#FFXIV
BoBA ISML 2021 Predictions: Ruby Match Day 2
ARENA 1 [[Shinomiya Kaguya]] Tōru
by >=300
Over/Under: 5000
Over
ARENA 2 [[Tokisaki Kurumi]] Isshiki Iroha
by >=300
Over/Under: 5000
Over
ARENA 3 [[Takanashi Rikka]] Saten Ruiko
by >=300
Over/Under: 5000
Over
ARENA 4 [[Fujiwara Chika]] Yuzaki Tsukasa
by >=300
Over/Under: 5000
Over
ARENA 5 [[Yuigahama Yui]] Hayasaka Ai
by >=300
Over/Under: 5000
Over
ARENA 6 Kanna Kamui [[Shirai Kuroko]]
by >=300
Over/Under: 5000
Over
ARENA 7 [[Tōsaka Rin]] Schwi Dola
by >=300
Over/Under: 5000
Over
ARENA 8 Aisaka Taiga [[Misaka Mikoto]]
by >=300
Over/Under: 5000
Over
ARENA 9 Kasumigaoka Utaha [[Sakurajima Mai]]
by >=300
Over/Under: 5000
Over
ARENA 10 [[Shiina Mashiro]] Shiro
by >=300
Over/Under: 5000
Over
ARENA 11 [[Emilia]] Megumin
by >=300
Over/Under: 5000
Over
ARENA 12 Shokuhō Misaki [[Yūki Asuna]]
by >=300
Over/Under: 5000
Over
ARENA 13 [[Index L. Prohibitorum]] Tomori Nao
by >=300
Over/Under: 5000
Over
ARENA 14 [[Tachibana Kanade]] Nishimiya Shōko
by >=300
Over/Under: 5000
Over
ARENA 15 Akiyama Mio [[Shirogane Kei]]
by >=300
Over/Under: 5000
Over
ARENA 16 [[Elaina]] Makise Kurisu
by >=300
Over/Under: 5000
Over
ARENA 17 Ishida Shōya [[Kirigaya Kazuto]]
by <=400
Over/Under: 5700
Under
ARENA 18 Okabe Rintarō [[Kamijō Tōma]]
by <=400
Over/Under: 5700
Under
ARENA 19 [[Natsuki Subaru]] Okazaki Tomoya
by <=400
Over/Under: 5700
Under
ARENA 20 Emiya Shirō [[Levi]]
by <=400
Over/Under: 5700
Under
ARENA 21 [[Itsuka Shidō]] Saitama
by <=400
Over/Under: 5700
Under
ARENA 22 [[Totsuka Saika]] Otonashi Yuzuru
by <=400
Over/Under: 5700
Under
ARENA 23 [[Fukube Satoshi]] Shiota Nagisa
by <=400
Over/Under: 5700
Under
ARENA 24 [[Azusagawa Sakuta]] Edward Elric
by <=400
Over/Under: 5700
Under
ARENA 25 [[Ishigami Yū]] Archer
by <=400
Over/Under: 5700
Under
ARENA 26 [[Tachibana Taki]] Akasaka Ryūnosuke
by <=400
Over/Under: 5700
Under
ARENA 27 [[Rengoku Kyōjurō]] Riku Dola
by <=400
Over/Under: 5700
Under
ARENA 28 [[Kanda Sorata]] Ayanokōji Kiyotaka
by <=400
Over/Under: 5700
Under
ARENA 29 Yuzaki Nasa [[Satō Kazuma]]
by <=400
Over/Under: 5700
Under
ARENA 30 Takasu Ryūji [[Otosaka Yū]]
by <=400
Over/Under: 5700
Under
ARENA 31 [[Lelouch Lamperouge]] Arima Kōsei
by <=400
Over/Under: 5700
Under
ARENA 32 Kūjō Jōtarō [[Togashi Yūta]]
by <=400
Over/Under: 5700
Under
ARENA 33 Arihara Nanami [[Atri]]
by <=200
Over/Under: 5000
Under
ARENA 34 Murasame [[Sakura Setsumi]]
by <=200
Over/Under: 5000
Under
ARENA 35 [[Ayachi Nene]] Shiki Natsume
by <=200
Over/Under: 5000
Under
ARENA 36 Sion [[Tsumugi Wenders]]
by <=200
Over/Under: 5000
Under
ARENA 37 Yoshino [[Miyazono Kaori]] Horikita Suzune Sora Ginko
by >=100
Over/Under: 5000
Over
ARENA 38 [[Hiro]] Iwatani Naofumi Emiya Kiritsugu Shiba Tatsuya
by >=100
Over/Under: 5000
Over
ARENA 39 Miyanaga Saki [[Amae Koromo]] Ichihime [[Mikami Chiori]]
by >=100
Over/Under: 5000
Over
ARENA 40 Eris [[Hestia]] Darkness [[Aiz Wallenstein]]
by >=100
Over/Under: 5000
Over
Voter Id: f9342ff4-5f00-53af-81f2-5db921d8b719
ISML 2021 Fall Nominations: The List.
