The European Championship has been drenched in beer. In the fan zones and outside the stadiums. On the concourses and in the stands.

Everyone has been drenched. Fans, players and, much to the amusement of everyone not wearing a lanyard, journalists, who have been sheltering laptops and walking into press conferences dripping with booze.

Get the tiny violins. Possibly a towel.

We do need to talk about the plastic cups, which have been cascading down from the stands towards anyone taking a corner or goal kick.

The beer first, though.

The official sponsor of the tournament is Bitburger, the German brewer, and the concourse bars are exclusively stocked with their products. For matches at the Allianz Arena, for instance, Pils, Radler and an alcohol-free beer are €7 for 500ml. For games in Cologne, at the RheinEnergieStadion, they have been pouring Kolsch, the sweet beer usually served in small, cylindrical glasses. There are no limits on how much people can buy and fans are able to drink anywhere inside the stadium.

With exceptions.

For England’s group game against Serbia in Gelsenkirchen, only beer with two per cent alcohol was served, compared with the usual 4.8 per cent. The fixture was deemed high-risk. Other special measures were employed, too, including a ban on drinking in the stands. It is unclear at this stage whether England’s last-16 game against Slovakia on Sunday, back in Gelsenkirchen, will be subject to the same restrictions.

Yet even with that lower alcohol content, most travelling supporters are, where drinking is concerned, enjoying a different level of freedom to that experienced back home.

Since 1985 in England, supporters attending matches across the Football League have been prevented from drinking alcohol “in sight of the pitch”. In Scotland, the rules are even stricter: no drinking in stadiums at all.

In Spain, only non-alcoholic beer is allowed. In France, there are no in-stadium alcohol sales for Ligue 1 games. In Serbia, bars around stadiums are only allowed to serve until two hours before kick-off.

Then there is Germany.

UEFA’s approach when staging tournaments is to adapt their rules for food and drink around local legislation and in Germany, alcohol is very much a part of Bundesliga matchdays. There can, as has happened at Euro 2024, be restrictions during high-risk games, that is not unheard of, but there would be something fundamentally un-German about not being able to watch the football with a drink in hand.

Naturally, clubs make a lot of money from beer sales; almost all in the top two divisions have a brewery as a sponsor. Famously, Schalke’s Veltins Arena has a 5km pipeline that connects the stadium with a local brewery. So, on any given weekend, beer sprays out from German terraces. Watch Borussia Dortmund’s Yellow Wall when a goal is scored; in the right light and at the right angle, it can look like the whole stand is weeping with joy.

There was trepidation about this. For instance, before England fans travelled to Germany, the UK’s Foreign Office issued a warning about the strength of German lager. But concerns about over-consumption have not really materialised so far. There have been few arrests and while many supporters have enjoyed long days in sun-drenched beer gardens, there has been very little trouble.

The Athletic spoke to a steward at Allianz Arena on Tuesday night. He said he and his team had experienced few problems with behaviour so far during the tournament. They had been watchful. So far, so good, despite full-strength alcohol being served at the games hosted in Munich, none of which have been deemed high-risk.

The plastic cups are a nuisance, though, and they are everywhere — including in press conferences. On Tuesday night, Dragan Stojkovic was asked whether Serbian fans throwing them at Danish goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel had created an unnecessary distraction, contributing to his side’s elimination after a goalless draw.

“Please, ask me about the football,” Stojkovic pleaded.

A cup of beer arrives as Schmeichel takes a goal kick against Serbia (Carl Recine/Getty Images)

Three nations have been fined for fans throwing objects onto the pitch so far — Croatia, Scotland, and Albania — and more are coming. When France played the Netherlands in the group stages, Antoine Griezmann had to evade a hail of beer cups when taking a corner. Against Switzerland, Germany’s Toni Kroos was similarly bombarded in the first half in Frankfurt, as was Italy’s Lorenzo Pellegrini against Croatia.

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Before that game in Leipzig, a few fans and journalists in the lower tiers were struck by plastic cups from above. Later on, the ball actually struck one that had landed on the pitch. When Schmeichel was a target on Tuesday night, in the incident Stojkovic was asked about, substitute Yussuf Poulsen had to help clear the penalty box.

After England’s 0-0 draw with Slovenia, when Gareth Southgate approached the fans at full time, they responded with jeers and plastic; the English Football Association can expect a fine in the post.

Are UEFA planning action?

When asked about the beer cups by The Athletic on Tuesday, a spokesman said they would be awaiting full reports before making any decisions. Something is stirring, but we are not quite sure what yet.

