Sports

You may have seen that he was on campus recently, or maybe you’ve heard because you’re a huge college football fan, but highly-acclaimed, former head-coach of the New England Patriots, Bill Belichick, is in North Carolina. In December of 2023, after 24 seasons and six Super Bowl titles, Belichick retired from the NFL. Belichick is known for his numerous Super Bowl appearances and wins, as well as his successful partnership with Tom Brady, who is regarded as the best quarterback in NFL history. Recently, however, on December 11, 2024, Belichick decided to come out of retirement and was hired by the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill as their new head coach. His five year deal, with a guaranteed base salary of $10 million for the first three years, is exciting news for the world of college football and has many possible implications for the future of the team.

UNC Chapel Hill is known for many things: Carolina blue, great academics, and standout sports. In more recent years, the basketball team has been the star of the show, having won the National Championship in the 2016-2017 season and being a consistently strong competitor since then. However, UNC’s football team is a slightly different story. While Chapel Hill football has played 37 bowl games, winning three Southern Conference championships and five Atlantic Coast Conference titles, the team has recently been failing to consistently win or achieve any lasting success. The last time they were conference champions was in 1980, 45 years ago. That’s not to say the team hasn’t had some success in the past few decades. They won the ACC Coastal Division in 2012, 2015, and 2022 and won postseason bowl games in 2010, 2013, and 2019. But overall, the team has continued to be unable to create much consistency in their success. UNC fans are dedicated and have maintained their support throughout the shaky team history, but, like all fans, they want the best for their team and would be ecstatic to see another ACC Conference win.

Having a coach like Belichick, who’s fame is due to his ability to consistently build teams that win championships, offers a glimmer of hope for Chapel Hill that the team may be able to achieve and maintain more success in the coming years. During his 24 seasons with the Patriots, Belichick helped lead the team to the playoffs 18 times and the Super Bowl nine times, including six Super Bowl wins. This consistency is something that UNC Chapel Hill could greatly benefit from, and it is exciting to consider the possibilities that this new coach may create.

After saying goodbye to their star quarterback Drake Maye at the end of the 2023 season, Chapel Hill ended the 2024 season with a 3-5 conference record and 6-7 overall record, clearly demonstrating that there is room for improvement. The team was tied with three others for 10th in the ACC Conference in 2024. With these disappointing statistics, players and supporters of the team are no doubt looking for a new hope, which may just be what Belichick can provide. Belichick has already demonstrated enthusiasm for his new role in the college football world, beginning to travel for the recruitment process and reporting that he has enjoyed getting to meet the young players. This combination of a new, experienced coach and a team hungry for success gives fans reason to dream big when looking forward to these next five years.. While there are no guarantees, it will be exciting to see what’s to come in the next few years at the UNC Chapel Hill football program. 

Imagine it’s 2016 and the Panthers just beat the Arizona Cardinals to advance to Super Bowl 50. Charlotte, NC is buzzing with excitement as praise for Cam Newton rings through the streets. Those fall days back in 2015 watching legends like Luke Kuechly, Greg Olsen, and of course Cam Newton, were unforgettable. Newton is a Charlotte legend; his leadership in 2015 is talked about to this day. This is why it is strange that the Panthers and the NFL don’t seem to be interested in honoring Newton’s legacy.

On Newton’s podcast “4th and 1,” he did not hold back what he was thinking. Newton first admitted he was feeling left out in July of 2024 when Christian McCaffrey tied the knot with his wife on June 29th; the wedding was attended by many other Panthers legends except for Newton. On the podcast, Newton playfully stated “I couldn’t get an invite?” Newton didn’t express genuine sadness at not being invited; however, fans speculated that he was feeling more left out than he claimed. Mccaffery and Newton shared a lighthearted conversation in Instagram comments, squashing the alleged beef. Talk of Newton being excluded quieted for the following months until November when the Carolina Panthers traveled to Germany for a game against the New York Giants. Former Panthers icons like Kuechly, Julius Peppers, Steve Smith, and Thomas Davis were all invited to join the team in Germany to support and participate in the festivities. In an episode of “4th and 1”, a clip is shown of the iconic former players walking around Germany and Newton reacting with a sour display on his face. Newton is then asked by his co-host “If you were invited would you have gone?” Newton responds with “I guess we will never know,” shaking his head sadly. Being excluded from the trip obviously hurt Netwon’s feelings and he did not shy away from showing it on the podcast. He then goes on to explain an incident when Newton brought his son to the Panthers facility for a 7-on-7 tournament. He explains that when they were walking around seeing all of the pictures of former Panthers legends, his son asked him “Daddy where’s your picture?” While all of this may seem harsh, believe it or not, the Panthers and the NFL have reasons for this.

