Football, tennis and marveling at Loki

Rank	Article	Views	Notes/about
1	UEFA Euro 2020	3,826,236	To celebrate 60 years of the European football championship (though in the 61st anniversary due to the pandemic), the tournament was spread across 11 countries – including Romania, whose national team didn't qualify, and 3 of the 6 squads who crashed in the group stage, namely Scotland, Hungary and Russia. And now it's time for the knockout stages to have its victims.
2	John McAfee	2,276,607	Did you know the creator of McAfee VirusScan was a larger-than-life character who had many brushes with the law? And indeed, McAfee was incarcerated in a Spanish prison when he apparently hanged himself, hours after the local authorities authorized his extradition back to the United States to face tax evasion charges. The Internet is already making an "Epstein didn't kill himself" out of his death.
3	Critical race theory	1,067,224	School boards around the United States are filled with talk about "critical race theory," a specific academic field that, to some eyes, encompasses everything from The 1619 Project to white genocide. In Washoe County, Nevada, parents even proposed equipping teachers with body cams to prevent the dastardly CRT.
4	Britney Spears	893,108	The pop star has been under a conservatorship since a highly publicized episode in 2008. Despite being thirty-nine years old, her parents have control over her finances, and she had to politely ask in court for permission to remove an IUD. A Wednesday court hearing, wherein Spears read a statement detailing her conservatorship, has transformed the online "free Britney" movement from Marina Joyce-style conspiracy into a disability rights movement—disabled people often have to deal with conservatorship.
5	Cristiano Ronaldo	862,066	Ronaldo continues his campaign to make Portugal the second team to win consecutive titles at #18, (Spain being the first with wins in '08 and '12). On his match on June 23, he equalled the record for most international goals. His team play the number 1 ranked team (Belgium) in the next round, on June 27 (just after this report's cut-off).
6	Deaths in 2021	856,530	To die by your side is such a heavenly way to die To die by your side Well the pleasure and the privilege is mine
7	Loki (TV series)	771,341	Marvel Comics' interpretation of the Norse god of mischief was portrayed by Tom Hiddleston in the movies, and people loved it. And Loki now stars in his Disney+ own show, where he jumps around time and space in pursuit of a criminal screwing with history (said criminal is Loki, in female form). And Loki seems intent on matching predecessor WandaVision in leaving viewers confused (if not frustrated at finishing episodes on cliffhangers...) and inspiring massive speculation every week from fans.
8	Carl Nassib	756,106	Nassib, defensive end for the Las Vegas Raiders, came out as gay on June 21; he is the first active NFL player to do so.
9	F9 (film)	736,803	A few weeks after its international debut, the ninth – technically tenth – Fast & Furious hit North American theaters. The film also marks the long-awaited (if only sarcastically) moment where the series goes to space (!).
10	Matt Hancock	682,227	A Secretary of State for Health and Social Care breaking social distancing rules by kissing someone? Well, everyone is allowed to err once. But not when he did so in an extramarital affair, escalating this to full-blown scandal and leading to Hancock's resignation.

Rank

Article

Class

Views

Image

Notes/about

UEFA Euro 2020

3,826,236

To celebrate 60 years of the European football championship (though in the 61st anniversary due to the pandemic), the tournament was spread across 11 countries – including Romania, whose national team didn't qualify, and 3 of the 6 squads who crashed in the group stage, namely Scotland, Hungary and Russia. And now it's time for the knockout stages to have its victims.

John McAfee

2,276,607

Did you know the creator of McAfee VirusScan was a larger-than-life character who had many brushes with the law? And indeed, McAfee was incarcerated in a Spanish prison when he apparently hanged himself, hours after the local authorities authorized his extradition back to the United States to face tax evasion charges. The Internet is already making an "Epstein didn't kill himself" out of his death.

Critical race theory

1,067,224

School boards around the United States are filled with talk about "critical race theory," a specific academic field that, to some eyes, encompasses everything from The 1619 Project to white genocide. In Washoe County, Nevada, parents even proposed equipping teachers with body cams to prevent the dastardly CRT.

