Is the most exciting part of the season in sports actually beginning to become boring and decline? This is a question that has attracted the attention of fans across all leagues and throughout the nation. Some of the most dominant franchises in professional sports are the New England Patriots in the NFL, the Golden State Warriors in the NBA and the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA. Outside of the professional level, college football is home to one specific gridiron dynasty with a couple newcomers rising to the top of the podium every so often. In every league, there will always be the underdog or the team that constantly finishes in second place, but there will be certain programs that remain supreme.
The NFL’s coveted Lombardi Trophy, granted to the winner of the Super Bowl, could theoretically be completely renamed or redesigned to revolve around one of the most dominant dynasties in the history of sports, the New England Patriots. Since the year 2000, the Patriots have been in nine of the the 19 Super Bowls that have been played since then, and in four of the last five most recent Super Bowls. Even though the Patriots have lost five Super Bowls, they have also won six, tying them with the Pittsburgh Steelers for the most Super Bowl victories in NFL history. Over the last two years, there has been a pretty significant presence online from people who seem to be getting tired of seeing the Patriots in the Super Bowl so often. When it was declared that the New England Patriots would be facing off against the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game, social media personalities and general users alike joined forces to express their hopes that New England would be dismantled in Kansas City, and would finally be left out of the Super Bowl. This would lead to a new rivalry that included a Chiefs team that hadn’t appeared in the annual event since their win in Super Bowl IV in 1970, and a Rams team that had secured their spot in the Super Bowl for the first time since 2002 when they were still located in St. Louis.
On the basketball side of things, the Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers have dominated the NBA over the last four years, with both teams facing off against each other in each of the last four NBA Finals. Golden State have remained the more superior side, defeating Cleveland three times and only losing once. While these two have been the giants of the league in recent years, teams like the Los Angeles Lakers, the Boston Celtics and the Miami Heat were constantly in the championship discussion with their dominating performances in the early-to-mid 2000s. One team specifically would frequent the NBA Finals in the 1990s. Popularly known for their original “three-peat” from 1991-1993 and their “repeat three-peat” from 1996-1998, the Chicago Bulls are one of the most notable sports dynasties in history with their several championship runs powered by the likes of Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman and Steve Kerr. Many enjoyed the supposed dominance from the Chicago Bulls, but as the game of basketball has changed and along with it, certain rule changes, the media and fan bases around the league haven’t taken the Golden State Warriors’ constant appearances in the NBA Finals lightly.
Championship domination doesn’t just occur throughout the professional level, as college football has experienced similar cases recently. Popularly known as the best college football program of all time, the Alabama Crimson Tide have become one of the NCAA’s most highly-touted powerhouses in the nation. Alabama has always had a strong history of winning programs in Tuscaloosa, but the last ten years have really stamped the Crimson Tide in bold print in the history books. Before the inception of the College Football Playoff, Alabama had won the BCS National Championship three times from 2010-2013 and since then, they have appeared in the College Football Playoff National Championship four out of the five years it has existed. The Crimson Tide have faced off against yet another powerhouse, the Clemson Tigers, in either the semifinal or the National Championship for the past four years in a row. With the second championship meeting, many regarded the game as a rivalry, but many want to see a new matchup on college football’s biggest stage. This year’s edition of the big game saw a decline in both ticket sales and ticket prices with media outlets reporting that it was due to fans being simply tired of seeing Alabama vs. Clemson year after year.
While many enjoy watching these games regardless of the continuity of certain rivalries, fans’ excitement about the big game has definitely waned. The introduction of some variety and new talent on the court or the field could reignite interest by creating less certainty in future match-ups.
-By Colin Revels
