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How Do Football Salaries Stack Up Against American Athletes?

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It should come as no surprise that some of the highest-paid athletes in the world are football players. Not only do the top performers around the world elevate their clubs to higher levels of play and more revenue, but they also have global followings that allow sponsors to pump in endless amounts of money. In sports, you essentially get what you’re worth, especially when it’s a sport without a salary cap like football.

What about a country where a different type of ‘football’ is considered the top sport, though? The United States is home to the top leagues in several major sports, but how do those league salaries compare to some of the top-paid football stars? Let’s take a look at those leagues and how much the athletes are making.

National Football League

The National Football League is the king of all sports in the United States, and each offseason brings a slew of new contracts where players are given tens of millions per year to join new teams. This is especially true at the quarterback position where they are far and away the highest-paid players on the roster. These players are the only ones who can compare, really, to the top-paid international football players.

Just after his Super Bowl-winning season with the Los Angeles Rams, quarterback Matthew Stafford earned $61.5 million in cash. This would still put him behind the likes of Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe, and Cristiano Ronaldo in yearly salary. If you were to compare the average salary in the NFL to the English Premier League, though, it’s quite close with both around $3 million per year.

National Basketball Association

The National Basketball Association is set up in almost the same way as the NFL in terms of how much the top players are making. However, there are a lot more players in the NBA who are in that upper echelon of salary compared to the NFL. Players like Devin Booker, Nikola Jokic, and Karl-Anthony Towns all average well over $55 million per year, which would make them among the highest-paid soccer players.

The NBA also offers a lot of opportunities for sponsorship deals. Unlike American football, the players’ faces are prominently displayed, allowing people to recognize their favorite athletes away from the court. Because of this, some of the richest athletes in American history have come from the NBA like LeBron James and Michael Jordan.

Major League Baseball

There was a time when Major League Baseball players were the highest-paid athletes in the United States, and some of them are still in that upper level of athlete salaries. However, the highest-paid players aren’t quite matching the levels of the NFL or NBA anymore despite playing at least 162 games per year. Anything above $40 million per year is considered other-worldly in baseball.

To make this kind of money, you also have to have been in the MLB for several years. Even after amazing rookie seasons, baseball teams tend to be very stingy with salaries. You typically don’t see someone making top dollar until they’re in their late 20s at the earliest, with some of the biggest contracts given to those in their mid-30s.

National Hockey League

While the other three major sports leagues in the United States have athletes making tens of millions, the National Hockey League operates with a much smaller salary cap. Because of this, even generational players like Connor McDavid are only paid a fraction of some of the above-average players in baseball.

Only a handful of NHL players are making over $10 million per year, though the NHL is hoping that changes as the sport becomes more popular. For now, though, the NHL is far down on the totem pole of American sports, but at least the minimum salary for players is comparable to the other major sports. This has helped drive interest in younger athletes.

Major League Soccer

The United States wanted a professional football league that could hopefully compete with the likes of the English Premier League or German Bundesliga. Because of this, Major League Soccer was created in the 1990s but hasn’t been quite the hit that some were hoping for. The result has been much lower salaries than the other sports leagues.

While there are many players in the NHL who are paid around or above $10 million, it’s a very rare occurrence for that to happen in the MLS. Typically, the top players in the league can expect to make around $5 million per year, and the average MLS player salary is under $400,000. This makes it 10 times more lucrative to play in the English Premier League on average.

5 Best Movies Starring Rappers

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There is a lot of soul that goes behind rap, and that emotion can actually translate well to the big screen. Though some rappers have been used as actors because of their star power, some have proven to be great actors who can carry a movie. Today, we’ll look at the five best movies that starred A-list rappers (in no particular order).

For this list, we wanted to use rappers who were still in the prime of their music careers when they decided to hop into acting. We tried to exclude any films that used a rapper who had been years removed from their last album release. Also, some of the films that just missed the cut include “Four Brothers”, “House Party”, “New Jack City”, “Juice”, and “ATL”.

Friday

Many consider “Friday” to be a stoner comedy cult hit while others believe it’s one of the best comedy films of the 1990s. There was plenty of acting experience on the set of “Friday” thanks to the likes of Chris Tucker and Nia Long, but the top billing went to Ice Cube just a couple of years removed from his days with NWA.

In the movie, Ice Cube plays the role of Craig Jones, who had just lost his job and spends most of his time with his friend Smokey. The two get into a lot of hijinx in their Compton neighborhood, and Ice Cube himself wrote the film alongside fellow rapper DJ Pooh. “Friday” only cost $3.5 million to make, but pulled in over $27 million at the box office plus plenty of VHS rentals and sales.

