Ryan Blaney won the rain-postponed and crash-filled Coca-Cola 600 on Monday, putting an end to his NASCAR 59-race winless streak.

“I might shed a tear. This has been a cool weekend,” he said. “Obviously Memorial Day weekend means a lot, growing up here watching Dad (former driver Dave Blaney) run this race for a long time. It’s so cool just to be a part of it, let alone win it.”

It is the eighth career victory for the Team Penske driver. Pole sitter William Byron finished second and was .663 seconds back. Martin Truex Jr. of Joe Gibbs Racing was third.

“The car was great tonight. Just not quite good enough,” Byron said. “Really proud of the effort. Pit crew was phenomenal on pit road.”

There were 16 cautions and 31 lead changes in the 600-mile race, one of the crown jewels on the NASCAR schedule.

Blaney’s most recent win before Monday was at Daytona International Speedway in August 2021.

The race at Charlotte Motor Speedway is the 14th in the Cup Series season and the longest NASCAR race of the season.

Practice and qualifying sessions on Saturday were also canceled due to the rain, so the starting lineup for the race was set “per the rule book” – a metric based on performance at the Darlington Raceway two weeks ago.

Alex Bowman, who returned to competition a month after he suffered a fractured vertebra in a sprint car crash, finished 12th.

Seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champ Jimmie Johnson started in last place, 37th, and finished there, 285 laps behind the winner.

Blaney’s victory capped a terrific weekend for Team Penske; Josef Newgarden won the Indy 500 on Sunday.

The American driver passed last year’s winner, Marcus Ericsson, in the final lap. A trio of red flag crashes set up a dramatic finish during the race, which saw 52 lead changes among 14 drivers.

It was the first time Team Penske drivers won both marquee races in the same year.

The Miami Heat closed out the Boston Celtics in the NBA’s Eastern Conference Finals on Monday, winning a deciding Game 7 103-84 to advance to the NBA Finals against the Denver Nuggets.

The road victory for the Heat blocked the proud Celtics franchise from becoming the first NBA team to rally to win a seven-game series after losing the first three contests.

“We have some incredible competitors in that locker room. They love the challenge,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “They love putting themselves out there in front of everybody. Open to criticism. Open to everything.”

Celtics point guard Malcolm Brodgon said he thought his team played tight and it affected their results on both ends of the court.

“I thought (the Heat) played loose. I thought they really executed on the defensive end,” the league’s Sixth Man of the Year said. “Then offensively they were poised. They weren’t rushed, they weren’t nervous.”

Eighth-seeded Miami had to come through the play-In tournament but has not let its underdog status have any bearing on its impressive playoff run so far.

Against Boston on Monday, Miami forward Jimmy Butler led the way with 28 points while forward Caleb Martin netted 26 points and had 10 rebounds.

Boston shot a frigid 39% from the field as a team, and no Celtic managed to score 20 points in the game.

Many teams have tried, a few have gotten close, but ultimately all have failed in trying to achieve the comeback of all comebacks, netting 0 for 151 attempts.

Most teams to go down 0-3 didn’t even make it this far.

This Boston squad marks the just the fourth team to ever force a Game 7 following a 0-3 start to a series: the New York Knicks forced a Game 7 in the 1951 NBA Finals against the Rochester Royals, the Denver Nuggets pushed it to the brink in the 1994 Western Conference semis against the Utah Jazz and the Portland Trail Blazers almost made history in the 2003 Western Conference first round against the Dallas Mavericks.

The Heat, who have won three NBA titles, most recently in 2013, will face the top-seeded Nuggets in Denver on Thursday.

The Nuggets have not played a game in a week after sweeping the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference Finals last Monday.

How we got here

Spoelstra’s team took down Giannis Antetokounmpo and the No. 1-seeded Milwaukee Bucks in the first round, before winning a war of attrition against the Knicks in the Eastern Conference semis.

Despite Boston’s impressive regular season record, the No. 2 seed struggled throughout the postseason. It took the Celtics six games to get past the seventh-seeded Atlanta Hawks and another seven to get through the Philadelphia 76ers.

