphis

8. Charlotte Hornets: Obi Toppin, PF/C, Dayton

9. Washington Wizards: Onyeka Okongwu, PF/C, USC

10. Phoenix Suns: Killian Hayes, PG, Ratiopharm Ulm

11. San Antonio Spurs: RJ Hampton, SG, New Zealand Breakers

12. Sacramento Kings: Precious Achiuwa, PF/C, Memphis

13. New Orleans Pelicans: Aleksej Pokusevski, PF/C, Olympiacos

14. Portland Trail Blazers: Jaden McDaniels, SF/PF, Washington

15. Orlando Magic: Tyrese Maxey, SG, Kentucky

16. Minnesota Timberwolves (via Brooklyn Nets): Aaron Nesmith, SF, Vanderbilt

17. Boston Celtics (via Memphis Grizzlies): Nico Mannion, PG, Arizona

18. Dallas Mavericks: Josh Green, SG/SF, Arizona

19. Milwaukee Bucks (via Indiana Pacers): Saddiq Bey, SF/PF, Villanova

20. Brooklyn Nets (via Philadelphia 76ers): Devin Vassell, SF, Florida State

21. Denver Nuggets (via Houston Rockets): Patrick Williams, PF, Florida State

22. Philadelphia 76ers (via Oklahoma City Thunder): Theo Maledon, PG, ASVEL

23. Miami Heat: Kira Lewis Jr., PG, Alabama

24. Utah Jazz: Leandro Bolmaro, SG/SF, Barcelona

25. Oklahoma City Thunder (via Denver Nuggets): Robert Woodard, SF, Mississippi State

26. Boston Celtics: Isaiah Stewart, C, Washington

27. New York Knicks (via Los Angeles Clippers): Tre Jones, PG, Duke

28. Toronto Raptors: Vernon Carey Jr., C, Duke

29. Los Angeles Lakers: Jalen Smith, PF/C, Maryland

30. Boston Celtics (via Milwaukee Bucks): Jahmi'us Ramsey, SG, Texas Tech

                  

Expert Predictions for Top Prospects

Anthony Edwards Goes No. 1

If this class has a consensus top prospect, it's Anthony Edwards.

Our experts' mocks were published at different times, so the draft order is different. Two have Golden State selecting first; the other has Cleveland. But all three have Edwards going No. 1, and a fourth expert thinks that's the way it should be.

"Scouts would like to have seen more efficiency and defensive intensity, but when he was fully engaged, he looked like the clear No. 1 pick," ESPN's Mike Schmitz wrote. "In a draft that lacks star power at the top, Edwards has arguably the most complete resume and should be considered the front-runner to hear his name called first."

If Edwards reaches his peak, he'll be a dynamic, three-level scorer at one end and a multipositional stopper at the other. That's the most interesting combination of skills in this class.

                 

LaMelo Ball Lands in Top 4

While there isn't quite a consensus opinion on LaMelo Ball, he's clearly one of the best prospects in this class.

Woo is highest on Ball, slotting him second overall. Givony is lowest, with Ball going fourth. If you're reading between the lines, then you've already figured out Wasserman has Ball as the third pick.

The 6'7" playmaker can liven up an NBA attack. But as Woo noted, Ball's development in the other areas will determine what kind of career awaits him:

"It's easy to see him being a starting-caliber guard based off his size and truly special passing gifts, but he's going to have to work himself into a better perimeter shooter and learn how to better facilitate winning basketball. ... His future NBA employer will have to feel comfortable investing in his ability to become a long-term floor leader rather than plateauing as a high-usage, empty-calorie guard."

Ball doesn't wow with strength or explosiveness, and he's prone to defensive indifference. But when he locks in as a defender and finds his shooting touch, he looks like the perfect fit as a modern floor general.

                 

Wide Range for Obi Toppin

Obi Toppin caused the widest split among the experts, although timing may have played a part.