Boyz N The Hood

“Friday” isn’t the only classic 1990s film starring Ice Cube, but his other major foray came a few years earlier in his career and had a much more serious tone. Starring alongside Cuba Gooding Jr., Morris Chestnut, and Larry Fishburne, Ice Cube was one of the mains tars of “Boyz N The Hood”. This film also featured South Central Los Angeles as a backdrop, and it became a critically acclaimed smash hit.

With a $6.5 million budget, “Boys N The Hood” took home $57.5 million in ticket sales, giving many of those in middle America a glimpse of what gang life in Los Angeles was like. The coming-of-age film was nominated for a slew of awards, including a pair of Oscars for Best Director and Best Original Screenplay. The soundtrack wasn’t too bad, either, going number one on the R&B charts.

8 Mile

There have been only a handful of cameo appearances as an actor for Detroit-based rapper Eminem, and only one film in which he starred. The movie, of course, is “8 Mile”, which is loosely based on the life of Eminem back when he was simply Marshall Mathers. In “8 Mile”, his stage name is B-Rabbit, but you certainly get the feeling that much of “8 Mile” was based on truth.

The film also stars Brittany Murphy, Mekhi Phifer, and Kim Basinger, all of whom were already accomplished actors. Still, Eminem wasn’t outperformed and looked comfortable in the role, leading to “8 Mile” being a massive blockbuster. The movie made more than $240 million at the box office and Eminem won an MTV Movie Award for Best Male Performance to go along with his Oscar for Best Original Song.

Set It Off

Fresh off of a several-year stretch where she was the most well-known female rapper in the world, Queen Latifah took to acting and had her best performance in 1996 with “Set It Off”. Queen Latifah stars alongside Jada Pinkett, Vivica A. Fox, and Kimberly Elise in a heist film that, like the first two movies on our list, takes place in Los Angeles.

While it might not have been as critically acclaimed as “Boyz N The Hood”, “Set It Off” did get met with overall positive reviews and earned an impressive $41.6 million at the box office. Queen Latifah earned an NAACP Image Award nomination for her performance, setting the stage for her acting career.

Above the Rim

During his illustrious yet brief music career, Tupac Shakur also had a knack for acting. This was showcased in multiple films, including 1994’s sports drama “Above the Rim”. Centered around basketball and penned by “New Jack City” writer Barry Michael Cooper, Shakur stars as Birdie, the younger brother of Leon’s character Shep.

“Above the Rim” didn’t have a ton of box office success with just $16.2 million at the box office, but it was another showcase of Tupac’s acting talents. Even critics who gave it a poor rating couldn’t help but note how Shakur never seemed out of his element in the movie.

5 Countries That Should Host the World Cup

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Since it started in 1930, the World Cup has selected some hosts who have a rich history of football that definitely make sense like England, Brazil, and Argentina. There have also been some countries that aren’t quite as well-known for their programs, including South Africa, Russia, and Qatar. It seems that FIFA is more willing to host the World Cup in countries that have never hosted before, and there are some who should be putting in bids.

Out of the many countries that have yet to host the World Cup, which ones are the most deserving and are best suited to host millions of visitors? Here are our picks for the five nations that FIFA needs to look at for future considerations (in no particular order). Note: Canada and Mexico would have been on the list, but were selected for the 2026 World Cup.

Netherlands

The Netherlands has a great track record at the World Cup and has advanced to the finals on three occasions. Unlike many of the other nations who have reached multiple finals, though, the country has never hosted the World Cup. The infrastructure of the Netherlands is more than capable of handling the World Cup, especially since Amsterdam is host to so many global events.

However, there aren’t many large stadiums compared to places like the United States or the United Kingdom. Johan Cruijff ArenA is able to hold 55,600 people, making it the nation’s largest. De Kuip is the only other venue that can hold over 35,000, and two stadiums isn’t enough for a World Cup for now.

Paraguay

You can’t think about Paraguay without thinking about Uruguay, and the latter nation hosted the very first World Cup in 1930. Since then, however, all of the World Cup events in South America have been held in Brazil, Chile, and Argentina. Paraguay would likely have to engage in a joint effort with another nation like Argentina, Uruguay, or Chile to host the World Cup.

Paraguay simply isn’t large enough to host the entire event on its own, especially with the lack of venues. Only two stadiums hold over 24,000 people, and even those are small by FIFA standards. Estadio General Pablo Rojas holds just over 51,000 while Estadio Defensores del Chaco holds over 42,000.

