Never A Dull Moment
The Super Bowl halftime performers announced, Tom Brady’s dad has dad jokes and the NBA is 90% vaccinated so why the controversy?
Giving you something else to talk about besides how it’s still too hot to drink pumpkin spice lattes.
Spice up your life,
The Last Night’s Game Team
NFL (National Football League)
This season's Super Bowl halftime show is a millennial's dream come true. Yesterday, the NFL announced that Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige and Kendrick Lamar would headline the halftime show during Super Bowl LVI on February 13 at SoFi Stadium, home of the Los Angeles Rams and Chargers. MF'ERS DID NOT FORGET ABOUT DRE
Overtime
The Phoenix Mercury (WNBA - Women's National Basketball Association) are getting kicked out of their house ahead of Sunday's game three in their playoff series against the Las Vegas Aces. Last week the team was forced to seek another place to play because of a concert. The team has is forced out because the arena is hosting Disney On Ice instead. Surely, Minnie disapproves of sending six all-stars to play a professional league playoff game at a university basketball arena. HOW ABOUT A LITTLE RESPECT?
Sideline stat
You’ve read the headlines about the drama surrounding the NBA’s (National Basketball Association) goal to get the entire league vaccinated. Players like LeBron James got it, and others like Kyrie Irving don’t want it. Irving is in an interesting conundrum as players who play on teams based in San Francisco (Golden State Warriors), and New York (Nets and Knicks) must be vaccinated to play in their home arenas. Visiting teams are exempt. The NBA said they will not pay players for missed games if they “elect not to comply with local vaccination mandates.” The NBA said that more than 90% of its players had received the COVID vaccine. ARMED FOR BATTLE
*For reference, the WNBA is 99% vaccinated and the NFL is 93%.
Coaches’ corner
Tom Brady heads back to his old stomping grounds on Sunday when his defending Super Bowl Champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers (NFL) take on former head coach Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots. Brady has played down his return, especially after his dad's comments that he thought Tom felt "vindicated," leaving the Patriots and winning a Super Bowl with the Bucs. Brady's comedic response to his dad's comments included how his dad should know better at this point in his life, and Tom Jr. reserves the right to put him in a home against his will. DAD JOKES FOR DAY
What to watch
Things are getting exciting as we head into the last weekend of the MLB (Major League Baseball) regular season. There are four teams within one game of the American League Wild Card playoff spot - the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Seattle Mariners and Toronto Blue Jays. BATTER UP
5 Summer Olympic Storylines To Follow
Kon'nichiwa world.
This week marks one year until the Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo. They’re already off to a better start than Rio (although that’s probably no surprise to anyone) and there are new athletes and events in the spotlight.
It’s the most wonderful time of the year,
The Last Night’s Game Team
1. Baseball and softball are on the dance card for the first time in 12 years. A women’s softball game will be the first event of the 2020 Olympics. It’s being held two days before the Opening Ceremony and will be played in Fukushima, the site of the 2011 nuclear plant meltdowns. YOU GLOW GIRL HAS A WHOLE NEW MEANING
2. Karate, skateboarding, sport climbing and surfing will make their Olympic debuts. Hopes are that by adding these sports, more millennials fall in love with the Olympics. That being said, don't count out the “old” guys. There’s talk that 47-year-old surfing icon Kelly Slater might make a run at the inaugural event in Tokyo. NOT YOUR GRANDMA’S GAMES
3. Some of your favorite Americans are expected to return to Tokyo. The U.S. women soccer team is eyeing their first World Cup-Olympic back-to-back championships, Simone Biles will be the veteran on the gymnastics team, the “Flying Tomato” Shaun White could swap a snowboard for a skateboard and the queen of U.S. track, Allyson Felix, is on her journey back after an emergency C-section in November sidelined her. HI OLD FRIEND
4. Sponsors are clearly excited about the games with $3 billion already spent on domestic sponsorships, a record three times more than any other Summer Olympics. Mother Earth is excited too because the medals will all be made out of recycled gadgets, i.e. that old cell phone. SPIRIT FINGERS
5. Two storylines that are sure to be part of the conversation leading up to the games include the rules put into place by the International Association of Athletic Federations (IAAF) that limits the ability of certain athletes with high levels of testosterone to compete as women. Enter South African runner Caster Semenya, who claims the IAAF used her as a guinea pig to see how regulating her testosterone levels via medication affected her performance on the track. Then there’s New Zealand’s Laurel Hubbard, who could become the first openly transgender athlete to compete in the Olympics. Hubbard, who formerly competed as Gavin Hubbard, began transitioning six years ago and has been taking the weightlifting world by storm. THE CENTER OF DISCUSSION
Wednesday Wisdom
Let’s talk shop with the top three biggest stories in sports today including who is getting a little cosmetic work done, why we'll never be able to afford a sports team and proof men drive women to drink? READ
The Promise Of A New Day
Say goodbye to weekend and hello to a new week of making things happen.
Say goodbye to weekend and hello to a new week of making things happen.
Onward and upward,
The Last Night’s Game Team
PS - Share us with a friend for a chance to win sweet swag. Who doesn't love free stuff? Here's how you can win.
NFL (National Football League)
United front. On Friday, President Trump called for teams to fire any “S.O.B." who kneels during the anthem. The comments drove players, coaches and owners to stand united during yesterday’s games. Players from all teams that competed Sunday participated in some form of protest, with many standing arm-in-arm in solidarity on the sideline during the anthem.
MLB (Major League Baseball)
Family ties. For the first time in baseball history, a son pitched against his father’s team. Cincinnati Reds pitcher Luke Farrell took on his dad’s Boston Red Sox. Even though they were rivals on the field, his dad beamed with pride from the dugout.
Overtime
The 10-time all-star Carmelo Anthony is slipping into a new jersey for the upcoming NBA (National Basketball Association) season. Once the face of the New York Knicks, Anthony is the newest addition to the Oklahoma City Thunder. He will play alongside superstars Russell Westbrook and Paul George but will his fashionable gal, LaLa Anthony, make the move to the Sooner state too?
Sideline stat
What would you do with $10 million? Yesterday that dream became a reality to golfer Justin Thomas. The 24-year-old won the FedExCup Championship, along with the sweet trophy and the hefty cash prize. (FYI – the FedExCup is akin to the Super Bowl or World Series for the PGA – Professional Golfers Association).
Coaches’ Corner
The tradition of championship teams visiting the White House goes back to 1865 but the NBA Champs, the Golden State Warriors, are no longer invited. Their invitation to visit was rescinded by the White House over the weekend after many of the team’s players said they would not attend. Want more on the tradition of White House visits? It's like we read your mind.