Woo's mock was written first and had Toppin at the lowest selection (10th). Givony's came a few days later and moved the scoring big man up a spot (ninth). Wasserman's was nearly a month later and launched Toppin all the way up to the fourth overall selection.

The timing is important here, as Wasserman cited Toppin's strong closing stretch as the reason behind his climb up the board:

"At this stage, Toppin has become too compelling after finishing his last five games at Dayton averaging 23.4 points and 3.0 assists on 67.7 percent shooting and 7-of-13 from three. While known for his explosiveness around the basket, he's started to separate from the late-lottery pack with flashes of shooting, face-up moves and passes."

Toppin is an ace scorer who dazzled with both volume (20 points per game) and efficiency (63.3/39.0/70.2 shooting slash). He probably doesn't have the highest ceiling as a 22-year-old, but his high floor and polished skills suggest he can handle a sizable role in an NBA rotation as soon as next season.

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Ball generating major interest - 247Sports

He's currently unranked, but Atlanta (Ga.) Tri-Cities defensive tackle Cameron Ball is approaching 30 scholarship offers while some of the biggest names in college football are currently in the midst of evaluating him. Seeing some intriguing things on film, Wisconsin is one of those programs that recently placed Ball on the radar.

"I felt a little bit of joy, because I grew up watching Wisconsin," Ball told Badger247. "I never thought they'd be interested in me. They have a really good program.

"They had a running back, Montee Ball, with the same last name as me. I grew up watching him. If they offered, I'd be interested." 

Ball has offers from Arizona State, Arkansas, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Michigan State, Mississippi State, Purdue, UCF, Virginia Tech, and Wake Forest among others. He said the Yellow Jackets have been recruiting him the hardest at this point.

"I would say who's making the biggest push for me at the moment would be Georgia Tech," he said. "It's a good program. I have a good relationship with the coaches. That was my first big time offer. It's 30 minutes from my home."

Ball is being recruited as both an offensive lineman and defensive tackle. Schools trying to land the 6-foot-5, 290-pound junior on defense will have the edge.

"I would say half are for d-line and half are for o-line," he said. "Personally, I prefer to play d-line. I'm listening to what the offensive line coaches have to say, but I know what I want to play."

Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, Alabama, Minnesota, Boston College, Texas Tech, and TCU are also showing interest in Ball this spring. Ball said he could release a top 10 list now, but will hold off on that, knowing that his offer list could change drastically.

"At the moment, I have a top 10 in my head," said Ball. "I'm not ready to release it yet. As the year goes on, I'll get more offers and I'll be interested in more schools. I don't want to drop a top 10 because I feel like bigger and better schools will come.

"I'm not going to put my recruitment on hold though, hoping for this offer when I have these other schools who have offered."

Ball plans to begin using his official visits in the summer, but likely won't make a decision until after his senior season.

"I might take one or two in the summer," he said. "I'll probably take them before the season and then after the season.

"Academics is key, that's number one. If the school has my major. I would say weather, how far it is from my home, and I want to play my freshman year."

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Exports of ball pythons from Togo raise questions about exotic pet trade - National Geographic

Even if you’re not a snake person, once you meet a ball python, there’s a good chance it’ll grow on you. They’re smooth and sleek. They’re a deep ebony or chocolate color with golden-brown markings. They’re gentle and meek, and when they’re afraid, they curl into a ball, tucking their head in the middle.

Ball pythons, which live primarily in West and central Africa, have grown on a lot of people—they’re believed to be the most popular pet snake in North America and Europe. About 800,000 U.S. households are estimated to keep snakes, based on the National Pet Owners Survey, though it’s not known how many of those are ball pythons.

View Images

Captive-bred ball pythons, which come in hundreds of colors and patterns, are displayed for sale at a reptile expo in Southaven, Mississippi, in 2019. Ball pythons bred in captivity in the U.S. and Europe are often higher priced than those imported from Africa, so first-time keepers are more likely to buy imports.

