James Ballin

Supporting growth of the game in USA and NYC. Acting towards Social Justice. Views are my own.

[Vfynn_🥷🏼 𐙚 @Vfynn_]

🚨🗣️New: Thierry Henry reacts to the USA vs Paraguay stoppage for TV commercials:

“I’ve spent my entire life in this beautiful game — as a player at the highest level, as a fan, and now as someone who analyses it every week — and what unfolded during that USA versus Paraguay match left me deeply frustrated. The fourth official standing there on the touchline, arm raised high, instructing the referee to hold the restart… not for any injury, not for tactical reasons, and not even primarily for player hydration in that scorching heat. No. It was because the broadcast team hadn’t finished airing all their commercials. That’s not football. That’s a television show pretending to be a World Cup match.

The beautiful game is being strangled by greed. Players are out there in the heat, ready to restart, momentum building like a storm about to break — and we pause everything so the sponsors can cash in. It’s like stopping a symphony mid-crescendo because the advertisers want their jingle heard. Football didn’t conquer the world by turning into American sports with endless timeouts and ad breaks. We had rhythm, flow, emotion that flowed like a river. Now? It’s dammed up for dollars.

This isn’t about hydration or player welfare anymore — it’s a slippery slope where the soul of the game is sold piece by piece. Fans deserve better. Players deserve better. The referee on that pitch looked like a puppet on strings controlled from some broadcast truck. Enough is enough. We need to protect what made this sport the greatest on Earth before it disappears completely.”

The World Cup should be football’s cathedral. Instead, we’re turning it into a shopping mall with a pitch in the middle.

And here’s the question nobody wants to answer: if the fourth official is waiting for commercials, then who is really running the game? FIFA? The referee? Or the broadcasters?

Because the moment football starts asking advertisers for permission before asking the players, you’ve crossed a line.

The World Cup is supposed to be the showcase of football. Not the showcase of who paid the most for airtime.”

[Football Tweet ⚽ @Footballtweet]

🚨 Jürgen Klopp has launched a scathing attack on the cooling breaks being used during this World Cup. 👊

"Football is being held hostage by executives sitting in air-conditioned offices.

These breaks are being presented as a shield for player welfare, a noble weapon against the heat. In reality, they are nothing more than a golden cage built for sponsors.

When I saw players standing around during cooling breaks while television timeouts dictated the rhythm of the match, I couldn't help but ask myself: who is the World Cup really serving?

The supporters? The players? Or the advertisers?

A World Cup match should flow like a river. Instead, we are building dams in the middle of it so commercials can be shown.

It's dangerous for the spirit of the game. Football used to be the main event, but it now risks becoming background music for an advertising show."

He didn't hold back. 👏👏

[FC Schalke 04 @s04]

45. MINUTEN. NACH. ABPFIFF. 🤯 #S04

[James Ballin @CoachJBallin]

@Flo_GE_1904 Ich brauche diese Trikot!!

[Flo GE | El-FaouziSZN @Flo_GE_1904]

GEWINNSPIEL🚨 #S04 #Schalke
Wir verlosen ein Sondertrikot in Größe M ohne Flock um unseren neuen Podcast „Kumpel & Malocher“ein bisschen zu pushen. Einfach liken, kommentieren und du bist dabei.
Picken uns bis zum Wochenende einen raus, gerne rt.
- https://t.co/7NMuiEQTei

[Sneaky Joe @SneakyJoeSports]

Quarterbacks in NFL history that have completed passes to a father and a son...

Josh Allen: Frank Gore + Frank Gore Jr

End of list.

[herculez gomez @herculezg]

An a abomination.

[Dion Dawkins @DDawkins66]

#BillsMafia I need your help 😳Hit the RT to cast your vote and bump me up to 1st place to support Dion’s Dreamers ⛄️

#WPMOYChallenge @DDawkins66

[James Ballin @CoachJBallin]

.@s04 @s04_us celebrated Hanukkah tonight with my Omi who lived in Gelsenkirchen until 1939 (she is 99!) when her family fled. We would love to buy the Sondertrikot please help!! @adidasfootball

[FC Schalke 04 @s04]

Die Geschichte geht weiter...

[FC Schalke 04 @s04]

SCHALKE UND DER FCN! 💙🤍❤️🖤

[James Ballin @CoachJBallin]

@s04_en @adidasfootball Where can I buy this? @s04_us

[New York Basketball @NBA_NewYork]

NBA on NBC Bob Costas Knicks-Celtics intro then the music

Actual real chills

[FC Schalke 04 @s04]

150 Jahre Gelsenkirchen - 150 Jahre voller Stadtgeschichte. Happy Birthday! 🫶

[Restoring Your Faith in Humanity @HumanityChad]

A fan had a heart attack in the stands, and Cadiz keeper Jeremís Ledesma sprinted across the pitch with a medical kit for emergency responders. The fan recovered with the help a of doctor who was seated nearby. ❤️

[James Ballin @CoachJBallin]

One of us!!

[SNY @SNYtv]

David Stearns was asked about "waiting for the other shoe to drop" as a young Mets fan when the Braves or Phillies would come to New York:

"I was never waiting for the other shoe to drop. I was really excited to go to Shea and boo John Rocker" 😂

[SNY @SNYtv]

David Stearns was asked about "waiting for the other shoe to drop" as a young Mets fan when the Braves or Phillies would come to New York:

"I was never waiting for the other shoe to drop. I was really excited to go to Shea and boo John Rocker" 😂

[James Ballin @CoachJBallin]

@nyknicks Houston winner game 5 vs Miami off the front rim and in

[James Ballin @CoachJBallin]

Check out Ballin Beer Reviews's video! #TikTok https://t.co/Y7vCvAlAqc

[FC Schalke 04 @s04_en]

Away fans across all nine Bundesliga games on matchday 25: 𝟐𝟔,𝟓𝟎𝟎

Schalke fans in Berlin on matchday 25: 𝟐𝟓,𝟎𝟎𝟎 😮‍💨

#S04 | #BSCS04