Tresolini: Instead of 2024 resolutions, a few sports-related rants, reflections, reactions

Many have their New Year’s resolutions, right?

Now that 2024 has kicked in, I actually have a few New Year’s revulsions, reflections, rants and reactions that warrant expression.

Perhaps it’s the colder weather and being trapped indoors more. The mind does tend to mull and float and land in a variety of random places this time of year.

Contemplation, observation and irritation have recently conjured up these opinions I do care to share:

Jingle jungle

Can someone please tell NJM Insurance, whose ads litter NFL telecasts, that their obnoxious, acronym-inspired “No Jingles or Mascots” refrain is actually a jingle. Isn’t that false advertising?

Relax fellas

TV sportscasters fervently exclaim “That’s unbelievable!” or refer to plays or players as “Unbelievable” so often that, just maybe, what they’re witnessing must actually be quite believable.

Thank goodness for boys basketball

Community public high schools in Delaware, especially northern New Castle County, have been devastated by the mass flight of prospective students to the myriad of choice, private, charter, Catholic, Christian and vo-tech options that abound now, a trend state education officials must seek to reduce. That's been very evident in sports, where once-great Blue Hen Conference athletic programs now struggle to field teams and win games. But boys basketball remains a last bastion of public school sports firepower, and it's great to see teams such as 2023 state runner-up William Penn, Seaford, McKean and Mount Pleasant be among the state's most successful.

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Best sight in sports right now

Seeing Joe Flacco play quarterback, flinging that football down the field the way few have, can or will, for the Cleveland Browns, just like he did at the University of Delaware in 2006-07 and with the Baltimore Ravens from 2008-18. Flacco and the Browns visit Houston in Saturday’s 4:30 wild-card playoff opener. Flacco is 5-0 in career wild-card games. Throwing for 1,616 yards and 13 touchdowns in five games for Cleveland, Flacco has shown the passing acumen that first wowed Blue Hen followers.

The new Division I-AA

Have others noted the irony that Delaware, which recently announced it will move to Conference USA and the Football Bowl Subdivision in 2025, is doing so just when the huge economic advantages schools in the Power Four conferences hold over those in the Group of Five, which Delaware is joining, means the Blue Hens will really be in football's second tier, where they have always been?

Don’t let your daughters grow up to be Texans

The Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade, which provided a constitutional right to abortion, in 2022, thereby leaving state governments to enact their own laws. Abortion is now illegal or severely restricted in 20 states, most in the Southeast and Midwest. Those limitations, however, typically extend well beyond coping with an unwanted pregnancy to other aspects of female reproductive health and general wellness, including limiting access to birth control and other sometimes urgent needs. Every female – and her parents -- being recruited to play sports at a college in any of those states needs to keep that in mind.

Just so you know

Bobby Slowik, the Houston Texans offensive coordinator who has earned rave reviews in his debut season in that role, is the son and namesake of former Delaware football player Bob Slowik, who had a distinguished NFL coaching tenure himself and is now in the Canadian Football League. Bobby’s mother Carol (nee Thomson) is the Newark High and University of Delaware graduate who was once among the nation’s fastest sprinters and hurdlers.

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Revolving door

Athletes certainly deserve the freedom to move and alter their competitive and financial situations, especially because coaches do and schools benefit greatly from having them. But college sports was more fun to follow before the transfer portal became such an easy option for those seeking a higher or different level in which to compete and also possibly cash in, thanks to lucrative Name/Image/Likeness opportunities.

Appealing prospect

That free-agent Phillies first baseman Rhys Hoskins signs with the Chicago Cubs. Rhys at Wrigley just seems right.

It is academic, right?

Do college credits, important but rarely mentioned as portal passengers, transfer as easily as college athletes?

Take that!

Delaware was supposed to host the 2024 CAA Tournament for softball, a sport in which the Blue Hens are much improved and have plans to upgrade the stadium and add lights. But the CAA took it away and gave it to UNC-Wilmington saying Delaware can still compete for the CAA title it just can't host because of its impending departure to CUSA.

Prolific prophecy

Delaware is in the Atlantic Coast Conference 10 years from now.

Contact Kevin Tresolini at ktresolini@delawareonline.com and follow on Twitter @kevintresolini. Support local journalism by subscribing to delawareonline.com and our DE Game Day newsletter.

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: New Year's rants, reactions include Joe Flacco, abortion law effects