Photograph by Aaron Gekoski/World Animal Protection

From 1997 to 2018, more than 3.6 million ball pythons were exported legally from West Africa. Togo—the leading supplier—along with Benin and Ghana account for more than 98 percent of exports, according to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), the treaty that regulates cross-border trade in wildlife.

Despite the magnitude of the international trade, scant information exists on how many ball pythons are in the wild or how trade is affecting wild populations, which also face significant pressure from hunting for bushmeat, as well as from use in traditional medicines and other threats. Ball pythons aren’t classified as threatened with extinction, but a collection of new research suggests that perhaps they should be: It points to gaps in oversight of the supply chain in West Africa and raises questions about whether ball pythons should have more protections than they do now.

During the 1980s and early ’90s, ball pythons were seen as cheap and commonplace pet snakes, says Dave Barker, a trained biologist who with his wife, Stacy, started one of the first major captive-breeding ball python businesses. Then in 1992, the first “designer” ball pythons—albinos bred in captivity—went on sale. Suddenly the species “came from the back seat of the car to the driver’s seat,” Barker says. Demand exploded for ball pythons, which are now bred in dazzling colors and patterns.

Although commercial-scale captive breeding of these snakes has been established for several decades, ball pythons are also still the most common CITES-protected species exported live from Africa because they’re cheaper than their captive-bred counterparts. Under CITES rules, countries set annual caps, or quotas, for the number they can export legally, and trade should be allowed only if there’s scientific evidence showing that it won’t undermine wild populations. Togo, for example, has an annual export quota of 1,500 wild ball pythons and 62,500 “ranched” ones, raised from an egg or an egg-carrying female taken from the wild.

Neil D’Cruze, who has a Ph.D. in herpetology, is the global head of wildlife research for the advocacy group World Animal Protection, as well as a visiting researcher with Oxford WildCRU, a conservation research project at the University of Oxford, in England. Two years ago, he got curious about the trade in ball pythons.

View Images

Filip Sudak, in the Czech Republic, is a small-scale ball python breeder. Now one of the most common pet snakes, they exploded in popularity in the 1990s, after the first albino ball pythons were bred in captivity.

Photograph by Aaron Gekoski/World Animal Protection

“As somebody who loves reptiles and has spent many [thousands of] hours studying them, I get why you’d want to own one,” he says. But when he examined the trade data, he says the export numbers jumped off the page, leading him to wonder what’s being done to ensure that the trade isn’t a risk in terms of animal welfare, human health, and conservation.

D’Cruze and an international, interdisciplinary team of scientists with expertise ranging from the socioeconomics of wildlife trade to python husbandry, genetics, welfare, pathology, and more studied the ball python trade, supported with grants from World Animal Protection. Now, in a series of five recently published scientific articles and three more to be published soon, the findings are being made public.

Together, the research suggests that after several decades of high exports and weak oversight, a lack of reliable data means it’s nearly impossible to make educated, science-based decisions about how to manage and protect wild populations of ball pythons. In particular, the researchers call into the question the suitability of Togo’s export quota.

A report published March 23 by World Animal Protection calls for drastic change: suspending the global trade in ball pythons. The research papers, however, which are published in open-source, peer-reviewed journals, make more moderate recommendations, particularly for Togo. Among them is a call to reduce the number of ball pythons that can be exported from there and to strengthen oversight of collection in the wild, ranching, and welfare standards.

Importers in the U.S. say trade in ball pythons from West Africa is good for conservation—that by placing a value on the snakes, those who live alongside them in Africa have an incentive to make sure they don’t disappear. “It’s sustainability through commercialization,” says Michael Van Nostrand, the owner of the Florida-based reptile business Strictly Reptiles. His company imports more than 10,000 ball pythons a year from Togo, according to import records from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service obtained by World Animal Protection. “Of course the pet trade is taking some,” he says, “but that’s what the quota system is for.”

