The Rundown: 5 Things to Know about the NFL

Are you ready for some football? The NFL regular season starts tomorrow night and we can see the excitement written all over your face. Don’t worry, even if you’re not planning to watch one game, we have you covered so you can still talk shop with the best of them. 

Huddle up,

The Last Night’s Game Team

PS – We are working on a football FAQ to answer all of your curious football questions. Stay tuned! Have one you want us to answer? Email us!

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Five things to know about the 2016 NFL season

1. The season is longer than Taylor Swift’s last relationship - it starts in September and ends with the Super Bowl, which is typically the first Sunday in February. Over 17.6 million fans saw a game in person last season.   
2. This year, four regular season NFL games will be played outside of the U.S. with three games in Europe and and one in Mexico City. There’s an agreement in place to play a game in China in 2018.  
3. NFL does not have fully guaranteed contracts like the NBA and MLB where a player’s contracts states they will receive the full amount no matter what. Football players play one of the most demanding sports but they can face a career ending injury and not be paid out the contract balance. Although some players have been able to negotiate in a cushion. For example, Colts quarterback Andrew Luck signed a six-year, $120 million deal; of that $87 million guaranteed. 
4. The NFL was a tax exempt organization from 1942-2015 despite the fact that television rights fees, licensing agreements, sponsorships, ticket sales and other revenue earned by the 32 teams were all taxed. Dropping this status means that the NFL will no longer have to disclose important financial information such as Commissioner Roger Goodell’s $44 million salary. 
5. According to Vegas Insider, these teams are the favorites to win Super Bowl 51 :
   1. New England Patriots
   2. Green Bay Packers
   3. Seattle Seahawks
   4. Pittsburgh Steelers
   5. Carolina Panthers

NFL (National Football League)

• Here we go! The NFL season will kick off tomorrow night with a rematch of Super Bowl 50. The Carolina Panthers will take on Denver Broncos in Denver. Tune in to see if Cam Newton will be giving away footballs to kids or if Super Bowl MVP Von Miller will be dancing his way to victory.  
• Slap in the face. Hall of Fame Dallas Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman has been an analyst for FOX NFL since 2001. Despite his tenure, FOX signed Aikman’s nemesis Skip Bayless for his own show this fall. Aikman and Bayless have a history of bad blood stemming from the time Bayless claimed in his book that Aikman was gay - without any proof. "To say I’m disappointed in the hiring of Skip Bayless would be an enormous understatement,” Aikman said. 
• Quick recovery. Houston Texans standout defensive player JJ Watt has been cleared to play in week one after undergoing back surgery in July.

Overtime

• UFC’s Miesha Tate flexed her muscles for good over the weekend. She was hiking Nevada’s Mt. Charleston when she came across a little girl, Kai, who had broken her arm while hiking with her mom. Mom was struggling to get Kai down the mountain so Tate picked her up and carried her down the rest of the two-mile trail. Afterward, there was no shortage of mutual love going on between the two on social media.   

Sideline stat

• Serena Williams won her 308th career tennis match on Monday becoming the winningest player in Grand Slam history. Serena will face Simona Halep tonight in the quarterfinals.

Coaches’ corner

• It takes a strong woman to be the head coach of the house during football season and the NFL has its fair share of celebrity power couples who do just that.
  • Singer Ciara and Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson
  • New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and model Giselle Bündchen
  • TV star and designer Kristin (Cavallari) Cutler and Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler
  • New York Jets receiver Eric Decker and singer Jessie James Decker
  • Actress Olivia Munn and Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers

The Rundown: Weekend Preview Edition - Money Talks

If money is the root of all evil, then this edition of the Rundown is downright wicked. Between free agency, retirement and Wimbledon players threatening to sue the crowd it seems money is on everyone’s mind today.  

This weekend as you celebrate the birthday of our country with all things American – apple pie, BBQ and Michael Phelps - we hope The Rundown provides you with the conversation starters you need.  

It’s a win-win,

The Last Night’s Game Team

PS: Share us – so all your friends can sound as smart as you this weekend.

