Making It Happen
This is no early April Fool’s prank; here’s what’s happening in sports so you can create conversation all weekend long.
This is no early April Fool’s prank; here’s what’s happening in sports so you can create conversation all weekend long.
Like a boss,
The Last Night’s Game Team
MLB (Major League Baseball)
If your Thursday was a home run. By all accounts, Opening Day in baseball was a success. It started with a home run on the first pitch of the season and ended with a visit from Jennifer Lopez in the broadcast booth, where her former baseball player boyfriend, Alex Rodriguez, was broadcasting the Los Angeles Dodgers – San Francisco Giants game.
College Basketball
If your mama taught you to respect your elders. The final four is Saturday night and it features Villanova (#1) vs. Kansas (#1) and Loyola Chicago (#11) vs. Michigan (#3). The teams may have met their match but so has Sister Jean. The 98-year-old nun and chaplain for Loyola has been challenged by Michigan’s “Fab Five” legend and former NBA (National Basketball Association) player Jalen Rose’s grandma. The 100-year-old Grandma Rose loves her some Michigan basketball and told Sister that “it’s been fun but Loyola’s time is up.” A little shade thrown from her elders.
Overtime
The Los Angeles Rams (NFL – National Football League) have made a lot of noise in the offseason with on-field acquisitions but this one made history. The Rams hosted cheerleading tryouts this week and their new squad will feature the first two male cheerleaders ever in the NFL. You’ll see Quinton and Napoleon, both professional dancers, on the sideline this the fall. (Other teams have stuntmen, but not actual male cheerleaders/dancers).
Sideline stat
The NCAA (governing body of college sports) allocates $3,000 - $4,000 for players’ families to attend the final four and the national championship game. The money is for travel costs, hotel rooms and meals. The funds allow Kansas player Udoka Azubuike’s mom to see her son play for the first time. Her visa was approved for travel from Nigeria. Also on Kansas, Svi Mykhailiuk, whose parents travelled from the Ukraine to see him play on Saturday. MORE
Coaches’ corner
Zeke Upshaw of the Detroit Pistons G League developmental league collapsed on the court on Saturday and later died. Last night, the Detroit Pistons honored Upshaw posthumously with an honorary call-up. Being called up means he’ll officially be memorialized in the record books as a player for the Detroit Pistons.
What to watch
March Madness continues tonight with the final four in the women’s bracket. Unlike the men’s bracket, all final four teams started off the tournament ranked #1 in their division – UConn, Notre Dame, Louisville and Mississippi State.
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Don't Worry, Be Happy
The Olympics may be over (boo) but the world of sports doesn’t stop turning (yay). Here’s what you missed over the weekend that you can share around the watercooler today.
The Olympics may be over (boo) but the world of sports doesn’t stop turning (yay). Here’s what you missed over the weekend that you can share around the watercooler today.
Did you hear…
The Last Night’s Game
NFL (National Football League)
When you’re thinking about quitting your day job. The NFL (National Football League) has partnered with the NBA (National Basketball League) to provide their players with an externship to prepare for life after football. If you’re in Manhattan on Tuesday, don’t be surprised to see an NFL player ringing up your purchases at the NBA Store. One player not looking for a job? Retired NFL player Charles “Peanut” Tillman who recently became a full-time FBI agent. What like it’s hard?
Golf
So a tiger and a goose walk into a bar. Tiger Woods finished a tournament in the top 15 for the first time since 2015 but it wasn’t without some sacrifices. He hit an unsuspecting goose with a shot. The goose was okay but it would've been better if it ducked.
Overtime
The U.S. Curling team won its first ever gold medal in the Winter Olympics, something The Simpsons predicted back in 2010. The team was on top of the world until they tweeted at Delta for possible upgrades on their flights home. Delta promptly denied their request stating that they “didn’t have any upgrades to offer but congratulations.” The answer’s always no if you don’t ask.
Sideline stat
Norway took home the most medals at the Games, 39, breaking the record for most medals won by a country in the Winter Olympics. The previous record was held by the United States.
Coaches’ corner
In September, the FBI released the names of four college basketball teams that were part of a pay-to-play scandal. Over the weekend the FBI released additional coaches, players, agents and schools involved in the scandal. The list now includes, but isn’t limited to, Oklahoma State University, Auburn, University of Arizona, Duke, North Carolina, Texas, Kentucky, Michigan State, USC, Kansas and Alabama. FULL LIST OF SCHOOLS
What to watch
No need to go into depression now that the Winter Olympics are over. The inspiring athletic greatness of the Paralympic Games start on March 8.
The Rundown: 5 Things To Know About March Madness
March Madness is here and we haven’t been this excited since we found out how to use Snapchat filters. Don’t forget to fill out your bracket by tomorrow morning.
Knock ‘em dead,
The Last Night’s Game Team
Five Things To Know About March Madness
- Bet on blue. Teams that wear uniforms with blue as the primary color have won 20 of the 32 championships.
- When choosing your bracket, remember that the most likely upset is a #12 team over a #5 and no #16 team has ever beat a #1 team.
- According to Vegas oddsmakers, the favorite teams to win the national championship are Duke, Kansas and North Carolina.
- The NCAA women’s bracket is out and UConn (University of Connecticut) is looking to win their fifth straight championship.
- The tournament is prime time for sponsors with over 11.3 million viewers last year. Although Nike still rules the court when it comes to team sponsorships.
- Nike sponsors 40 of the teams
- Adidas – 15 teams
- Under Armour- 12 teams
- Russell Athletic – 1 teams
Here is the full schedule including what channel and how to stream the games at work.
Overtime
- Gold medal Olympic figure skater Scott Hamilton reported that it’s nothing short of a miracle that his third brain tumor has shrunk without treatment. He previously beat testicular cancer and two similar benign tumors before he was diagnosed with his latest in 2016.
Sideline stat
- Coming soon to an office near you. Don’t expect a lot of work to happen over the next few weeks because nearly 40 million people fill out March Madness brackets. It’s estimated that $4 billion is lost in work productivity during tournament.
Coaches’ corner
- During March Madness you’ll hear the term “Cinderella team” thrown around but it doesn’t have anything to do with a lost shoe at midnight. The term is used to describe an underdog team that defies the odds and wins against teams that were expected to crush them.