Yuu Kiyose (Puraore! Pride of Orange)
Manaka Mizusawa (Puraore! Pride of Orange)
Maha (Sekai saikou no ansatsusha isekai kizoku ni tensei suru)
Tarte (Sekai saikou no ansatsusha isekai kizoku ni tensei suru)
Mira (Kenja no deshi wo nanoru kenja)
Mito (Sword Art Online)
Meiya Mitsurugi (Muvluv Alternative)
Neneko Isurugi (Shuumatsu no Harem)
Karen Kamiya (Shuumatsu no Harem)
Akira Toudou (Shuumatsu no Harem)
Frederica Rosenfort (86 -eightysix-)
Yarandrala (Shin no nakama janai to yuusha no party wo oidasareta no de henkyou de slow life suru koto ni shimashita)
Voter Id: 0f48222f-8310-5fb3-adc8-2295def6b09e
BoBA ISML 2021 Predictions: Ruby Match Day 1
ARENA 1 Akiyama Mio [[Sakurajima Mai]]
by >=300
Over/Under: 5000
Over
ARENA 2 [[Shiina Mashiro]] Makise Kurisu
by >=300
Over/Under: 5000
Over
ARENA 3 Shirogane Kei [[Emilia]]
by >=300
Over/Under: 5000
Over
ARENA 4 Shiro [[Yūki Asuna]]
by >=300
Over/Under: 5000
Over
ARENA 5 [[Tomori Nao]] Megumin
by >=300
Over/Under: 5000
Over
ARENA 6 [[Tachibana Kanade]] Kasumigaoka Utaha
by >=300
Over/Under: 5000
Over
ARENA 7 [[Elaina]] Index L. Prohibitorum
by >=300
Over/Under: 5000
Over
ARENA 8 Shokuhō Misaki [[Nishimiya Shōko]]
by >=300
Over/Under: 5000
Over
ARENA 9 [[Shinomiya Kaguya]] Tōsaka Rin
by >=300
Over/Under: 5000
Over
ARENA 10 [[Tokisaki Kurumi]] Aisaka Taiga
by >=300
Over/Under: 5000
Over
ARENA 11 [[Takanashi Rikka]] Schwi Dola
by >=300
Over/Under: 5000
Over
ARENA 12 [[Fujiwara Chika]] Isshiki Iroha
by >=300
Over/Under: 5000
Over
ARENA 13 Saten Ruiko [[Yuigahama Yui]]
by >=300
Over/Under: 5000
Over
ARENA 14 Tōru [[Shirai Kuroko]]
by >=300
Over/Under: 5000
Over
ARENA 15 Hayasaka Ai [[Misaka Mikoto]]
by >=300
Over/Under: 5000
Over
ARENA 16 [[Kanna Kamui]] Yuzaki Tsukasa
by >=300
Over/Under: 5000
Over
ARENA 17 [[Ishigami Yū]] Lelouch Lamperouge
by <=400
Over/Under: 5200
Under
ARENA 18 Kūjō Jōtarō [[Tachibana Taki]]
by <=400
Over/Under: 5200
Under
ARENA 19 [[Riku Dola]] Arima Kōsei
by <=400
Over/Under: 5200
Under
ARENA 20 [[Ayanokōji Kiyotaka]] Akasaka Ryūnosuke
by <=400
Over/Under: 5200
Under
ARENA 21 Rengoku Kyōjurō [[Satō Kazuma]]
by <=400
Over/Under: 5200
Under
ARENA 22 [[Otosaka Yū]] Archer
by <=400
Over/Under: 5200
Under
ARENA 23 Yuzaki Nasa [[Togashi Yūta]]
by <=400
Over/Under: 5200
Under
ARENA 24 Takasu Ryūji [[Kanda Sorata]]
by <=400
Over/Under: 5200
Under
ARENA 25 [[Kirigaya Kazuto]] Shiota Nagisa
by <=400
Over/Under: 5200
Under
ARENA 26 [[Kamijō Tōma]] Edward Elric
by <=400
Over/Under: 5200
Under
ARENA 27 [[Natsuki Subaru]] Fukube Satoshi
by <=400
Over/Under: 5200
Under
ARENA 28 Okabe Rintarō [[Levi]]
by <=400
Over/Under: 5200
Under
ARENA 29 [[Okazaki Tomoya]] Saitama
by <=400
Over/Under: 5200
Under
ARENA 30 [[Totsuka Saika]] Ishida Shōya
by <=400
Over/Under: 5200
Under
ARENA 31 [[Azusagawa Sakuta]] Itsuka Shidō
by <=400
Over/Under: 5200
Under
ARENA 32 [[Otonashi Yuzuru]] Emiya Shirō
by <=400
Over/Under: 5200
Under
ARENA 33 [[Himeno Sena]] Kushima Kamome
by >=100
Over/Under: 5100
Under
ARENA 34 Kawachino Yūmi [[Minakami Yuki]]
by >=100
Over/Under: 5100
Under
ARENA 35 Iris Watson [[Saya]]
by >=100
Over/Under: 5100
Under
ARENA 36 Kamiyama Shiki [[Sorakado Ao]]
by >=100
Over/Under: 5100
Under
ARENA 37 Shiiba Sayaka [[Naruse Shiroha]]
by >=100
Over/Under: 5100
Under
ARENA 38 Natsuki [[Sayori]]
by >=100
Over/Under: 5100
Under
ARENA 39 [[Natsume Ai]] Satō Lilly
by >=100
Over/Under: 5100
Under
ARENA 40 [[Hikawa Rina]] Eustia Astraea
by >=100
Over/Under: 5100
Under
Voter Id: 4235f284-adbd-5d59-a79d-e4dd770e1a6a
Everytime
Everytime
That I think of you
Everytime
I feel love for you
Everybody
Needs someone to love
Everybody
Wants to carry on
Give me a smile
To fly away from here
Side by side
With no reason to fear
Everybody
Needs someone to love
Everybody
Wants to carry on
All the things that you have done
And so much more I can do
Baby, yesterday has gone
Now you believe that it's true
You were still my love and life
But it's still you that I need
And you fill my lonely nights...
Give me a smile
When I'm feeling blue
What is right
If I can't have you
Everybody
Needs someone to love
Everybody
Wants to carry on
All the things that you have done
And so much more I can do
Baby, yesterday has gone
Now you believe that it's true
You were still my love and life
But it's still you that I need
And you fill my lonely nights...
And so much more I can do
It's gone, it's gone, it's gone...
You were still my love and life
And you fill my lonely nights...
Palmeiras: 2021 Copa Libertadores Winners
\
Palmeiras won the Copa Libertadores for the second year in a row as an extra-time goal from Deyverson secured a 2-1 win over Flamengo in an absorbing all-Brazilian final.
It is the third time the São Paulo club have won South America’s equivalent of Europe’s Champions League, following victories in 1999 and 2020.
Raphael Veiga put Palmeiras ahead after five minutes in Montevideo. A counterattack started by the defender Gustavo Gómez found the right-back Mayke, who was played onside by the former Arsenal defender David Luiz, and his low cross reached was slotted past Diego Alves by Veiga.
Flamengo’s equaliser did not arrive until the 72nd minute, courtesy of Gabriel Barbosa – the scorer of both goals in Flamengo’s 2-1 win against River Plate in the 2019 final. The man nicknamed Gabigol beat Weverton in Palmeiras’s goal from close range, after being set up by Giorgian de Arrascaeta.
