I feel very old! The first Super Bowl I remember watching was Super Bowl XXVI between the Washington Redskins (as they were called back then) and the Buffalo Bills. This year‘s game will be interesting to watch because neither team is a big favorite over the other to win the game. Last year, the Patriots only won four games, and Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold was playing for the Vikings. The Seahawks’ second-year head coach has really improved the team’s defense, which is the biggest reason they had a successful season. Patriots quarterback Drake Maye has made a significant improvement in his second year as a starting quarterback. He went to college at North Carolina, which is not known as a football school. I hope the game is close. It makes it more fun to watch even though the game goes on forever.
The NBA trade deadline has come and gone. The 76ers traded their second-year guard Jared McCain to the Oklahoma City Thunder for their first-round draft pick this year and other picks in future years. The Sixers have a number of good guards on the roster. I thought they might trade Justin Edwards instead of McCain. They’re obviously relying on VJ Edgecombe, who was the third pick in the last draft. There were other significant trades, including James Harden who forced his way off another team – this time the LA Clippers – to the Cleveland Cavaliers. He has forced his way off four or five teams during his career, including Oklahoma City, Houston, the 76ers and the Brooklyn Nets. For months, the Milwaukee Bucks were supposed to trade Giannis Antetokounmpo, but that didn’t happen. We’ll see what happens next summer.
The Australian Open tennis tournament came to an end with Carlos Alcaraz winning on the men’s side. He is the youngest tennis player in history to win all four majors. He beat Novak Djokovic in the finals in four sets. Novak was trying to set the record for the number of majors won at 25. Maybe he will be able to achieve that at the French Open. On the women’s side, Elana Rybakina won her second grand slam title in a strong three-set match 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 against Aryna Sabalenka.
The Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina, Italy, has already had events in women's ice hockey and curling even though the opening ceremony is not till Friday. Go USA!
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A 2002 Cape grad and 2007 UD grad, Lewes resident Sumner Spence is one of the Cape area's biggest sports fans. Although he’s used a wheelchair his entire life, he has lived vicariously through his sports-playing father, brother, and friends, who gave him his love of sports. He hopes to provide new and interesting perspectives on the sports stories and issues of the day. Email Sumner at sumspence@gmail.com.
