The Natural Opinion: Top 5 Overrated Quarterbacks

By Adriel “The Natural

With the 2016 NFL season one game in and ready to kick off into full effect let’s take a look at my Top 5 Overrated Quarterbacks.

5) Matthew Stafford

This one is easy. He has teased us with his elite arm talent for his entire career. This young man can make every throw in the book. Unfortunately for him, great quarterback play must inevitably be judged by consistency and wins. Going into his 8th year in the NFL, Stafford has a combined record of 42-51. With only two playoff appearances and no playoff wins, it is unbelievable how the Detroit Lions never seem to be in the mix when it comes to searching for a new franchise quarterback. This is one thing about the NFL that really irks my nerves. They just fall in love with the prototype and the measurables. When it comes to that, Stafford has it all. But, someway, somehow he still enjoys job security while being mediocre at best, despite having future hall of famer, Calvin Johnson, at his disposal for his entire NFL career. After 7 years, you are who you are. I don’t see his decision making getting any better.

4) Tony Romo

Now, how great is Tony Romo? The Cowboys have a rookie quarterback in Dak Prescott that impressed during the preseason and already Dallas Cowboys fans are ready to make the switch. Tony Romo is the ultimate disclaimer. “If he was healthy the cowboys would do this.” “If you take away that interception, the Cowboys would’ve done that.”

Come on. Please! Stop the nonsense. Stop it with these excuses. I’m not buying it. Professional sports is a bottom-line business. When you’re in the top league in the world, it’s all about the bottom line. Get the job done or get the hell out of the way. Just like Stafford, there’s no denying his talent. But way too often, while watching the so called experts, I continue to hear that Tono Romo is elite or at least close to elite. Naaaaa homeboy; I don’t think so! Once again, if we all looked hard enough, we can make excuses as to why our lives didn’t turn out the way we hoped. But hey, life just doesn’t work like that. When you only have two playoff victories in a 12-year career, it’s safe to say “you really ain’t all that.”

3) Philip Rivers

Now, we get to the “potential hall of fame” portion of our countdown. Take a look at the career numbers: 41,447 yards, 281 touchdowns and a 64.8 completion percentage. Yes, based on numbers, you can make a great case as to why Rivers would be a legitimate candidate. However, if you peel back the layers, I don’t think it’s even close.

How many times have the San Diego Chargers had one of the more talented rosters in the league and then routinely came up short in the postseason? Too many to count. Rivers has been on teams with arguably the greatest running back (Ladanian Tomlinson) and tight end (Antonio Gates) in NFL history. He’s had Pro Bowl wide receiver Vincent Jackson and Pro Bowl all everything Darren Sproles in his prime. With only a 4-5 postseason record I think it’s safe to say that he’s been a huge disappointment considering the talent he’s had to work with. In the last six seasons, Rivers has continued to accumulate volume stats while only leading the Chargers to one playoff appearance. In today’s pass happy era, those stats mean absolutely nothing to me when they don’t amount to team success.

2)Eli Manning

Being a New York Giants fan ever since the 1990 season, there is no way I would put “the great Eli Manning” on this list right? Wrong. Let me get this out of the way now. Yes, he’s a two time Super Bowl Champion and yes he’s a two time Super Bowl MVP. But in my book, two impressive 4 game runs in two separate seasons that were 4 years apart do not add up to a Hall of Fame career. Two things that Eli Manning has severely lacked throughout his entire NFL career are consistency and decision making. On three different occasions he’s led the league in interceptions. In seven out of 12 seasons the Giants have failed to qualify for playoff competition; including missing the playoffs six out of the last seven seasons. And when they do make the playoffs they’ve been mostly an average regular season team which further points to the inconsistency.

Eli has played with elite talent like Tiki Barber, Plaxico Burress, Odell Beckham Jr. on offense, while enjoying the likes of Michael Strahan, Justin Tuck, and Osi Umenyiora on defense. Now, I’m not saying Eli isn’t a good quarterback. That would be asinine. But to say he’s elite or hall of fame worthy is pushing it in my book. This offseason, the Giants fired their coach, Tom Coughlin, and spent approximately $200 million in free agency mostly to improve their suspect defense from a year ago. Now, I can’t wait to hear the excuses they come up with if the Giants miss the playoffs and underachieve once again.

1) Andrew Luck

Or Andrew “Lock” as my boy Skip Bayless likes to call him. “Lock” as in, lock for first ballot hall of fame status. Really? Let me get this out of the way now. As far as young quarterbacks go, Andrew Luck is up there with the likes of Russell Wilson and Cam Newton when it comes to talent. The thing that makes him the most overrated quarterback is the fact that he was anointed GOAT status before he even took an NFL snap. I’ve never seen anything like it. In my 26 years of watching the NFL, never has a rookie quarterback been forced down my throat like Andrew Luck has been; even more than number one overall picks like Peyton Manning and Cam Newton. With a lifetime 58.1CMP% and 67 career interceptions in 61 career games (regular season and postseason), Mr. Luck has been far from GOAT status. Unlike most of the people on this list, he has been to the playoffs for three out of his four seasons. But when you’re compared to the likes of John Elway, Peyton Manning and Aaron Rodgers basically from birth, I’m sorry you’re gonna be graded on the ultimate curve when I’m evaluating you.

Do you agree? Did I miss someone? Let me know in the comments!

Adriel “The Natural” is a contributing writer for YourSitch.com

Kyle Questions September 2016

By Kyle Boris

September is upon us which means our favorite television shows are returning, new ones are premiering, baseball is coming to a close, football is starting up and of course the Emmy’s are knocking on the door. With all that in mind, take a look as I count down the 10 most pressing and entertaining issues that have me interested as I question September 2016.

10.) Will Ryan Lochte make it past the first round on Dancing with the Stars?

Oh, Ryan, where did we go wrong? Oh, yeah, it was when you lied about your drunken night. We’ve all been there. But, what better way to get rid of some bad publicity than to go on Dancing with the Stars? Lochte will be a contestant on Season 23?! of the popular dancing competition joining the likes of reality television all-star Vanilla Ice and fellow olympian, Laurie Hernandez. I have to assume Lochte isn’t going to be a fan favorite even if he dances well. Could he end up spending less time on the dance floor than he did in Rio?

Kyle’s Answer: Lochte will make it past the first round…but not much further.

9.) Will Donald Glover find success in Atlanta?

