Category Archives: Sports

This year will be the 37th anniversary of Wrestlemania you do not want to miss this‼ ‼ ‼ ‼

By: Khadar Greer

Wrestlemania 37 will be taking place at the new SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, on March 28th, 2021. This page will be your main hub for our Wrestlemania 37 predictions. This mostly could possibly have matches that we think could take place at the event.

Drew McIntyre is in the middle of the most aggressive push he’s received in his WWE career at the moment, and deservedly so. He has spent over a decade scratching and clawing his way to the top of the card, and he was finally rewarded for his efforts in the form of a Royal Rumble victory in January. Of course, his future as a main event-caliber competitor was started after beating Brock Lesnar for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 36. The hope from there is that he’ll be able to maintain momentum and have a successful title reign. Regardless of whether he loses the belt before WrestleMania 37 or not, he should walk into next year’s spring spectacle as the WWE Champion.

There aren’t many men from the ‘SmackDown’ and ‘Raw’ rosters who’d make sense to face him for the championship, but ‘NXT’s’, Adam Cole, should be considered a strong candidate. It’s all but a guarantee that Cole and the rest of Undisputed Era will be a part of the main roster by the close of 2020. They have accomplished everything imaginable in ‘NXT’ and have been ready to move to ‘Raw’ or ‘SmackDown’ for awhile now.

There’s still time for this WrestleMania match to happen in Tampa, Florida, on April 5, but based off how John Cena has been advertised as returning to ‘SmackDown’ on February 28, and Velveteen Dream recently returned to ‘NXT,’ the chances of it coming to fruition any time soon are slim to none.

According to WrestleVotes, Cena has creative freedom to face who he wants at WrestleMania this year, making it all the more mind-boggling that Elias has recently been rumored to be his opponent at the event. Granted, they’ve interacted on ‘The Grandest Stage of Them All’ for the past two years, but the musician is the wrong person to be elevated by working with him. For what it’s worth, Cena went on the record, two years ago at an Orlando convention, to say he would rather have a match with Velveteen Dream over Adam Cole and Ricochet because of how unique of a character he is.

Becky Lynch vs. Ronda Rousey was easily one of WWE’s hottest feuds in 2019, but it can be argued that it wasn’t blown off the right way at WrestleMania 35.

Of course, fans got what they wanted with Lynch pinning Rousey in the main event and reigning supreme as the new ‘Raw’ and ‘SmackDown’ women’s champion, but the finish of the match felt botched and abrupt.

In other words, “The Man” did not decisively defeat “The Baddest Woman on the Planet” as it looked like Rousey’s shoulders weren’t completely pinned down to the mat. Rousey returning to reclaim what she believes she shouldn’t have lost is a natural story to tell. It would have been the perfect WrestleMania match this year, but it’s clear WWE is headed in a different direction with Lynch and ‘NXT’ upstart Shayna Baszler. Anything can happen with the ‘Raw’ women’s division between now and WrestleMania 37, though. Lynch could well lose her spot as the red brand’s top dog, but if she can remain relevant, a rematch with Rousey will be the way to go.

How is the NFL still making money with no fans?

By: Jimmy Somerville

As you may know, the NFL season is back and in action even with the coronavirus. But there is a catch – there are either no fans allowed or very few allowed.

And the NFL is a business at the end of the day, whether you think of it as a business or not, so their goal is to make a profit (money).

So, since they aren’t allowed to have fans, or some teams will allow a maximum of ten thousands fans, where the average NFL stadium can fill up around 70,000 fans, how is the NFL still going to make money, and are they going to be in financial trouble?

The answer is the NFL would lose around 15.47% of their profit if they did not allow one single fan to buy a ticket. Because, in 2018, the NFL made up 15.47% of their profit by selling tickets. So, assuming the 2020 data would be similar to the 2018 data, the NFL would lose around 15% of their profit.

Now, 30 years ago, ticket sales would probably make up around 50% of the NFL’s profit because now, there is more advanced technology where the NFL can sell jerseys and other fan apparel online.

Losing 15% of profit can hurt, but the NFL made 15 billion dollars in 2019, so they will be just fine, and remember, they can still bring in some fans, so they will probably lose around 12% of profit, which is more than noticeable, but won’t hurt them too badly in the long run.