This brought the Heat and the Celtics together in the Eastern Conference Finals. The series has been an incredible display of drama and tension with the momentum ebbing and flowing throughout.

The Heat raced to a 3-0 lead in the series thanks to incredible performances by Butler and the Miami supporting cast.

Butler has been one of the stars of the NBA postseason and continued this form during the early games of the series against the Celtics.

Missing Tyler Herro through injury meant that head coach Erik Spoelstra had to seek other alternatives to support his star man. Up stepped Gabe Vincent and Martin – who have come up big in clutch time and throughout the series.

However, the Celtics won Game 4 and Game 5 in comfortable fashion with Jayson Tatum showing his brilliance in the win-or-go-home games. Back-to-back blowouts meant that Boston took the series back to Miami for Game 6 – the most crucial game of the series so far.

Buoyed by their home crowd support, it looked like the Heat had finally got their momentum back and had enough in the tank to become Eastern Conference champions.

The Heat held a one-point advantage with just three seconds left on the clock, but with the ball in Boston’s hands, it was far from over. As Marcus Smart attempted to splash home a game-winning three, the ball bounced off the rim and Derrick White scored a buzzer-beating putback to edge the game for the Celtics.

“It felt good. Everybody was asking me, ‘Did you get it off?’ and I was like, ‘Yeah, I think so,’ but it was so close, you never know,” White told reporters afterwards. “We’re just happy we won. However, we got to get it done, we got it done, and now it’s on to Game 7.”

Unfortunately for the Celtics, the Game 7 hill was again too steep to overcome.

Horse racing regulatory and safety officials as well as representatives from Churchill Downs will gather in an emergency meeting Tuesday following a tragic series of horse deaths at the famed home of the Kentucky Derby over the span of two months.

The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) said Monday it was “deeply concerned by the unusually high number” of horse deaths at Churchill Downs and has called an “emergency veterinary summit” Tuesday which will include members from Churchill Downs and the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission to review all available information related to the deaths.

Twelve horses have died since the stable area reopened for training on March 30, Churchill Downs said in a statement. The track announced the two most recent horse deaths Saturday, saying the horses suffered significant injuries and were euthanized.

HISA also said it is conducting a “thorough and independent investigation” into each horse death and is also dispatching experts to analyze Churchill Downs’ racing and training surfaces and provide additional veterinary expertise.

“HISA continues to monitor this situation closely and will evaluate any additional next steps as appropriate,” its statement added.

Churchill Downs CEO Bill Carstanjen said “Churchill Downs respects the authority of HISA and their investigatory process. We have worked in full compliance with HISA regulations over the last several weeks and welcome the additional steps they have outlined today.”

“Together we all want what is best for the horses and participants and we will cooperate with any measures to ensure the safest racing environment possible and to restore the trust and confidence of our fans and the public,” Carstanjen’s statement added.

The Vegas Golden Knights defeated the Dallas Stars 6-0 in Game 6 of the Western Conference Final to advance to the Stanley Cup Final, where they will face the Florida Panthers.

Vegas will be making its second appearance in the Stanley Cup Final in just the sixth season of the franchise’s existence. The team previously made a remarkable run to the Stanley Cup in 2018 – its inaugural season – but lost to the Washington Capitals.

Florida has been part of the NHL for nearly 30 years, but is making just its second trip to the Stanley Cup Final after winning the Eastern Conference Final over the Carolina Hurricanes. The Panthers’ lone previous shot at the championship came in the 1995/96 season, when the team came up short against the Colorado Avalanche.

The No. 8 seeded Panthers beat the Hurricanes 4-3 last week to become the first team in NHL history to enter the postseason as the lowest-seeded club and sweep a best-of-seven series to book a spot in the final.

Like their teams, the Stanley Cup Final will also offer the coaches of both squads – Florida’s Paul Maurice and Vegas’ Bruce Cassidy – the opportunity to win their first title in their second attempt.