Newton is technically still a free agent since he has not officially signed retirement papers despite his football career most likely being over. This presents a problem for the Panthers. If they were to plaster Newton’s face all over the stadium and advertise him openly, they could be subject to fines and penalties for advertising a free agent within their stadium. While this does explain the lack of pictures, some believe that the Panthers didn’t like Newton’s big personality and don’t honor him because of this. That is all speculation, but it does make you wonder if the Cam Newton erasure is purposeful or if it really is because he hasn’t officially retired. We won’t know for sure until we see the Panthers’ next move once Newton retires. He explained that while he is hurt by the exclusion, he does not have any ill feelings towards the Panthers. In the same “4th and 1” episode, Newton claims “I don’t have no quarrel with nobody in the Panthers organization.” 

Whether there are scandals regarding Newton’s lack of recognition or if it is purely because of NFL rules,  Newton will go down in history as one of the best Panthers players of all time, and some recognition from the Panthers is past due for the iconic quarterback. 

Photo contribution by Panthers Wire

There’s a new sense of hope in Charlotte regarding the Carolina Panthers. The team that floundered at the bottom of the league in the beginning of the season and looked to be in near-unrecoverable territory finished the season with a comparatively good record of 4-5. The strong finish to the season has rejuvenated both the Panther’s front office as well as their fanbase, and leaves the question… are the Panthers really back?

Just two weeks into the season, the Panthers decided to bench their field general in his second season in the league, Bryce Young. To many, the move signaled the end of the “Bryce Young Experiment”, and analysts flamed the Panthers for their decision to draft the former Heisman winner. On an episode of First Take in mid-September, Steven A. Smith even went as far as saying: “Ladies and gentlemen, JaMarcus Russell wasn’t even that bad, and you know how I feel about JaMarcus Russell. This is maybe the biggest bust in NFL history.” It wasn’t only analysts who felt this way; many fans of the organization had also given up on the team. With the former first pick of the NFL Draft benched little more than a season later, all signs pointed to a complete rebuild at the end of the season, continuing the team’s failures under David Tepper.

After Andy Dalton took over under center for the Panthers, there was little improvement. While the team managed to bag its first win of the season against the Las Vegas Raiders, the team lost its next five games. The bad luck for the organization looked like it would continue after Dalton injured his thumb and was ruled out for the Panther’s week 8 matchup against the Denver Broncos. The following week, the Panthers took on the divisional rival New Orleans Saints, however instead of suffering another blowout to the team that beat the Panthers 47-10 in week 1, Young led the team to its second win of the season. 

In the team’s final ten games of the season, Young led the team to four wins, beating the previously mentioned Saints by just one point, and the Giants, Falcons, and Cardinals in overtime. Close losses to both the Kansas City Chiefs, Philadelphia Eagles, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers (OT), some of the strongest teams in the league, helped give the organization some of the confidence that it needed. Rather than be blown out by these teams, which certainly would have happened early in the season, the Panthers were able to compete and win against the rest of the NFL. 

