Christmas is great. Seeing the family is nice, the presents usually aren’t too disappointing and don’t even get me started on the food. I love Christmas for the most part. What I usually don’t like about it is that for sports fans, there really isn’t much going on. Traditionally, there aren’t many annual fixtures on Christmas for sports fans to drool over. But alas, all hope is not lost – this year, there are some interesting matches scheduled during the Christmas festivities. Here are Cherwell’s top picks this Christmas for sports fans to justifiably sit in front of the TV for, rather than having to suffer through Love Actually for the twentieth time.
Christmas Eve – San Diego Chargers vs. Oakland Raiders
Okay, I’ll admit this isn’t a great start. Both teams have been eliminated from the playoffs with two games to spare, so the importance of the match is almost equivalent to a friendly pick-up in the park. For NFL veterans, perhaps the sole appeal of this match is to appreciate Oakland’s Charles Woodson, one of the greatest safeties to ever play the game, in his last few appearances as a professional athlete. Having been selected to play in the Pro Bowl game, along with defensive-end Khalil Mack and fullback Marcel Reese, Woodson is approaching the end of a hall-of-fame career. For NFL newbies, maybe use this opportunity to try to figure out how American football actually works – if this gets too tiring, then I guess Love Actually is always available.
Christmas Day – Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Golden State Warriors
For basketball fanatics, this game should’ve been highlighted and circled out on your calendars ever since the schedule was released in September. The two teams played out one the most entertaining finals ever this June, with Golden State claiming the title despite LeBron James proving yet again that he’s probably half human and half alien. As the current leaders of their respective conferences, this match promises to be a clash of epic proportions. The Warriors hold a 24-1 record and have yet to lose a game at home, armed with their lethal small-ball offence and suffocating defence led by Draymond Green, the basketball equivalent of a Swiss Army knife. The Cavs are no walkovers either, with an impressive record of 18-7, and the recent return of All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving will only boost the squad’s confidence.
Oh and by the way, Stephen Curry will be playing against LeBron James. The former is the reigning MVP who’s having one of the most dominant seasons ever; the latter is LeBron James, aforementioned human-alien hybrid. This is what happened in Game 5 of the 2015 NBA finals when both were at their apex. If that isn’t enough to draw you to watch this match, then maybe basketball just isn’t for you.
Boxing Day – Liverpool vs. Leicester City, South Africa vs. England Test
‘Chat shit, get banged’. That goes to the people who claim that they predicted Leicester City to sit at the top of the Premier League by Christmas. Led by Vardy and Mahrez – who have become this year’s Fantasy Football gods – Leicester City has run rampant in the Premier League, highlighted perhaps by their win over Chelsea that ultimately resulted in the sacking of the Special One. They’ll visit Anfield on Boxing Day to take on a struggling Liverpool, who has been anything but consistent since Klopp took over the team in October, as shown by their horrendous display against Watford last weekend. In what will surely be the highlight game of the day, hopefully full of spectacular goals and outrageous Vardy chants, football fans are in for a treat this Saturday.
For those who enjoy a bit of cricket, England visit South Africa to begin their four-Test series on the 26th. Ambitious England, the fifth-ranked side in the world, hope to claim victory over the number-one ranked team, who have yet to fully recover from their humiliating defeat against India. Neither team is in brilliant form, and the questionable status of James Anderson for the first test only adds to the uncertainty of the outcome. Given how (tediously) long Test matches are, this could be an option for those planning to be hungover on Boxing Day either from food or, dare I say, alcohol.
