Some events that took place in 2018 were heartbreaking while others were record breaking.

One huge thing that stuck out to me this year was the Fortnite outbreak. The video game that can be downloaded for free shattered records all across the globe and leaped into fame in the early months of 2018. The Fortnite Battle Royale video game had over 40 million downloads on PC, Xbox, Play Station 4 and mobile app, according to the Forbes magazine. The video game propelled many people into fame like Tyler Blevins also known as “Ninja” and others like Alastair Aiken also known as “Ali-A.” The video game was one to enjoy, as it combined cartoon-like graphics, with a battle royale theme behind the game. The game brings opportunities like scholarships at Ashland University in Ohio.

Another thing that stuck out to me in 2018 was the amount of celebrities who have unfortunately passed away. A popular celebrity that passed away was Burton Leon Reynolds Jr., better known as Burt Reynolds. The legend who was a huge part of many people’s childhoods passed away on Sept. 6 due to a cardiac arrest. This saddened me because he was in many of my favorite movies like the Longest Yard, Without a Paddle and The Dukes of Hazzard. Another saddening news was the death of the former New Orleans Saints owner Tom Benson. Benson kept the team together during the chaos after the destruction by Katrina. Even with the speculation of moving the team to San Antonio, Benson stuck through the pain and hard times to keep the Saints at home in New Orleans. He helped the Saints bring their first ever Superbowl victory in 2010. Some may not agree but in my eyes, Benson is a hero to the city of New Orleans and the Saints would not be the same without their Superbowl victory.

2018 was also filled with many surprises in sports, including the Philadelphia Eagles upsetting the favored New England Patriots in Superbowl 52 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. This was one of my favorite parts about 2018 as the Patriots, who are always winning, were taken down by the ultimate underdog with their backup quarterback starting the game. 

Sports also continued to amaze me as New Orleans Pelicans had their best season in franchise history with a 48-34 record while reaching the second round of the Western Conference playoffs. The team completed their first-ever playoff sweep by beating the Portland Trail Blazers in four games. Forward Anthony Davis had an amazing year as he finished second in the Most Valuable Player voting behind Houston Rockets Guard James Harden.

The New Orleans Saints had another great year for the record books. After a slow start in the 2017 and 2018 season, the Saints won the National Football Conference South with an 11-5 record. The team had a heartbreaking loss to the Minnesota Vikings as Minnesota scored a last second touchdown to secure the victory. This season looks like Superbowl or bust for the black and gold as they are 10-2. The time is right and the time is now for New Orleans to win it all, as they probably will only have future Hall of Fame quarterback Drew Brees for one more season. 

The NBA also saw a lot of change in 2018 with the NBA’s most popular player LeBron James leaving his hometown Cleveland Cavilers to go to the West Coast and play for storied NBA franchise the Los Angeles Lakers. I was surprised by the move as James said he made the move for his family.

2018 was also a year of growth for many people including myself. I graduated from high school and began my move to the “real world” by starting college. College came quicker and harder than expected for me, and I was shocked to see the difference between high school and college. College came with a lot of surprises like the extensive hours spent in the math lab and the number of hours studying for exams. Thankfully, college is a success for me so far, and I want to continue that road to success and excel in all future semesters.

I enjoyed many things in 2018, like a senior trip with all of my closest friends as we all traveled to Panama City Beach, Florida. Another enjoyable moment of 2018 was the great movies that came out. Blockbusters like Black Panther, Incredibles 2 and Blockers were all great movies that I personally enjoyed and would recommend to any moviegoer.

2018 was a phenomenal year and one that I will never forget. Many changes happened. Some were good and some were not as good. I hope that 2019 can live up to expectations just as 2018 did.