Category: Sports

It seems that every franchise has one position that they’re known for. The Green Bay Packers have quarterbacks, the Dallas Cowboys have offensive linemen, and the Chicago Bears have linebackers. Dating back to even before the “Monsters of the Midway” days, the Bears have always been known for having hardnose linebackers.

Along the way, several linebackers have made the Pro Football Hall of Fame as members of the Bears. But which ones truly stand out as the best of the best? It was tough to narrow it down to just five, but most would agree that these five men are the best linebackers in the storied history of the Chicago Bears franchise.

Honorable Mentions: Lance Briggs, Wilber Marshall, Khalil Mack, Doug Buffone, Otis Wilson, Ron Rivera, Roquan Smith.

5. Joe Fortunato

Joe Fortunato spent his entire NFL career with the Chicago Bears, playing for just over a decade between the 1950s and 1960s. Fortunato was a seventh-round pick that attended both VMI and Mississippi State and ended up playing well above his draft position. Fortunato was a Pro Bowl selection five times, as well as a four-time All-Pro from 1962 to 1965.

Still at the top of his game in 1967, Fortunato suffered an unfortunate knee injury that ended his career early. Somehow, Fortunato was not inducted into the Hall of Fame despite his accolades, which included being named to the 1950s All-Decade Team. He went on to become an assistant coach with the Bears following his playing career before leaving football in 1969. 

4. Bill George

Joe Fortunato wasn’t the only great linebacker for the Bears during the 1950s and 1960s. Bill George was also an all-time great, sharing the same defense. George was a second-round selection out of Wake Forest in 1951 and played almost every one of his 15 seasons with the Bears (he finished in 1966 with the Rams).

During that time, George helped the Bears win the NFL Championship while also being named to the Pro Bowl and First-Team All-Pro squad eight times. He was named with Fortunato to the All-Decade Team of the 1950s, except George was enshrined in Canton as part of the 1974 class and had his number 61 retired by the Bears.

3. Brian Urlacher

There’s only one linebacker on the list that played after 1992, and that’s Brian Urlacher. The modern-era pick of the list, Urlacher was drafted out of New Mexico with the ninth overall selection at the 2000 NFL Draft by the Bears and became the Rookie of the Year. Urlacher went on to be the Defensive Player of the Year five years later and was a five-time All-Pro.

Urlacher was an easy selection for the 2000s All-Decade Team for voters, and he finished his 13-season career (all with the Bears) with 1,361 tackles, 41.5 sacks, and 22 interceptions. 

2. Mike Singletary

Some younger NFL fans might only know “Samurai” from his coaching days, Mike Singletary was a force as a linebacker for the Bears during almost the entirety of the 1980s. Singletary was an early second-round pick from Baylor, hopping from one Bears team to another in 1981. Singletary made the All-Rookie Team and was one of the decade’s top linebackers alongside the likes of Lawrence Taylor.

Singletary won the NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award twice and was named to eight All-Pro Teams thanks to his 1,4899 career tackles and 19 sacks. The 1990 NFL Man of the Year was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1998, three years after he was enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame.

1. Dick Butkus

Of course, nobody embodies Chicago Bears football quite like Dick Butkus, and many consider him to be the greatest linebacker of all time, period. Butkus was the third overall pick, and the Chicago native got to stay home and spend his entire career with the Bears which spanned from 1965 to 1973.

During that time, Butkus was an All-Pro in every season except his final one and made two different All-Decade Teams. The Bears obviously have retired Butkus’ number 51, and he became one of the faces of the league for many years. In 1979, he was rightfully inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

There was a time in sports when a stadium would be in use for more than half a century. Now, it seems that these days, sporting venues are demolished or left to rot after just a couple of decades. Hockey is no exception as teams move into billion-dollar complexes in their cities, leaving their old historic barns behind.

Over the years, there have been some amazing venues that closed their doors for the final time, with most of them being demolished in favor of either a new arena or an entirely different project. This has meant that some classic arenas are long gone, but that doesn’t mean we don’t miss them. Here are the five best NHL venues that were shut down, what made them great, and what happened to them.

