You’re almost there. Happy hour is around the corner.
Let’s give them something to talk about,
The Last Night’s Game Team
NFL (National Football League)
The NFL Pro Bowl (aka the NFL All-Star Game) is this Sunday in Orlando, FL and there’s a good chance you won’t recognize many of the names on the field. Why? Players often avoid the game as it’s an additional risk of injury. You also won’t see any members of the San Francisco 49ers or the Kansas City Chiefs in the game because players from teams that are in the Super Bowl are ineligible. CALLING IN SICK
PS – Amped for the Super Bowl and its commercials? We’re releasing next week’s Super Bowl podcast early, which will cover commercials and the halftime show of course. So make sure to subscribe wherever you get your podcasts so you don’t miss anything. (Email subscribers - You’ll get your Super Bowl 5 Things to know delivered to your inbox on Wednesday per usual).
Overtime
Arizona Cardinals (NFL) receiver Larry Fitzgerald did something only one of his colleagues has done before - buy into an NBA (National Basketball Association) team. He joins the Green Bay Packers’ Aaron Rodgers as the only other active NFL player to be a partial owner of an NBA team with his purchase of a minority stake the Phoenix Suns. (Rodgers owns a share of the Milwaukee Bucks). DIVERSIFY YOUR ASSETS
Sideline stat
But wait, there’s more all-star coverage. This weekend is also the NHL (National Hockey League) All-Star Game in St. Louis. Instead of playing a standard run-of-the-mill all-star game, the NHL shakes things up with a 3-on-3 tournament with all-stars from each division playing for $1 million. And unlike the NFL Pro Bowl, hockey players will be suspended for a game if they don’t show up to the all-star game that they were selected for. CAN’T WIN (A COOL MILLION) IF YOU DON’T PLAY
Coaches’ corner
A significant number of Olympic athletes are also college athletes. And as you might recall, the NCAA (governing body of college sports) has very strict guidelines about college athletes receiving money and gifts. Well, the NCAA announced yesterday that it will allow college athlete Olympians to receive compensation for necessities like training and travel expenses. GOLD ISN’T CHEAP
What to watch
The Australian Open. Tennis’ first major of the season is keeping us on the edge of our seats. Serena Williams faced another setback in her quest for her record-tying 24th Grand Slam win. She lost to China's Qiang Wang last night, her earliest exit in the tournament in 14 years. Between homework time, 15-year-old phenom Coco Gauff upset Naomi Osaka. THIS IS GETTING GOOD
