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By the time last year's Super Bowl rolled around, it was clear enough that I wasn't the only one predicting an end to the glory days of what is increasingly (and rightly) coming to be seen as a barbaric, violent and dangerous sport.

The world chess champion Magnus Carlsen finished the year with a victory at the Qatar Masters Open in Doha on Tuesday.

Let's just go ahead and admit that 2015 was, like, basically the best year for MMA ever ... but no, seriously it was. Yes, 2015 was filled with some of history's most exciting MMA fights, and combat events, and fighters, and knockouts, and submissions.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani suffered in the run-up to crucial elections in early 2016 what amounted to at least a symbolic defeat when state-run television banned Iran's most popular soccer program from running an interview with his foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, on soccer and politics.

Many sports fans don't realize, or recognize, that direct head trauma is not the only cause of concussions in athletes. Head-neck acceleration may cause the brain to impact against the cranium without head trauma.

The welterweight title is back on the line on January 2, as reigning champion Robbie Lawler attempts to defend his belt for a second time, taking on Carlos Condit in the UFC 195 (10 P.M. EST, Pay Per View) main event.

'Twas a famous victory to quote poet Robert Southey (what can I do, defeating Brady and the hooded one brings out the poet in me). The New York Jets finally prevailed over divisional arch-rivals New England Patriots in a 26-20 OT thriller.

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ESPN reported this week that the NFL had pulled funding for concussion research because one of the principal researchers was Dr. Robert Stern of Boston University who has been critical of the NFL.

Antonio Moore interviewed former NFL player Jarrad Page to discuss CTE, the film Concussion starring Will Smith and the release of my powerful article on Vice Sports "Football's War on the Minds of Black Men".