Heard It Through The Grapevine
The Olympic Opening ceremonies are tonight, Simone Biles gets hits another milestone and the NFL is laying the smackdown on unvaccinated players.
Rumor has it, it's going to be an epic weekend.
It's all you,
The Last Night's Game Team
Olympics
The Olympics kick off tonight with the Opening Ceremonies. Team U.S.A. will be led by flagbearers five-time Olympian Sue Bird (women’s basketball) and Eddy Alvarez from the baseball team. (Alvarez also won a silver medal in the 2014 Winter Olympics in speedskating). The highlight of the evening is the lighting of the torch, which will be powered by hydrogen, promoting a carbon-free future. No word who will light the torch but rumor has it is that it’s the Masters winner Hideki Matsuyama. LET THE GAMES BEGIN
Overtime
We all know that Simone Biles is the G.O.A.T., and now Twitter is on board. If you write a tweet with #SimoneBiles or even #Simone a goat in a leotard, doing a split leap on the balance beam will appear. AS IT SHOULD
Sideline stat
How does one celebrate an NBA (National Basketball Association) Championship and being selected as the MVP? With a fast food run, of course. NBA. Finals MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo ordered 50 nuggets at Chick-Fil-A to match the 50 points he scored in game six win. WHAT’S FOR DINNER
Coaches’ corner
The NFL (National Football League) is laying the smackdown when it comes to vaccinated players. They added extra incentives for players to get vaccinated, threatening forfeits and losing paychecks if an outbreak amongst unvaccinated players disrupts the regular-season schedule. The new rules, amongst other things, call for the team that causes the forfeit to pay the other team’s expenses. MAKING THEIR STANCE CLEAR
What to watch
Everyone’s favorite football coach turned soccer coach Ted Lasso is back today with season two. TUNE IN
Fly The Flag
You’re in for a treat because it’s Friday and you’re going to be the one in the know all weekend long.
You’re in for a treat because it’s Friday and you’re going to be the one in the know all weekend long.
We’re Olympic ready,
The Last Night’s Game Team
Winter Olympics
When karma catches up with you. With a last ditch effort, Russia tried and failed to overturn the ban on their athletes in the Winter Olympics. Russia is banned from competing over doping allegations, but some athletes were invited to compete after proving they were clean.
When luck is not on your side. Team U.S.A.'s athletes vote for who is going to carry the flag in the Opening Ceremony. This year's vote was a tie between speed skater Shani Davis and luge slider Erin Hamlin, both competing in their fifth Olympics. The winner, Hamlin, was chosen by a coin toss. After losing, Davis sent a controversial tweet calling the coin toss "dishonorable." Guess he's not much of a gambler.
If your dad ever said nothing good happens after midnight. While you were sleeping, the Olympic Opening Ceremonies happened without you. You can catch the replay at 8 pm EST tonight on NBC and here are the Olympic events to watch this weekend.
Overtime
What do you get when you cross Aaron Rodgers (Green Bay Packers quarterback), actor Bill Murray and actor Josh Duhamel? A good looking, funny guy with one heck of a throwing arm? Unfortunately no, but they're all golfing in the Pebble Beach Pro-Am. The golf tournament, which is this weekend, is where professional golfers and amateurs mix and the who’s who of celebrities and athletes hit the links together.
Sideline stat
MLB (Major League Baseball) spring training is set to begin next week, but in a rare turn of events, a majority of free agents (players who aren’t committed to teams) remain unsigned. The MLB Players Association will put on their own spring training for unsigned free agents in hopes they will be picked up by a team.
Coaches’ corner
The NBA (National Basketball Association) trade deadline was yesterday and it left the league in shock because the Cleveland Cavaliers basically traded away their entire team, minus LeBron James. The team, which has been in the NBA finals the past three years, has been pretty terrible this season. Was this the doing of King James? Only time will tell
After you follow Last Night's Game on Instagram, go follow these Olympic athletes for a behind the scenes look at the Winter Olympics.
5 Things To Know About The Winter Olympics
This could go down as the best week ever with the Super Bowl on Sunday and the Winter Olympics starting tomorrow with the opening ceremony on Friday. Break out your red, white and blue and show the office that you’re in the know.
This could go down as the best week ever with the Super Bowl on Sunday and the Winter Olympics starting tomorrow with the opening ceremony on Friday. Break out your red, white and blue and show the office that you’re in the know.
Get your game face on,
The Last Night’s Game Team
Five Things To Know About The Winter Olympics
1. This is the first Winter Olympics in Asia in 20 years and South Korea spent upwards of $13 billion for the Games (Sochi still holds the record for most expensive Olympics at $51 billion). PyeongChang has a population of around 43,000 people so some facilities, like the 35,000 person opening ceremony stadium, could be demolished after the Olympics are over.
2. The 242-person team representing the United States is the largest team representing any country in the history of the Winter Olympics.
3. While members of Team U.S.A. are not paid to participate in the games, they earn a little more than pride for winning a medal. This year, thanks to the elimination of the “Victory Tax,” most athletes will not be taxed on their medal bonuses. (Athletes earning more than $1 million a year like Shaun White, still have to pay taxes on their medal bonus. How much are the bonuses worth?
Gold medal $37,500
Silver medal $22,500
Bronze medal $15,000
4. For the first time in 20 years, NHL (National Hockey League) players will not participate in the Olympics. Why? One of the reasons is that it requires a 17-day break from the hockey season. Who will be playing instead? Players from European professional leagues, college hockey teams and the American Hockey League.
5. These Winter Olympics are expected to be one of the coldest games in history, with the average high temperature right below freezing. Luckily for Team U.S.A., their opening ceremony jackets have built-in heaters. Let’s hope someone remembered to pack the batteries. Just because it’s cold, doesn’t mean there will be snow, but thanks to science no one is worried.
Heads up - PyeongChang is 14 hours ahead of the Eastern Standard Time. Here’s what you can watch and when.
But Wait There’s More
It's not all about the Olympics. Here are the top three things what’s happening in the world of sports today. Let’s talk about free beer, JT’s Super Bowl payday and why steroids are bad….or good? Read it.
