FOX Sports Research
The new year is already in full swing, as the month of March has come to a close.
It was an eventful month to say the least, with a few teams making championship runs in some sports and others making notable offseason moves. But what were the absolute biggest storylines in sports over the past month?
We dove into what transpired in all sports, including college football, the NFL, college basketball, MLB and soccer, in March and gave you the biggest headlines to follow.
Let’s take a look:
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10 biggest storylines in sports in March
10. Say hello to Torpedo bats
On Saturday, March 29, the Yankees hit a team-record nine homers that traveled a combined 3,695 feet on Saturday. Paul Goldschmidt, Cody Bellinger, Austin Wells, Anthony Volpe and Jazz Chisholm Jr. all went deep using a torpedo bat. New York’s 15 homers through the first three games matched the 2006 Detroit Tigers for the most in major league history. It wasn’t just the Bronx Bombers who took advantage of the new bat, as Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz used one for a game for the first time the following Monday— hitting his first two homers of the season and finishing with a career-high seven RBIs in a 14-3 victory over Texas. With such results so early on, the torpedo model — a striking design in which wood is moved lower down the barrel after the label and shapes the end a little like a bowling pin — became the talk of major league baseball over the weekend.
9. UFL season kicks off
Week 1 of the 2025 UFL season is in the books, and there was no shortage of must-see moments this weekend. The St. Louis Battlehawks, Arlington Renegades, Michigan Panthers and DC Defenders came out victorious, while the Houston Roughnecks, San Antonio Brahmas, Memphis Showboats and defending champion Birmingham Stallions lost. Stunned by the Defenders, the Stallions are under .500 for the first time since the return of the franchise three years ago and now have as many losses this season as they suffered during all of last year’s UFL championship title run. The Defenders’ defense dominated one of the best offenses in the league. Led by longtime NFL defensive guru Gregg Williams’ aggressive blitzing scheme, the Defenders sacked McGough eight times, forced two turnovers and held the Stallions to just 138 total yards of offense.
8. College Basketball Crown announces inaugural bracket
The 2025 College Basketball Crown began Monday, March 31 in Las Vegas, a brand new postseason tournament for fans to enjoy. The 16-team tournament, which features a combined 11 teams from the Big 12, Big East and Big Ten, announced a first-of-its-kind Name, Image and Likeness prize pool that will reward the championship team with a $300,000 NIL package. The runner-up will earn a $100,000 package, while $50,000 will go to the semifinalists through a new venture labeled the Vivid Seats Ambassador Program. Arizona State, Cincinnati, UCF, Utah and Colorado represent the Big 12, while Georgetown, Villanova, DePaul and Butler are from the Big East. Nebraska and USC will join the event from the Big Ten. Washington State and Oregon State both hail from the WCC, and Boise State comes from the Mountain West. Rounding out the field is George Washington from the A-10 and Tulane from the AAC.
7. Álex Palou wins first two races of INDYCAR season
From FOX Motorsports Insider Bob Pockrass:
Alex Palou admits that it is “100 percent” a little surreal that he has won the first two INDYCAR races of the season.
“You always go through a weekend wanting to win — never expecting to win, but maybe expecting to fight,” said Palou, who won the 2021, 2023 and 2024 season titles. “There’s so much stuff that needs to go right in order to win an INDYCAR race. “All the pit stops, your tire mileage, also fuel mileage. There’s so much stuff that needs to go right that it’s tough to get it. It’s amazing to start with a double win this season.”
Only once in the previous 14 seasons has a driver won the first two INDYCAR races. Scott Dixon won the first three of the COVID-delayed 2020 season and he went on to win the title. Off to a good start to his fourth championship, Palou won’t declare himself as the driver to beat for the title, although he half-jokingly admits that those asking how others will beat him is a “great question.”
What he knows is he has two trophies this year while everyone else is looking for their first.
In the second round of the NCAA Women’s Tournament against Mississippi State, USC’s JuJu Watkins tore her ACL, unfortunately ending her season. The crowd in Galen Center went silent as coach Lindsay Gottlieb and two other USC staffers attended to Watkins, a 6-foot-2 sophomore who averages 24.6 points and is one of the biggest stars in the women’s game. She was carried off the court by multiple people and the game went to a media timeout. The Trojans would go on to win their Sweet 16 game, but ultimately lose to UConn in the Elite Eight.
