socialsportsnetwork-blog

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NFL Free Agency has officially begun, and already, a trio of starting caliber quarterbacks have moved on to different teams for this upcoming season.  The Minnesota Vikings, interestingly, are connected to all three of the quarterback moves, having lost Sam Bradford to the Arizona Cardinals and Teddy Bridgewater to the New York Jets, while themselves picking up Kirk Cousins to be their projected starter.  This gives all three quarterbacks fresh starts and excellent opportunities to enter next season as a starter. 

While Bradford and Bridgewater are coming off multiple injuries of varying degrees, both have proven that they can be effective starters in the right situations, and Bridgewater especially remains a young and developing prospect whose best years are very likely still ahead of him.  Cousins takes over for last season’s backup QB Case Keenum, pressed into starting duty when both Bradford and Bridgewater went down with injuries, though he helped lead the team on an amazing run, as the Vikings went 13-3 and made it to the NFC Championship Game, before falling to the eventual Super Bowl Champion Philadelphia Eagles.

The risks involved for these teams and their investment in these three quarterbacks is relatively low, given Bradford and Bridgewater were only given one year deals (Cousins signed a 3 year agreement with Minnesota, but has been the most consistent and healthy of the three thus far).  But the rewards could be substantial, as Bradford has proven he can play at a high level (could help the Cardinals rebound from a miserable season), Bridgewater could emerge as the franchise QB the Jets have been missing for decades, and Cousins could continue to develop into a very good QB who is already a definitive upgrade over Case Keenum, ready to lead his team on another deep playoff run.

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The Toronto Raptors became the first team to clinch a playoff birth this season, defeating the Detroit Pistons 121-119 Wednesday night.  They have won six straight games and 13 out of 14, and are playing some of the best basketball of the season, not just for them, but out of all teams in the NBA.  With a record of 50-17, the Raptors are in first place in the Eastern Conference, four full games ahead of the second place Boston Celtics, and have a legitimate chance at snagging the top seed in the East come playoff time, despite being projected to finish third at the beginning of the season, behind the Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics. 

This could also be the best chance Toronto has had in franchise history at making a Finals run, as Boston has been ravaged by injuries, and Cleveland has remained dysfunctional even after a series of trade-deadline deals.  Toronto also has the opportunity to break their franchise record for wins in a season, only needing to win seven more games to surpass the current best record of 56-26. 

All in all, this has been a fantastic and surprisingly dominant season by the Raptors, and they’ll look to close out the regular season in top form as they prep for a presumably deep playoff run.

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Is this the end for the Seattle Seahawks’ Legion of Boom?  For the better part of the past decade, the Seahawks have boasted one of the most dominant defenses in the NFL, nicknamed the Legion of Boom.  However, the future of this vaunted unit has come into question, with Michael Bennett appearing destined to be traded out of Seattle, and a rash of injuries affecting the performance and potential future of other key members of the defense (Kam Chancellor, Earl Thomas, Cliff Avril, and Richard Sherman, to name a few). 

While the Seahawks seem intent on doing whatever they can to hold on to Thomas long-term, Michael Bennett is all but guaranteed to be suiting up for a different team come next season.  Considering that, and the many injuries the team has been ravaged by this past season, the future of the Legion of Boom is, for the first time in years, on shaky ground with an uncertain future.  Is this merely touching up the defense?  Or is this the start of some significant changes that could revamp and re-define the team’s identity over the next few seasons?

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000919694/article/seahawks-plan-to-trade-michael-bennett-keep-thomas 

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Freeskier, Elizabeth Swaney, seems to have beat the system.  Essentially, she traveled the world for 2 years participating in skiing events to qualify for the olympics.  Seems like she put in the effort right?  Well here’s the catch..  She sought out niche events with less than 30 participants and thus, placed in the top 30 (out of default), qualified for this year’s Winter Olympics.  What are your thoughts, did she earn it or did she disgrace the games?

How freeskier Elizabeth Swaney made it to the #WinterOlympics with this very simple halfpipe run: https://t.co/enfDyoQjGC pic.twitter.com/kHTAV7XND4

— NBC Olympics (@NBCOlympics)

February 20, 2018

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Run starts at 1:30

Shaun White wins Halfpipe Gold with an near perfect 97.75 run

“After a disappointing fourth place in the halfpipe at the 2014 Games, the world’s best snowboarder had to “put it down” for another Olympic gold medal.“

Shaun White earned his 3rd gold medal in the Winter Olympics Halfpipe event in thunderous fashion. Scoring a ridiculous 97.75 and edging past Japan’s Ayumu Hirano, his final run solidified his position as the world’s best snowboarder.

https://www.nbcolympics.com/video/shaun-white-wins-halfpipe-gold-epic-final-run

SHAUN WHITE IS NOT HUMAN. #BestOfUS #WinterOlympics https://t.co/r5PfUbeROr pic.twitter.com/6MmQiSZGRh

— NBC Olympics (@NBCOlympics)

February 14, 2018

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Lebron Excited By Cavaliers' New Roster, Post-Trade Deadline The Cleveland Cavaliers had a whirlwind of a trade deadline, trading away six players including Dwyane Wade, Jae Crowder, Isaiah Thomas, Derrick Rose, Iman Shumpert, and Channing Frye, while acquiring Jordan Clarkson, Larry Nance Jr. Rodney Hood, and George Hill.  The move clearly makes the Cavaliers younger and more athletic, and on paper they definitely look better, or at the very least the player fit appears better. 