So, to answer my final question, the NFL will still make around roughly 88% of the profit they would’ve made without the coronavirus, this season, by having their games televised with expensive TV deals. And, like I said earlier, they also make money by selling jerseys and other fan apparel. In 2015 the NFL made more than 50% revenue from just TV deals. So the NFL will be fine.

-Jimmy Somerville

For more information, please visit:

Be sure to watch the best of the best battle to win a NBA championship ‼️

By Khadar Greer

The playoffs have been amazing so far with a lot of shocking upsets and endings that you never would’ve seen coming. Especially to East; the East was full of surprises.

I mean, look at how the Miami Heat eliminated the number one seed in the Eastern Conference, the Milwaukee Bucks, in the semifinals with the reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo on that team.

Also, the Heat eliminated their rivalry team, the Indiana Pacers, in the first round with key players like Jimmy Butler, averaging 19.9 points per game in the playoffs, and and Bam Adebayo averaging 17.8 points per game.

They also have rookie Tyler Herro averaging 13.5 points per game in the playoffs and it’s only his rookie year⁉️ And, they have great role players coming off the bench.

At the time of this writing, the Eastern Conference Finals had the Heat with a 3-1 lead against the Boston Celtics (who had also been on an amazing path eliminating last year’s NBA champions, the Toronto Raptors, and what a fantastic battle they had).

The Celtics and Toronto Raptors went to game 7, with only one team coming out on top. The Celtics also eliminated their rivals the Philadelphia 76ers, which was a squashed series because the Celtics dominated that series 4-0.

The Celtics have some incredible talent too with 2 All Stars on this team: Jason Tatum, averaging 25.2 points per game, and Kemba Walker, averaging 19.9 points per games.

A lot of people thought that the Milwaukee Bucks we’re going to be winning this whole thing, or at least make it to the finals, but now since that’s out the picture, this series should be interesting.

Will the Miami Heat beat the Boston Celtics 4-1 or will the Boston Celtics come back from a 3-1 lead to overcome the Miami Heat? Who Ya Got? 

*Note: We obviously know how that one played out now.

Now, let’s talk about the Western Conference with the Denver Nuggets shocking the world with defeating the Los Angeles Clippers.

The Nuggets came back from the Clippers having a 3-1 lead, and also came back from a 3-1 lead by the Utah Jazz. This left them as the only team to come back from a 1-3 deficit twice to win both series.

This is why NBA fans feel that the Nuggets are very underrated. It is a very crazy day to be the number 2 team in the Western Conference.

But now they have an even tougher challenge.

Right now (at the time of this writing) let’s see if they can come back from another 1-3  deficit. Though now, they’re playing the number one team in the Western Conference, the Los Angeles Lakers, and that team has LeBron James (the debatable greatest of all time everyone says that he’s a goat but it’s hard because he’s very debatable) and they also have five All Stars that have played the Lakers.

I mean, they even say LeBron is better than Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant, so this series has to be tough, and and I’m pretty sure everyone’s going with the Los Angeles Lakers, but with the Nuggets being the underdogs, we can’t sleep on the Denver Nuggets. Especially with the intensity and energy they’ve been playing with so far in the playoffs. Can the Nuggets dethrone the Lakers, or will the Lakers beat them? For only one can advance to the finals: who you got?

*Note: The finals are now set, and it will be Heat vs. Lakers.

The NFL is back!

By: Caden Ligman

On September 7, the Kansas City Chiefs played the Houston Texans to kick off the 2020 NFL season. Due to COVID-19 this season is unlike any other.

Most of the teams have decided that there will be no fans in attendance for their games this season, however there are a few exceptions. The Miami Dolphins, Jacksonville Jaguars, Indianapolis Colts, the Kansas City Chiefs, and the Dallas Cowboys will all allow between 2,500 and 17,000 fans to attend their games.

The NFL is also allowing individual players to opt out of this upcoming NFL season because of COVID-19. So far, a total of 66 players have already opted out with nearly half of the players who have opted out being linemen. Players who choose to opt out will be guaranteed $350,000 if they prove that they are high risk for getting the virus. Players who aren’t high risk are guaranteed $150,00.

There were a total of 16 games played week one of this year’s NFL season.

During the Vikings game against the Green Bay Packers, both teams chose to honor George Floyd in their own way. The Vikings did not sound their signature Gjallarhorn at the beginning of the game to honor Floyd. The Packers on the other hand, stayed in their locker room during the playing of the nation anthem.

