Kyle Boris is a contributing editor for YourSitch.com
Twitter: @KyleNoStyle
Tag: SportsSitch
YourSitch Staff Predictions: SUMMERSLAM 2016
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
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
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
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.
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
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
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
‘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:
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
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.
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.
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).
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.
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.
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
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