Morocco

Morocco has shown that they are taking their football program very seriously, and had their best showing at the 2022 World Cup by reaching the semifinals. The nation has also gone all-in on hosting a World Cup, which would put them toward the bottom of the list in terms of overall appearances for a nation that hosted the event.

The country already has more large venues than you might think. Stade Mohamed V, which opened in Casablanca in 1955, holds 67,000 while the much newer Ibn Batouta Stadium in Tanger holds 65,000. A third large stadium is located in Rabat, with Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium holding 60,000 people.

Portugal

Most people think exclusively of Cristiano Ronaldo when they think about Portuguese football, but the nation has become a major player in football ever since he became a professional. Portugal has yet to host a World Cup despite several strong finishes in competition and the fact that their neighbor Spain has hosted before (1982). Portugal is an obvious tourist destination but would need work to host the World Cup.

The only real drawback for Portugal is that the country doesn’t really have many stadiums for World Cup play. Estadio da Luz is the largest in the country, and even that holds just 64,000 people. No other stadium in Portugal has a capacity higher than 50,000, so there would have to be at least a couple of new venues built for the World Cup.

Australia

Australia doesn’t have a long history with the World Cup, and they weren’t even a member of FIFA until the 1960s and qualified just once between 1966 (their first year of eligibility) and 2006. Since 2006, though, the Socceroos have reached the World Cup every time, including a couple of times when they advanced past the group stage. Because of this, Australia has been considered as a potential World Cup host.

Australia has shown that the nation is more than capable of hosting an international event. There is plenty of infrastructure in the nation and space for everyone, as showcased in the 2000 Summer Olympics. Several stadiums are already standing in Australia which would be able to host matches, including Melbourne Cricket Ground which can house 88,000 people, as well as Stadium Australia and Perth Stadium.

5 Most Memorable Winter Olympic Moments

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Every four years, the greatest winter sports athletes from around the world gather to participate in the Olympics. The Winter Olympics aren’t as old as the summer games, with the first taking place in 1924 (Chamonix, France). Despite not having a long list of Olympic Games being held in the winter, there have still been some incredible moments.

Whether it be hockey, downhill skiing or anything in between, the Winter Olympics have become a must-watch for people around the world who don’t want to miss something amazing. Let’s take a look back at the Winter Olympics throughout history and find out which five moments made the games the most memorable.

Kerrigan vs. Harding

On January 6, 1994, American figure skaters Nancy Kerrigan and Tonya Harding were both fighting for a spot on the United States Olympic team in Detroit at the US Figure Skating Championships. Kerrigan was a lock to make the Olympic team, and anyway that she was knocked out of the competition would assure Harding her spot.

Shortly before competing, Kerrigan was attacked by a then-unknown assailant, and all of the fingers immediately pointed toward Harding. Harding maintained her innocence and went on to win the gold, securing her spot. Kerrigan was still selected for the team, and at the 1994 Olympics, all eyes were on the two as they competed. Harding would finish 8th overall while Kerrigan, who almost everyone was rooting for, took home the silver medal.

Crosby’s Golden Goal

Hockey means everything in Canada, and it’s seen as a disappointment when the country doesn’t win gold at the Olympics. This was especially true in 2010 as Canada played host to the winter games, with Vancouver being the chosen city. In group play, the United States and Canada were put together, and the Americans went undefeated as they topped Canada 5-3.

The two teams then met again in the gold medal game, and it was the most-watched broadcast in Canadian history. The intensity was high as there were many American fans in attendance due to proximity, as well, and the game needed overtime to decide a winner. Captain Sidney Crosby snuck in the game-winner, and the response from Canada in that moment seemed straight out of a movie.

Cool Runnings

Speaking of movies, the Crosby goal is the only one on the list that hasn’t been the focus of a feature film. Many remember the 1993 Disney film “Cool Runnings”, which was a feel-good comedy that became a staple for millennials and younger members of Generation X. In Jamaica, it obviously does not snow, so it seemed strange that the country would be able to field a bobsled team.

Jamaica did just that, though, debuting at the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary. Millions tuned in to see the Jamaican team at work even though they were expected to finish last. The Jamaicans were able to finish 30th overall, with their best heat coming in 22nd. Overall, it was an inspiring performance and one of the best Olympic stories.

Eddie the Eagle

The Jamaican bobsled team isn’t the only underdog to not medal but still, get an entire film dedicated to their story. Michael Edwards represented Great Britain in the very same 1988 Olympics, but there was just one caveat: Great Britain hadn’t had a ski jumping competitor in 60 years, making it easy for “Eddie the Eagle” to qualify.

