Chill Sports

Football is one of the greatest showcases for the heights of human athleticism and talent that there is. It’s likely why we’re so drawn to it-- despite the NFL only being in operation for around 5 months of the year, despite the gruesome and inevitable violence it brings (regardless of any of the league’s highly-touted “player safety advancements”), and despite the very unsavory individuals in charge of running the show and the behavior that is permitted as a result. Time and time again, we come back to the sport, despite our misgivings with it and with the NFL as a whole. I would assume it is to bear witness to things like this: JUSTIN JEFFERSON OH MY GOODNESS 😱🤯 (via @NFL ) pic.twitter.com/h71fuciUrv — Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) November 13, 2022 The NFL is at its best when its best athletes are put in position to make spectacular plays involving superhuman athletic ability and razor-sharp technique. Unfortunately, lots of such athletes are often let down by either th...

Amidst a surge in popularity of soccer (yes, that’s what it’s called) in the USA, expectations have never been higher for the United States Men’s National Team. Heading into the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, the foundations are in place for the start of a “golden generation”. Together with a group draw that gives a realistic path to the knockout stages, and with the squad -- and the country at large -- hungrier than ever for success in the sport following their embarrassing failure to qualify for the 2018 World Cup, there is potential for this November to be a real watershed moment for the world’s most popular sport in America. Still, those who have been paying close attention to the USMNT in recent months have good reason to temper their expectations. Led by Gregg Berhalter, a manager with an uninspiring résumé, questionable tactics, and a stubborn willingness to select players that fit his system regardless of talent, the team has been sputtering all calendar year. After a red-hot 2021 th...

Sometimes in life, one can find themself in an unwinnable position, where no matter what they do, they're doomed to fail. Where even if you give your best effort at everything within your control, it wouldn’t be enough. Like if you find yourself in a chess match with Garry Kasparov, or in a swimming race with Michael Phelps. Or if you’ve been drafted to play quarterback for an NFL team with a terrible coaching staff, one of the worst offensive lines in the league, and the worst receiving corps in football. I can’t claim to know of Justin Fields’ abilities in either chess or the 100-meter butterfly, but he did find himself in the latter of those unwinnable positions with the Chicago Bears. With a gravely depleted offensive line and receiving group alongside a coaching staff unable (or unwilling?) to create an offense tailored to his strengths, many began to write Fields off after just a season-and-change in professional football. As he’s begun to prove over the past few weeks of sen...

Whoever came up with the phrase “good things come to those who wait” likely never watched much professional sports in their lifetime. The sports world, and particularly the ever-volatile and fast-paced NFL world, is one of the most impatient and unkind places one can find themselves in. You were a highly-rated draft prospect but you haven’t delivered much during your rookie contract? You’re a bust. You were hired as a head coach but you haven’t been able to quickly turn your team around? You’re fired. You haven’t established yourself as a starting-caliber quarterback after a few years in the league? You’re a career backup. That last question-and-response was supposed to describe Geno Smith. Once a prized quarterback talent when playing his college ball at West Virginia, Smith was drafted by the New York Jets in the second round of the 2013 draft. His elite athleticism but spotty accuracy showed up on tape throughout his four years with Gang Green, as he showed flashes of elite potent...