Nate Tramdaks, Staff Writer

The ever-polarizing figure that is Patrick Reed is back in the spotlight. Reed announced his departure from LIV Golf back in Jan. 2026 after three and a half years with the tour. Simultaneously, he announced his intention to rejoin the PGA Tour. The 2018 Masters Champion was not granted immediate reinstatement through the Returning Player Program because he did not meet the criteria. 

Unlike Brooks Koepka, fellow LIV defector, Reed will be serving a one-year suspension from the PGA Tour for leaving without proper release back in 2022. Patrick Reed will be spending the 2026 season on the DP World Tour (DPWT) with the intention to secure his PGA Tour card for the 2027 season and beyond. So far, Reed has been killing it; so let’s look at what he has done, the future outlook for his year and what a return to the PGAT means for the Tour and Captain America. 

Patrick Reed is exercising his lifetime member status with DPWT, a status he acquired back in 2019 after winning the 2018 Masters. Reed is taking this route to regain PGAT status because the top 10 DPWT players gain exempt status into the PGAT for the following season, and there is a chance Reed may not qualify outright. 

So far through four tournaments, Reed is head and shoulders above the field. He took home a win in the Hero Dubai Desert Classic where he won by four shots. The next week, he finished T2 in the Bahrain Championship, coming up short in a playoff. Then the week after, Reed capped off a dominant run in the Desert by winning the Qatar Masters by two shots. Heading into the South African Open, Reed is first in the DPWT Race to Dubai Ranking, leading by 400,000 points. His performance is starting to get recognized globally as he is currently ranked 18th in the Official World Golf Ranking, a huge jump from 42nd where he finished in 2025.

Despite having a lifetime member status, Reed is still subject to qualification requirements for DPWT “Back Nine” events which he has already locked up a spot for. Along with these tournament lock-ins, Reed will be playing in the Scottish Open at the Renaissance Club in July. The Scottish Open is a PGAT co-sanctioned event that Reed is using a loophole to play in despite his suspension. 

Reed will be playing in a PGA event before his suspension expiration in August 2026. Along with the DPWT events, Reed will almost certainly be playing in all four majors. He has lifetime exemption into the Masters and finished third in 2025. He can play in the PGA Championship at Aronimink by either invitation, which is how he played in 2025, or finish top three during the DPWT Asian Swing. He should qualify for the U.S. Open being top 60 in OWGR, and the Open being top 25 in Race to Dubai.

Patrick Reed’s full return to the PGAT in 2027 will be one of the most exciting developments for the sport in recent history. Not only will it spark the return of big names from LIV, but it will provide what the sport is currently missing – drama. Reed has been a controversial golf figure for his entire career, starting all the way back when he got kicked out the University of Georgia. Buried in all the extracurriculars, Reed’s talent can get forgotten. Reed has one of the most aesthetically pleasing swings in golf and is lights out under pressure. Reed will provide an energy that has been missing from the PGAT since LIV came about. When he’s on, and when fans get behind him, he is a fun guy to watch and root for. Going back to the 2016 Ryder Cup and his battle with Rory McIlroy during the Sunday singles at Hazeltine, Patrick Reed can once again be an electrifying presence on the biggest stages in golf.

Nate Tramdaks, Staff Writer

During the NBA All-Star break, Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe represented the 76ers in Inglewood, California. Maxey and Team Stars won the All-Star Game on Sunday and Edgecombe won Rising Stars MVP on Saturday. Aside from the All-Star festivities, this week-long break was a perfect time for the Sixers to regroup as a team as they enter the final stretch of the regular season and push onward to the playoffs. This team has had a lot of bright spots and some dark spots this season, but where do they stand at this point in the playoffs?

Coming out of the break, the Sixers sit at 30-24, sixth in the Eastern Conference and 3.5 games back of fourth (home court in the first round). Any Sixers fan would have signed for this record at this point back in October. Maxey has been playing at an All-NBA first-team level, Edgecombe looks like the second best rookie in the class just behind Cooper Flagg, and Embiid seems to be playing like his former self, but this doesn’t seem to be reflected in their record.

