Jameson's Sport Writing Portfolio

June 3 deserves to be the day for star striker Christopher Nkunku to play his final game for RB Leipzig. Set to complete a 60 million pound move to Chelsea, he and Leipzig took home the DFB-Pokal against Eintracht Frankfurt this past Saturday, with Nkunku scoring and assisting in the 2-0 victory. Thus, the Red Bulls' star man leaves with back-to-back Pokals, three Pokal finals, a top 4 finish in the Bundesliga in each of his seasons in Germany, a Europa League semifinalist, a Champions League semifinalist, and joint top scorer in the Bundesliga in 2022-23. It was a highly successful spell for a club that is known mostly for its player development.  But, in a way, Nkunku's time at Leipzig seems incomplete. It's hard to imagine given the state of German football there would ever be a disrupter to Bayern Munich's monopoly on the Bundesliga title. It typically falls to Bayern's main rival, Borussia Dortmund, to reclaim the prize for themselves. And they came close this ...

"Who is America's hockey team?" This was a question my friend from South Korea asked me one night while we were watching a Rangers game in my apartment. It was an interesting question, and one I had never considered myself. NHL teams have always had a regional appeal compared to a national appeal. It's the reason why New Yorkers root for the Rangers, Islanders, or Sabres depending on where they live. I gave him an answer after some careful thought: the Detroit Red Wings. He was surprised to hear me say Detroit would be the city with America's hockey team. So it got me thinking more. Who REALLY is America's hockey team? Who are the Toronto Maple Leafs of the USA?  1) Detroit Red Wings Here's my case for the Red Wings: name another hockey team that's mentioned more times in pop culture, streetwear, or sporting heritage. If you can't think of one, that's understandable. Detroit has been seen in plenty of media: Cameron in Ferris Bueller's Day ...

In 2001, the first edition of the XFL folded. A brainchild of Vince McMahon and his WWE empire, the league opened and closed within the blink of an eye. Then in 2020, McMahon announced the XFL was back, but then the upstart league was canceled due to financial constraints caused by the pandemic. Just when all hope was lost, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson bought the league and decided to change it. A minor league system hoping to become a player-development football league. Subtle rule changes like the 3-point conversion line add an extra layer of intrigue. That certainly makes games tougher for coaches to manage. But it gives fans something new to marvel about.  And perhaps that's why McMahon and The Rock have pursued this lucrative, springtime football venture. Because Americans LOVE football. We complain a lot about the NFL (terrible reffing, conspiracies about rigging, head trauma, players' legal issues, etc.), but we always tune in on Sunday for the best sports league...

All sports come with fandoms. They are the root of the business, the thing that drives the players to victory, the judge, jury, and executioner of all things the teams and players stand for. European football is particularly peculiar in this regard because of the nature of how passionate some people are about their football clubs. Without getting into too much detail, football fanbases have become a part of the matchday culture for a sport that has been ingrained in almost 200 years of history. Every footballing nation has a football culture, a deep underlying love for the sport, and a determined style of play they have adhered to for many years. Examples include the rough and physical football played in England, the flair and speed game in Spain, Total Football in Holland, the list goes on. These are countries that have players who play from the lowest divisions of the game in the hopes of getting all the way to the highest tier. They grow up around the play style and the culture of t...

The 21st-century edition of the Toronto Maple Leafs has been a tough but fascinating team to follow. They haven’t won a playoff series since 2004 and spent more time drifting out of Stanley Cup contention for years. That all changed in 2016 when they drafted franchise center Auston Matthews first overall. Since then, the Leafs have assembled an elite core, and Matthews has flourished into perhaps the best or 2nd best player in the NHL only behind Connor McDavid. They’re the new faces of the league, but in the case of Matthews, he is suffering through the curse of the Leafs: no playoff success. Another first-round exit continues to haunt the Leafs. How much more needs to change for them to win a playoff series? More importantly, how much longer will Matthews put up with the lack of success? 2021-22 was Matthews’ best season since he was drafted. He scored 60 goals, the most by an American player, and set a franchise record in points. He’s easily the best American hockey player right no...

Gareth Bale is the greatest British footballer of all time. Not English, BRITISH. He’s representing more than just Wales, he’s by and far the most talented modern footballer from the UK; he gives the whole British Isles a great name. However, that hasn’t stopped the Spanish media, especially the Madrid media, from continuing to drag him in the mud. Say what you want about Bale: injuries, falling out with the Real fan base, “Wales. Golf. Madrid…” he’s still one of Madrid’s most talented players even at age 33. So when he finally got tired of MARCA spewing lies and slander about him, you can understand his frustration.  The Madrid media is full of these anti-Bale agenda-pushers but for once, can’t they just acknowledge what Bale has done for Real Madrid? Gareth Bale deserves better.   Ever since his move from Spurs to Madrid in 2013, Bale has continually been shown in a very strange light. The Madridistas never really liked him; his British allegiance often gave them the impress...

The 2022 Winter Olympics were one of the strangest sporting events I've ever read about, and I say read about because, to be frank, I didn't watch a single minute of the winter games. Not out of apathy, simply out of lack of interest. This has been something that has been happening with the Olympics over the years: people have really become disinterested in the Olympics concept as a whole. The summer games offer way more relatable sports, but they've also grown to include such strange sports that it's almost like anything that is remotely considered a sport or physical activity can be included. The winter games have taken serious dips in popularity with sports like the men's ice hockey not having access to top professional talent, reverting to amateur and it's all wrapped together with Russia's Olympic athlete ban in light of their state-sponsored doping scandal. Not to mention, the venues for the last winter games have been in Asian countries where time dif...