Creator, co-writer, producer, star. Donald Glover does it all on his new comedy series, Atlanta, set to premiere September 6th on FX. The man who goes by Childish Gambino in the rap scene and went by Troy on Community, Glover dwells into his own creation this time around as he plays Earn Marks, a man with no job in a big city with bigger dreams. Early reviews are positive and it seems as if Glover has struck gold again.

Kyle’s Answer: Glover shines in HOTLANTA

8.) Will Storks have the same success as The Lego Movie?

After an eleven year layoff, Warner Animation Group(formally Warner Bros. Feature Animation) hit it big with one of the biggest animated films of 2014 with The Lego Movie. The film sits at a whopping 96% on Rotten Tomatoes and grossed over 469 million bucks. I feel sorry for the film that has to follow that up. That’s where Storks comes in; September 23 to be exact. This 3D animated film revolves around the idea that storks no longer deliver babies and instead deliver packages. All is well until Junior(Andy Samberg) gets into some hijinks and must deliver an actual baby. The idea is a fresh one and the trailers haven’t given much away, but we’ll have to see if Samberg can bring the same charm to Junior that Chris Pratt brought to Emmet in The Lego Movie.

Kyle’s Answer: Storks does well, but falls short in its opening weekend at the box office againts The Magnificent Seven(starring Chris Pratt).

7.) Will there be a tie for the second wild card spot heading into the final two days of the MLB regular season?

It’s only happened once since the new wild card rules were created in 2012, but this season has the chance to produce a 163rd game between two teams tied for the second wild card. Two teams are granted a wild card berth and play in one game to determine who moves on to the Division Round. But, with many teams fighting for positioning, there’s a chance a 163rd game might have to be played in case of a tie for the second wild card spot.

While the NL has a chance as the Mets, Pirates and Marlins are all within three games of the final wild card spot, the American League has a logjam of teams fighting for that final spot.

TEAM	W	L	PCT	WCGB
Red Sox	74	59	.556	+2.0
Orioles	72	61	.541	–
Tigers	72	61	.541	–
Astros	71	62	.534	1.0
Yankees	69	63	.523	2.5
Royals	69	64	.519	3.0
Mariners	68	65	.511	4.0

records via MLB.com

A whole bunch of scheduling conflicts could be in play if two or more teams finish with the same record. As of right now, the Orioles and Tigers would have to play a 163rd game to determine who gets the chance to play the Red Sox. However, the Astros, Yankees, Royals and even Mariners are within striking distance of making October very interesting.

Kyle’s Answer: The Red Sox and the Orioles hold off the competition heading into October

6.) Will Tim Tebow be signed to a Major League Baseball Contract?

Tebow 3:16. TebowMania. Tebow Time. It seems that the man can’t go a few months without his name being heard around the country. The former football star recently had a tryout in front of Major League Baseball scouts for over 25 teams. He showed off his speed for his size, a strong arm, and some decent power. But, what are the chances Tebow gets signed during the month of September? Tebow could do well in the minor leagues, perhaps, but I’m not so sure someone’s ready to give him the opportunity.

Kyle’s Answer: Tebow doesn’t get signed and is back as an analyst before month’s end.

5.) Will Marvel’s Luke Cage follow in the footsteps of Jessica Jones and Daredevil?

We’ll have to wait until the end of the month to know if Luke Cage will be a hit just like fellow superheroes Jessica Jones and Daredevil. Netflix hasn’t missed a beat recently with its comic book adaptations and there shouldn’t be any worry that this will change with Luke Cage. Cage was a towering force as Jones’s lover and partner on her Netflix series, so its exciting to see what he can do on his own.

Kyle’s Answer: I binge watch it in one night…and it delivers.

4.) Will South Park’s 20th season premiere crack two million viewers?

The boys of South Park have been crossing lines and dropping jaws for 19 strong seasons with number 20 on the way, September 14th. However, last season saw a drop in viewers as the premiere only brought in 1.76 million viewers. That was down from the 2.40 million for Season 18 and 2.89 for Season 17. Actually, the show didn’t crack 2 million U.S. viewers once in its 19th season. 20 seasons is a big deal and with plenty of Trump to go around, we can be sure the animated comedy has some material to work with.

Kyle’s Answer: South Park’s premiere does not mention Kyle’s mom, but reaches 2 million viewers.

3.) How will the Patriots do without Tom Brady?

If you weren’t aware. Tom Brady had some problems with his balls; more specifically the air quality in said balls. The man was on a mission to take down Roger Goodell and get his four-game suspension revoked for Deflate Gate, but ultimately Goodell won the battle and Brady will be forced to sit out his team’s first four games against the Dolphins and Texans at home and on the road against the Cardinals and Bills. Jimmy Garoppolo has zero career starts in the NFL and will be tasked with facing some tough defenses to open the season.

Kyle’s Answer: Patriots lose both road games and one at home to the Texans to fall to 1-3 before Brady comes back to save them and carry the team to the playoffs.

2.) Who says the most offensive joke at the Comedy Central Roast of Rob Lowe?

Every year Comedy Central hosts a roast where a bunch of comedians and celebrities get to tear each and pretty much anyone and anything going on in the world apart. Justin Bieber and James Franco have been previous roastees, but this year’s honor goes to Rob Lowe. Will Rob make the most offensive joke of the night? Probably not. That honor will have to come from one of his fellow roasters: Jimmy Carr, Ann Coulter, David Spade, Pete Davidson, Nikki Glaser, Jewel, Ralph Macchio, Peyton Manning, Rob Riggle and Jeff Ross.

Kyle’s Answer: The safe bet is to go with Jeff Ross who is never afraid to address touchy topics. However, I’m gonna go with Pete Davidson who will try to follow up some of his 9/11 references from last year.

1.) Will Game of Thrones sweep the Supporting Actor/Actress categories at the Emmy’s?

Game of Thrones had a huge sixth season. Deaths: CHECK. Battles: CHECK. More Deaths: CHECK. With all those deaths and battles came some great performances from the regular actors and actresses on the show. This was made clear when the Emmy nominees were announced and five GoT actors & actresses were nominated.

In the Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series category, Peter Dinklage(Tyrion) and Kit Harington(Jon Snow) will try to fend off Jonathan Banks(Better Caul Saul), Michael Kelly(House of Cards), Ben Mendelsohn(Bloodline) and Jon Voight(Ray Donovan). Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series finds three ladies of Game of Thrones as nominees. Emilia Clarke(Daenerys), Lena Headey(Cersei) and Maisie Williams(Arya) all will be vying for their first Emmy awards against Maggie Smith(Downton Abbey), Maura Tierney(The Affair) and Constance Zimmer(UnREAL).