‘Warning flag’

To glean more information about the sustainability of the ball python trade from Togo, the researchers interviewed 57 Togolese snake hunters who supply export facilities. Three-quarters of them said they see fewer ball pythons today than five years ago.

“That’s a warning flag,” D’Cruze says.

It will take more research to determine how much of the decline the Togolese hunters perceived is a result of collection for the pet trade rather than other pressures, according to the scientific paper analyzing the hunter interviews. But these interviews—combined with other findings from the project’s research—raise questions about whether Togo’s export quotas are based on strong ecological science and regulatory oversight, as CITES requires.

“There are enough red flags at the moment to severely reduce the activity,” D’Cruze says of the trade.

Zoologist Gabriel Segniagbeto, of the University of Lomé, is Togo’s scientific authority for CITES. His job is to advise the government on how trade will affect species in the wild and provide the rationale to help set export quotas. He’s also a co-author of several of the ball python project’s published papers. He admits that the hunters’ information is concerning, but he doesn’t think it’s necessary to reduce Togo’s export quota yet. Instead, he supports a monitoring program for hunting and ranching practices. “The python trade has economic value for the hunters,” he says, so their livelihoods must be protected.

Mike Layman, whose Florida-based reptile breeding and importing company, Gourmet Rodents, imports several thousand ball pythons a year, says focusing on the responsible trade of any species is key. “Whatever the responsible use of that resource is might not be the same today as it is tomorrow—it’s something that continues to need review," he says. In addition to feeling a sense of responsibility to the animals, he says, sustainable trade is important for importers’ companies: If a population crashes, their businesses suffer.

The trade in West African ball pythons is important, according to Eric Fouchard—who says his facility in Lomé, Toganim, produces about 45 percent of Togo’s ranched ball python exports—because it prevents people from collecting them for bushmeat markets instead. The pet trade is “teaching our people that a live animal is more profitable than a dead one,” he said in an email. (None of Togo's other ranching facilities contacted by National Geographic responded to requests for comment.)

This argument, presented by several people involved in the pet trade interviewed for this story, is based on an untested assumption, D’Cruze counters. “Until we have the evidence that the pet trade is a vital tool for [ball python] survival,” he says, “I’d prefer us to err on the side of caution” by reducing or stopping the trade.

A long journey

Ball python ranching begins with rural hunters who bring wild-collected eggs and egg-carrying females to ranching facilities. The facilities hatch the eggs and raise the young ball pythons until they’re old enough to be exported—anywhere from a few days to several weeks. To offset the impact of taking eggs from the wild, the practice in Togo has been to return previously pregnant females and a proportion of the young snakes to the wild.

View Images

A shipment of live ball pythons in cloth bags, destined for Miami from West Africa, is opened for a customs inspection in France. International shipping requirements state that rigid containers must be filled with cushioning, such as crumpled newspaper, and that no more than eight ball pythons can be packed in a single bag measuring 18 by 24 inches.

Photograph by Cyril Ruoso, Minden Pictures

When the exported ball pythons arrive in the U.S., they may be inspected by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to make sure that the contents in the shipment match the paperwork. The goal is to ensure that there’s no smuggling of undeclared species, says Eva Lara, a regional supervising inspector with the service, and that shipping guidelines for animal welfare set by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) are met. (The Fish and Wildlife Service doesn’t have the resources to inspect every wildlife import, but live, CITES-listed shipments are a priority, Lara says.) Then the snakes are claimed by the importers. They may be sold to a wholesaler, reptile seller, pet store, or directly to a buyer.

How many ball pythons die in intercontinental transit has not been studied, but estimates for reptiles in the international trade suggest up to about 5 percent—possibly equating to thousands of ball pythons a year. Gourmet Rodents’ Layman puts the mortality rate of his ball python imports in 2019 at just over one percent.

The shipping process can be stressful for the pythons, says Mike Corcoran, a practicing veterinarian and president of the Association of Reptilian and Amphibian Veterinarians. They’re adapted to live in hot, humid environments, which may be difficult to maintain during a long transport, he says.