5. Boston Garden

While New York City has Madison Square Garden, Boston got their own version with what was then known as Boston Madison Square Garden. Not only that but the venue was built with boxing in mind, so it was interesting that it became such a beloved home of the Bruins and Celtics. The Bruins called Boston Garden home from 1928 to 1995, and while it had its flaws with the benches and penalty boxes, it had a lot of character.

The Bruins and Celtics moved to the TD Garden while the old Boston Garden was torn down. The lot was put to good use, though, as it is now a commercial hub that has some of Boston’s tallest buildings. 

4. Chicago Stadium

On West Madison Street in Chicago, you could find the old Chicago Stadium that was truly the original Madhouse on Madison. Opened in 1929, the Chicago Blackhawks moved their operations to the new building after starting off the franchise at the Chicago Coliseum. Chicago Stadium was known for having an analog game clock longer than any other team, switching to digital in 1975.

The Blackhawks and Bulls headed down the street to the new United Center while Chicago Stadium was torn down in March 1995 it now simply serves as a parking lot for the UC with a commemorative plaque. As for the center of the basketball court, Michael Jordan has it in his house.

3. Maple Leaf Gardens

There are only two buildings that didn’t get demolished on the list, and the first one is known as The Church of Hockey for good reason. Maple Leaf Gardens was first opened in 1931 after the Toronto Maple Leafs had been playing at Arena Gardens and needed a new building to house their fans with the NHL surging in popularity. The stadium was home to the Leafs until 1999 and became a Mecca for hockey fans.

After nobody was really sure what to do with MLG for a few years, it was purchased and turned into a multi-purpose facility that includes a shopping center. Much of the hockey history is still preserved in the building, as well, including the center faceoff dot.

2. Detroit Olympia

The Detroit Red Wings used to call one of the most unique-looking buildings in the NHL their home from 1927 until 1979, and at the time of its opening, it was one of the largest indoor venues in all of sports. The Olympia had a capacity of 15,000 Red Wings fans while playing host to the biggest concerts in the Motor City. The neighborhood surrounding it had become rundown, though, prompting the Wings to move.

The Red Wings headed to the Joe Louis Arena downtown next to Cobo Hall before it was demolished, leaving the Olympia on its own. The Olympia would be torn down in 1986, while the Red Wings moved to Little Caesars Arena near midtown in 2017.

1. Montreal Forum

The final arena on the list is the only other one beside Maple Leaf Gardens to not be demolished. The Montreal Forum opened in 1924 and was originally home to the Montreal Maroons of the NHL before the Canadiens also joined in 1926. The Canadiens, obviously, would last longer and play at the Forum until 1996. The Forum was a beloved arena that was expanded and renovated until the Habs looked for a new building.

The Montreal Forum has had a massive interior renovation, while the exterior mostly remains the same. The building remains as a movie theater that’s owned and operated by AMC while the Canadiens moved to the Bell Centre (or still Molson Centre to some) where they continue to play to this day.

While baseball might get most of the love in terms of trading card popularity, the other sports of the world certainly have their fair share of valuable cards, and that includes soccer. Over the years, there have been some cards that are worth hundreds of thousands to collectors at auction. From current players to former legends, there are some cards that are incredibly rare and worth a small fortune.

Which cards are the most expensive, though? There were some cards that have sold for $10,000, $25,000, or even $50,000 that didn’t quite make the cut. Instead, we want to focus on just the cream of the crop and highlight the five most valuable soccer trading cards ever sold. For this list, we used just the top-selling card for a single player.

5. Kylian Mbappe ($161,130)

Kylian Mbappe came up through the French soccer ranks quickly, earning himself a spot on the 2018 World Cup team at just 19 years old. During that World Cup in Russia, there were multiple cards made of Mbappe, with the most rare being the Panini Prizm Gold.

There have been a few of these that made their way to auction, though it was hard to find one that was in perfect condition. One of the near-mint copies of the card sold for $161,130 with an 8.5 grade, showing just how rare the card was upon release.

4. Cristiano Ronaldo ($312,000)

Cristiano Ronaldo may be a mainstream megastar across the world, but one time he was just a kid trying to play soccer. His rookie card released as part of the 2003 Panini Sports Mega Cracks (or Craques) collection featured a much different-looking Ronaldo playing for Sporting Clube de Portugal as a teenager.

The Portuguese forward would end up becoming a star with Manchester United and Real Madrid, boosting the value of his rookie card. Someone was able to keep it in mint condition, and the card was sold at auction for $312,000 while other copies of the card in similar condition have sold for slightly lower.

