The best year ever? One might say so.
Sports Curious presented by Last Night's Game, is here to take the awkward out of conversation and help you join the sports conversation, even if you don't know the first thing about sports. We breakdown what's happening in sports in an easy to understand, fun way without all of the statistics and jargon so you never have to exit stage left when the chatter at the office, dinner table or a networking event switches to sports.
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[Transcript]
1. The year kicks off with a Super Bowl show that will have everyone dancing. Jennifer Lopez and Shakira will give the halftime show a little Latin flare when they take the stage in Miami on February 2. (We also look forward the royal wedding of JLo and her baseball beau Alex Rodriguez in 2020. The only hint we have from ARod is that the nuptial destination is “going to be a long flight." WHENEVER, WHEREVER
2. Expect to see baby Archie in the stands for the 2020 Invictus Games in The Hauge, The Netherlands in May. Inspired after visiting the Warrior Games in the U.S., Prince Harry founded the Invictus Games in 2014. The Games are an international sporting event for injured servicemen and women. Competitors hail from allied nations and are all active duty and veteran service members who have been become ill or injured during or as a direct consequence of their service. The games became a biennial event in 2018. ROYALLY EXCITED
3. Konnichiwa friendly competition, the Summer Olympics will begin on July 24 in Tokyo, Japan. Unlike many host countries, everything seems to be on track. The stadium that will house the opening and closing ceremony, along with track and field and soccer was dedicated mid-December. Speaking of soccer, watch out for the U.S. Women’s team which looks to take home gold. Their star Alex Morgan will return to the field, just three months after giving birth to her first child. Keep an eye on gymnast Simone Biles, snowboarder possibly turned skateboarder Shaun White and baseball and softball which are on the dance card for the first time in 12 years. GAME ON
4. One of the more obscure sporting events, the World Nomad Games, will take place in Turkey in August. Founded in 2014, the games are designed to celebrate the nomadic heritage of the Central Asian nations (although it has expanded as the U.S. and several African countries have a team). The goal is to show the world "the greatness of nomadic civilization" and to promote the revival and preservation of the historical heritage of nomadic people. Don’t look for soccer and basketball medals here, but more like sports that include hunting with eagles, bone throwing and archery and wrestling on a horse. One of the most popular sports is kok-buru, where two teams of horsemen attempt to push a headless goat into a goal. Think polo with a dead goat. MEMORABLE FOR SURE
5. Professional football is headed to sin city. In the spring, while you’re placing your bets, owners of NFL teams will be doing the same when the city hosts the NFL Draft in April. Then the Las Vegas Raiders (at the end of the season they will be formerly known as the Oakland Raiders) will start the season in the fall in their new home just off the strip in Las Vegas. They will be the first NFL team to call Vegas home. (The city is home to an NHL (National Hockey League) team – the Vegas Golden Knights). ROLL OUT THE RED CARPET