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Formula One Racing (F1)

• Vroom. The F1 race takes place in Austria on Sunday (8 am EST on CNBC). Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg has taken a significant point lead in the race for the championship. His Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton, who is in second place, will need to win this race to close the gap. 

NBA (National Basketball Association)

• Big price tags. Free agency started this morning at 12:01 am. This is the period when teams can sign free agents (basketball players whose contracts have expired). Chaos (while carrying very large checkbooks) ensues. The biggest player on the market, Kevin Durant, is holding meetings with potential teams in the Hamptons, where he’s spending the weekend. NBD. Follow us on twitter for up-to-date information on the deals and steals. 

NCAA Baseball (College) 

• College World Series champions. In a best-of-three series Coastal Carolina Chanticleers fought back after losing game one and won the final two games beating The University of Arizona Wildcats to win the NCAA Baseball National Championship.

Soccer

• Portugal progresses. Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal advanced to the Euro 2016 semifinals with a win over Poland in penalty kicks last night. 
• Things we never thought we’d hear. Grab some freedom fries and a spot on the couch because everyone’s favorite underdog Iceland takes on host country France on Sunday in the quarterfinals (3 pm EST on ESPN).

Summer Olympics

• Phelps fever. Michael Phelps, the United States’ most decorated Olympian, has qualified for his fifth Olympics. The 22-time medalist qualified for the 200-meter butterfly event and will most likely qualify for more. 

Tennis

• I’m calling my attorney. Rain has been the name of the game in Wimbledon with no major upsets to report other then mother nature delaying matches. One player, Gilles Simon, was not happy with the drizzle he had to play through. He was afraid of injuring himself and threatened to sue the judge if he was to get injured. He also said (we can’t make this up) "I feel the day I'm going to get injured on slippery grass, I'm going to sue everyone in the stadium.” Let’s hope your attorney likes to attend tennis matches.

Overtime

• The "NikeCourt Premier Slam" white Wimbledon dress made for Nike’s sponsored athletes has been causing quite a stir for being a little too see through and a bit short. Nike’s players have gone as far as pairing it with white leggings because we all know that tennis skirts are known for their modesty. Others athletes don’t mind. 2014 Wimbledon finalist Eugenie Bouchard calls them “cool and modern,” while Serena Williams doesn’t care because she wears a Nike dress specifically designed for her. 

Sideline Stat

• Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck has signed the biggest contract in NFL history - six years for $140 million. With his new fortune, the founder of the Andrew Luck Book Club (Andrew Luck), revealed that he has his eyes not on leather bound books but on a robotic ping pong machine. Chick magnet.

Coaches’ Corner

• The changing of the guards doesn’t only happen in London but in Oregon too. Nike announced that co-founder Phil Knight has official retired as Chairman. The company has made Knight a wealthy man with a net worth of $24.4 billion. Current Nike President, Mike Parker, will step in. In a move where no one seems to understand the job description, Nike has appointed current board member Apple CEO Tim Cook as "lead independent director."
  

The Rundown: Five Things to Know About the NFL Draft

The NFL draft is not unlike picking your kickball teams in grade school. Some players are chosen quickly but for the rest, it’s a slow, awkward and drawn out process. At the end of the day, most of us aren’t making millions with our athletic skills. Instead we’re putting them to use to give you today’s Rundown.

First round draft picks in our minds,

The Last Night’s Game Team

PS - Be a teammate. Share us with your friends!

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Five things to know about the NFL draft

1. There are only 31 picks in the first round this year because Patriots lost their pick in the first round due to the “Deflategate” scandal (see below). Expect for 255 players to be drafted over the course of three days. 

2. College players must be at least three years out of high school to be eligible for NFL draft

3. USC has the most players ever drafted from their football program at 493 with Notre Dame closely behind with 486 players drafted.

4. The last pick of the draft is dubbed “Mr. Irrelevant.” He is dubbed this as the odds are against him that he’ll actually make the team’s roster. Broncos have the distinguished pick this year.

