Rodrigo Llaguno

Senior Staff Writer

Toy Story Funday Football

For the first time, a football game was played in Andy’s room from Toy Story. The Jacksonville Jaguars beat the Atlanta Falcons 23–7 at the London Wembley Stadium, but ESPN, which had the rights for transmission, decided to put a twist on the broadcast. In a demonstration of innovative technology, ESPN was able to track the players on the field and project them as minifigures in Andy’s room in real time. The broadcast aimed to cater to a younger NFL audience and to get them more involved while watching games. The game also had a halftime show in which one of the Toy Story characters, Duke Caboom, attempted an incredible motorcycle jump.

The broadcast comes out of a continuing effort to make NFL games more enjoyable for children. Nickelodeon has been broadcasting a game called NFL Slimetime every year since 2021. The difference is that the Nickelodeon game places effects on top of the actual game.

Canelo Alvarez retains the Undisputed Super Middleweight Championship

In an incredible display for the undisputed super middleweight championship, Saul “Canelo” Alvarez beat Jermell Charlo unanimously. Canelo, who is now 33 years old, is regarded as one of the best boxers of all time. He has a record of (60–2–2, 39 KOs), with one of his losses being against Floyd Mayweather. On the other side of the ring was Jermell Charlo, who has a record of (35–2–1, 19 KOs). Charlo is also an incredibly skilled fighter and the light middleweight champion. Canelo won with the scores of the judges being 119–108 and 118–109 twice. It was clear that, after a few rounds of the fight, Canelo was dominating. Charlo was unable to land many punches: Canelo landed 134 shots, with Charlo only landing 71. Canelo landed around 35 percent of his shots throughout the match, besting Charlo and silencing recent rumors that he was losing his ability to fight.

Underdog Detroit Lions Beat Green Bay Packers

The Detroit Lions have historically been underdogs. Their last playoff win was in 1992, and they’ve yet to win a Super Bowl. Their biggest division rivals are the Green Bay Packers, who have a historically strong franchise. However, this season the roles have reversed. The Lions have gotten off to an impressive start with a 3–1 record while the Packers are 2-2. As usual, the Lions were deemed the underdogs; however, with impressive performances by quarterback Jared Goff and running back David Montgomery, the Lions beat the Packers 34–20.

The result is a demonstration of where each team stands. The Lions have a good roster this year, and under the coaching of Dan Campbell, they have been making strides towards greatness in the last few years. The Packers, on the other hand, have been on a decline. The departure of stars like wide receiver Davante Adams and quarterback Aaron Rodgers has made it apparent that the franchise is entering a rebuilding stage with the hopes that rookies shine and that players with a couple of seasons under their belts, like quarterback Jordan Love, start to demonstrate what they are capable of. The Lions face the Carolina Panthers in the next game and are the favorite to win, as the Panthers have yet to win a game. The Packers face the Raiders in what should be an entertaining game.

Ronald Acuña Breaks MLB Record

Ronald Acuña Jr., a player for the Atlanta Braves, made history becoming the first player in Major League Baseball to hit 40 home runs and steal 70 bases. This is a significant accomplishment, as it is unusual for a player to possess both the speed to steal bases and the power to have a 40-home-run season. Not only that, but a 70-steal season is also rare. These two records certainly put Acuña in the conversation for Most Valuable Player of the Year, and with a team as good as the Braves, he could go on to win the World Series. Acuña is the fifth player ever to achieve a 40–40 season and the first to achieve 40–50, 40–60, and, of course, 40–70. The last player to get 40–40 was Alex Rodriguez with 42 home runs and 46 stolen bases in 1998.