Jameson's Sport Writing Portfolio

Well, friends, we are only a day away from NFL kickoff Sunday. We've already gotten to witness the first opening game on Thursday night with that Packers-Bears snoozefest. Sunday should offer some much more compelling games. Now, though, all eyes are going to be on the New England Patriots (once again) after they picked up Antonio Brown off waivers following his release from the Oakland Raiders. Yet again, the Patriots went out and nabbed a disgraced yet insanely talented wideout for Tom Brady to target. It's a tale thats beginning to become lore in the NFL: if the first team doesn't want you, New England certainly will. AB's addition is another example of the Patriots' front office wisely waiting for the drama to die down so they can secure a Top-5 talent without having to overpay the player. AB will be signed to a one-year contract, so he is not guaranteed to be a stud under Bill Belichek's guidance and playcalling. But he is Antonio Brown, the same receiv...

With the new season of European club football upon us, I thought it would be good to discuss some of the summer's biggest transfers. Many big names in the game are prepping for next season with their new clubs. Some of the transfers were predictable, others totally out of the blue, but I can guarantee you the excitement for the newest season is real. In this post, I'll break down some of the most surprising and entertaining transfer sagas this summer. Let's dive in: 1) Juventus: De Ligt, Ramsey, and Rabiot Juventus had probably the best transfer period of all the clubs in Europe, as they operated in efficient and clinical fashion to secure the signatures of Welsh CM Aaron Ramsey from Arsenal (free transfer), French CM Adrien Rabiot from PSG (free transfer), and Dutch CB Matthijs De Ligt from Ajax ($95 million). Juventus signed six new players, but these three stand out because of the way they were nabbed by the Italian superclub. First came Aaron Ramsey in January, ...

I've played lacrosse my whole life. I was introduced to the sport when I was six years old, and what turned into casual catches and throws with my dad in the backyard turned into a deep love for the game. To this day, I still love watching college lacrosse. The best Division 1 players are any young lacrosse player's idol. They are arguably the most skilled players in their sport, but sadly, college lacrosse is about the peak of any player's lacrosse career. I wondered when lacrosse would finally get its chance to be one of the big professional sports in the US. I think I can confidently say that with the new Premier Lacrosse League starting up this summer, professional lacrosse might finally be on the rise in popularity, media coverage, and (the best part in my opinion) actually competitive lacrosse. For those who do not follow professional lacrosse (and I don't know many people who do, myself included), there have been multiple attempts to establish a legitimate ...

On July 18, Ajax FC center-back Matthijs De Ligt chose to sign with the reigning Serie A champions Juventus for a deal worth $95.5 million. The 19-year old Dutch defender was arguably the most coveted prospect in all of European club football. After having a breakout campaign at Ajax in which he became the youngest captain of the club at age 19, secured a domestic double with wins in the Dutch Ervidersie and Dutch Cup, beat Real Madrid and Juventus in the Champions League knockout rounds, and made it all the way to UCL semi-finals before falling to Tottenham. De Ligt’s skill on the ball and in set pieces is only matched by his countryman, Virgil Van Djik of Liverpool, the favorite for this year's Ballon D’or. After the speculation that De Ligt would follow his Ajax teammate and fellow young Dutch prospect, Frenkie De Jong , to Barcelona and after rumors that De Ligt would be the cornerstone of Manchester United’s rebuild, he chose the Italian giants. Out of all the clubs t...

A lot has happened since the first blog about all the free agency and trades in the NHL. There have been a bunch of roster shake-ups, as seasoned veterans are now finding themselves in different colors, in different cities, and with different teams. Let's dive in: 1) Perry; Pavelski Sign Deals with Stars The Dallas Stars added some goal-scoring when they inked former Anaheim Ducks winger Corey Perry to a one-year contract and former San Jose Sharks center Joe Pavelski to a three-year deal. With a roster that now includes scoring threats such as Tyler Seguin, Jaime Benn, Miro Heiskenan, Alexander Radulov, John Klingberg, and breakout rookie Roope Hintz, Dallas is gearing for another deep playoff run while Seguin and Benn are still in their primes and while goalie Ben Bishop is still in good form. Some might say the Stars are taking a bit of a risk, signing two aging former elite talents. Dallas has a reputation for buying names to win now rather than develop talent. They curren...

Imagine you are Kevin Durant, arguably the second-best player in basketball at this very moment. You're in the last year of your contract with the Golden State Warriors, the team that has been to four straight NBA Finals, three of which you have a been a major focal point in, and a two-time Finals MVP winner. Now, though, you've ruptured your Achilles, your team is currently losing to Kawhi Leonard's Toronto Raptors, and the team that is equipped with two, perhaps even three, legitimate All-Star players in Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green. Throughout your whole Warriors career, you have been mocked, triggered, and poked at for joining them because it seemed like the easy way out. Now you're probably going to be out for the rest of next season; the Warriors don't seem intent on signing you to a max deal; and it looks like the Golden State Dynasty is ending. Would you have left for Brooklyn? Now picture Kyrie Irving, the Boston Celtic point guard ...

On Sunday, US and Netherlands Women's National Teams graced the pitch at Parc Olympique Lyonnais in Lyon, France, for the final match of the Women's World Cup. The US was hoping to win back-to-back World Cups for the first time in their history, while the Netherlands was looking to end the US Women's Team's dominance over international soccer. The game, however, turned out exactly the way the US team hoped for: domination in possession, plenty of shots on goal, and of course, outstanding play from some the team's mega-stars. The US Women's Team are champions of the world once again; now it is time they get the respect they deserve. The final match played out well. The US commanded the game with 54% possession against the Netherlands' 46%. The real action came in the second half, after the US was awarded a penalty by VAR. Megan Rapinoe opened the scoring at the 61st minute, followed by Rose Lavelle's goal at the 69th minute. The Netherlands only had f...