Most snakes do survive international shipping, but D’Cruze says mere survival isn’t good enough. “An animal’s ability to tolerate and survive is independent of its ability to suffer,” he says.

Stressed animals are also more likely to get sick. “Once they enter the trade, you should consider them immunosuppressed at least for a certain period, and they are prone to any disease that ball pythons can get,” says Tom Hellebuyck, a veterinarian and wildlife pathology researcher at the University of Ghent, in Belgium.

Preventing disease

Diseases aren’t only a possible problem for ball pythons but also potentially for humans. Wild animals of all types can be hosts for a number of pathogens, as has become clear with the COVID-19 pandemic, a zoonotic disease believed to have originated in bats. Snakes and other reptiles, for example, are known to carry strains of salmonella, West Nile virus, and tick-borne diseases, Hellebuyck says.

View Images

This ball python at a ranching facility in West Africa has ticks on its head. African ticks can carry a number of diseases harmful to livestock, humans, and other reptiles, so preventing them from coming in with shipments of ball pythons is critical.

Photograph courtesy of World Animal Protection

A 2017 outbreak of salmonella in the U.S. was traced to ball pythons, sickening several children. Many healthy reptiles carry salmonella, which is why the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that children less than five years old and immunosuppressed individuals not have contact with them.

D’Cruze and his colleagues combed existing scientific research to identify more than 150 different pathogens that could be carried by ball pythons. They then took swabs at reptile farms in Togo and tested them for pathogenic bacteria. The paper detailing the results has been accepted by a journal, has completed peer-review, and is expected to be published soon. D’Cruze says none of the animals were “in hygienic and safe conditions….There is definitely evidence of pathogenic bacteria that is cause for concern.” Fouchard, who has not seen paper, says the samples taken at Toganim were from a small number of animals and are not representative of his facility.

There’s also the possibility of novel pathogens. “Any animal coming from its native habitat could be coming with an entire suite of potential pathogens that we have no idea about,” says Brian Bird, a virologist at the University of California, Davis, who’s part of the PREDICT Project, which monitors for viruses with the potential to jump from animals to humans. For any trade in wild animals, he says, there’s the risk of introducing the next SARS- or COVID-19-causing virus to humans or of introducing the next chytrid fungus (a problem now ravaging amphibians around the world) to snakes in other regions.

Wildlife inspectors will interdict a shipment with a sick or injured snake only if the problem seems to have resulted from a violation of IATA welfare standards, Lara says. If a snake appears visibly sick—unresponsive, limp, or showing mucous, for example—and no IATA violations were found, the shipment would be sent to the CDC if there’s a risk to human health. It would go to the U.S. Department of Agriculture if there’s a risk to livestock, such as heartwater disease, carried by African ticks and devastating to livestock. It’s also possible for an animal to carry a disease without showing symptoms.

To minimize the risk of spreading any disease to other snakes, some reptile importers quarantine their newly imported snakes. At Gourmet Rodents, Layman says, newly arrived ball pythons are immediately treated with an antibiotic and then get weekly veterinary check-ups until they’re sold, so that if they do show signs of an illness, they can get treatment immediately.

Lax oversight, lack of data

Another new paper that’s part of the ball python project, on ball python genetics in Togo, suggests that an important part of what’s supposed to make ranching sustainable—the return to the wild of previously pregnant females and a proportion of juveniles—isn’t being done properly.

View Images

In Benin, where Vodun—voodoo—is an official religion, ball python heads are sold at the public market in Cotonou, the country’s biggest city. The collection and killing of ball pythons for voodoo and traditional medicine puts added pressure on wild populations. The religion, also practiced in Togo and Ghana, holds that different animals offer different healing and protective properties.