Maurice coached the Hurricanes to the 2002 Stanley Cup Final before eventually losing to the Detroit Red Wings while Cassidy got the Boston Bruins to finale in 2019, but lost in seven games against the St. Louis Blues.

Vegas also have certain members of their team who have personal motivation to overcome the Panthers.

Jonathan Marchessault and Reilly Smith previously took to the ice for Florida before being let go after being deemed unwanted. Since then, Marchessault has become Vegas’ all-time leader in goals, assists, points and games played while Smith is second in goals, fourth in assists, third in points and fourth in games played.

Marchessault and Smith lead the Golden Knights in all-time playoff scoring.

“They’re reminding me a lot of the team we had the first year: against all odds,” Marchessault said of the Panthers after Monday’s victory.

“They worked hard to be there. It’s all in their honor. They have a great team all around the lineup and a good goaltender. Yeah, definitely excited to play them, and it’s going to be a good series.”

Marchessault is also part of a large contingent of the Vegas team which has first-hand memories of losing the 2018 Final.

William Karlsson, Reilly Smith, William Carrier, Brayden McNabb and Shea Theodore as well as Marchessault all took part five years ago.

For Florida, almost 30 years after their last appearance in the final, they are back with a shot at the Stanley Cup.

Matthew Tkachuk has led in points in the postseason with 21 (nine goals, 12 assists), but more than that, the 25-year-old has stepped up in the crunch moments when his team has needed him.

He’s netted three overtime goals in the playoffs, including the game-winner on a power play with 4.9 seconds remaining in regulation in Game 4 against Carolina.

Tkachuk said his Panthers team is relishing the feeling of proving people wrong with their run to the final two.

“Kind of that similar feel of being the underdog and trying to prove people wrong again,” Tkachuk said.

“We know what we have in [the locker room]. We know how to play, we know the right way to play, we know what makes us successful. And being in it with the guys and seeing the belief and seeing just the calmness to us is really something special.”

He added: “It’s just so fun being at the rink right now. We’ve got a few weeks left of this. We talked about it in the room, it’s going to be the best few weeks of our lives, hopefully. It’s something that we’re all really excited for.”

Florida’s run to the Stanley Cup has been unlikely, given its status as a lowest-seeded team and the historic nature of its opposition. The Panthers bested the Bruins in the first round, despite Boston breaking the NHL regular season record for most wins (65) and most points (135) in a single season.

The best-of-seven series between the Knights and Panthers will begin Saturday in Las Vegas.

This year’s Atlantic hurricane season is expected to be near average, officials with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Thursday.

Forecasters at the agency are predicting 12 to 17 named tropical storms, five to nine of which could become hurricanes. They expect as many of four of those could strengthen into major hurricanes – category 3 or stronger.

The last time there was fewer than the average of 14 named storms was in 2015. Hurricane season technically begins June 1, though storms have developed before that date in the past.

“As we saw with Hurricane Ian, it only takes one hurricane to cause widespread devastation and upend lives. So regardless of the number of storms predicted this season, it is critical that everyone understand their risk and heed the warnings of state and local officials,” FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell said at a news conference. “Whether you live on the coast or further inland, hurricanes can cause serious impacts to everybody in their path.”

This hurricane season’s activity will largely depend on two competing factors: El Niño, which inhibits storm development, and near record-high ocean temperatures, which will help fuel hurricanes.

The El Niño-Southern Oscillation is a naturally occurring climate pattern impacting the ocean and atmosphere in the tropical Pacific, and consists of opposite phases known as El Niño (the warm phase) and La Niña (the cool phase). It has the potential to significantly impact global weather patterns and its phase (El Niño, La Niña or neutral) is one of the primary “knobs” that controls hurricane activity in the Atlantic and Pacific basins.

El Niño is characterized by warmer-than-average sea surface temperatures in the tropical Pacific Ocean, and tends to increase upper-level winds over the Atlantic, which disrupt and suppress hurricane formation.