Kyle’s Answer: The women have a better shot to come away with a victory and I believe Lena Headey powers through and notches the Emmy win for her role as Cersei. On the men’s side, Kit and Peter will have some competition particularly in the form of the great Jonathan Banks as Mike Ehrmantraut on Better Call Saul, but I think Kit Harrington as Jon Snow pulls out the victory for the Starks!

Kyle Boris is a contributing editor for YourSitch.com

Twitter: @KyleNoStyle

The Natural Opinion: Tom Brady

By Adriel “The Natural”

Could Tom Brady be finished in New England? Wait. Hear me out.

What do Joe Montana and Tom Brady have in common? Well for starters, they’re both considered by the masses to be two of the greatest NFL quarterbacks of all-time. They both have four Super Bowl victories. They were both drafted in the later rounds of the NFL draft. Their similarities are many. However, there is one similarity that I could see coming to fruition once the 2016 NFL season begins. Just as Joe Montana finally lost his starting job to Steve Young, Tom Brady will lose his starting spot to Jimmy Garoppolo.

That’s right. I said it! Tom Brady will lose his starting job for the New England Patriots during the 2016 season. How blasphemous! How dare I say such a thing? Now hold on, before you start going crazy, hear me out.

In the preseason of the 1990 season, I was a young boy watching NFL football for the very first time. I wasn’t always a fan, but I knew of the big names; none bigger than Joe Montana and Jerry Rice. The San Francisco 49ers were the glamour team at that time as they exercised dominance throughout the 1980’s while ushering in the 1990’s. I was an 11-year old kid and I made a concerted effort to watch and learn the game. Starting off in the preseason, one thing stood out to me. Every time Joe Montana would leave the game, this guy named Steve Young would not only come in and play well, he would look, dare I say, even more dynamic than Joe. Now, it wasn’t as if Joe wasn’t playing well, it was just that to a novice like me, it seemed that there wasn’t much of a difference between the “greatest of all time” and his understudy.

Fast forward to the regular season. The 49ers got off to a blazing start. The team was clicking on all cylinders to the tune of a 14-2 record which was tops in the league. They were destined for another impressive run to the Super Bowl. Unfortunately for them, the 1990 New York Giants happened and the 49ers were unceremoniously dismissed from the playoffs in the 1990 NFC Championship game. Joe Montana suffered a major injury that game. Joe was almost 35-years old at the time and obviously on the downside of his career. That was the beginning of the end for Joe Montana as the starting quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers.

What does this have to do with Tom Brady, you ask? No matter how great you are or how great you were, there will always come a time where we all will have to move on especially when it comes to sports; especially when it comes to the game of football.

Tom Brady had one of his greatest statistical seasons last year: 64.4%completion percentage, 4770 yards, 36 touchdowns and seven interceptions. However, if you paid close attention to every Patriots game, it was easy to see that most of Tom Brady’s brilliance last year was due to the greatness of Rob Gronkowski and the elusiveness and guile of Julian Edelman. Brady got off to a blazing start in the 2015 season. He was on pace to destroy all his peers when it came to the MVP voting. Then, a funny thing happened. After 9 games, Julian Edelman was lost for the rest of the regular season due to a severe foot injury leaving Brady and the rest of the team to pick up the pieces. Brady was never the same quarterback after that. His numbers dropped significantly and it was clear to see how much he missed the security blanket called Julian Edelman.

Why is this significant? Because in the 2014 season Rob Gronkowski started off the season slow. He was deliberately eased back into things coming off major injuries to his knee, forearm and back. While he was being eased into things, Tom Brady struggled mightily. Not looking like the same quarterback we’ve come to expect, Brady and the New England Patriots got off to a mediocre start. They were 2-2 after the first four games. Once Gronk was cleared for full game participation, the Patriots went 10-2 the rest of the way, and they won the Super Bowl.

I’m saying all this to illuminate how now, more than ever, Tom Brady’s greatness is completely reliant on having his 2 most trusted weapons on the field at the same time. He can’t have one without the other. He must have both simultaneously in order to be great. No longer are the days where Tom Brady can make lemonade out of lemons. In Brady’s hay day he made guys like Troy Brown, Dion Branch, and Kevin Faulk into well-known names. Why? Because he was that great. As he’s gotten older and his arm strength and arm talent have dropped significantly he’s become entirely reliant on the all-pro receivers he now has at his disposal.

Fast forward to 2016. Brady has been suspended for the first four games because of Deflategate. Jimmy Garoppolo will be at the helm. There is only a small sample size, but every time I have seen this young man step on the football field, he has been impressive and more than competent even at such a young age.

Now in his third year in the league, he will be entrusted to hold down the fort until Brady comes back in week 5. It is my assertion, that if Jimmy Garoppolo plays well enough to lead the New England Patriots to at least a 3-1 record to start the season, he will remain the New England Patriots starting quarterback. Now when I say, if Garoppolo leads them to at least 3-1; I’m implying that if his play on the field is the primary reason for their success, he will remain the starter. Bill Belichick has been known to be as cutthroat as ever when it comes to his football team. He doesn’t care what you did before. He only cares what you can do now and in the future and in my estimation, the future will be Jimmy Garoppolo. I could be wrong and Belichick might go right back to Brady no matter how well Garoppolo does. But even so, the writing will be on the wall. Tom Brady, 39-years old, will be on his way out. Even though he might still have something left, he won’t have enough moving forward to be a better option at quarterback than Jimmy Garoppolo.

Adriel “The Natural” is a contributing writer for YourSitch.com

Who Did You Have Winning at UFC 202?

Layton Ross is a contributing editor for YourSitch.com

Twitter: @LaytonRoss

Which Fight Are You Looking Forward To?

Kyle Boris is a contributing editor for YourSitch.com

Twitter: @KyleNoStyle

YourSitch Staff Predictions: SUMMERSLAM 2016

2. WWE SummerSlam 2016 — via championsofthechampions

Sunday, August 21, the biggest party of the summer will be going down at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York as Summerslam comes to the Big Apple. An underrated card full of some spectacular singles matches is sure to excite the crowd.

The debut of the WWE Universal Title is one of six title matches scheduled to take place, however, the two most anticipated bouts might be two of the non-title matches as The Beast Incarnate Brock Lesnar takes on the Viper Randy Orton, while AJ Styles and John Cena look to settle their score as well. With a great card prepared, let’s take a look at some of the match-ups, as Kyle Boris and Daisy Rivadeneira of YourSitch.com make their predictions for the 29th edition of WWE Summerslam.

