I enjoyed reading this! It's funny, my Dad was born in Liverpool so we are all Liverpool fans and my youngest dreams of being a footballer. I'm the hooligan in our house and yet I married an Egyptian - who doesn't care for football!
I really enjoyed this post, Noha. I confess to having zero interest in any professional sport. But my highlight as a father in his eyes was giving my son, for some reason a fan of Liverpool, a Salah shirt signed by the man himself (I happened to meet him on a business trip to Liverpool). I occasionally mention it when I feel the need for some filial appreciation...
Jeffrey, I remember you mentioning that you gave your kid a Salah jersey at some point and that you had met him - my husband and kids would have freaked out!
My loss of interest in hockey has saved me a great deal of time lol... that said, my kids are starting to pay attention to professional hockey this playoff season because there are several Canadian teams in the playoffs and that has been kind of fun.
Love this cheekiness, Noha, what fun! We don’t do the sports thing much but I have to confess, my sister became a Caps fan when she married and moved to DC. And she has been updating me on Ovie’s progress to the record-breaking goals. So I get your hockey love! I’m so sorry though, that they’re the ones who destroyed your dreams… 😬🫣 I appreciate soccer as a sport, too. :) Fun to get this peek into your Saturday sofa time!
Ovi breaking Gretzky's record was insane!!! It felt like it would stand forever and so this was a big deal...
Honestly I wasn't expecting Montreal to go far this season... just happy they made the playoffs, for the first time in 4 years! And pretty impressed that even though they lost in 5 games, they actually kept most of the games very close...
Omg I’m sorry I didn’t reply till now! And I just read your piece about “cool” and have to say, we’re moving (again) and it was great to read your note and I didn’t get back to it till now. ❤️ It is sooo cool when they can keep the score close! I always feel bad for the underdogs so sports are hard for me, lol!
Good luck with the move! I relate to the underdog stuff, big time... I hate watching the losing team have to stand there at the end. It breaks my heart.
Holly it's like you knew!! My 11 year old is suddenly interested in the NHL playoffs this year. I think because his little friends are watching hockey and talking about it...
I don't mind - it's reminding me of what I loved about hockey too...
Isn't it so hard to to try to get them into your thing and then watch them be totally disinterested?? Have hope, Jamal. They may come to love it 5 years after you give up 😅😅
Hahahaaaa the guy dressed like Freddy Kruger 🤣🤣...
There's actually something called the Heritage Minute here in Canada from our federal heritage department, and they're these little videos showing interesting things that have happened in Canadian history... One of them is actually a heritage minute about the first pro hockey goalie that insisted on wearing a proper face mask after taking a puck to the face and having his face ripped open...
I know the facemasks look bizarre but you should have seen what happened to the goalies before that....
Also, in soccer they usually say GOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLL and in hockey they almost always say "He shoots he scooooooooooooooooores!!"
My 11 year old keeps asking questions like "what happens if a puck hits someone other than the goalie in the face? What happens if someone skates over someone else's hand when they fall on the ice?"
and honestly, it's horrible to say but every question he's asked, there's been a case of that thing happening. Hockey can be so gruesome and so brutal if a horrible thing happens and the move towards more protective equipment has been SLOW. It's better now but it took forever...
To be fair... If you read this, only one of the three players above were Canadian. You have a Canadian, an American and a Finn. But yes... Hockey is INSANE!!
Great post! I grew up in Detroit with hockey, loving parents. My hometown team was not great, but we supported them anyway, and also supported the Windsor spitfires. Back in my childhood there wasn’t much soccer on TV, and you couldn’t find it on a non-insistent Internet. After I started playing soccer myself, my love for hockey disappeared. If only there had been hockey for girls when I was a kid I might have stuck with it. Keep working at those kids!
Oh this is super familiar to me. My dad missed soccer so much when he first came to Canada and there was so little of it on tv. Now that we have ways to watch it, it has taken over!
Umm...am I the odd one here for not following any sports? Or my family for that matter?
But if I had to pick a team I'd pick Toronto Maple Leafs, cuz, well, duh, Toronto lol. Plus their color is blue, and blue was/is my fav color. And my cousin got me a leafs notebook/ruler/sharper pack thing as a kid, so yeah. Good memories. But no sports in this house, nor TV. But my brother is a UFC fan so sometime I've watched fights with him.
