May The Force Be With You

As curfews go into effect across the country, that means your masked conversation while dining outdoors should be interesting and thought-provoking. What better way to relate to everyone than where sports meets pop culture?

No need for a curfew if your bedtime is 10 pm,

The Last Night’s Game Team

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MLS (Major League Soccer)

Tonight’s Friday night lights bring us a different kind of football tonight with the start of the MLS playoffs in a COVID world. With a compressed schedule, MLS will do everything in their power to reschedule a game where one or both teams is suffering from a COVID outbreak but it could result in a forfeit of the game and therefore the team would exit the postseason (it’s a single-elimination tournament). The Sporting Kansas City and Philadelphia Union are both ranked No. 1 in their respective conferences but it’s anyone’s guess who will end up in the finals on December 12. Kevin Durant (Phil. Union) is one of the star-studded athletes and celebrities to have an ownership stake in an MLS team. SIDE HUSTLE 

Overtime

Don’t get us wrong, we all wish COVID would go away but the wife of Detroit Lions (NFL - National Football League) quarterback Matt Stafford took to social media to share her displeasure with the rules in place. In Kelly Stafford’s Instagram life story she said “I'm over living in a dictatorship we call Michigan.” The rant comes days after Michigan implemented new rules including taking school and work virtual. She later apologized for the use of the word dictatorship and praised healthcare workers. RUBBED PEOPLE THE WRONG WAY

Sideline stat

There’s nothing like quality family time on the golf course but how about doing it for your share of $1M? Tiger Woods announced that he and his son Charlie, 11, will be battling it out against John Daly and 18 other legendary golfers (think Greg Norman, David Duval and Jim Furyk) and a member of their family in the PNC Championship on December 17. While the tourney is for fun and won’t go against anyone’s records there is a total purse of $1M on the line. FAMILY FUN

Coaches’ corner

Wednesday night was a big night for the Ball family. First, the youngest of the three basketball brothers, LaMelo Ball was the third selection in the NBA (National Basketball Association) Draft by the Charlotte Hornets. (Michael Jordan is an owner and chairman of the Hornets). And SPOILER ALERT older brother, Lonzo Ball who plays for the New Orleans Pelicans, was unveiled as the whatchamacallit on the “Masked Singer.” Like a man to man defense, actor Ken Jeong nailed it when he said it was Ball, who is also a rapper on the side. SO LITTLE TIME FOR THAT MUCH TALENT

5 Things You Need To Know About The Business Of The World Cup

There’s so much more to the tournament than scandals, corruption and billions in revenue, or is there?

So juicy it needs its own Neflix series,

The Last Night’s Game Team

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5 Things You Need To Know About The Business Of The World Cup

1. We don’t like to throw around stats but they’re important for this one. There’s a reason the World Cup is the world’s most watched sporting event with over 3.2 billion people (essentially half the world’s population) watching the last World Cup. The sport itself is huge. In FIFA’s (Fédération Internationale de Football Association aka International Federation of Association Football) last count, over 265 million people in the world or 4% of the world’s population participates in some form of organized soccer. BY THE NUMBERS

2. The numbers surrounding the tournament are astounding with an expected $6 billion in revenue for FIFA and a prize pool of $791 million, of which $400 million will be awarded to teams based on their performance. WHERE DOES THE REST OF THE MONEY GO?

3. Besides the bragging rights and the eyesore 18-carat gold trophy, teams are competing for some serious prize money. The teams’ national federations will take home $8 million for their team showing up and $38 million in prize money if they finish in first place, $29 million for second and $24 million for third. HOW THE PLAYERS ARE PAID

4. Russia spent over $11 billion in a total of 11 host cities to put on the World Cup. While the tournament may provide a short burst of economic growth, the long-term benefits aren’t there. When countries bid on the tournament, unlike the Olympics where a city submits a bid, they are put through an evaluation process, which some say has been dishonest. At the center of the controversy is the site of the 2022 World Cup, Qatar, which is spending $500 million a week to get ready for the tournament. MORE ON CORRUPTION

5. With this year’s host country (Russia) under sanctions, countries have had to walk a fine line when sending dignitaries to the games. For the first time in a decade, due to political disagreements, a member of England’s royal family will not be in attendance. (Prince William is the president of the Football Association, which is the governing body of football – aka soccer – in England). CONTROVERSIAL RUSSIANS BENEFITTING FROM THE GAMES

We’re just getting started

This is where we talk about the three things happening today that will make your clients clamor and your friends look at you in awe including golf hating on a legend, why it pays to play fair in the World Cup and a whole new meaning to a clean plate. READ

Medal-Worthy Monday

Break the ice this President’s Day by talking sports. If basketball or the Olympics aren’t your thing, bringing up golfer John Daly hitting a hole-in-one while dressed like an American flag should do it.

Hail To The Chief,

The Last Night’s Game Team

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NBA (National Basketball Association)

When taking a risk pays off. Last night, the NBA All-Star Game came down to the wire, with Team LeBron (LeBron James) defeating Team Stephen (Stephen Curry) by three points. It seems the NBA has finally found a format that makes the all-star game competitive. ICYMI – the teams were selected like an old-school kickball game with the two captains picking their teams, regardless of conference.

When you try but fall flat on your face. Not everyone’s performance was as stellar as game MVP LeBron James. During the pregame, there was an odd rendition of the national anthem by Fergie that gave some players the giggles. Top that off with bizarre player introductions by actor/comedian Kevin Hart. Maybe it’s just not Hart’s year to be at sporting events between this and the Super Bowl incident.

Overtime

America’s newest star, figure skater Adam Rippon, has made a name for himself in these Olympics. He was offered a job as an NBC correspondent for the final days of the Games, now that his competition is over. He initially agreed but then changed his mind once he realized he would have to give up his athlete credentials and move out of the Olympic Village.

Sideline stat

Driving the #3 car just like Dale Earnhardt Sr. did in his first and only Daytona 500 win 20 years ago, driver Austin Dillon took home the first win of the NASCAR (National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing) season at Daytona yesterday. There were accidents galore with only 25 of the 40 cars that started the race crossing the finish line. Sadly, one of those crashes involved Danica Patrick, who was driving in the final NASCAR race of her career. She’ll drive one last race in the Indianapolis 500, which is not a NASCAR race, on May 27.

Coaches’ corner

Last week we talked about the Swiss free ski team and their unconventional escalator ride. Clearly unconventional runs in the family becauce Swiss free skier Mischa Gasser’s dad decided to ride a bike more than 10,500 miles from Switzerland to South Korea to watch his son compete. His mom took the conventional route and hopped on a plane.

What to watch

Keep an eye on American Olympian Justin Olsen in tonight's two-man bobsled race. Two weeks ago, he underwent an emergency appendectomy in South Korea. He'll not only pilot the two-man sled tonight but the four-man one later this week as well.