Match #1: Kevin Owens and Chris Jericho vs. Enzo Amore and Big Cass

Kyle Boris: I wouldn’t be surprised if this match didn’t kick off the card seeing as the event is taking place in Enzo and Cass’s backyard. The crowd will be into it early as soon as they hear the fan-favorites’ music hit. As for the match, it could go either way, but I think you give the win to Enzo and Cass to solidfy themselves as one of the best teams on the Red brand.

Match Prediction: Enzo and Cass by pinfall

Bonus Prediction: One member of JeriKO turns on their teammate

Daisy Rivers: As much as I love my Jersey/New York boys, Chris Jericho is notoriously known to fight dirty or at least to have some tricks up his sleeve (or under his scarf in this case). I feel like Jericho and Owens will steal the victory in this match. Jericho will probably ‘accidentally’ knock out the ref and take out Big Cass with a steel chair.

Match Prediction: Chris Jericho and Kevin Owens by pinfall

Bonus Prediction: Carmella walks out with Enzo and Big Cass

Match #2: First in Best of Seven Match: Cesaro vs. Sheamus

KB: I’m intrigued to see where this best of 7 series between these two powerhouses goes. I like the idea of having them compete in a series because at least it adds some intrigue instead of the same two guys fighting for months without much growth. This is a 50/50 decision with the match most likely taking place on the pre-show, but I’ll go with Sheamus just because Cesaro has won the last two meetings.

Match Prediction: Sheamus by pinfall

Bonus Prediction: Cesaro swings Sheamus around ten times.

DR: Don’t seem too impressed with this… yet. I think it’s because the ending of this probably means the winner will just have bragging rights. Is it wrong I feel this should be more than that? Maybe a shot at the a belt or something! It’s probably the opening match of SummerSlam and Cesaro will ‘neutralize’ Sheamus– an easy win for him, and will take the 1st win of the seven-match series

Match Prediction: Cesaro wins by pinfall

Bonus Prediction: Cesaro will wear a different colored suit, maybe, SummerSlam colors.

Match #3: WWE Intercontinental Title Match: The Miz(c) vs. Apollo Crews

KB: Apollo Crews has a huge platform to showcase his skills and athleticism at one of WWE’s big 4 PPV’s. He’s still new to most WWE viewers and definitely new to the average viewer who only tunes in for the big ones. That being said, the Miz has been doing some of the best heel work in the WWE with Maryse by his side and I don’t see his reign as champion ending on this night.
Match Prediction: The Miz by pinfall

Bonus Prediction: Maryse is ejected from ringside.

DR: Apollo Crews is great and is probably a better wrestler than The Miz, but The Miz is good at scheming and will win by doing that exact thing.

Match Prediction: The Miz wins by pinfall

Bonus Prediction: Apollo Crews loses it at the end and goes off on The Miz after the match.

Match #4: WWE Tag Team Title Match: New Day(c) vs. Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson

wwe_tag_team_champions_the_new_day — via wikimedia

KB: The New Day won the titles at last year’s Summerslam and they are arguably facing one of their toughest foes a year later in Gallows & Anderson. Big E has been off television for the past couple of weeks so for that reason I’m picking The New Day to win because I see him making his return to possibly distract the challengers.

Match Prediction: New Day by pinfall

Bonus Prediction: Someone’s groin area gets the Big E treatment

DR: Gallows and Anderson are the clear powerhouse opponents in this match, but the New Day will tire them out and maybe Big E returns? They will walk out *dancing* W-W-E. World. Tag. Team. Champions!

Match Prediction: New Day wins by pinfall

Bonus Prediction: Either Gallows or Anderson will break Xavier Woods’ trombone, Francesca, out of anger.

Match #5: WWE United States Title Match: Rusev(c) vs. Roman Reigns

KB: These two put on a great match to end the last Raw before the PPV, with Reigns picking up the clean victory. However, after defending his title against the likes of Zack Ryder, Mark Henry, Kalisto and Titus O’Neil, I think Rusev picks up the win over Roman to truly solidify his championship reign.

Match Prediction: Rusev by submission

Bonus Prediction: Reigns passes out from the Accolade and doesn’t officially tap out

roman_reigns_november_2013 — via wikimedia

DR: Probably one of the more even matches of the night. Two very big guys, but think Roman Reigns’ superman punch is enough to knock out the Russian brute. Maybe two superman punches because it might take a little extra to put down Rusev and I just love seeing them punches in slow-mo replays.

Match Prediction: Roman Reigns wins by pinfall

Bonus Prediction: Rusev gets injured from the superman punches.

Match #6: WWE Women’s Title Match: Sasha Banks(c) vs. Charlotte

KB: Every time these two women are in the same room they are a candidate for a “This is Awesome” chant. In a match that won’t feature outside help from Dana Brooke, I think this match will still have outside interference. I don’t think Charlotte will win her title back, but I also don’t see Sasha picking up another clean victory on the former champ.

Match Prediction: Charlotte by DQ

Bonus Prediction: Nia Jax takes out both competitors

DR: Respect to Charlotte for being an amazing wrestler, but the fact that she always needs to have someone at ringside is frustrating and annoying. Someone will come out and try to help Charlotte, but The Bo$$ will come through victorious with her Bank Statement.

Match Prediction: Sasha Banks by submission

Bonus Prediction: Snoop Dogg makes another appearance and walks in with Sasha Banks, like he did at Wrestlemania.

Match #7: John Cena vs. AJ Styles

KB: Two of the biggest names in the business square off with what should be the final match in their feud. A win here for AJ would do wonders for his push in the WWE and it could ultimately catapult him into the WWE Title picture against the winner of the Ambrose/Ziggler match.

Match Prediction: Styles by pinfall

Bonus Prediction: The two shake hands after the match

Will John Cena give up at Summerslam? — via wikimedia

DR: Not going to lie, I wasn’t as excited for this match compared to the other matches on the card, but after this week’s SmackDown, my perspective has changed. I think the two will fight their hearts out in this match, and will ‘Never Give Up’…except, Styles will.

Match Prediction: John Cena by pinfall

Bonus Prediction: Blood, sweat, and tears will come from this match as both want to be considered the best and this fight will determine it.