So when I first got into hockey, the Leafs were my TEAM!! It was 1994 (I know I know that was a looooooooooooooong time ago) and they made it all the way to the Western Conference Final...
It's been fun seeing them to advance this year. I can't believe they a) broke the curse of the first round and b) are up 2-0 on the defending champs in the second round.
It's a big deal!
But also, I'm kind of jealous of you that you don't pay attention to sports. It's such a time suck... I wish I was more disciplined...
Oh don't worry aunty Noha, I shamefully assure you that I waste more time on social media than you might be on keeping up with sports lol. To each their vice, I guess. But I really need to get better with this scrolling addiction. It's stealing so much of my life from me.
Sigh...calling you Noha is like the most anti-Arab thing ever lol, or anti-desi or any similar culture that uses honorifics lmao. It's still odd to me that I have to call some of my profs by their first names.
Sister will do then 😮💨
But how about Nonna Noha 🤭 I mean look at the prosody! Its perfect!
Ohh my GOODNESS Noha, my partner and I are diehard Liverpool fans (all the way over in the States), so to say this piece tickled me is an understatement! I loved the cheekiness of it all. And I love that your boys get to see representation in Mo Salah.
Tell your husband congrats on 'our' win this year! #You'llNeverWalkAlone
Thank you Gigi!! Fellow Liverpool fans... Congrats to you too...
We actually went to Philly this summer for the game between Liverpool and Arsenal. It was so exciting!! Salah was playing and he scored one of his signature goals, running down the wing. We actually sang it in the crowd:
Hahahaaaa I think the only sport we pay zero attention to is baseball, so forgive me if I agree to disagree. But yes, those sneaky sneaky soccer fans. My husband included 🤣🤣
i really thought this was a warning to all the moms and teens and readers about how all the red pill content are influencing the kids. Its just a whole some post. I thought you took inspiration from the netflix series adolescence but this was just a wholesome family post.
I did watch adolescence and I am terrified about all the red pill stuff, but yes, this was just a silly fun thing I wanted to share ... I admit I intentionally made the title click-bate-y for fun...
I guess I successfully brainwashed our kids in that none of us cares one bit for sports. (My husband isn't super into anything other than racing either, but even that didn't catch on.)
Well that must save you so much time! If soccer isn't on, it's basketball, or it's tennis, or we are watching a little bit of hockey play-offs this year for the first time in ages. And every year we do watch the superbowl... I think the only sport we 100% ignore is baseball, but if my 11 year old's friends start talking about it, he might take it up too.
I used to live next door to a Liverpool bar when I lived in Boston. My friend invited me to go one time and I almost went, until he told me the game was at 7:30 AM (our time). I'd watch playoff hockey 100 times before I watched a soccer game, but that's me! (RIP Hartford Whalers)
Fascinating! I’m Harrison, an ex fine dining industry line cook. My stack "The Secret Ingredient" adapts hit restaurant recipes (mostly NYC and L.A.) for easy home cooking.
I enjoyed reading this! It's funny, my Dad was born in Liverpool so we are all Liverpool fans and my youngest dreams of being a footballer. I'm the hooligan in our house and yet I married an Egyptian - who doesn't care for football!
Hahahaaa you met the only Egyptian who’s not into football 😅
Quite possibly the only Middle Eastern person who's not into football 😂
LOL yes maybe... but they're sucking me in.
Lol! May you triumph in the next epic battle for their allegiance!
Hahahaaaa we shall see. My husband is definitely the strong silent type. In the wars of attrition he is most likely to win 🤣
I really enjoyed this post, Noha. I confess to having zero interest in any professional sport. But my highlight as a father in his eyes was giving my son, for some reason a fan of Liverpool, a Salah shirt signed by the man himself (I happened to meet him on a business trip to Liverpool). I occasionally mention it when I feel the need for some filial appreciation...
Jeffrey, I remember you mentioning that you gave your kid a Salah jersey at some point and that you had met him - my husband and kids would have freaked out!
My loss of interest in hockey has saved me a great deal of time lol... that said, my kids are starting to pay attention to professional hockey this playoff season because there are several Canadian teams in the playoffs and that has been kind of fun.
I found that my loss of interest in sport gifted me many hours in which to do other things that feel more fulfilling.