As many expected, Edwards finished dead last at the Olympics, but he certainly had his time in the spotlight and had a lot of fun with it. Edwards’ path to the Olympics was pretty much a loophole that he exploited for fun, and many had a great time following his story. After the 1988 games, the International Olympic Committee made it more difficult for underrepresented countries to make it to the Olympics, keeping Edwards out of the 1992 games.

The Miracle on Ice

Heading into the 1980 Winter Olympics, pretty much every expert predicted that the Soviet hockey team would coast to a gold medal with no real competition. After all, the Soviets had won the previous four Olympic gold medals and were using professional players whereas most other countries were using legitimate amateurs.

The Soviets won all five of their initial group-stage games, entering the final group that contained the United States, Sweden, and Finland. In this round-robin tournament, the team that had the most points would win. The United States was projected to lose badly to the Soviets, but pulled off the massive 4-3 upset, paving the way to the gold medal as they beat the undermanned Finland to take home the title.

5 Most Memorable Fast Food Ad Campaigns

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Marketing is a lot more important than the average person might realize, especially when it comes to fast-food restaurants. Most people already know what fast food joints are already in their towns and cities, but might need that extra push to be convinced into heading there for a meal. Because of this, restaurants dump a ton of money into marketing and making themselves look better than the competition.

There have been plenty of dud campaigns along the way that have cost restaurants millions, but then there have been some that drove up revenue so much that the marketing campaigns felt like pennies in comparison. Here are five of those campaigns that fall into the latter category, and are not only remembered by people who were alive when they ran but are known to those born years after.

Have It Your Way

Back in the day if you went to a fast-food restaurant and wanted to make some substitutions to your order, there was a good chance that you would’ve simply been told to order something else. That all changed in the early 1970s when Burger King released their “Have It Your Way” campaign, allowing customers to alter their meals. In fact, Burger King encouraged people to change their orders.

If you didn’t want mayo on your Whopper, Burger King told people that “special orders don’t upset us.” The jingle has been a staple for Burger King ever since, and an altered version was used in recent years. You may know it better as the “Whopper Whopper” commercial that played several times during seemingly every sporting event and became an earworm for millions.

I’m Lovin’ It

In Germany, McDonald’s released an ad campaign called “Ich Liebe Es,” which became a familiar catchphrase worldwide. It was translated into every native language for countries that had a McDonald’s, and in English-speaking countries, it was “I’m Lovin’ It”. In the early 2000s, McDonald’s went all-in on the ad campaign, even tabbing pop superstar Justin Timberlake to create a full-length jingle.

The song was even written by Pharrell Williams, showing just how serious McDonald’s was. The catchphrase became a permanent slogan for McDonald’s and its catchiness had people saying it even outside of the fast food context. Just how successful was the catchphrase in some countries? The Timberlake jingle became the number-one song for a brief period in Belgium.

Subway’s Weight Loss

As fast food became more prevalent in modern society, it was linked to the rapid increase of obesity worldwide. Many fast-food chains were scrambling to do something that would make them appear healthier to the public, and Subway was the one that came out on top. Using a spokesman who at the time seemed like a wholesome everyman that lost 250 pounds by eating Subway, the chain became the go-to for people who wanted fast food but also wanted to lose weight.

This increase in new customers caused Subway to rapidly expand around the world to become the most common fast food chain globally. The advent of the $5 footlong came along around the same time, but the increase in prices and the tainted legacy of Jared Fogle has knocked Subway from its top spot.

Where’s the Beef

Many people accused fast food restaurants of using small hamburger patties and large buns to make their sandwiches appear larger in advertising, and Wendy’s knew that. The burger chain wanted to rip on the likes of McDonald’s and Burger King for this practice, and enlisted the help of actress Clara Peller to look at their burgers and ask “Where’s the beef?”

The slogan became an international hit and caused Wendy’s to explode in popularity to the point where they were rivaling both of the big two. The “Where’s the Beef” campaign was so successful that it even launched a novelty song and was seen on bumper stickers and t-shirts around the world.

Yo Quiero Taco Bell

Another one of those slogans that really caught on to the point where people said it without even thinking about fast food was “Yo quiero Taco Bell?” In 1997, Taco Bell launched a marketing campaign where a real-life chihuahua named Gidget asked that very question, and was voiced by Carlos Alazraqui of “Reno 911” fame.

