There have been plenty of ups and downs throughout the 2023-24 academic year across the 16 sports that make up NIU Athletics. As the spring semester closes, the Northern Star Sports Staff focuses on the ups. From MAC Championships to stunning individual...

Although the Chicago Bears only made five draft selections in the 2024 NFL draft, general manager Ryan Poles surely made a splash. After taking a look at Chicago’s newest players, I give the Bears’ draft an overall grade of A-. CALEB WILLIAMS:...

NIU football may have wrapped up spring practices last week, but its ongoing competition for the most important position in team sports remains unsettled. With three-year starter Rocky Lombardi graduated and now vying for a roster spot in the NFL,...

Chicago is home to some of the greatest athletes in sports, hosting 1,061 total current athletes. I looked at the pool of talent and ranked them into a list of the top-10 athletes born in Chicago.  DERRICK ROSE Beloved to the fans of Chicago...

Sports are a huge part of modern popular culture. They serve as entertainment for fans and give the athletes involved something to work for as they aspire to reach new heights. There is, however, a problem within sports culture and how it pertains to...

Under first year NIU baseball head coach Ryan Copeland, NIU baseball (7-14, 4-2 MAC) is well on its way to shattering both their conference win total and overall win total from a season ago.  After going 5-24 in conference play in 2023, the Huskies...

The time has finally come for the biggest basketball event of the year: NCAA’s March Madness. Just like the Super Bowl, the Northern Star Sports Staff has returned to its prophetic ways to predict the Final Four of this year’s Big Dance. Join us as...

If you’ve come here in search of rankings to base your early March Madness bracket picks on, keep looking. If you’ve come to find out how I, a wise-cracking and far-from-athletic sports reporter, would fare against the nicknames of Illinois’...

KEEP JUSTIN By: Zach Bertram, Senior Sports Reporter For the second consecutive year, the Chicago Bears hold the No. 1 pick of the NFL Draft. Despite having the power to draft any college quarterback they’d like, the Bears should stick with current...

Every Super Bowl there’s one player that shines brightest under the lights of the big game. For this list I have determined what I believe to be the top ten players' performances.  NICK FOLES (SB 52, 2018)   The ultimate underdog performance,...

With MAC men’s basketball conference play a little more than halfway through and the NBA All-Star Game on the horizon, I decided to make my own MAC men’s basketball All-Star team. These players have not only been the best on their respective teams,...

The Chicago Bears go into the 2024 NFL Draft with the first and ninth overall pick after finishing the regular season 7-10. With several changes to the coaching staff and an underwhelming season, quarterback Justin Fields’ job is at risk. Chicago...