Lebron himself is optimistic about the Cavs new-look roster, saying “We have to see how it meshes, obviously, but I like the pieces that we have coming in.“  The Cavs have been floundering this season, falling well behind the Boston Celtics and Toronto Raptors in the Eastern Conference standings, and generally looking dysfunctional, and with a toxic locker room.  Will these moves be enough to carry the Cavs back to the top of the standings and to yet another NBA Finals appearance?  Time will tell, though they have gotten off to a strong start, blowing out the Celtics 121-99 and knocking off the Thunder 120-112.

Sources:

http://abcnews.go.com/Sports/wireStory/cavs-revamp-roster-trading-deadline-hoping-lebron-stays-52954357 

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The triple axel — a jump with three and a half rotations, and the only one with a forward-facing takeoff — is the rarest of feats in figure skating.

Mirai Nagasu becomes the first US woman to hit the triple axel in the Olympics, Sunday, February 11th. 

Mirari missed out on the 2014 olympics and spend the last 4 years perfecting her skills for this moment. It's amazing to see her skills continue to adapt and grow in figure skating.

What an incredible accomplishment for her.

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For months now, the NBA Draft’s #1 pick, Markelle Fultz, has been an enigma in the world of basketball.  The public has generally been left scratching its head about why he has not been playing, what is up with his shot, and much more.  Essentially.. nobody really knew.  Until now.  Linked below is an article that dives into the conundrum of “What has really been going on with Markelle Fultz?”

http://www.phillyvoice.com/what-has-really-been-going-markelle-fultz-shoulder-injury-broken-jump-shot/

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Highlights:

- Virat Kohli scored a magnificent 160* to power India to 303/6

- Chahal and Kuldeep shared eight wickets as SA were bowled out for 179

- Kohli's brilliance, in fact, made up for Rohit Sharma's very poor form with the bat and MS Dhoni's failing touch.

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/cricket/india-in-south-africa/india-rout-south-africa-by-124-runs-take-3-0-lead-in-6-game-odi-series/articleshow/62829349.cms

India rout South Africa by 124 runs, take 3-0 lead in 6-game ODI series https://t.co/rBuLtLHgGV via @TOISports #MGMT171 @SanjoyM

— Connor Weld (@connorweld171)

February 8, 2018

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Lebron hits buzzer beater against the Minnesota Timberwolves in OT!

CLEVELAND – For a team that seemed to be falling apart heading into Wednesday’s game, LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers did a nice job of coming together when it mattered most in a 140-138 overtime win over the Minnesota Timberwolves.

http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/22359832/nba-lebron-james-buzzer-beater-saves-cleveland-cavaliers

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The Eagles are the 2018 Football World Champions after they scrape by Tom Brady and the Patriots in a 41-33 upset in Superbowl LII. Philadelphia fans rejoiced as their team wins their first franchise title.

The road to the championship was not easy. The Eagles lost their starting quarterback Carson Wentz, who had led the Eagles team to a booming regular season  It was up to Nick Foles to lead the team to finish off the season in historic victory.

During a championship that broke records in pass yardage, Nick Foles executes a play that leads him to become the first Quarterback to make a catch in the endzone. His creativity and invaluable contributions to the Eagles victory this past Sunday earned him MVP.

Congratulations to the Philadelphia Eagles of an exciting victory over the defending champions!

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Blake Griffin just got traded to the Detroit Pistons surprising not only NBA fans, but Griffin himself was equally surprised. He stated that, “shocked is a good way to put it. I didn't know anything. I pretty much found out when everyone else found out”

Just over the summer, he had signed a 5-year contract with the Clippers to stay with them for another 5 years. For a player that has been with the team for over 7 years, you would expect the Clippers to have warned him before the trade. But they didn’t! They traded him for a few players from the Pistons, and some of Detroit’s draft picks. 

Lebron added in his perspective on the matter: 

"When a player gets traded, it's they were doing what's best for the franchise," James said. "But when a player decides to leave, it's, 'He's not loyal. He's a snake. He's not committed.' It's just, that's the narrative of how it goes. So I'm definitely [aware]. I know that firsthand."

This is big news in the NBA and it is interesting to see how this move turns out for both of the teams involved.

Sources:

https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/blake-griffin-reacts-to-clippers-pistons-trade-shocked-is-a-good-way-to-put-it/

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/basketball/lebron-james-rips-nba-double-standard-blake-griffin-trade-article-1.3790270

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On Tuesday, January 23rd, 2018, Lebron James becomes the youngest player to hit 30,000 career points against the Spurs. Surpassing Kobe Bryant who achieved this mark at 34 years and 104 days while Lebron makes it at 33 years and 24 days. With just 1.1 seconds left in the first quarter, Lebron makes a jumper to push him over the landmark.

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich also reflected on the achievement prior to Tuesday’s game:

“It’s an awesome achievement, but what else do you say about LeBron that we haven’t said many times before?” Popovich said. “Just a great, great competitor and a great player.” source: ESPN

Another one for the books yet again for Lebron James and much more history to witness.

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On January 17, 2018 Washington State’s 21 year old quarterback, Tyler Hilinski was found dead from an apparent suicide.  This unfortunate news came as a shock to teammates, friends and family.  Head coach Mike Lead commented on the Hilinski family’s loss, saying that, “He [Tyler] was an incredible young man and everyone who had the privilege of knowing him was better for it”.  We here at Social Sports Network decided to dedicate our first post to Tyler in hopes of honoring his memory.  We aim to emphasize that sports go much deeper than just the final stat lines.