Bold Sports Predictions for 2017
2016 gave us many memorable sports moments.
Leicester City became unlikely Premier League champions. Cleveland, Ohio evolved into a city of champions before our very eyes. Conor McGregor is now the biggest draw in the history of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, per Dave Meltzer of MMA Fighting.
2017 may be an even bigger year in the sports world, and the hope of what could be to come is why making bold predictions for the next 12 months is so much fun.
Tom Brady, arguably the greatest quarterback in the history of the National Football League, will ride off into the sunset. A new club will establish itself as the winners of the Champions League. A man will win the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award for the first time in his career.
Anybody can make boring sports predictions at the start of a year. Think outside the box and try to come up with 10 sports predictions that won't be on the minds of other fellow fans.
Which, if any, of the 10 sports predictions for 2017 offered here do you believe will come true before December 31 of next year?
Decline in TV Ratings Will Be the Biggest Sports Story of 2017
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Unless you choose to ignore off-the-field sports stories, you probably know television ratings for NFL games are down this season. Patrick Rishe of Forbes covered the topic earlier this month, and he explained that ratings for prime-time games have fallen from a season ago.
There are several reasons to believe this isn't a one-off and, also, that the NFL isn't the only product losing viewers. As Travis Waldron of the Huffington Post pointed out at the beginning of December, ESPN lost over a million subscribers from the start of October through the end of November. Even Premier League games airing in England suffered declines in viewers, per Owen Gibson of the Guardian.
This is a trend television executives shouldn't and cannot ignore.
It is now easier than ever before to unplug and unsubscribe from cable or satellite television providers, and customers who pay for streaming services such as Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime have a variety of entertainment options away from sports. ESPN, Fox Sports and other stations continuing to lose viewers will be the biggest sports story of 2017 unless those companies find ways to bring audiences back to their programming.
Tony Romo Will Start a Game for the Dallas Cowboys
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Knowledgeable football fans can already see the writing on the wall as it pertains to the Dallas Cowboys.
Rookies quarterback Dak Prescott and running back Ezekiel Elliott became heroes among the Dallas faithful when they helped the Cowboys win 11 straight contests en route to climbing to the top of the overall NFC standings. Prescott struggled throughout much of the team's victory over the Minnesota Vikings on December 1, however, and he played poorly in a loss versus the New York Giants on the night of December 11.
Veteran QB Tony Romo is fully recovered from the back injury he suffered this past August, and he could be ready to go as soon as December 18. The Cowboys will play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Detroit Lions, two teams currently enjoying winning ways, before ending the regular season against division foes the Philadelphia Eagles on January 1.
Dallas has a real chance to win the Super Bowl in February, but only if the club's offense gets solid play from its quarterback. Giving Romo a start before the postseason could prove to be wise, as he could work away any lingering rust and find comfort in the team's current offense before the Cowboys host a must-win playoff game.
You can almost imagine owner Jerry Jones calling head coach Jason Garrett about starting Romo if Prescott loses one more game before the end of 2016.
Ronda Rousey Won't Fight Cris Cyborg
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Ronda Rousey versus Cris "Cyborg" Justino is the only so-called "super-fight" involving female competitors the Ultimate Fighting Championship could book for 2017. Cyborg has done well to hype the potential encounter during interviews throughout 2016, and a fight between the two stars would likely draw well and make both women a lot of money.
With that said, Rousey has little to gain in accepting this bout.
Unlike Rousey, Cyborg has yet to prove she can consistently fight at 135 pounds. It's because of this that Cyborg can't be considered a real contender for the bantamweight title Rousey is attempting to reclaim later this month. Rousey hinted she is eyeing retirement this past November, as Michael Blaustein of the New York Post explained, and she may consider walking away from the sport following her fight against Amanda Nunes on December 30.
Rousey's legacy is set, and she has nothing to prove in moving up to 140 or 145 pounds to fight Cyborg. The former UFC champion is a pioneer of the sport and the most important female mixed martial artist in history. The reality of the situation is that Cyborg needs this fight more than Rousey.
