Right as Ryan: a look into the future
April 24, 2018
No matter the circumstances, people always look to the future, wondering what 10 years down the line could look like. In most situations, it’s impossible to trust a prediction like “Back to the Future Part II,” which claimed flying cars would arrive in 2000. However, in the world of sports, the future is easier to envision.
The year is 2028, and the major leagues of sports have shifted in America. The NFL no longer stands supreme as the dominant corporation. After years of concussion reports, political issues and the retirement of the current generation, the NFL loses its market and future.
With the decline of youth football in 2018, the effects are noticeable by 2028, as less and less intriguing prospects come into the world of football. By this time, the NFL loses its top dog spot to a less controversial and more influential league: the NBA.
Following the retirement of LeBron James, the competition level of the NBA has skyrocketed. For much of the decade, the New York Knicks, Milwaukee Bucks, Boston Celtics and the Philadelphia 76ers fight for supremacy in the East. In the West, the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Los Angeles Lakers have battled for the No.1 seed with the T-Wolves duo of Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins meeting the Showtime big three of Kyle Kuzma, Brandon Ingram and Lonzo Ball in the Western Conference Finals many times.
While the Conferences have been battlegrounds for the NBA, the world has been a developmental league. By this time, the One-and-Done rule is terminated, and players are directly entering the draft from high school, again. Foreign basketball organizations like the EuroLeague and NBL garner global attention for their prospects. In ten years, the world of basketball becomes stronger than ever with foreign superstars like Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic and Knicks forward Kristaps Porzingis paving the way for the future.
Speaking of foreign development, the MLB still continues to be one of America’s pastimes in 2028, but the ever growing crop of minority players has become majority of the MLB. As America’s youth slowly lose interest in baseball, more players from countries like Japan, Cuba and the Dominican Republic take advantage and take over the MLB. Players like Angels’ Japanese two-way player Shohei Otani and Astros’ Venezuelan AL MVP Jose Altuve will become faces of the MLB, showing the world the potential that minorities can have in the sport that has been dominated by Americans for so long.
After the disastrous 2017 season and the underwhelming years before, the U.S. Men’s Soccer Team spends the next ten years attempting to develop into a powerhouse to compete with its foreign counterparts. With Christian Pulisic leading the way, the U.S. has slowly climbed up the ranks, qualifying for the 2022 and 2026 World Cup. The country has rediscovered their love for soccer as the MLS also earns more attention after stars like Zlatan Ibrahimovic come to the states. As football begins to drop from its position as one of the big three sports in 2028, soccer makes its way into that spot.
Yet, there is one that finds a dramatic boom unlike any other: eSports. The world of gaming has fully taken on the sports world. In 2018, NBA 2K had a draft, sponsored by the NBA, and set up a league for gamers. Competitive team games like League of Legends and Overwatch have been covered by major sports publications like ESPN and Bleacher Report while also earning major sponsorships and millions of dollars. By 2028, eSports will become an Olympic sport after years of debate. In another ten years, and eSports may become the biggest sport in the world.
From injuries and trades to controversies and championships, the world of sports is unpredictable. Anything can happen, and that’s what makes sports so beautiful. It pushes fans to look into the future and fantasize the infinite possibilities.
