Sport for Thought: 2015 NFL Free Agents - Game Changers

This season's class of free agents can shake up the power landscape in the NFL like no other season. Big name players are available on both sides of the football, and their is a significant chance many of these players may not return to their current team.

Offensive players: Demaryius Thomas, Julius Thomas, Dez Bryant, DeMarco Murray, Peyton Manning and Randall Cobb.

Defensive players: Ndamukong Suh, Gerald McCoy, Justin Houston, Darrelle Revis, and Jason Pierre-Paul.

Public Relations and Rebuilding: Phillies vs. Sixers

Sam Hinkie, 76ers GM (Philly.com)

As we sit a little over a month away from pitchers and catchers reporting and near the halfway point of the NBA season, the Sixers and the Phillies each find their respective immediate futures rather bleak. The Sixers sit at 7-30 as of Wednesday morning, and winter projections have the Phillies trending further below their 73-89 record from a season ago.


Despite the current mutual futility, it feels as if the Sixers are closer to a significant upswing than their neighbors across the street. Part of this feeling stems to some degree from the honesty and public relations savvy with which the respective managements have approach the rebuilds.

The Catch That Wasn't a Catch

Throughout the NFL playoffs we have seen some really good games and it’s been a pretty exciting postseason. We get a treat of seeing a Russell Wilson vs Aaron Rodgers match-up as well as a Tom Brady vs Andrew Luck match-up. These are four of the premier quarterbacks in the NFL going up against one another. Okay maybe they aren’t going necessarily going up against each other, but it will be fun to watch four potent offenses. With that being said, one of the main topic of discussion with these playoffs will be the Dez Bryant catch that was not a catch. The rule needs to change as it took away a great play in a big moment of the game of the Packers vs Cowboys game. No one knows what the outcome of the game would have been if the call was not overturned but this rule is something that needs to be looked out after the season.

Full 90: Prince Ali: FIFA’s Last Hope at Salvation

This week it was announced that FIFA vice president Prince Ali bin Al Hussein will challenge Sepp Blatter during the governing body’s presidential election on May 29th. FIFA has been infested with controversy and corruption, especially with respect to the Qatar and Russia World Cup bids.

St. Louis Rams and "Hands Up, Don't Shoot"

nbcnews.com

While working off turkey hangovers, many Americans who tune into the NFL just wanted a nice slate football to conclude the holiday weekend and put off thinking about the looming work week.

But five St. Louis Rams wide receivers -- Tavon Austin, Stedman Bailey, Kenny Britt, Jared Cook, and Chris Givens -- brought those tuning into the Rams-Raiders game back to another reality they may have been trying to escape: the protests in Ferguson. In unison with a common phrase and gesture of the ongoing struggle that has spread to cities across the country, the players came out with their hands up in reference to "hands up, don't shoot."

Sixer Fans: Brighter Days Ahead!

Will anyone be surprised if the Sixers actually fail to win 10 games this season? The Sixers are off to a blistering hot start going winless in their first 17 games. Obviously, the organization knows what they are doing by tanking it this badly. However there seems to be a lot of people who actually understand what they are trying to do. Tank this year and get another lottery pick. Then see where next year goes with Michael Carter-Williams, Nerlens Noel, Joel Embiid, hopefully KJ McDaniels, and another lottery pick. I only say hopefully for KJ McDaniels because he gambled on himself and is going to be a restricted free agent after this year instead of signing a multiyear contract. Right now he is playing his way to the top of the Rookie of the Year discussion. Brett Brown comes from a winning organization and has been around the San Antonio Spurs for so long that he is trying to mold these young Sixers like the Spurs. It will take time, but the Sixers are young and talented. It’s time to take a look forward on what Sixers fans should be excited about.

MLB Games Are Over, Business Begins

sun-sentinal.com

The Year of the Backloaded Contract. I'll admit that it doesn't quite have a ring to it, but for Giancarlo Stanton and Russell Martin it's a reality nonetheless.


On Monday, Stanton signed the biggest contract in North American professional sports history at 13 years, $325 million. Regardless of Stanton's current talent-level and potential to still grow, it surely surprised many to see the Miami Marlins -- yes, the lowly Marlins! -- open up the checkbook wider than ever before.