We'll never see this fight if it doesn't happen in 2017.
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Alabama Won't Win the National Championship
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This one is, admittedly, a stretch and possibly the boldest prediction of the bunch.
The 2016 Alabama Crimson Tide may be the best team Nick Saban has ever coached. Alabama scored at least 30 points in 12 of 13 games this season, and the team's defense pitched a shutout when the Tide posted only 10 points against LSU in early November. Expect Alabama to be a big favorite over either Clemson or Ohio State leading up to the national title game if the Tide defeat Washington on the last day of 2016.
You should also believe both Clemson and Ohio State have the goods to notch an upset over Alabama.
Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson played well enough to beat Alabama in the championship game this past January, as he threw for over 400 yards and four touchdowns in the losing effort. Beating Alabama would likely only bolster Watson's status on draft boards before the NFL scouting combine.
Ohio State's Urban Meyer, meanwhile, may be the best college coach in the game today, and he guided the Buckeyes to an upset win over Alabama in January 2015. As SB Nation's Bill Connelly pointed out, Ohio State's efficient offense could keep Alabama's offense on the sideline for much of a game between the two teams.
Alabama will probably win the national championship when all is said and done, but predicting that is boring. That's why we're taking the risk and suggesting either Ohio State or Clemson will notch what would be a shocking victory.
Neither Barcelona nor Real Madrid Will Win the Champions League
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Spanish giants Real Madrid and Barcelona have dominated the Champions League over the past several years. Real notched victories over local rivals Atletico Madrid in finals twice during that period, and Barcelona defeated Juventus back in the spring of 2015.
It's time a different club stepped up and established itself as the best in Europe.
Don't look now, but Bayern Munich have reclaimed their form and risen to the top of the Bundesliga table as of the second full week of December. Striker Gonzalo Higuain has helped Juventus obtain a strong hold of the top spot in the Serie A table, and Juventus have the necessary firepower to hang with Barcelona, Real Madrid or Bayern Munich in a Champions League draw.
Real and Barcelona are both playing well, to the point they could be considered the top two clubs in the world heading into 2017. Neither are unbeatable, however, and both could be injury misfortunes or unlucky draws away from being bounced from the Champions League before the final.
Blake Bortles Will Win Comeback Player of the Year
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Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles is a mess this holiday season.
Ignore Bortles' lackluster numbers, as they only tell a portion of his miserable campaign. As Greg Cosell of Yahoo Sports' Shutdown Corner explained, Bortles' throwing mechanics are a major concern heading into what will be his fourth NFL season. Those running the Jaguars may even look for a QB in next year's draft if they become enamored with a to-be rookie between now and springtime.
To steal the words from the mouth of Aaron Rodgers, let's all R-E-L-A-X before assuming Bortles is a lost cause.
Jacksonville seems on the verge of moving on from current head coach Gus Bradley following a lost season, and the club would do well to hire an offensive guru who can repair Bortles. He possesses the physical tools to play well in the NFL, and the Jaguars have enough offensive talent to help him recover from this disastrous campaign.
Don't forget next year is essentially a contract year for Bortles. Per Spotrac, Bortles' current contract contains a team option for the 2018 season, meaning he isn't guaranteed anything following 2017.
What better way for Bortles to win the trust of a new coaching staff than to win Comeback Player of the Year?
Kevin Love Will Win NBA Finals MVP
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As ESPN's Dave McMenamin wrote, Cleveland Cavaliers superstar LeBron James recently stated forward Kevin Love and guard Kyrie Irving are playing "the best basketball of their careers thus far."
Love, in particular, looks more at home than ever before since joining the Cavaliers before the start of the 2014-15 season. He recently dropped 34 points on the Portland Trail Blazers in the first quarter of a game, and he continues to be arguably the best long-distance passer in all the NBA.