Match #8: Brock Lesnar vs. Randy Orton

KB: In the only match featuring both a RAW and Smackdown superstar, this contest has had a great build-up and is the match I’m most looking forward to just because I have no idea who’s going to win. Brock has been made out to be an unstoppable force, but Orton has turned himself into one of Brock’s toughest opponents because of the build-up.

brock_lesnar_and_paul_heyman_april_2014 — via wikimedia

Match Prediction: Brock by pinfall

Bonus Prediction: Outside interference from someone not named Paul Heyman

DR: Both will battle it out and use their finishing move more than once. It will definitely be a close one that will have the fans jumping at every near fall. The ref might even get KO’d in this match leading to weapons possibly being used.

Match Prediction: Randy Orton after 3+ RKO’s by pinfall

Bonus Prediction: This has to be the last match of the night. With all the buildup in the past weeks and with both men being on almost every promotion for SummerSlam, it would be hard to not have these guys headlining. If this isn’t the main event I won’t watch the rest of SummerSlam… Just kidding. I will probably stick around and even watch the pre-show again.

Match #9: WWE Title Match: Dean Ambrose(c) vs. Dolph Ziggler

dean_ambrose_as_new_wwe_world_heveyweight_champion_2016 — via wikimedia

KB: Dean Ambrose defeated Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns at Battleground to keep the WWE Title on Smackdown Live. After both of his opponents were drafted to Raw, Ambrose had a new challenger earn a title shot in Dolph Ziggler. I think these two will put on a stellar match, possibly even match of the night, but I think Dean continues his reign as champ of the blue brand.

Match Prediction: Ambrose by pinfall

Bonus Prediction: The title is used as a weapon.

DR: Much credit to Dolph Ziggler because he is a great wrestler and earned his way to becoming the #1 contender. However, I don’t think he’s the complete deal when it comes to being the champ. He will hold his ground and make us think he’ll win, but the defending champ will finish him up like dirty deeds.

Match Prediction: Dean Ambrose by pinfall

Bonus Prediction: Ambrose pulls out a weapon (hopefully a chainsaw), he probably won’t use it but it will definitely get us excited.

Match #10: WWE Universal Title Match: Seth Rollins vs. Finn Balor

KB: Who said the little guys couldn’t headline? Many matches have the chance to end the show, but ultimately, I think this match deserves that honor as Seth Rollins and Finn Balor are set up to put on a fast-paced, back and forth match as the two men fight to become the first WWE Universal champion. Does Finn continue his quick climb to the top or does Seth Rollins show everyone that he can not only talk the talk, but also walk the walk?

Match Prediction: Seth Rollins via pinfall

Bonus Prediction: Ends the card

finn_balor_at_nxt_in_march_2015 — via wikimedia

DR: This would’ve been my second guess for the final match of the night because both of these guys are just SO DAMN GOOD. The Demon King will use his Coup de Grâce on Rollins, which is a pretty fitting name because in French it translates to giving a final blow to kill your already wounded victim. Seth Rollins won’t really die in this match, but what should is his pedigree finisher. Please change it Seth, the pedigree belongs to Triple H.

Match Prediction: Finn Balor by pinfall

Bonus Prediction: Rollins will try to use the new Universal belt as a weapon, while the ref is knocked out.

Agree or disagree? Share your opinions and comment on how you think WWE Summerslam will go down!

Kyle Boris and Daisy Rivadeneira are contributing editors for YourSitch.com

Twitter: @KyleNoStyle & @day_zeeee

The Rio We Don’t See

A brief look into the life in Rio de Janeiro and it’s relation to the 2016 Olympics.

By Daisy Rivadeneira

90141061_welcometohell — Sight of Brazil tourist when landing in Rio (BBC)

‘Welcome to Hell’ is how many were greeted when landing in Rio de Janeiro for the 2016 Olympics earlier this month. Now, if that’s not terrifying, I don’t know what is. Months leading into the world-wide competition hinted that Rio was going through an economic crisis. The cost of last year’s World Cup, in addition to the construction of more stadiums for the Olympics, has put a strain on its community.

Here’s what we see versus what is actually going on just outside of the stadiums:

Opening Ceremony Moments Olympics — 2016 Rio Olympics Opening Ceremony (NBC)

rio-olympics-police_e7658521565d43328dbc78f514d667fc — Olympic Park- Rio de Janeiro (Rappler)

It’s not like people are walking in blind into Rio. It was publicly known that natives in Rio de Janeiro were protesting the Olympics, leading to the boycott of many police officers before the event. Yes, Brazil has brought in officers to keep the athletes and tourists safe as a temporary solution- but how has that held up?

Quick background, as soon as it was announced that Rio would host the World Cup and the Olympics, the government quickly acted on pushing the poor into favelas; urban ghettos, where there is little to no police supervision. These favelas are far enough from where gold medals are being distributed, but still just a few kilometers away from the glamour.

Currently, many cities in Brazil are going through the same severe poverty Rio is going through. The only difference here is that most of the world has their eyes set on the Olympics, forcing the city into a negative spotlight. Unfortunately this isn’t something that has come about in the recent months, but something that has been going on for years. Yet, not much has been done by the government to change or resolve the problem. It seems almost as if the government has accepted the issue and is just settling.

Due to the severe poverty in Rio, there are women selling their bodies and kids pickpocketing tourists just footsteps away from Maracana Stadium. People are doing this because there aren’t jobs that will pay them, coercing them to do what it takes to survive. Not sure if I missed that in the news, but all I have been hearing is how the city is beautiful, safe, and fun. Honestly this doesn’t come to my surprise, but it’s not what has really shocked me so far. What really has shocked me is how the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the people who chose Rio as the host city, are coming off. They appear to be more worried about looking foolish in the decision they’ve made in choosing Rio de Janeiro.

Throughout the Olympic games the IOC has overlooked and ignored many incidents in where people have been mugged, robbed, or just merely had their life threatened. However, it got to the point in where they could no longer ignore the real-life crime happening right in front of their faces. Now obviously there have been many crime related instances throughout the games, but what has been making headlines as of late is Ryan Lochte’s incident on Sunday.

In case you missed it,12-time Olympic Gold medalist Ryan Lochte reported that he had allegedly been robbed at gunpoint with three other US swimmers. Lochte goes on social media to break the news and instantly the news goes viral. Now here is my issue. Any organization would have an initial reaction of trying to get ahold of the situation and get to the bottom of it. However, the IOC’s reaction was to shut down the claim and deny it happened immediately. Now it appeared as if they were trying to hide and bury the news as if nothing had happened, but since Lochte is a world-wide name it was hard to have the news disappear. Who knows what the truth in this story is, but Brazilian officials are determined to find out the truth. This case is currently under investigation and on Wednesday the Brazilian court ordered to seize Lochte’s passport along with the three other athletes he was with that night (USA Today). Now if the Brazilian officials actually did this in-depth investigation for other crimes, things might not be so bad in Brazil.