For the entirety of the season it has seemed like the Sixers would get within a 0.5 game or a game of third place, but would then drop two of their next three and fall right back to fifth or sixth. A lot of this has been due to the inconsistency with the play of Paul George and Joel Embiid. When they are fully healthy, they can compete with any roster in the league. Through the early part of the season, when Embiid was playing so infrequently, they had two different identities. With Embiid out, Maxey and Edgecombe were free to run in transition and were a more pace-and-spaced team. With Embiid in, they turn into a stagnant half-court team that is reliant on Embiid post-ups and an Embiid-Maxey two-man game. This parity in identity has been concerning in the regular season because it has been hard for them to build a rhythm. However, this will benefit the team in the playoffs, which is half-court and low-pace dominated. This has been the ideal for Sixer playoff success, finding the best infrastructure to support an Embiid-centric offense. 

At the deadline, many Sixer fans were outraged at the decision of the team to sell off Jared McCain in order to duck the tax. That is a whole different story, but the short of it is that Sixers fans’ outrage is ill-informed and the trade was a good long term move. It is understandable to expect them to buy considering how open the East is. I am partial to Daryl Morey who said, if there was a move to be made, we would have made it. Nothing of value seemed to be out there anyway when you look at who was actually moved around the league.

As the Sixers open the back half of their season, they have the 23rd hardest schedule (seventh easiest). It seems likely they can avoid the play-in, even with Paul George out for a substantial amount of time, and even try to creep up a spot or two. Embiid has reported decreased swelling in his knee, and the Sixers have brought back Cam Payne to fill up some backup PG minutes. The Sixers have the talent to make a deep run, the question remains–do they have the timing?

Nate Tramdaks, Staff Writer

Since its 2022 inception, LIV Golf was designed to be a disruptive force on the global scale, with the intent to reshape professional golf. In nearly 4 years, it stalled on the runway. In its nascent stages, LIV was able to attract PGA stars, some of whom were past Major Champions. Guys like Bryson DeChambeau, John Rahm and Brooks Koepka (players who seemed to be entering the peak of their powers) were allured by the massive nine-figure contracts. Now, in 2026-27, those contracts are starting to expire, and players are starting to rethink their decisions. 

The PGA defectors were vilified and for good reason. They took the easy way out. They accepted money from a morally reprehensible source – The Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia (PIF) – bloody oil money. The PIF owns 93% of LIV. This action alone brought into question the players competitiveness, dignity and integrity. The cowardice of the defectors didn’t stop there; they had the gall to turn around and sue the PGA. Several defectors filed an antitrust lawsuit against the PGA Tour after being indefinitely suspended for joining LIV, arguing that, as independent contractors, the Tour’s actions unlawfully restricted their ability to earn a living. After almost a year of litigation, the case was dismissed in June of 2023. 

For 3 years since LIV’s emergence, professional golf has been fragmented. The sports’ best players were no longer tested against each other week after week, only four times a year. The Majors have since carried extra weight due to this fact. You had real villains. In the 12 Major meetings since, LIV won 4 of the 12: Cam Smith (Open, 2022), Koepka (PGA Championship, 2023), Rahm (Masters, 2023), and DeChambeau (US Open, 2024). Among these wins, LIV saw a plethora of T10 finishes in these events.

Despite these finishes, LIV has been unable to harness a market and the future of their talent looks rather bleak. The players they had played in Majors were only there by way of past-champ exemptions; by the nature of LIV as tour, no LIV player can outright qualify for Majors. Since LIV’s tournaments are three-rounds, players cannot gain world ranking points. It goes without saying that the world rankings matter for the stars. Moreover, and most importantly, nobody watches LIV. The Sunday rounds for LIV average about 175 thousand viewers, which is tiny compared to the PGA’s 3.1 million average Sunday viewers. The Tour’s ability to sustain itself is now being heavily scrutinized, and player’s contracts are starting to expire.

At the start of the new year, multiple-time major champion Brooks Koepka announced his desire to rejoin the PGA. In response, the PGA created the “Returning Member Program.” This program was designed to allow only Koepka back immediately. The program outlines that players who won a Major or The Players Championship between 2022-2025 can return without suspension, but must pay a $5 million donation, forfeit 5 years of Tour equity, and must apply by Feb. 2nd. As previously mentioned, Koepka won the PGA in 2023. The PGA is rewarding Koepka with a slap on the wrist because, relative to other stars, Koepka seemed to acknowledge his mistake. He never repped LIV team merch/logos during Majors, was never outspoken against the PGA, and most importantly he kept his name off of the lawsuit. This past weekend, Koepka made the cut at Torrey Pines in the Farmers Insurance Open for his first PGA start in 3 years.  

