A big night for forty-somethings

Forty is the new twenty-five. Indeed, on a busy evening on the October sporting calendar, it was a line-up of athletes in their forties that shone brightest.

First, in baseball's American League Championship Series, the Toronto Blue Jays put their lives (or almost their lives) in the hands of 41-year-old Max Scherzer for a crucial road game against the Seattle Mariners.

The veteran sailed beautifully through the waves of the first four innings, allowing just one run on Josh Naylor's solo home run. When Jays manager John Schneider went to the mound in the fifth inning with a runner on base, Scherzer wouldn't leave the mound, yelling at his skipper to return to the dugout.

Great MadMax. https://t.co/OXPGDRC97b

– Passion MLB (@passion_mlb) October 17, 2025

Then, 3,700 kilometers from Seattle, it felt like 2012 all over again in the NFL's Thursday Night Football, as 40-year-old Joe Flacco and 41-year-old Aaron Rodgers squared off in a tight game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals.

For the first time in five years, Flacco was the youngest quarterback on the field against Rodgers. Traded to Cincinnati just ten days ago, Flacco made his first home start and made Bengals director of player personnel Duke Tobin look like a genius for pulling off the deal.

For his part, Rodgers threw two interceptions that led to ten points for the Bengals. But other than that, he was fantastic, throwing four touchdown passes for the second time this season, while targeting nine different receivers through the air.

Watch out youngsters, the old fathers haven't said their last word.

This content was created with the help of AI.