3. Lionel Messi ($336,000)

Lionel Messi has been named the best player in the world as the Ballon d’Or winner six times, cementing himself as one of the greatest legends in soccer history. In terms of cards that were made for Messi, you have to go back to the 2004 Panini Sports Mega Cracks collection to find his rookie card. In near-mint condition, this card is worth $7,000.

One of the cards, though, was kept in pristine condition and was sold for $336,000. Previous high-graded Messi cards had been evaluated at around $250,000. To see one in the shape that this particular one was in, though, had been extremely rare as he was never expected to become what he was.

2. Pele ($372,000)

If you were to ask the most casual fan of soccer to name a player before the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi came along, there’s a solid chance that they would have said Pele. The Brazilian star helped bring soccer to countries where it wasn’t quite as popular before, and he’s considered the sport’s all-time biggest legend.

His rookie card dates back all the way to 1958 and was created by Alifabolaget. It’s a very unassuming card as it simply has Pele’s photo with a white bar featuring his name in light blue lettering at the bottom. It might be simplistic, but the Pele rookie card was sold for $372,000 at a 2021 auction.

1. Erling Haaland ($432,000)

While the other cards on the list were for players that have either long since retired or were in the back half of their legendary careers when their cards sold, Erling Haaland is a case of someone trying to plan ahead. The Norwegian star made his senior debut in 2019, and he quickly showed why he was one of the fastest-rising players in the sport.

His rookie card in 2019 for Topps was kept by one owner in perfect condition as Haaland played in the German Bundesliga, and it was even autographed by the star. Two years later, the card was placed for auction by Goldin Co. and sold for a whopping $432,000. Time will tell if the card will end up being worth that much, but Haaland made it look like a sound investment for the buyer almost immediately.

Every four years, the World Cup captures every nation’s attention whether their team is participating or not. Heading into each World Cup, there are usually one or two teams that are expected to meet up in the finals, but it doesn’t always go that way. Here’s a look at who the favorite to win was for each World Cup and how they ended up finishing since odds were introduced for the first time in 1978:

1978 (Argentina)

There have been six countries that have won the World Cup while hosting, and Argentina did it in their only hosting duty in 1978. The country came in as a 2:1 favorite in the betting odds, taking down the Netherlands in the finals 3-1, with the Dutch having a solid 5:1 odds, as well.

1982 (Brazil): 

Spain hosted the 1982 World Cup, which turned out ot be one of the most exciting tournaments of all time. Brazil had been a runaway favorite to win it all, and made it to the second round before being taken out by Italy, who would go on to win the title over West Germany.

1986 (Brazil):

Once again, Brazil was favored to win the World Cup as it came to Mexico in 1986, but Argentina would end up winning their second title in three World Cups. It wasn’t as if Argentina was a longshot, though, as they were second in odds at 4:1 compared to Brazil’s 11:4.

1990 (Italy): 

There were a few teams that were expected to compete for the title at the 1990 World Cup in Italy, with the home country getting a slight boost to become the favorites due to playing at home. However, they would be knocked out in the semifinals by Argentina. Italy would win the third place game against England while Argentina lost to West Germany in the title game.

1994 (Brazil and Germany): 

The United States played home to the 1994 World Cup, and bettors were torn between Brazil and Germany as the co-7:2 favorites. Italy and Holland weren’t far behind, but the Germany didn’t even make the semifinals. Brazil did, though, and won the World Cup by defeating Italy in the championship.

1998 (Brazil): 

There’s a common theme of Brazil being favored, and 1998 was no exception when the event was held in France. Brazil did indeed end up making to the finals where they took on the host country who had the second best odds. France would prevail as the winner in front of their home crowd.

2002 (France): 

Argentina was favored to win the World Cup in 2002 before the groups were announced, but France became the favorite to repeat prior to the tournament that took place in South Korea and Japan. However, France didn’t even make it to the knockout stage as they went 0-1-2 and had to watch Denmark and Senegal advance.

2006 (Brazil): 

Despite Germany hosting the 2006 World Cup, the Brazilians came into the event as favorites and disappointed with their performance. Brazil made it to the knockout stage, but were ousted by France in the quarterfinals, with Italy defeating the French in the championship via shootout.