Britney Spears

893,108

The pop star has been under a conservatorship since a highly publicized episode in 2008. Despite being thirty-nine years old, her parents have control over her finances, and she had to politely ask in court for permission to remove an IUD. A Wednesday court hearing, wherein Spears read a statement detailing her conservatorship, has transformed the online "free Britney" movement from Marina Joyce-style conspiracy into a disability rights movement—disabled people often have to deal with conservatorship.

Cristiano Ronaldo

862,066

Ronaldo continues his campaign to make Portugal the second team to win consecutive titles at #18, (Spain being the first with wins in '08 and '12). On his match on June 23, he equalled the record for most international goals. His team play the number 1 ranked team (Belgium) in the next round, on June 27 (just after this report's cut-off).

Deaths in 2021

856,530

To die by your side
is such a heavenly way to die
To die by your side
Well the pleasure and the privilege is mine

Loki (TV series)

771,341

Marvel Comics' interpretation of the Norse god of mischief was portrayed by Tom Hiddleston in the movies, and people loved it. And Loki now stars in his Disney+ own show, where he jumps around time and space in pursuit of a criminal screwing with history (said criminal is Loki, in female form). And Loki seems intent on matching predecessor WandaVision in leaving viewers confused (if not frustrated at finishing episodes on cliffhangers...) and inspiring massive speculation every week from fans.

Carl Nassib

756,106

Nassib, defensive end for the Las Vegas Raiders, came out as gay on June 21; he is the first active NFL player to do so.

F9 (film)

736,803

A few weeks after its international debut, the ninth – technically tenth – Fast & Furious hit North American theaters. The film also marks the long-awaited (if only sarcastically) moment where the series goes to space (!).

Matt Hancock

682,227

A Secretary of State for Health and Social Care breaking social distancing rules by kissing someone? Well, everyone is allowed to err once. But not when he did so in an extramarital affair, escalating this to full-blown scandal and leading to Hancock's resignation.

Rank	Article	Views	Notes/about
1	UEFA Euro 2020	2,920,042	In the time since the last report and this one, the last-16 and quarter finals are complete, with some shocks. Firstly, Czechia beat the Netherlands. But then, the reigning world champions were knocked out by Switzerland. In the other matches, Belgium beat Portugal, Ukraine beat Sweden, England beat Germany and Spain beat Croatia (with some dramatic comebacks along the way). Of these teams, England, Denmark, Italy and Spain have made it through to the semi-finals.
2	Loki (TV series)	949,996	Disney+'s show about Thor's deceptive adoptive brother continues to air weekly, while also ending episodes in just the right way to make viewers spend the following 6 days wondering what happened and what will follow.
3	The Tomorrow War	845,059	In another one of those movies that got screwed out of a theatrical release due to the pandemic (Prime Video picked it up), the 2022 FIFA World Cup final is interrupted by people arriving from the future to warn us that mankind will become nearly extinct by aliens and they want help, leading Chris Pratt to jump forward in time to fight alongside the grown-up version of his daughter.
4	Deaths in 2021	833,746	Who knew the other side of you? Who knew that others died to prove? Too true to say goodbye to you Too true to say, say, say
5	UEFA European Championship	832,438	The latest edition (#1) will end next Sunday. And of the four semifinalists, only England have never won before.
6	Emma Raducanu	812,282	Raducanu made her WTA debut at the 2021 Nottingham Open, and gained a wildcard entry into Wimbledon. Ranked 333 in the world she proceeded to beat Vitalia Diatchenko, Markéta Vondroušová and Sorana Cîrstea (ranked 137, 41 and 54 respectivly) to make it into the fourth round. With this result she is guaranteed to make it into the top 200. She's also the youngest British woman to reach Wimbledon's last 16, a good relief for the country's tennis after Johanna Konta withdrew due to COVID concerns.
7	F9 (film)	808,866	Vin Diesel and co. driving fast cars for the ninth time has broken half a billion worldwide to become Hollywood's highest-grossing movie of the year. Let's see how much gas it has left, as a Russian racer arrives this week to make the race tighter.
8	Bill Cosby	729,750	The former innovative comedian turned convicted rapist was released after his judgment was overturned by the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania due to violations of due process rights, as they remembered that a non-prosecution agreement had been struck between Cosby and a former District Attorney.
9	Cristiano Ronaldo	726,449	Last week I reported that Ronaldo was attempting to take his team to consecutive European Championships. This week I get to report that he failed. To make matters worse he failed to score against Belgium, meaning he still has to share the record for most international goals. His next chance to get the outright record comes against Republic of Ireland (September 1), a game in which his team are the clear favourites.
10	Raj Kaushal	699,144	Bollywood lost this director, producer and stunt director who died at 49 of a heart attack.