NFL Draft 2020

By: Grace Bumer-Lamotte

This was the 85th annual NFL Draft. The 2020 NFL Draft started on April 23rd and lasted through April 25th. The first round was held on April 23rd. Then on April 24th, the second and third rounds were held. Finally, on April 25th, rounds 4-7 were held and that concluded the NFL Draft for 2020.

Due to COVID-19, lots of safety regulations were taken, and the Draft was virtual. The Draft was originally supposed to take place in Paradise, Nevada but the safety regulations were mandatory.

The Draft was broadcasted on ABC, ESPN, NFL Network, ESPN Deportes, and ESPN Radio. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell broadcasted the picks from his home in Bronxville, New York.

Many different college players were recruited from a numerous number of teams. According to Wikipedia, the final overall player selections were 39 Linebackers, 35 Wide receivers, 27 Cornerbacks, 21 Safeties, 20 Defensive tackles, 20 Offensive tackles, 18 Offensive guards, 18 Running backs, 17 Defensive ends, 13 Quarterbacks, 12 Tight ends, 9 Centers, 3 Placekickers, 2 Punters, and 1 Long snapper. All of that equals 255 players drafted.

According to 247Sports, the top picks in the 2020 NFL Draft were:

  • Jedrick Wills; picked by the Cleveland Browns. Wills has a four-year contract with a total of $19,702,914. Baker Mayfield (quarterback for The Browns) needs more time and protection and they believe that Will’s could provide that.
  • CJ Henderson was picked by the Jacksonville Jaguars. Henderson has a four-year contract with a total of $20,516,188. His position is a defensive back. During his college season as a freshman, he had a total of four interceptions, and then when he was a sophomore, he had another 2 interceptions.
  • Isaiah Simmons was picked by the Arizona Cardinals. Simmons has a four-year contract with a total of $20,664,055. He could end up being one of the best Draft picks. He can play multiple positions and he is also one of the most athletic players in the NFL.
  • Derrick Brown was picked by the Carolina Panthers. Brown has a four-year contract with a total of $23,621,405. He had an average of 3.1 sacks per season.
  • Justin Herbert was picked by the Los Angeles Chargers. Herbert has a four-year contract with a total of $26,578,755. He was the third quarterback drafted.
  • Tua Tagovailoa was drafted by the Miami Dolphins. Tagovailoa has a four-year contract with a total of $30,275,437. Tagovailoa does have past injuries that could come back.
  • Andrew Thomas was picked by the New York Giants. Thomas has a four-year contract with a total of $32,345,588. Last year, the Giants drafted a quarterback and this year they drafted his protection.
  • Jeff Okudah was picked by the Detroit Lions. Okudah has a four-year contract with a total of $33,528,522. He is one of the top-paid rookies in the league. He had three interceptions and 9 pass deflections this year.
  • Chase Young was drafted by the Washington Redskins. Young has a four-year contract with a total of $34,563,595. He had 21 tackles and 16.5 sacks at Ohio State this past season.
  • The top pick was Joe Burrow, drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals. Burrow has a four-year contract with a total of $36,190,137. Burrow was the number 1 pick in the draft as a quarterback. The Bengals now have a strong quarterback on their side.

Gender pay gap between the NBA and the WNBA.

Image taken from: ttps://www.slamonline.com/wnba/wnbpa-opt-out-cba-after-2019-season/

It’s no secret that the NBA has a larger fan base than the WNBA, but why? People have shown that they don’t really care about the WNBA, and they have been given many opportunities show that they care. According to Sports Illustrated, “In 2007, the WNBA and ESPN reached an eight-year television agreement, thus assuring high-impact exposure.” Even with that exposure, the WNBA is still less popular. Another reason why this is is that they play in the summer and play about half as many games as the NBA teams will play in a season.

Another argument against the WNBA is that it is simply not as fun or interesting as the NBA; you are more likely to see somebody dunk or fly over an opponent in the NBA. Most of that is just genetics and the fact that most women physically are unable to dunk. 

The WNBA started on April 24, 1996 when the NBA board of governors approved the idea of the WNBA to start playing in June of 1997. This year they are celebrating their 23rd season.

They have 12 teams, with either 11 or 12 players on each team, meaning that they have a total of 144 roster spots available. The NBA has 15 players per team with 34 teams, this leaves them with 510 open roster spots. The WNBA has less spots so they are a more exclusive organization, but they still have a smaller fan base. 

