By Jim Caltagirone

For the Mirror

Sports in America represent a cornucopia of entertainment and inspiration.

From lacrosse, which is America’s oldest team sport, to pickleball, one of our latest phenomena, recreational, amateur and professional athletics have provided outlets for physical development, emotional connectivity and community bonding.

As the United States prepares to celebrate its 404th Thanksgiving, our collective sports riches are indeed plentiful.

In the spirit of our upcoming national holiday, we offer thanks for another year of sports experiences that may not have always fulfilled hopes and expectations, but at least gave us something to discuss or debate.

n First, an expression of gratitude is extended to the Yankees and Dodgers for producing a World Series matchup that fostered nostalgia for baseball enthusiasts beyond their fanbases.

n State pride necessitates that thanks be expressed for the championship runs of the Erie Seawolves of the Eastern League and Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League. Impressively, the Bears have won back-to-back Calder Cups in a 32-team league.

n Related thanks to the Washington Capitals for a superb job of annually stocking Hershey with a bevy of talented prospects.

n Mick Cronin, head coach of the UCLA men’s basketball team, merits thanks for sticking to his values by wearing a suit and tie on gameday, while many of his peers, and certain athletic directors, sport the lounge-around-the-house look.

n Thanks to all the athletes who are enrolled at the service academies for their love of country. As one television commentator noted, these athletes do not have the option of entering the transfer portal.

n Everyone associated with the management and day-to-day operations of the Altoona Curve merits thanks for their devotion to an enterprise that truly enriches the quality of life in Blair County.

n Switching gears, thanks to the NIL for creating another class of entitled rich athletes who will not bother to give back to the university which made their ascent up the tax brackets possible.

n A shoutout to Penn State head coach James Franklin for posting a record over the last decade that is the envy of 99 percent of the college football programs in the country. Not sure who conducted that survey.

n Thanks to Dallas Cowboys’ owner and general manager Jerry Jones for proving once and for all that the mastermind behind the development of the Cowboys’ Super Bowl rosters in the 1990s was Jimmy Johnson.

n NBA players should be forever thankful for load management, which raises to a new level the concept of getting paid for doing absolutely nothing.

n A huge thank you to all the pontificators on the NFL pregame shows for sharing simple solutions to the complex problems besetting teams around the league. With their vast analytical prowess, they should be working in local, state and federal government.

n On the subject of television, thanks to the bean-counters who place college and NFL games on Peacock. What a brilliant attempt to expand viewership during a time of crippling inflation.

n Thanks to the saturation of TV advertising by the Kelce brothers, viewers from coast to coast have developed the dexterity to flip channels in a fraction of a second.

n Finally, and sincerely, heartfelt thanks are extended to the faithful readers of community newspapers, especially those who devote a part of their day to reading the sports section of the Altoona Mirror.

n May your Thanksgiving be filled with joy, contentment and a televised sporting event that spices up the festivities.

Jim Caltagirone writes a monthly column for the Mirror.