El Niño’s influence on this season is still somewhat uncertain because it is only just beginning to develop. That it will eventually form this year is a “foregone conclusion,” said Phil Klotzbach, a research scientist in the Department of Atmospheric Science at Colorado State University, who was not involved in the NOAA outlook.

“If these warm anomalies in the North Atlantic persist through the hurricane season, it has the potential to cause less of an El Nino (wind) shear impact than we normally see,” he said, and that possibility is even showing up in “several climate model forecasts” for the summer and fall.

Hurricanes are natural phenomena shaped by complex atmospheric and oceanic dynamics. But they are now increasingly influenced by human-caused climate change.

As our planet continues to warm due to fossil fuel pollution, the impacts are manifesting in the intensification and altered behavior of these destructive storms. Through a combination of warmer waters, increased atmospheric moisture and rising sea levels, the climate crisis has set the stage for hurricanes to pose unprecedented risks to coastal communities.

If recent history is any indication, the US will face the threat of a high-end landfalling hurricane this season. There have been six category 4 or 5 hurricanes to hit the mainland since 2017, the most ever during a six-year period. Climate change, especially the buildup of heat increasing the ocean’s temperature, is leading to a larger percentage of hurricanes reaching the highest categories on the scale – a trend that is likely to continue as global temperatures climb.

The key difference between tropical depressions, tropical storms and hurricanes lies in their wind speeds and the level of organization within the system.

While a tropical depression represents the earliest stage of cyclone development, named tropical storms exhibit more structure and stronger winds. Hurricanes — the most powerful and dangerous of the three — possess the strongest winds and a well-defined eye, making them capable of causing extensive damage over large areas.

Residents of Guam are dealing with damage, water supply issues and widespread power outages after the small US territory was walloped by hurricane-force winds and overwhelming rainfall from powerful Typhoon Mawar.

A typhoon warning for the island was lifted at 5 p.m. on Thursday, but strong winds persist and residents should stay at home until conditions improve, Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero said.

Guam weathered the worst of the storm’s direct impact when Mawar’s eye passed just north of the island Wednesday night local time, battering the island with powerful winds and torrential rains.

“I’ve been here for twenty years. This is the strongest one that I have experienced,” Reilly said.

Guam Power Authority is now working to restore power, it said in a statement Thursday. It reported on Wednesday that only 1,000 out of its approximately 52,000 customers still had power supply and Guam Memorial Hospital was operating on a standby generator.

The storm – the strongest to impact the island in decades – was still sweeping the island early Thursday with maximum sustained winds of 140 mph and gusts of up to 165 mph, the equivalent of a Category 4 Atlantic hurricane, the Joint Typhoon Warning Center said.

As the storm continues to move away from Guam, it has strengthened to the equivalent of a Category 5 Atlantic hurricane, with winds of 175 mph and gusts up to 205 mph. It’s not expected to threaten land for the next several days, the warning center said.

The island was inundated with rain, with some areas receiving more than 20 inches over 24 hours. The northern village of Dededo saw 24.5 inches while the central west coast village of Piti had more than 22 inches. Though conditions are beginning to improve, the threat isn’t over. Heavy rainfall, whipping winds and strong storm surge are still possible.

“We have weathered this storm. The worst has gone by, but we are going to continue experiencing tropical storm winds up to about 40 to 50 mph, so I ask you again to please stay home for your protection and your safety,” Guerrero said in a video address.

Before the storm’s arrival, officials warned it could bring life-threatening storm surge and dangerous coastal flooding. Residents in low-lying coastal areas were ordered by Guerrero to evacuate as it approached.

After President Joe Biden approved an emergency declaration for Guam ahead of the typhoon, FEMA said it has more than 130 staff deployed or prepared to respond if disaster relief is needed.

Mawar will continue to move west-northwest, away from Guam, toward the northern Philippines and Taiwan. The storm is forecast to strengthen over the next 12 to 24 hours, before slowly weakening.