5. Extra credit. The ones to watch:

• Baylor tight end LaQuan McGowan could be the heaviest player ever drafted at 405 pounds.

• Newly relocated Los Angeles Rams have the number one pick in this year’s draft. They claim to know who they are picking but will not reveal their choice until Thursday night. It will likely be either Cal quarterback Jared Goff or North Dakota State quarterback Carson Wentz.

• A unicorn? Literally. Draft prospect, Moritz Boehringer, from the Swäbisch Hall Unicorns could be the first player drafted straight from Europe to the NFL.  Boehringer (nicknamed Silence for his quiet demeanor) was introduced to football by watching clips on YouTube.

The first round starts on Thursday at 8 pm (EST) on ESPN or NFL Network. Teams receive 10 minutes for each pick. For the rest of the schedule click here. 

Here is the draft order (excluding any trades between now and then) and list of players scheduled to attend NFL draft. For those not selected in first round it’s a long and unpleasant wait.

NBA (National Basketball Association)

• Ouch. With round one of the playoffs still in full swing injuries are changing the face of the playoffs. Golden State Warriors’ Steph Curry will miss two weeks with a sprained MCL. Warriors currently lead series 3-1 against Rockets.
• Clipped by the injury bug. Clippers’ starting point guard Chris Paul is out for the playoffs with a broken hand and Blake Griffin (missed 47 regular season games with quad and hand injuries) is also out for the playoffs after re-injuring his quad. Clippers play the Blazers in Los Angeles with series tied 2-2 tonight on NBC at 10 pm (EST). 
• Congrats. Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr won the “Coach of the Year” award despite missing 43 games this season due back surgery. Warriors set all-time season win mark at 73. 

MLB (Major League Baseball)

• I salute you. Detroit Tigers’ outfielder Tyler Collins will not face discipline charges after flipping off the heckling crowd after he misplayed a fly ball.

NFL (National Football League)

• Flattened. On Monday, a federal appeals court ruled to overturn a lower court’s decision in the "Deflategate" scandal. New England Patriots’ quarterback Tom Brady will have to sit out four games to start the 2016 season. Brady is being penalized for allegedly playing with a purposefully deflated the football in order to give his team an advantage.

NHL (National Hockey League) 

• Ding! Round two of the playoffs starts today with Islanders vs Lightning at 7 pm (EST) on NBCSN.

• Almost there. Game seven between Predators and Ducks is also today at 10 pm (EST) on NBCSN. 
• Simply the best. Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals have advanced to the second round and will play each other on Thursday (8 pm EST on NBCSN). This series features two of the biggest NHL superstars pitted against each other, Sydney Crosby of the Penguins and Alex Ovechkin of the Capitals.

UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) 

• Don’t change the channel. UFC is taking over the set of Good Morning America today from 7 – 9 am (ABC). UFC Hall of Famer Chuck Liddell, current Dancing With the Stars participant Paige VanZant and UFC President Dana White are just a few of the familiar faces you’ll see to start your morning.

Overtime

• Move over Oprah because Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck has started a book club. Luck went to Stanford and was the number one draft pick in 2012. He will be choosing books for “rookies” and “veterans. A “rookie” book is one that Luck liked when he was younger. His “veteran” book will be one he is currently reading. For more information or to join the book club, click here.

Sideline stat

• 3,500 miles. That was the goal of runner Reza Baluch who was attempting to run from Florida around the Bermuda Triangle in an inflatable bubble. He made it 70 miles before he was exhausted and picked up by the Coast Guard, again. Yes, this isn’t Baluch’s first attempt at this voyage, which he expected to last for five months. His human hamster wheel was stocked with protein bars, water and a hammock for sleeping. You have to see it to believe it.  

Coaches’ corner

• Social media allows people to hide behind their phones and say some pretty dastardly and obscene things. Esquire Magazine asked real men to read some of the mean tweets sent to two women sportscasters. The result is what you expected. Keep up the good work ladies – we’re rooting for you.