Annika Dyczkowski ’25
Sports Editor
Last week the National Football League (NFL) experienced a whirlwind of events that were not included in this season’s script.
The most jarring and disappointing news for New York is Jets star quarterback Aaron Rodgers tearing his Achilles in his fourth play of their first game. MRI scans reveal that he will likely miss the team’s entire season. Rodgers was tackled by Bills pass rusher Leonard Floyd on a first-and-10; immediately following the play he appeared fine, but shortly after took a seat at the 30-yard line until he soon brought attention to medical personnel. Jets head coach Robert Saleh reports that Zach Wilson will ultimately take Rodgers’ place in the meantime. Unfortunately for Jets fans, this substitution will decrease New York’s playoff chances by 55% and possible Superbowl appearance from 2% to .1%.
Two nights before Rodgers checked out for the 2023 season, the Cowboys buried the Giants at home 40-0. In the press conference following the blowout, Giants Coach Brian Daboll stated, “We got beat all the way around, from coaching to playing.” Victor Mather of the New York Times humorously delineates that this astute observation shows “a keen ability to read a scoreboard.” The Giants finished last season at 9-7-1, so this subpar performance was a bit more than unexpected.
For bettors who had their odds on the Giants, they can now lose their money at FedEx Field in The FedEx Field sports book. Owned and operated by the Fanatics sports apparel company, this venue is the first of its kind to embrace the profitability of gambling inside of an NFL stadium. The weary 241-person capacity sports book has features like air-conditioning, comfortable seating and a bouncer posted outside in accordance with state regulations. To market the newly befriended business venture, Fanatics displayed a sign outside of the venue offering a free Commanders hat to any fans who bet $20.
As a school with a football team who reigned as last season’s NESCAC champions, Trinity students largely embrace fantasy football season. Hannah Leclair ’24 finds that fantasy games “make Sunday’s more fun.” She hopes her dedication to the pastime is reflected in her final ranking: “If I don’t win, I’m gonna be really upset,” she laughs. “I put a lot of research into my team.” Gianna Tito ’24 describes her fantasy league as a way to stay connected. “I’m doing it with my roommates to keep us close, it keeps us together.” Nick Dolente ’24 expresses a similar sentiment, “fantasy is a great way to connect with my family.” Tony Casillo ’24 has different motivations, to which he notes, “beating my friends is fun.” Emma Wax ’24 welcomes the avocation of sports betting with enthusiasm. “It makes me excited about every game.” Wax is in one league with family friends and another league with her dad’s work friends; last week, she went 2-0 in her dad’s league, climbing up in the rankings and flattening those of New Jersey insurance brokers. Reilly Campbell ’24 reveals her unforeseen adeptness in her league after being ranked at the bottom in preseason, “they underestimated me, I’m ranked 2-0 right now!”
To quickly recap Sunday night’s most memorable activities: the Seahawks took down the Lions 37-31 (how fortuitous), the Giants edged the Cardinals 31-28, and the Ravens welcomed Bengals fans back to Peycor Stadium on their revenge tour with a 27-24 victory.
+ There are no comments
Add yours