2010 (Spain): 

For the first time, Spain was favored to win the World Cup in the first time that South Africa played host. The Spainiards lived up to the hype as they defeated Portugal, Spain, Germany, and the Netherlands in the knockout stage to win the World Cup.

2014 (Brazil): 

Brazil got to host the 2014 World Cup, and thus came into the event as the overwhelming favorites, and their exit from the tournament is one of the most memorable matches in World Cup history. Germany defeated Argentina in the finals, but not before they dismantled Brazil 7-1 in the semis in Belo Horizonte. The Brazilians then turned around and got shutout 3-0 by the Netherlands in the third place game.

2018 (Brazil): 

Surely Brazil would correct the ship and get their redemption in Russia in 2018, right? Not only did they not win the 2018 World Cup, but they didn’t even advance as far as the favorite, getting knocked out in the quarterfinals by Belgium. France, the fourth-highest favorite, would end up beating 33:1 underdog Croatia in the finals.

2022 (Brazil):

The 2022 World Cup proved to be anybody’s to win, but Brazil was considered the favorite at 9:2 to win it all. Brazil coasted into the knockout stage, but was eliminated in the quarterfinals by Croatia when the two squads went to a shootout.

When you think of manly sports, hockey has to be at the top of the list. What other sport is there that allows bare-knuckle boxing in the middle of a game with no legal repercussions? Over the course of NHL history, there have been some extremely manly players to make their way through the league, but these five brawny dudes stand out as the manliest.

Gordie Howe

Many say that if it weren’t for Wayne Gretzky, Gordie Howe would be considered the unanimous choice for the best hockey player of all time. In Detroit, Howe is a legend after having spent a quarter century with the Red Wings. The bridge to Canada is named after him, and there’s even a “hat trick” named in his honor, and it’s the manliest thing you might hear today.

A Gordie Howe hat trick is when a player collects a goal and an assist, while also getting into a fight all in the same game. Howe did this for the first time in 1953, and once more the following season. Howe played professional hockey until he was in his 50s, showing just how macho he was, even in his advanced age. Howe passed away in 2016, but not before leaving an amazing legacy in hockey.

Tim Horton

Tim Horton might be known as the namesake for the massive chain of coffee and donut joints around North America, but Horton himself was a tremendous and manly NHL player for 24 seasons. Horton played for four franchises, most notably with the Toronto Maple Leafs from 1952 until 1970.

Horton was an absolute brute as a hockey player, showing off the type of muscle that you envision when thinking of a Canadian lumberjack. It was unfortunate how Horton met his demise at 44 years old, but his legacy still lives on in the form of some small donuts and what was some of the best coffee in the world during his life.

Howie Morenz

If you look at Howie Morenz, he looks less like a guy who would play hockey and more like a guy that would bust your kneecaps for not paying him back in time. Morenz was a native of Mitchell, Ontario, and one of the greatest players of his generation. He was a gambling man that could also play the ukulele and had three kids by the time he was 31 years old.

Morenz was known for his blazing speed on the ice and popped right back up after taking a high-speed collision. Unfortunately for Morenz, his speed was what would ultimately be his undoing. In a game against Chicago, Morenz was going after a loose puck when he lost his balance and broke his leg when crashing into the ice. He was then in his hospital room and didn’t want help to use the restroom, so he tried to walk on his broken leg, leading to a coronary embolism.

Lanny McDonald

Forget the manliest hockey players of all time, Lanny McDonald looks like one of the manliest people in human history. McDonald rocked a huge mustache during his playing days, and that didn’t change after he retired. The only thing that changed is the color as his mustache went from red to white.

McDonald was a hell of a player on top of having a hall of fame mustache, too, as he also made the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1992. During his career, McDonald put up 500 goals and over 500 assists, and even took home the 1983 Bill Masterton Award. The award is handed out to the NHL player who “exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication” to the league, and that sounds pretty manly.

Ryan Reaves

One of the best enforcers in NHL history, Ryan Reaves has played with several teams throughout his NHL career and is known for fighting the other team’s biggest and toughest player when things get dicey. Heck, he’s even starred in commercials where he enforces Las Vegas residents to not use too much water.

