Category Archives: Sports

Best TV of 2020: Too Many Shows

The theme this year is that, due to the abundance of streaming services, there is simply too many good TV shows to keep up with. I don’t have time to watch shows that are merely “good”—they must be great. Perhaps it’s just me, and other people (especially during COVID lockdowns) have more free time to devote to television. I used to have lots of time to waste watching TV before I became a writer. These days, the vast majority of my time is spent writing and doing other writing-related business. The second-most amount of time is spent reading. Books, especially science fiction, are generally better than TV. Then there are the daily essentials like exercising, eating, and other errands, during which I listen to podcasts. That leaves me about two hours at night before bed to watch a TV show, movie, or documentary. I’ve cut down on my television watching this year, focusing more on movies and documentaries—again because I don’t have the time to watch multiple multi-season series. I can easily get through a mediocre movie when it’s only an hour or two, but watching a mediocre TV series can take dozens of hours, which is time I don’t have to spare. In the past, whenever I started watching a TV series I’d see it through to the end no matter what, but I’ve been cutting the cord early on TV shows more and more.  My patience for mediocrity evaporates over time. Having said that, there were at least ten shows I saw in 2020 that were worth my time. 

Continue reading

How to Fix the NBA Superteam Problem

superteam-warriors-musical

Image from Bleacher Report

I love the NBA. It’s my favorite sport to follow. But the NBA has a problem: superteams.

The Golden State Warriors have gone up 3-0 on the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2018 NBA Finals, and it seems inevitable that they will, if not sweep, win the series for their second championship in a row, and third in four years. Despite some spectacular performances from LeBron James, this generation’s greatest player, (perhaps the greatest ever? It’s at least become a debate between him and Michael Jordan) his Cavs have been no match for the Warriors. There may have been a close call with the Houston Rockets in the Western Conference Finals, but Golden State seems unbeatable as long as they have their superteam together (Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green). Continue reading

The Future of Football

b4d

Despite the current popularity of the NFL, the future of the sport could be in jeopardy. With the preponderance of data about the dangers of concussions and CTE, will American football still be around 100 years from now, or even 50? Is there a way to protect the health and safety of players without diluting the game or diminishing the experience for the fans? Continue reading

How to Fix the NBA (By Getting Rid of the Draft)

nbadraft15

The NBA draft is one of my favorite nights in sports. The suspense of which team will pick which player, the inevitable trades, and of course the fancy suits. It’s insanely fun. I probably enjoy the draft more than the actual games. But in today’s era, the NBA draft is completely unnecessary, and the league would probably be better as a whole if they got rid of it entirely. Continue reading

Fantasy Baseball, Zack Greinke, and Social Anxiety

MLB: All Star Game

My first introduction to fantasy sports was in 2009 when I joined a fantasy baseball league. I finished in second place that year and have loved fantasy sports ever since. 2009 was also Kansas City Royals pitcher Zack Greinke’s breakout year. He made the All-Star team, won 16 games, had 205 strikeouts, led the American League with a 2.16 ERA and 1.07 WHIP, and won the Cy Young Award. He wasn’t on my fantasy baseball team that year, and I wasn’t a Royals fan, but I was rooting for Zack Greinke’s success because I learned that, like me, he had social anxiety disorder. Continue reading

Podcasts Taught Me Everything I Know

podcast

I love podcasts. I’ve learned more from free podcasts than I did from a $200,000 college education. There’s a podcast for literally every topic under the sun. Actually, there’s about twelve for every topic under the sun. A podcast can be broad or extremely specific. It’s basically radio on-demand. You listen to exactly what you want, exactly when you want to. And it’s completely free–except for the Audible and Stamps.com commercials that sponsor just about every podcast, though you can skip over them, anyway. While there are some podcasts I listen to for pure entertainment value, I listen to many more podcasts to learn. Continue reading

Cyborg Belichick and Brady Clones Lead Patriots to Win Super Bowl XCIX

xr:d:DAFmqLW-Q2I:30,j:8419897683019376001,t:24020921

Future Fake News – February 1, 2065

ORLANDO BEACH, FL The New England Patriots defeated the Dallas Cowboys last night, by the score of 31-28 to win Super Bowl XCIX. It was a back and forth game that came down to the wire, but the Patriots were able to hold on for the victory in the end. Continue reading

5 Reasons Fantasy Basketball is Better than Fantasy Football

fantasy trophyI started playing fantasy sports about six years ago, and I was instantly hooked. I’ve played in at least one fantasy baseball, basketball, and football league every year since then. Fantasy sports renewed and deepened my interest in each sport to the extent that I now know the names and stats of just about every player in each league. Over the years, I’ve started to care less about my actual favorite sports teams and their inept owners and general managers, and I’ve started to care more about my fantasy sports teams, where I have full control over the players I pick and cheer for. Continue reading