Fantasy Football Is Ruining the NFL

 This year, three playoff teams needed extensions on the deadline to sell out their stadium for the upcoming Wild Card round playoff game: the Cincinnati Bengals, the Indianapolis Colts, and even the Green Bay Packers. These teams were all well above .500 for the season or had won their division to qualify for a home playoff game. But they couldn't even sell out their stadium! If NFL teams can't sell out for a first round playoff game, and for these teams almost certainly their only playoff game of the year, they certainly will not sell out for regular season contests.
 Fantasy football has made such an impact on the NFL that quarterbacks, receivers, and running backs are now judged more on how many points they score each week than if they win or not. Fans would much rather sit at home and keep track of their fantasy starting lineups than watch an entire game featuring their favorite team. Going to watch football, for some, outweighs the endless commercials and players standing around, and can be one of the most exciting sporting events of the year when the players are actually playing. But, football does not have the nonstop, intense, nail biting action of a basketball game or a hockey game, so with the onslaught of fantasy football taking fans by thousands out of NFL stadiums and onto couches and computers, the NFL may soon have to rethink their ticket sales and stadium sizes.

Can the Denver Broncos go all the way this year?

   After a heartbreaking defeat on a broken play touchdown at the hands of the eventual Super Bowl champion Baltimore Ravens, the Denver Broncos are in position to have home field advantage throughout the postseason and a great chance to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl. Led by future Hall of Famer Peyton Manning and their high powered, efficient offense, the Broncos have proved to be nearly impossible to stop so far this year. Can they finish the job this year and win a Super Bowl? At 37, Manning knows he does not have many chances at the title left, especially with an offense that is capable of scoring 30 points every night.

   In the NFC, a defense has been dominating every offense they face. The Seattle Seahawks have the best defense in the NFL and have locked up home field advantage in the playoffs. Enjoying the best home field advantage in the league, the Seahawks are determined not to let Peyton Manning win his second title and instead want to bring the first-ever Super Bowl Championship to Seattle. Having just a single NFC title in their history, and an embarrassing Super Bowl performance, Seattle has a great opportunity for their first Super Bowl championship.

Patriots Hall of Fame: Review

   When Mr. Kraft purchased the Boston Patriots, they were a struggling franchise with only a handful of important wins in their history. Through hard work and upstanding morals, Mr Kraft turned the team into a perennial winner with a huge fan base spanning all of 'New England', hence the name change.
  This is the message of the Patriots Hall of Fame at Gillete Stadium. Mr. Robert Kraft is a savior in the eyes of every patriotic New Englander, and also there were some great players and coaches on the team along the way. Paying tribute to these players and coaches who helped lead the team to three Super Bowl championships in four years and a 16-0 perfect regular season three years later.

   Also, Steve Beauharnis was available to be interviewed by our Sports Reading and Writing class, which was a great experience. Our class was allowed to ask questions relating to his profession and even nonrelated questions. Learning about a professional linebacker for all of our favorite team was an awesome experience and one that I will not forget.

2014 NBA Draft Class Ripe With Future Stars

The 2014 draft class is shaping up to be one of the deepest and most talented draft classes in years. General Managers as well as fans of struggling teams across the NBA see a glimmer of hope in college basketball this year. Filled with stars such as Andrew Wiggins of Kansas and Jabari Parker of Duke, NBA teams with losing records are in line to turn their fortunes around with one draft choice.

Marcus Smart, the 6'4" point guard at 7th ranked Oklahoma State, currently the #5 ranked prospect in next years'  draft, just scored a career-high 39 points in a rout of 11th ranked Memphis with Oklahoma City resident Kevin Durant in attendance. Durant stated, "[Smart] could play in the NBA right now." Smart is just one of several college stars climbing up the draft board of GMs across the league. Right now, the consensus #1 overall pick is Andrew Wiggins of Kansas, but hot on his heels are Julius Randle of Kentucky, Smart, and Parker. Randle is averaging 22.5 points per game for Kentucky along with an outstanding 12.5  rebounds. With a double-double in points and rebounds every game this season, Randle is making a case to be the #1 pick himself. Teams looking for a point guard are chomping at the bit to get their hands on Smart, a big, athletic point guard who showed great poise as well as a long-range shot, sinking five three-pointers in the win over Memphis.

