Tag: soccer

Basketball Player Tony Parker’s New Spotify Original Podcast Is a Layup

Basketball star, French personality, humanitarian, and, starting today, podcast host. These are all words that describe Tony Parker, an athlete with a lifetime of stories to tell from on and off the court. In his new Spotify Original podcast Tony Parker, Le Podcast, the renowned athlete is ready to tell all through heart-to-heart conversations with some of the biggest names in France.

Though best known for his sports career, Tony invites listeners to discover new facets of him and his guests through in-depth interviews with leading figures in sports, music, film, business, and more. Together, he and visitors to the show will reveal a side of themselves often hidden from the public eye as they reflect on the defining moments in their lives. 

Basketball fans and the sports-averse alike are sure to find the frank, funny, and intimate discussions a slam dunk. International pro football (soccer) star Thierry Henry joins the premiere episode, and as the season continues, listeners can expect to hear from Olympian medalist Teddy Riner, as well as French artists GIMS, Vitaa, and M. Pokora.

Over the course of 10 episodes, Tony fields life’s key questions like: What connects us all? How do you stay honest no matter what? How do you manage success? And as he and his guests search for answers, listeners are treated to everything from surprise confessions to useful advice. Join him every other Monday for a new episode of the French-language series, only on Spotify.

Get your head in the game and start listening to Tony Parker, Le Podcast, starting today.

What Type of Fan Are You? Celebrate the Arrival of Spotify’s Football Now Playlist in the U.K. and Germany

League preferences and team allegiances may differ, but one thing remains consistent in the world of football: the sport’s legion of passionate fans. For those wanting to stay on top of the latest and greatest, Spotify’s new Football Now playlist is the perfect companion.

Similar to Spotify’s Daily Sports and Daily Drive playlists, Football Now gives fans one destination for access to the sport’s best audio content. The playlist also includes music based on a user’s personalized preferences, making it a unique experience that’s tailored to every listener.

Updated daily, this football-specific playlist is currently accessible for fans in the U.K. and Germany. Whether you prefer to yell “goal!” or “gol!” Spotify has plenty of football podcasts to give you the game commentary, latest news, interviews, opinions, and more about your favorite leagues, players, and clubs.

Need help deciding which football podcast to explore first? We’ve rounded up suggestions of some of our favorite U.K. and German podcasts based on their topics. Check it out below:

For the fan who wants to hear stories from the professionals

Einfach mal Luppen (German): This podcast is cohosted by two professional footballers—and brothers—Real Madrid midfielder Toni Kroos and Eintracht Braunschweig midfielder Felix Kroos. In the episodes, which will be released three times a week, Felix calls up his brother to discuss the latest updates surrounding the German national team.

Welcome to ‘Wrighty’s House’ (U.K.): Former professional footballer and television and radio personality Ian Wright hosts this podcast, where he interviews a variety of guests about the sport, personal experiences, and more.

For the fan who wants real-time updates in a concise format

kicker News (German): This podcast releases regular football updates, summarizing the latest news in brief, 90-second episodes. The show is updated throughout the day so fans can easily stay up-to-date on what’s happening with their favorite sport.

Das EM-Update (German): This Spotify Original podcast, produced in collaboration with Deutsche Presse-Agentur, provides all the Euro tournament updates you want. Episodes will be released twice a day on match days and will offer insight into all 51 matches. In addition to sharing statistics and tactical analysis, episodes will also include reporter interviews from those on and off the field. 

For the fan who wants to hear about football history

GIANT (U.K.): This weekly Spotify Original podcast is hosted by Owen Blackhurst and features guests who share their personal football stories. From the great Arsenal and Manchester United rivalry to the most legendary on-the-field penalty stories, the podcast covers a variety of topics and stories for football fans.

Players (German): This podcast goes behind the scenes of the Euro tournament through short and concise episodes that will be released twice a day. On the show, listeners will learn more about the background and context of the tournament as the host explores questions like “Who actually came up with the idea of a pan-European European Championship?” In the morning edition, host Raphael Späth and European Championship reporter Matthias Friebe will talk about the topic of the day. In the evening, the podcast will dive deeper into another narrative topic.

For the fan who wants a good laugh

The Teamsheet (U.K.): On this Spotify Original podcast, celebrity football fans serve as guest hosts who share their top fantasy picks if they were in charge of building their own football team. Over the course of a week, episodes will be released daily, and in each one guests debate the merits of whom to add for their goalkeeper, defender, midfielder, striker, wildcard, and manager. On the final day, the hosts design their perfect kits. Listeners can expect laughs and legends as they hear from the likes of comedian Elis James, professional footballer Lianne Sanderson, and more.

