*By Christian Smith*
Iran is in the running to advance from the group stage of the FIFA World Cup, and the excitement over the team's performance is beginning to spark change back home.
For the first time since the Iranian Revolution of 1979, women were allowed to watch the men's national team, Team Melli, compete in the World Cup at a televised watch party in Tehran's Azadi Stadium. It's an example of the powerful influence of the world's most popular sport, said Jeffrey Marcus, publisher of World Cup newsletter "The Banter."
"Iran is mad about sports, and specifically about soccer, in part because it's the one secular institution that really unites the whole country," Marcus said in an interview on Cheddar Thursday.
When it comes to letting women in Iran watch the national team on TV, Marcus noted, "It's not quite getting them into the stadium to watch a live match, but maybe that's next."
Team Melli, [tweeted a photo](https://twitter.com/TeamMelliIran/status/1009492592562761728) of women inside the stadium cheering during its match against Spain with the caption "Azadi Stadium now."
Iran currently sits in the third spot in Group B behind Spain and Portugal. A win against Portugal on Monday would put it in the Round of 16 for the first time.
Team Melli has qualified for the current group stage five times: 1978, 1998, 2006, 2010, and 2018.
For the full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/how-irans-soccer-team-is-making-an-impact-back-home).
PlayVS is the first esports league for high school students. The company announced $15 million in funding that will go towards preparing for its upcoming inaugural season.
Facebook is facing more backlash after a New York Times report revealed the social media company shared user data with at least 60 device makers. It turns out Facebook shared information with four Chinese firms, including Huawei. The Chinese company Huawei is the third largest smartphone maker in the world and has also faced intense scrutiny from U.S. government officials.
Tesla shareholders voted to keep Elon Musk on as chairman of the electric carmaker. At the annual shareholder meeting, Musk said the company is on track to deliver 5,000 Model 3 vehicles per week by the end of this month. Tesla will also open a new gigafactory in Shanghai, its first outside of the U.S.
And we talk to WNBA legend and Olympic gold medalist Lisa Leslie. She stars in the new film 'Uncle Drew' alongside Kyrie Irving, Chris Webber, Shaq, and other comedy and basketball greats. Leslie also weighs in on the NFL kneeling controversy.
Denying people the right to express their opinions doesn't represent America's democratic values, says Lisa Leslie. Trump "focuses so much on trying to be the dictator of our country," Leslie tells Cheddar.
The U.S. didn't qualify for the World Cup this year, but Tab Ramos, who played in three championship events, is still "bullish" about the sport's future in America. "We have a lot of young players -- 18, 19, 20, 21 -- who are ready to take that step and ready to take the U.S. to new heights," he tells Cheddar. Ramos is now the U.S. under-20 national team coach.
The media exec points out that people will pay for sports content before they even pay for dinner. Discovery inked a $2 billion deal Monday to broadcast golf tournaments internationally, across platforms.
Facebook is under fire again for its privacy practices after reports that it gave device makers like Apple, Amazon, and Samsung access to user data. The New York Times claims that over the past 10 years, the social media site struck deals with at least 60 companies for user information. This latest report is just another setback for Facebook as it tries to repair its reputation following the Cambridge Analytica data scandal.
Apple's developer conference, or WWDC, kicks off today in San Jose, California. This year, the tech giant is focusing on software developments rather than new hardware. Cheddar's Hope King reports live from the conference about what we can expect ahead of the keynote speech.
The 2018 World Cup is just days away. We're joined by Tab Ramos, soccer legend, head coach for the U.S. Men's National U-20 team, and World Cup analyst for Telemundo Deportes, to talk about the big event.
Tab Ramos, soccer legend, head coach for the U.S. Men's National U-20 team, and World Cup analyst for Telemundo Deportes, previews the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
The NFL's decision to ban players from taking a knee during the anthem propagates the narrative that the athletes belong at the bottom of a hierarchy and are just supposed to "do as we say," says ex-Giant Victor Cruz. "I think you'll still see some kind of protest," he tells Cheddar.
The skateboarding legend, who became the first person to land a '900' trick back in 1999, has successfully turned his sporting career into a business empire. It all boils down to perseverance and taking risks, he tells Cheddar's Jon Steinberg.
The social media network's live video platform will help grow its monthly active users, especially as consumers rapidly ditch cable for on-demand content, says Motley Fool analyst Jason Moser.