Love this cheekiness, Noha, what fun! We don’t do the sports thing much but I have to confess, my sister became a Caps fan when she married and moved to DC. And she has been updating me on Ovie’s progress to the record-breaking goals. So I get your hockey love! I’m so sorry though, that they’re the ones who destroyed your dreams… 😬🫣 I appreciate soccer as a sport, too. :) Fun to get this peek into your Saturday sofa time!
Ovi breaking Gretzky's record was insane!!! It felt like it would stand forever and so this was a big deal...
Honestly I wasn't expecting Montreal to go far this season... just happy they made the playoffs, for the first time in 4 years! And pretty impressed that even though they lost in 5 games, they actually kept most of the games very close...
Omg I’m sorry I didn’t reply till now! And I just read your piece about “cool” and have to say, we’re moving (again) and it was great to read your note and I didn’t get back to it till now. ❤️ It is sooo cool when they can keep the score close! I always feel bad for the underdogs so sports are hard for me, lol!
Good luck with the move! I relate to the underdog stuff, big time... I hate watching the losing team have to stand there at the end. It breaks my heart.
I hear you!! And thanks for the good wishes!
Hahaha! Long live the beautiful sport (with its announcements as poetry)! Talk about grace in defeat, my friend.
But you never know. The underdog is well know for a comeback. Don’t give up entirely on the game on ice! 😁
Holly it's like you knew!! My 11 year old is suddenly interested in the NHL playoffs this year. I think because his little friends are watching hockey and talking about it...
I don't mind - it's reminding me of what I loved about hockey too...
I have two words: summer camp. Let us remember your historical wins, my friend.
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣YOU'RE RIGHT!!!
This was awesome Noha! 😂
I’ve been trying to get my kids on the basketball bandwagon lol
Isn't it so hard to to try to get them into your thing and then watch them be totally disinterested?? Have hope, Jamal. They may come to love it 5 years after you give up 😅😅
I will have hope! 🤣
Thanks for the smiles that brought! GOOOOOAAAALLLL! Er, whatever one says when the puck gets past that guy dressed like Freddy Kruger.
Hahahaaaa the guy dressed like Freddy Kruger 🤣🤣...
There's actually something called the Heritage Minute here in Canada from our federal heritage department, and they're these little videos showing interesting things that have happened in Canadian history... One of them is actually a heritage minute about the first pro hockey goalie that insisted on wearing a proper face mask after taking a puck to the face and having his face ripped open...
I know the facemasks look bizarre but you should have seen what happened to the goalies before that....
Also, in soccer they usually say GOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLL and in hockey they almost always say "He shoots he scooooooooooooooooores!!"
Now I’m ready to attend my first hockey game!
My 11 year old keeps asking questions like "what happens if a puck hits someone other than the goalie in the face? What happens if someone skates over someone else's hand when they fall on the ice?"
and honestly, it's horrible to say but every question he's asked, there's been a case of that thing happening. Hockey can be so gruesome and so brutal if a horrible thing happens and the move towards more protective equipment has been SLOW. It's better now but it took forever...
HANDS GET SKATED OVER?!?!? I THOUGHT YOU CANADIANS WERE A KIND GENTLE PEOPLE BUT YOU ARE ACTUALLY BARBARIANS!!!
I mean to be fair it's not INTENTIONAL...
but yes... this is the hand skated over story with severed tendons:
https://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/habs-audette-out-indefinitely-1.283805
and there are several pucks or sticks hitting eyes leading to blindness:
https://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/nhl/koivu-injures-eye-in-habs-loss-1.576586
https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/14947576/nhl-bryan-berard-remembers-injury-changed-life
To be fair... If you read this, only one of the three players above were Canadian. You have a Canadian, an American and a Finn. But yes... Hockey is INSANE!!
YOU ARE SENDING ME LINKS TO THIS BARBARITY?!?!? I DON'T WANT TO KNOW THESE STORIES!!! YOU ARE NOT THE KIND PERSON I THOUGHT YOU TO BE, NOHA!!!! :-)
Great post! I grew up in Detroit with hockey, loving parents. My hometown team was not great, but we supported them anyway, and also supported the Windsor spitfires. Back in my childhood there wasn’t much soccer on TV, and you couldn’t find it on a non-insistent Internet. After I started playing soccer myself, my love for hockey disappeared. If only there had been hockey for girls when I was a kid I might have stuck with it. Keep working at those kids!
Oh this is super familiar to me. My dad missed soccer so much when he first came to Canada and there was so little of it on tv. Now that we have ways to watch it, it has taken over!