From FOX soccer journalist Doug McIntyre:
For the second time in less than a year, Panama stunned the United States men’s national team in tournament play. But unlike last summer’s loss to Los Canaleros in the first round of the U.S.-hosted Copa América, the loss in Concacaf Nations League semifinal guarantees that the Americans will not claim the title of a competition they’d won three straight times from 2021 to 2024. Despite being eliminated from title contention, Mauricio Pochettino’s team still has another game to go this month before his players return to their clubs. The U.S. and Canada will contest the third place match, which kicks off a few hours before Sunday’s finale at SoFi Stadium.
4. Deion Sanders signs five-year, $54 million extension with Colorado
Coach Prime is staying in Boulder.
Head coach Deion Sanders has signed an extension with the Colorado Buffaloes through the 2029 college football season, the school announced. The contract is worth $54 million, according to NFL Media. “Coach Prime has revolutionized college football and, in doing so, has restored CU football to our rightful place as a national power,” Colorado Athletic Director Rick George said in a statement. “This extension not only recognizes Coach’s incredible accomplishments transforming our program on and off the field, it keeps him in Boulder to compete for conference and national championships in the years to come.” Colorado went 9-4 last season under Sanders, in what was his second season at the helm. Over the past two seasons, the Buffaloes have gone a combined 13-12. Prior to taking over at Colorado in 2023, Sanders was the head coach for the Jackson State Tigers, who went 27-6 under him from 2020-22.
3. Dodgers and Cubs kick off season in Tokyo
The opening game of the Dodgers’ and Cubs’ season took place in Tokyo, Japan— and averaged more than 25 million viewers in Japan, according to Major League Baseball, making it the most-watched MLB game in the country’s history. The game featured the first all-Japanese starting pitching duel on opening day. Los Angeles’ Yoshinobu Yamamoto gave up one run in five innings while Chicago’s Shota Imanaga threw four scoreless frames. The Dodgers’ 6-3 win on Wednesday, which featured a towering solo home run by Shohei Ohtani, averaged more than 23 million Japanese viewers. The second game also featured pitcher Roki Sasaki making his Dodgers’ debut.
2. Four one seeds make Final Four of NCAA Men’s Tournament
From FOX college basketball broadcaster and reporter John Fanta:
For just the second time in NCAA Tournament history, all four #1 seeds are heading to the Final Four. It joins 2008 when we saw Kansas, Memphis, UNC and UCLA. It was also in San Antonio — and also April 5 and 7. Deja vu! Just how historic is this collection of teams? All four programs – Auburn, Duke, Houston and Florida – have better adjusted efficiency ratings than 21 of the last 22 national champions. The combined record of this year’s Final Four participants? How about 135-16.
And that’s why we are in for a memorable weekend in San Antonio.
There’s the blue blood in Duke, with 37-year-old Jon Scheyer holding an 89-21 record in his tenure. He has proven to be the perfect candidate to take over for Mike Krzyzewski. The Blue Devils have the best player in the country in Cooper Flagg, who is joined by fellow freshmen standouts Kon Knueppel and Khaman Maluach. Scheyer’s team has been an absolute wagon in this tournament and never trailed in their Elite Eight win over Alabama. Duke’s Final Four opponent is Houston. The Cougars have been on a historic run under Kelvin Sampson with two Final Four appearances in the last five years.
On the opposite side of the bracket, the Florida Gators feature the most clutch player in the tournament in senior guard Walter Clayton Jr. The Gators’ offense can overwhelm any opponent with Clayton, Alijah Martin and Will Richard, not to mention an imposing frontline that has racked up offensive rebounds in bunches. Rounding out the Final Four field is Auburn. Bruce Pearl’s group occupied the No. 1 spot in the FOX Sports Top 25 for the majority of the season and started the year 27-2 behind Johni Broome. The stage is set for an all-time weekend in San Antonio and a celebration that shows, even amid some off-the-court issues, college basketball is alive, well and thriving.
1. NFL Free Agency: Big names in new places
The NFL free agency period is always filled with big moves that shake up the league, and this year’s was no different. In fact, there were so many that we decided to list them out so that you can take a deep dive into each move individually. Each player’s name is linked to a FOX Sports story around their respective deal.
- Myles Garrett, Maxx Crosby and Ja’Marr Chase become highest-paid non-quarterbacks in NFL history.
- Seahawks sign Sam Darnold and Cooper Kupp.
- Davante Adams signs $44 million deal with Rams.
- Geno Smith traded to Raiders.
- DK Metcalf traded to Steelers, signs $150 million extension.
- Laremy Tunsil and Deebo Samuel traded to Commanders.
- Russell Wilson signs $21 million deal with Giants.
- Justin Fields signs $40 million deal with Jets.
- Stefon Diggs signs $69 million deal with Patriots.
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