Plastic cups are not usually such a nuisance in Germany. In March 2022, a game between Bochum and Borussia Monchengladbach was abandoned after an assistant referee was struck on the head by a beer cup. In 2023, a 3.Liga game between Zwickau and Rot-Weiss Essen was abandoned at half-time when a referee had a beer thrown in his face. But such incidents are rare, which might partly be because of legislative change.

In 2023, many German stadiums began a drive towards using reusable cups. At participating stadiums, fans pay a deposit for a cup outside the stadium and can claim it back by returning their cup after the game. Bayern Munich have had such a policy since 2018-19, but many other clubs have adopted it in the years since. The environmental impact is one consequence. Fans’ eagerness to keep hold of their cups and their deposit is another.

The atmosphere during Euro 2024 games so far has been excellent, with supporters — other than in a few cases — enjoying being together. They have filled the stadiums and town centres with noise and joviality and, while there have been flashes of antagonism, the prevailing mood has been benevolent and full of friendly rivalry.

A Belgium fan prefers a helmet to the tournament’s plastic cups (Stu Forster/Getty Images)

Given it has been many years since a football tournament took place in mainland Europe without Covid-19 restrictions, that makes tenuous sense. Many seem to be treating the tournament as they would a holiday, with a determination to make the best of the experience despite, certainly in the opening days, some wearying organisational issues.

Supporters tend only to make headlines when they behave badly. At this tournament, where there have been dramatic improvements but at which there are still queues and delays, they deserve to be recognised for what they have allowed Euro 2024 to become. Colourful, atmospheric, festival-like.

The freedom to enjoy themselves has been part of that, too.

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(Top photo: A plastic cup on the pitch at Slovenia vs Serbia; by Clive Mason via Getty Images)

Outspoken media personality Stephen A. Smith chimed in on Thursday night’s presidential debate.

The longtime ESPN commentator has openly discussed politics in recent years, despite the network’s push to “stick to sports” and steer away from political commentary, notably since Jimmy Pitaro took over as the company’s president in 2018.

Smith reaffirmed his willingness to dive into the political realm when he appeared on NewsNation on Thursday night during the network’s presidential debate coverage. 

Shortly after the debate ended, Smith took to social media to share some more thoughts on what transpired in Atlanta. He also called out Vice President Harris and former first lady Michelle Obama when he offered his take on the debate.

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“So do y’all finally want to stop arguing with me about Biden now???” Smith shared in a post on X. “Have your fears now been confirmed? @MichelleObama. @VP. Somebody. Please help! Biden’s team WANTED this? His staff, His loved ones…. How could you put him out there like that! How could you!”

In addition to his role with ESPN, Smith hosts “The Stephen A. Smith Show.” He has previously stated that the podcast is separate from his duties at the network, and that the platform grants him the freedom to discuss politics or other things in the news that he is interested in. 

Pitaro took over as ESPN president in 2018. Under his leadership, the network has consciously veered away from programming and commentary that delves into politics or race relations. 

Former President Trump, left, and President Biden debated on Thursday night.  (Getty Images)

“I’ve had this discussion internally with hundreds of our employees that sports is about uniting and ESPN needs to unite people around sports,” Pitaro told The Washington Post in 2019. “That’s our role, or one of our roles.”

He added that he also tries to listen to what sports fans are saying about the programming they want to see.

“Of course I am, and I have my own views. But I also recognize that when I or one of our on-air personalities speak publicly, that that is received as the opinions of ESPN, and that can’t be. We look at what our fans are telling us,” said Pitaro.

“What we’ve said from Day 1 is that we’re the place of record, we are covering the intersection of sports and politics. That hasn’t changed. Why is it impossible to make the distinction between sports news and non-sports news?”

Sports commentator Stephen A. Smith makes an appearance on a podcast. (PBD podcast)

However, in July 2019, then-ESPN radio host Dan Le Batard called out the network for placing restrictions on political commentary. 

“We here at ESPN don’t have the stomach for the fight,” Le Batard said on his radio show at the time. “We don’t talk about what is happening unless there is some sort of weak, cowardly sports angle that we can run it through.” Le Batard’s comments came on the heels of “send her back” chants directed at Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., that broke out during a political rally. 

Smith has become one of ESPN’s biggest stars, and he is reportedly in the midst of contract negotiations with the network. According to Puck, Smith’s contract expires in 2025, but he has been offered a new deal that could pay him $18 million on an annual basis.

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

Evan Phillips has seen this movie before, and the reason it looks so familiar is because the Dodgers closer starred in it himself.

The script goes like this: Struggling reliever is cast off by one and often multiple teams. Reliever is acquired by Dodgers, who suggest mechanical tweaks to his delivery, a new pitch, a different grip, a change in pitch sequencing and perhaps a new mental approach. Reliever becomes a high-functioning member of the Dodgers bullpen.

