Iran's National Soccer Team Sparks Change Back Home and Unites Its People
*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).
This June marks the 25th anniversary of the infamous 1997 "Bite Fight”, the iconic boxing rematch between Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield when Tyson shockingly bit a piece of his opponent’s ear off. As a macabre tribute to the incident, the boxing legend’s line of cannabis products, Tyson 2.0, has released “Mike Bites", edibles in the shape of an ear complete with a bite mark. Tyson, the chief brand officer and co-founder, along with CEO Adam Wilks joined Cheddar News to talk about the unique gummies. "I just think this is just me owning what I did. I'm owning my responsibility. I've done that. That was pretty bad at the time, but I turned it over to make it pretty good," the former heavyweight champion said.
U.S. Figure Skating Hall of Famer and former Olympian Nancy Kerrigan spoke to Cheddar News about joining Ice Dreams, a national skating tour that connects legends of the sport with its next generation. Kerrigan spoke of the lessons she learned from the sport and how grateful she is for the opportunity to give something back. “I mean skating has taught me some of the greatest things in in my life," she said. "You know, you fall down, things get hard, but you get back up and you keep on trying. And if you're performing and doing something you love, I think you would actually do even better.”
Stephen Smith, Founder and CEO of Kitman Labs, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell, where he explains how his company's intelligence platform is engineering change in how athletes and sports teams prepare for games.
Sportswear giant Adidas is giving student-athletes the opportunity to become partners as affiliate brand ambassadors to help grow their networks as professional athletes. Attorney Darren Heitner, the founder of Heitner Legal, joined Cheddar News to talk about the legalities of the process. "It is absolutely a game-changer because we see a major brand make a big splash, nine months into name image and likeness rights for college athletes," he said. "While it is a paid brand affiliate type of partnership, it will open the door for 50,000-plus athletes across the country to start making some money, even if it's just through other people clicking their links and making purchases."
State and county taxpayers will be asked to commit a record $850 million in public funds toward construction of the Buffalo Bills’ new stadium as part of a 30-year lease agreement.
Saint Peter's University - a small school in New Jersey school - has skyrocketed to the center of the sports world in a 'Cinderella' story for the record books. The ultimate underdog of the men's March Madness tournament is just the third 15-seed to reach the Sweet 16, after beating Murray State and college basketball powerhouse Kentucky. Throughout the university's historic run, Saint Pete's has reportedly been earning what amounts to millions of dollars in publicity. Amanda Christovich, reporter for Front Office Sports, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
ESPN College Gameday LaPhonso Ellis joins Cheddar Bets to break down the NCAA Tournament so far, and who will make noise all the way down to New Orleans.
Sponsored by BetMGM
BetMGM Host Olivia Harlan Dekker joins Cheddar Bets to talk about lessons learned from this year's NCAA Tournament and to share which teams have the best value going forward.
Sponsored by BetMGM