Koepka’s return has started the mass departure from LIV with previous Masters champion, Patrick Reed, announcing his intention to return on January 29th. Reed does not fit the criteria for the Returning Player Program and will serve his suspension and play 1-year with the DP World Tour. Kevin Na and Henrik Stenson also announced their intentions to return and are serving suspension. The PGA is starting to prepare for DeChambeau and Rahm to return when their contracts are up at the end of 2026. 

“I’ve got a contract for this year, and we’ll go through it there and see what happens after that,” said DeCambeau during LIV media day.

Sean Musial, Editor

During the 2025 MLB season so far, the Phillies have made it to the top of the NL East division with a record of 86-60. This has placed them second overall in the National League behind the Milwaukee Brewers.

I had the fortunate opportunity of going to the Tuesday night game on Sept. 9 against the New York Mets with some of my hometown buddies. The Phillies dominated this game with a 9-3 final score, giving us an even better performance the next night with a score of 11-3.

The crowd roared the entire game. Behind us was a Mets fan that traveled all the way to Philly to see the game, and he couldn’t help but laugh at the banter the Phillies’ fans had to say during every moment.

With the win-streak they have now, it’s a great look as the regular season comes to an end in just a couple of weeks. A highlight in the Mets series saw Kyle Schwarber hitting his 50th home run. He has become the second Phillie in franchise history to hit 50 home runs in a single season, almost catching up to Ryan Howard’s 2006 record with 58. During the Sept. 9 game, the stadium roared over this accomplishment as the 50th “Schwar-bomb” made it into the stands. 

Despite early turbulence with this year’s season, the Phillies began to build momentum as the summer advanced. Big series wins began to shape their identity moving forward as player inconsistency began to tighten up. The team got used to seeing themselves coming from behind or stop losing streaks before they saw it turn for the worse.

The journey towards “Red October” hasn’t been without serious tests coming from every direction. Alec Boehm was placed on a 10-day injured list with a cyst and Trea Turner is currently sidelined, raising questions about infield depth and who will be stepping up during those big decision making plays.

Kyle Schwarber remains a priority for Philly to retain, but his free-agent situation adds some tensions moving forward. This adds to the many uncertainties for many players’ contract situations, declining metrics in some cases, and the pressure of past postseason exits loom large. While wins are continuing to pile up, the offense has had its share of cold streaks that is threatening to derail what they’ve been building. 

There are multiple factors that could either jeopardize or secure Philly’s postseason fates moving forward. If pitchers Jesus Luzardo, Ranger Suárez, Aaron Nola and company can stay sharp, give length and limit big innings, that takes a lot of pressure off the bullpen for someone like Jhoan Duran. He has been good, but some relievers have had uneven stretches. Closing tight games down the stretch, especially when facing pressure from Milwaukee for best NL record or wild‑card chasing teams, will be vital in the later games.

Prolonged slumps is something the Phillies need to avoid by any means. When Bryce Harper, Schwarber, Brandon Marsh and the supporting cast have hot bats together, the Phillies are dangerous. When any one of those bats cool off, the margin for error shrinks quickly. Injured players like Turner and Bohm may return, but their replacements need to perform well in high situations before that. Spot starts, defensive subs and pinch‑runners are often overlooked but can decide a close postseason series.

The Phillies are in prime shape to make a deep postseason run when you add all of this up. If they keep winning series, lock down the NL East and avoid letting the Brewers run away with the best overall NL record, they’ll enter October with hurtling momentum. Retaining key players would also help maintain the identity and power of the offense.

Nothing is guaranteed in baseball, especially come October, but this Phillies team seems to be peaking at a good time. The next couple weeks will likely reveal whether they’ve built enough depth, endurance and mental resilience to push past prior postseason disappointments. Go Phills!

Andrew Noel, Editor     

Spring is here, the weather is getting warmer and the sun is up past 5 p.m. That can only mean one thing: baseball is back.

The Phillies once again enter the 2025 season with high expectations. However, after last season’s second half struggles, and after being easily swept aside by the Mets in the playoffs, many fans are not expecting much out of the largely unchanged team from a year ago.

This year’s lineup will be nearly identical to the one that Manager Rob Thompson fielded last year, with the rumors that third baseman Alec Bohms’ departure being just that, rumors. The main concern that people have with the Phillies’ lineup is twofold. First, everyone is a year older which means one of the oldest teams in baseball just got… well, older. Second, the main issue that has plagued the Phillies in recent seasons has been striking out too much and, as a unit, being very inconsistent. 

