And… we’re back! In the past few years there has not been a sports column due to the lack of interest. However, since there has been a rise in interest of athletics across the student body, sports news is coming back! This column will talk about what’s currently happening in the major leagues, college sports, and local Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) games. This column will cover the differences between the pay for men and women in Major League Soccer and the National Basketball Association. It will also cover major post season events like The Super Bowl, The World Series, and The NBA Finals.

Another topic that will be covered is the new rules in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), which gives athletes in the NCAA the ability to make money off their name. When it comes time, the Major League Baseball (MLB), National Basketball Association (NBA), and the National Football League (NFL) drafts will be talked about, with information about what players got drafted. One thing that has been reported recently is the fact that some teams in the NFL and MLB, like The Washington Redskins and Cleveland Indians, are changing their names in order to remain politically correct.

The formerly known Washington Redskins announced on July 13th 2020 that they would be changing their name to The Washington Football Team. This was only the temporary name until they came up with a name other than The Washington Redskins. The Washington Football Team, head coach, Ron Rivera said that “It was hard to fathom that it was in any way a racist thing, to be honest with you. Now, putting it in perspective, there’s been a change. My eyes are wide open.” The term Red Skin was never seen to be racially offensive. But, as time went on people found the name to be offensive.

Shortly after, on July of 2021, the Cleveland Indians announced that after the 2021 season they would be changing their name to the Cleveland Guardians. Team owner, Paul Dolan who grew up in Northeast Ohio and was an Indians fan his entire life, noted that “We acknowledge the name change will be difficult for some of us, and the transition will take time. Those memories do not diminish.” The name change addressed the claims that the term “Indians” was offensive to Native Americans and their culture. On September 27th, 2021, Cleveland played their last home game as the Indians, beating The Kansas City Royals 8-3.

Fans across the nation believed both names to be racially offensive. Both the MLB and NFL hope that with these progressive name changes taking place that people will understand the importance of respecting others even with things like sports.