I wrote about this more in this piece if you're interested... https://nohabeshir.substack.com/p/costco-runs-with-baba?utm_source=publication-search
Umm...am I the odd one here for not following any sports? Or my family for that matter?
But if I had to pick a team I'd pick Toronto Maple Leafs, cuz, well, duh, Toronto lol. Plus their color is blue, and blue was/is my fav color. And my cousin got me a leafs notebook/ruler/sharper pack thing as a kid, so yeah. Good memories. But no sports in this house, nor TV. But my brother is a UFC fan so sometime I've watched fights with him.
So when I first got into hockey, the Leafs were my TEAM!! It was 1994 (I know I know that was a looooooooooooooong time ago) and they made it all the way to the Western Conference Final...
It's been fun seeing them to advance this year. I can't believe they a) broke the curse of the first round and b) are up 2-0 on the defending champs in the second round.
It's a big deal!
But also, I'm kind of jealous of you that you don't pay attention to sports. It's such a time suck... I wish I was more disciplined...
Oh don't worry aunty Noha, I shamefully assure you that I waste more time on social media than you might be on keeping up with sports lol. To each their vice, I guess. But I really need to get better with this scrolling addiction. It's stealing so much of my life from me.
Mahmood! We discussed this: NO AUNTY!!!!
(also I still waste time on socials lol)
Oh, my bad aun— ahem, yes. I shall refrain from the A word. My apologies.
(What do I call you then? 😭)
Noha is fine. If you really need a word before it I'm ok with Sister Noha. You poor polite young man... I will let you choose 😅😅😅
I choose aun— *cough cough*
Sigh...calling you Noha is like the most anti-Arab thing ever lol, or anti-desi or any similar culture that uses honorifics lmao. It's still odd to me that I have to call some of my profs by their first names.
Sister will do then 😮💨
But how about Nonna Noha 🤭 I mean look at the prosody! Its perfect!
Ohh my GOODNESS Noha, my partner and I are diehard Liverpool fans (all the way over in the States), so to say this piece tickled me is an understatement! I loved the cheekiness of it all. And I love that your boys get to see representation in Mo Salah.
Tell your husband congrats on 'our' win this year! #You'llNeverWalkAlone
Thank you Gigi!! Fellow Liverpool fans... Congrats to you too...
We actually went to Philly this summer for the game between Liverpool and Arsenal. It was so exciting!! Salah was playing and he scored one of his signature goals, running down the wing. We actually sang it in the crowd:
"Mo Salah! Mo Salah,
Running down the wing!
Mo Salah, Mo Salah,
the Egyptian King"
Oh my. I am happy for y'all and jealous!! We are going to see a LVP game (in person) before Salah's contract is up, even if we can't really afford it!
Soccer fans are the most insidious things on this Earth. That’s why I’m all about those Mets baby, love the Mets.
Hahahaaaa I think the only sport we pay zero attention to is baseball, so forgive me if I agree to disagree. But yes, those sneaky sneaky soccer fans. My husband included 🤣🤣
i really thought this was a warning to all the moms and teens and readers about how all the red pill content are influencing the kids. Its just a whole some post. I thought you took inspiration from the netflix series adolescence but this was just a wholesome family post.
I did watch adolescence and I am terrified about all the red pill stuff, but yes, this was just a silly fun thing I wanted to share ... I admit I intentionally made the title click-bate-y for fun...
I guess I successfully brainwashed our kids in that none of us cares one bit for sports. (My husband isn't super into anything other than racing either, but even that didn't catch on.)
Well that must save you so much time! If soccer isn't on, it's basketball, or it's tennis, or we are watching a little bit of hockey play-offs this year for the first time in ages. And every year we do watch the superbowl... I think the only sport we 100% ignore is baseball, but if my 11 year old's friends start talking about it, he might take it up too.
I used to live next door to a Liverpool bar when I lived in Boston. My friend invited me to go one time and I almost went, until he told me the game was at 7:30 AM (our time). I'd watch playoff hockey 100 times before I watched a soccer game, but that's me! (RIP Hartford Whalers)
Fascinating! I’m Harrison, an ex fine dining industry line cook. My stack "The Secret Ingredient" adapts hit restaurant recipes (mostly NYC and L.A.) for easy home cooking.
check us out:
https://thesecretingredient.substack.com