By Peyton Schultze

Even in the later stages of their careers, Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady remain the face of the franchise for their respective organizations (via NFl.com).

For this week, we turn our focus toward a creative topic. The “Tier List” sensation has become a very popular trend around the world for all sorts of topics on social media and the rest of the Internet, so we decided to take another look at these tiers within the sports world.

With two unique tiers for each of the four major American sports leagues (NFL, MLB, NBA, and NHL), we present eight option that will hopefully cause plenty of debate among viewers:

NFL 2021 Uniforms

The Chargers slick powder blues (as well as their new set of navy blues) could really be in a class of their own when it comes to uniforms, but the Steelers and 49ers stand out as some of the best in all of sports (especially considering both teams’ Color Rush collection).

The Dolphins, Bills, and Saints all had legitimate cases of making the S Tier, but felt more appropriate alongside the Bucs and Ravens, as well as the classic Packers, in the A Tier. All teams had one or two uniforms that set them apart from others, and it will be interesting to see what new improvements the teams may make in the future.

When you go down the list though, the real standouts are those in the F Tier. The Bears may have the most boring uniforms in the league, whereas the Raiders look like they’re wearing JV uniforms when they suit up on Sundays. The Patriots used to have better threads before their most recent update, while the Eagles would be better off going with their throwback collection. And don’t even start with the mess that the Jaguars have on their hands.

The two teams that were toughest to sort out were the Cowboys and the Chiefs. While Dallas might have the best logo in the league, their out-of-place silver pants have always held them back from having a better uniform collection. On top of that, Kansas City has a great shade of red in their uniforms, but did not compete with the uniqueness in the A Tier of Tampa Bay. Both settled for lower tiers, and while many may disagree, it would be interesting to see where other people placed them among the tiers.

NFL 2021 Quarterbacks

There is no sense in debating some of the biggest names in the NFL at the top of the list, but Lamar Jackson and Justin Hebert may be a surprise to see in the “Face of a Franchise” category. However, Jackson may be one of the unique players in the history of the sport, while Herbert is coming arguably the best passing season for a rookie in recent memory. Both look like stars for the near future and could be on a record-setting pace for their respective organizations.

Kyler Murray was very close to rising to that top category, but he may be a year away from doing so in Kliff Kingsbury’s offense. On top of that, Baker Mayfield and Dak Prescott could be due to take another step forward this season if they can put up some huge numbers alongside a loaded group of skill position players, and it would not be a surprise to see them in the “above average” category next year.

Arguably the hottest take of all? Ben Roethlisberger ranking in the “below average'“ starter category. The Steeler legend was simply too shaky down the stretch last season, and it would be a shock if he played at a high level once again this season. In addition, listing Cam Newton and Alex Smith as backups was a tough choice, but their own injury concerns remain too significant at this point in their careers.

Lastly, the “Developing” category is full of upcoming quarterbacks in this year’s draft, as well as some raw players such as Tua Tagovailoa and Daniel Jones. Both players enter a huge year where they will need to play at a high level, but they should get the pass for now when it comes to determining whether they are below average or not.

MLB 2021 Logo Rankings

Outside of the original classiness of the Yankees, Dodgers, Red Sox, and Cardinals, the Blue Jays are the only other member of the S Tier for this list. Toronto’s logo perfectly represents an entire nation of baseball fans, and the color distribution throughout is neat and clean.

The Mariners may have been the closest to the S Tier, but they felt more appropriate alongside the rest of the members of the A Tier. The Brewers and Royals are also personal favorites that deserve a ton of recognition for their creativity, while the A’s, Angels, Cubs, and Orioles have appropriate logos that loom large in the history of Major League Baseball.

The hardest team of all to place was the Twins, which is very simply yet not too much. However, although it is very basic and creative with the baseball in the center, it is hard to place them alongside the unique icons in the logos of the Phillies, Mets, and Rockies. All three teams deserve recognition for their city-related icons in the logo, which covers up for a lack of excitement elsewhere in the logo.

It may be a bit of a surprise to see the Braves and Giants so low in the D Tier, but if the conversation relates to logos and not jerseys, the product at hand is pretty boring. In addition, the Tigers and the White Sox round out the F Tier, as both teams have some boring logos that match up with some boring color combinations.

MLB 2021 Shortstops

It has been said many times that we may be living in the “Golden Age of Shortstops” in Major League Baseball, and it may be even more obvious after looking at these stars on a visual level.

There are many great shortstops in the league, but the top five appears to be in a league of their own right now: Fernando Tatis Jr., Corey Seager, Trevor Story, Xander Bogaerts, and Francisco Lindor. Each of these top five players presents their own unique argument at the number one overall spot, and appears to be set for even more outstanding production at the plate and on the diamond in the future.

Trea Turner and Bo Bichette barely missed the superstar section of the list, but they could easily end up at the top by the end of the season. Carlos Correa may be a differently case after his somewhat tarnished reputation, which has matched up alongside decreasing production despite some still-excellent power numbers. Players such as Dansby Swanson and Gleyber Torres fill in some spots inside the “good” tier, but many could have them even higher on their own personal lists.

The most controversial pick of all is certainly Javier Baez in the “good” tier, which is sure to annoy Cubs fans. Baez is a very fun player to watch and one of the best defensive infielders in baseball, but his numbers and actual production at the plate tell a different story. Recklessness at the plate has long defined his career, and if he keeps increasing his amount of strikeouts in the middle of the Chicago lineup and can not improve on a declining average, it is hard to raise him any higher for the future.