Reaves has been a beloved teammate everywhere he’s played because he’s not afraid to finish fights that get started. Essentially, he’s like the big brother of every franchise that he’s played for.

When people think of athletics at the University of Oregon, a few things come to mind. For starters, there’s the track team known around the world, helping to land Eugene, Oregon the nickname of Track Town, USA. There’s also the football team that became a juggernaut starting in the 1990s and is known for its unique uniforms, with hardly wearing the same combination of uniforms more than once.

Oregon sports has come a long way over the years, with all of the programs contributing to the overall legacy of the athletics department. If you were to create a Mount Rushmore replica in Eugene that took just the four most influential people, who would be on it? Here are our picks for the Mount Rushmore of Oregon Ducks sports.

Phil Knight

You can’t tell the story of Oregon athletics without talking about Phil Knight. Going back to his college days, Knight was a runner at Oregon who was on the varsity team for three seasons. However, it wasn’t his career as a runner with the school that landed him on the Oregon Ducks Mount Rushmore.

After leaving the University of Oregon, Knight would go on to start Nike, and his contributions helped to make Oregon a nationally-known program. Between the entire basketball arena and major contributions to the football and track programs, Knight and Nike have their stamp on just about everything on campus. Overall, Knight has invested well over $1 billion in the university, earning Knight the nickname Uncle Phil. 

Marcus Mariota

Oregon football had been building up to something special throughout the 1990s and 2000s thanks to the likes of Joey Harrington and the Chip Kelly offense. The culmination of Ducks football would come when the school landed coveted quarterback recruit Marcus Mariota from Honolulu.

Mariota would be the first Oregon player to win the Heisman Trophy, doing so in 2014, while also winning the Maxwell, manning, Walter Camp, and Davey O’Brien Awards (among others). Mariota set records left and right, throwing for 10,796 yards and 105 touchdowns while also rushing for 2,237 yards and 29 touchdowns. Mariota would go on to become the highest-drafted player from Oregon since George Shaw in 1955 at second overall.

Steve Prefontaine

Another member of the Oregon Ducks running team to make it onto the school’s Mount Rushmore is Steve Prefontaine, who was simply known as Pre to many around the world. Prefontaine tragically passed away at just 24 years old but left a huge legacy as the leader of the increase in running interest in the United States.

Prefontaine made it to the 1972 Olympics where he won a bronze medal, and only had three races during his collegiate career in which he didn’t win (all of them in the 1-mile run). Pre had a ton of charisma and was well-known, especially as he set his personal best of 3 minutes and 54.6 seconds in the 1-mile in Eugene in 1973.

Sabrina Ionescu

Sabrina Ionescu was one of the top high school players in the country and decided to head to Oregon where she became the school’s highest-rated recruit of all time. Ionescu dominated in Eugene and became the only player in NCAA history with over 2,000 points, 1,000 rebounds, and 1,000 assists in her career.

Not only that but Ionescu would be named the Pac-12 Player of the Year in three consecutive seasons, as well as winning the Nancy Lieberman Award every year from 2018 to 2020. Ionescu was the 2020 Naismith and AP Player of the Year, and she became the first Oregon player to be drafted number one overall in the WNBA.

Who Just Missed the Cut?

It was hard to narrow down the list to just four, and there were some notable Ducks that were left off of the list. Those that were considered for the Mount Rushmore are Dan Fouts (football), Bill Bowerman (track), Ahmad Rashad (football), Payton Pritchard (basketball), Joey Harrington (football), and Ashton Eaton (track).

Throughout Oregon Ducks football history, there have been some monumental moments and big games that have taken place, either at Autzen Stadium or on the road. In the very long history of Ducks football, though, which games stand out as the best in school history? Here are our picks for the top five, with all of them coming in the 21st century when Oregon became established as a national power.

5. Time to Fiesta

Before Colorado joined the Pac-12, they were a member of the Big 12 and represented the conference in the 2002 Fiesta Bowl against Oregon, with the teams ranked third and fourth, respectively. Oregon came in with a chip on their shoulder as the team would have been in the BCS Championship based on the coaches and AP polls.

The Ducks played like a national title team as they thoroughly beat Colorado by a score of 38-16 with Joey Harrington and Steve Smith winning the offensive and defensive MVP awards. In the end, the Ducks were ranked number two in the AP poll behind champion Miami, and we’ll never know if they would’ve defeated the Hurricanes.

