Showing posts with label NHL. Show all posts
Showing posts with label NHL. Show all posts

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Tuesday, June 19, 2018

The More the Merrier


A few weeks ago, Major League Soccer awarded FC Cincinnati an MLS franchise officially making the Queen City a three sport city. The Cincinnati Reds are part of Major League Baseball, the Cincinnati Bengals play in the National Football League, and FCC will take to the MLS pitch in 2019. I’m a fan of all three and will always cheer for all three of Cincinnati’s professional sports franchises. I just have one question. Why stop at three?

Having three of the big five professional sports leagues in Cincinnati is nothing short of awesome, but why can’t the National Basketball Association and the National Hockey League call Cincinnati home? The NBA actually did at one point. From 1957 to 1972, the Cincinnati Royals were the Queen City’s NBA representatives. They migrated over from Rochester and featured star players Jerry Lucas and Oscar Robertson before leaving for Kansas City and eventually Sacramento where the team still plays as the Kings.

The closest Cincinnati was to having an NHL team came in the form of the Cincinnati Stingers. They made their debut in 1975 as part of the World Hockey Association. The original incarnation of the team only lasted until 1979 when the WHA and the NHL merged. Unfortunately for Cincinnati, the Stingers were not selected to join NHL as part of the merge and were paid to disband. They redebuted as a minor league in the Central Hockey League during the 1979-80 season.

The Queen City had a taste of the NBA and flirted with the NHL. Unfortunately, the NBA left town and the NHL dream was never realized. As a result, Cincinnati was a two-sport city for over 40 years. People said that three sports franchises could not exist in Cincinnati. FCC proved that idea wrong. In less then three years, they went from minor league phenomenon to MLS expansion team. In a city that is known as a “Baseball Town” during the summer and as “the Jungle” during football season, FCC showed the world that Cincinnati can also be a “Soccer City.” I honestly believe it can be a basketball and a hockey town as well.

Cincinnati is a sports town. We live and die by how well our teams perform. When they lose, we are devastated. When they win, we celebrate as if we had won with them. Sports require passionate fans and Cincinnati is a city full of them. I will be more than happy to extend my love for Cincinnati’s three major league sports franchises to an NBA and an NHL team. Cincinnati can be a five-sport city. Hey NBA and NHL, we’re waiting!







Tuesday, February 20, 2018

The Olympics Are Awesome

With the Winter Olympics set to wrap up by the end of the week, I decided to write a short post on my thoughts on the Olympics as a whole. As all of you know, I love sports. Watching, reading, listening to, and following sports consumes most of my free time. I am a self diagnosed sports addict. That is why I love the Olympics.

For two weeks, the best athletes in the world come together to compete in sporting events. Political and religious differences are set aside all in the name of competition as sportsmanship and national pride reign supreme. A perfect example of this is the unified Korean women’s hockey team. Despite the political differences between the two countries, players are setting aside their difference to play hockey. While this feeling of unification may end as soon as the flames of the Olympic torch are extinguished, it is very refreshing to see the countries playing as one on the ice rink.

The biggest draw for me though is the nonstop sports coverage. Seemingly from the time I wake up until the time I go to bed, sports are on television. Whether it be winter Olympic favorites of mine such as hockey, snowboarding, speed skating or slope style skiing, I am always tuned in and cheering on Team U.S.A. I also make sure to watch obscure sports that only air during the two weeks the Olympics are on television. I love watching curling and all the Nordic skiing events as well as figure skating, luge, skeleton and bobsledding. Simply put, if the Olympics are on television, I am watching.

On a personal level, I like the summer Olympics more than I do the winter games. There are a lot more events during the summer Olympics, and I feel that those events are often more dramatic and exciting than the winter events. I still love the winter Olympics though and will be a little sad when they come to a close. Until then, I will continue to watch as much of the winter Olympics as I can while cheering on Team U.S.A.