In this street soccer showdown, the pitch is concrete and the players are pumped
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CBC
7 minutes ago
- CBC
Basketball tournament in Six Nations honours Dylan Isaacs's dream of bringing the sport to Indigenous youth
It was a few months after his death that Dylan Isaacs's friends approached his family and asked if they could do a basketball tournament in Six Nations of the Grand River, honouring the 30-year-old. "[Isaacs] always talked about bringing basketball to our community more, and especially for the youth," said his aunt, Cecelia Sky. Now, 19 months after he was killed, the second annual Dylan Isaacs Memorial Basketball Tournament is underway this weekend and it has become something he'd be "over the moon" with, Sky said. The event brings in several, mostly Indigenous, basketball groups from all over the U.S. and Canada, and this year, they accomplished their initial goal of having part of the event aimed at youth from the community. Isaacs was a member of the Cayuga Nation. On January 7, 2024, he was leaving a NFL stadium with his friends in Miami, Fla., when he got into an argument with someone who was driving erratically, according to police. The driver allegedly pulled a gun and shot Isaacs to death, Miami Gardens police said at the time. CBC contacted police there this week for an update on the investigation but they did not respond. "He's really missed. He was a big presence in our family," said Sky, adding kids in the community looked up to him. "He was a big guy, big tall guy, and his personality was just as big as him." His mother and Sky's sister, Sue Sky-Isaacs, told CBC Hamilton a few days after his death "he was a character in everything he did." "He was full of love and we loved him." The family was on board to make Isaacs' basketball dream a reality and formed a committee with his friends to organize the first tournament, which took place Aug. 22 to 25, 2024. This year, the event is underway once again, and they're inviting everyone to come by and watch. 'He'd be just loving this' Sky said those coming out to play are "high level" teams. "So if anybody likes basketball, you know, they should come and watch." The tournament includes teams from the Seneca and Buffalo nations in New York, the Oneida Nation in Wisconsin, the Makah Nation in Washington, the Seminole Nation in Florida, which Isaacs played with, and more. This year, in addition to the tournament, organizers also held a youth skill camp for Six Nations kids aged 10 to 14 where they gave away running shoes and basketball t-shirts. The skill camp ended Thursday with a small competition and lunch. "The kids were just happy to get their gifts," said Sky. "They sat down and put their shoes on right away and it was just awesome." Sky said it was an "overwhelming feeling" seeing the skill camp become a reality. "It's something that [Isaacs] always wanted to bring to the community," said Sky. "It's unfortunate that we had to wait until he passed to do that kind of thing, because we know he'd just, he'd be just loving this." She said the community in Six Nations has been very supportive and feels their goal of bringing more eyes to basketball in the region is on its way to being achieved. Finals will take place on Sunday with a smoke dance contest in between the men's and women's matches. Entry is free to the games, which take place at Six Nations's Dajoh Youth and Elders Centre at 1738 Fourth Line. Organizers are also encouraging attendees to buy merchandise and participate in auctions and events going on to keep the skill camp going for next year.
CBC
7 minutes ago
- CBC
Lamine Yamal could be soccer's next mega star — and he's just 18 years old
At just the age of 18, Lamine Yamal has proven himself as a global soccer star. The only question now is, how big of a star will he be? "With the talent that he has, I think that he can be whatever he wants to be," said Pol Ballús, who covers Yamal's team, FC Barcelona, for The Athletic. The Spanish soccer club is getting ready for its opening game of the 2025-26 La Liga season on Saturday and many eyes will be on the young midfielder, who set the record at the age of 16 as the youngest player to debut, score and assist in the league. Yamal is coming off a successful season, where he helped both FC Barcelona and the Spanish national team win major tournaments. Following that impressive showing, Yamal signed a contract extension with the club to 2031. And as the World Cup looms in 2026, with games in both Toronto and Vancouver, former Canadian soccer star Amy Walsh says Yamal will likely be a centrepiece of the marketing around the major event, and a player in the running for the highest award in soccer, the Ballon d'Or. "I think Lamine Yamal will continue to make strides and elevate himself amongst the world best," said Walsh, a member of the Canadian Soccer Hall of Fame and host of Footy Prime The Podcast. What makes him so good? "It's his ability to make split-second decisions and almost distil the game down, make it slow motion and then exist in that state much the way the best, like Messi, continue to operate." But it wasn't long ago that Yamal was a relative unknown, with no contract extensions or shoe deals. Instead, the son of African immigrants was living in poverty in the town of Mataró, near