Super Bowl LVII, held at the State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, was won by the Kansas City Chiefs. This was the Chiefs third Super Bowl win. This game was the first Super Bowl to have two brothers play against each other: tight end for the Chiefs Travis Kelce, and his older brother Jason Kelce, center for the Philadelphia Eagles. Rhianna performed the halftime show and later announced her pregnancy. 2023 was a big year for the Kelces, and more attention was brought to the brothers, specifically, Travis, once it was announced that Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce were dating. Viewership for Chiefs’ games skyrocketed because of fans hoping to get a glance at Taylor during the games. Travis Kelce’s jersey sales also saw a rise in popularity. The Kelces became a big staple of football in 2023.

On January 2nd, 2023, during the first quarter of a game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Damar Hamlin, 24-year-old safety for the Buffalo Bills, went into cardiac arrest after he was tackled by Bengals receiver Tee Higgins. He was given CPR and revived on the field but taken to the hospital in critical condition. The game was postponed, and later said it would not be continued due to the circumstances. Hamlin was discharged on the 11th and attended a Bill’s game on the 22nd. On October 1st he made his way back onto the field in a game against the Miami Dolphins, where they won 48-20. Following his injury, the toy drive he set up in college raised over $9 million with hundreds of thousands of people contributing. Damar Hamlin’s injury is one of the scariest injuries to have happened in the NFL and has raised concern for football safety. Due to his popularity, he has become the most searched-for person in 2023.

For the 2028 Olympics being held in Los Angeles, California, 5 sports are being added, and the big talking point is about Flag Football being added. Flag football can be played by both genders and is the most accessible way to play American football. The rise of flag football has been led by women, and high school flag football teams are becoming widespread, due to it being a good option for girls who want to play football. NFL players are also being added to the topic because many of them have voiced that they are willing to play for Team USA since it will be the first time a football related event will be in the Olympics.

On February 7th, 2023, Lebron James, a power forward for the Lakers, broke the record for highest all-time points scored in the NBA. The record was previously held by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for 38 years. The Lakers lost the game 130-133 against Oklahoma City, but Lebron James scored 38 points that night, leaving his total score at 38,390. The previous record was 38,387 points. Lebron is continuing to score and set the record higher, something almost everyone thought wasn’t possible.

The Denver Nuggets won their first NBA Finals title in franchise history against Miami Heat. The Nuggets won four out of five games. Nikola “the Joker” Jokić was named the MVP for the NBA Finals after leading his team to victory. Jokić was the first player in NBA history to lead in total points, assists, and rebounds in the postseason, and is one of 11 players to have multiple MVP and NBA titles. Game five was played at Ball Arena in Denver Colorado, with the score being 94-89.

The NBA debuted the brand new In Season Tournament in 2023. The first champions were the Los Angeles Lakers, and the first MVP was Lebron James. The Final game was held in Las Vegas, against the Indiana Pacers. Each winning player received $500,000 and the team got to take home the brand-new trophy. Teams wear their “city edition” jerseys during these games and play on specially designed courts for the tournament to distinguish these games from regular games. The Lakers got their black “city edition” jerseys banned from the rest of the tournament after the quarterfinal game against the Phoenix Suns, due to lack of contrast against the court, and the Pacers had to follow the same restriction. The Lakers won in their gold “icon” uniforms.

The 2023 World Series was played at Globe Life Field, in Arlington, Texas, and it was the Texas Rangers against the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Rangers took home the win, making it their first World Series win. The Rangers won 4 games, and the Diamondbacks one. Shortstop Corey Seager was named World Series MVP, and he is one of four players to have multiple World Series MVP titles. The Diamondbacks were a hot topic this year because their odds of making it to the finals were not good. Corbin Caroll, outfielder, was named Rookie of the Year, and he is the first Asian American to win Rookie of the Year.

On October 28th during a game against the Sheffield Steelers in a Challenge Cup game in England, Adam Johnson, a 29-year-old forward for the Nottingham Panthers, who previously played for the Pittsburgh Penguins in the NHL, passed away after his neck was cut by another player’s skate blade. Johnson’s death has sparked a conversation around hockey safety, specifically regarding neck guards, which saw an increase in sales after his passing. Many organizations are starting to mandate it, especially when it comes to youth, and the English Ice Hockey Association, where Johnson played, will require its players to wear neck guards in the upcoming 2024 season.

2023 has seen diversity like no other, especially with the growth of the Transgender and Queer communities. Transgender athletes have become a heated discussion in 2023, with people being for, or against the inclusion. Starting in Idaho, bills have been passed to ban transgender athletes from participating in sports. For the states that haven’t passed legislation, policies are set individually by each school. Athletes, specifically women who identify with their sex assigned at birth, have felt that biologically it’s unfair, causing debate between the competitors, and not just the viewers. In 2022, Lia Thomas won the NCAA swimming championship in Division 1, and her win has been used as an example for both sides of the debate that is still going on today. As the world changes, minorities will slowly be integrated into society, but the start will always be a challenge, and divide the population.

For the local sports fans, the University of Arizona is currently dominating sports. The school’s basketball team is currently ranked number 1 in the Associated Press top 25 Men’s College Basketball Poll for the first time since 2014. UofA football has also been on fire this season, and they qualified for a bowl game. The Wildcats will be playing at the Alamo Bowl against Oklahoma on December 28th. This is the first time the team will play in a bowl game since 2017. They were on a 5-game winning streak, before playing their final regular season game against Arizona State University. Arizona came out on top, winning the game 59-23 in Tempe and keeping the territorial cup in Tucson. The Wildcats are also moving from the PAC-12 after being with the conference since 1978, to the Big 12 Conference next season.