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Most of the Côte d’Ivoire fans I’ve spoken with are diaspora living in the US or Europe. One man from Abidjan had a visa from before the ban. Siahou, who immigrated to Philly when she was a teenager, said she’ll be cheering twice as loud to honor those who couldn’t come.

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Ecuador fans far outnumber Côte d’Ivoire fans here in Philly, at least in part because of the US tourist visa ban. That means fewer chances for these fun moments of playful cross-cultural trash talk

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Edwin’s first cheesesteak. He heard about Pat’s on TikTok.

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Fans from Ecuador enjoying the local cuisine

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Albert Samaha @samaha.bsky.social · 13/06/2026

Soon as the Brazil-Morocco match in NJ ended, a rush to the exits, a bunch of folks running to catch the Knicks

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Dueling chants en route to the Brazil-Morocco match in NJ

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Albert Samaha @samaha.bsky.social · 11/06/2026

when the Spurs bus rolled by

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Albert Samaha @samaha.bsky.social · 11/06/2026

Knicks fans greeting their new favorite villain Wemby

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Albert Samaha @samaha.bsky.social · 11/06/2026

Some folks showed up as early as 2pm to get a good spot at the MSG watch party, only to learn around 3:30pm that it has been cancelled.

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Albert Samaha @samaha.bsky.social · 09/06/2026

Spurs might have won the game but getting absolutely mauled by these NYC teens outside their bus

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Albert Samaha @samaha.bsky.social · 09/06/2026

They showed Trump during the anthem. He got louder boos than the Spurs.

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Albert Samaha @samaha.bsky.social · 09/06/2026

presumably the suite with the bulletproof glass is where Trump will be sitting

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The fences really change the vibe: yesterday vs today

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Here’s what this corner looked like yesterday vs today:

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Outside MSG 3+ hours before the game

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One person who doesn’t have to wait in line: NBA commissioner Adam Silver

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Frustrated commuters trying to get to Penn Station; early ticketed fans getting the runaround on where to line up

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Albert Samaha @samaha.bsky.social · 07/06/2026

Scenes from MSG 4+ hours before the game

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Rapper-slash-reporter Fat Joe grilling Mike Brown on his sneakers:

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Albert Samaha @samaha.bsky.social · 17/11/2025

Court docs we obtained show Ballmer testified that Robertson asked for a house & sponsorships during Leonard’s 2019 free agency, & that Ballmer told him NBA rules only allowed him to “make introductions.” That & much more in our story: wapo.st/4oNuTXM

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Albert Samaha @samaha.bsky.social · 20/06/2025

DHS agents at the Rose Bowl shuttle bus stop before the PSG-Botafogo Club World Cup game

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While the biggest NIL deals make headlines, the vast majority of college athletes string together small-money deals – all the more so in women’s sports

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A talent management agency that represents Sanders produces a docuseries about his team & pays his players to appear on & promote the show – a total of around $600,000 during Sanders’s first season in Boulder. Top stars have gotten as much as $120k from SMAC Productions.

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A reason for this disparity is that booster collectives, run mostly by men, channel money mostly to men’s sports. While men’s basketball & football players get paid for athletic talent, women earn NIL money by building social media followings to tap into the influencer economy

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The records contain info on $125m worth of NIL deals. 8 schools sent logs listing every payment athletes have disclosed – 22k transactions in all, from six-figure endorsement deals for top stars to lower-profile deals valued at barely a few dollars.

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