🔙 Kelce returning next season

Starbucks Fight, Michigan State buzzer beater, MLB Tokyo collab, and more!

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Sportie Newsletter
February 28, 2025

🏀 Basketball

Michigan State buzzer beater helps defeat Maryland

Tre Holloman hadn’t even reached the “M” logo at midcourt when he jumped off one foot and let the ball fly.

Somehow, it stayed on line before dropping through the hoop with a swish that reverberated across the Big Ten.

If Michigan State and coach Tom Izzo win yet another conference title, Holloman’s buzzer-beater might be the reason.

🏒 Hockey

Blue Jackets 'creating a legacy' with new outdoor rink 

The Columbus Blue Jackets are investing $250,000 in an outdoor street hockey rink at the Liberty Township/Powell YMCA as part of the NHL’s Legacy initiative.

Aligned with the 2025 NHL Stadium Series, the project aims to introduce more kids to hockey while promoting active lifestyles.

Former players Rick Nash and Andrew Cassels participated in a youth clinic at the groundbreaking, reinforcing the effort to make the sport more accessible.

The Blue Jackets will provide equipment, training, and programming to support the rink. Local hockey leaders see it as a crucial step in growing youth hockey and removing financial barriers.

YMCA CEO Tony Collins praised the team’s long-standing commitment to the community, emphasizing the rink’s role in fostering engagement and accessibility in the sport.

2025 Stadium Series expected to draw 2nd-largest crowd in NHL history

Steve Mayer, president of NHL content and events, said Wednesday that projections are for more than 90,000 fans at Ohio Stadium, home of the Ohio State Buckeyes.

The attendance number will not reach the crowd of 105,491 at Michigan Stadium for the NHL Winter Classic between the Red Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs on Jan. 1, 2014, nor the official football capacity of 102,780.

This is due to the number of seats unavailable to accommodate the stage for the music performance and TV camera setups.

The second-largest crowd is 85,630 at Cotton Bowl Stadium in Dallas on Jan. 1, 2020, for the Winter Classic between the Dallas Stars and the Nashville Predators.

🏈 Football

Travis Kelce to return next year after months of speculation

Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce is set to return for a 13th season in 2025, ending speculation that he might retire.

The news was confirmed on social media via Kelce's podcast, "New Heights."

Kelce is entering the final year of a two-year deal he signed last year.

"Going to try and get into the best shape that I've been this offseason and get back to the mountaintop," he said. "Got a real bad taste in my mouth with how I played in that last game and how I got the guys ready for battle. I can't go out like that."

Veteran NFL reporters get into altercation at Indianapolis Starbucks ahead of NFL Combine

The incident happened at a Starbucks in Indianapolis, Indiana, ahead of the NFL Scouting Combine. It involved Ian Rapoport of NFL Network and Jordan Schultz of FOX.

According to a report from Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, multiple sources who watched the interaction unfold, Schultz and Rapoport were engaged in a heated verbal altercation on Wednesday afternoon in the Starbucks at the JW Marriott in Indianapolis. Jordan Schultz, accosted Rapoport, according to the report.

⚾️ Baseball

MLB, Takashi Murakami collaborate ahead of Dodgers-Cubs Tokyo series

MLB is partnering with renowned Japanese artist Takashi Murakami for a limited-edition collection of merchandise ahead of the 2025 Tokyo series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs.

Complex unveiled the collaboration on Thursday, which includes Murakami's signature style on T-shirts, hoodies and Cubs and Dodgers' jerseys, among other merchandise. The collection will be released on March 7.