The Super Bowl media was its usual mass of bodies trying to get quotes out of the Indianapolis Colts and New Orleans Saints players.
When I looked over at the Saints running back Reggie Bush's booth, I noticed that the crowd around him was even bigger than those surrounding established NFL stars such as quarterbacks Peyton Manning and Drew Brees.
Why is something of a mystery; we are all still waiting for the college version of Reggie Bush to show up.
Four years ago at the University of Southern California (USC), Bush was by far the most exciting player in college football.
He was a blur of a running back who dominated almost every game he played in.
He put moves on defenders in the open field that left your mouth hanging open on a regular basis.
He was so good that the Saints drafted him No 2 overall in the 2006 NFL entry draft.
With his speed and movement, Bush was supposed to take the NFL by storm, but it has not panned out that way.
He has never rushed for 1,000 yards in any of his four seasons and even though the Saints do use him a lot as a receiver, his number of catches has dropped each year.
Worse yet is that Bush has not been the big play, break-away threat the Saints pay US$30 million (Dh110m) for.
Occasionally Bush will revive the jitterbugging style that won him a Heisman Trophy as the most valuable college player, but occasionally is not enough for the money he is paid and the media attention he gets.
What Bush has been best known for is his relationship with Kim Kardashian of "reality" television fame.
I seem to see Bush on entertainment shows and in tabloid pages more than I see him in the end zone scoring points for the Saints, and at media day during the pre-Super Bowl hoopla he was asked how he would look at his first four NFL seasons.
"I haven't lived up to the expectations that I set for myself," he admitted.
"I expected the Super Bowl every year, the Pro Bowl every year. But I know hard work will pay off and the results will come."
Bush's quarterback Brees also had to fend off questions about the less-than-stellar performances of his running back.
"The sky's the limit for Reggie Bush," he said. "I think he can continue to get a lot better. He's one of the most talented players in the NFL.
"Just seeing that Arizona game [in the Saints' first play-off match when Bush scored two touchdowns], very complete, probably one of the most impressive performances I've seen from him since he's been here.
"I think he wants to continue to build on that."
I know it must seem as though I am piling the negatives on Bush for his mediocre career thus far.
Bush and Brees might be right in their contention that Bush's best days are ahead of him. But to that I say: how many running backs get better as they get older?
Is Bush going to get faster in his late 20s?
If so I would like to know what he eats, I could use some of that.
Bush can shut up all his critics this Sunday in the Super Bowl versus the Colts.
If he can have a career game on this worldwide stage, the criticism of his first four seasons will be more than tempered.
And all the Saints fans who feel they did not get all they expected in Bush, will celebrate him endlessly if he leads New Orleans to their long-awaited first NFL championship.
@Email:sports@thenational.ae
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, (Leon banned).
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
Company%C2%A0profile
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Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
What are NFTs?
Are non-fungible tokens a currency, asset, or a licensing instrument? Arnab Das, global market strategist EMEA at Invesco, says they are mix of all of three.
You can buy, hold and use NFTs just like US dollars and Bitcoins. “They can appreciate in value and even produce cash flows.”
However, while money is fungible, NFTs are not. “One Bitcoin, dollar, euro or dirham is largely indistinguishable from the next. Nothing ties a dollar bill to a particular owner, for example. Nor does it tie you to to any goods, services or assets you bought with that currency. In contrast, NFTs confer specific ownership,” Mr Das says.
This makes NFTs closer to a piece of intellectual property such as a work of art or licence, as you can claim royalties or profit by exchanging it at a higher value later, Mr Das says. “They could provide a sustainable income stream.”
This income will depend on future demand and use, which makes NFTs difficult to value. “However, there is a credible use case for many forms of intellectual property, notably art, songs, videos,” Mr Das says.
RESULTS
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Water waste
In the UAE’s arid climate, small shrubs, bushes and flower beds usually require about six litres of water per square metre, daily. That increases to 12 litres per square metre a day for small trees, and 300 litres for palm trees.
Horticulturists suggest the best time for watering is before 8am or after 6pm, when water won't be dried up by the sun.
A global report published by the Water Resources Institute in August, ranked the UAE 10th out of 164 nations where water supplies are most stretched.
The Emirates is the world’s third largest per capita water consumer after the US and Canada.
Malcolm & Marie
Directed by: Sam Levinson
Starring: John David Washington and Zendaya
Three stars
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