sports
From the Bleachers: After a year without March Madness, the 2021 tournament did not disappoint
Baily Deeter '22 returns with his column "From the Bleachers," sharing his thoughts on the 2021 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament.
April 13, 2021 | Latest Issue
Baily Deeter '22 returns with his column "From the Bleachers," sharing his thoughts on the 2021 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament.
I tried to drag the NBA season on as long as possible, but now that we’re four weeks removed from LeBron James’ fourth ring, I think it’s time we move on to a new league (and a new superstar athlete). So let’s talk football.
My LeBron James fandom still has me fired up about the NBA after a thrilling couple of months in the bubble. So, before I turn my attention to the NFL for the next few months of this column, I’m going to pay homage to a great NBA season and preview what should be an even better one next year.
In 2000, the Los Angeles Lakers won an NBA championship with Shaquille O’Neal as Finals MVP. In 2010, the Lakers won an NBA championship with Kobe Bryant as Finals MVP. In 2020, the Lakers emerged victorious once again, with a new face of the franchise taking home the hardware.
We might have expected to see the Los Angeles Lakers clash with the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals in 2011, when Kobe Bryant and LeBron James would have led their respective squads into battle. In 2020? Not so much.
In this year of the unexpected, at least basketball fans can expect a familiar sight: LeBron James competing for an NBA championship.
As the months drone on without live sporting events and the NFL draft fades further in the rearview mirror, sports fans continue to get by with a steady diet of watching old games and taking NFL Sporcle quizzes. Luckily, ESPN made the brilliant business decision to release its 10-part documentary series on Michael Jordan, “The Last Dance,” in the middle of April, releasing two episodes per week for the last five weeks.
The NFL draft is usually wildly unpredictable, so I elected to be bold with my pre-draft predictions. I asserted that the Miami Dolphins would take Justin Herbert, while Tua Tagovailoa would slide much further than anyone expected.
It’s been six weeks since the last professional sporting event took place and March Madness and The Masters were canceled. But starting tonight, however briefly, live sports are back.
In my February 24 column, I complained about the lack of exciting sporting events this time of year as I pondered hobbies to pass the time. Little did I know that March was about to take that one step further.