Nothing could separate the sides after an evenly-matched 90 minutes but it did not take long for Palmeiras to regain the upper hand in extra time as a slip by the Manchester United loanee Andreas Pereira five minutes into the extra period let Deyverson in to calmly beat Alves.
Deyverson, who had only just come on in place of a fatigued Veiga, returned to Palmeiras in June after a loan to Alavés, and was in tears after his first goal in this season’s Copa Libertadores.
The result is a personal triumph for Palmeiras’s Portuguese coach, Abel Ferreira, who becomes the first European to win the Libertadores twice following victory over Santos in January. It is also the first time a team have successfully defended the Libertadores title since Boca Juniors in 2001, while Palmeiras’s success was the eighth since 2010 for a Brazilian club.
ISML 2021: Elaina On The Money, Wins Emerald Necklace
ISML 2021: Elaina On The Money, Wins Emerald Necklace
Touma Kamijou Finally Breaks Through, Wins Emerald Pendant
By Jo-Ryan Salazar
The Bedlam On Baltic Avenue
November 28, 2021
Listed as an even money favorite, Elaina finally got her International Saimoe League necklace, and it's an Emerald one. On Match Day 6 of the 2021 ISML Emerald Period, Elaina, the incumbent Speaker of the Saimoe Diet, defeated Mai Sakurajima 3161-2422 to claim the prize. Kanade Tachibana was third with 1691 votes, Rikka Takanashi was fourth with 1071 votes, Asuna Yuuki was fifth with 929 votes, Emilia was sixth with 720 votes, Ai Hayasaka was seventh with 530 votes and Chika Fujiwara was last with 347 votes.
At a 4-1 second choice, Touma Kamijou finally got his pendant, breaking Kazuto Kirigaya 2316-2110 to clain the Emerald Pendant. Taki Tachibana was third with 1540 votes, Kazuma Satou was fourth with 1169 votes, Archer was fifth with 740 votes, Saika Totsuka was sixth with 662 votes, Subaru Natsuki was seventh with 609 votes and Shirou Emiya was last with 360 votes.
Listed as a third choice by the Bedlam to win the Emerald Bracelet, Utaha Kasumigaoka prevailed over the favored Index Prohibitorum 2667-2606. Megumin was third with 1796 votes, Shiro was fourth with 1151 votes, Tsukasa Yuzaki was fifth with 919 votes, Yui Yuigahama was sixth with 773 votes, Misaki Shokuhou was seventh with 606 votes and Tooru was last with 529 votes.
Favored by the Bedlam to claim the Emerald Ring, Tomoya Okazaki defeated dark horse Kyoujurou Rengoku 2066-1730 to get over the line. Shidou Itsuka was third with 1372 votes, Joutarou Kuujou was fourth with 1061 votes, Kousei Arima was fifth with 772 votes, Edward Elric was sixth with 655 votes, Ryuuji Takasu was seventh with 523 votes and Satoshi Fukube was last with 451 votes.
In Summer Seasonal action, Keke Tang routed Nagisa Minase 3275-1698, Miyuki Shiba whipped past Catarina Claes 2386-2122, Celia Claire dominated Chise Hatori 2759-1237, Siesta thumped Saki Saki 3335-1411, Ilulu throttled Aki Shino 2461-2042, Alice took down Kukuru Misakino 2118-1752, Madoka Kaname smashed Fuuka Miyazawa 2884-1844, Milim Nava pummeled Kanon Shibuya 2487-2199 and Nagisa Natsunagi stormed past Eiko Kawasegawa 2269-1881.
Ai Kizuna is your Saimoe Virtual YouTuber of Record after defeating Nana Kagura 2486-2257, Fubuki Shirakami finished third after disposing of Nana's sister Mea 2315-1856. Also, the Visual Novel Tournament was underway.
In Visual Novel action, Atri routed Hina Komano 2831-575, Nanami Arihara drilled Kimika Tachibana 2467-834, Murasame prevailed over Monika in the 2051-1849 Upset of the Round, Setsumi Sakura defeated Emi Ibarazaki 1805-1272, Nene Ayachi powered past Miyuki Sone 2285-1241, Natsume Shiki trounced Yuri 2321-1360, Sion got past Noa Yuuki 1692-1514 and Tsumugi Wenders obliterated Hanako Ikezawa 2248-982. Atri has been tipped by the Bedlam to win this tournament.
Match Day 1 of the 2021 International Saimoe League Ruby Period is scheduled for December 3, 2021. Vote for your favorite characters at InternationalSaimoe.com and join the ongoing debate. And keep it right here on the Bedlam on Baltic Avenue for continuing coverage of the world's premier anime character competition, the International Saimoe League!