So what changed, and why should it give Panthers fans peace-of-mind this offseason? Firstly, the Panthers seem to have their franchise quarterback. At the end of the season, Bryce Young looked like an NFL quarterback; in his final three games, he had 10 touchdowns and no interceptions, the best in the league during that period. While Young has gotten most of the headlines following the closing of the 2024 campaign, head coach Dave Canales can’t be overlooked. So far, his leadership of the team has paid off, and his hire seems to be paying off. Speaking of Tepper, the owner seems to have taken a step back from trying to control the team, a major step forward for the organization. Since Tepper bought the team in 2018, the Panthers have had nine different starting quarterbacks and six different coaches. Both Tepper and Canales have expressed confidence in Young’s ability to lead the team, and a stable coaching staff and quarterback might be just what the organization needs to succeed. While the defense may have been the worst in the league, and possibly one of the worst in NFL history, defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero will return for the 2025 season. The defense was hit hard by injuries, but with stars Derrick Brown and Shaq Thompson returning next fall, the Panthers should be in a much better position. 

The Carolina Panthers certainly have work to do, but the pieces seem to be falling into place for a successful 2025 campaign. Hope is back in Charlotte, and it seems like the Panthers might be poised to be back to being a playoff contender. 

In this world, the only constant is change. Every four years we change who is at the helm of the country, every single day humans grow and change in new ways, some good some bad. In previous years the NCAA has reflected the idea that the only constant is change, as the rules and shapes of college athletics are shifting more than one could imagine.
In July earlier this year, the NCAA settled three lawsuits, House vs NCAA, Hubbard vs NCAA, and Carter vs NCAA. The most infamous of all three was House vs NCAA, where a former Arizona State Swimmer led a group of plaintiffs and filed a lawsuit on behalf of all NCAA athletes since 2016 suing the NCAA for not allowing them to generate any revenue. In 2021, NIL was introduced, but these athletes competed in an era where an athlete making any money, even from social media, could get you declared ineligible. When the NCAA approved NIL, and where it has developed to today has been a complete 180 from their position merely 5 years ago. The case was filed in 2020, and it was searching for backpay for NCAA athletes since 2016. The case was not only focused on backpay for former athletes but advancements in the rights of current athletes. The lawsuit and the settlement resulted in the NCAA passing many changes to the structure of collegiate athletics. The lawsuit resulted in a settlement for 2.78 billion dollars, which will be paid back over the next ten years at a value of $280 million annually. The settlement also allows schools to pay students in NIL, at a value of up to 22% of the average Autonomy 5 athletic media, ticket, and sponsorship revenue. The final, and maybe most prevalent of the settlement was that roster limit and scholarship limit would be affected. As a result, sports teams can give out more scholarships, up to as many as the players on their squad, increasing the number of scholarships potentially available by about 700, but the opposite side to this is that roster sizes are limited. There are essentially no roles for walk-on athletes in collegiate sports anymore, the size of soccer teams is cut down from around 35 to a max of 28, with golf team size cut down from 10-12 to 9. While there are more scholarships available, many athletes, and recruits are displaced by the new limits, and how they are suddenly being implemented. While many are celebrating the settlements, others are trying to figure out where they are going to compete this year.
While the changes in the NCAA over the last few years have increased the rights and privileges of being a student-athlete, the way they have been carried out has led to chaos and unfortunate situations for many athletes. These lawsuits that started the change were because of the lack of organized actions of the NCAA in granting student athletes rights, many student-athletes felt they were unfairly compensated and filed the lawsuits. Then as the lack of rules and regulations regarding the transfer portal continued to develop, many athletes saw their spots taken by transfer students which previously could have affected where they decided to play coming out of high school. The NCAA has done a significant amount to increase the rights of student-athletes and give them more freedoms, but there has been a lack of organization in how the change has been carried out. The result is many athletes, and coaches have been negatively affected, many athletes are left without a place to play, and legendary coaches are leaving the game such as Tony Bennett from UVA. The cut-throat nature of professional sports leaves many athletes with or without a job. Collegiate sports are getting closer and closer to becoming a pro sports league, while increased scholarships and funding are promising to many athletes, others are left scratching their heads about how the new NCAA rules screwed them and their plans.

Golf is unlike any other sport played, particularly at the professional level. The main distinction between pro golf and other professional sports is that in pro golf earnings are performance based (for most pros). In the NFL players are signed to a contract and have some degree of guaranteed money even if the player plays badly and loses the game. In golf, If a player shows up and plays poorly odds are they probably are not going to be walking away with a sustainable paycheck. The effect of this is it makes it practically impossible to be successful, which is what makes the stories of the ones who do so much sweeter.

