World Series
Titus Small
The World Series is finally set, and this year it is going to look a little different. The Milwaukee Brewers will take on the Tampa Bay Rays, and neither team has ever won a World Series. The last time two teams without a championship met in the World Series was back in 1980, when the Phillies beat the Royals. Now, 46 years later, it happens again.
For Milwaukee, just getting this far is a big deal. The Brewers finished the regular season with 103 wins, the most in baseball, and then went on to sweep the defending champion Dodgers in the NLCS. What makes that even more impressive is that Milwaukee came back from behind in every game of the series. They also did it against a Dodgers team that had won the previous two World Series.
Tampa Bay had a different road to get here. The Rays beat the Yankees in the ALDS before taking down the Guardians in six games in the ALCS. In their final game against Cleveland, the Rays won 7-3 behind home runs from Junior Caminero and Yandy Diaz. Freddy Peralta was also named the ALCS MVP after allowing just one run over 12 innings in the series.
Something else that stands out about this matchup is that neither team is one of baseball’s huge spending teams. Instead, we have two teams that found ways to win with pitching, defense and players stepping up when they needed to. The Brewers and Rays finished with two of the best records in baseball, and now they get to decide who finally gets their first championship.
That is what makes this World Series interesting. It is not just about who wins. Either way, this will end with a team celebrating its first championship in franchise history.
Source: Associated Press, “Brewers-Rays will produce a first-time champion, and maybe the first all-indoor World Series.” AP News
Manchester City’s financial scandal puts years of success under question
Cole Osburn
Manchester City has become one of the most successful soccer clubs in the world, winning Premier League titles, domestic trophies and the Champions League. However, nearly a decade of financial rule-breaking has raised serious questions about how the club built its success and whether its accomplishments came on a level playing field.
On Sept. 29, 2026, the Premier League announced that an independent commission had found Manchester City guilty of serious financial violations spanning nine seasons, from 2009-10 through 2017-18. The decision followed an investigation that began in 2018 and led to 115 alleged rule breaches being brought against the club in February 2023 (Premier League, 2023, 2026b).
According to the Premier League (2026b), Manchester City used misleading sponsorship agreements and financial arrangements to make the club appear to be earning more money and spending less than it actually was. The commission found that these arrangements artificially inflated revenue and reduced reported expenses by more than £900 million, approximately $1.2 billion.
Essentially, the club made its finances look healthier than they actually were, allowing it to appear compliant with financial regulations while spending beyond the limits imposed on other teams.
These financial regulations are designed to prevent clubs from spending beyond what their financial circumstances allow. By reporting inaccurate financial information, Manchester City was able to operate under financial conditions that the commission determined violated both Premier League and UEFA spending rules (Premier League, 2026b).
The violations occurred during one of the most important periods in Manchester City’s history. Before the club was purchased by Abu Dhabi United Group in 2008, Manchester City had not won England’s top division since 1968. However, the club quickly transformed into one of the most powerful teams in English soccer.
During the nine seasons covered by the financial violations, Manchester City won three Premier League titles in 2012, 2014 and 2018. The club also won the FA Cup in 2011 and three League Cups in 2014, 2016 and 2018.
In total, Manchester City collected seven major domestic trophies during the period in which the commission found that the club had been breaking financial rules.
The success did not stop there.
Following the period under investigation, Manchester City continued dominating English soccer, winning five additional Premier League titles between 2019 and 2024. The club also captured its first UEFA Champions League title in 2023, completing a historic treble alongside the Premier League and FA Cup.
Although the commission’s findings concern financial violations between 2009 and 2018, the club’s continued success has raised questions about whether the advantages gained during those years helped establish the foundation for its later dominance.
The financial violations do not mean Manchester City’s players fixed matches or every trophy was won unfairly. However, they raise significant concerns about whether rival clubs were competing under the same financial restrictions.
Manchester City has denied wrongdoing and filed an appeal against the commission’s decision. The club maintains the ruling contains significant errors and that evidence supports its innocence (Manchester City Football Club, 2026).
While that appeal remains ongoing, the Premier League must still determine what punishment the club could face if the findings are upheld.
The potential consequences could be some of the most severe ever imposed on a Premier League club.
Possible punishments include substantial financial penalties, points deductions and other sporting sanctions. More extreme possibilities, including relegation or expulsion from the Premier League, have also been discussed (Ewing & Kaushik, 2026).
There have also been questions about whether Manchester City could be stripped of titles won during the years of financial violations. However, no decision has been made to remove any trophies, and such an outcome is not guaranteed (Ewing & Kaushik, 2026).
A significant points deduction could seriously damage Manchester City’s chances of competing for another league championship. Relegation would be even more damaging, potentially forcing one of the world’s most successful soccer clubs out of England’s top division.
The scale of the case is unprecedented. The Premier League’s chief executive, Richard Masters, described the disciplinary case as the most significant in the competition’s history (Premier League, 2026b).
Beyond the potential punishment, the scandal has created questions about the credibility of the Premier League and its ability to enforce financial regulations equally.
For nearly a decade, Manchester City was building a dynasty while violating rules designed to protect competitive fairness, according to the commission’s findings. The club went from chasing England’s biggest teams to becoming the standard that other teams were trying to reach.
Now, the financial practices behind that rise have been detailed by an independent commission, and the consequences could change how one of the most successful eras in English soccer is remembered.
With Manchester City’s appeal still pending and no final punishment announced, the future of the disciplinary case remains uncertain. What happens next could have consequences far beyond Manchester City, potentially reshaping how financial regulations are enforced throughout English soccer.
References
Soccer-Man City appeal Premier League financial ruling | KELO-AM
https://www.premierleague.com/en/news/3045970
Manchester City FC appeal decision of independent Commission
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