This could go down as the best week ever with the Super Bowl on Sunday and the Winter Olympics starting tomorrow with the opening ceremony on Friday. Break out your red, white and blue and show the office that you’re in the know.
Get your game face on,
The Last Night’s Game Team
Five Things To Know About The Winter Olympics
1. This is the first Winter Olympics in Asia in 20 years and South Korea spent upwards of $13 billion for the Games (Sochi still holds the record for most expensive Olympics at $51 billion). PyeongChang has a population of around 43,000 people so some facilities, like the 35,000 person opening ceremony stadium, could be demolished after the Olympics are over.
2. The 242-person team representing the United States is the largest team representing any country in the history of the Winter Olympics.
3. While members of Team U.S.A. are not paid to participate in the games, they earn a little more than pride for winning a medal. This year, thanks to the elimination of the “Victory Tax,” most athletes will not be taxed on their medal bonuses. (Athletes earning more than $1 million a year like Shaun White, still have to pay taxes on their medal bonus. How much are the bonuses worth?
Gold medal $37,500
Silver medal $22,500
Bronze medal $15,000
4. For the first time in 20 years, NHL (National Hockey League) players will not participate in the Olympics. Why? One of the reasons is that it requires a 17-day break from the hockey season. Who will be playing instead? Players from European professional leagues, college hockey teams and the American Hockey League.
5. These Winter Olympics are expected to be one of the coldest games in history, with the average high temperature right below freezing. Luckily for Team U.S.A., their opening ceremony jackets have built-in heaters. Let’s hope someone remembered to pack the batteries. Just because it’s cold, doesn’t mean there will be snow, but thanks to science no one is worried.
Heads up - PyeongChang is 14 hours ahead of the Eastern Standard Time. Here’s what you can watch and when.
But Wait There’s More
It's not all about the Olympics. Here are the top three things what’s happening in the world of sports today. Let’s talk about free beer, JT’s Super Bowl payday and why steroids are bad….or good? Read it.