NBA 2020-2021 City Edition Uniforms

Starting at the top, the NBA’s City Edition uniforms are largely dominated by black color schemes that compliment some unique colors from each team’s logo. This is as obvious as ever with the Spurs, Suns, Grizzlies, Raptors, and Hawks, although the Heat’s Miami Vice colorway still gains recognition as a uniform that continues to deliver every single year.

The Warriors were a tough team to place with their throwback concept, but came up just a little bit short of the S Tier. The same goes for the artistic wave that the Nets have on their own uniform, as well as the cartoon-like pattern of the 76ers and the standout sun-related colors of the Jazz.

The B Tier is where things get complicated. There is not a single great uniform among this bunch, but the Lakers deserve credit for their historical significance relating to former legend Elgin Baylor. The same goes for the throwback classics of the Pacers, which takes a throwback to the Reggie Miller era of Pacers basketball. The Bulls, Wizards, Knicks, Mavericks, Timberwolves, and Cavaliers all have nice uniforms, but it is hard to be super impressed with any of them.

Here is where the mistakes start to happen. The Clippers’ LA Times style jersey is a mess, which matches up right alongside the Pelicans’ odd use of color in this uniform. The same goes for the Hornets, Bucks, and Nuggets’ uniforms, all of which use some very random coloring in their own threads. The Kings have a very bland jersey that is not much different from their current ones, and the Trail Blazers’ use of “Oregon” instead of “Portland” is a very strange choice.

The bottom tier either has complete messes, or jerseys that are simply too boring like the Celtics. But the Magic, Rockets, Thunder, and Pistons must have disappointed their fans with these uniforms, which fail to deliver on any kind of creative level.

NBA 2020-2021 Top 30 Player Rankings

This one is sure to start a lot of controversy. It is key to point out that Kevin Durant and Anthony Davis do not qualify for this list due to missing so much time with injury this season, but outside of that, the field is wide open. LeBron James still rules the top of the league when healthy, but the quartet of Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nikola Jokic, Joel Embiid, and James Harden rounds out the rest of the top five. Each player is worthy of this year’s MVP award, and while Steph Curry and Damien Lillard fell just short of the top five, it was a difficult choice and ultimately too tough to put them over the first five mentioned.

After that is where it gets interesting. It may be a big surprise to see Zion Williamson in the top ten this season, but he is on a record-setting pace in the second season of his young career. Yet the superstar prowess of Kawhi Leonard and the game’s best young player in Luke Doncic still get the temporary edge at the moment, although that could change in the future. Heading into the eleventh spot is Chris Paul, who has helped turn the fortunes of the Suns around in his first year in the desert. CP3 is another MVP contender, and although ne may not have the stats of Kyrie Irving or Donovan Mitchell, he is simply too consistent to ignore. Ben Simmons may win the Defensive Player of the Year award and Jimmy Butler remains one of the most valuable players in basketball, which makes them locks for top fifteen players.

The rest gets even trickier, but it is tough to ignore how great some of the league’s best young players have performed this season. Chief among them are Zach LaVine, Trae Young, Jayson Tatum, Bam Adebayo, Jaylen Brown, and Devin Booker, which makes up the next wave of future stars in basketball. In addition, players such as Bradley Beal and Paul George have played outstanding offensive basketball this season, while veteran stars such as Russell Westbrook and DeMar DeRozan remain excellent players who bring a lot of energy to the floor every night.

NHL 2020-2021 Reverse Retro Jerseys

The NHL’s Reverse Retros have largely been a miss this season, so we will focus on the main upper tiers for the sake of conversation. Although there have not been many great ones, the Kings, Islanders, and Canadiens have some great threads that would be welcome additions to the permanent collection. Each of these uniforms is simple enough to last, while has a unique element of two that makes it stand out from the bunch.

The Golden Knights have a jersey that has divided fans, but the shade of red on the uniform is very appealing to the eye. The same goes for that of the Capitals, as well as the sharp yellow of the Bruins and the crisp navy blue of the Panthers. However, the one team that made a case for the S Tier at the top is the Oilers, who have a great white uniform. This compliments the all-orange look they have worn for so long, and it only falls a little bit short of the S Tier due to the odd orange numbers on the back and on the sleeves.

NHL 2021 Contenders

Even though they do not have the best record in hockey right now, the Lightning have to be considered the favorites to repeat as back-to-back champions. Yet they will see some real threats in their own conference in the form of the Maple Leafs, Panthers, Hurricanes, and Panthers, all of whom have surprised a lot of people this year and could be formidable threats. Meanwhile, the Golden Knights and Avalanche look like the two clear favorites on the other side of the bracket with some clear Stanley Cup aspirations for this season.

The Penguins and Islanders are interesting threats, as they made some key improvements at the deadline that should help their cause moving forward. The Jets and Bruins appear to be on the outside looking in when it comes to contenders for the Stanley Cup, but don’t rule them out quite yet.

The B Tier trio of the Blues, Oilers, and Predators has some great players involved, but each team looks like they lack some pieces to get them into contention. The same goes for many of the lower-end teams in the C Tier, although the Wild and Blackhawks have been extremely streaky teams all year long.

The rest of the D Tier is made up of teams with some bright moments this season, but who are not real threats at all. The most disappointing has surely been the Stars this season, but teams such as the Sharks, Kings, and Blue Jackets have shown some signs of hope for the future. The F Tier is simply the bottom of the barrel. The Devils, Ducks, Senators, Red Wings, and Sabres have put together terrible seasons and have a very murky future ahead.

Sports Tier Lists