In a tight race for playoff spots, each NFL team is fighting day in and day out. No one has a guaranteed spot clinched as the season reaches its 14th week. While some teams have stood out over others, the five, six, and seven seeds in both the NFC and AFC are there for the taking and with this being one of the most unpredictable seasons in NFL history, no one knows who will fill these spots. For example, a 1-10-1 Lions team still has a chance to make the playoffs and they’re starting to catch fire as the season progresses.

This year, the MLB postseason started on November 5th. Only 10 teams out of 30 make it to the playoffs.The teams that made it this year were the Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, Houston Astros, Tampa Bay Rays, and the Chicago White Sox which are all American League teams. On the National League side, the Los Angeles Dodgers, St. Louis Cardinals, San Francisco Giants, Atlanta Braves, and the Milwaukee Brewers made the post season.

College football is exciting and just as important and entertaining as the NFL.  People who watch college sports share the same common denominator. College football fans, like the players, are enthusiastic supporters of their team. One of the reasons for this is that the majority of NFL franchises are established in cities. If you grew up in a NFL city, you are most likely a die-hard supporter of that city's team. When watching college sports to follow a team and be an avid supporter you need to be involved with knowing players and coaches.

On October 12, 2021, Nutley lost its winningest high school football coach of all time, Coach Steve DiGregorio. While many saw his impact strictly on the gridiron, DiGregorio was more than just a football coach, as he taught history  at NHS and touched the heart of everyone whom he came across.

Dating back all the way to 1930, the first Inaugural Men’s Soccer World Cup took place in Montevideo, Uruguay from July 13th to the 30th, with 13 different nations competing. The countries that took part in the competition were the United States, Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Chile, Mexico, Peru, Belgium, France, Romania, Yugoslavia, Uruguay and Paraguay. Since then, the United States Men’s National Team, otherwise known as the USMNT, has made their run of participating in ten World Cups.

The 93-day wait for basketball fans all over the world has come to an end as the NBA will celebrate its 75th anniversary year commemorating some of the best past and present stars in NBA history. There are eighty-two games of passionate basketball being played among 30 teams all over the league. From October 19th to October 21st, all teams loaded with talented young stars and battle tested veterans returned to the court for nothing but four quarters of entertaining basketball. For the first time in 590 days, arenas were sold out, no chair was left empty.

The long-awaited 2021 NFL season is finally here and it is coming back in a way fans have never seen before. Each team was issued an additional game making for a 17-game season for all teams with 18 weeks of football in total. From September 9th to September 13th, all 32 NFL teams got the opportunity to play in front of full capacity stadiums for the first time in over a year and spectators saw some early “Game of the Year” candidates within the first week of the NFL season. 

For the seniors at Nutley High School, their final two years of high school football were plagued with COVID-19 and cut short in many ways. However senior captains Paul Scutti and Joseph Alberti have done everything they can to make the most out of these years. Both individuals were three-year starters and saw varsity football before the pandemic and played through it as well.

After closing an unpredictable 2020 season, the 2021 season is already here as fans are just weeks away from the season’s first games. After the draft comes and goes, the next step in the early stages of the season is the annual rookie minicamps. These camps allow teams to bring in all their rookies and have them work together to become aware and immersed with the team’s scheme and figure out how they will fit best.

Thirty-three-year old former quarterback Tim Tebow has recently been signed to the Jacksonville Jaguars. Many fans were shocked and some even raised an eyebrow. The quarterback, out of Florida, hasn’t played since 2013 and is assigned to play tight end in this upcoming season. The Jaguars have agreed to a one-year contract for $900,000 with no money guaranteed or injury split. This forces Tebow to work to be an active player on the roster. Although signing free agents is nothing new, this case is different.

The 2021 playoffs are much different than the 2020 playoffs. The 2020 playoffs had to be in a special bubble in Orlando, Florida. They had COVID-19 guidelines, rules, and COVID tests everyday. The 2021 playoffs are so much different because COVID numbers are going down, people are getting their vaccine, and the playoffs aren’t in the bubble. The 76ers, Suns, Nets, Nuggets, Bucks, Hawks, Clippers, and the Jazz all advanced to the second round.

It has been an interesting year for high school sports. 

Steph Curry is a point guard in the NBA that plays for the Golden State Warriors. Steph Curry this year had a season to remember. He averaged 32.0 points per game, 5.5 rebounds per game and 5.8 assist per game. He also won a scoring title this year and almost brought his team to the 2020-2021 playoffs. Steph Curry is known for being the best shooter in the world but he really is the best player in the world right now.

Senior nights at NHS are very special. They are nights dedicated to the seniors to make them feel appreciated and celebrate their final season of that sport. Unfortunately, some sports such as basketball did not get to have a senior night this year because of COVID-19. However, Seniors: Anna Contini, Gianna Zoppi, and Ryan Breihof share how their personal senior nights went this year. 

The MLB Season was off to a great start on April 1, 2021. This season is going to be different due to COVID-19. Players joined their new teams, new rookies are standing out, and surprising teams are leading the league. Players like Mike Trout and Mookie Betts are off to hot starts. Players like Akil Baddoo, Yermin Mercedes, and Tyler Naquin are taking on the 2021 season with a storm. Ballparks and stadiums aren’t the same this year. Some ballparks are empty, and some are at reduced capacity.

Veteran Quarterback, Alex Smith has just recently announced his retirement after his 16th season in the NFL. The quarterback out of Utah was picked No. 1 in the Draft getting selected by the San Francisco 49ers. He spent some time on the 49ers before joining the Chiefs in 2013. Smith had made three Pro Bowl appearances as a player of the Chiefs. Then, in 2017 joined the Washington Redskins, now known as the Football Team.

Julian Edelman recently announced his retirement from the NFL. What many people fail to realize is the impact he had on the league while he was in it. He paved the way for athletes that weren’t highly recruited out of high school and even helped in the battle of anti-semitism in the NFL. Although things like this may go unnoticed, his postseason statistics are something you can’t help but notice.

For decades, women throughout the world have struggled with the concept of equal pay for equal work. This is an issue in business, medicine and sports, among others.  The U.S Women's Soccer Team (USWST) is taking a stand because of the equal pay movement. The men get paid around $10 million more  than the women do for the same roles.

There is always talk about athletes and coaches, however, the NHS student sport managers do not get enough attention. Sports have a lot of extra work that the coaches usually take care of, but there is so much that they need extra help. For the past few years the NHS has had student managers for the sports teams. This year, sophomore Madison Walsh is the manager of the girls varsity and JV basketball team. Sophomore Mia Dipiano is also a manager for the wrestling team.  

The Washington Football Team, until recently, was known as the Washington Redskins. But in July 2020, they were forced to change their name because it was racist to Native Americans and inappropriate to some people. Many people wrote letters to the NFL to change the Redskins name. The Washington Football Team had to find and change their name quickly, they had a few names in choice but were still thinking.