Jordan vs. LeBron, the SEC, Urban Meyer and other things we’d like to leave in 2021

As 2021 comes to a close, we’re granted the opportunity to look back fondly (or not so fondly) on all the insane things that happened in sports this year, from the athlete anti-vax movement to the entire Urban Meyer saga, from the NHL’s near-constant blunders to the NCAA’s unprecedented coaching carousel and the hilarity that accompanied it, and everything in between.

What a trip around the sun!

So as we head into the new year, it’s probably not necessary to take everything from the past year with us. Compiled here is an non-exhaustive list of what’s getting left in 2021, what we’re hoping to see in 2022, and some wild predictions for our favorite headline-makers over the next 365 days. Here’s to another year on this spinning rock in space.

The Atlanta baseball team finally recognizes the error of their ways and changes their name, but to something really dumb and too on-theme like the Bravehearts.

Aaron Rodgers retires after winning MVP, announces that he’s starting his own libertarian talk show.

Brian Kelly attends his daughter’s graduation this May at Notre Dame, complains to national media about “cancel culture” after being heckled by students.

Ben Simmons gets traded to the Sacramento Kings. After six weeks there, a mysterious and unspecified injury keeps him off the court yet again for the remainder of the season.

Dan Campell’s 2022-23 Lions go 13-4, make the playoffs, lose almost immediately.

Jackson Mahomes gets arrested on a public nuisance charge or something similar, video leaks of him asking the cops “do you know who I am?” Patrick forced to make a public apology.

Trevor Lawrence cuts his hair, the world comes to a grinding halt for about three hours.

You’ll notice that baseball is (mostly) conspicuously absent from our look forward at 2022. With the lockout deadline a few months away, we might be leaving baseball in 2021 too.