Mawar is the fifth storm so far this year to reach this intensity, according to hurricane researcher Jeff Masters. Only five Category 5 strength storms develop each year on average, meaning 2023 has already had a year’s worth of these powerful storms, with nearly all of the Atlantic and Pacific hurricane/typhoon seasons still to come.

Guam is home to about 150,000 people and several US military installations. Super Typhoon Pongsona hit the island in 2002 with sustained winds of 144 miles per hour and gusts to 173 mph, according to the weather service.

Raging wildfires that have burned through thousands of acres have forced more than 16,000 Canadians to evacuate their homes and triggered a burn ban in Nova Scotia, as the region experiences record-breaking heat.

Officials say the fires, which span a total of more than 25,000 acres and have been deemed “out of control” by officials, have destroyed multiple buildings and caused huge plumes of smoke to tower over the region. As of Monday, more than 16,000 people were forced to evacuate the area around Halifax, Nova Scotia’s largest city.

The number of people who have been forced from their homes is about 16,429, Erica Fleck, Division Chief of Emergency Management of the Halifax Regional Municipality, said in a news conference Monday.

Authorities also said about 400 people have been evacuated from Shelbourne County in southwest Nova Scotia.

The blazes have damaged at least 200 homes or structures, the Halifax municipality said in a Facebook post, citing first responders’ initial visual inspections.

“Our hearts go out to everyone impacted by these fires,” Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston said. “We know you are experiencing uncertainty and distress. We see that and want to try to ease a small portion of the financial stress.”

Every household required to evacuate will receive $500 administered through the Canadian Red Cross, according to a Monday news release. The funds are intended to help with what Houston called “urgent needs such as food and personal care items.”

Officials in Nova Scotia also announced a province wide burn ban Monday due to the “seriousness of the current fires.”

“The ban will remain in place until June 25 unless the Province determines it can be lifted sooner,” officials said in a news release. “Anyone who contravenes the ban can be subject to prosecution under the Forest Act.”

Trudeau: ‘Wildfire situation in Nova Scotia is incredibly serious’

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the wildfires “incredibly serious” in a tweet Monday.

“We stand ready to provide any federal support and assistance needed,” Trudeau said. “We’re keeping everyone affected in our thoughts, and we’re thanking those who are working hard to keep people safe.”

A wildfire burning in Nova Scotia’s Westwood Hills and Tantallon areas is “out of control,” a Monday news release said. The blaze currently spans about 1,947 acres.

More than 200 crews from agencies across the province have been sent to help battle the blaze. Officials say there are 35 fire trucks, two helicopters and a water bomber being used as officials cautioned wind gusts of up to 40 mph could cause the fire to spread.

Another fire, which is burning in the Barrington Lake and Shelburne County areas in southwest Nova Scotia, continued to rapidly grow Monday. The blaze, which is officials say is also “out of control,” scorched nearly 24,000 acres as of Monday evening, a news release said. Officials in the release noted “some structures have been destroyed and others are threatened, but there are no firm details on the numbers yet from the area.”

Fire danger in Alberta is still “very high or extreme in the northern regions of the province, moderate to very high in the central and southern regions, and moderate to very high from the central region to the northern slopes of the Rocky Mountains,” the Sunday release said.

Here is a look at the 2023 Atlantic hurricane season.

Follow the storm tracker for the path and forecasts of the latest storm.

Facts

The 2023 Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30. The areas covered include the Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea.

The National Weather Service defines a hurricane as a “tropical cyclone with maximum sustained winds of 74 mph (64 knots) or higher.”

Hurricanes are rated according to intensity of sustained winds on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. The 1-5 scale estimates potential property damage.

A Category 3 or higher is considered a major hurricane.

The National Hurricane Center advises preparedness:

Predictions

April 13, 2023 – The Colorado State University Tropical Meteorology Project team predicts a “slightly below-normal” Atlantic hurricane season. The team forecasts 13 named storms, including six hurricanes, two of which will be major hurricanes.