Players like Nick Castellanos and Bryson Stott have to show more hitting consistency in 2025. The Phillies also have to hope that aging superstars Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwaber do not begin to decline, as has been the case with catcher J.T. Realmuto. If the Phillies do find themselves struggling offensively, top prospect Aiden Miller is waiting in the wings for his opportunity at the big league level. The Phillies’ lineup remains the biggest question mark heading into the new season.

In terms of pitching, the Phillies’ starting rotation remains largely unchanged from a year ago, at least at the top. Zach Wheeler and Aaron Nola will once again shoulder the load and be two crucial players in determining how this season goes. Ranger Suarez and Christopher Sanchez nicely fill in the third and fourth starting spots, and newly acquired Jesus Luzardo will try to overcome the injury bug and develop into the pitcher that many people thought would be a star just a few years ago. One of the game’s best pitching prospects, Andrew Painter, is healthy again and will be looking to make an impact in the second half of the season.

The area with the most change on the Phillies roster from a year ago is no doubt the bullpen. Jeff Hoffman and Carlos Estevez both departed as free agents in the Winter, with Jordan Romano being brought in to help fill the hole left by Hoffman and Estevez. Jose Alvarado and Orion Kerkering will both hope for bounce back years, and Matt Strahm will be hoping to build off a very good 2024 season.

The Phillies are good–no one can doubt that. However, it became clear last year that the team that will be once again fielding this year does not have the talent to win a World Series. They will certainly be in the playoff picture and will have a say in who represents the National League in the World Series, but unless things drastically change, it’s hard to see the Phillies winning the World Series in 2025, although worse teams than these Phillies have won it in the past. 

Sean Musial, Staff Writer

The world of Philly sports is something you can only truly understand if you live in the City of Brotherly Love. Whether it’s through attending the games, going to tailgates, celebrating at parades, watching games at your home or simply just keeping up with a team through a season, the community that our city has developed through our teams is something most cities can’t match.

In the words of Jason Kelce when the Eagles won the Super Bowl back in 2018 while wearing a mummer’s outfit, “No one likes us. We don’t care.” A quote that embodies all of our carefree spirits, showing how we celebrate our hometown team in our own unique way. The wild antics and distinct individuals that attend the games is just fuel to the Philly fire. 

Primarily for the Eagles and Phillies, tailgating for the game, even if you’re not actually going into the stadium, has truly become part of the Philly experience. People gather together in the surrounding parking lots with cars loaded with food, coolers, tables, games, tents, decorations and many other things to immerse themselves into the fun for a few hours. 

The groups that go down there together are usually close friends and families, but it’s guaranteed that you’ll meet a wide array of individuals while attending these events. A lot of Philadelphia residents use these times throughout the year to have their fun away from school or work. The environment created within the stadium district becomes ecstatic during these times, creating great memories in the process.

When it comes to game time, nothing beats it. Being surrounded by thousands of fans cheering for your hometown can give a euphoric feeling as you cheer alongside them. No matter if it’s the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park, the Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field or the Flyers and the 76ers at Wells Fargo Center, going to the game is a fantastic experience. 

The Eagles are coming off a well deserved Super Bowl victory during their 2024-2025 season where they defeated the Kansas City Chiefs. Though the season is over, the Eagles have still been ranked as the top team in the NFC by analysts giving all of Philly the hope that they can make it to another Super Bowl, possibly even another matchup with the Chiefs.

The 76ers on the other hand have been facing a challenging season, being placed in 12th slot of the Eastern Conference after having a 23-46 record.

The Phillies have been in the middle of spring training as they prepare for the upcoming 2025 season. The National League East (NLE) division is projected to be highly competitive this season, with the Atlanta Braves and New York Mets posing significant challenges. The Phillies aim to leverage a healthier roster and strong starting rotation to contend for the division title.

The Flyers have boasted the worst record so far out of the Philly teams with 28 wins, 34 losses, and 9 overtime losses, putting them at the bottom of the Metropolitan Division. The offense has been ranked 18th in goals scored, while the defense has allowed the fourth most goals in the league. 

Despite the ups and downs of each team, one thing remains constant: the unwavering passion of the fans. Whether celebrating a championship victory or enduring a tough season, the city’s loyalty never becomes dull. From the electric atmosphere of tailgates to the roaring stadium crowds, Philly sports culture is unmatched in its energy and dedication. No matter what the future holds for the Eagles, Phillies, 76ers, Flyers and even the Union, the City of Brotherly Love will always stand by its teams ready to cheer, celebrate and embrace the wild ride that comes with the Philadelphia sports lifestyle.