Ready for more football fun? Germany and U.K.-based listeners can find your personalized Football Now playlist here

Spotify presenta dos podcasts originales que descubren nuevos ángulos del deporte más popular de Latinoamérica

El fútbol es un tema inagotable. En Spotify los fans pueden encontrar podcasts con el análisis minucioso de jornadas en muchas ligas del planeta. Pero hay mucho más que decir sobre el deporte que más pasiones despierta en Latinoamérica y el mundo. Spotify presenta un par de podcasts que descubren nuevos e inesperados ángulos.

Para los amantes del fútbol y de las historias de crímenes reales, Spotify presenta su Fútbol a Muerte, un podcast que investiga los casos más emblemáticos en los que la tragedia le jugó sucio a este deporte en Latinoamérica. 

Conducido por la periodista deportiva Marion Reimers, la primera mujer en comentar una final de la UEFA Champions League, este podcast entrega ocho relatos de la vida real y en clave de suspenso que muestran, desde adentro, los atentados en el fútbol que impactaron a la región, permitiéndonos entender el contexto en el cual se dieron estos sucesos y reflexionar sobre la violencia que acompaña a este apasionante deporte.

El otro podcast es La Voz del Estadio, un podcast original en colaboración con Juanfutbol, que ofrece un punto de vista muy distinto al de los usuales comentaristas de este deporte. Conducido por Rodrigo Márquez Tizano, quien tiene una trayectoria en la literatura, la radio y la crítica cultural, junto a Jimena Rodríguez Gálvez, cada semana contará con un invitado distinto con el cual abordarán un tema central del infinito y rico mundo que gira alrededor de la pelota. 

For The Record habló con Marion Reimers y Rodrigo Márquez Tizano sobre su pasión por el fútbol y lo que los oyentes encontrarán en estos títulos. 

El Fútbol es un deporte que despierta pasiones, lo mejor y lo peor de las emociones humanas, ¿por qué crees que nos fascina este juego y las historias de crímenes reales que lo rodean? 

Marion: Creo que el fútbol en general nos fascina porque nos conecta con un sentido de comunidad y eso es siempre algo muy importante pero, también porque tiene esta facultad de ser absolutamente impredecible. Decía el escritor mexicano Juan Villoro que no hay ficción que supere la realidad del deporte. 

El fútbol es particularmente fascinante en ese sentido entonces ahí pensar en las historias de crímenes reales que lo rodean pues es un poco pensar justamente en situaciones oscuras que penetran la fantasía y de qué somos capaces las personas por una serie de situaciones que tienen al fútbol como eje rector pero que simplemente son, al igual que el fútbol, una muestra de nuestras falencias y nuestra humanidad.

¿Qué fue lo que más te sorprendió de las historias que se narran en el podcast?

M: Lo que más me sorprendió de las historias que se narran en el podcast es la impunidad con la que de repente se llevan a cabo ciertas acciones al interior del fútbol y cómo muchas veces discursivamente utilizamos la mal manejada palabra “pasión” tan manoseada a lo largo de la historia como para decir: “ah mira, como responden las personas de manera pasional”. 

Creo que eso no se lo podemos achacar al fútbol, se lo tenemos que achacar a la condición humana, a la falta de estado de derecho, a la falta de consecuencias en muchas situaciones para que se sigan repitiendo a lo largo y ancho de nuestro continente. 

Como una periodista de fútbol que ha abanderado el feminismo, ¿crees que la violencia en el deporte, -dentro y fuera de la cancha- está ligada a una cultura machista? 

M: Sí, creo que la violencia del deporte dentro y fuera de la cancha está ligada a una cultura machista sin ninguna duda. Las masculinidades tóxicas y la manera en la que entendemos las tribus, casi casi, al interior del deporte; el pensar que es ellos o nosotros y esta idea de las trincheras y de un bando y del otro pues lógicamente responde a una manera muy territorial, muy machista y muy masculina de ver el mundo. Entonces sin duda hay una intersección ahí que tenemos que buscar pelear contra ella.

Tizano, como escritor y como crítico, ¿a qué crees que se deba el furor que sienten los fanáticos? 

Tizano: Para los apasionados que hemos jugado de manera amateur, a los que platicamos de fútbol, a los que lo vemos, a los que nos reunimos con nuestra familia o con nuestros amigos para verlo, para jugarlo o para hablar de él, es una entrada a muchas otras cosas, una manera de socialización, también da una forma de entender el mundo.