Only 125 of all professional golfers in the world have full status on the PGA Tour. The others are battling and grinding it out to get there on feeder tours such as the Korn Ferry Tour, and the Americas Tours. Lesser golfers fight to compete on mini tours and in Monday Qualifiers with opportunities to obtain starts in larger events (with bigger purses). But as I mentioned earlier it is all on the players, if they play well they are going to be rewarded with better status and lofty paychecks, but if they do not play well it is hard to stay afloat as a pro golfer. This narrow line professional golfers walk is what makes the sport so riveting and engaging and part of why it is worth following. The stories of Chris Kirk and Max Homa are some of the best in golf, and embody why the sport is so great. 

Chris Kirk: In the first week of 2024,  Chris Kirk won one of the biggest tournaments there is, the Sentry Tournament of Champions in Hawaii. Not only did Kirk set his future by earning status overtime but he also brought home 3.5 million dollars with the win. However, Kirk has not always had this success at the pro level. In May of 2019, Chris Kirk announced he was taking a leave from pro golf to deal with alcohol abuse and depression. Kirk was out of the game for 7 months and returned in November of 2019, he returned with a world golf ranking of 303 but was stronger than he had ever been mentally. Chris Kirk is now ranked as the 25th best golfer in the world and secured the first win of the 2024 season because of his hard work and dedication to the game. 

Max Homa: Homa won the NCAA individual men’s national championship in 2013 but his game did not transition at the pro level. Max Homa secured his PGA Tour card for the 2017 season but only made 2 of 17 cuts and earned $18,000 throughout the entire season. His world ranking dropped as low as 1261 in 2018. But Homa did not give up, in an interview with No Laying Up, Homa spoke about his struggles, “I had to lie to myself and tell myself todays the day dude, today’s the day we go shoot 65 and everything kind of breaks apart, and this starts to go the right direction but every time I thought I hit rock bottom I found a shovel and dug a little deeper”. Although Homa continued to struggle he finally had his day in Charlotte when he won the Wells Fargo tournament in 2019. Today he is ranked the 7th best golfer in the world. His story is a true testament to the power of hard work and resilience. 

Pro golf does not have nearly as many followers as the NFL or NBA but in my opinion, it should. Sports are about the underdog stories, the grinders, the power of hard work, and not one sport encompasses those principles more than professional golf. 

An hour east from Tokyo lives the Kamagaya Stadium, the home of the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters. The star pitcher on this team was Shohei Ohtani, who made history as “the next Babe Ruth” and in 2016 was named the NPB Pacific League’s best pitcher and designated hitter. From his outstanding skills and one of a kind stats, many scouts believed he was more than ready to join a Major League Baseball team and make history.

At 16, Shohei Ohtani was pitching 90 mph, soon reaching 99 mph. When it was time for him to graduate, instead of going international, he shocked the world by playing baseball for the Nippon-Ham Fighters. This was risky for the team, as taking him as a first round pick was an unpredictable move. After dominating Nippon Professional baseball  (NPB) in both earned run average and fielding independent pitching, Ohtani moved on to Major League Baseball (MLB) in 2017 and made his debut for the Los Angeles Angels. 

From 2017 to 2023, Ohtani led the Los Angeles Angels, and in those six years gained the title of two-time AL MVP. In 2017, the Angels signed Ippei Mizuhara to be Ohtani’s personal interpreter. In an interview with AP News, after Ohtani announced his departure from the team, Angels general manager Perry Minasian said,“It’s somebody that I have a huge amount of respect for personally, the organization loved having,” he added, “He’s one of the best players that’s ever played for this organization, and we understand that, but life goes on. We’re going to take the rest of the offseason and work as hard as we can to put a really competitive team on the field.” Ohtani decided to move 50 miles up Interstate-5 to the Los Angeles Dodgers and bring his best friend and interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, with him. 

