The Oscar Goes To...5 Academy Award-Winning Sports Movies

The Oscars are no different than sports, there’s still a uniform (albeit a tux and a ballgown) and you still have to be a good sport even when you lose.

Game faces on, if the botox allows,

The Last NIght’s Game Team

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1. Million Dollar Baby (2004) This movie about a middle-class female boxer who forges a life-changing bond with her trainer is tied for the most celebrated movie on our list. The movie took home Oscars for Best Picture, Best Actress (Hilary Swank), Best Director (Clint Eastwood) and Best Supporting Actor (Morgan Freeman). The other flick with four wins? Chariots of Fire. GIRL ON FIRE

2. Rocky (1976) We all remember the iconic line of “Yo Adrian” and Sylvester Stallone’s run up the steps, but while the actors and their lines are what we remember, the movie took home the award for Best Picture, Best Director and Best Film Editing. A big fat TKO for Rocky and Adrian. WE’LL STILL NEVER EAT A RAW EGG FOR BREAKFAST

3. Jerry Maguire (1996) Tom Cruise may have yelled “show me the money” in a story about a sports agent down on his luck but Cuba Gooding Jr. showed them how it was done as he received the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. OSCAR, YOU COMPLETE ME

4. Chariots of Fire (1981) In a class-focused, divided society, two runners train for the 1924 Paris Olympics. The movie is probably best known for its Oscar winning original music score. THE MUSIC THAT STILL INSPIRES US ALL

5. The Blind Side (2009) Sandra Bullock took home her first Oscar for her role as a pushy mom who takes in a homeless teen and helps to harness his talents to turn him into a football powerhouse. Based on a true story, the real Michael Oher became a college football sensation and an NFL (National Football League) player. DREAMS DO COME TRUE

BONUS - Since it wasn’t a full-length feature film, the honorable mention goes to Kobe Bryant’s Dear Basketball. The animated short took home an Oscar last year and Bryant proclaimed that his win “felt better than winning a championship.” THE TROPHY ISN’T AS COOL

DON’T SKIP TODAY'S WEDNESDAY WISDOM         

The Oscars may be on Sunday, but there’s plenty happening in the sports world today including a new, very odd nickname for a football player, a viral inspirational locker room speech and why someone almost needed a trip to the plastic surgeon’s office. READ

Doggone It

It may be cold outside but it’s hot in the world of sports. It’s the first Saturday since August with no football (cue basketball to fill in) and the last four football teams compete on Sunday for a spot in the Super Bowl.

You’re in the know,

The Last Night’s Game Team

PS – Shout out to our fans who requested a Tailgate Treat that is special diet friendly. Don’t care about your diet? You’ll drool over it too.

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NBA (National Basketball Association)

When you’re still paying for therapy after being picked last in gym class. The NBA All-Star Game (Feb. 18th) has undergone a face lift this year. The teams will now be chosen by the top vote getter in each conference and this year it’s LeBron James and Steph Curry. The list of starters has been determined by fans, players and media and James and Curry will choose from that list, regardless of conference, to create their team that will play in the all-star game. For more, catch this quick video.

NFL (National Football League)

When you can’t get “Who Let The Dogs Out” out of your head.  They may be the Philadelphia Eagles, but Sunday during their game you will see dog masks everywhere. The Eagles have embraced their underdog label in the playoffs, hence the dog masks. They face the Minnesota Vikings which, with a win, will be the first team ever to play a Super Bowl in their home stadium.

 

Overtime

Philadelphia 76ers Joel Embiid asked Rihanna out on a date in 2014. She told him to come back when he’s an all-star. The day has come, Embiid was selected as a starter for the NBA All-Star team. The fans have not forgotten this promise and have been flooding Rihanna’s social media with reminders.

Sideline stat

If you’re more of a dog person, this one’s for you. March Madness brings us bracketology, but have you heard of barketology? Purina and former quarterback and baseball player, Tim Tebow, teamed up to bring you “barketology” for the Westminster Dog Show (Feb. 12-13). You can pick the pups you think will win for a chance at a $1 million prize. Brackets gone doggy style.

Coaches’ corner

All that stands between the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Super Bowl are Tom Brady and the mighty New England Patriots this weekend. Everyone has been giving the team advice on how to beat the five-time Super Bowl champs including a first-grade class that sent them a folder of game notes and motivational messages. CHECK IT OUT

The Rundown: 5 Bizarre Superstitions in Sports

You can’t talk sports without talking about superstitions. Athletes are some of the most superstitious people around…changing their driving route to the stadium if they had a bad game or growing out facial hair for the playoffs. Therefore, we bring you five of the more unique superstitions we’ve heard of, purely for your enjoyment.

Things are going to get weird,

The Last Night’s Game Team  

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FIVE BIZARRE SUPERSTITIONS IN SPORTS

1. Head coach of the University of Alabama Crimson Tide football team, Nick Saban, fuels his fire with a Little Debbie Oatmeal Crème Pie before each game. 

2. Basketball great Michael Jordan wore the North Carolina Tar Heels shorts that he had on when he won the college basketball national championship underneath his Chicago Bulls (NBA - National Basketball Association) uniform.  

3. Hockey’s Sidney Crosby has so many ‘traditions’ that we can’t list them all. Some include wearing the same jock strap for years and not calling/seeing his mom or his sister on game day. He swears every time he does, he gets injured. 

4. The golden thong was worn by former MLB (Major League Baseball) player Jason Giambi to help him break out of hitting slumps. Rumor has it that said tiny undergarment was left in the lockers of his teammates and they all began to hit well. (We warned you it would get weird).

5. The curse of the cover of the Madden video game is a well-known folk tale. Many of the NFL (National Football League) players featured were ‘cursed’ with a horrible season or a season ending injury after appearing on the front of the video game. Quarterback Tom Brady is on the cover of this year’s game. Hopefully his irrational fear won’t get the best of him otherwise they’ll be holding a séance at Gillette Stadium.   

OVERTIME

• Oklahoma City Thunder’s Russell Westbrook (NBA) won the regular season MVP on Monday night. In his acceptance speech we saw an emotional side of Westbrook. To top off the night, he also won the inaugural Best Style Award. Here’s how you can dress like Westbrook.

SIDELINE STAT

• It was a good week for University of Florida Gators alumni. NFL player turned baseball player, Tim Tebow received a promotion in the New York Mets minor leagues (MLB) and sports reporter Erin Andrews walked down the aisle. Not to be outdone, the Gators’ baseball team won their first ever national championship, defeating LSU (Louisiana State University) last night.

COACHES’ CORNER

• Since it’s baseball season, here are two universal superstitions you should know about in the game.

1. Ball players do not step on the foul lines (the white lines that run down the first and third baseline) when entering/exiting the field for fear of bad luck.

2. Never discuss a no-hitter or perfect game while it’s in progress. (A no-hitter means no offensive player gets a hit and a perfect game means no offensive player gets on base). Don’t be like Martha Stewart whose tweet allegedly jinxed a New York Yankees perfect game earlier in the season.