Spot Kicks: Before There Was FIFA 11, There Was Super Sidekicks

Kudos to the gang at The Offside for digging up this nostalgic trip through 8-bit and 16-bit soccer video games. I didn’t play much video game soccer back in the day — was too busy losing hours playing Cyberball and Tecmo Super Bowl — but I recognize a Neo*Geo game when I see one, and there are quite a few of them in that video. It’s as if Neo*Geo programmers were required to make their games funky-looking.

Wait, I’m sorry… distinctive. Yeah, that’s the word that will save me from the inevitable comment flames…

In the meantime, here’s some more stuff you ought to read:

  • Jon Wertheim examines the tragic suicide of Denver Broncos receiver Kenny McKinley, and how physical injuries get far more attention than mental ones. [Sports Illustrated]
  • The NFL doesn’t really care about your brains. [Hashiell Dammit]
  • How a future star receiver at Alabama ended up as a bank teller. I suspect his story isn’t the least bit unique. [FanHouse]
  • Football helmet maker Riddell doesn’t like competition [Techdirt]
  • That 18-game NFL schedule that Indianapolis Colts GM Bill Polian says is a “done deal?” Pretty much anyone who doesn’t own an NFL team hates it. [Shutdown Corner]
  • Jim Mora Jr. isn’t the least bit bitter about that whole Ron Mexico thing. [The Big Lead]
  • Then again, maybe Señor Mexico really is The American Dream. [SB Nation]
  • Plaxico Burress talks about life in the pokey. [New York Daily News]
  • How Dez Bryant’s $55K dinner ruined America. It’s funny. Laugh, people. [SB Nation]
  • 12 throwback jerseys that remind us when football was a little more fun to watch. [Style Crave]
  • FanVision gives fans a TV at football games. Because who would want to watch what’s on the field when you’ve got a 4-inch screen in your hand? [Playbook]
  • This Boise State rap makes “We are N.D.” look a lot less embarrassing. [SB Nation]
  • Meet the young woman who plays cornerback for a high school in Florida. That’s quite impressive. [Prep Rally]
  • Calgary quarterback Henry Burris likes to dress up. [55 Yard Line]
  • Analysts tell us what we already knew: Live sports will keep people tied to cable and satellite TV for years to come. [Ars Technica]
  • Is FoxSoccer.tv better than Fox Soccer Plus? (If you’re a cable subscriber, absolutely.) [EPL Talk]
  • Samuel L. Jackson is sick and tired of these motherfucking Americans in the motherfucking owner’s box at Liverpool. [Deadspin]
  • How A Midsummer Night’s Dream is a little like soccer. [The Run of Play]
  • The New York Cosmos don’t have a team yet, but they have an awesome kit. [Dirty Tackle]
  • Fremantle Dockers supporters aren’t too keen on their club getting rid of its old kit. [Herald Sun]
  • Your big fat Grand Final Replay preview. [Contested Footy]

Finally, to end on the theme with which we started, here’s what our pal Tom Dunmore has been doing in his spare time instead of updating Pitch Invasion every day. Instead of recreating football in video game, he’s recreating video games at live football matches.

What, no mushrooms? Come on, Section 8.

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