Joe Paterno, the most successful coach in major college football history, the face of Penn State University, and at one point, among the most admired figures in the entire sporting world, is dead at the age of 85. News of Paterno’s death from lung cancer came early Sunday morning. At the center of one of the worst scandals to ever hit the sports world, what JoePa's legacy will be, once the dust clears, is up to more people than just Lions fans.

Time is short in the 2011/2012 NFL season, but this past weekend certainly left behind some incredible moments. The New York Giants pulled off a huge upset by pummeling the Green Bay Packers. And speaking of a pummeling, that is exactly what Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow received from the New England Patriots as his offensive line could not hold.

It seems like every time Tim Tebow is about to run out of miracles, that's when you're most likely to watch him kneeling in the end zone with another crazy victory in hand. And after taking down the Pittsburgh Steelers in overtime last night, maybe the Denver Quarterback has stopped the calls to bench him for at least one week.  

Takeaway sports contributor Ibrahim Abdul-Matin looks back at the last 17 weeks of the NFL season and gives his analysis of this weekend's games.

Every Friday, The Takeaway convenes a panel to look back at the week's big stories. This week North Korea held a funeral for deceased dictator Kim Jong-il, Arab League monitors arrived in Syria, Sears announced they were closing more than 100 stores after poor holiday sales figures, Republican presidential candidates campaigned heavily in Iowa, and Americans around the country crafted new year's resolutions.

After weeks of delay, the shortened NBA season began on Sunday. Takeaway sports contributor Ibrahim Abdul-Matin spent roughly 12 and a half hours watching basketball on Christmas Day. He breaks down the day's games, and also looks back at the major sports moments of 2011.

Sunday will bring a Christmas miracle for sports fans when the NBA begins its much delayed 2011-2012 season. A labor dispute kept players off the courts for weeks. Takeaway sports contributor Ibrahim Abdul-Matin previews the shortened season.

With another stunning come from behind victory against the Bears last Sunday, the Tim Tebow train keeps rolling. The Denver Broncos’ quarterback has become a cultural phenomenon. But his on-field exploits only make up one part of the Tebow mystique. Tebow’s public displays of faith play a major role in the star athlete’s public persona and the narrative surrounding him.

Quaterback Tim Tebow lead the Denver Broncos to defeat the Chicago Bears 13-10 in a game that stretched into overtime on Sunday. Takeaway sports contributor Ibrahim Abdul-Matin watched the game and gives his analysis.

The Packers continued their winning streak on Sunday after beating the New York Giants 38 to 35. The Denver Broncos also narrowly won over the weekend, with a 35-32 win over the Minnesota Vikings.

NBA players and owners have reached an agreement, ending a lockout that began July 1 of this year. Players have agreed to a seven percent pay cut in basketball-related income, and will play a shortened 66-game season, while owners have made concessions on annual raises and the mid-level exception.

Thanksgiving doesn't just mean turkey and stuffing for many Americans. It means football. The resurgent Detroit Lions play host to the currently undefeated and defending Superbowl champs Green Bay Packers. In Dallas, the Cowboys square off against a very hot Miami Dolphins team led by Reggie Bush. The loser will likely miss the playoffs. The night cap features a true sibling rivalry as head coach Jim Harbaugh takes his NFC West leading 49ers to Baltimore to face his brother and head coach of the AFC North leading Ravens John Harbaugh. Takeaway sports contributor Ibrahim Abdul-Matin previews the day's games.

What is the Tim Tebow effect? The new Denver Broncos quarterback has garnered a lot of national attention, partly for his talent, partly for his prayerful play. But is the attention — or the critiques, which are growing after Tebow failed to lead Denver to a win over Detroit Sunday — fully warranted? We find out, and get a general NFL update from Takeaway sports contributor Ibrahim Abdul-Matin. 

Takeaway sports contributor Ibrahim Abdul-Matin runs through all the big NFL games from Sunday. He also discusses quarterbacks Drew Breeze, Aaron Rodgers, and Tim Tebow, and remembers long time Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis.

The Detroit Tigers are heading to the ALCS after edging out the New York Yankees 3-2 on Thursday night in a decisive winner take all game 5. Ibrahim Abdul-Matin, The Takeaway's sports contributor, gives his analysis of the game.

Yankees relief pitcher Mariano Rivera had arguably the most important moment of his career yesterday, in a game aginst the Minnesota Twins, when he surpassed Trevor Hoffman as the major league career leader in saves with 602. Rivera has been the Yankees' closer since 1997, so this milestone has been 15 years in the making.

On Tuesday night, New York Yankees relief pitcher Mariano Rivera notched his 600th career save and came within one save of tying the all-time record, held by Trevor Hoffman. Is Rivera the best "closer" in baseball history? Lifelong Rivera observer and Takeaway sports contributor Ibrahim Abdul-Matin gives his opinion.

It's hurricane Friday here at the Takeaway, and someone who's never afraid to get out there in the rain is our correspondent Ibrahim Abdul-Matin. He joins us to talk some sports, including one seriously quirky stat from the baseball world when the New York Yankees continued to earn their out-sized salaries. Also, we will be looking at the NBA lockout. A recent piece by Malcolm Gladwell on Grantland.com says that the idea of basketball teams as a normal "business" is a fantasy, and so the idea of teams losing money and thus justifying the lockout is completely over the rainbow.

It almost didn’t happen, but there will indeed be an NFL season this year. It all begins in just a few weeks but already, the season may be off to a rocky start. Seven former players have filed a lawsuit against the NFL, claiming the league fails to properly treat them for concussions and deliberately trying to conceal links between football and brain injuries. It could become the first potential class-action case of its kind.

Football fans rejoiced this week as NFL owners and players came to an agreement, avoiding a lockout which would have jeopardized the 2011 season. But Takeaway sports contributor Ibrahim Abdul-Matin wasn't among them. In a blog post, he writes, "I wanted owners to feel a bit of the pain. I wanted players to go finish their long-forgotten degrees and fans to spend Sundays at church or maybe even throw the football around with their children."