Sports and sports news go beyond the score: there’s always something going on in the stands, on the bench, and on the field. This column looks beyond the score, so you can learn more about your favorite leagues and athletes.
This time of year, sports are still something to look forward to. With championships looming and new seasons starting, excitement and tension are brewing across leagues and networks.
Shedeur Sanders is here
National Football League (NFL) quarterback Shedeur Sanders is once again a topic of conversation, as the Cleveland Browns have finally begun to test their rookie quarterback, months after the Browns acquired Sanders following his catastrophic fall in the NFL Draft this spring.
Out of college, Sanders was a projected top-five draft pick when he unexpectedly went undrafted until the fifth round, going to the Cleveland Browns as the 144th pick. He joined the Browns’ crowded QB room as the third-string quarterback on the depth chart.
A relatively disastrous season for the Browns has pushed Sanders to the starting position, leaving people on every side questioning what’s been happening in the Browns’ Locker room. To many outside observers, the Browns organization has set their young rookie up for failure, refusing to give him any practice reps with starters before his first-ever start against the Las Vegas Raiders.
Following his winning performance, the Browns coaching staff made some controversial decisions, leaving the rookie quarterback out of much of their praise of the team and denying Sanders the game ball in his successful NFL debut.
So far, Sanders has led the Browns to one win and two losses in his three starts this season. Critics and fans alike are waiting to see where Sanders and the Browns end up with such a publicly confusing relationship.
Women’s Sports
Women’s sports have reached a new milestone with the inclusion of the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL), filling in the final key to a year-round calendar of women’s sports.
The PWHL season has just kicked off with the first games played on Nov. 21, and will carry us through spring, where the National Women’s Soccer League will join the party with a very long season running through the summer and into next November.
The Women’s National Basketball Association runs from May to October, and with the introduction of Unrivaled, a women’s 3v3 basketball league, women’s basketball games have been added to the calendar from January to March.
Emerging women’s leagues are also filling in some gaps, with Women’s Elite Rugby running from March to June and the Six Nations Cup running through April and May. League One Volleyball starts Jan. 10, 2026, and goes until April, with the Professional Volleyball Federation also starting in January and going into May.
‘Tis Still the Season
Sports leagues have loved the holidays for a long time. The time off work and school usually guarantees viewers from across the country tuning in all day and night, fresh off the camaraderie and food comas of lunch and dinner. This Christmas, tune into the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the NFL, with both leagues having multiple matches scheduled from morning to night on the holiday.
The NBA will see five matches total on Dec. 25, starting at noon with the Cleveland Cavaliers facing the New York Knicks. Star-studded games continue with the San Antonio Spears taking on the 2025 NBA Champions, the Oklahoma City Thunder, at 2:30 p.m. EST (all of the games I’m listing are in EST).
The Dallas Mavericks take the road to face the Golden State Warriors at 5 p.m., while back in Texas, the Houston Rockets host the Los Angeles Lakers at 8 p.m. Rounding out the night with a late start, at 10:30 p.m., the Minnesota Timberwolves take on the Denver Nuggets. All five of these games will be streaming on ESPN and ABC for viewers to watch.
Further stuffing the airways is a full day of NFL games on both Netflix and Prime Video. Netflix is set to stream the Dallas Cowboys vs. the Washington Commanders rivalry game at 1:00 p.m., as well as the 4:30 p.m. rivalry between the Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings. Prime Video will be home to the primetime game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Denver Broncos at 8:15 p.m. in Arrowhead Stadium.
College football playoffs will push through December and January, with the first rounds of the playoffs played on Dec. 19 and 20. Quarterfinals are set to take place on New Year’s Eve at the Cotton Bowl at 7:30 p.m.
More college bowl games decorate the schedule from Jan. 1-9, 2026, with the national championship game scheduled for 7:30 p.m. on Jan. 19 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.
The National Hockey League’s (NHL) Winter Classic is also returning just after New Year’s, on Jan. 2, 2026. This year’s Winter Classic will see the Florida Panthers face the New York Rangers in an outdoor game at the home stadium of the Miami Marlins at 8 p.m. on TNT.
Expansion of sports across the year gives everyone more to talk and learn about! Take time over the holidays to rest, rejuvenate, and revel in the way sports can bring families and communities together year-round.
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