Todo es un equipo, y cuando lo estas viendo estas sintiendo lo que probablemente sentías cuando lo veías con tu abuelo. El fútbol te puede devolver una parte de ese mundo, cura la orfandad de cierta manera. El problema es encontrar un medio donde tampoco permitamos que el fútbol moderno abuse de nuestras pasiones, que las monetice o las explote.

Con tantos años de experiencia, ¿qué es lo que te sigue emocionando de hablar del balompié? ¿Qué aspecto de todo este universo te apasiona más que cualquier otro? 

Tizano: Hay algo más grande que siempre atraviesa, o sea, me encanta la pelotita y el juego en sí, pero siempre hay algo que lo atraviesa y cuando empiezas a ver esas conexiones que hay detrás en temas sociales, migratorios, económicos, políticos que están ahí y se empieza a complicar, y a mi me gustan las cosas complicadas.

Entre todas las frases que hay en el fútbol, hay una del “FlacoMenotti que decía “el que solo sabe de fútbol, no sabe de nada” y tiene toda la razón, a mi no me interesa una persona que solo sepa de fútbol, porque sino no tienes punto de referencia.  

Escucha estos títulos a continuación, Fútbol a MuerteLa Voz del Estadio.

The 9 Best Moments From the World’s Game (Football) as Told by Streaming Data

Since kicking off last month, the world’s game has captivated fans around the globe. From the opening match of the world’s game to its wild semi-final, there’s been no shortage of drama, including joyous triumphs, bitter disappointments, and surprise upsets. In other words: It’s been awesome. But the excitement hasn’t been limited to the pitch—fans also love a little soundtrack to accompany their cheers.

Check out 9 of the most exciting football moments from the past few weeks as told by Spotify streaming data.

1. June 15: ‘La Roja Baila’ Heats Up For Spain vs. Portugal

The heated match between historical rivals Spain and Portugal inspired a huge increase in streams of “La Roja Baila” (“The Red Dance”), a collaboration between Spanish singer Niña Pastori and footballer Sergio Ramos. The track, which was the official anthem of the Spanish National Team for the 2016 Euro Cup, saw a 43 percent increase right after the action went down.

2. June 16: Iceland Brings it ‘Home’ In their First Tournament Appearance

In its first-ever World Cup match, Iceland scored against Argentina, ultimately tying them 1-1 in their debut game. The country’s historic goal—and goalkeeper Hannes Þór Halldórsson’s awe-inspiring save against Argentina’s Lionel Messi—energized an entire nation to turn up the music. One song that spiked ʼround the fjords was “Eg er kominn heim” (“I’ve Come Home”), Iceland’s favorite football song.

Spotify streaming during Iceland’s first appearance

 

3. June 18: Mexico Rejoices in Historic Song For Win Over Germany

When Mexico beat Germany 1-0, fans couldn’t stop streaming “Cielito Lindo,” or “Lovely Sweet One,” a popular folk song. In recent years, the song has become an unofficial football anthem, with fans calling, “Sing and don’t cry!”

4. June 26: Messi and Rojo Score On The Field and at ‘The Club’

After tying Iceland, Argentina bounced back against Nigeria with triumphant goals from Lionel Messi and Marcos Rojo. Fans turned it up with El Pepo’sHoy Acá en el Baile” (“Here Today at the Club”), which spiked by about 114 percent.

5. June 28: Mexico Goes ‘Gangnam’ For South Korea’s Victory Over Germany

South Korea’s surprise win over Germany kept Mexico in the tournament, which inspired Mexican fans to honor their good fortune with a Korean electro hit. “Gangnam Style”—as much a pop culture phenomenon as a song—was Mexico’s biggest party jam right after the match.

6. July 3: England Celebrates Penalty Shootout Win Over Colombia in Signature Style

England’s match against Colombia was a close one, but the Three Lions eventually triumphed 4-3. Naturally, English fans celebrated with their signature football anthem, 1996’s “Three Lions,” by The Lightning Seedswhich was streamed over 450,000 times.

7. July 3: Sweden Gets Nostalgic During First Quarterfinal in 24 Years

Sweden made it to a World Cup quarterfinal for the first time since 1994, which offered fans a great reason to get nostalgic. They chose to reminisce with a classic track from that year, “När vi gräver guld i USA,” which translates to “When We Dig For Gold In The USA.”

8. July 6: Belgium Emerge as ‘Champions’ Against Brazil

Belgium had a lot to celebrate when the team beat Brazil 2-1. And what better victory theme is there than “We Are The Champions”? Belgian streams of the classic Queen track increased by almost 289 percent after the match.