Barcelona. Ballús spoke to Day 6 guest host Amil Niazi about Yamal's journey so far and what might be in store for him next. Here's part of that conversation. Last month, Lamine Yamal became the new No. 10 for Barcelona. For anyone who doesn't really know or follow soccer that closely, what does that mean? That means basically that Lamine Yamal is the new franchise name at Barcelona, is the go-to man. He already was in a way, but that's the confirmation in terms of a status that an 18-year-old, possibly one of the best talents that Barcelona's renowned talent factory has ever created, is now the main man at Barcelona. Wearing No. 10 of Barcelona is sort of entering into football royalty. Of course, we have the name of Lionel Messi, who we have to highlight above anyone else. Now, all the fans expect the No. 10 player for Barcelona not to be Messi, but to be the go-to guy. But if we go back from Messi, we go to the likes of Rivaldo, of [Diego] Maradona, of Romário, of Ronaldinho. I mean, I could go along with a lot of names, but that's the sort of level that we're talking about when we mention the No. 10 at Barcelona. When he got this new contract last month, the team, they usually do a big photo opportunity.... But he actually postponed it so his grandmother could come. What does that say about him? Lamine Yamal has grown in the district of Rocafonda, which is in Mataró, just north of Barcelona. And it's one of the most segregated areas in Catalonia. He's the son of immigrants. In a world where he didn't have all the facilities and all the financial means that a lot of kids might have, even his parents struggled to bring him to games, it was difficult for them just to make it and just to allow Lamine Yamal to have a normal childhood. He has the ability just to ... understand the game and all the movements in a way that most of the players, they don't get it in their whole careers. His grandmother was a present figure when his parents had to go and work, to make money to allow this kid to have football boots or just to bring him to games. Lamine Yamal knows that he has to reward his grandmother for everything that she's done for him. He is aware that he did not have an easy path to football stardom, but now he wants to compensate his loved ones. What does it say to you about the changing nature of football that this youngster, from this background, is now at the very top of Spanish football? That's one of the most fascinating things about Lamine Yamal. He's the face of a new generation coming up through Spain, not just in football, but in society. He's been an inspiration. He's being a role model for a whole generation and that's even to add a new layer of pressure for an 18-year-old. He is not just going to be the leader of Barcelona — he is, in a way, the leader of a young generation that is coming through. He's often seen praying on the field.… It's very clear from the way he prays that he is a Muslim. He wears that identity very proudly. What do you make of that pride in his Muslim identity? His grandmother has been a huge support, a huge figure, and I think he sort of feels represented and embodied by that. And he wants to make that legacy last over the years. Last season, he was doing Ramadan during the season, which was the first time that he did it since he's [been] professional. We are told that he's going to, of course, keep doing it in the forthcoming years, and it's something just to pay tribute to the people who helped him be the person who he is. What stands out for you in terms of how he plays football and what makes his style of play so unique? He's such a fun player. He's a silky, teasing, talented winger. He loves to dribble [by] players. He loves to have this sort of teasing mentality. He likes to take players on one-on-one. He's the one that makes things happen, basically. In football, we are talking about a sport that is every day more tactical, over-analyzed. Everything is really calculated. But when you have a player with this talent, you cannot calculate that, you cannot stop that, you cannot control this. He has the ability just to ... understand the game and all the movements in a way that most of the players, they don't get it in their whole careers, and he's doing that at the age of 18. What are you most excited about in terms of what you hope to see from Lamine Yamal coming up? He's seen as a winger and a really beautiful player and an arty player, but I think that he can become a goal machine as well. I basically expect him to score way more goals this season. He has all the talent. He is a guy who is still growing up. And now he's quicker, he's stronger, he is a bit taller. With all the natural talent that he has, we're adding a layer of physicality here. If he has the right mentality, which he does, and the right ambition, I think that he's capable to add a lot of consistency and goals and contributions to his outstanding game.
Canada News.Net
2 hours ago
- Canada News.Net
(SP)CHINA-CHENGDU-THE WORLD GAMES 2025-FLAG FOOTBALL-WOMEN'S QUARTERFINAL-CAN VS JPN (CN)
(250816) -- CHENGDU, Aug. 16, 2025 (Xinhua) -- Players of both teams greet each other after the Flag Football Women's Quarterfinal Game between Canada and Japan at The World Games 2025 in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province, Aug. 16, 2025. (Xinhua/Chen Bin)