4. Seminole Smash

The 2014-15 NCAA season marked the first time that the FBS champion would be decided with a playoff, and Oregon was included after winning the Pac-12. Oregon went up against undefeated Florida State and Heisman winner Jameis Winston, but the Seminoles weren’t prepared for the onslaught that would come their way.

The game was tight in the first half with Oregon holding an 18-13 lead, but the second half was all Ducks. Up 25-20 halfway through the third quarter, Darren Carrington finished the quarter with two touchdowns of 56 and 30 yards, then Winston fumbled, leading to a Tony Washington scoop and score. Marcus Mariota and Thomas Tyner would add touchdowns in the fourth to give Oregon the 59-20 win and stamp their ticket to the title game.

3. Shootout at the Shoe

While Oregon was considered a strong team and ranked number 11 in the nation heading into the 2021 season, they had squeaked by Fresno State in week one and not many gave them a chance on the road against number three-ranked Ohio State. Oregon ran the ball early and often, wearing down the Buckeyes’ defensive line, and took a 14-point lead into the fourth quarter.

The Ducks salted the game away and walked out of Columbus with a 35-28 win, and their first against Ohio State after going 0-for-9. C.J. Verdell finished with 195 yards from scrimmage and three touchdowns with the Ducks going on to win their Pac-12 North and playing Oklahoma in the Alamo Bowl.

2. Upset at the Big House

In 2007, the Michigan Wolverines came into the NCAA season ranked in the top five, and had national championship aspirations. In their September schedule were games against Notre Dame and Penn State that they had perhaps looked forward to too much as they were upset by FCS team Appalachian State in the first week.

Many thought the Wolverines would rebound against Oregon in week two, but the Ducks proved to be the better team that day. Dennis Dixon ran wild and the Ducks routed Michigan by a score of 39-7 in front of nearly 110,000 people. The Ducks would go on to finish the season 9-4 and won the Sun Bowl over South Florida.

1. 2012 Rose Bowl

Coming into the 2011-12 NCAA football season, Oregon hadn’t won a Rose Bowl in 95 years. That would change on January 2, 2012, when the Ducks arrived as the number five team in the nation, taking on the Big Ten representative Wisconsin Badgers. The game was a shootout in the first half as the teams went into the locker room tied at 28.

Oregon trailed by three points going into the final quarter, but took the lead within the first few seconds of the fourth thanks to a Lavasier Tuinei touchdown catch from Darron Thomas. Alejandro Maldonado added three more points and the defense held strong, with the Ducks winning 45-38. The game set the Rose Bowl record for most points in regulation while De’Anthony Thomas had the longest touchdown run in the game’s history with a 91-yard scamper.

In the sports world, we fans care about championships and statistics, but those that are running the leagues of the nation care about ratings and popularity. In the United States, there are four professional leagues that make up the “big four,” with millions tuning in to see who takes home the league title. Out of the big four, though, how do the professional leagues rank, and who is in the fifth spot? Let’s take a look at the popularity in America for each major sport.

1. Football

Football is the number one sport in the United States, and it’s not even close. The most watched program in all of television, not just sports, is Sunday Night Football. Every week, the primetime game dwarfs every other program, while Monday Night Football dominates the cable ratings. All in all, around 40 percent of Americans say that football is their favorite sport.

When you check the ratings for the culmination of each season, the Super Bowl, it’s easy to see just how popular the NFL is. Out of the 31 most-watched telecasts of all time in the United States, the Super Bowl takes 30 of those spots. The only non-Super Bowl to crack into the rankings is the series finale of “M*A*S*H” which drew in nearly 106 million viewers.

2. Basketball

Basketball, like football, started off by having the college version be much more popular during its early years. The professional version, the NBA, has grown over the years and become the second-most popular sport in the United States. Many credit basketball’s growths to the likes of Michael Jordan, who helped the league tremendously during the 1990s.

Once millennials who grew up watching Jordan got to be adults, they were more inclined to watch the NBA, and the league has been a huge hit with Generation Z. Basketball is also much more available than it’s ever been, with streaming services and a large television contract with ESPN. The NBA is also known for its off-the-court drama that pulls in a lot of attention throughout the year.

