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Good morning! Enjoy yourself today. Coming up:
Happiness: What brought you joy in sports in 2025?
There’s not just one point to playing or watching a sport. You might do it for fitness, for obsession, for money or to satisfy peer pressure. But something I (Alex) try not to forget, in making my career writing and talking about sports, is that all of this is supposed to be fun. At some level, it’s supposed to evoke joy.
I came into this year looking to find joy in my own playing of sports. My most joyful sports experience was running my third marathon in three hours, 48 minutes and seven seconds. I loved feeling like an athlete and reminding myself that sports are by no means reserved for the world-class stars we write about in this newsletter. Getting better at something in my 30s feels really good.
To the year feeling uplifted, I asked the other members of the Pulse team: What sports thing brought you the most joy in 2025? It could be watching, playing or whatever.
- Jason Kirk: “My kid threw the miracle touchdown that clinched her flag football program’s first non-losing season. And my alma mater, Kennesaw State, became just the second FBS team to ever have a 10-win, conference-championship season a year after losing 10 games.”
- Sam Settleman: “The out-of-this-world French Open final between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner. There’s nothing more beautiful than a sport being played at the absolute highest level ever. Hyperbole gets thrown around loosely in sports, but this tennis match will forever exist in a different stratosphere. And it brought me 5 hours and 29 minutes of unbridled joy.”
- Lauren Merola, relatedly: “I went to my first-ever tennis major this year at the U.S. Open and dang, do I have a new appreciation for the sport. TV does not do the ball speed, athleticism and atmosphere justice.”
- Torrey Hart: “My local USL team reclaiming the Oakland Coliseum for fans in the wake of the A’s exit and bringing it back to life.”
- Chris Sprow: “It ended as it often does, but the Mariners’ playoff run brought us a family group chat all things hilarious and joy-filled, and pulled in a new generation. Ken Griffey Jr. was rounding third again.“
- Chris Branch: “I probably wrote 250 sports newsletters this year, but the thing that brought me most joy was watching one quarter of a women’s basketball game — LSU at Tulane last month — with my three-year-old daughter. It was her first live sporting event, and I saw the spark in her eye, even if I might have been looking too hard. She still loves to imitate the buzzer: ‘Dada! EEEENNNNNNNNKKHH.’ Made me want to cry.”
Not that the Pulse team gets to have all the fun. A few days ago, we put this question to our readers. I read every single response. Here’s a selection:
- “My family has been lifelong Eagles fans, from their inception almost 100 years ago. My oldest grandson, who missed the first Eagles Super Bowl win in 2018 due to deployment in Afghanistan, was able to see this Eagles Super Bowl win, just prior to passing due to injuries he suffered while serving his last tour in Afghanistan in 2021.” — John W.
- “The 4 Nations tournament in lieu of the NHL All-Star Game. It was absolutely electrifying and completely unexpected: the perfect gift.” — Andrew H.
- “A hole-in-one on April 6!” — Charlie S.
- “Fun and connection with my husband.” — Sabrina R.
- “I took my kids, ages 9 and 11, to one of the last Mariners home games of the season. Not only did we clinch the division for the first time in 24 years, but we got to see the Big Dumper hit homers 59 and 60.” — Alix
- “The gift that keeps on giving: Jerry Jones the GM!” – Brian (not a Cowboys fan)
- “The Bears being relevant.” — Aiden
- “Lindsey Vonn’s return to prominence and qualifying for the Winter Olympics.” — Ralph K.
- “The real, true joy of winning my fantasy football league.” — Christine M.
- “Prayers of gratitude before every NASCAR event.” — L.H. V.
- “A distraction from the toll of navigating daily life in 2025!” — David M.
And finally, thanks to Melissa M., who only wrote: “A subscription to The Pulse!” 🫡
News to Know
Michigan lands Whittingham
After all the turmoil in Ann Arbor over the last few weeks, Michigan managed to wind up with perhaps the perfect head coach hire. The Wolverines agreed to a five-year deal yesterday with Kyle Whittingham, who recently stepped down after 21 seasons in Utah. It’s a much-needed reset for Michigan, and a somewhat surprising landing spot for the 66-year-old Whittingham. Much more about the move here.
Trouble in Vegas?
Raiders star Maxx Crosby left the team facility after being told he wouldn’t be playing in tomorrow’s game against the Giants. Crosby — who might also be shut down for the team’s regular-season finale — had been pushing to play in the contest, which will have major draft order ramifications. The Giants responded shortly after by ruling out All-Pro left tackle Andrew Thomas. Hmmm. (Related: The loser of this game is the runaway leader in the race for the No. 1 pick.)
More news:
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A historic stat line from Thursday’s NBA Christmas finale: Nikola Jokić notched the first 55/15/15 game in NBA history and also scored the most points ever in an overtime period. The best player in the world.
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Lakers guard Austin Reaves will be sidelined for at least a month with a calf injury. It’s a major blow to a team that has struggled of late.
- Mexican authorities seized drugs and medals linked to former Olympic snowboarder Ryan Wedding, who is wanted by the U.S. government for running a criminal enterprise and ordering several killings.
What to Watch
📺 EPL: Chelsea vs. Aston Villa | 12:30 pm. ET on NBC/Peacock
Villa are No. 3 in the table and Chelsea No. 4 through 17 matchweeks and, for now, hanging right there with Arsenal and Manchester City at the top of the league. This result will go a long way toward either side’s Champions League future. Villa are on fire.
📺 CFB: No. 22 Georgia Tech vs. No. 12 BYU | 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC
It’s the Pop-Tarts Bowl, which now gets the most attention of any non-Playoff bowl thanks to its celebrated devouring of pastry-themed mascots. BYU could claim the Snubbed National Championship with a win, since Notre Dame opted out of participating in this contest.
📺 NFL: Ravens at Packers | 8 p.m. ET on Peacock
Note: This one’s a Peacock exclusive, not also airing on NBC. Baltimore would hand the AFC North to Pittsburgh with a loss. The Packers have already clinched a playoff spot but would stay in the NFC North race with a win. Backup QBs Tyler Huntley and Malik Willis will start.
Pulse Picks
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(Top photo: Julian Finney / Getty Images)