BoBA ISML 2021 Predictions: Emerald Match Day 6
ARENA 1 [[Elaina - 1]] [[Tachibana Kanade - 2]] [[Takanashi Rikka - 3]] [[Sakurajima Mai - 4]] [[Hayasaka Ai - 5]] [[Yūki Asuna - 6]] [[Emilia - 7]] [[Fujiwara Chika - 8]]
Over/Under: 100000
Over
ARENA 2 [[Kirigaya Kazuto - 1]] [[Kamijō Tōma - 2]] [[Satō Kazuma - 3]] [[Emiya Shirō - 4]] [[Archer - 5]] [[Tachibana Taki - 6]] [[Natsuki Subaru - 7]] [[Totsuka Saika - 8]]
Over/Under: 100000
Over
ARENA 3 [[Kasumigaoka Utaha - 3]] [[Tōru - 8]] [[Shokuhō Misaki - 5]] [[Shiro - 4]] [[Megumin - 7]] [[Index L. Prohibitorum - 1]] [[Yuigahama Yui - 2]] [[Yuzaki Tsukasa - 6]]
Over/Under: 100000
Over
ARENA 4 [[Arima Kōsei - 2]] [[Itsuka Shidō - 3]] [[Takasu Ryūji - 4]] [[Rengoku Kyōjurō - 5]] [[Edward Elric - 7]] [[Kūjō Jōtarō - 6]] [[Fukube Satoshi - 8]] [[Okazaki Tomoya - 1]]
Over/Under: 100000
Over
ARENA 5 [[Tang Keke]] Minase Nagisa
by >=400
Over/Under: 3000
Over
ARENA 6 Catarina Claes [[Shiba Miyuki]]
by >=400
Over/Under: 3000
Over
ARENA 7 Hatori Chise [[Celia Claire]]
by >=400
Over/Under: 3000
Over
ARENA 8 Saki Saki [[Siesta]]
by >=400
Over/Under: 3000
Over
ARENA 9 [[Ilulu]] Shino Aki
by >=400
Over/Under: 3000
Over
ARENA 10 Alice [[Misakino Kukuru]]
by >=400
Over/Under: 3000
Over
ARENA 11 [[Kaname Madoka]] Miyazawa Fūka
by >=400
Over/Under: 3000
Over
ARENA 12 [[Milim Nava]] Shibuya Kanon
by >=400
Over/Under: 3000
Over
ARENA 13 [[Kawasegawa Eiko]] Natsunagi Nagisa
by >=400
Over/Under: 3000
Over
ARENA 14 [[Kizuna AI]] Kagura Nana
by <=700
Over/Under: 3500
Under
ARENA 15 Kagura Mea [[Shirakami Fubuki]]
by <=700
Over/Under: 3500
Under
ARENA 16 [[Komano Hina]] Atri
by >=100
Over/Under: 3100
Under
ARENA 17 Tachibana Kimika [[Arihara Nanami]]
by >=100
Over/Under: 3100
Under
ARENA 18 [[Monika]] Murasame
by >=300
Over/Under: 3100
Under
ARENA 19 [[Ibarazaki Emi]] Sakura Setsumi
by >=100
Over/Under: 3100
Under
ARENA 20 Sone Miyuki [[Ayachi Nene]]
by >=100
Over/Under: 3100
Under
ARENA 21 Yuri [[Shiki Natsume]]
by >=100
Over/Under: 3100
Under
ARENA 22 [[Yūki Noa]] Sion
by >=100
Over/Under: 3100
Under
ARENA 23 Tsumugi Wenders [[Ikezawa Hanako]]
by >=100
Over/Under: 3100
Under
Voter Id: 5d0a31ed-7e35-5502-b087-9bf786ab509a
BoBA ISML 2021 Predictions: Emerald Necklace and Pendant Odds
BEDLAM ON BALTIC AVENUE
2021 INTERNATIONAL SAIMOE LEAGUE
EMERALD NECKLACE ODDS
Elaina EVEN
Kanade Tachibana 3-1
Rikka Takanashi 7-1
Mai Sakurajima 10-1
Ai Hayasala 25-1
Asuna Yuuki 40-1
Emilia 50-1
Chika Fujiwara 75-1
BEDLAM ON BALTIC AVENUE
2021 INTERNATIONAL SAIMOE LEAGUE
EMERALD PENDANT ODDS
Kazuto Kirigaya EVEN
Touma Kamijoui 4-1
Kazuma Satou 7-1
Shirou Emiya 10-1
Archer 15-1
Taki Tachibana 20-1
Subaru Natsuki 30-1
Saika Totsuka 50-1
ISML 2021: Emerald Period Enters Home Stretch
ISML 2021: Emerald Period Enters Home Stretch
By Jo-Ryan Salazar
The Bedlam on Baltic Avenue
November 25, 2021
Christmas is in one month right around the world and Match Day 5 of the 2021 International Saimoe League Emerald Period is in the books. In the Female Division, Kaguya Shinomiya defeated Rikka Takanashi 1384-1247, Mikoto Misaka eased past Kurumi Tokisaki 1480-1157, Chika Fujiwara thumped Taiga Aisaka 1438-941, Schwi Dola delivered the Upset of the Round, a 1335-1075 scalp of Yui Yuigahama, Rin Tohsaka prevailed over Kuroko Shirai 1247-1175, Ai Hayasaka dominated Ruiko Saten 1434-1000, Tsukasa Yuzaki roared past Rooru 1330-1049 and Kamui Kanna defeated Iroha Isshiki 1198-1094.
Wrapping up Female Divsion play, Mai Sakurajima won a 1256-1231 thriller over Emilia, Elaina whipped past Mashiro Shiina 1512-1160, Asuna Yuuki slashed past Kurisu Makise 1507-887, Nao Tomori defeated Kei Shirogane 1216-1062, Kanade Tachibana flew past Mio Akiyama 1310-1041, Index Prohibitorum exploded past Megumin 1317-1254, Utaha Kasumigaoka got past Misaki Shokuhou 1295-1122 and Shiro flattened Shouko Nishimiya 1363-1052.
In the Male Division, Kazuto Kirigaya slashed past Subaru Natsuki 1175-902, Sakuta Azusagawa broke Touma Kamijou in a 1148-1125 nailbiter, Levi leveled Edward Elric 1096-760, Saitama punched Satoshi Fukube 1277-754, Saika Totsuka toasted Nagisa Shiota 1007-874, Tomoya Okazaki prevailed over Shidou Itsuka 962-919 and Shirou Emiya eased past Shouya Ishida 1257-799.
Wrapping up Male Division action, Rintarou Okabe took down Yuzuru Otonashi 1057-878, Riku Dola rocked Yuu Ishigami 1268-972, Yuuta Togashi silenced Taki Tachibana 1186-976, Kiyotaka Ayanokouji prevailed over Joutarou Kuujou 1053-1004, Kazuma Satou thumped Kousei Arima 1181-759, Lelouch Lamperouge rolled past Yuu Otosaka 988-887, Kyoujurou Rengoku was given the victory over Nasa Yuzaki despite a 973-973 draw, the closest race of the round and the second-ever draw in the tournament, Archer dominated Sorata Kanda 1121-918 and Ryuunosuke Akasaka won a 927-906 barnburner over Ryuuji Takasu. The Bedlam on Baltic Avenue also declares Kyoujurou Rengoku the winner over Nasa Yuzaki, as tied matches are not recognized by the Bedlam; a winner and a loser must be declared.
Keke Tang is the presumptive favorite to win the Summer Seasonal, as seen in her 1421-760 result over Miyuki Shiba but she will have competition. In other Summer action, Celia Claire defeated Catarina Claes 998-847, Nagisa Minase got off the schneid with a 1028-592 hammering of Chise Hatori, Siesta crushed Ilulu 1294-777, Aki Shino belted Alice 957-761, Saki Saki smashed Kukuru Misakino 938-681, Madoka Kaname defeated Milim Nava 1106-986, Kanon Shibuya throttled Nagisa Natsunagi 1067-787 and Fuuka Miyazawa edged Eiko Kawasegawa 798-783.