The largest difference between the NBA and the WNBA is the pay gap. The average salary for an NBA player is $7.7 million, according to CNBC. The rookie salary for the #1 draft pick, Deandre Ayton, is set at $6.7 million dollars, the #2 draft pick will start at $6 million. Comparatively, the average salary for a WNBA player is only $75,000. The rookie salary in 2019 was $41,965. The WNBA has decided for the 2021 season that they will have a maximum salary of $130,000. 

Some people argue that the WNBA players are overpaid as it is. Others believe that they deserve their pay because in 2017 the WNBA made $25 million in revenue and the NBA made $7.4 billion that same year, according to GrandStand Central. It’s obvious that male sports are generally more popular than their female counterparts playing the same sports. 

Sports schedule for: Mar 2-7

MONDAY DATE:   March 2nd
TIME BUS DEPART/RETURN EVENT DETAILS Notes
3:15 p.m.   Badminton Practice Begins    
4:30 p.m.   Adapted Hockey PI vs.

Dakota United

at Humboldt High School  
TUESDAY DATE:  March 3rd
TIME BUS DEPART/RETURN EVENT DETAILS Notes
         
WEDNESDAY DATE:   March 4th
TIME BUS DEPART/RETURN EVENT DETAILS Notes
7:00 p.m. 5:30 / 8:20 p.m. Boys Basketball Sectional vs. South St. Paul at South St. Paul

High School

 
THURSDAY DATE:     March 5th
TIME BUS DEPART/RETURN EVENT DETAILS Notes
         
         
FRIDAY DATE:    March 6th
TIME BUS DEPART/RETURN EVENT DETAILS Notes
         
         
SATURDAY DATE:    March 7th
TIME BUS DEPART/RETURN EVENT DETAILS Notes
1:00 p.m.   Boys Basketball Sectional TBD  
         
SUNDAY  

 

High Kick and Jazz State 2020

Image taken from: http://www.startribune.com/dance-team-state-tournament-high-kick-competition/567907861/?c=n&clmob=y#15

On February 14th and 15th, at Target Center, the State Dance Competition for 2020 was held.

Many different teams competed to go to finals. The teams for class A Jazz were: Duluth Marshall, Frazee, Houston, Minnewaska, BOLD, and Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton.

The teams for class AA Jazz were: Marshall, Totino-Grace, Rocori, Benlide-St. Margaret’s, Fairbault, and Simley.

The teams for class AAA Jazz were: Lakeville North, Blaine, Centennial, Brainerd, Anoka, and Edina.

To find more of the teams that competed go to: Jazz Preliminary. 

Every team did an excellent job but the teams that stood out the most to me were Simley and Edina.

Simley had a beautiful jazz dance. They had amazing spotting on their turns and many different types of leaps that were done well. Their song was upbeat and interesting for a jazz dance. Their costumes didn’t catch the eye, which made the dance a little less interesting. Overall, they did a wonderful job and the only thing I think they could have improved was better pointed toes and to incorporate more choreography compared to skills.

Edina had a very dramatic jazz dance. They also spotted very well on their turns. Their turns looked difficult. The whole dance was a bit chaotic. I think there was too much going on at once. Their music was quite lyrical for a jazz dance. Overall, they did a fantastic job, and the only thing I would suggest they work on is making it less chaotic and more put together. 

On February 15th, the high kick competition was also held at Target Center. The teams for class A Kick were: Frazee, Piez, Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City, St. Charles, Yellow Medicine East, and Cannon Falls.

The teams for class AA Kick were: Totino-Grace, Rocori, Zimmerman, Orono, St. Cloud Tech, and Simley.

The teams for class AAA Kick were: Centennial, Anoka, Chaska, Lakeville North, Spring Lake Park, and Eastview.

To find more of the teams that competed fo to: High Kick Preliminary. 

Once again every team did an excellent job but the teams that stood out the most to me were Austin and Simley.

Austin had a kick dance that I’ve never seen before. The dance was based off of the movie It. During their dance all of their kicks had pointed toes and they were all together. Their costumes were very interesting. Having 2 different colored pant legs are very hard in kick because if you don’t get your timing right on your kick you can tell exactly what person did it. They also had makeup on that made them look more like a clown. Overall, I didn’t find anything to critique their dance.