3. Baseball

There was once a time when baseball was far and away the most popular sport in the United States. After all, it’s called America’s pastime and had the same type of popularity in post-war America that the NFL enjoys today. However, the percentage of people who said that baseball was their favorite sport dropped from a peak of around 40 percent in the 1940s to less than 10 percent now.

For many baseball purists, it’s quite sad to see that the sport has declined in popularity so much. Some blame the access to the game like blackouts preventing people from watching local teams, while others say the games simply take too long. Baseball has entertained many ideas on how to shorten games as a result of the declining numbers, and only time will tell if it pays off.

4. Hockey

To come up with the number four sport in the United States, you have to look at television ratings. For that reason, hockey takes the final spot in the top four due to the number of viewers it gets compared to the rest of the field. The NHL is considered one of the “big four” sports leagues, too, helping its case to claim its ranking as number four.

For the most part, hockey is very regional with those in the northeastern and Great Lakes regions of the country watching hockey the most. The sport is obviously number one in Canada, but the sport is growing in the United States. Expansion teams in Las Vegas and Seattle help to grow the sport into previously unserved areas, as well.

What’s America’s Fifth Sport?

You could make a case for several sports as the fifth most popular in the United States, even professional wrestling. Golf, tennis, and auto racing all serve as great individual sports options, but the fifth spot has to belong to soccer. Millions of Americans watch soccer, though they tend to cheer for an English Premier League team rather than an MLS team in the US. When the World Cup comes around, the average American will watch a lot of soccer, too.

The National Football League has been around for well over 100 years, and along the way there have been some legendary players, games, moments, and records set. A lot of records don’t last for very long, but there are some that withstand the test of time. There are even some records that are set, and it becomes immediately apparent that we may not see that record broken for a long time, if it even does happen.

Out of all of the records that have been set for a game, season, postseason, or career, these five stand out as the ones that are the least likely to be broken. In fact, some of these have been determined by many to be completely unbreakable.

5. Emmitt Smith’s Career Rushing Yards

Throughout the 2000s, the NFL became a quarterback-friendly league as the passing numbers exploded and running backs became an afterthought. Because of that, Emmitt Smith knew his record for career rushing yards would never be broken when he amassed 18.355 in his career with the Cowboys and Cardinals.

Even with longevity, NFL teams simply don’t give running backs enough carries to make it happen. Frank Gore and Adrian Peterson gave it their best shot, but nobody will be able to catch Emmitt.

4. Derrick Thomas’s Seven-Sack Game

On November 11, 1990, Derrick Thomas of the Kansas City Chiefs had a field day with the Seattle Seahawks offensive line as he sacked quarterback Dave Krieg seven times. The wildest part of Thomas’s game? The Chiefs still lost 17-16. Many figured that the new record could possibly be tied, but virtually guaranteed to never be topped.

There have been a handful of games in which a player has gotten six sacks, including Adrian Clayborn in 2017 and Osi Umenyiora in 2007. However, Thomas stands alone as the first and only man to sack a quarterback seven times in one afternoon.

3. Brett Favre’s Ironman Streak

There have been some challengers for the consecutive games started at quarterback streak that Brett Favre set, but nobody has really come close. Favre started 297 games in a row for the Packers, Jets, and Vikings between 1992 and 2010, including 24 games in the playoffs. The next closest was Philip Rivers, who never missed a game in his 15-year career, but still came up 57 games short.

What might be just as crazy as Favre’s streak is the fact that Tom Brady has three of the 15 longest streaks for consecutive games started as a quarterback. The first streak went from 2001 to 2008 before his injury and he started again in the 2009 season before missing the beginning fo the 2016 season due to suspension and restarting his streak.

2. Brian Mitchell’s Kick Return Yards

Brian Mitchell may be one of the most underappreciated NFL players of all-time, and set the tone for return specialists like Dante Hall and Devin Hester in the 2000s. Mitchell played the entirety of the 1990s for Washington, then finished his career with three seasons in Philadelphia and one more with the New York Giants.

The former All-Pro and Super Bowl champion returned 607 total kickoffs in his career and finished with 14,014 yards on those returns, including four touchdowns. Nobody else is even close, either, with Allen Rossum (who retired back in 2009) being more than 2,000 yards behind him. In fact, Mitchell’s career as a return specialist places him second all-time in all-purpose yardage as part of our next record.