In Summer male action, Kyouya Hashiba defeated Vanitas 814-637, KImihiko Kimizuka took down Bocchan 839-643 and Akira Shiroyanagi eased past Kinji Ninomiya 767-608. Ai Kizuna is favored by the Bedlam on Baltic Avenue to defeat Nana Kagura and become the Virtual YouTuber of record. Kizuna routed Fubuki Shirakami 1230-813 while Nana defeated sister Mea 1088-801. Finally, in the Tiara consolation, Rio Futaba fiunished first with 684 votes while Rudeus Greyrat claimed victory in the Scepter consolation with 746 votes.
Match Day 6 of the 2021 International Saimoe League Emerald Period is scheduled for November 26, 2021. Vote for your favorite characters at InternationalSaimoe.com and join the ongoing debate.
Field of Schemes: Inside Ben Ferree's Three-Year Mission to Expose Bishop Sycamore
Field of Schemes: Inside Ben Ferree's Three-Year Mission to Expose Bishop Sycamore
Long before the rest of the world heard about Bishop Sycamore, Ben Ferree was speaking out about the controversial school. Why was he ignored?
Andrew King
The term “whistleblower” carries with it a certain weight. It evokes thoughts of Edward Snowden, Mark Felt and Daniel Ellsberg—insiders who took great risks to leak important information to the public. These people are rarely rewarded or revered for their courage and are often subject to ridicule, hatred and, in some cases, legal and societal repercussions.
Ben Ferree says he doesn’t quite fit that definition, though it’s not entirely off-base, either. Indeed, he’s a skeptic, a truthteller and an unrelenting tipster who got me interested in a story that snowballed into one of the biggest sports scandals in Columbus. But Ferree didn’t uncover wrongdoing that occurred behind closed doors. The things he revealed were in plain sight, easy for people to see—as long as they were willing to open their eyes.
You wouldn’t know it to look at his resume or his social media following, but Ferree is a central figure in one of the most intriguing and discussed sports stories of 2021—the rise and fall of Bishop Sycamore. The saga began in 2018, when Ferree learned about a school called Christians of Faith Academy. At the time, Ferree was the assistant director of officiating and sport management at the Ohio High School Athletic Association, the governing body for Ohio’s high school sports. The position was one of the lowest on the organizational totem pole—largely paperwork, routine phone calls and double-checking. But Ferree managed to carve out a role he found interesting: a jack-of-all-trades investigator.
COF Academy was new to Columbus, but soon the high school’s football team began to appear on the schedules of some of Ohio’s most visible programs. Ferree began looking into the school after another OHSAA official struggled to verify its enrollment, a key factor in calculating points earned for eligibility in the association’s playoffs. (A team gets more points for victories over larger schools.)
That first conversation led to three years of work, investigation and frustration for Ferree. COF Academy made its way to major programs around Ohio and beyond, leaving behind an impressive legal trail as Roy Johnson, COF coach and self-described “face” of the program, and his business partner Jay Richardson—a WSYX/ABC 6 analyst and former Ohio State and NFL football player—were sued by banks, had vehicles repossessed and outran a number of unpaid debts. No more than about 50 players were ever around at a given time, and the school never had a building or even a functional website. Students reportedly never went to class, and parents began to pull players from the program. COF officials told everyone they were backed by the local chapter of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, which later disowned the project entirely.
By early 2019, the school folded, but a new one quickly took its place: Bishop Sycamore, which continued to book prime football matchups and avoided public scrutiny, even though its questionable practices didn’t change. On Sunday, Aug. 29, of this year, that anonymity ended.
On that day, Bishop Sycamore squared off against Florida’s IMG Academy, the nation’s top high school football program, on ESPN. The game was a travesty, with a profoundly overmatched Bishop Sycamore losing 58-0. Viewers railed on social media about the appalling, nationally televised spectacle. Midway through the second quarter, the score was 30-0 and Sycamore players looked exhausted. (Later, it was revealed that the team had played a game two days earlier.) The Sycamore offensive line struggled to block on nearly every play. Onlookers worried about injuries as Sycamore defenders bounced off IMG ball-carriers. In the first quarter, Sycamore put its offense on the field in a 4th and 15 and had its quarterback punt the ball, only to have it blocked into the endzone for a safety.
Since the game, reporters all over the country have written about Bishop Sycamore. Players have spoken up to tell stories of stealing from grocery stores to make up for missed meals. Numerous members of the Bishop Sycamore roster have been shown to be overage. Parents (and even students) have told horror stories of having their credit cards misused for Bishop Sycamore dealings.
None of this surprised Ferree, who spent three years sounding the alarm about the program. Along the way, he reached out to reporters, called high school athletic directors and warned coaches, even when he no longer worked for the OHSAA. And until this summer, that work was largely in vain.
But now, people are finally listening.
The first time I heard about COF Academy was in July 2018, when Ferree introduced the topic in a group chat that included me and two other friends. Our quartet attended Capital University and spent varying amounts of time around one another. But the way we really bonded was through a regular trivia team and a love of sports. With Ferree’s work, his enthusiasm for investigation and the never-ending supply of drama provided by the sports world, he never lacked for group chat material.
“Ben’s obsession with minutiae is exhausting, and he’s seemingly most interested in the details about things that literally no one else in the world cares about,” says Matt Guthrie, another member of the group. “We’ll be done talking or caring about something for days while Ben continues rambling nonsense to us. He’ll start a sentence with, ‘Did you know’ before informing us of the least-fun fact of all time that no one asked for. Ben’s curiosity in things nobody else cares about is his most definable quality.”
On that day three years ago, Ferree was frustrated. He had been spending a lot of time at work on an investigation into a new “school” (he always put it in quotation marks) called COF Academy. At that point, Ferree was armed mainly with a list of things that didn’t add up. It was, in his view, “impossible” for a school to appear in Ohio’s capital city with no background, and it was even more ridiculous that it was playing a high school football schedule made almost entirely of powerhouse programs. When Roy Johnson told Ferree the school had 750 students, he was incredulous. How could a school go from nonexistent to the size of Columbus’ Centennial High School overnight?
