Most Of The Time

Sometimes we jump out of bed, ready to tackle the day. Other times we begrudgingly roll out and pour a giant cup of coffee to get started. Either way, we have you covered for small talk with today’s news.

Fire up the engines,

The Last Night’s Game Team

---

Summer Olympics

This weekend swimmer Ryan Lochte did not qualify for the Summer Olympics, but runner Allyson Felix did. Felix's two-year-old cheered her mama on from the stands as she qualified for her fifth Olympics, her first as a mom. You might remember Felix took on Nike for their maternity policy for female athletes. (Nike has since changed its policies, and they do not apply any performance-related reductions for 18 months if an athlete becomes pregnant). GOLDEN GIRL

Overtime

We’ve officially heard it all when it comes to fantasy football punishment. Lee Sanderlin lost his fantasy league, and instead of getting a funny tattoo or making him wax a body part, he had to spend 24 hours in a Waffle House restaurant. There was a caveat. He could shave off an hour for every waffle he ate. He took to Twitter to pass the time, and his journey went viral. A ‘mere’ 9 waffles, and 15 hours later, Sanderlin went home with a stomachache and said he might never eat another waffle again. PASS THE PEPTO

Sideline stat

Golfer Jon Rahm is calling it karma. Over two weeks ago, he was in the lead at the Memorial Tournament and had to drop out after testing positive for COVID. Yesterday he took home his first major win (there are four major tournaments in the PGA – Professional Golfers Association). He is the first Spaniard to win the U.S. Open, and he celebrated his Father’s Day win with his newborn baby boy. The course, Torrey Pines, also holds a special place in Rahm’s heart as that’s where he proposed to his wife. FULL CIRCLE

Coaches’ corner

New Orleans Saints (NFL – National Football League) Alvin Kamara is diversifying his resume from football. The football-playing racing fan has joined NASCAR (National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing) in a growth and engagement adviser role. In his role, he will work with the league in its "strategic planning and creative opportunities that support its fan development efforts." KEEPING THE OPTIONS OPEN

These Athlete Mamas Are Making Things Happen

Need proof moms are superheroes? Look no further than these athletes.

Women - making things happen since forever,

The Last Night’s Game Team

---

1. We’re seeing the progress in women’s sports in adopting maternity policies for their players. Before these policies were put into place you had stars like Skylar Diggins-Smith, who played an entire WNBA (Women’s National Basketball Association) season while pregnant and didn’t tell anyone. In fact, was such a great season for her that she was named to the all-star team. After the birth of her son, she was criticized for taking two months off from the season due to postpartum depression. CUT THE GAL SOME SLACK

2. Olympic track star Allyson Felix made an impact on the track, winning six Olympic gold medals but it’s what she did off the track that has shaped her legacy. The NIKE sponsored athlete took on the company saying per her contract, she would be financially penalized for having a child. (Her daughter was born via emergency c-section in 2018). She was so fed up with their lack of support for female athletes that she left NIKE for Athleta. NIKE has since changed their polices and they will not apply any performance-related reductions for 18 months if an athlete becomes pregnant. CHANGE MAKER 

3. When Candace Parker was drafted, everyone thought she’d be the Michael Jordan of the WNBA, and she was, winning attention from big sponsors like Gatorade and Adidas. After her rookie season where she was named rookie of the year and MVP, she returned to the court just 53 days after having her daughter. She did whatever it took to make the best of fitting her new role as a mom in with her career, including nursing at halftime. Parker played 12 seasons in the WNBA. Like many of her peers, during that time she played basketball overseas in the off-season where she earned a bigger paycheck. BRINGING HOME THE BACON

Side note – Parker was the first female to dunk in an NCAA Tournament game. What can’t she do?

4. Serena Williams hasn’t let a life shift like motherhood slow her down. You might remember when she won her 23rd Grand Slam tournament at the Australian Open while pregnant. (The record is 24 wins). After serious medical complications resulting from a c-section birth of her daughter, she’s continued to be a force to be reckoned with on the court. She has launched a clothing line and stays active as a Unicef Goodwill Ambassador, with Serena Ventures where she invests in businesses with diverse founders and doing charity work that benefits causes around the world. GIRL ON FIRE

5. U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team co-captain Alex Morgan is ready to give birth any minute but don’t think that has stopped her from sneaking in impressive workouts to keep her skills game day ready. She was prepared to represent her country in the Tokyo Olympics just three months after having her baby. But with the Olympics being rescheduled it’s a silver lining for Morgan who will have a chance to recover from childbirth and spend some time adjusting to her new role as mom. Although there’s no rest for the weary as she and her teammates continue to fight U.S. Soccer in a legal battle over fair pay. THE GOOD WORK IS NEVER DONE

5 Summer Olympic Storylines To Follow

This week marks one year until the Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo. They’re already off to a better start than Rio (although that’s probably no surprise to anyone) and there are new athletes and events in the spotlight.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year,

The Last Night’s Game Team

---

1. Baseball and softball are on the dance card for the first time in 12 years. A women’s softball game will be the first event of the 2020 Olympics. It’s being held two days before the Opening Ceremony and will be played in Fukushima, the site of the 2011 nuclear plant meltdowns. YOU GLOW GIRL HAS A WHOLE NEW MEANING

2. Karate, skateboarding, sport climbing and surfing will make their Olympic debuts. Hopes are that by adding these sports, more millennials fall in love with the Olympics. That being said, don't count out the “old” guys. There’s talk that 47-year-old surfing icon Kelly Slater might make a run at the inaugural event in Tokyo. NOT YOUR GRANDMA’S GAMES

3. Some of your favorite Americans are expected to return to Tokyo. The U.S. women soccer team is eyeing their first World Cup-Olympic back-to-back championships, Simone Biles will be the veteran on the gymnastics team, the “Flying Tomato” Shaun White could swap a snowboard for a skateboard and the queen of U.S. track, Allyson Felix, is on her journey back after an emergency C-section in November sidelined her.  HI OLD FRIEND

4. Sponsors are clearly excited about the games with $3 billion already spent on domestic sponsorships, a record three times more than any other Summer Olympics. Mother Earth is excited too because the medals will all be made out of recycled gadgets, i.e. that old cell phone. SPIRIT FINGERS

5. Two storylines that are sure to be part of the conversation leading up to the games include the rules put into place by the International Association of Athletic Federations (IAAF) that limits the ability of certain athletes with high levels of testosterone to compete as women. Enter South African runner Caster Semenya, who claims the IAAF used her as a guinea pig to see how regulating her testosterone levels via medication affected her performance on the track. Then there’s New Zealand’s Laurel Hubbard, who could become the first openly transgender athlete to compete in the Olympics. Hubbard, who formerly competed as Gavin Hubbard, began transitioning six years ago and has been taking the weightlifting world by storm. THE CENTER OF DISCUSSION

Wednesday Wisdom

Let’s talk shop with the top three biggest stories in sports today including who is getting a little cosmetic work done, why we'll never be able to afford a sports team and proof men drive women to drink? READ