Love proved he can step up on a big stage when he guarded Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry in the closing seconds of Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals. That play may have jump-started Love's stellar 2016-17 campaign, and it may prove to be the opening sequence in a series of events that ends with Love winning NBA Finals MVP next spring.
It's likely both James and Irving will be ahead of Love in odds to win NBA Finals MVP, assuming the Cavaliers return to the series. That's what makes this a bold prediction.
Keep an eye on Love's numbers and improvement between now and the start of the playoffs to see how important he'll be to Cleveland's chances of repeating as champions. Love is still only 28 years old, and it's possible we still haven't seen his absolute best.
Cleveland Indians Will Win the World Series
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Some out there may say this isn't that bold a prediction. After all, the Cleveland Indians held a 3-1 lead over the Chicago Cubs in the 2016 World Series. Cleveland should again make a run toward a title next year.
Remember, though, that Bovada listed four clubs ahead of the Indians in odds to win the 2017 World Series in early November, per CBS Sports' Dayn Perry. It appears at least some oddsmakers believe the Indians will suffer some sort of setback over the next 10 months.
Don't bury the Tribe just yet. As ESPN's Jerry Crasnick wrote following this fall's World Series, the 2017 Indians may be better than this year's edition of the team. The young cornerstones of the American League champions are currently signed. Cleveland still has a stellar bullpen and a trade chip in reliever Andrew Miller. Cleveland could sign a big-name free agent such as Edwin Encarnacion.
The Indians surprised some in the baseball world by getting to within a game, and within a run if you consider how Game 7 played out, of a championship. Nobody should be all that surprised if the Indians play better in 2017.
New York Cosmos Will Buy the New York Red Bulls
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New York Cosmos fans know the current edition of the team is no more.
As Aaron West of Fox Sports explained earlier this month, the current champions of the North American Soccer League recently terminated the contracts of players and coaches, and the Cosmos are now little more than a brand. That brand still has name value among casual fans who often ignore club soccer in this country, though, which is why the Cosmos may continue to exist through 2017.
Per Anthony J. Merced of Empire of Soccer, Major League Soccer boss Don Garber recently stated the league will not embrace a third New York team to play alongside the New York Red Bulls and New York City FC. It seems logical the Cosmos will have to merge with either the Red Bulls or NYC FC to survive and thrive.
It was back in October 2015 when Yahoo's Alam Khan wrote about the Red Bulls potentially being bought by Qatar Sports Investment. An entity interested in keeping the Cosmos afloat should instead buy the rights to the club en route to bringing the Cosmos to MLS. MLS would still have two teams in the region, Red Bull Arena could be rebranded via one of the Cosmos' sponsors (Emirates Arena, for example) and the most recognizable brand in American soccer could live on for a future generation.
It's the best outcome for all involved, and it's one that is logical.
Tom Brady Will Announce His Retirement
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Father Time is unconquered and untied as it pertains to defeating sports legends and icons. Nobody ever beats the clock.
Peyton Manning went from being an NFL MVP candidate to a shell of his former self in less than two years. Kobe Bryant seemingly lost his physical prime overnight. Both Alex Rodriguez and David Ortiz retired in 2016.
The last bold sports prediction for 2017 is that Tom Brady will announce his retirement before the final day of next year.
Brady turns 40 years old next August, and he is already the oldest starting QB in the NFL, per Brett Smiley of Fox Sports. You don't see many 40-year-old QBs in the NFL, for understandable reasons. Bodies break down over time, and even somebody who keeps himself in phenomenal shape, such as Brady, can only take so much punishment and defy the odds for so long.
Football fans saw both Brett Favre and Manning deteriorate before their eyes. Perhaps Brady won't let himself suffer such a fall before he rides off into the sunset. As Steve Buckley of the Boston Herald recently wrote, Brady's exit plan is currently a big question hovering over the New England Patriots.
We believe Brady will put that plan into motion at some point over the next 12 months.
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