The turn of any year is always a trendy time for some crystal-ball gazing, sports included.
But it’s a lot more fun to talk about what we’d most like to see on the gridiron, diamond, hardwood and beyond than what we think will actually happen — and if this writer was any good at betting big on bold sporting predictions, I’d be doing that for a living instead of this.
So here we are then, with the 2024 Wish List. If all these things go down, it’s not a guarantee we’ll all be happy — sports fandom is a fickle and tricky thing — but we will have been resoundingly entertained.
More arguments, not less
Florida State fans might disagree, but conjecture, controversy and downright anger over the selections of a committee are an integral part of what keeps college football buzzing with such passionate fervor. You think expanding to 12 teams will settle all the debates? Not even close; in fact, expect to see a whole lot more of them, especially over the final few spots. Be honest now, would you have it any other way?
A special Super Bowl — again
We’re being spoiled. No really, we are. In the last seven Super Bowls, we have seen the greatest comeback of all time, Tom Brady winning an historic seventh ring, Patrick Mahomes spearheading one thrilling fightback and surviving another nail-biter, plus a Rams–Bengals showdown that isn’t remembered as fondly as it should. It wasn’t always like this. For much of its history, the biggest game of all was often a drab affair, usually one-sided. Long may this trend continue.
A healthy Aaron Rodgers
Love him or hate him, not many people have the sheer power of personality to have been one of the NFL‘s biggest stories, even in a season that ended after four snaps. Rodgers never fails to give us something to talk about — but when he’s actually, you know, playing, it’s that much better.
The New York Jets have sold their soul to Aaron Rodgers
A USWNT bounceback
The 2023 Women’s World Cup was one of the most exciting sports events of the year — period. But the performance of the United States was the most disappointing thing about it. The USWNT needs a revival — and in Emma Hayes it has an esteemed new coach to try to spark one. The Olympics in Paris is a giant opportunity for the group to remind us of its potential for dominance, but beware, the international field is getting stronger.
Ding, ding, dinger
Let’s wish for Shohei Ohtani to knock it out of the park after moving to the Los Angeles Dodgers, both literally and figuratively. With only his batting to focus on — apart from counting all that (future) money — could the Japanese superstar put together an MLB tilt of 60 homers or more? At risk of stating the blindingly obvious, he’s a once-in-a-lifetime talent, and even if you find the Dodgers and their extravagant wealth irksome, chances are you’ll be rooting for this guy.
The Cowboys show rolls onward
The Dallas Cowboys are incredibly consistent at one thing and one thing only. Being inconsistent. Even when Dak Prescott puts together a metronomic and mightily accomplished season like this, you never know whether to trust the Cowboys or not. Is that a source of frustration for Jerry Jones and the team’s ever-hungry fans? Yes. Is it all part of what keeps Dallas as football’s most intriguing team for everyone else? You bet.
A Berhalter boost
About six years ago, former USA men’s head coach Bruce Arena stated that he expected the national team, by the time this country hosts the World Cup in 2026, to be a contender to win it. No one is being so bold these days, and the priority for head coach Gregg Berhalter in 2024 is to get his team playing confidently with the big show two years away. This year’s biggest test will come in the Copa América, against a stacked field of South America’s best talent.
USMNT’s best lineup for the 2024 Copa América
Some victories, please
When extraordinary streaks continue, either good or bad, it draws us in, which is why the Detroit Pistons are the NBA team everyone is currently paying attention to. Heading into the New Year, they’ll have a fresh start after ending a 29-game losing streak on Saturday. The Pistons’ record-setting skid was both statistically unfeasible and flat-out gory. But enough was enough. There are some promising young players, including Cade Cunningham, on the Pistons roster. Let’s hope the sporting gods bestow a few wins upon them. Quickly.
A heavyweight boxing boss
Boxing has gone nearly 24 years without an undisputed heavyweight champion, the last being Lennox Lewis. The coming year should produce another one at last, but as this is boxing, you can never be too sure. Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk are scheduled to fight for all the marbles in Saudi Arabia next month. This is a slightly oversimplified request, but let’s just hope the darn thing actually goes ahead, after a long delay and a proposed December matchup fell apart at the negotiating table.
A five-ringed circus
It has been a long, long time since the Olympic Games took place in its normal sense. The 2020 Tokyo Games were rescheduled to 2021 and both that event, and the Winter Games in Beijing in 2022, were unrecognizable from what we’ve come to expect. Paris is poised to put on a spectacular show and should give a reminder that for a short window every few years, the Olympics still holds a special kind of magic.
The beefed-up Big Ten
There isn’t enough space here to unpack everything that’s happening with college football, and yes, we’re not blind to the fact that there are schools that have suffered through realignment as well as those who will benefit. But it’s hard not to look at the beefed-up Big Ten, with its new arrivals and elimination of divisions, and not get excited. With a West Coast influx on the way, here’s wishing that it lives up to the hype. It’s hard to imagine that it won’t.