While many marketing campaigns only last for a couple of months at most, “Yo quiero Taco Bell” became a staple of their advertising for three years. Interestingly enough, though, Taco Bell was sued successfully for over $30 million when it was discovered that two men from Michigan pitched the idea to Taco Bell. The restaurant chain didn’t pay them royalties after denying their pitch in 1996.

5 Most Successful Taylor Swift Albums

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It seems that these days, fame is more fleeting than ever as the digital era of music has allowed artists to come out of nowhere and take some of the attention away from the established superstars. However, some stars have proven that they’re immune to any shift in genre and stand out at the top of the charts despite all of the newcomers. Taylor Swift is one of those artists that transcends any fad in music to stick around as a top act.

Since making her debut, Swift has released a ton of successful albums, selling well over 100 million units in her career. Which ones have been the most successful, though? Let’s take a look at her discography and remember the five that absolutely dominated the charts both album-wise and singles-wise.

Speak Now

Back in 2010, Taylor Swift was still making that transition from country music to pure pop music, and “Speak Now” marked the final album which people consider to be “country pop.” Swift wrote the album all on her own, which is a huge risk for any musician trying to make it in pop. The gamble paid off in a huge way for Swift as the album got off to a hot start thanks to the initial single “Mine”.

Though the singles from “Speak Now” didn’t dominate the top of the charts like some of her other albums, there were still some hits which included “Back to December”, “Mean”, and “Story of Us”. Her third studio album, “Speak Now” was certified platinum six times over, reaching sales of nearly 5 million in the United States and reaching the number one spot in four countries, including the United States.

Taylor Swift

All careers have to start somewhere, and for Taylor Swift, it was in 2006 when she released her self-titled debut album. At the time, Swift was just 16 years old and fully entrenched in the country music genre as she had been signed to Sony and was recording in Nashville, Tennessee. The debut single from the album was “Tim McGraw”, an ode to one of the genre’s biggest legends.

Swift followed his up with a slew of chart-toppers including “Teardrops on My Guitar”, “Our Song”, and “Should’ve Said No”. Swift was well on her way to stardom early on, selling nearly 6 million copies in the United States alone and achieving seven-time platinum status. Interestingly enough, though, it’s the only Swift album to not reach number one on the US Billboard 200.

Red

Following the success of “Speak Now”, 2012 marked the full transition into pop music for Swift’s career when she released “Red”. Many were curious to see where she would go next, and the album didn’t disappoint in the slightest. The debut single “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” was a megahit, and the rest of the track list didn’t let up.

“22”, “I Knew You Were Trouble”, and “Everything Has Changed” all became wildly successful, and the sales numbers backed up how much people loved the pop version of Swift. “Red” reached the top of six major charts around the world and was platinum seven times. More than 8 million copies were sold, and earned Swift a Grammy nomination for Album of the Year.

Fearless

You have to go back to the early days of Swift’s career to find one of her most successful albums, and it was the highly-anticipated sophomore release titled “Fearless” in 2008. Swift proved that she wasn’t a flash in the pan, and actually found more highly-charting singles than her debut. “Love Story” was the first single released from “Fearless” and was one of the biggest hits of the 2000s.

“You Belong With Me” became another massive hit, with other songs like “Fifteen” and “White Horse” achieving solid success, too. “Fearless” reached number one in the United States, Canada, and New Zealand, and it’s the only Swift album that has achieved certified diamond status thanks to 12 million copies sold worldwide. “Fearless” also won major Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year.

1989

If you ask any Swiftie what their favorite album is, there’s a good chance that they’re going to say “1989”. Released in 2014, “1989” proved to be the biggest hit-producer of Swift’s career, starting with the infectious “Shake It Off”. There were seven total singles released from “1989”, three of which reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100.

“Blank Space” and “Bad Blood” were the other two, while songs like “Style”, “Wildest Dreams”, and “Out of the Woods” were all highly charting. “1989” received 10-time platinum status and sold more than 10 million copies worldwide despite being released in the digital era. Like “Fearless”, “1989” won the Grammy for Album of the Year, making Swift the first solo female to win the award twice.

5 Toys You Forgot Were Massively Popular

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Those of us who have ever cleaned out a garage or attic have found some relics from our childhood that remind us of what was popular back then. Toys play a massive factor in any trip down memory lane, especially when it comes to the toys that were only popular for a brief period of time.

What were some of the more notable toys that were all over the place seemingly for a week before they vanished? Let’s take a look at five toys you forgot were massively popular (and that you probably owned).

POGs

Nothing says the mid-1990s quite like POGs, but kids had been playing a variation of the game simply called Milk Caps for decades by that point. The game originated in Hawaii and had children dropping a heavier cap onto the lighter ones, keeping any of those which landed face up. The game experienced a huge surge in popularity when there was a branding effort resulting in the release of POGs.

