NBA, Wake Up!

 

The NBA just received one of the worst ratings they have ever received for their abysmal All Star Weekend in San Francisco. After changing the platform multiple times, nothing has worked for the NBA. So what's next?

During the same time, the NHL had its revamped All Star break that caught national attention. They turned their All Star format from a skills competition and a mini tournament between the four divisions into an international showdown between four different countries. 

Like the NBA, NHL players often wouldn't put their best effort into the all star games in the past. But this year was different. The official name of the tournament was called Four Nations Face Off. It was comprised of the best players from the US, Canada, Finland, and Sweden. 

The round robin tournament took place over a week and got people very excited about the sport. The players put everything on the line even though there was no incentive to playing besides representing your respective country. 

The number one concern for players over All Star Weekend has always been injuries, but when you put your nation's colors on, all of those concerns are left behind. It was a great tournament and a great turnaround from the NHL. They turned a usual underwhelming All Star Weekend into a playoff intensity tournament for the players and fans. 

On the other hand, the NBA saw its ratings fall off the charts. No one was excited about the usual All Star festivities and especially the game itself. Watching stars play basically a pickup basketball game with no one putting in any effort or trying is flat out boring to watch. It's hard to get excited about something that has no hype whatsoever. 

The NBA should look at the NHL as an example of what they should implement. There are multiple ways they can change All Star Weekend. One is by adopting the four nations format from the NHL. Getting four different countries in a tournament would get the fans excited and give the players an incentive to represent their own countries. 

Another option is to do a United States versus the rest of the world game. Imagine international players like Nikola Jokic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Luka Doncic, and more taking on the best from the United States. The International game has vastly improved in recent history, so this would definitely incorporate a lot of competition and excitement. 

Whichever one of those methods it is, the NBA has to do something to fix their weekend. The NHL did an amazing job and even got viewers that didn't watch hockey in the first place to tune in as well. It's clear, the NBA can't keep this format any longer. 

Next up: Baseball!

 

With the NFL season now officially over with the champion being crowned, baseball is officially on the horizon and is the next sport to kick off. With pitchers and catchers reporting today and in the upcoming days, we are getting closer and closer to Opening Day. 

It has been a jam-packed offseason to say the least, making this upcoming season even more exciting. Since the last pitch was thrown and the Dodgers became the World Champs, a lot of faces have departed and arrived on new squads. 

The story of the offseason: Juan Soto. We will get to see Soto make his debut with the New York Mets for what the Mets hope to be a storied 15 years to come. The real question around this will be what New York team will be smiling when the eventual outcome of this signing is determined. 

It might not be this upcoming year, and it might not be for a while, but both the Mets and the Yankees spent a lot of time this offseason improving their clubhouses. The team that I'm convinced hasn't slept this entire offseason, even after winning the World Series, is the Los Angeles Dodgers. 

The Dodgers, after winning their 8th World Series, were not satisfied and went out and brought in a whole bunch of new talent. A couple of the new faces in their clubhouse this season include: Roki Sasaki, Blake Snell, and Tanner Scott. And they didn't really lose anything either. 

A back to back championship is well within the sites of the Dodgers. Despite the regular season looming, there is still one free agent that everyone is confused why he is still available. That is Alex Bregman. It still remains a mystery where he will sign, but whatever team does bring him in will be deemed a winner of this offseason. 

March 27th can't come soon enough. Now with the NFL off until August, the MLB will soon become the main attraction of America and other countries around the world. If this season is anything like the previous one, we are in for a fun ride ahead. 

The Eagles are World Champions!

 

It has been done. The Kansas City Chiefs have been dethroned. After an absolutely lopsided contest Sunday evening, the Philadelphia Eagles are the new Super Bowl champions, winning their second title in the last eight years. 

It really wasn't a close game from the beginning. The Eagles were up by as much as 34 points at one point. Kansas City scored a majority of their points in garbage time. From the first Kansas City offensive drive, there was something different about their play style. 

It almost seemed reminiscent of their blowout loss in the Super Bowl to Tampa Bay just a couple of years ago. Mahomes had no time in the pocket, got flustered, threw some really bad balls, leading to complete domination by the other side. 

Mahomes was out of rhythm, some of his most trusted receivers were dropping balls, and despite facing no blitzes, the offensive line still couldn't block the Eagles pass rush. It was a total domination from the start to the finish. 

The Eagles defense really was the biggest story in this one. Along with six sacks, the Eagles had two interceptions, one of them being a pick six by Cooper DeJean. Kansas City couldn't adapt to their defensive schemes the entire game. 

Philadelphia not only had their defense on spotlight, but their offense also had an historic performance. The one guy who didn't play up to his standards however was Saquon Barkley. Kansas City has always had a stout rush defense and hadn't allowed an 100 yard rusher in the playoffs since 2019. This streak did not break. 

They forced Jalen Hurts to throw the ball and he did a pretty good job to say the least. With all of the eyes on Saquon, Hurts was also able to tuck the ball away and run when the opportunity presented itself. He broke the Super Bowl record for most rushing yards by a quarterback with 72. 

With his almost perfectly efficient night through the air and acceptable game on the ground, Hurts took home Super Bowl MVP. From a National Championship win in college to a Super Bowl victory in the NFL, Hurts has deemed himself as a proven winner and will look to continue that for years to come. 

On the other hand, for the Chiefs, I expect them to be back in the same spot next year, but this time with a large chip on their shoulders. After making his fifth Super Bowl before turning 30, I don't think Patrick Mahomes is anywhere near satisfied with their his 3-2 record in the big game. 

All of the talk was silenced by the Eagles on Sunday Night. The Chiefs quest for a three-peat has been denied and who knows the next time, if ever, we will see a team get the chance to three-peat again. The GOAT talks will have to be pushed aside another year as Jalen Hurts and the Philadelphia Eagles have taken over the football world in 2025.