In spite of this, Ferree was still the only one talking about COF. Because he was a part-time journalist himself and regularly talked with reporters for OHSAA work, he was confident he could find a bigger home for the story. He started with reporters at the biggest news outlets in the state, but he was met with apathy. With nowhere else to turn, he looked to me and the group chat. The story was not immediately met with a significantly better response. “The situation was insane, but not too far outside the stuff we would normally hear in the chat,” says Steve Kall, the fourth member of the group. “It would just pop up every now and then with 100 texts that I missed while I was in one meeting.”
At the time, I was a full-time reporter for ThisWeek Community News, a group of weekly papers that covers the suburbs and neighborhoods around the Columbus metro area. (Like Columbus Monthly, ThisWeek is part of the Dispatch media group, now owned by Gannett.) I also worked in sports, covering the Columbus Crew for The Athletic. While ThisWeek employed a collection of high school sports reporters, I was not among them and was not interested in writing about high school sports. The freelance outlets I worked for were national in scope and were not a fit for a niche story about an Ohio football team. But Ferree was out of options and desperate for someone to tell the story.
“I gave it to you when everyone else passed,” he told me in September. “I think I remember selling it to you as, ‘There’s meat here. If what I think is true is true, this is a story. This is a news story.’” He didn’t see this as an ESPN story; he saw it as a CNN story. At first, I didn’t see it as much of a story at all. And then, in the same way Ferree had in previous months, I started digging into it.
The story I begrudgingly started tracking down became the most extensive coverage of my career. I wrote a variety of investigative stories covering the team, its leaders and their many legal and professional issues in 2018 and 2019. In a business much more interested in an inch-deep, mile-wide approach to news, I was fortunate to have editors who were intrigued enough to let me investigate. The story wasn’t specific to the communities I was assigned to cover, but they let me tackle it anyway.
With Ferree’s help, I began to understand COF’s modus operandi, based on his and my research and the many legal cases filed against Johnson and the school. COF opponents benefited from playing the team in a variety of ways, the simplest being that powerhouse teams in Ohio struggle to schedule anyone at all—most teams don’t want to guarantee themselves a loss. But the opponents were also promised—usually by Johnson himself—that COF would eventually be a Division I or Division II school. Because qualification for the OHSAA playoffs gives more points for wins over higher-division teams, a victory over a Division I school is valuable. And, as Ferree explained, even if the program never was certified as any division at all, it’s better for a school’s algorithm to beat a non-certified school than to beat a lower division one. All that mattered was that it wasn’t a low-points win. In turn, fledgling COF received stipends from its more established opponents—small potatoes to the large schools but a big deal for COF. (Stipends are a common practice for big programs, Ferree says.)
COF Academy eventually crumbled. A combination of Ferree’s hounding and my stories led OHSAA to deny any playoff points to victorious opponents of COF Academy, while the Ohio Department of Education revoked the school’s registration. Still, no larger outlet ever latched onto the story.
And so in the aftermath of COF Academy’s failure, Bishop Sycamore rose from its ashes. And this time, no one cared enough to ask questions, not even local news reporters. In 2019, I left ThisWeek to take a job in public relations. “I was always waiting for someone bigger to pick it up, and no one ever did,” Ferree says.
Bishop Sycamore leaders—including athletic director Andre Peterson, whose son played for the team—claimed it was founded separately from Johnson and Richardson. They spoke about doing things differently, focusing on school and football while starting fresh without involving the church. At first, Bishop Sycamore played a mostly out-of-state schedule, but the COVID-19 pandemic made scheduling games a nightmare for Ohio schools, creating an opportunity for the new school. By August 2021, the team reached its peak: the game against IMG. And who was on the sideline, getting face time on ESPN? Roy Johnson, Bishop Sycamore’s coach.
“People are saying ‘Bishop Sycamore isn’t a school,’” Johnson says incredulously during a late September interview. “Why is it not a school? ‘Well, because the kids weren’t attending classes at the address you had.’ Nobody was. It was COVID!” He feels the media coverage around the story is unfair and exaggerated. The kids are going to school for the most part, he says. And the ones who aren’t are post-graduates in the program; they don’t have to go to school.
This phone conversation occurs after reports emerged that Bishop Sycamore had fired Johnson. When asked if the reports are true, Johnson responds that he “pleads the Fifth.” After about six minutes, Johnson says he has to run. “Let me call you right back,” he says. I haven’t heard from him since.
By now, Ferree is used to people ignoring him.
When he first started investigating COF Academy in 2018, he compiled all the information he could—legal cases, evidence showing players were older than reported, the lack of classrooms or even a building—and started calling athletic directors. Despite all the information, almost no one changed their course. In its first year, COF managed to schedule Ohio powerhouses like Huber Heights Wayne, Cleveland St. Ignatius and Lakewood St. Edward, along with major programs outside of Ohio like North Allegheny and IMG Academy, a game that was later canceled. Ferree says only one athletic director took any action based on his information: Willie McGee from St. Vincent-St. Mary High School in Akron. McGee thanked him and eventually canceled the game. (Reached for this article, McGee said he wasn’t interested in talking about anything related to Bishop Sycamore and didn’t remember the conversation with Ferree.)
In his stints as a sports reporter, Ferree wrote stories with the potential for impact but struggled to break into the mainstream. He covered Ohio State sports for a local blog, Columbus Wired, and broke the exclusive story of a basketball player who was suspended for drug use. No other outlet ever specified why he was suspended; no other outlet ever referenced Ferree’s story. While covering the Columbus Crew for ProSoccerUSA, a defunct offshoot of the Orlando Sentinel, he told the story of a Crew player who played a game while concussed, having never been checked by team doctors. No changes were made to MLS concussion policy and no other outlets followed up on the story.
“I always thought, ‘Man, I just don’t know what news is. My radar for what is newsworthy and what is not must just be broken,’” he says. But it wasn’t just reporters and editors who weren’t listening to him. He found plenty of ways to have his word unheeded.
The highest-profile example of Ferree’s futile warnings came in early 2018, when a bench-clearing fight broke out at a high school basketball game between Dayton Dunbar and Thurgood Marshall High School. Naturally, Ferree was tasked with investigating. OHSAA ruled that video showed several Dunbar players leaving the bench during the altercation and those players needed to serve suspensions. The school, however, declined to suspend the players. When OHSAA removed Dunbar from the association’s annual basketball tournament because of its failure to suspend those players, Dunbar sued the OHSAA in Montgomery County Common Pleas Court, claiming the players in question were not involved. The case went to trial, where Ferree got his chance to showcase his blunt disposition.