Almost everything that could be licensed was made into a POG, including NFL teams and major motion pictures. POGs became highly collectible, with many hanging onto their collections thinking that some of them would be worth a lot of money. However, POGs proved to be a fad that left almost as quickly as they came. Many millennials still look back fondly on their time spent slamming plastic onto cardboard in their driveways.

Tamagotchi

When you translate Tamagotchi into English, it literally means Egg Watch, but that wasn’t exactly what you got when you had one Tamagotchi could fit right into your pocket and often had a key chain attachment, but instead of telling you the time, there was a digital pet that you had to take care of.

The pet ate, drank, and even used the bathroom, and you had to make sure that all of it was monitored or else there were tragic results. First introduced in Japan in 1996, Tamagotchi became a massive fad around the world and sold tens of millions of units. In Japan, Tamagotchi never really lost steam in terms of popularity, but in most other countries, it only lasted about a year before people started to ignore them.

Razor Scooters

If you’re a millennial or zoomer and have permanent scars on your ankles and shins, the Razor Scooter may have been to blame. These scooters were typically affordable and served their purpose as a means of quicker transportation. While scooters had existed for years prior to the Razor coming out, this brand made them cool to own, and they were a must-have at the start of the millennium.

The original models had foam handles that could spin in all 360 degrees, which made them unique but also made them a bit dangerous. That didn’t matter to kids, though, and they braved their rocky sidewalks and streets on their Razor scooters. While not nearly as popular as they once were, Razor Scooters are still kicking and causing minor injuries around the world.

Skip-It

Razor Scooters weren’t the only thing causing shin injuries by the minute, as the Skip-It had been doing it for years beforehand. The concept was quite simple for the Skip-It, as you put your foot through a loop that ultimately went around your ankle. That hoop was attached with a longer string and ball, and you had to spin it around like a Hula Hoop while skipping over the string.

The original Skip-It became popular in the 1980s, though it was a fad that went away quickly. However, Skip-It had a big comeback in the 1990s thanks to a massive branding effort on children’s television programming and had a second wind. That didn’t last long, either, but there are still some Skip-Its being made. In fact, finding one from its original run can be quite valuable.

Koosh Ball

Many of us think about the late 1990s when it comes to the Koosh Ball thanks to Rosie O’Donnell launching them into the crowd of her popular daytime television show. Koosh Balls date back nearly a decade beyond that, though, as they were invented in 1987 by Scott H. Stillinger. These soft rubber balls were safe to toss around the house (for the most part), making them appealing.

Koosh Balls were used for a bevy of reasons and many different brands wanted on board. A lot of licensed Koosh Balls were made, and they’re still in production today, but they aren’t featured as prominently as part of pop culture. Currently, Koosh is owned by Hasbro and there are plenty of product lines to keep enthusiasts busy.

Top 10 Animal Crossing: New Horizons Items You Should Always Keep in Your Inventory

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As one of the best-selling titles in video game history, there are plenty of people every day who are being introduced to “Animal Crossing: New Horizons” for the first time. There are also plenty of veterans who are looking for tips on how to become more efficient on their islands. For those in either category, there are some items that you should always keep in your inventory, with these 10 being the most important.

Shovel 

A shovel is a huge necessity in Animal Crossing: New Horizons. You can dig up trees and other plants to add to your inventory or move to a different location. You’ll need it to dig up buried bells, fossils, and other cool items hidden underneath. 

Wetsuit 

This one is important because without a wetsuit you can’t take a dip in the ocean to search for all the interesting creatures and items that reside there. Nobody wants to go all the way back to their closet to change, either. Keeping it in your inventory makes the process of changing for diving down into the depths a lot easier.  

Axe

Always keep your axe handy. Not only that, but keep a couple of different types of axes handy. The flimsy axe and stone axe are both easy to craft and allow you to chop branches off of trees without completely chopping the entire tree down. The regular axe, the next step up from the stone axe, is powerful and perfect for chopping down trees. 

Iron 

Iron is likely the most essential crafting item you’ll have access to in Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Iron is extremely useful in crafting tools, and furniture, and donating to Timmy and Tommy to help them build their brick-and-mortar shop that will hold more items for you to purchase. Always keep some on you to craft new tools once they break, because you may not always be near your home storage when it happens. 