With plenty of basketball left to be played, Wiggins, Parker, Randle, and Smart join one of the deepest and most exciting draft classes in recent memory. Not since 2003, when LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, and Dwayne Wade were all drafted in the top 10 has a draft class had to potential to have this kind of impact on the NBA.

College Basketball is BACK!

2 weeks into another season of the most exciting, entertaining sport that the United States has to offer, college basketball is already off to a great start. Overflowing with thrilling games that regularly go down to the wire, boasting a very balanced field with plenty of championship contenders, college basketball is shaping up to be the most exciting sport in an incredible year for sports in Amercia.
For the first time since 1980, four teams ranked in the top 5 played head-to-head in the same night. The first game of the doubleheader pitted #1 Kentucky against #2 Michigan State. Michigan State prevailed 76-72 in a hard-fought close game. Kentucky's terrific freshman Julius Randle led all scorers with 27 points and added 16 rebounds in his third impressive performance in as many games for the Wildcats. Randle is quickly staking his claim for the top first-year player in the nation, an honor believed by most to be undoubtedly set for Kansas' star freshman Andrew Wiggins. Wiggins is widely considered to be the favorite to be selected #1 overall in next year's NBA draft. In the second game of the night, Wiggins' #5 ranked Kansas knocked off #4 Duke, 94-83. Andrew Wiggins had 22 points in a solid outing, but Duke's star freshman Jabari Parker, the #2 ranked recruit in the country behind Wiggins, led all scorers with 27 points and added 15 rebounds.
The only top 5 team not to play was defending champion Louisville, who are dealing with the losses of key players from last year, the suspension of top returning forward Wayne Blackshear, and the integration of a stellar recruiting class. It is already shaping up to be another extremely competitive, intense year in college basketball, the best sport in America

Vikings earn 2nd win

In Minneapolis, The Minnesota Vikings pulled out a 34-24 upset win over the visiting Washington Redskins, who drop to a disappointing 3-6 on the season. Led by the best running back of our generation, Adrian Peterson ran for 2 more touchdown en route to victory Thursday night, adding to his league-leading total of 9 rushing touchdowns for the year. Quarterback Cristian Ponder dislocated his left shoulder, leaving the game in which he had played very well, completing 17 of 21 passes. Ex-Patriot Matt Cassell filled in exceptionally as the Vikings defense sacked Robert Griffin III three times in the second half holding on for a hard-earned 34-24 win. Still buried at the bottom of their division, the 2-7 Vikings held on to stars Adrian Peterson and Jared Allen at the trade deadline and it paid off with the home victory.
Kicking off an exciting week of football that features the high flying Demver Broncos offense visiting the San Diego Chargers, who score plenty of points themselves.. The undefeated Chiefs have a bye, but there will be plenty of action involving teams with winning records in both leagues this week.

Undefeated Chiefs

  
 Although the Kansas City Chiefs remain the sole undefeated team in an NFL that includes Peyton Manning leading a powerful Denver Broncos offense, Tom Brady on a Patriots team with a stellar defense, no one seems to notice as the Kansas City Chiefs jump out to a 8-0 first half record. At 8-0, the Chiefs, under new head coach Andy Reid, fresh off of an ugly firing from the Philadelphia Eagles, sit atop the NFL thanks to a great defense and smart, efficient offense. The Chiefs boast the NFL's #1 ranked scoring defense, allowing their offense to run the ball and control the clock without committing turnovers. Led by outstanding young running back, Jamaal Charles, and a new quarterback, Alex Smith, the Chiefs offense is doing exactly what they need to do to win football games. Smith, a former #1 overall draft pick, is himself fresh off an ugly exit after being released by the San Francisco 49ers, runs an efficient offense that does not turn the ball over and allows the Chiefs stifling defense to win games.
   
  While the Chiefs are 8-0 and sit high atop the NFL standings, they have not yet played a team with a winning record. Critics are quick to point out that the Chiefs have faced the NFL's easiest schedule over the first 8 games of the season, despite being the sole NFL team without a loss. Amidst claims of the Chiefs being the worst undefeated team in recent memory, “I hadn’t heard that,” receiver Dwayne Bowe says, “But I heard we’re the only 9-0 team.” With two showdowns in the next month against division rival and NFL powerhouse Denver Broncos, the country will be left to watch closely how the upstart Chiefs fare throughout the rest of the season, as well as the playoffs.