As if it being Friday wasn’t reason enough to celebrate, it’s also an all-star weekend in the world of sports.
You’re always an all-star in our eyes,
The Last Night’s Game Team
Tennis
- A family affair. Venus and Serena Williams will take their sibling rivalry to the Australian Open finals early Saturday morning (3:30 am EST). The sisters played each other in the 2003 Australian Open finals and Serena took home the win.
- Old guys rule. Roger Federer claimed his spot in the Australian Open finals on Sunday (also at 3:30 am EST). At age 35 he is the oldest player in the finals since 1974.
NHL (National Hockey League)
- Star struck. The NHL goes Hollywood with their all-star game in Los Angeles this Sunday. The all-stars will play in a three-on-three tournament (there are typically five players on the ice) with teams from the four different NHL divisions - Pacific, Central, Metropolitan and Atlantic. The divisions will play each other to determine which one is the best. The winning team receives $1 million in prize money.
Overtime
- Massachusetts is home to the Super Bowl bound New England Patriots and a Boston Globe reporter who called Atlanta a city with "absolutely zero enthusiasm for professional sports." The Atlanta Falcons are playing the Patriots in the Super Bowl and one of their fans is fighting back with enthusiasm. He will not sell any Boston made Sam Adams in his Georgia gas station until after the Super Bowl. Kick 'em where it counts.
Sideline stat
- Kraft Heinz has decided not to fork out the $5 million for a 30 second Super Bowl ad. Instead they started the “Smunday” campaign, a petition to make the Monday after the Super Bowl a national holiday. They’re putting their money where their mouth is by giving all full-time salaried U.S. employees that Monday off. They claim that 16 million people skip work the day after the Super Bowl anyway, resulting in $1 billion in losses. Care to sign the petition? Here’s the dotted line.
Coaches’ corner
- Is your life feeling incomplete without football? You can get your fix with the Pro Bowl on Sunday. The Pro Bowl is the NFL’s (National Football League) all-star game and takes place in Orlando, FL. The members of the winning team receive a $61,000 bonus and the losing team a mere $30,000. Here's the full roster in case you're interested.
