sports// no. 6 theotherpress.ca Three bold sports predictions for 2021 » A lot can happen in a year, clearly Mo Hussain Sports Reporter hether it was delaying games by a couple of months, having to play with no fans present, or in some cases having to be isolated from their families for a couple months to play, the sports world had to learn to adapt in 2020. Seeing how so much had to be changed in such a short period of time, this does (to some extent) open our minds to the possibilities of what could happen in 2021. Some predictions may be far fetched, others may be realistic, but considering how wild 2020 was, anything might happen in the sports universe. MORE FANS WILL BE BACK IN ARENAS This prediction already came true as some teams in the NBA, NFL, NHL are permitting their venues to allow in approximately 10 to 30 percent of their capacities. However, I predict that whether it is more teams letting fans in or the current teams allowing more fans, these restrictions will loosen at some point due to the release of the COVID vaccine. As more of them start to roll out, teams may start to feel more comfortable with letting fans attend. 2021 TOKYO OLYMPICS WILL NOT HAPPEN This prediction may seem contradictory to the other one, and I hope this may be wrong, but the 2021 Tokyo Olympics seem like too much of a logistical nightmare to occur. It is one thing to have to coordinate around COVID restrictions when working for a league that only has participants in one continent playing one sport. It is a completely different task to have to coordinate around COVID restrictions with participants coming from all over the world, and with there being almost fifty different sports. Also keep in mind that the Winter Olympics are coming up in early 2022, and they will also have to have their sights set on that. The Olympics are still supposed to be set to get going on July 23, but actually being able to pull it off will be quite the feat. SPORTS WILL BE VALUED MORE BY THE END OF THIS COVID NIGHTMARE Assuming this COVID disaster will be out of the picture by 2021, many will look at the sports world with a lot more gratitude. During every massive crisis before this pandemic, the sports world usually was not affected to the point where seasons were shut down. The world has been in chaos in 'll see you back here. the past, yet sports fans would usually still have something to escape to for a moment. When the pandemic first hit in the beginning of this year, it was the first time that many of us had that kind of escapism pulled from under us while the world was overturned. Many of us had to go about our day-to-day lives without our valued outlet for stress. A look at the top of the sports world 1n 2011 vs 2021 » What essential changes have been made in ten years? Mo Hussain Sports Reporter his article may be a little late to the “10-year challenge,” but considering what has transpired over the last year, it is quite fascinating to compare the sports landscape from 10 years ago to today. NBA Players have come and gone in the NBA, but the one constant this past decade is LeBron James being atop the basketball world. During January of 20u, the then 26-year-old was playing his first season as part of the Miami Heat. On the team he was alongside Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh; LeBron was looking to capture his first NBA championship. In the meantime, 18-year-old basketball player Anthony Davis was finishing up his last year of high school and preparing to play for the University of Kentucky after he graduated. Ten years and four championships later, the now 36-year-old James is still competing for basketball’s biggest prize as he looks to win his second straight championship alongside the now 27-year-old Davis, and the rest of the Los Angeles Lakers. NHL Vancouverites may find it hard to look back at the Canucks ten years ago, but let us not forget that the team was at the top of the hockey world at the start of January 20u and were the favourite to win a Stanley Cup that year. The Tampa Bay Lightning were also a relatively competitive team that year, but they were Illustration by Athena Little not necessarily as good as the Canucks. A decade later, and the tables have turned as it is the Lightning that is heading into the 2021 season with a Be well, Vancouver. Welllsee you back her 1K, Photo by Arnaldo Fragozo However, during all the madness, many professional leagues still found a way to operate at some point. Once this pandemic dwindles down and people can freely get together and watch their favourite events together, there will be a lot more enthusiasm for sports—something some of us might have underappreciated. Stanley Cup under their belt—and they are the favourites to win again this year. Meanwhile, the Canucks unfortunately still don't have a Stanley Cup on their resume. However, the Canucks have revamped themselves and built a solid core group of young players heading into the 2021 season and will hope to reach the mountain top of the hockey world once again in the near future. NFL A common theme here is that some winners stay winning. Ten years ago, this time around, 27-year-old Aaron Rodgers and the sixth seed Green Bay Packers had just won their wildcard matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles, and then went on to be the only wild card team since then to win a super bowl. Meanwhile, a 16-year-old athlete out of Whitehouse High School in Texas named Patrick Mahomes was still juggling between playing both football and baseball. A decade later, the Packers and a 37-year-old Rodgers are now heading into the playoffs with the best record in the NFC and are looking to win a super bowl on the 10-year anniversary of their last super bowl victory. But doing so will be quite the task as a now 25-year-old Patrick Mahomes looks to win back-to-back super bowls with the Kansas City Chiefs.