Rank

Article

Class

Views

Image

Notes/about

UEFA Euro 2020

2,920,042

In the time since the last report and this one, the last-16 and quarter finals are complete, with some shocks. Firstly, Czechia beat the Netherlands. But then, the reigning world champions were knocked out by Switzerland. In the other matches, Belgium beat Portugal, Ukraine beat Sweden, England beat Germany and Spain beat Croatia (with some dramatic comebacks along the way). Of these teams, England, Denmark, Italy and Spain have made it through to the semi-finals.

Loki (TV series)

949,996

Disney+'s show about Thor's deceptive adoptive brother continues to air weekly, while also ending episodes in just the right way to make viewers spend the following 6 days wondering what happened and what will follow.

The Tomorrow War

845,059

In another one of those movies that got screwed out of a theatrical release due to the pandemic (Prime Video picked it up), the 2022 FIFA World Cup final is interrupted by people arriving from the future to warn us that mankind will become nearly extinct by aliens and they want help, leading Chris Pratt to jump forward in time to fight alongside the grown-up version of his daughter.

Deaths in 2021

833,746

Who knew the other side of you?
Who knew that others died to prove?
Too true to say goodbye to you
Too true to say, say, say

UEFA European Championship

832,438

The latest edition (#1) will end next Sunday. And of the four semifinalists, only England have never won before.

Emma Raducanu

812,282

Raducanu made her WTA debut at the 2021 Nottingham Open, and gained a wildcard entry into Wimbledon. Ranked 333 in the world she proceeded to beat Vitalia Diatchenko, Markéta Vondroušová and Sorana Cîrstea (ranked 137, 41 and 54 respectivly) to make it into the fourth round. With this result she is guaranteed to make it into the top 200. She's also the youngest British woman to reach Wimbledon's last 16, a good relief for the country's tennis after Johanna Konta withdrew due to COVID concerns.

F9 (film)

808,866

Vin Diesel and co. driving fast cars for the ninth time has broken half a billion worldwide to become Hollywood's highest-grossing movie of the year. Let's see how much gas it has left, as a Russian racer arrives this week to make the race tighter.

Bill Cosby

729,750

The former innovative comedian turned convicted rapist was released after his judgment was overturned by the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania due to violations of due process rights, as they remembered that a non-prosecution agreement had been struck between Cosby and a former District Attorney.

Cristiano Ronaldo

726,449

Last week I reported that Ronaldo was attempting to take his team to consecutive European Championships. This week I get to report that he failed. To make matters worse he failed to score against Belgium, meaning he still has to share the record for most international goals. His next chance to get the outright record comes against Republic of Ireland (September 1), a game in which his team are the clear favourites.

Raj Kaushal

699,144

Bollywood lost this director, producer and stunt director who died at 49 of a heart attack.