Net

Keep your net handy, because you want to avoid being met with a swarm of wasps coming toward you when you shake the wrong tree. You can defeat the swarm by quickly capturing them with your net. They sell for a pretty penny and take away the headache of being viciously stung and in need of medicine to heal. Nets are also great to have on hand for when you spot a special bug to catch and don’t want to run all the way back to your home storage to find your net in order to catch it. 

Bells

Bells are important to have on your person for the times you need to run to buy emergency medicine after a nasty wasp sting. Or if you want to plant a load of bells in a special glowing hole in the ground to grow a tree full of bell sacks. Or maybe you want something cool from the shops, but don’t want to run back and forth to and from the bank. 

Medicine 

As we’ve mentioned previously, being stung by wasps in the game, and probably in real life, is not fun at all. Your character ends up looking like they got sucker punched in the eye and if you get stung twice, you have to stop what you’re doing and start back at your home. Medicine is vital to have in your inventory, even if just a few doses. Those pesky wasps could torment even the most vigilant players.  So, relief is good to have on hand. 

Ladder

If you don’t want to go through the hassle of building ladders on every single ledge and cliff on your island, or perhaps you’re visiting an island that you cannot make any additions to, then a travel ladder is a must-have. You don’t want to get stuck somewhere and have to get rescued. Although, there’s no shame if it comes to that. Avoid annoyances like that by keeping your ladder with you at all times.  

Fishing Rod

Fishing is such a fun and relaxing part of this beloved game. There are so many creatures to catch, sell, donate to Blathers, and even keep as pets. You’ll never know when the perfect catch is going to be waiting beneath the water’s surface. Keep your fishing rod on you, so you never miss an opportunity to fish for all the cool marine life available to you. 

Slingshot

One of the most fun and exciting items to receive when playing Animal Crossing: New Horizons is the balloons floating around holding cute gift boxes. You never know what they’ll hold inside. The mystery and random appearance of the gifts make trying to obtain them even more fun. Always have your slingshot handy, because there’s really no other way to shoot down the balloons and receive your gift.

5 Greatest Women’s Tennis Players of All Time: A Retrospective

Posted on by scatty

No matter what era it is or if it’s men or women, there are certain people who dominate in tennis for an extended period of time. Out of the many generations of women’s tennis, there have been a handful of names who have been so much better than the rest of the field that you expected them to win each tournament.

It’s hard to say which ones were the best of the best as they mainly come from different eras, but here are our picks for the five greatest women’s tennis players of all time. Before we begin the list, here are some of the women that just missed the cut: Billie Jean King, Venus Williams, Monica Seles, Martina Hingis, and Kim Clijsters.

5. Margaret Court

The first player on the list is Margaret Court, an Australian player who would dominate when it came to her home country’s largest tournament. At the Australian Open Court won her first title in 1960, the same year she became a professional player. Court went on to win the Aussie Open a total of 11 times, four more than anybody else in tennis history.

Court was no slouch in the other grand slam events, either. She won Wimbledon three times while adding five titles each at the French Open and US Open. Court added a long list of titles as a doubles and mixed doubles player, including 12 combined at the Australian Open. While Court played in an easier era, she still proved that nobody was even close to her skill level at the time.

4. Chris Evert

Someone had to take the mantle from Margaret Court as the next best player in tennis, and that honor went to Chris Evert. Toward the end of Court’s career, Evert started to take off and won her first grand slam titles in 1974, just two years after turning pro. That year, Evert won the French Open and Wimbledon, which was just the start for her career.

Evert won a total of 18 grand slam events as a singles player and another two as a doubles player. Evert was certainly more in her element when playing solo, and she won a total of 157 professional tournaments. The 1995 International Tennis Hall of Fame inductee pulled home nearly $9 million in career winnings and her record of 34 grand slam finals appearances is top all time.

3. Steffi Graf

Evert played a good chunk of her career in the 1980s, and during that time she had competition from our next two players. The first of which is Steffi Graf, who was the young up-and-comer during the decade whereas Evert was the seasoned vet. The German-born Graf turned professional in 1982 and won her first grand slam title five years later at the French Open.

Graf would win 107 titles in total, good enough for third all-time. The former number-one player took home the championship at 22 different grand slam events and added a doubles title at Wimbledon in 1988. Graf isn’t in the top 10 of prize money due to the increase in payouts but was still able to take home $21.89 million.

2. Martina Navratilova

For many years, Martina Navratilova was considered the greatest player in women’s tennis history, and it’s easy to see why. After several years of grinding as a young professional, Navratilova won her first grand slam in 1978 at Wimbledon and set the record for most titles at the tournament with nine.