Photograph by Aaron Gekoski/World Animal Protection

It points to the possibility that the animals aren’t being returned to where they were collected, according lead author Mark Auliya, a reptile expert with the Zoological Research Museum Alexander Koenig, in Germany. Ball pythons are highly adaptable and can survive in a number of different habitats, but if they’re not released in their native neighborhood, there’s a risk of spreading disease or genetic defects, he says.

Moreover, there are no data on what percentage of released ball pythons survive, which also makes it hard to know whether releases offset collecting. What is known is that some collectors are releasing fewer snakes than they take, according to what they told researchers. Furthermore, half of the those interviewed said they don’t just collect eggs and pregnant females for ranching, but they also look for males, non-pregnant females, and juveniles.

“That is a problem because…previous studies have shown that females are most important in reproduction” for maintaining stable populations, says Christian Toudonou, a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Abomey-Calavi, in Benin, where he is studying ball python exploitation and conservation. He says he too has seen indiscriminate collection of males and females, adult and juvenile, in Benin, which, to protect the species, cut its export quota in half in 2017 and has maintained that lower quota in the years since.

It also became clear to researchers that no system is in place to ensure that the ball pythons Togo exports originate from there. Some Togolese hunters told researchers that they often collect ball pythons from across the border in Ghana or Benin, where the species is under “severe threat,” according to a 2015 report by Toudonou. But because those snakes are taken to facilities in Lomé, they get labeled on trade permits as being from Togo. Toudonou and others have documented this practice as well. That undermines the scientific reasoning behind each country’s export quota, D’Cruze says.

He says coordinated export quotas across Togo, Benin, and Ghana would help minimize the impacts of cross-border collecting. Segniagbeto, Togo’s CITES scientific authority who has proposed increased monitoring, also supports a range-wide strategy.

‘An unnecessarily risky business’

The ball python trade “is an unnecessarily risky business from a human health and conservation perspective, and from an animal welfare perspective,” D’Cruze says. “I’m struggling to see how it’s justified.” This collection of ball python studies, he says, is just the start of what we need to understand to make the trade more sustainable, transparent, safe, and humane.

For D’Cruze, the welfare of individual snakes is especially important. He notes that it’s well established in academic studies that reptiles are capable of feeling pain, stress, fear, and anxiety. When it comes to their well-being, we should think of them as we think of dogs and cats, he says. Importers and breeders agree on this point as well, though they often differ on what counts as acceptable conditions.

Much more work must be done to understand the distribution of ball pythons and the status of their populations, Auliya says. When he joined the project, he was shocked at how little ecological information was available. “It’s the most traded live snake species in the world,” he says. “Why did no one ever work on these questions?”

As coordinator for the IUCN’s Red List, an inventory of the global conservation status of species, Auliya says it’s time to consider changing the species’ designation from least concern to near threatened or even vulnerable. “In light of our research and new findings, which point to the issues of improper trade management and regional declines, the Red List status should now be reconsidered also as a precautionary measure,” he says.

Hellebuyck calls ball pythons “a black-and-white situation.” There’s “absolutely no need to import” them, he says, as they’re readily available through captive breeding.

But snake and egg collecting is an important source of income for hunters, Segniagbeto says, so he supports continuation of the trade—with more oversight. Layman, of Gourmet Rodent, says that’s what importers want too. “Our industry is not out there trying to decimate wild populations,” he says. “That doesn’t benefit us. We want to do the right thing and the responsible thing” by supporting sustainable exports.

In the end, it comes down to the buyers, Auliya says. The market for wild ball pythons in North America and Europe exists because people buy them as pets. Buyers need to show responsibility for wildlife, he says. “We as the [customers] are making the most mess. We’re not caring how they harvest them, how they manage them,” he says. “We just want to have them as our pets. We’re exploiting their nature for our purposes.”

Wildlife Watch is an investigative reporting project between National Geographic Society and National Geographic Partners focusing on wildlife crime and exploitation. Read more Wildlife Watch stories here, and learn more about National Geographic Society’s nonprofit mission at nationalgeographic.org. Send tips, feedback, and story ideas to ngwildlife@natgeo.com.