Phillips was that reliever in 2021 when, with an ERA of 7.36 in 44 games for Baltimore, he was released by the Orioles, signed with Tampa Bay, designated for assignment by the Rays and claimed off waivers by the Dodgers within a 15-day span in August.

Assistant pitching coach Connor McGuiness suggested Phillips tweak the grip on his slider to give it more spin and sweeping action, pitching coach Mark Prior encouraged Phillips to add a cut-fastball and sinker to his repertoire, and Phillips transformed himself from castoff to closer by 2023.

Ryan Brasier was that guy last season, when the veteran right-hander was released by Boston with a 7.29 ERA in June, signed a minor league deal with the Dodgers, added a cut-fastball to his repertoire and went 2-0 with an 0.70 ERA in 39 games, ending the season as the team’s primary setup man.

Right-hander Yency Almonte (2022), left-hander Adam Kolarek (2020) and right-hander Brandon Morrow (2017) experienced similar career transformations with the Dodgers.

The latest in the line of reliever redemption stories is Yohan Ramírez, who bounced through seven organizations in nine years and was designated for assignment six times — three by the New York Mets — in the past year before the Dodgers acquired him on May 20.

The 29-year-old right-hander from the Dominican Republic was a hot mess in his second and third games, hitting four of eight Cincinnati batters on May 24 and 26, when manager Dave Roberts came to the mound, put his arms around Ramírez’s neck and told him that he believed in his talent and to trust his stuff.

In his next 14 appearances entering Friday night’s game against the San Francisco Giants, Ramírez allowed three earned runs and 12 hits over 16⅓ innings for a 1.65 ERA, with 15 strikeouts and four walks, earning a promotion from mop-up man to a higher-leverage role.

Anthony Banda, a 30-year-old left-hander who had a 6.43 ERA in 10 games for the Washington Nationals in 2023 and was pitching for Cleveland’s triple-A team when he was traded to the Dodgers on May 17, could be another of those hidden gems, with a 1.06 ERA in his first 14 games.

And 30-year-old right-hander Michael Petersen has shown the potential to be a find in a small sample size, with a 2-0 record and 1.80 ERA in three games, but he has the requisite back story — he was pitching in a San Jose adult rec league in 2020 and missed the 2021 and 2022 seasons because of Tommy John surgery.

“When we sign a guy like Michael Petersen to a minor league deal, it’s always with a plan, that there’s something there to like, and if we can get that in line, then maybe add something else, give them some runway, it’s a lets-see-what-we-got kind of thing,” Phillips said.

Dodgers relief pitcher Michael Petersen, left, and Will Smith congratulate each other after the Dodgers defeated the Angels.

(Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press)

“I was out of options in 2022, and the team gave me time to figure some things out. What I’ve noticed with the Dodgers is that we have a willingness to give guys some opportunity. I think that’s a unique thing in the game right now, a wonderful thing, and it sets up guys like Yohan, Michael and Anthony for success.”

Ramírez nearly fumbled that opportunity with his late-May meltdown in Great American Ball Park. He had given up a two-out single and hit Luke Maile and Stuart Fairchild with pitches to load the bases in the eighth inning of a 4-1 loss on May 26 when Roberts came to the mound to deliver some love and a pep talk.

Ramírez got Jacob Hurtubise to line out to right field and has been a different pitcher ever since.

“That was one of the best things that has ever happened to me on a baseball field,” Ramírez said through an interpreter. “I think it awakened something in me that I didn’t really know I had. It kind of revitalized my whole career, and my focus and my confidence has grown ever since that moment.”

Ramírez didn’t need to overhaul his four-pitch mix, which features a 94.5-mph sinker with 25 inches of vertical movement and 17 inches of left-to-right break and an 81-mph sweeper with 38.5 inches of drop and 18 inches of right-to-left break.

“He’s got really nasty stuff,” Dodgers second baseman Gavin Lux said. “When he’s in the zone, it’s not a comfortable at-bat.”

Left-hander Anthony Banda pitches during his Dodgers debut on May 19 against the Reds at Dodger Stadium.

(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

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The Dodgers worked with Ramírez to adjust his pitch sequencing and attack different parts of the zone with different pitches.

“My agent told me that this was going to be a good organization to come to, that they were gonna give me a lot of information, so it’s been very helpful to kind of open my mind to what they’ve offered me, to be more creative with the ideas that they have,” Ramírez said. “I’m very thankful to the coaches and Dave Roberts for instilling that confidence and showing me how to use my pitches in a different way.”