Simley had yet another beautiful kick dance. They had these amazing pink costumes. The mashup for their song was upbeat and catchy. Most of their kicks were together. One thing I would suggest to them is working on perfecting their skills more and kick height for some. Overall, they did a fabulous job. 

Sports schedule for: Feb 24-29

MONDAY DATE:   February 24th
TIME BUS DEPART/RETURN EVENT DETAILS Notes
4:00 / 5:30 / 7:00 p.m.   C-Squad / JV / Varsity

Boys Basketball vs Central

HOME  
TUESDAY DATE:  February 25th
TIME BUS DEPART/RETURN EVENT DETAILS Notes
         
WEDNESDAY DATE:   February 26th
TIME BUS DEPART/RETURN EVENT DETAILS Notes
5:30 p.m.   Adapted Hockey PI vs. Rochester at Rochester Friedell

Middle School

 
7:00 p.m.   Girls Basketball Section vs. Henry Sibley at Henry Sibley

High School

 
THURSDAY DATE:     February 27th
TIME BUS DEPART/RETURN EVENT DETAILS Notes
5:30 / 5:30 / 7:00 p.m.   C-Squad / JV / Varsity Boys Basketball vs. MPLS Roosevelt HOME  
6:00 p.m.   Class AA State Meet:

Boys Diving Prelims

at U of M Aquatic Center  
FRIDAY DATE:    February 28th
TIME BUS DEPART/RETURN EVENT DETAILS Notes
9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

4:00 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.

  Wrestling Individual State Meet

Class AA:

First Round & Quarterfinals

 

at Xcel Energy Center

 
6:00 p.m.   Class AA State Meet:

Boys Swimming Prelims

at U of M Aquatic Center  
SATURDAY DATE:    February 29th
TIME BUS DEPART/RETURN EVENT DETAILS Notes
9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.

4:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.

  Wrestling Individual State Meet Class AA:

Semifinals & Championship

 

at Xcel Energy Center

 
6:00 p.m.   Class AA State Meet:

Boys Swimming & Diving Finals

at U of M Aquatic Center  
SUNDAY  

 

Sports schedule for: Feb 17-22

MONDAY DATE:   February 17th
TIME BUS DEPART/RETURN EVENT DETAILS Notes
         
TUESDAY DATE:  February 18th
TIME BUS DEPART/RETURN EVENT DETAILS Notes
4:00  / 5:30 / 7:00 p.m. C-Squad / JV-3:15-8:15 p.m.

Varsity 5:00-8:15 p.m.

C-Squad / JV / Varsity Boys Basketball vs. Humboldt at Humboldt High School  
4:30 / 6:00 p.m.   JV / Varsity Girls Basketball vs. Humboldt HOME  
WEDNESDAY DATE:   February 19th
TIME BUS DEPART/RETURN EVENT DETAILS Notes
5:30 / 7:00 p.m. 4:15 / 8:15 p.m. JV / Varsity Girls Basketball vs. Como Park at Como Park  
THURSDAY DATE:     February 20th
TIME BUS DEPART/RETURN EVENT DETAILS Notes
5:30 / 5:30 / 7:00 p.m. 4:30 / 8:15 p.m. C-Squad / JV / Varsity Boys Basketball vs. Harding at Harding High School  
6:00 p.m. 2:45 p.m. Boys Swimming Sectional Prelims at Art Downey

Aquatic Center

 
TBD   Boys Hockey Sectional TBD  
FRIDAY DATE:    February 21st
TIME BUS DEPART/RETURN EVENT DETAILS Notes
11:00 a.m.   Gymnastics: STATE MEET –

Team Championship

at Roy Wilkins Auditorium  
4:30 / 6:00 p.m.   JV / Varsity Girls Basketball vs. New Life Academy HOME  
6:00 p.m.   Boys Swimming Sectional Diving at Art Downey

Aquatic Center

 
SATURDAY DATE:    February 22nd
TIME BUS DEPART/RETURN EVENT DETAILS Notes
10:00 a.m.   Wrestling Individual Sectional at Mahtomedi High School  
10:00 a.m.   Boys Diving Sectional Finals at Art Downey

Aquatic Center

 
11:00 a.m.   Gymnastics: STATE MEET – Individual and All-Around Championship  

at Roy Wilkins Auditorium

 
1:00 p.m. 10:00 a.m. Boys Swimming Sectional Finals at Art Downey

Aquatic Center

 
SUNDAY