In 2021, Mizuhara apparently met Southern California bookmaker Mathew Bowyer at a poker game in San Diego, where he allegedly he started placing bets, but claimed to make none specifically on baseball. By early 2023, he had reached about four million dollars in debt and asked Ohtani for help. His name is shown on two transfers equalling one million dollars, and the recipient of both wires is Bowyer. Nine transactions of $500,000 later, Mizuhara had paid his debts, and Ohtani had no clue these wires were going to the bookmaker. 

The MLB has a strict legal policy that prohibits players and team employees from placing bets on baseball. Specifically, these rules prohibit betting on any sport at all through any illegal bookmakers. By the end of 2023, federal agents had raided Bowyer’s home and Ohtani signed a $700 million contract with the Dodgers- the largest contract in MLB history. On March 18, 2024, Mizuhara was sat down for a 90-minute interview with ESPN. In that interview, Mizuhara claims he was placing bets through the DraftKings Sportsbook. “I want everyone to know Shohei had zero involvement in betting,” he says according to ESPN. “I want people to know I did not know this was illegal. I learned my lesson the hard way. I will never do sports betting again.” Soon after the Department of Justice gets involved, he admitted to gambling, Dodgers fire Mizuhara as Ohtani’s translator. 

Finally, after weeks of silence, Shohei Ohtani delivered a statement to the media that explained his feelings and the facts behind it all. “Just to go over the result, Ippei has been stealing money from my account, and has told lies…In conclusion, I do want to make it clear I never bet on sports or have willfully sent money to the bookmaker. To summarize how I’m feeling right now, I’m beyond shocked. It’s hard to verbalize how I’m feeling at this point.” 

As of April 11, 2024, Mizuhara has been charged with bank fraud for allegedly stealing more than $16 million from Ohtani. “Mr. Mizuhara stole this money largely to finance his voracious appetite for illegal sports betting,” U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada said. Prosecutors say Ohtani is a victim and had no prior knowledge of the gambling or the theft. According to Sam Blum of The Athletic, on April 12th Mizuhara voluntarily surrendered to authorities,followed by a hearing which he was then released on a $25,000 bond. Any contact with Ohtani is forbidden and he cannot leave the central district of California.

Women’s College Basketball will forever be changed after this season. From Caitlin Clark dominating the league with her logo threes to the University of South Carolina being crowned two-time National Champs after an undefeated season, the 2023-2024 season shattered the stigma that surrounded women’s sports.

The excitement was not reserved for the final championship game. All season, players like Angel Reese, Paige Bueckers, and Kamilla Cardoso drew millions of eyes to women’s basketball in numbers that had never been seen before. For the first time, more viewers tuned into the women’s tournament championship game than the men’s, peaking at 24 million viewers.

On April 5th, the Final Four battled it out. Historic powerhouse and three-seed UConn faced one-seed Iowa in a neck-and-neck game that ended in a close score of 69-71, advancing Iowa to the final championship. The final score was determined by a controversial offensive foul call on UConn’s Aaliyah Edwards with 3.9 seconds remaining. Fans tore the referees apart for the skepticality of this call, claiming the outcome would have been different in the absence of the call. Despite the controversy, Iowa advanced to the final. 

Iowa’s final opponent was determined by the face-off of the Carolinas. South Carolina and NC State battled it out hours away from home, after State’s unpredicted tournament run. However, despite their success earlier in the season, the Wolfpack remained the underdogs to undefeated South Carolina. Kamilla Cardoso was an unstoppable force and claimed the Gamecocks’ spot in the final after beating  NC State 78-59. 

On April 7th, undefeated South Carolina faced off against the Hawkeyes in the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse. At the end of the first quarter, Iowa led 27-20, but their lead didn’t last. The following three quarters were won by South Carolina, ending in a Gamecock victory of 87-75, and solidifying their undefeated season. 24 million viewers watched both teams make history, shattering the men’s championship game’s viewership of 14.82 million. 

One of the most notable attractions of viewership was Iowa’s prodigious point guard, Caitlin Clark. All season long, Clark made her presence on the court known with her three-pointers from behind the arc, naming her the leading scorer across the entire NCAA. 