Rank	Article	Views	Notes/about
1	Dilip Kumar	2,517,717	This storied Bollywood actor and producer, spending over 50 years championing his industry, passed away on Wednesday. One of the few Bollywood stars to earn mainstream recognition outside India, but the pageviews coming from such a big country surely did the heavy lifting here.
2	Black Widow (2021 film)	1,920,846	Due to the pandemic, the Marvel Cinematic Universe had to skip 2020. And now it has returned to theaters with Natasha Romanoff fighting a personal war between the Civil and Infinity wars. Like Captain America: The Winter Soldier, it's a spy thriller as much as a superhero movie (but with much more fake Russian accents). In any case, it provides a fun experience while introducing Natasha's successor and should be making some money and getting some Wikipedia views during its run.
3	UEFA Euro 2020	1,559,343	In this week's semi-finals, Italy defeated Spain and England defeated Denmark. On Sunday, Italy will face England at Wembley Stadium; this will be the second time (since 1996) that England has hosted the UEFA Euro finals, and the first time they've actually played in said match. Remember the last European contest, which Italy won and England lost? Perhaps fortunately for England, there's no popular vote this time.
4	The Tomorrow War	1,139,779	Yes, the summer blockbuster has truly returned, even if you'll be watching this one on streaming. It's... well, it exists. There's the internet's least-favorite Avenger in it. So, yeah. Movies.
5	Ashleigh Barty	1,117,914	Two years after her first Grand Slam title at Roland Garros, this Australian tennis player got her second championship by beating Karolína Plíšková at Wimbledon.
6	Loki (TV series)	1,044,964	Only one episode left, and no one knows what to expect, especially when the last one had an alligator version of Loki!
7	Deaths in 2021	890,837	They built you a temple and locked you away Aw, but they never told you the price that you pay For things that you might have done Only the Good Die Young
8	UEFA European Championship	881,069	Happens every 4 (well) years, the 2020 (one year late) installment (#3) ramped up this week.
9	Jovenel Moïse	872,387	The president of Haiti was assassinated on Wednesday. According to the Haitian government, the assassins are a group of foreign mercenaries—mostly Colombian, but joined by two Floridians. Moïse had previously been the center of a constitutional crisis, refusing to step down from the Presidency.
10	Emma Raducanu	836,533	In the quarterfinals, #5 beat compatriot Ajla Tomljanović, who had just defeated this young British player. She'd entered as a wild card, something the home country are wont to do, even though tennis isn't as nationalistic as a certain other sport, and has quickly become a national treasure since making it to the singles fourth round is the furthest a British woman has gone in the Open era (sorry, Jo). Though she had to retire ill, given Raducanu is just 18, hopefully it's the start of a victorious career.

Rank

Article

Class

Views

Image

Notes/about

Dilip Kumar

2,517,717

This storied Bollywood actor and producer, spending over 50 years championing his industry, passed away on Wednesday. One of the few Bollywood stars to earn mainstream recognition outside India, but the pageviews coming from such a big country surely did the heavy lifting here.

Black Widow (2021 film)

1,920,846

Due to the pandemic, the Marvel Cinematic Universe had to skip 2020. And now it has returned to theaters with Natasha Romanoff fighting a personal war between the Civil and Infinity wars. Like Captain America: The Winter Soldier, it's a spy thriller as much as a superhero movie (but with much more fake Russian accents). In any case, it provides a fun experience while introducing Natasha's successor and should be making some money and getting some Wikipedia views during its run.

UEFA Euro 2020

1,559,343

In this week's semi-finals, Italy defeated Spain and England defeated Denmark. On Sunday, Italy will face England at Wembley Stadium; this will be the second time (since 1996) that England has hosted the UEFA Euro finals, and the first time they've actually played in said match. Remember the last European contest, which Italy won and England lost? Perhaps fortunately for England, there's no popular vote this time.

The Tomorrow War

1,139,779

Yes, the summer blockbuster has truly returned, even if you'll be watching this one on streaming. It's... well, it exists. There's the internet's least-favorite Avenger in it. So, yeah. Movies.

Ashleigh Barty

1,117,914

Two years after her first Grand Slam title at Roland Garros, this Australian tennis player got her second championship by beating Karolína Plíšková at Wimbledon.