This is just a very tiny glimpse and a quick overview of what is going on down in Brazil. So what happens after the games are over and done with? The only places with protection seem to be around the events. Currently every event is being heavily guarded, and even locals have reported that this is the safest Rio has been… at least around Olympic Park (NY Times). Like I said this is just the tip of the iceberg and you can read about Rio’s crime problem for hours and even read into the corruption in IOC’s decision. But that’s another article for another time.

Let me know your thoughts as this discussion isn’t close to being done.

Daisy Rivadeneira is a contributing editor for YourSitch.com

Twitter: @day_zeeee

The Fate of Super Bowl Losers in the 32-Team NFL Era

Embed from Getty Images

By Jackson Baird

A season ago, the Carolina Panthers bulldozed their way to the best record in the NFL. Their 15-1 mark did not equate to a ring, however, as Ron Rivera’s crew was stopped dead in its tracks by a transcendent Denver Broncos defense. As a result of their 24-10 loss in Super Bowl 50, Carolina fell into the infamous category of Super Bowl losers.

Much has been said about how difficult it is to successfully defend a title in the NFL. Only eight squads have ever been able to repeat as champs, the most recent instance coming courtesy of the New England Patriots in Super Bowls XXXVIII and XXXIX. Well if the winner of the big game has a hard time scaling the mountain the following year, it stands to reason that the loser would find their road to glory even more perilous.

Indeed, only one team in the Super Bowl era lost the title game one year and ended up winning it the next: The Miami Dolphins. After the 1971 campaign, Miami lost Super Bowl VI to the Dallas Cowboys 24-3. Apparently they were so upset by their loss that they just decided to beat literally everyone they played the following year, completing the first (and only, at the time of this writing) perfect season by defeating the Washington Redskins 14-7 in Super Bowl VII. So it’s clear the Panthers have their work cut out for them if history is any indication.

But the NFL has grown and evolved over the decades, with the current playoff format having only been around since 2002. That was the inaugural season for the Houston Texans, and thus the inaugural season of the eight division setup. So if we’re going to give a history lesson, that seems like a good place to start.

What sort of history is Carolina pitted against as we gear up for the 2016 NFL season? Let’s take a look at all the Super Bowl losers since the inception of the current playoff format to find out.

The Dark Times (2002-2007)

Year	SB Loser (record that season)	Record Following Year	Made Playoffs Next Year?
2002	Raiders (11-5)	4-12	No
2003	Panthers (11-5)	7-9	No
2004	Eagles (13-3)	6-10	No
2005	Seahawks (13-3)	9-7	Yes
2006	Bears (13-3)	7-9	No
2007	Patriots (16-0)	11-5	No

Records via NFL.com

The early years of the revised NFL were quite harsh to the Super Bowl losers. Five of the first six teams who lost the Super Bowl under the new format missed the playoffs altogether the following season. The lone exception was the 2006 Seahawks, who took the NFC West by one game over the 8-8 Rams that year, and eventually edged the Cowboys 21-20 in the Wild Card round in the now infamous Tony Romo Botched-Field-Goal-Hold game. Their season ended at the hands of the eventual NFC champion Chicago Bears, who themselves would suffer a similar fate to most Super Bowl losers during this time frame.

As one might imagine, extenuating circumstances (namely injuries) played a big role in the decline of many of these teams. Rich Gannon won the MVP award for the Raiders in 2002, but suffered a season-ending injury in Week Seven of the following year against Kansas City (though Oakland was only 2-4 entering that game).

Donovan McNabb played most of the 2005 campaign for the Eagles injured until finally being put on the shelf for good after a Week 10 loss to Dallas. That season also featured the bizarre Terrell Owens saga which ended with the Eagles suspending the wideout for the final nine games of the year.

Chicago’s secondary was decimated by injuries the year after losing to the Colts in the Super Bowl, and they never really settled on a quarterback all season long, flipping between Rex Grossman and Brian Griese for much of the year.

The Patriots just got unlucky, managing to become the first team since the playoffs expanded to 12 teams in 1990 (different format, same number of playoff slots) to win 11 games and not qualify for the postseason. That was also the year Matt Cassel led the offense after New England lost Tom Brady to a torn ACL in Week One.

A Step in the Right Direction (2008-2014)

Year	SB Loser (record that season)	Record Following Year	Made Playoffs Next Year?
2008	Cardinals (9-7)	10-6	Yes
2009	Colts (14-2)	10-6	Yes
2010	Steelers (12-4)	12-4	Yes
2011	Patriots (13-3)	12-4	Yes
2012	49ers (11-4-1)	12-4	Yes
2013	Broncos (13-3)	12-4	Yes
2014	Seahawks (12-4)	10-6	Yes
2015	Panthers (15-1)	?	?

Records via NFL.com

Now that’s more like it. Beginning with the Cardinals, every team coming off a season in which they came up short in the title game has made the playoffs the following year. In fact, no team since has finished with less than 10 wins.

But success can be relative though, and if we’re looking for a team who followed up a Super Bowl loss with a Super Bowl win, we still have yet to find one. The Patriots and the 49ers came the closest, both reaching their respective conference title games the year after falling in the Super Bowl.

Extenuating circumstances were kinder to the Super Bowl losers during this time frame, but that doesn’t mean they were nonexistent. A year after the Steelers went 12-4, won the AFC North and lost to the Packers in Super Bowl XLV, Pittsburgh notched another 12-4 mark, but this time had to settle for a Wild Card berth after Baltimore took the division. The Steelers then traveled to Denver in the Wild Card round and promptly got Tebowed in overtime.

The Patriots came close to returning to the Super Bowl in 2012, but an injury to Rob Gronkowski that forced him to miss Weeks 12 through 16 plus the AFC Championship game arguably cost the Patriots that return trip.

Seattle’s 2015 squad was without the services of Kam Chancellor for the first two games of the season due to the player’s holdout, and also had to deal with the newly imported Jimmy Graham’s season-ending injury during Week 12.

