Weekend Warrior
The bottle cap challenge is all the rage, how the U.S. Women broke a monumental record and why you might want to become a vegetarian.
Make your own fireworks this weekend.
Heating up the small talk,
The Last Night’s Game Team
Women’s World Cup
If you think everyone is excited about Sunday’s finals game between the U.S. and the Netherlands, you’d be right. Proud U.S. Soccer fans have made the U.S. Women's home jersey the number one soccer jersey, men's or women's, ever sold on Nike.com in one season. (The game is Sunday at 11 am EST). HEY LOOK MA I MADE IT
With the soar in popularity of women’s soccer, ESPN picked up the television rights to the second half of the National Women's Soccer League season, which starts back after the World Cup. BIG FAN
Overtime
The queen of tennis, Serena Williams, has been entertaining a royal audience at Wimbledon. Meghan Markle attended a match and watched her dear friend advance to the next round. Kate Middleton also attended one of Williams’ matches. Markle and Williams met at the 2010 Super Bowl and became fast friends.
Also, drawing major attention after beating Venus Williams in the first round is 15-year-old Coco Gauff, the youngest competitor in the tournament, who has advanced to the third round. PLAY ON
Sideline stat
He didn’t break his own record but professional eater Joey Chestnut still had an epic day that would make most of us vomit. He downed 71 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes to win the Nathan's Famous Fourth of July hot dog eating contest. Chestnut’s closest competitor ate 50 hot dogs/buns. WORLD DOMINATION
Coaches’ Corner
The new celebrity challenge hitting the internet is the bottle cap challenge. Can you unscrew a bottle cap on a bottle with a kick? John Mayer succeeded and Blake Shelton didn’t. Regardless, it’s funny watching them try. DON’T FORGET TO STRETCH FIRST
What to watch
In case you want an all soccer Sunday, the U.S. Men’s soccer team is playing Mexico in the finals of the CONCACAF Gold Cup Sunday night in Chicago. (CONCACAF - pronounced CON-kuh-kaff - stands for the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football). The biennial tournament crowns the champion of our continent. SHOW ME SOME SOCCER
The Rundown: Papa Don't Preach
So long July, welcome August!
Time flies when you're having fun,
The Last Night's Game Team
MLB (Major League Baseball)
- Dad you’re embarrassing me. New Jersey Governor Chris Christie may want to think twice the next time he goes to a baseball game. A few weeks after he was booed for catching a foul ball, Christie was caught on camera berating a fan at a Chicago Cubs – Milwaukee Brewers game. Good news. Even though he was angry, he didn’t spill his nachos. Bad news. His son works in the Brewers baseball operations department. Off to family therapy.
Soccer
- You go girls. In a huge win, the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team came from behind in the last few minutes to beat Brazil in the Tournament of Nations. Next up? They'll face Japan in the final game on Thursday.
UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship)
- Redemption. Fighter Jon Jones returned from a year suspension to reclaim his championship belt on Saturday night at UFC 214. He won with a knockout of opponent Daniel Cormier. It’s the first-time Cormier has ever been knocked out.
Overtime
- Meet 15-year-old Moziah Bridges, CEO of Mo’s Bows. Like many of us may have done as a kid, he started a business. His side hustle surpassed our lemonade stand when it was featured on Shark Tank. Bridges just inked a seven-figure deal to make bow ties for each of the NBA (National Basketball Association) teams. Check them out.
Sideline stat
- Texas Rangers’ Adrian Beltre joined the 3,000-hit club on Sunday. He is only the 31st player in baseball and the first Dominican born player in history to reach this milestone. How did his fans celebrate his accomplishment? The Fort Worth Zoo named a baby giraffe after him.
Coaches’ corner
- The insufferable papa LaVar Ball is once again in center of controversy. (Ball's son Lonzo plays for the Los Angeles Lakers). As a coach in a basketball tournament this weekend, he asked to have a female referee removed from a game after he was unhappy with her call. After Ball’s use of derogatory and sexist language, the officiating group gave the tournament a big middle finger and ended their relationship with the tournament organizer, Adidas. Enough already.
The Rundown: 5 Things to Know About Championship Celebrations at The White House
Earlier this week the World Champion Chicago Cubs brought their victory parade to the White House. President Obama took a break from his packing duties to show the team around. It’s tradition for the nation’s champions to be celebrated at the White House but why?
Curious like a cat,
The Last Night’s Game Team
Five Things to Know About Championship Celebrations at The White House
- The tradition of sports teams visiting the White House began in 1865 but it wasn’t until 1924 that the World Series Champion Washington Senators (baseball) were celebrated by President Calvin Coolidge. Although the NBA (National Basketball Association) champs didn’t make their first visit until 1963, NFL (National Football League) in 1980 and NHL (National Hockey League) 1991.
- Since you never show up to a party empty handed, teams typically bring along their winning trophy and a gift for the president, usually a team jersey. Not sure he has enough wall space for all of those.
- It’s not all pomp and circumstance. When the Pittsburgh Steelers (NFL) visited the White House, the team and the president packed over 3,000 care packages for troops serving overseas. During their time in the capital, the San Antonio Spurs (NBA) visited wounded veterans and the U.S.A. Women’s Soccer Team put on a youth soccer clinic.
- It’s not always warm and fuzzy as some players boycott the visit and use it as an opportunity to speak out against the president’s policies or the government. Others simply can’t make it. President George W. Bush said "I guess his grandmother died again" about the absence of Boston Red Sox (MLB) player Manny Ramirez.
- When the New York Giants (NFL) visited in 1987, the team dumped a cooler full of popcorn on President Reagan to honor the traditional merriment of pouring Gatorade on the head coach to celebrate a victory.
- Extra credit: It’s not only the professional athletes who visit, college champions and Olympic athletes have graced the Rose Garden with their presence.
Overtime
- Pittsburgh Steelers’ (NFL) Antonio Brown violated the sacred space of the locker room after the team’s big playoff win this weekend. Brown streamed postgame locker room talk of head coach Mike Tomlin making not so nice comments about the Patriots, their next opponent.
Sideline stat
- When Brown took to Facebook, he violated the NFL’s social media policy. The policy prohibits social media activity 90 minutes before kickoff as well as after game through the postgame press conferences. Brown is certainly going to be fined by the league for that one.
Coaches’ corner
- College football is a year-round grind and that became apparent when three players on the University of Oregon Ducks football team were hospitalized after an off-season workout. The Ducks’ strength and conditioning coach has been suspended. Phew and we thought working out with Jane Fonda was tough.