Salam alaykum! This is our weekly news recap. If you have a story or athlete you’d like to pitch for it, email us at TheAthleticUmmah@gmail.com.
The Headlines
Israeli football fans assault pro-Palestine man in Greece: Fans of the Israeli football club Maccabi Tel Aviv attacked a man in Greece ahead of their club’s UEFA Europa Conference League game against Olympiacos FC. Although it’s not clear what the man’s nationality was, he’s being identified as a foreigner and it’s been reported that he expressed pro-Palestine views prior to the assault. The victim was severely injured and promptly transported to the hospital, according to the Greek public broadcaster ERT and several daily newspapers.
Hany Mukhtar signs extension with Nashville SC: Footballer Hany Mukhtar has signed a two-year contract extension with MLS club Nashville SC, with an option for an additional season in 2027. “I’m excited to sign a new deal with Nashville SC and keep building on what we’ve started,” Mukhtar said. “This city has embraced me with open arms and I’m happy to call Nashville home.” Since joining the American club in 2020, Mukhtar has been one of the most entertaining attackers to watch in MLS; the German-Sudanese footballer has scored 58 goals and assisted 38 others in 113 regular season games since his arrival.
Anthony Joshua KOs Francis Ngannou in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: In front of a bustling Saudi Arabian crowd, former unified world heavyweight boxing champion Anthony Joshua knocked out former mixed martial artist Francis Ngannou. In a two-round affair, Joshua knocked Ngannou down three times, with the final, monstrous overhand blow securing the electrifying win for the British boxer. It was a statement win for Joshua, who’s now eyeing the winner of Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk.
Mike Tyson set to box Jake Paul on Netflix on July 20: 57-year-old boxing legend Mike Tyson will put on the gloves again to fight internet-badboy-turned-prizefighter Jake Paul in a Netflix exclusive event on July 20. The fight will mark the first time Netflix has aired a live combat sport. Tyson, who converted to Islam sometime before 1992, has not boxed since an exhibition event against Roy Jones Jr. in 2020.
What You Might’ve Missed
In one of our first ever stories, we wrote about Baseball United. This was a four-team professional baseball league based in the United Arab Emirates, Pakistan and India — a first of its kind in the Middle East and south Asia.
Since our article, the league has played two Dubai All-Star Showcase games to show off some of its talent ahead of the 2024 season opener. According to the league, the games were broadcast in 127 countries and reached 200 million households.
Now, Baseball United has taken another significant step forward in developing Middle Eastern and South Asian baseball. On Wednesday, March 6, Baseball United signed an agreement with the Saudi Baseball and Softball Federation (SBSF) to bring professional baseball to Saudi Arabia.
As part of the partnership, Baseball United can now host professional league and tournament matches in the kingdom for an unlimited term. Furthermore, rights to three new Baseball United franchises in Saudi Arabia have been signed, representing Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam.
In exchange, Baseball United is expected to develop local baseball talent in Saudi Arabia by designing training programs and curriculums for players, coaches and even umpires.
Kash Shaikh, CEO and co-founder of Baseball United, said the partnership represents a “monumental day for the sport of baseball.”
“Saudi Arabia is setting the pace for sports development, investment and growth in the Kingdom and beyond, and we are truly honored to now include baseball within those ambitious plans,” he said in a press release.
“This agreement significantly elevates Baseball United’s standing and footprint within the region and, just as importantly, enables us to work at the grassroots level to help grow the game in the Middle East’s largest country.”
As part of the agreement, Baseball United will open a subsidiary in Saudi Arabia and partner with the SBSF to develop baseball in the country.
The SBSF is the youngest baseball federation in the world, as it was only formed in 2019. It works in coordination with Saudi Vision 2030, Saudi Arabia’s roadmap for economic, social and cultural diversification.
As part of the partnership, it aims to prepare its national softball team to compete in upcoming World Baseball Softball Confederation tournaments.
Nayef bin Muhammad bin Abdul Mohsen bin Humaid, chairman of the SBSF, said in a press release that he’s “honoured” to welcome Baseball United to Saudi Arabia.
“The SBSF has worked to build and inspire a local community that loves and practices baseball and softball within Saudi Arabia, with aspirations to also reach international horizons and achievements,” he said.
“This partnership with Baseball United will help fuel that vision, and it will elevate the calibre of players, events and attention for the sport here in Saudi Arabia.”
Muslim Athlete of the Week
It pains me to say this as a Torontonian, but the Boston Celtics have been far and away the best team in the NBA this season — and not just statistically speaking.
Aside from currently topping both the Atlantic division, eastern conference and league-wide standings, the 17-time NBA champions have played a dynamite, exhilarating, fast-paced style of basketball that has overwhelmed the vast majority of their opponents.
Coming into this past week, the Celtics had only lost 12 of the 60 games they had played — only three by more than 10 points. Furthermore, 12 of their 48 wins up until this point have been by 20 points or more, including several by more than 30 points.
One such win happened earlier this week, when the Celtics hosted the 7-time NBA winners the Golden State Warriors. The Warriors had beaten the Celtics in the 2022 NBA final, and while the Boston-based team have had opportunities to exact some revenge since then, none of them probably tasted as sweet as the beating they gave them on Sunday, March 3.
Played in Boston’s TD Garden, the Celtics whalloped the Warriors 140-88. It was the sixth time this season the team had crossed the 140-point mark, and the 52 points that separated the teams was the Celtics’ biggest margin of victory this season. The win was Boston’s 48th of the season — no other NBA team has yet to cross the 45-win mark.
One of the key architects to Boston’s huge victory was Jaylen Brown. The shooting guard led all players with 29 points scored, two more than teammate Jayson Tatum and 12 more than the top-scoring Warrior. 19 of his points came in the first quarter alone as Boston pulled out to a 82-38 lead at the break.
Brown, who shot 50% from the 3-point line, also recorded three assists, three rebounds and a steal in what his highest-scoring game since a 31-point effort against the Philadelphia 76ers in late February.
“”On this team, it’s about making the right plays, letting guys feel involved, and I feel like I’ve been doing that all season long, and I’m [going to] keep doing that,” he said in the post-game press conference.
Four days later, Brown was bossing the court again. After a 21-point game in a losing effort to the Cleveland Cavaliers, Brown exploded for 41 points in a 115-109 loss to the reigning NBA champions, the Denver Nuggets.
They were the most points he had scored in a regular season game since a 43-point effort vs. Houston in March 2023 — and he could’ve had more had he not missed some free throws and an open dunk.
Nevertheless, he scored more points than the Celtic’s next two top scorers — Kristaps Porziņģis and Tatum — combined; and on top of that, Brown grabbed a season-high 14 rebounds. No other player had more than 12 rebounds gathered in Thursday’s game.
Although Brown has never officially confirmed that he’s Muslim, the 27-year-old American has down a lot of work to shine a positive light on Islam. He fasts during Ramadan — a month that he says has “saved my life in a lot of ways” — and he’s been spotted in a local mosque before. He’s also been spotted wearing a “Free Gaza” bracelet this season — which doesn’t necessarily mean he’s Muslim (the genocide in Gaza is not a religious issue), but it does mean he’s in tune with a situation that is very important to a lot of Muslims.
For many Muslim basketball fans, Brown is an icon for the way he’s respected Islam and Muslims. Even if it’s unclear whether he’s Muslim himself, what is clear is that he’s marketed the religion in a very positive and respectful way — more than even some Muslim athletes have.
For his high-scoring performances this, Brown is our Muslim Athlete of the Week.
Headline image credit: Steven Senne/AP Photo