May 25, 2023 – The Climate Prediction Center (CPC) at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) forecasts a 40% chance for a near-normal season, predicting that there is a 70% chance of having 12 to 17 named storms, of which five to nine could develop into hurricanes, including one to four major hurricanes (Categories 3-5).

2023 Atlantic Storm Names

Pronunciation Guide

New York City’s world-famous skyline has dazzled viewers for around a century now. But for four days a year, the sun aligns perfectly through spaces between buildings to cast an amazing beam of light at sunset that reminds people of England’s ancient Stonehenge.

This very modern version, dubbed “Manhattanhenge,” marks its first 2023 showing at sunset tonight (8:19 p.m. EDT).

Viewers will see a half sun hovering over the city’s street grid at 8:13 p.m. tonight, and there’s a full-sun viewing on Tuesday at 8:12 p.m., according to astronomer Neil deGrasse Tyson on the American Museum of Natural History’s website.

The effect lasts only a few minutes when light from the sunset shoots down thoroughfares running east to west that aren’t blocked by any of the island’s behemoth buildings.

If you miss this week’s showing, there’s another coming in mid-July.

Where to see Manhattanhenge

Tyson has some advice for where to see it. For the best effect, position yourself as far east in Manhattan as possible. Be sure that when you look west across the avenues, you can still see New Jersey. He lists the following streets as particularly good ones:

– 14th Street
– 23rd Street
– 34th Street
– 42nd Street
– 57th Street

The New York City Department of Parks & Recreation also suggests the Tudor City Overpass in Manhattan and Hunter’s Point South Park in Long Island City, Queens.

While this is called “Manhattanhenge,” you can also get this effect in parts of Queens, too.

You can thank Manhattan’s easy-to-use grid system, which dates back to the early 1800s, for the phenomenon. This happy alignment starts at Houston Street and runs up to just south of 155th Street.

It’s one of the world’s most watched soccer leagues, featuring some of the planet’s greatest players. Except, this week, nobody is talking about the ‘beautiful game’ after the shameful racist abuse of Real Madrid star Vinícius Jr. sent LaLiga into crisis management mode.

It was only after the 10th reported incident of racist abuse aimed at Vinícius during a La Liga match since 2021, this time in Valencia on Sunday, that Spanish football and the country’s legal system finally clicked into gear.

Seven arrests were made by police on Tuesday alone, Spain’s football federation (RFEF) launched a new anti-racism campaign and ordered the partial closure of Valencia’s stadium and LaLiga formally called to be given sanctioning powers to better fight racism.

But what caused this sudden flurry of activity after incident No. 10 when nine previous incidents of racist abuse seemingly were not enough to spark meaningful action?

The answer, according to one former marketing chief, is money and reputation.

For the first time, Vinícius – one of the world’s most talented and recognizable players – insinuated that his future may not lie in the Iberian nation, while Spanish media was abuzz with suggestions that these incidents would hinder Spain’s joint 2030 World Cup bid – with Portugal, Morocco and Ukraine – an event that could be worth billions of dollars to the country.

Ricardo Fort, the former Head of Global Sponsorships at Visa and Coca-Cola, said brands that have sponsorship agreements with LaLiga may even start reconsidering these deals.

“They probably have a statement ready to go if they feel they have to do it, but they are most likely holding that back to use only if it’s very, very necessary. All of them are trying to stay away from engaging the conversation, not to be associated with the problem.

“Behind the scenes, they are also calling the people they have to manage their relationships at LaLiga, to ask them to provide updates and to figure out what is their plan. Some of the CEOs may be questioning their marketing teams, whether or not this is something that is sustainable or if they should continue to be associated with LaLiga.”

‘Why are we associated with this?’

Fort likens the current situation in Spain with the fallout of the FIFA corruption scandal in 2015.

Swiss police at the time made several arrests during a raid of a hotel where FIFA executives were staying, with numerous high-ranking officials indicted on charges of money laundering, fraud and racketeering in arguably the biggest scandal to ever hit global soccer.

The investigation eventually led to a number of powerful former soccer chiefs pleading guilty and receiving prison sentences.