“They put me up on the stand and accused me of doing a shoddy investigation,” he says. “One of the things they asked me was why I didn’t call the student’s mother to ask if her son was involved in the fight. I said, ‘Why would I waste my time? They would lie to me. People up here are lying to me right now. The head coach, principal and [athletic director] are all lying right now.’ The lawyer said, ‘So you’re going to say that under oath?’ I just said, ‘Yes.’”
Judge Michael Krumholtz disagreed, reinstating the school for the tournament. Days later, however, Ferree was vindicated when video and photos surfaced that proved he was correct. Dayton Public Schools officials made public apologies and fired Dunbar coach Chuck Taylor, while athletic director Mark Baker and principal Crystal Phillips were placed on administrative leave with pay.
Why be so brash? Why would he put himself on the line for a squabble over high school basketball? For Ferree, the more appropriate question is, “Why not?”
“I really don’t care for the politics of high school sports,” he says.
In the days before the nationally televised game against IMG, Ferree says he attempted to warn ESPN but could only reach voicemail boxes, which he assumes no one checked. Then, as the Bishop Sycamore drama unfolded before him on national television, he appreciated “announcers calling out their lies” and was somewhat surprised to see the topic explode on social media. He had spent three years trying to tell people what was happening, but “Twitter did more in three hours than I did in three years.” It was bittersweet.
Ferree wasn’t left feeling self-congratulatory or smug. If anything, Ferree says, Bishop Sycamore’s comeuppance was depressing. It reminded him of how little power he had. OHSAA is a private nonprofit; it doesn’t have any real enforcement power, and it can’t compel people to give information or subpoena a witness. To him, it’s just another layer of red tape.
“For a long time, I thought people just didn’t believe me,” says Ferree, who left OHSAA in April of this year. “Now, I think they did believe me; they just didn’t care. I did all the work; I did a good investigation, I got the right results, and I can prove it. But it doesn’t change anything. So what’s the point of knowing? If nothing is going to change, what does it matter?”
It’s tough to prove, but maybe it does matter. Beau Rugg, OHSAA’s director of officiating and sport management and Ferree’s former boss, says the organization now requires Ohio schools to play teams recognized by their state’s governing bodies, which should help remove the incentive for playing teams that aren’t real schools. As Bishop Sycamore’s story plays out, even Ferree allows himself a little hope that it will be a cautionary tale for others as schools cancel their games with Bishop Sycamore, now a national laughingstock.
At the very least, Ferree is no longer the only person talking about COF Academy or Bishop Sycamore. In the days following the ESPN game, he found himself amid a true 15 minutes of fame. He was interviewed by a host of national and local news sources and earned a shout-out from Columbus Dispatch columnist Michael Arace. “Now, everybody’s listening to Ben Ferree,” Arace’s column began. Ferree has spent hours being interviewed on camera and is now signed on to participate in a Bishop Sycamore documentary project.
For one triumphant (or annoying one, depending on your point of view) moment, the ghost of group chats past returned to my phone. “Bishop Sycamore had a game on ESPN!” Ferree messaged me and the others. As the news unfolded in the national media, our friend Guthrie got texts from other folks asking if he had seen the story. It had all come full circle. Ferree’s ramblings had finally found their audience. “I’m happy some people might start looking out for the kids, and I’m happy for Ben that someone finally wants to listen to him,” Guthrie says.
“The joke is on them, though, because he’ll surely never shut up about it now.”
Andrew King is a former ThisWeek Community News reporter who wrote a series of articles about Christians of Faith Academy, the predecessor of Bishop Sycamore.
This story is from the November 2021 issue of Columbus Monthly.
BoBA ISML 2021 Predictions: Emerald Match Day 5
ARENA 1 Takanashi Rikka [[Shinomiya Kaguya]]
by >=300
Over/Under: 2000
Over
ARENA 2 [[Misaka Mikoto]] Tokisaki Kurumi
by >=300
Over/Under: 2000
Over
ARENA 3 Aisaka Taiga [[Fujiwara Chika]]
by >=300
Over/Under: 2000
Over
ARENA 4 [[Yuigahama Yui]] Schwi Dola
by >=300
Over/Under: 2000
Over
ARENA 5 [[Tōsaka Rin]] Shirai Kuroko
by >=300
Over/Under: 2000
Over
ARENA 6 Saten Ruiko [[Hayasaka Ai]]
by >=300
Over/Under: 2000
Over
ARENA 7 [[Yuzaki Tsukasa]] Tōru
by >=300
Over/Under: 2000
Over
ARENA 8 Isshiki Iroha Kanna Kamui
by >=300
Over/Under: 2000
Over
ARENA 9 [[Sakurajima Mai]] Emilia
by >=300
Over/Under: 2000
Over
ARENA 10 Shiina Mashiro [[Elaina]]
by >=300
Over/Under: 2000
Over
ARENA 11 [[Yūki Asuna]] Makise Kurisu
by >=300
Over/Under: 2000
Over
ARENA 12 Tomori Nao [[Shirogane Kei]]
by >=300
Over/Under: 2000
Over
ARENA 13 Akiyama Mio [[Tachibana Kanade]]
by >=300
Over/Under: 2000
Over
ARENA 14 [[Index L. Prohibitorum]] Megumin
by >=300
Over/Under: 2000
Over
