A Guide To The NFL Season - The 5 Things You Need To Know
Football is back and we have yours when it comes to the gameday conversation.
Football is back and just like that, there goes your Sundays (and Mondays…and Thursdays)…
Put me in coach,
The Last Night’s Game Team
1. The 100th NFL (National Football League) season starts on Thursday and culminates with the Super Bowl in Miami on February 2. Performances by Meek Mill, Meghan Trainor and Rapsody will kickoff the first game of the season that happens to be between two of the the league’s oldest rivals, Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears. The league is so excited about their 100th year that they’ve coined the phrase “fantennial” to celebrate fans along the way. DON’T LAUGH – YOU DIDN’T USE THE WORD GOOGLE UNTIL 20 YEARS AGO
2. While everyone expects the defending Super Bowl Champions, the New England Patriots, to do well this season, it’s the Cleveland Browns who are raising eyebrows. The team that went winless two seasons ago has set the bar high this season and could be one to beat, thanks to second year quarterback Baker Mayfield. THE SKY’S THE LIMIT
3. After some controversy around her Sunday Night Football song, Carrie Underwood has teamed up with Joan Jett to sing the show’s opener. For the first time in 14 years, the video for the opening song was shot inside an NFL stadium – Mercedes-Benz Stadium, home of the Atlanta Falcons. P!nk and Faith Hill sang previous versions of the theme song. LADIES OF THE EVENING
4. While you might think the most important people on the field are the guys in the helmets, it’s a little more black and white than that. With the team’s futures in their hands, the referees, and their game changing decision making minds, are only part-time employees. As part of a labor dispute between the NFL and the NFL Referees Association, all refs will be considered part-time until further notice. After some notable controversial calls last season, we’ll see if this status affects the game. PLACE YOUR BETS
5. Did you know the NFL used to be 501 (c)(6) non-profit? They voluntary gave up their tax-exempt status, which means they no longer have to disclose commissioner Roger Goodell’s salary, which has been upward of $31 million. MAKING BANK
Want to know more about your team? Here is the top story line for each team. BE IN THE KNOW
Wednesday Wisdom
It’s all happening today including why beer and football are worth celebrating, a classic tale of a cheerleader and quarterback, who's baring it all and Serena’s U.S. Open domination. READ
The Rundown: Rise And Shine
This weekend in sports brought us face-plants and firsts. Here’s to hoping your weekend was the latter.
Happy Monday,
The Last Night’s Game Team
Tennis
- Très bon. Two winners were crowned this weekend in the French Open but they couldn’t be more different. Unseeded Jelena Ostapenko won her first grand slam. With her win she became the first unseeded woman to win the French Open since 1933 and the first Latvian player to win a Grand Slam singles title.
On the men’s side Rafael Nadal secured his 10th French Open title. It’s the first time any player has reached 10 titles at one Grand Slam event. (A Grand Slam is one of the four major tournaments in a tennis season).
NHL (National Hockey League)
- We are the champions. The Nashville Predators brought their A game with Faith Hill singing the national anthem before game six of the NHL Finals, but even the country music legend couldn’t save the Predators. The Pittsburgh Penguins defeated the Predators last night to win the Stanley Cup. This is the second straight Stanley Cup win for the Penguins.
NBA (National Basketball Association)
- Golden ticket. On Friday night the home crowd and Cleveland Cavaliers' Kyrie Irving led the team to a win to keep their hopes alive in the NBA Finals. This was the first loss for the Golden State Warriors in the playoffs but we’re sure the Warriors ownership doesn’t mind the series shifting back to their home court tonight because courtside seats are going for $41,000.
Overtime
- This weekend “The Freeze” became a viral sensation. The Freeze is a member of the Atlanta Braves’ (MLB - Major League Baseball) ground crew who races fans in between innings in a getup complete with swim goggles. The former college track star had a fan eating his dust quite literally. See the video.
Sideline stat
- Forbes released its annual list of “The World’s Highest Paid Athletes” and yes it’s as depressing as you thought. Rounding out the top four spots with combined salary/winnings and endorsements are:
- Cristiano Ronaldo (soccer) - $93 million
- LeBron James (basketball) – $86.2 million
- Lionel Messi (soccer) - $80 million
- Roger Federer (tennis) - $64 million
Guess we should’ve tried harder in our youth soccer league. Here's the entire list.
Coaches’ corner
- Ryan Blaney won the NASCAR (National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing) race at Pocono yesterday. It’s the first win for Blaney, a third-generation racer. He won in an unprecedented fashion, without a radio to communicate with his team thanks to a malfunction.