Ramírez hit a low point in May when he was designated for assignment by the Orioles and Mets after giving up 11 earned runs in 14⅓ innings (6.91 ERA) of a combined 10 big-league appearances.

“You always believe in yourself and your abilities and talent, but sometimes it’s very difficult to bounce around, it gets a bit demoralizing,” Ramírez said. “You kind of walk around with your head low because you don’t know how long you’re gonna be here, you don’t know how long you’re gonna stay with the team from place to place.”

Now look at him: Ramirez entered in the eighth inning of a tie game against the Angels on June 21 and struck out the side. He entered in the seventh inning against the Chicago White Sox on Monday and struck out one in a scoreless inning of a 3-0 win. And Tuesday night, he was one of six relievers who combined for seven scoreless innings of a 4-3 win over the White Sox.

“He’s got a role,” Roberts said of Ramírez’s ascension on the bullpen depth chart. “The stuff has always been good enough; it just wasn’t in the zone enough. But he’s been in the zone. He gets some funky swings, some soft contact. I just love his energy. He’ll do anything I ask of him. He’s very resilient, so he bounces back really well.”

Resilience has been a strength for the 6-foot-7 Petersen, who toiled for eight years in the minor leagues before making his memorable major league debut at Colorado on June 18.

Petersen, who had a 1.61 ERA in 23 games with 31 strikeouts in 22⅓ innings for triple-A Oklahoma City, entered in the seventh inning with the Dodgers trailing the Rockies 8-4, and he gave up one run in two innings.

The Dodgers then staged a dramatic seven-run rally in the ninth, riding Jason Heyward’s grand slam and Teoscar Hernández’s three-run homer to an 11-9 come-from-behind win.

Dodgers reliever Michael Petersen during a June 18 game against the Rockies in which he became the winning pitcher when the Dodgers rallied for seven runs in the ninth inning.

(David Zalubowski / Associated Press)

“Everything about that day was absurd,” Petersen said. “I was joking with my parents that when you’re in a relief situation, you never dream of getting your first win, you dream of maybe getting a game finished or a save. Then J-Hey hit the grand slam, and I was like, ‘The game would be tied if I didn’t give up that run! I blew it. This is on me.’

“Then Shohei [Ohtani] got a hit, [Freddie Freeman] was intentionally walked, Teo hit the home run … it took a couple of minutes for it to dawn on me that I’m in line for the win.”

Petersen spent five seasons (2015-19) in the Milwaukee farm system without rising above the Class-A level, but when COVID wiped out the 2020 minor league season, Petersen, who grew up in the Bay Area, found a level he could dominate.

“A friend said he had a buddy running a rec-league team out of San José and they’d be happy to have you,” Petersen said. “I was like, ‘Hey, baseball is baseball.’ I think I went three or four innings before a guy made contact, and that contact was a bunt.”

Petersen signed with the Rockies in 2021 but blew out his elbow in spring training, had surgery and missed two seasons. He went 2-2 with a 3.46 ERA in 41 games for Colorado’s double-A and triple-A teams in 2023 before signing with the Dodgers in January.

“Literally a week into the spring, I already saw how they work,” Petersen said. “They sent me some slow-mo videos of my fingers on grips, they’re talking about how they can change this and that, and in the month span of spring training, my pitching style had changed for the better, by like a very large amount.”

The changes were subtle for Petersen, who throws a 97-mph four-seam fastball, an 88-mph cut-fastball and an 85-mph slider. The results were immediate.

“My old slider-curveball, I didn’t have my hands on the seam, and I kept falling off, I just wasn’t gripping it,” Petersen said. “They were like, ‘OK, we can work with this baseball, let’s get your hand comfortable.

“Rather than trying to change everything, we’ll change how I was throwing it. If you just change the grip, and your fingers do what they naturally do, they’ll still be on the seam. It was amazing.”

Ramírez, Banda and Petersen have helped ease the loss of injured relievers Brusdar Graterol, Joe Kelly and Brasier. Ramírez has established the strongest foothold of the three, and Banda has climbed what Roberts likes to call his “trust tree.”

Petersen hasn’t pitched enough to solidify a big-league spot, and because he has minor-league options, he’ll probably be sent back down if the Dodgers need a fresh arm or if an established reliever comes off the injured list. But Petersen still feels like he’s in the right spot for long-term success.

“I played with a guy in Colorado who played here last year, [left-hander] Justin Bruihl, and he always talked about how great the Dodgers were,” Petersen said. “You don’t hear many guys coming to a new team talking about how much they loved their old team. Most guys will bash their old team and say, ‘Oh, it sucks.’

“But he was adamant that the Dodgers are a great spot for you and if you get a chance to sign with them, you’ll love it. Thankfully, I did.”