The last noteworthy Italian to grace Anfield was Mario Balotelli. Enigmatic to say the least, widely remembered for his title-winning assist to Sergio Aguero for Manchester City Football Club and a scintillating 2012 UEFA European Football Championship campaign, Balotelli was a breath of fresh air for a stale Liverpool Football Club.
With the start of training camp this week and preseason games the following week, the NHL news cycle is starting to finally pick up once again. As teams and players prepare for what should be a very exciting 2024–25 season, let’s take a look at some of the latest news across the NHL.
With just two months left of waiting, college basketball could not come any sooner. Teams have worked all offseason to shore up their rosters and get ready for the 2024–25 season. Now that the transfer portal, which is essentially free agency, is over, here are my predictions for the All-America first team.
We’re at the time in the four-year cycle of gymnastics where most of the top gymnasts take a break from training following the Olympics. Let’s catch up on what everyone has been up to outside their training!
Tufts men’s soccer started NESCAC play with a 1–0 win against Williams College last weekend. The teams battled for nearly 87 minutes without a goal, but the scoreless streak was eventually broken by sophomore forward Xavier Canfin. While the Jumbos had many good shots on goal throughout the game, Canfin’s shot, assisted by graduate student midfielder Liam Gerkin and junior midfielder James Gunn, was the only one that found the back of the net.
Days after opening the 2024 campaign with a win against Worcester Polytechnic Institute in straight sets on Sep. 3, the Tufts women’s volleyball team traveled to Washington University in St. Louis for a trio of matches against competitive opponents. Flexibility with the lineup, point-by-point adjustments and strong serve reception performances were the highlights of the weekend, and the Jumbos returned to Medford with an even record ahead of a slate of home matches.
Sundays just got a little louder again. Rejoice–for the first time nearly 7 months, NFL football is back. There’s a lot to unpack here. An offseason that saw hundreds of trades, pickups and draft acquisitions, along with coaching mainstays Bill Belichick and Pete Carroll leaving their jobs, set the stage for an unprecedented season.
The hockey community and the entire sports world woke up to devastating news Friday morning. The Columbus Blue Jackets reported the tragic passing of their star forward Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew in New Jersey. According to reports from the New Jersey State Police, the brothers were on a bike ride when a vehicle, driven by a man suspected to be driving under the influence, fatally struck them from behind.
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C., more commonly known as the White House, is one of the most exclusive addresses in the world. To reside there, one has to win a presidential election, and to work there, one has to be appointed to a highly prestigious cabinet position. There is a third method of garnering an invitation to the Executive Mansion, and it may be the most difficult of the three to achieve: winning an NCAA national championship.
During this summer’s Olympics, I watched Katie Ledecky absolutely demolish her competition in the women’s 1500 freestyle final, breaking her own Olympic record and winning the gold medal by over 10 seconds. Ledecky has been so dominant in the event throughout her career that the race was over before it began and everyone knew it. And yet, I was absolutely captivated. Knowing what the outcome would be didn’t take away from the joy of watching one of the most dominant athletes of all time excel at her craft.
Both the 2024 Paris Olympics U.S. men’s and women’s gymnastics teams were two of the most successful in recent history. Both teams were named using a completely different method. This year, the men's team was selected through a new pre-defined algorithm solely utilizing scores from the U.S. National Championships and Olympic Trials, while the women’s team was selected by a discretionary committee based on performances throughout the whole competition season. Which is the better method?
Today, I’m appealing to fans of every other team sport to explain something that baseball fans already know. Something that is so basic yet incomprehensible to many fans and, worst of all, sports media talking heads. Ready? Team championships are won by teams, not individuals.
La Maracanã is bouncing in full force. Pockets of blue are roaring in a sea of yellow and red as the flickering lights from a thousand lenses capture a duel for the ages. The Round of 16 of the 2014 World Cup. A South American classic: Uruguay vs. Colombia. Twenty-eight minutes in, a wayward clearance from the Uruguayan box was headed back toward 22-year-old James Rodríguez, who in one motion gently caressed the ball from his left shoulder onto his left foot before striking it toward goalkeeper Fernando Muslera. A shot that swallowed a stadium for a few seconds, a collective gasp as the ball kissed the underside of the crossbar. The net rattled, Muslera was beaten and a star was born. If the dictionary had pictures, the word “volley” would have this image next to it. Rodríguez had just scored the goal of the tournament. He went on to win theGolden Boot as the World Cup’s top scorer with six goals, despite Colombia falling short to host Brazil in the quarterfinals. For context, he had outscored Lionel Messi, Neymar da Silva Santos Jr. and the two previous winners, Spain and Italy. Ten years after that magical Maracanã moment, James Rodríguez is one game away from lifting the Copa América.
Making program history, the women’s rowing team won the NCAA Division III Championship on Saturday in Bethel, Ohio. Tufts’ first varsity eight rowed to a definitive victory, and the second varsity eight claimed second to secure the highest team score for the Jumbos.
Tufts men’s lacrosse traveled to Philadelphia to play the Rochester Institute of Technology in the Division III National Championship on May 26. After a crushing defeat at the hands of Salisbury University in last year’s final following an undefeated season, the Jumbos returned this year with the hope of claiming a fourth title in program history. The two programs have historically been equals, with Tufts entering the matchup with a 3–4 all-time record against RIT, including a loss to the Tigers in March. This exciting rematch took place at Lincoln Financial Field, home of the Philadelphia Eagles. After a successful season despite a loss in the NESCAC tournament to Hamilton College, the Jumbos regained their form in the national tournament and earned their spot in the finals. Their current form, combined with their valuable experience from last year, meant the Jumbos were ready for the championship.
A lot has changed since the last time German soccer team Borussia Dortmund was in a Champions League final in 2013. Their then-manager Jürgen Klopp is now more widely known for bringing his “Gegenpressing” style to Liverpool, where he’d reignite one of England’s strongest sides. Dortmund’s lethal marksman Robert Lewandowski would also switch allegiances, joining arch-rival Bayern Munich before testing his trade in La Liga with FC Barcelona. In 2013, both Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi were still at their peaks, and Kylian Mbappé was entering high school. In the same year, Dortmund’s fellow 2024 finalists, Real Madrid, or “Los Blancos,” had yet to win La Décima, referring to their iconic 10th Champions League title; however, this time around the Spanish team is aiming for their 15th. The only constants are Dortmund’s Mats Hummels and Marco Reus, German legends who will face off against the Champions League’s most feared team on June 1. This final will be Reus’ last game for Dortmund.
For the first time ever, three American Olympic all-around gold medalists, Sunisa Lee (2020), Simone Biles (2016) and Gabby Douglas (2012), faced off in one gymnastics competition. The trio competed in front of thousands of fans at the Core Hydration Classic in Hartford, Conn., last weekend alongside other top American gymnasts leading up to this summer’s Olympic Games in Paris.
September 2020. An eager Jay Dieterle arrives in Medford, the lone rookie recruited to play for the Tufts Men’s Basketball team, and begins the move-in day routine. He discovers his dorm room, says goodbye to his family and walks to 62 Talbot Ave. for his mandatory COVID-19 test.
There is no higher honor in sports than competing in the Olympic or Paralympic Games. To hear your nation’s national anthem, to bear the blazing torch and to gaze at the interlocking rings is to be etched in athletics lore for eternity.
When most people think of Tufts women’s basketball in the past few years, the first name that typically comes to their mind is Maggie Russell. As a dominant 6-foot-1 forward, Russell played an important role in the Jumbos’ success throughout her career. She didn’t just play an important role on the court though; she was also impactful off the court as a role model for the younger players.