Navratilova would win nine more grand slams spread across the other three events, including four US Open championships. Navratilova won a total of 167 professional tournaments, setting the women’s record. Overall she won 1,442 professional matches and earned $21.6 million in prize money.

1. Serena Williams

It should come as no surprise that Serena Williams is the top player on the list as she dominated in the modern era when players from around the world were at a higher skill level thanks to being able to focus on tennis full-time. Williams made her professional debut in 1995 and was a force all the way up until her retirement in late 2022.

As a singles player, Williams won her first grand slam in 1999 by taking the US Open title, and she would go on to add multiple titles from every grand slam event along the way. Williams won a total of 23 grand slam titles, including seven each from Wimbledon and the Australian Open. Just to make things even more impressive, she added another 14 doubles grand slam titles and brought home a record $94.8 million in winnings.

5 Most Dominating Performances at The Masters

Posted on by scatty

Out of all four of the majors on the PGA Tour, the Masters Tournament is the one that people look forward to the most. The main reason is that it’s the only major where the venue doesn’t change. Each April, the Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia is home to the Masters Tournament, with the winner receiving the famed green jacket.

There have been some close calls as well as dominant performances. Today, we focus on the latter category and look at the five most dominating performances in Masters history. Before we begin the list, here are some of the performances that just missed the cut (no pun intended): Claude Harmon (1948), Dustin Johnson (2020), Phil Mickelson (2010), and Ben Hogan (1953).

Arnold Palmer (1964)

The first performance on the list isn’t close to the top of the list in terms of the best overall score, but few were able to leap ahead of the field as the legendary Arnold Palmer did in 1964. After a decent first round that saw him tied for first at -3, Palmer went off in the second round as he shot four-under while nobody else could improve on the first-round scores.

With a four-stroke advantage heading into the third round, Palmer extended his lead by one stroke, even as Australian Bruce Devlin had an amazing day that brought him to -5. It was too little too late for Devlin and the rest of the field as Palmer gained another stroke on everyone else in the final round. He would finish with a score of -12, six strokes ahead of Dave Marr and Jack Nicklaus.

Cary Middlecoff (1955)

While most of the dominating performances on the list included a strong first round, that wasn’t the case for Cary Middlecoff in 1955. He finished with an even 72 that day, putting him one stroke behind Julius Boros and Mike Souchak and a whopping five strokes behind Jack Burke Jr. Burke faded in the second round, though, as Middlecoff had a tremendous performance on cut day, finishing seven under par.

Middlecoff stayed at -7 during the third round, but so did pretty much everyone in the field with some tough conditions. During the final round, nobody threatened Middlecoff and he extended his lead to six strokes heading to the 18th hole. Middlecoff birdied the final hole and finished -9, seven strokes ahead of Ben Hogan.

Raymond Floyd (1976)

The conditions for the 1976 Masters were amazing for the first two rounds and the golfers were able to put up some staggering numbers. Raymond Floyd finished the first round at -7, which was still only able to give him a one-stroke lead above Andy North. Floyd extended his lead with a -6 performance in the second round, and his -13 was five strokes ahead of Jack Nicklaus.

As conditions got a bit tougher, Floyd increased his lead to eight strokes after the third round as he was the only one to improve his overall score. Nobody had a chance to catch him on the last day and that eight-stroke lead he took into Sunday would remain as he finished -17 with Ben Crenshaw taking the runner-up spot.

Jack Nicklaus (1965)

The legendary Jack Nicklaus has been in the top three for a lot of the most dominant performances, and in 1965 he was the one that was doing the dominating. Interestingly enough, though, Nicklaus didn’t have the lead to himself heading into the weekend. Nicklaus (-5) was two strokes behind Gary Player after the first round, then tied with Player and Arnold Palmer at -6 following the second.

Nicklaus raced through the course on Saturday, putting up a 64 to bring his total to -14, separating himself from Player by five strokes. He then shot -3 in the final round while Palmer and Player reunited at second place. Nicklaus finished -17, including a birdie on the final hole for the cherry on top.

Tiger Woods (1997)

We might never see a margin of victory at the Masters like the one that Tiger Woods was able to put up in 1997. Tiger shot a 70 in the first round, which actually put him three strokes behind leader John Huston. The other three days would be an entirely different story, however. After the first nine holes of the tournament, Woods was +4 overall, but following the second day he was -8, giving him a -12 performance over 27 holes.

Woods didn’t look back and extended his lead to nine strokes after the third round, then cruised in the final round with a 69. Woods finished -18 while Tom Kite was a distant second at -6. By the final day, the question was who would finish runner-up as it was a $100,000 difference between second and third.