Loki (TV series)

1,044,964

Only one episode left, and no one knows what to expect, especially when the last one had an alligator version of Loki!

Deaths in 2021

890,837

They built you a temple and locked you away
Aw, but they never told you the price that you pay
For things that you might have done
Only the Good Die Young

UEFA European Championship

881,069

Happens every 4 (well) years, the 2020 (one year late) installment (#3) ramped up this week.

Jovenel Moïse

872,387

The president of Haiti was assassinated on Wednesday. According to the Haitian government, the assassins are a group of foreign mercenaries—mostly Colombian, but joined by two Floridians. Moïse had previously been the center of a constitutional crisis, refusing to step down from the Presidency.

Emma Raducanu

836,533

In the quarterfinals, #5 beat compatriot Ajla Tomljanović, who had just defeated this young British player. She'd entered as a wild card, something the home country are wont to do, even though tennis isn't as nationalistic as a certain other sport, and has quickly become a national treasure since making it to the singles fourth round is the furthest a British woman has gone in the Open era (sorry, Jo). Though she had to retire ill, given Raducanu is just 18, hopefully it's the start of a victorious career.

Rank	Article	Views	Image	Notes/about
1	Black Widow (2021 film)	1,640,488		It's hard to be a superheroine: the CEO doesn't believe their solo movies will be profitable, said production is only greenlit as they are filming another movie where the character dies, and then one month before the premiere a global pandemic closes theaters everywhere. Yet Natasha Romanoff finally got her day in the limelight, and got good reviews and box office (even if in the latter's case, there's the alternative of shelling out $30 to watch at home), no matter if many fans objected to how the movie includes popular villain Taskmaster only to make it barely resemble the comics version.
2	Loki (TV series)	1,367,459	Still on the Marvel Cinematic Universe, everyone's favorite Asgardian villain saw his Disney+ show end in the most teasing if not downright frustrating way possible: on a cliffhanger while announcing there will be a season 2! Said season finale also introduced what will possibly be the next overarching villain of the MCU, a 31st century multiversal conqueror, even if disguised by both referring to Kang as 'He Who Remains' and making him Black instead of blue.
3	Kang the Conqueror	1,337,907
4	UEFA Euro 2020	1,260,242		The finals of two continent-wide association football tournaments were played this week. In Europe, Italy beat England, foiling the latter's dreams of it coming home. To make matters worse, the loss was due to a penalty shootout—the same reason England had lost the semi-finals in 1996. In South America, Argentina beat their longtime rivals in Brazil.
5	Copa América	1,211,256
6	Richard Branson	1,142,708		If you work a shitty job with no benefits on a planet that is both on fire and underwater, you might stop and ask yourself: what is this all for? The answer: funding a billionaire space race. Jeff Bezos was set to personally enter space on July 20, but as soon as this was announced, Branson decided that he wanted to be in space before Bezos. The Virgin Galactic Unity 22 launched on July 11, went to the lowest point that could implausibly be called "space," and landed forty minutes later.
7	Novak Djokovic	1,047,457		The record of Grand Slam titles held by Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal was tied by this Serbian once he won Wimbledon. Maybe later this month Djokovic can do what he couldn't five years ago, show all his prowess at the Olympic Games instead of crashing and burning?
8	UEFA European Championship	1,046,210		The quadrennial (aside from #4, which had to wait an extra year) European football tournament of nations. Ten teams have won, including the now defunct Soviet Union and Czechoslovakia. Italy got its second instead of allowing England to become the eleventh.
9	Lionel Messi	917,978		Argentina's second best footballer ever finally won something with the national team, namely #5 – and Brazil didn't care about losing to him! (in normal conditions, losing to your arch-enemy at home is a national tragedy; but when the government shows very skewed priorities, making little of a pandemic that took half a million lives while jumping in at the opportunity of hosting a football championship, the populace can do the unthinkable and turn their backs on the team)
10	Space Jam: A New Legacy	877,696		The 2021 NBA Finals are on the way, and yet people were more interested in fictional basketball, as LeBron James copies his idol Michael Jordan and stars in a movie alongside Bugs Bunny and the Looney Tunes. And instead of being an informal Nike ad, A New Legacy is a literal HBO Max promo showcasing all the properties owned by Warner Bros., including family-unfriendly fare such as Game of Thrones and Mad Max – and to think Pepé Le Pew was cut for being problematic, but a gang of rapists and a nymphomaniac nun get courtside seats!