The Royals celebrate after winning the 2015 #WorldSeries. — via wikimedia

So this is what the 2016 Carolina Panthers are up against. Looking at the other three major North American sports leagues, you would think winning it all after a loss in the final round would be no sweat. The most recent champion crowned in both MLB (Kansas City Royals) and the NBA (Cleveland Cavaliers) were teams who failed in that same exact spot one year prior. In the NHL, one only has to go back to the 2008-09 season to find the last time a team (Pittsburgh Penguins) turned the trick. But for whatever reason, the 1972 Dolphins are alone in the NFL’s version of this category.

The Panthers have most of their key pieces back, and will even add wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin after losing him for all of 2015 to a torn ACL. The goal is obvious: The Vince Lombardi Trophy. But to reach it, they’ll have to navigate a grinding regular season and an intense postseason, evade the ever-present injury bug, and chase down the ghost of the only undefeated team the league has ever seen. Best of luck Carolina, we’ll be watching.

Jackson Baird is a contributing writer for YourSitch.com

Twitter: @jaxbaird124

The Natural Opinion: Kevin Durant

Is Kevin Durant Just Following The Lebron James Model?

I certainly think so.

Picture this. As a young kid growing up in Brooklyn, New York, my friends and I are choosing teams. Myself, along with my little brother, are by far the best players of the bunch. Automatically, I along with my brother are nominated team captains. Notice the word, “automatically”. Why is it automatic that the two best players play on opposite sides? Competitive balance. The two best players on the same team is called a “slaughter”. No one wants to see that, no one wants to be a part of that, including two young boys just playing on the courts of Brooklyn.

The only true way to ultimately decide who truly is the better player is for us to compete against each other. Being on the same team doesn’t accomplish anything. As competitors, no matter the age of the athlete, we feel a sense of accomplishment when we challenge ourselves that way.

I say all this to illuminate the fact that the day Lebron James decided to join Dwyane Wade in Miami in the summer of 2010, the NBA as we knew it would never be the same. I’m an NBA fan through and through. I still love the NBA now, just as much as I did back in the day. But I’ve gotta say, I feel like I’m in the twilight zone these days. NBA Superstars who are considered in the top two or three players in the league consciously teaming up to “slaughter” the rest of the league are being celebrated like those NBA legends of old who accomplished even more without resorting to these “punk-like” tactics? In Brooklyn that’s called “sucka shit”.

Whenever I bring things like this up, I’m deemed a “hater”. But the reality is, I want others to truly appreciate how difficult it is to win an NBA championship. Not only that, how difficult it is to win many times over. Common sense would say, when two of the top three players in the league team up it means they’re taking a much easier road to the ultimate goal. But someway, somehow, Lebron James is now being celebrated like he is on the same level, or according to some, even better than the GOAT Michael Jordan. Remember what I said, “twilight zone”. With that, with only three rings to his name, he’s now bypassed legends like Magic Johnson(5 rings), Kareem Abdul Jabbar(6 rings), Kobe Bryant(5 rings), Shaquille O’Neal(4 rings) Tim Duncan(5 rings). Really?

In 2010, Kevin Durant condemned the forming of super teams in his now infamous tweet. But a funny thing has happened since; Lebron James is being celebrated because he finally started winning championships by doing “sucka shit”. So apparently, Kevin Durant has had a change of heart. He’s now joined the Golden State Warriors to team up with another, arguably, top three player in Steph Curry. My assertion is that the Golden State Warriors have the potential to be the greatest team of all time and once Durant starts winning championships, he too will celebrated as if he’s greater than Michael Jordan. Twilight Zone.

Adriel “The Natural” is a contributing writer for YourSitch.com

7 Things Other Sports Can Learn From Soccer

By Ryan McAdams

The start of another soccer season is upon us and so is another season of me having to explain at length that not every game ends zero-zero. Rather than me tell you why you should love soccer, here are seven things that it does better than the “Big Four” American sports. Take note NFL, MLB, NBA and NHL!

1. Promotion/Relegation

One of the coolest things about each new soccer season is when new teams are added to the league. At the end of the season, the bottom three teams in the top tier league are replaced with the top three teams in the league below them.

135060 — Watford celebrates being promoted to the Premier League in 2015 (Source)

For example, in the Premier League, Newcastle United, Norwich City and Aston Villa finished at the bottom last year and will be replaced with Burnley, Middlesbrough and Hull City. One of the top benefits of this would be the obliteration of tanking. A team like the 76ers or Braves wouldn’t be able to throw complete seasons away for draft picks because they would risk dropping down to the second-tier league. This would make more teams competitive and create more drama for teams that otherwise have nothing to play for. Instead of Sabres fans cheering at their team losing a game to give them a better draft pick, that win becomes super important to the Sabres remaining in the NHL.

Additionally, you’d get to see new teams, players and jerseys each year when new teams get promoted to replace whoever happened to get relegated that year. One last bonus this plan adds is that money hungry leagues (all of them) can add expansion teams without the traditional negatives that come with adding new teams. Las Vegas wants a football team? Sure thing! But they start in the lower division and have to work their way up to the NFL without the ridiculousness of an expansion draft.

2. Loans

In soccer, players are allowed to be loaned to other clubs for a season or partial season in exchange for that team paying the players salary. Usually this occurs when teams want a young player to have more regular playing time than they can offer, or when they want to sell a player that’s hard to get rid of. The concept of loans in other sports leagues leads to a wide range of fascinating possibilities.

For my favorite football team the Jets, I love the possibility of loaning Geno Smith to another team to see if he can develop into anything resembling a starter, while the Jets still attempt to reach the playoffs with Ryan Fitzpatrick. Maybe Christian Hackenberg is loaned to the Browns after RGIII and Josh McCown suffer season-ending injuries and turns into a star by the end of the season due to regular playing time (ok this is a little too biased, reeling it in a little).

ny-jets-quarterbacks-elsa — MFW the Jets still can’t field a decent QB (Source)

Combining loans with the aforementioned promotion/relegation two-tiered sports leagues idea, we get even cooler possibilities. Maybe the Mets finally give Brandon Nimmo some playing time by loaning him to the Reds as part of the Jay Bruce deal, allowing Nimmo to avoid the corner-outfield logjam in Flushing for a year and giving the Reds an exciting young player to try and avoid relegation. Maybe instead of awkwardly backing up Brett Farve for three seasons before his eventual retirement/unretirement, Aaron Rodgers could have been loaned to the Las Vegas Cardsharks in League 2 and honed his craft there. Rodgers could have developed into an elite quarterback faster (theoretically), the Packers would have realized it’s time to move on from Farve (theoretically) and the Cardsharks could have rode Rodgers to a promotion to the NFL. Everyone wins!