Even with the fame, Clark has remained focused. In a post-game press conference, Clark said, “I don’t want my legacy to be, ‘Oh, Caitlin won X amount of games,’ or ‘Caitlin scored X amount of points.’ I hope it is what I was able to do for the game of women’s basketball.” The predicted first-round draftee led her team through a remarkable season to the final championship, but they weren’t powerful enough to stop undefeated the powerhouse of USC.

South Carolina is only the tenth team and fifth women’s team to go undefeated for an entire season and bring home the NCAA championship trophy. Head coach Dawn Staley led the team to never ending success, defeating every opponent that stood in their way. The Gamecocks have held a record of 109-3 over the past three seasons. 

The hype isn’t just for the collegiate level. With the recent WNBA draft, anticipation for the upcoming season is building. Clark was the number one overall pick, selected by the Indiana Fever, who have built an entirely new WNBA stadium in preparation for the predicted masses of fans coming to watch Clark play. LSU’s Angel Reese and USC’s Kamilla Cardoso changed from rivals to teammates after both being drafted by the Chicago Sky. 

This past season will go down in history as the most influential not only women’s basketball- but women’s sports as a whole. From leading scorers to record-breaking viewership, the popularity of women’s sports is just beginning. 

Louisiana State University, A college known for sports, tailgates, and an upbeat student life, has had one of our generation’s most historic sports seasons. With women’s basketball becoming increasingly popular, it’s no wonder their talented, renowned players are being praised for their intricate skills and innovative techniques that make women’s basketball so popular. However, good things do bring issues. Recently, Louisiana women’s basketball coach Kim Mulkey has been under fire for making many irresponsible coaching decisions, and repeatedly tone-deaf comments about her players. Due to this, the bad side of women’s basketball has come to light. One of the main comments that has put Mulkey under fire was her many homophobic comments about former Baylor University basketball player Brittney Griner. Lsureveille.com states, “Griner said she felt that Mulkey wouldn’t have approved if she had publicly come out as gay. She also said that Mulkey required her to cover up her tattoos by wearing long sleeves under her jersey. Both Griner and a Baylor teammate sourced in the article said Mulkey and the coaching staff thought that having an openly gay player would look bad for recruiting.”. Although these comments were sourced back to 2013, Mulkey works very closely with LGBTQ+ players, with almost 22.7% of the WNBA being members of the lesbian community. It is hard to be comfortable with a coach who doesn’t respect who you are, or recognize your community as valid. Many players believe that she ‘went after’ gay players, making comments about their clothes, and singling them out for their sexuality. Basketball player Kelli Griffin (Baylor) made many comments about her frequent targetting. This was due to Mulkey drawing attention to Griffin’s clothes and issuing a suspension that ultimately ended the player’s career. Griffin believes it started after Mulkey found out she was gay. 

The Washington Post has also accused Mulkey of continuing to accept interviews even though she was suspected to have COVID-19, they state “In November, she told reporters after a road game that they could blame her if they were sick at Thanksgiving. ‘I ain’t a sissy,’ she said, holding a tissue and choking back sniffles. ‘I’ve got some kind of cold. It might be covid, but I ain’t testing.”. This controversial attitude has put Mulkey under fire and made LSU as an educational institution seem uninterested in their students’ safety. Additionally, Mulkey’s explosive and fiery attitude over basketball has also bled into many of her interviews. Recently told journalists in an after-game press conference that she plans to seek legal action against The Washington Post. This was due to their article which criticizes Mulkey’s dismissive attitude amongst her LGBTQ+ players. 

Mulkey is an exceptional coach. She led the team to win their first-ever championship in 2023, challenging players like Caitlin Clark, and devising winning plays is the sole reason the team was able to win with a score of 102-85. Her flashy outfits and unique reactions in the game were also one of the reasons why women’s basketball has become so increasingly popular. Mulkey needs to work on the way she treats her players, but not how she treats the game. It’s clear she has just gotten out of touch with the challenges of being a collegiate athlete and additionally needs to educate and open her mind about the LGBTQ+ community.