Super Bowl LII is less than a week away and the hype is mounting. The New England Patriots, in their third Super Bowl in the last four years, are aiming to become the first repeat champions since the 2003-04 New England Patriots, while the Eagles believe they can pull off a monumental upset behind backup-turned-hero … Continue reading Seven Super questions: John and guest Christian predict Super Bowl LII
Teams of destiny have a defining moment, an instant when all hope seemed lost and the odds were against them but somehow, inexplicably, found a way to win. Look at the 2012 Baltimore Ravens, who used a game-tying Joe Flacco to Jacoby Jones miracle touchdown to upset the Broncos and move towards Super Bowl XLVIII. … Continue reading Team of Destiny: Vikings Stun Saints, Roll Towards Super Bowl
Most Valuable Player is the most controversial award in the sports world. Should it go to the most dominant player? The one with the best statistics? The one whose team won the most games or the championship (all but one winner of Super Bowl MVP were on the winning team)? The one who plays the … Continue reading Carson Wentz, this year’s true NFL MVP
After seventeen fun-filled, exciting, memorable weeks, the 2017 NFL regular season is in the books and only twelve teams remain alive. To recap the regular season, I’ll tackle the seven captivating storylines that caught my attention this fall, plus reveal my playoff predictions. Playoff droughts end in Los Angeles, Jacksonville, Tennessee, Buffalo 2017 was marked … Continue reading Bills in the playoffs? Browns 0-16? The most captivating storylines from the NFL season
If the sporting year of 2017 is remembered by one moment, it will be the lopsided, otherwise forgettable score of 28-3. That was the score midway through the third quarter of Super Bowl LI, with the red-hot Atlanta Falcons demolishing the powerhouse New England Patriots. It was all for naught, as New England quarterback Tom … Continue reading Year in Review: 2017 a whole lot more than 28-3
Published as a Varsity Letter column in Wootton’s Common Sense newspaper Prior to the start of the wrestling season, the football roster of the Damascus Swarmin’ Hornets, a school that was the 3A state champion and beat the Patriots 47-9 along the way, was posted in the boys’ locker room. Each of the players … Continue reading Varsity Letter: Multi sport approach pays off
As a competitive distance runner, I train year-round, taking off only two two-week breaks the whole year. But amidst all of that training, I haven’t outgrown my love for playing sports like basketball and flag football. Not only are sports a fantastic opportunity to exercise, but they’re also immensely enjoyable to play, whether by yourself … Continue reading Which sports are the most fun to play?
In my ten years of watching professional sports, I’ve seen my fair share of dominant, historic teams that demolished competition and racked up championships. But for each one that won the championship, there was the great team that should’ve won or could’ve won but lost, and some of those were never able to overcome the … Continue reading We should’ve been the champions: 12 teams that never won the title they deserved
Note: This article is the edited transcript of a recent collaboration between me and my good friend Christian Clark, a Panthers fan from NFL Updates Express. John Riker: Hey guys! I was recently down at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill campus for the Carolina Sports Journalism camp. It was one of the coolest … Continue reading NFL Preview: 17 Burning Questions for 2017 with Christian Clark
I haven't paid much attention to the Colin Kaepernick drama that has played out over the last year. The former San Francisco 49ers quarterback went from a near Super Bowl champion in 2013 to unemployed this off-season. Along the way, he started a firestorm unlike any we've ever seen by opting to kneel for the … Continue reading Colin Kaepernick, Baltimore Raven?
Riker's Block 