If we attempt to reach an even crazier scenario with loans, maybe instead of leaving Cleveland in chase of rings, LeBron asks to be loaned to Miami for just a year instead, then returns to the Cavs without ever having to have to go through The Decision. Maybe Mike Trout is loaned to the Blue Jays for the rest of the year to create the most ridiculous lineup ever and give him a shot at a ring that he clearly won’t have any time soon in Los Angeles. Maybe JR Smith gets loaned to a team that lets him play games shirtless. The possibilities are endless!

3. Cups & Tournaments

On top of regular season games, there are multiple cups and tournaments going on throughout the year that teams participate in. These tournaments are great opportunities for small clubs (even from the other tiers) to make a name for themselves and for teams that wouldn’t normally have a chance at hardware to go for glory in an otherwise lost season.

maxresdefault1 — And really every season is a lost season if you’re the Browns (Source)

Imagine the Cubs avoiding the suffering of another World Series-less year as their season is redeemed by their brilliant run to the Jackie Robinson Cup (baseball’s tourney would be the easiest to name by far). Like soccer, these tournaments would run parallel to the season and offer hope, excitement and extra games to otherwise disinterested fanbases. Also, powerhouse teams like the Spurs or the Patriots would have to debate whether they want to ignore the cup(s) and put all their resources towards the league, or go for both if they think they can do it. Do you heavily rotate to focus on winning the championship despite being only a few wins away from a trophy in the Cup tournament?

New York Rangers fans could finally pretend their team matters with a Gretsky Cup victory, the Braves could shock everyone with hardware in a season they end up getting relegated to the second tier and the new Seattle Supersonics could upset the Warriors in the Brian Scalabrine Cup (working title) final in a legendary 2-OT game. While this probably wouldn’t work in the NFL due to player safety concerns, what fan of other leagues wouldn’t love to see more games, more playoff atmosphere and more excitement during the season?

4. Jerseys

When I first learned soccer teams get new jerseys made for them every year I thought it was dumb. It’s really just for teams to make more money each season, as crazy fans will end up buying at least a new jersey per season, if not all three (home, away, alternate). It’s a ton of fun to see teams wear throwback uniforms (unless you’re Chris Sale) so it actually makes a lot of sense for fans to be pumped up for new jerseys each year.

The release of these new threads always generates a lot of buzz in the offseason, creating more excitement during a time that usually has none. Sure, sometimes you won’t be crazy about one of your team’s jersey but everyone discussing their opinions on the looks just adds to the fun. Plus, it’s always fun to laugh at the ridiculous uniforms that your rivals will have to wear that year like these atrocities:

I mean, who approved those? But anyway this is a great idea because it’s a huge money maker for teams and leagues and the new designs will give fans something else to debate and argue over. Oh and this, from one team’s jersey launch:

5. Rule Consistency

The rules of soccer have, for the most part, stayed the same for as long as I can remember. And the one time they introduce new technology into the game (goal-line technology), it was a seamless transition that doesn’t take up game time and generally makes the game better and more accurate. Meanwhile in other sports:

And while the NFL can’t figure out the most basic of rules, the MLB and NBA are having trouble with replay. Both have recently implemented video review to help make sure umpires/referees get the call right. But neither has figured out how to have that happen quickly.

Video review on challenges or umpire reviews take excruciating long in baseball, a sport that has been trying everything to speed up their games. Basketball can’t efficiently review plays either and has been trying to tweak the rules to get rid of “hacking” for a while now. The NHL has actually had some good rule changes like taking out the stupid two-line pass rule but also implemented the trapezoid which is up for Dumbest Rule Change in Recent Sports History (not a real thing). Consistency goes a long way in gaining new fans and not pissing off existing fans with infuriating tweaks to da rules. “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” should be adhered to by a lot more leagues.

6. Fan Songs

Every Big Four supporter gets behind their team in the most boring ways possible. “Let’s-go-[team]! Let’s-go-[team]!” Real creative Richard, they haven’t heard that one before, that’ll propell ‘em to victory. “D-Fence! D-Fence!” Thank god you were there to tell them you support them doing their job Deborah, what would they have done without you? It’s so uncreative that EVERY TEAM has a version of the same chants. And god forbid you have a stadium of split fans trying to out chant each other WITH THE SAME CHANT. You’ll have the entire stadium screaming “LETS-GO” and then a ridiculous mix of team names “CJOELTTSS!!!”

Meanwhile, in the rest of the world, fans have gotten much more creative and kick the crap out of our chants/cheers. If you watched any of the European Championships, you saw/heard Iceland’s fantastic and intimidating Viking clap:

THIS IS ALREADY A MILLION TIMES BETTER THAN ANYTHING WE HAVE AND THEY’RE JUST CLAPPING!

There are endless examples of great songs made by fans, but the best are when they’re making fun of athletes, like West Ham fans chanting at a former player that reminded them of a certain bald Harry Potter character:

There’s also a ton of great self deprecating chants like:

Do these chants actually help teams perform better? I don’t know, Google it. But it definitely sounds a lot better and is less boring that what we have now.

7. Less Commercials

Easily the best part of watching soccer is the uninterrupted flow of play. You get to enjoy 45+ straight minutes of gameplay, followed by a 15 minute break for halftime when TV gets all of its commercials out of the way/when you go refill the bowl of Doritos you spilled everywhere when your team scored and then another 45+ minutes of straight soccer homie. Never will you have to deal with the atrocities of the dreaded extra point-commercial-kickoff-commercial combo that watching football gets you.

Length of Game vs. Actual Gameplay–FIXED [OC] from dataisbeautiful

The above chart, which matches similar research online, gives you an idea of just how little action there actually is in other sports like football and baseball. Most of these broadcasts are made up of replays, analysis, commercials and players waiting around for the next play to start, with very little actually happening. All this is a part of soccer as well but in much smaller doses that lets you get into the flow of the game more.

I get that soccer isn’t for everyone (no sport is, especially NASCAR), and my reason for writing this article wasn’t to convince everyone to start loving it. Nor is it a perfect sport either (please don’t google flopping, racism in soccer, or European Super League). Rather, I thought it important to point out the things it gets right because while no sport has it all together, soccer looks to be leading the pack. And if the Big Four leagues are gonna screw around with their sports, they might as well learn a thing from a sport that has it’s shit together.

Ryan McAdams is a contributing editor for YourSitch.com

Twitter: @ryan7jets