ARENA 15 [[Shokuhō Misaki]] Kasumigaoka Utaha
by >=300
Over/Under: 2000
Over
ARENA 16 [[Shiro]] Nishimiya Shōko
by >=300
Over/Under: 2000
Over
ARENA 17 [[Natsuki Subaru]] Kirigaya Kazuto
by <=400
Over/Under: 2100
Under
ARENA 18 [[Kamijō Tōma]] Azusagawa Sakuta
by <=400
Over/Under: 2100
Under
ARENA 19 Edward Elric [[Levi]]
by <=400
Over/Under: 2100
Under
ARENA 20 [[Saitama]] Fukube Satoshi
by <=400
Over/Under: 2100
Under
ARENA 21 [[Totsuka Saika]] Shiota Nagisa
by <=400
Over/Under: 2100
Under
ARENA 22 Okazaki Tomoya [[Itsuka Shidō]]
by <=400
Over/Under: 2100
Under
ARENA 23 Emiya Shirō [[Ishida Shōya]]
by <=400
Over/Under: 2100
Under
ARENA 24 Okabe Rintarō [[Otonashi Yuzuru]]
by <=400
Over/Under: 2100
Under
ARENA 25 Ishigami Yū [[Riku Dola]]
by <=400
Over/Under: 2100
Under
ARENA 26 [[Togashi Yūta]] Tachibana Taki
by <=400
Over/Under: 2100
Under
ARENA 27 [[Ayanokōji Kiyotaka]] Kūjō Jōtarō
by <=400
Over/Under: 2100
Under
ARENA 28 Arima Kōsei [[Satō Kazuma]]
by <=400
Over/Under: 2100
Under
ARENA 29 Otosaka Yū [[Lelouch Lamperouge]]
by <=400
Over/Under: 2100
Under
ARENA 30 [[Yuzaki Nasa]] Rengoku Kyōjurō
by <=400
Over/Under: 2100
Under
ARENA 31 [[Kanda Sorata]] Archer
by <=400
Over/Under: 2100
Under
ARENA 32 [[Takasu Ryūji]] Akasaka Ryūnosuke
by <=400
Over/Under: 2100
Under
ARENA 33 Shiba Miyuki [[Tang Keke]]
by >=100
Over/Under: 1800
Over
ARENA 34 [[Celia Claire]] Catarina Claes
by >=100
Over/Under: 1800
Over
ARENA 35 [[Hatori Chise]] Minase Nagisa
by >=100
Over/Under: 1800
Over
ARENA 36 [[Siesta]] Ilulu
by >=100
Over/Under: 1800
Over
ARENA 37 [[Shino Aki]] Alice
by >=100
Over/Under: 1800
Over
ARENA 38 Saki Saki [[Misakino Kukuru]]
by >=100
Over/Under: 1800
Over
ARENA 39 [[Kaname Madoka]] Milim Nava
by >=100
Over/Under: 1800
Over
ARENA 40 Natsunagi Nagisa [[Shibuya Kanon]]
by >=100
Over/Under: 1800
Over
ARENA 41 Kawasegawa Eiko [[Miyazawa Fūka]]
by >=100
Over/Under: 1800
Over
ARENA 42 [[Hashiba Kyōya]] Vanitas
by >=150
Over/Under: 1900
Under
ARENA 43 [[Kimizuka Kimihiko]] Bocchan
by >=150
Over/Under: 1900
Under
ARENA 44 [[Shiroyanagi Akira]] Ninomiya Kinji
by >=150
Over/Under: 1900
Under
ARENA 45 [[Kagura Nana]] Kagura Mea
by >=200
Over/Under: 1800
Under
ARENA 46 Shirakami Fubuki [[Kizuna AI]]
by >=200
Over/Under: 1800
Under
ARENA 47 [[Amano Hina]] Futaba Rio Beatrice Uiharu Kazari
by <=500
Over/Under: 3000
Over
ARENA 48 Aki Tomoya Hyakuya Mikaela Rudeus Greyrat [[Morishima Hodaka]]
by <=500
Over/Under: 3000
Over
Voter Id: 3f766578-a9bd-5936-8002-5dd6e988dc0e
CF Montreal: 2021 Voyageurs Cup Winners
CF Montréal are Voyageurs Cup champions for the 11th time in club history. Montréal capped off their 2021 season with a 1-0 win over Toronto FC in the Canadian Championship final Sunday afternoon.
Romell Quioto scored the cup-winning goal in the 72nd minute, allowing Montréal to celebrate a first Canadian Championship title at Stade Saputo since 2014 and clinching a place in the 2022 Concacaf Champions League.
TFC suffered a tough blow early in the game when 2020 MLS MVP Alejandro Pozuelo was forced to sub out with an injury. Ifunanyachi Achara took his place in the 16th minute.
In a battle between two teams that missed out on the Audi 2021 MLS Cup Playoffs, Montréal controlled the pace of the game, outshooting their Canadian Classique rivals 9-1 in the first half but couldn't find the back of the net.
Quentin Westberg kept his team alive throughout the final but Quioto found a way past TFC's goalkeeper with a chip from atop the box.
Jordan Perruzza had the equalizer at the end of his foot in stoppage time but the homegrown forward hit the post, sinking Toronto's chances at forcing a penalty shootout.
Goals
72' – MTL – Romell Quioto
Three Things
THE BIG PICTURE: After starting their season away from home in Florida due to COVID-19 restrictions, CF Montréal wrap up a grueling 2021 season with a Canadian Championship title. In lieu of an Audi 2021 MLS Cup Playoffs run, Montréal can look forward to participating in the 2022 Concacaf Champions League. For Toronto FC, 2021 is a season to forget as the club missed the playoffs and lost to their rivals in the Canadian Championship final.
MOMENT OF THE MATCH: Romell Quioto chipped Quentin Westberg for the decisive play, notching the Canadian Championship-winning goal.
MAN OF THE MATCH: Romell Quioto has been a crucial part of Montréal’s squad and Sunday was no different. The Honduran striker knocked at the door several times and finally found the winner.
Next up
MTL: End of season
TOR: End of season
ISML 2021 Couple Tournament Nominations: The List.
\Ban + Elaine (Seven Deadly Sins)
Yuuko Kanoe + Teiichi Niiya (Tasogare Otome x Amnesia)
Shizuku Mizutani + Haru Yoshida (Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun)
Shinji Ikari + Asuka Langley Soryu (Neon Genesis Evangelion)
Usagi Tsukino + Mamoru Chiba (Sailor Moon)
Lelouch Lamperouge + C.C. (Code Geass)
Subaru Natsuki + Emilia (Re:Zero)
Yuuta Togashi + Rikka Takanashi (Love, Chuunibyou, and Other Delusions)
Tomoya Okazaki + Nagisa Furukawa (Clannad)
Yuzuru Otonashi + Kanade Tachibana (Angel Beats)
Hinata Hideki + Yui (Angel Beats)
Miki Koishikawa + Yuu Matsura (Marmalade Boy)
Voter Id: 62d64fb1-893d-57d5-9225-d144703e29dd
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