9. July 10: France ‘Survives’ Belgium (With a Little Help from Gloria Gaynor)

Gloria Gaynor’s 1978 disco empowerment anthem “I Will Survive” probably wasn’t written for the soccer field, but it worked wonders for France, who increased streams of the song by more than 800 percent after their 1-0 win against Belgium.

Getting pumped for the final match? Get in the spirit of the World’s Game with our football-inspired playlist.

Superstitious? Data Says These Are the Luckiest Songs for Football (Soccer) Fans

When countries play “the world’s game,” a.k.a. soccer or football, it takes a lot to win: skill, strategy, teamwork, and sometimes a bit of luck. The result of any hotly-contested, 90-minute match could depend on a millimeter of soccer cleat, a freak ricochet off a defender’s leg, and too many other variables to count.

Where does this kind of game-winning luck come from? Could music have anything to do with it?

We had some fun determining the luckiest song for fans in each of these soccer-loving countries. We used anonymous, aggregated data about what fans were listening to when their team won or lost previous games, as well as a few other factors. (If you’re interested in exactly how we created the actually-quite-rigorous “superstition score” that chose these songs, see the methodology below.)

Here are the songs that, according to our scientifically-derived superstition score, will help each of these 12 football-loving countries win their games.

If you’re looking for something lucky to play before your team’s next match, search no further.

Argentina: Soda Stereo – “Cuando Pase El Temblor”

Australia and Germany: Bag Raiders – Shooting Stars

*Oddly enough, Australia and Germany share the same lucky song!

Brazil: Matheus & Kauan — Decide Aí – Na Praia / Ao Vivo

Colombia: Cali Y El Dandee – Por Fin Te Encontré

France: Snoop Dogg – Young, Wild & Free (feat. Bruno Mars)

Japan: ONE OK ROCK – Clock Strikes

Mexico: Panteon Rococo – La Dosis Perfecta

Perú: Los Abuelos De La Nada – Mil Horas

Spain: Beret – Dime Quien Ama de Verdad

Sweden: Nause – Dynamite (feat. Pretty Sister)

England: The Killers – Mr. Brightside

Methodology

If you want to geek out about this, here’s where these songs came from. We ranked songs in each country by a superstition score consisting of a weighted mix of the following metrics, normalized where appropriate by each song’s share of streaming, to accommodate for normal variation of overall streaming levels there:

  • Win-to-loss score: the ratio between a song’s streams in the country on winning days vs. losing days
  • Match day score: the ratio between a song’s streams in the country on game days vs. other days
  • Country relevance score: the ratio between a song’s streams in the country vs. elsewhere — i.e. how unique it is to that country
  • Country rank score: the song’s highest rank in a country on match days

Did we have to apply such rigor to answer this question? Probably not, but we figured that the teams are working hard and playing hard, so we should too.

The World’s Game—a.k.a. Football—Celebrates the Soundtrack to Life

The World Cup commands a lot of spirit—and songs. After all, who could forget Shakira’s 2010 anthem, “Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)” as it dominated the charts throughout the tournament?

To pump up viewers worldwide for the World Cup, which starts June 14, we are taking listeners beyond the playing field in an original vertical video series, “The World’s Game,” debuting on our¡Viva Latino! enhanced playlist. Starting today, fans can tune into the playlist every Friday in June and tap into the energy behind game-day preparations and celebrations in countries where football dominates sports viewing: Colombia, Brazil, Mexico and Argentina.

In each video we see football fans engaging in the rituals, superstitions, and traditions particular to the featured country as they prepare for the World Cup. Woven throughout is a special performance by a local top artist or band, tailored to the event. Each artist represents a relevant genre for the country, from electronic and regional Mexican (ranchera) to urban and pop.

In the first video, Colombia’s ChoQuibTown covers “Colombia Caribe.” Sometimes known as “Si, Si Colombia,” the anthem was created by Francisco Zumaqué in 1985 and became associated with the Colombian national team in the preliminary rounds before the 1990 Italian World Cup. To make the song their own, ChoQuibTown sampled aspects of the original, such as the chorus and mambo, and then added different rhythms like chandé, trap, and reggaetón to modernize the hit.

Tostao, lead singer and rapper of ChoQuibTown, explained that the band covered the anthem because ”the song is like a battle cry for the entire country, positively cheering on something that always unites us as Colombians: football. We as a band are very big soccer fans. We are Latinos and we love the mix between football and music. Remember that music is the soundtrack of life, and life in Latin America always has a lot of football.”