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My golf obsession: I can’t stop buying ball markers I’ll never even use - Golf.com

Ed. note: Too many ball markers? Closet overflowing with training aids? Never met a par-3 course you could say no to? There are hundreds of golf obsessions out there, each more fascinating (and incurable?) than the next. For a new GOLF.com series — we’ve dubbed it My Golf Obsession — we’ve asked our staffers to opine on their golfy habit they just can’t seem to kick… for better or for worse.

*****

One of my co-workers, fellow Midwesterner Sean Zak, followed me into the Masters merchandise tent last year at Augusta National. He didn’t buy anything and never planned to buy anything, he was just there to observe. (Also to annoy.)

You see, I have a major merch problem. My job at GOLF.com sends me to several golf tournaments, and I’ve never been one to turn down a good logoed polo, screen-printed T-shirt or $32 hat I’ll hardly ever wear. To be fair, much of time I buy things for others, like my wife, daughter, family members or friends. But Sean, he doesn’t buy anything. Maybe a hat once a year. So we are polar opposites, and that’s why on this pleasant afternoon in Georgia he wanted to follow me around to watch me and my thorough process.

My buying has slowed over the years, which is a good thing, my wife says, but there is one habit I have yet to kick: ball markers. I’m addicted. This actually didn’t begin until I joined the GOLF staff. The first few majors I attended I tossed a ball marker onto the cashier’s desk because, hey, it’s only $3 or something, right? My Masters keychain cost five times that much!

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Bahasa Universal Sepak Bola Gagal Selamatkan Karier Rustu Recber di Barcelona - kumparan.com - kumparan.com

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Bahasa Universal Sepak Bola Gagal Selamatkan Karier Rustu Recber di Barcelona - kumparan.com  kumparan.com

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5 Pesepak Bola Top Dunia yang Tidak Suka Sepak Bola, Kok Bisa? - Bola.com

Bola.com, Jakarta - Tak dimungkiri, banyak dari kita yang mungkin bekerja, tetapi tidak suka dengan pekerjaannya. Hal tersebut ternyata juga dialami kalangan pesepak bola, yang justru tidak suka dengan sepak bola.

Di sisi lain, sepak bola merupakan satu di antara olahraga paling populer di dunia. Kondisi tersebut  membuat banyak orang berkeinginan menjadi pemain bola profesional.

Apalagi menjadi pesepak bola juga bisa dikatakan menjanjikan dalam hal penghasilan. Gaji pesepak bola papan atas dunia sudah menembus nominal miliaran rupiah per pekan.

Belum lagi sisi ketenaran yang mereka peroleh. Pesepak bola top kini telah sejajar dengan pesohor dari dunia hiburan, seperti penyanyi ternama atau aktor papan atas.

Wajar tentunya jika banyak pemain yang bersungguh-sungguh saat menjalani karier sebagai pesepak bola profesional, karena itu menyangkut nama besar dan citra.

Menariknya, ada beberapa pemain bola yang ternyata tidak suka dengan olahraga sepak bola. Meski berprofesi sebagai pemain, ada di antara pesepak bola yang justru jarang menyaksikan pertandingan sepak bola.

Terasa aneh? Nah, kira-kira siapa saja pemain yang justru tidak suka sepak bola?

Berikut Bola.com merangkumnya dari Give Me Sports, Selasa (31/3/2020), lima pesepak bola top dunia yang ternyata tidak suka dengan sepak bola. 

2 dari 6 halaman

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Marc-Andre Ter Stegen

Kiper Marc-Andre ter Stegen dipastikan absen dalam laga leg kedua babak 32 besar Copa del Rey kontra Villanovence, Kamis (3/11/2015) dini hari WIB. Ter Stegen mengalami cedera lutut. (AFP/PAU BARRENA)

Kiper Barcelona, Marc-Andre Ter Stegen, secara terang-terangan mengakui bukan penggemar berat sepak bola. Mungkin jarang seorang pemain mengungkapkan hal tersebut, apalagi di depan umum.