At the time, Fort was working for Visa – one of FIFA’s main sponsors – and says there is “a lot of pressure” from numerous parties on organizations like FIFA and LaLiga in crisis management situations like these.

“You have the press calling to ask for a statement, you have investor relations, so big holders of stocks of all these companies asking questions,” Fort says.

“You have board members that are calling the CEO to ask what the company is going to do, you have – depending on the case – employees saying: ‘Why are we associated with this?’”

At a meeting with its sponsors in Zurich, Fort says FIFA laid out its plan to form an independent ethics committee. However, when the CEOs of FIFA’s sponsors were not appeased by the plan, they phoned then president Sepp Blatter to demand changes in management.

“I know that the CEO of Coca-Cola at that time, Muhtar Kent, called Sepp Blatter and said: ‘Sepp, it’s time to leave,’” Fort recalls. “So this is the kind of thing that if the solution is not on the horizon, some CEOs may do this.

“There is a loss of confidence in the ability of LaLiga to manage the crisis and find solutions,” Fort adds. “Now, if I was a sponsor, I would demand changes in management and that starts with the president.”

Earlier this week, the head of the RFEF, Luis Rubiales, criticized LaLiga president Javier Tebas, who got involved in a back-and-forth with Vinícius on Twitter after Sunday’s match.

“Directors are not here to get involved in engagements on social media, we’re here to try and solve problems – and this footballer was attacked very seriously,” Rubiales said.

“I think Javier Tebas is not prepared, equipped or interested in solving the problem,” adds Fort.

While removing the president from an organization is “not very effective in driving the solution” to the situation, Fort explains, it at least shows sponsors that the organization is “willing” to make big changes.

“That’s important,” he says.

“But if people in Brazil understood it that way I have to apologize,” he told ESPN Brasil. “That wasn’t my intention. I expressed myself badly, at a bad time … but I did not intend to attack Vinicius.”

Diplomatic incident

The fallout from the incident at Valencia’s Mestalla stadium on Sunday even took a diplomatic turn when Brazil’s president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, and other government officials became involved.

The Brazilian minister of racial equality, Anielle Franco, said on Monday that she had already called the Spanish Public Prosecutor’s Office and Spain’s deputy prime minister to investigate, while Brazil’s justice minister, Flávio Dino, tweeted about the possibility of “extraterritoriality” – applying Brazil’s laws in Spain – if Spanish authorities fail to protect Vinícius.

The incident even drew comments from the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, who said the incident at the Mestalla Stadium “is a stark reminder of the prevalence of racism in sport.”

“I call on those who organize sporting events to have strategies in place to prevent and counter racism,” he added.

Fort estimates that many of the sponsorship deals LaLiga has could run between $5 million and $10 million per season; a “sizable” amount, he says, but certainly not a “meaningful” financial impact given LaLiga’s revenues.

According to Reuters, LaLiga expects the total value of its business to increase from $26 billion to nearly $38 billion in seven to 10 years.

What can “really damage” LaLiga, however, is the continuing impact on its reputation, which would be made worse by sponsors canceling their deals with the league, according to Fort.

“If a recognized brand drops out because they don’t trust LaLiga’s commitment to combat racism, I think that’s going to have repercussions for them the next time they’re signing contracts for broadcasting or sponsors,” Fort says.

It can also provide a boost to competitors, too, with other European leagues using LaLiga’s mess to their advantage.

On Tuesday, the CEO of Italy’s Serie A, Luigi De Siervo, said the league will will take a “zero tolerance” approach to racist fans, according to Reuters.

“If you are Serie A or Ligue 1 or the Bundesliga, you are going to talk about racism in every sale speech that you’re going to do in the next few years,” Fort says.

“You’re going to tell your prospects that, unlike other countries, you don’t have a problem of racism. I think this is going to hurt LaLiga commercially.

“We don’t know the extent, but I think it’s going to happen over time – and they may not lose money. They know that they may not have lower revenues, but they will grow slower than they could have grown otherwise.”