1. Career All-Purpose & Receiving Yards

Mitchell needed thousands of return, rushing, and receiving yards to get to 23,330 total, but he was eclipsed by a man who had just six combined return yards in his career. We’re talking, of course, about Jerry Rice, the legendary wide receiver who spent the bulk of his career with the San Francisco 49ers.

Rice picked up 645 rushing yards throughout his long and illustrious career, but it was his receiving yards that set him apart, which is why we’re combining two records at the top spot. Rice finished with 22,895 of his 23,546 total all-purpose yards through the air. He has over 1,700 more all-purpose yards than anyone not named Brian Mitchell, and his receiving yardage record is essentially impossible to break in the modern NFL.

The 1990s saw tremendous growth in the game of baseball, and it also launched the era of stadiums being built exclusively for baseball instead of shared with professional football teams. As a result, there were nine full-time MLB stadiums that were opened in the 1990s. How do those nine stack up against one another? Here is our definitive ranking of the 90s ballparks:

9. Tropicana Field

If there’s any sort of list about baseball stadiums and Tropicana Field qualifies, you can be assured that it will be at the bottom. The home of the Tampa Bay Rays has been called the worst in Major League Baseball since it opened in the 1990s and converted to a baseball-first facility upon the team’s first season in 1998.

8. Chase Field

When it opened as the home of the Arizona Diamondbacks in 1998, Chase Field was seen as sort of cheeky and fun as there was an inground pool beyond the right field fence. The stadium hasn’t aged particularly well, though, and Chase Field sort of has a massive mausoleum feel as it boasts one of the quieter atmospheres despite having a retractable roof.

7. Guaranteed Rate Field

For almost 90 years, the Chicago White Sox had called Comiskey Park their home, but it was time for an upgrade when 1991 came along. That’s when their new stadium, which was also called Comiskey Park, was opened for the first time. There’s nothing really wrong with it, but the stadium now known as Guaranteed Rate Field just lacks the uniqueness of other stadiums, including crosstown Wrigley Field.

6. Turner Field

The first of the two 1990s stadiums to not make it for more than just a couple of decades, Turner Field was originally built for the 1996 Summer Olympics and then converted into a baseball stadium for the Atlanta Braves. The stadium certainly served its purpose, but Turner Field was left for the George State University football team as the Braves moved to Truist Park in Cobb County.

5. Progressive Field

Still referred to lovingly by fans as “The Jake” since it originally opened in 1994 as Jacobs Field, Progressive Park has been the above-average home for the Cleveland Guardians ever since. While it shares a lot of similarities to other stadiums of its time in that there’s not much that’s unique to it, Progressive Field does offer better sightlines than stadiums like Guaranteed Rate Field.

4. The Ballpark in Arlington

Opened in 1994 to serve as the home for the Texas Rangers, The Ballpark in Arlington was a beautiful facility that was truly unique. However, there was one problem. The Ballpark was an absolutely brutal place for players and fans during the hot Texas summers. The stadium didn’t even make it 25 years before it was replaced with a new facility called Globe Life Field, and the old ballpark is now known as Choctaw Stadium.

3. Coors Field

Denver, Colorado joined the list of major cities with a Major League team when the expansion Rockies played in Coors Field for the first time in 1995. The Rockies have no plans on moving from their stadium, either, as it remains one of the fan favorites across the league. With the unique “rockpile” centerfield and long home runs due to the thin air, Coors Field is a party every time the Rockies play.

2. T-Mobile Park

Originally opened as Safeco Field in 1999, T-Mobile Park has been the home for the Seattle Mariners since they moved from the Kingdome. T-Mobile Park is referred to as one of the best in Major League Baseball, and it keeps fans covered from the Pacific Northwest rains thanks to its retractable roof. T-Mobile Park has even hosted WrestleMania, with the 19th edition being held on the field.

1. Oriole Park at Camden Yards

The Baltimore Orioles showed everyone how it’s done in 1992 when they replaced Memorial Stadium with Oriole Park at Camden Yards, and teams across Major League Baseball have been trying to replicate what they’ve done ever since. Camden Yards set the tone for stadiums like Petco Park in San Diego and PNC Park in Pittsburgh as the original contemporary baseball-first park.