"Orang-orang tertawa ketika saya memberi tahu mereka bahwa saya tidak tahu tentang sepak bola," ujar Ter Stegen, seperti dikutip dari Give Me Sports.

"Saya tidak suka menonton sepak bola. Kecuali ketika ada pertandingan menarik. Bahkan, kadang-kadang mereka menanyakan nama pemain dan saya tidak tahu," tambahnya.

3 dari 6 halaman

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Gareth Bale

Gareth Bale - Kapten timnas Wales tersebut dijuluki sebagai “Bolt”. Julukan tersebut didapatkan usai mempermalukan bek Barcelona, Marc Bartra di final Copa Del Rey 2014. (AFP/Gabriel Bouys)

Gareth Bale diketahui tak hanya menekuni olahraga sepak bola saja. Pemain asal Wales itu juga sering bermain golf.

Bahkan, Bale lebih suka golf ketimbang sepak bola. Bale menyebut jarang menonton sepak bola dan lebih suka melihat pertandingan golf.

"Saya benar-benar tidak menonton banyak sepak bola. Saya lebih suka menonton golf, jujur," tutur Gareth Bale.

4 dari 6 halaman

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Carlos Tevez

Carlos Tevez - Bergabung pada rentang 2007 hingga 2009, Tevez cukup banyak tampil bersama skuat Setan Merah. Penyerang asal Argentina mencatatkan 99 penampilan dan menyumbang 34 gol. (AFP/Paul Ellis)

Seperti halnya Gareth Bale, Carlos Tevez juga bisa dikatakan lebih menyukai golf ketimbang sepak bola. Pemain asal Argentina itu mengungkapkan hanya suka bermain bola, bukan menontonnya.

"Jika Barcelona dan Real Madrid bermain satu sama lain, tetapi ada turnamen golf di saluran lain, saya akan memilih untuk menonton golf sebagai gantinya," tutur Carlos Tevez

"Saya tidak menonton sepak bola di televisi. Saya tidak suka sepak bola, saya tidak pernah menjadi penggemar sepak bola, saya hanya suka bermain dan menguasai bola," tambahnya.

5 dari 6 halaman

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Ronaldinho

Ronaldinho (AFP/lluis Gene)

Ronaldinho merupakan satu di antara pesepak bola terhebat di dunia. Kendati demikian, Ronaldinho tak begitu fanatik dengan sepak bola.

Legenda asal Brasil itu hanya suka bermain dan tidak menonton.

"Saya tidak suka menonton sepak bola, saya suka memainkannya. Saya tidak bisa berdiri di depan televisi selama 90 menit," kata Ronaldinho.

6 dari 6 halaman

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Dani Alves

Ekspresi Dani Alves saat diperkenalkan sebagai bek baru Sao Paulo di stadion Morumbi, Brasil (6/8/2019). Mantan pemain Barcelona dan Juventus berusia 36 tahun ini dikontrak selama tiga musim, atau hingga 2022. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)

Dani Alves merupakan pesepak bola dengan raihan trofi terbanyak. Pemain berusia 36 tahun menorehkan catatan spesial sebagai pemain bola pertama yang mengukir 40 trofi.

Meski sukses sebagai pemain, Alves ternyata tak terlalu suka dengan sepak bola.

"Saya banyak benci dengan sepak bola. Saya memang hidup di sepak bola, tapi bukan berarti saya suka," ujar Dani Alves.

"Ketika saya meninggalkan sepak bola, saya akan mengenakan tas punggung dan berkeliling dunia," ucap pemain yang pernah liburan ke Bali ini.

Real Madrid adalah klub yang kerap melakukan pilihan bagus soal transfer pemain. Meski terkesan menghambur-hamburkan uang, tak sedikit transfer yang mereka lakukan justru membawa kesuksesan.

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