More Fun Than A Barrel Of Monkeys

While the Olympics may be dominating your newsfeed, this weekend in sports brings us a whole lot more than downhill and spandex.

It’ll still be fun, we promise,

The Last Night’s Game Team 

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NBA (National Basketball Association)

There’s a first time for everything. This Sunday is the NBA All-Star Game in Los Angeles and for the first time the teams are not divided up by conference, but chosen by two captains (Steph Curry and LeBron James). The best in the league were narrowed down by a vote and then drafted old school P.E. class-style by the captains. On the line? $300,000 and $150,000 for the teams’ selected charities.

If you believe you can fly. Saturday night features a variety of all-star weekend skills challenges, including the slam dunk competition as well as the three-point shooting contest and the skills competition, which shows off the player’s versatility. Be prepared to be impressed.

College Football

A little feel good for your Friday. During the college football season, the Iowa Hawkeyes started a tradition where their fans wave to the kids at the neighboring children's hospital, which looks into the stadium, at the end of the first quarter. The team has taken it a step further during the off-season, drawing a giant hand in the snow on the field to "wave" to the kids at the hospital. 

Overtime

No one is having more fun in PyeongChang than the Swiss freestyle ski team. If their team announcement video didn’t convince you that the Swiss really do have more fun, then watch the video of skier Fabian Bösch taking an unconventional ride on escalator. More proof that Olympians are not human.

Sideline stat

NASCAR (National Association of Stock Car Auto Racing) kicks off its season on Sunday with the Daytona 500. Some familiar faces will take the track including former NFL (National Football League) quarterback Peyton Manning, who will drive the pace car. The one to watch? Danica Patrick, who will drive in this race and one other this season before retiring. And yes, her boyfriend, Green Bay Packers quarterback (NFL) Aaron Rodgers will be there cheering her on.

Coaches’ corner

Ever wonder what the difference is between the slalom, giant slalom and downhill ski events? We did too. We break it down for you in less than one minute. WATCH

Water Cooler Wisdom

You’ve made it! Put on your happy face and call all your friends- the weekend is almost here.

High fives all around,

The Last Night's Game Team

PS - Take your jalapeño poppers to the next level with this week's Tailgate Treat.

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COLLEGE FOOTBALL

• Heartwarming Gesture. If you’re watching as Iowa hosts Penn State this weekend, make sure to keep your eyes peeled at the end of the first quarter. The Iowa Hawkeye fans have started a new tradition of waving to the children’s hospital that overlooks the stadium when the quarter ends (learn how that tradition started here).

• Want a full rundown of this weekend’s college games? Look no further.

NFL (NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE)

• Early Alarm. The Baltimore Ravens and the Jacksonville Jaguars are heading across the pond this weekend to play a game in London. That means the game will start at 9:30am EST, more than three hours earlier than usual. Make sure to have your fantasy team lined up before then!

PGA (Professional Golfers Association)

• Big Pay Day. The final leg of golf’s equivalent to playoffs concludes this Sunday in Atlanta. The winner of the FedEx Cup finals will take home $10 million and this sweet trophy! Scope out the top players here.

OVERTIME

• Safety measures are being reassessed at MLB (Major League Baseball) ballparks after a scary incident at a Yankees' game. A toddler was struck with a foul ball and ended up in the hospital, so now many teams are considering bigger safety nets.

SIDELINE STAT

• It’s a rematch this year for the WNBA (Women’s National Basketball Association) finals. The Minnesota Lynx will face the defending champs, the Los Angeles Sparks, for a second consecutive year. Sunday begins the best-of-five series.

COACHES’ CORNER 

• Sports history comes to the big screen this weekend. “Battle of the Sexes” depicts the legendary 1973 tennis match between top-ranked women’s player Billie Jean King (played by Emma Stone) and Bobby Riggs (played by Steve Carell), and there’s already a little Oscar buzz around it. Will someone please pass the popcorn?

The Rundown: 5 Things To Know About NFL Cheerleaders

You’re halfway through the week – you can do it!  

We’re channeling our inner cheerleader to put extra pep in your step and bring you today’s Rundown.

We’ve got spirit yes we do,

The Last Night’s Game Team  

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Five Things to Know About NFL Cheerleaders

1. In the NFL, cheerleaders make on average $9/hour or $100-150 per game. In case you were wondering what other key players in a game make, the NFL rookie minimum salary is $435,000 and the average pay for concession workers is $10-14/hour. Many cheerleaders have a flexible job that allows them to maintain the vigorous schedule during the season. Some of them are teachers, nurses or full-time students.
2. The women are required to maintain a certain look (think hair color, makeup, no weight gain) with fear that they can be benched without pay if any facet of the contract is violated. Some team’s cheer coaches conduct “jiggle tests” to assess the firmness of the cheerleader's bodies.
3. The NFL’s most famous pom-pom wielding gals, the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders, have a vigorous application process that includes a written test with questions like “Who is the leader of North Korea? How many yards are assessed for a personal foul penalty?”
4. A former Oakland Raiders cheerleader sued the team because she and her fellow cheerleaders were making an equivalent of $5/hour. She won her suit and the conversation around unfair wages for cheerleaders began. Many team are now paying their cheerleaders more in line with their state’s minimum wage, including the Raiders who upped the hourly rate to $9/hour (Jan 2015).
5. There are six NFL teams without cheerleaders - Chicago Bears, Buffalo Bills, New York Giants, Pittsburgh Steelers, Cleveland Browns and Green Bay Packers.

• Extra credit: This video is guaranteed to make you smile. Lots of team’s cheerleaders dressed up for Halloween (think sexy pilot or sassy cowgirl). Romi Bean of the Denver Broncos cheer team took it to a whole new, awesome level dressing up like a T-Rex. Yep. Then she absolutely nailed her dance routine – with little T-rex arms and pom-poms. Like a boss. 

NFL (National Football League)

• What controversy? Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo is set to return from an injury but his replacement Dak Prescott has killing it on the field. (Something Romo hasn’t done in a long time). Romo said he is in full support of the rookie keeping the starting job. Prescott has lead the Cowboys to a stellar record with only one loss. (The name Tony Romo might sound familiar because he used to date Jessica Simpson).

Soccer

• Rough road ahead. Team U.S.A. suffered its second loss in a row in World Cup 2018 qualifying, this time losing to Costa Rica. Qualifying games resume in March 2017 and the U.S. has a big hole to dig themselves out of to make it to the World Cup in Russia. Who wants to go to Russia anyway? 

Overtime

• This weekend while fans rushed the field, Iowa quarterback C.J. Beathard threw his helmet into the air to celebrate his team’s win over the Michigan Wolverines, only to lose his helmet in the chaos. Local authorities finally located his helmet on an Iowa fan who was wearing it around town to the all the bars. One man’s trash is another one’s treasure.

Sideline stat

• After a weekend full of upsets, the College Football Playoff rankings did a little shuffle Tuesday night. Clemson dropped from #2 to #4 after their loss. Ohio State jumped to #2 and Washington fell out of top four. How does your team rank? Check here.

1. Alabama Crimson Tide
2. Ohio State Buckeye
3. Michigan Wolverines
4. Clemson Tigers

Coaches’ Corner

• Former college football star and WWE wrestler turned actor, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson was named People Magazine’s 2016 Sexiest Man Alive.