Rank

Article

Class

Views

Image

Notes/about

Black Widow (2021 film)

1,640,488

It's hard to be a superheroine: the CEO doesn't believe their solo movies will be profitable, said production is only greenlit as they are filming another movie where the character dies, and then one month before the premiere a global pandemic closes theaters everywhere. Yet Natasha Romanoff finally got her day in the limelight, and got good reviews and box office (even if in the latter's case, there's the alternative of shelling out $30 to watch at home), no matter if many fans objected to how the movie includes popular villain Taskmaster only to make it barely resemble the comics version.

Loki (TV series)

1,367,459

Still on the Marvel Cinematic Universe, everyone's favorite Asgardian villain saw his Disney+ show end in the most teasing if not downright frustrating way possible: on a cliffhanger while announcing there will be a season 2! Said season finale also introduced what will possibly be the next overarching villain of the MCU, a 31st century multiversal conqueror, even if disguised by both referring to Kang as 'He Who Remains' and making him Black instead of blue.

Kang the Conqueror

1,337,907

UEFA Euro 2020

1,260,242

The finals of two continent-wide tournaments were played this week. In Europe, Italy beat England, foiling the latter's dreams of it coming home. To make matters worse, the loss was due to a penalty shootout—the same reason England had lost the semi-finals in 1996. In South America, Argentina beat their longtime rivals in Brazil.

Copa América

1,211,256

Richard Branson

1,142,708

If you work a shitty job with no benefits on a planet that is both on fire and underwater, you might stop and ask yourself: what is this all for? The answer: funding a billionaire space race. Jeff Bezos was set to personally enter space on July 20, but as soon as this was announced, Branson decided that he wanted to be in space before Bezos. The Virgin Galactic Unity 22 launched on July 11, went to the lowest point that could implausibly be called "space," and landed forty minutes later.

Novak Djokovic

1,047,457

The record of Grand Slam titles held by Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal was tied by this Serbian once he won Wimbledon. Maybe later this month Djokovic can do what he couldn't five years ago, show all his prowess at the Olympic Games instead of crashing and burning?

UEFA European Championship

1,046,210

The quadrennial (aside from #4, which had to wait an extra year) European football tournament of nations. Ten teams have won, including the now defunct Soviet Union and Czechoslovakia. Italy got its second instead of allowing England to become the eleventh.

Lionel Messi

917,978

Argentina's second best footballer ever finally won something with the national team, namely #5 – and Brazil didn't care about losing to him! (in normal conditions, losing to your arch-enemy at home is a national tragedy; but when the government shows very skewed priorities, making little of a pandemic that took half a million lives while jumping in at the opportunity of hosting a football championship, the populace can do the unthinkable and turn their backs on the team)

Space Jam: A New Legacy

877,696

The 2021 NBA Finals are on the way, and yet people were more interested in fictional basketball, as LeBron James copies his idol Michael Jordan and stars in a movie alongside Bugs Bunny and the Looney Tunes. And instead of being an informal Nike ad, A New Legacy is a literal HBO Max promo showcasing all the properties owned by Warner Bros., including family-unfriendly fare such as Game of Thrones and Mad Max – and to think Pepé Le Pew was cut for being problematic, but a gang of rapists and a nymphomaniac nun get courtside seats!

Football, tennis and marveling at Loki

The grass was greener, the light was brighter (June 20 to 26)

Alive and kicking (June 27 to July 3)

Red blooded women, it's too hot inside (July 4 to 10)

It's Marvel's world, we're only living in it (July 11 to 17)

Exclusions

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