Better Than Advertised
Remembering 9/11, how much would you pay for a ‘sure’ win and the brilliant and strategic reason the Saints-Packers game is being played in Florida.
The NFL season kicked off last night with an Ed Sheeran concert. Oh, and a football game. Sheeran's NFL merch may not have lived up to expectations but the game exceeded them. Here’s to hoping your weekend does the same.
Thinking out loud,
The Last Night’s Game Team
Remembering 9/11
Saturday marks the 20th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks. In the weeks following 9/11, it seemed like sports was the sense of normalcy so many craved. This weekend, teams across the country will be honoring those who were lost. The NFL (National Football League), MLB (Major League Baseball) and numerous college football teams have added pregame tributes, with some wearing special uniforms.
Select NFL teams are partnering with Tuesday’s Children, an organization that aids “families who have suffered losses due to the events of 9/11, post-9/11 military service or other acts of mass violence and terrorism,” to host and recognize a family during their home game. WE WILL NEVER FORGET
Overtime
The New Orleans Saints (NFL) were forced to move their home opener against the Green Bay Packers due to Hurricane Ida, but how they finally landed on the Jacksonville Jaguars stadium as their home away from home is interesting. First, Aaron Rodgers’ (Packers QB) numbers show he struggles when playing in Florida. Florida also gave the Saints the humidity advantage as their players are used to it. Then out of the three available stadiums in Florida - Miami, Tampa Bay and Jacksonville - they picked the one that would be the most expensive for Packers fans to travel to, so they might still have home field advantage. BRILLIANT
Sideline stat
LSU (Lousiana State) is looking to bounce back after their first game that ended in a disappointing loss. But they’ll have to do it against a familiar foe - the son of LSU head coach Ed Orgeron. Orgeron’s son is the quarterback for LSU’s Saturday opponent, McNeese State. The mismatched game will likely be a blowout, but it’s common practice for college teams to pay opponents from smaller schools for an easy win. In fact, LSU is paying McNeese $600,000 to play them this weekend. NO SUCH THING AS BAD PR
Coaches’ corner
The final Grand Slam tournament of the tennis season, the US Open, comes to a close on Sunday. We know that the youth movement of Leylah Fernandez, 19, and Emma Raducanu, 18, will play on Saturday in the all-teenage women’s singles finals. The men’s final will be determined later today, but we may be witnessing history if Novak Djokovic wins in the semifinals today. If he makes it to the finals and wins on Sunday, he will be the first tennis player since Steffi Graff in 1988 to win all four majors in a calendar year. FINISH STRONG
The Good Ones
Why Prince William is chastising the behavior of England’s fans, the MLB All-Star Game and Wimbledon download.
The best part about sports isn’t the scores; it’s the stories that allow you to connect with others and create conversation.
Monday for the win,
The Last Night’s Game Team
MLB (Major League Baseball)
Today starts the beginning of the All-Star festivities in Denver. The home run derby is tonight, and all eyes are on slugger (and pitcher) Shohei Ohtani, who is the first-ever Japanese-born player to compete in the derby. Also, keep an eye on Baltimore Orioles player Trey Mancini who missed last season to fight (and win) a battle with cancer who is also participating in the derby. The game itself will be tomorrow night.
While the stars of the game are on the field, they’re not the only heroes. At an MLB game yesterday, the father of Washington Nationals pitcher Joe Ross saved a fan’s life, performing the Heimlich Maneuver. LIFESAVER
Overtime
Some of England’s biggest soccer fans including David Beckham, Prince William, Duchess Kate and Prince George attended yesterday’s Euro 2020 Final. England was vying for its first major title in 55 years. Sadly, the England fans will have to settle for second. Italy took home the win after a great game that was decided by penalty kicks at the end. The British Beer and Pub Association estimated that fans would buy nearly 13 million pints of beer yesterday in expectation of the event. That indulging may have led to the thousands of abusive tweets and racist messages directed at the three Black England players who missed their penalty kicks. SORE LOSERS
Sideline stat
There’s a new name to keep an eye on in women’s tennis – Australian Ash Barty. Yesterday Barty won her first Wimbledon, her second Grand Slam title of her career. Novak Djokovic won his sixth Wimbledon, his third major of the year. With the win, he tied Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal for most titles in history. He could break the record at the U.S. Open in August; the only Grand Slam tournament left this year. ON FIRE
Coaches’ corner
The MLB All-Star Game made headlines after a maid tipped off Denver police who seized guns, ammunition, narcotics and body armor from a hotel near Coors Field, home of the All-Star Game. They arrested four people. It was initially feared it was some sort of planned attack on the event, but it turns out it may be unrelated. The All-Star Game was scheduled to be in Atlanta, but the league pulled the game after the state passed new voting rights laws. SEE SOMETHING SAY SOMETHING
A Pigeon Chasing Hawk, The Loudest Grunter And Pimm's - What You Need To Know About Wimbledon 2021
What you need to know and what you never expected.
Photo: Unsplash/shep979
The oldest tennis tournament in the world may be steeped in history, but that doesn’t stop the common folk like us from enjoying a match, traditional Pimm’s or donning our Wimbledon whites.
Like royalty,
The Last Night’s Game Team
1. There’s a strict dress code at the prestigious tournament, requiring players to wear all white. (Rumor has it was that it was because it didn’t show sweat like other colors). Now we all know that nothing ruins your summer whites like bird poop. Luckily you don’t have to worry about that at Wimbledon. Rufus is a specially trained hawk that keeps those pooping pigeons away from the grounds. Like a good predator, Rufus flies above the grounds for one hour (9.00 am) most mornings before the gates open to keep the birds away. EYES LIKE A HAWK
2. Did you know that Wimbledon is the largest single annual sporting event in Europe from a catering perspective? In previous years, spectators consumed over 276,000 glasses of Pimm’s to wash down 18,061 servings of fish and chips. Although this year, those numbers might be a little lower as fan capacity is limited to 50% occupancy until the men’s and women’s finals, when the stadium will be at 100% capacity. The tournament has served 4,242 servings of sushi and 6,147 of pasta to their racket-wielding athletes. WHO’S HUNGRY?
3. The tennis balls are replaced every seven to nine games to ensure they’re kept in perfect shape. It’s no wonder more than 54,000 tennis balls are used during the two-week tournament. But did you know that tennis balls used to be white or black, not yellow? They were changed to yellow to make it easier for the TV viewer to see the ball, but Wimbledon was a late adopter to the color change, waiting until the 80s. HOLY BALLS
4. Grunting is something no longer left to gremlins and grumpy old men. Even the classiest of tennis players vocalize their play. While you may think this is a new thing, Monica Seles and Jimmy Connors are known as the original creators of the tennis grunt. The loudest one on the court? Russia’s Maria Sharapova at 105 decibels – the equivalent of standing next to an accelerating motorcycle. THAT’S NOT AWKWARD AT ALL
5. The biggest news about Wimbledon is who isn’t going to be there. Naomi Osaka and Rafael Nadal have both dropped out of the tournament. But instead of looking at the glass half empty, let’s talk about how Serena Williams will be there to go for her record-tying 24 Grand Slam win. Or the two of the biggest names in men’s tennis, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, will take the court. Djokovic has won the first two Grand Slam tournaments (aka majors) this year. (Wimbledon is the third major of the year). BE THERE OR BE SQUARE
Bonus: Last year’s tournament was cancelled but don’t feel too bad. The All-England Lawn Tennis Club had been paying pandemic insurance for 17 years, and it finally paid off with a rumored payout of $141 million.