Sports Love Stories Destined For The Hallmark Channel

Photo credit: Instagram.com/instyle and instagram.com/julieertz, BigStock

Holiday love stories are bringing home the bacon for the Hallmark Channel and Netflix this holiday season, so it’s only a matter of time before ESPN jumps on board.

You heard it here first,

The Last Night’s Game Team

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1. Timing is everything. A few divorces and a handful of years couldn’t keep these two star-crossed lovers apart. Jennifer Lopez and former MLB (Major League Baseball) player and broadcaster Alex Rodriguez had been friends for years. They dated, married and divorced other people and then they were both single. Then there was the text that changed everything. ARod was nervous during a dinner together so he excused himself and went to the bathroom to readjust his thoughts. Then and there he sent his dinner date JLo a text that said “You look sexy AF” and the rest is history. WHY HAS HALLMARK NOT MADE THIS MOVIE?

2. We’ve all heard it before, a girl falls in love with a bad boy and then the bad boy breaks the girl’s heart. That and one bad pickup line bring us to our next couple. After a very public relationship with golfer Tiger Woods, skier Lindsey Vonn was introduced to NHL (National Hockey League) player P.K. Subban at the ESPYs. It was at that event that he told a reporter "It's hotter outside than Lindsey Vonn looks today, which is pretty hot." Well, the line worked. The two, who started dating in 2018 and were engaged in the summer of 2019. The wedding is on hold thanks to COVID. The couple’s passion for each other and their charitable efforts are something to admire. HEART EMOJI

3. Do you know that plotline where two members of royalty happen to run into each other at a coffee shop? This is the same but different. Sue Bird and Megan Rapinoe are the unofficial first couple of women’s sports. The two have been dating since meeting at the 2016 Summer Olympics and are a fixture in the Seattle sports scene. They’ve been featured on the cover of InStyle Magazine and were the first same-sex couple to grace the cover of ESPN’s Body Issue. The outspoken and seriously fashionable duo seem to have it all including a plethora of championships and safety deposit boxes for all their gold medals. The two, who were engaged in 2020, also have each other’s backs. During the Women’s World Cup, Bird, who plays for the Seattle Storm (WNBA - Women’s National Basketball Association), came to Rapinoe’s defense in her battle with President Trump, penning an essay titled “So the President F—ing Hates My Girlfriend.” ROM-COM WRITTEN ALL OVER IT

4. The love story that started with an awkward first dance. Tennis greats Steffi Graff and Andre Agassi started dating after the French Open in 1999 but their story goes back years before that. In 1992 both Graff and Agassi (who tried to pick up Graff the year before at the French Open) were winners at Wimbledon. It used to be a tradition for the two winners of Wimbledon to dance with each other at the Wimbledon Champions’ Ball. But as luck would have it, that was the year they decided to cancel the dance due to “lukewarm receptions from modern players.” It all worked out in the end as the two married in 2001 and are still together. FATE WORKS IN MYSTERIOUS WAYS

5. Our final story is a modern storyline of a virtual, long-distance relationship. Together Julie and Zach Ertz have a Super Bowl championship, two World Cup victories and what do they have to prove it? A Visa commercial. The Philadelphia Eagles tight end (NFL - National Football League) and the soccer star met at a Stanford baseball game in 2012 when he offered her sunflower seeds. They had their first date at Chipotle and the rest is history. Married since 2017, together they too have bared it all for ESPN’s Body Issue. With both of them being at the pinnacles of their careers, they live the saying “absence makes the heart grow fonder.” They say they’re lucky to have three months a year in the same city. WHEN FACETIME IS YOUR FRIEND

The Top 5 Sports Power Couples

Here’s to five stellar athletic duos who share the same craft and we don’t mean beer.

Cheers,

The Last Night’s Game Team 

PS – For the sake of time, we didn’t list out all of these amazing athletes’ achievements (we’d be here for days and no one has time for that). If you want insight into how much they’ve accomplished in their careers, go ahead and click their names.

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1. Driven to create change, Dwayne Wade and Gabrielle Union both have careers full of accolades but that’s not what landed them on this list. Their kids’ moments of bravery is what drove them to push for change. The actress and best-selling author and her husband, three-time NBA champion and Olympic superstar supported their daughter Zaya, 13, in her journey earlier this year as she came out as transgender. As parents they pushed other families to do the same - listen, learn and support your child and evolve with them on their journey. MAKING AN IMPACT

2. Tennis greats Steffi Graff and Andre Agassi started dating after the French Open in 1999 but their story goes back years before that. In 1992 both Graff and Agassi (who tried to pick up Graff the year before at the French Open) were winners at Wimbledon. It used to be tradition for the two winners of Wimbledon to dance with each other at the Wimbledon Champions’ Ball. But as luck would have it, that was the year they decided to cancel the dance due to “lukewarm receptions from modern players.” It all worked out in the end as the two married in 2001 and are still together. TIMING IS EVERYTHING

3. We’re all for bad pickup lines and they’re even better when they work. After a very public relationship with golfer Tiger Woods, skier Lindsey Vonn was introduced to NHL (National Hockey League) player P.K. Subban at the ESPYs. It was at that event that he told a reporter "It's hotter outside than Lindsey Vonn looks today, which is pretty hot." Well, the line worked. The two, who started dating in 2018, were engaged in the summer of 2019. The couple’s passion for each other and their charitable efforts are something to admire. HEART EMOJI

4. Sue Bird and Megan Rapinoe are the unofficial first couple of women’s sports. The two have been dating since 2016 and are a fixture in the Seattle sports scene. They’ve been featured on the cover of InStyle Magazine and were the first same-sex couple to grace the cover of ESPN’s Body Issue. The outspoken and seriously fashionable duo seem to have it all including a plethora of championships and safety deposit boxes for all their gold medals. They also have each other’s backs. During the Women’s World Cup, Bird, who plays in the WNBA (Women’s National Basketball Association), came to Rapinoe’s defense in her battle with President Trump, penning an essay titled “So the President F—ing Hates My Girlfriend.” ROM-COM WRITTEN ALL OVER IT

5. Together Julie and Zach Ertz have a Super Bowl championship, two World Cup victories and what do they have to prove it? A Visa commercial. The Philadelphia Eagles tight end (NFL) and the soccer star met at a Stanford baseball game in 2012 when he offered her sunflower seeds. They had their first date was at Chipotle and the rest is history. Married since 2017, together they too have bared it all for ESPN’s Body Issue. With both of them being at the pinnacles of their careers, they live the saying “absence makes the heart grow fonder.” They say they’re lucky to have three months a year in the same city. WHEN FACETIME IS YOUR FRIEND

The Rundown: 5 Things to Know about the NFL

Are you ready for some football? The NFL regular season starts tomorrow night and we can see the excitement written all over your face. Don’t worry, even if you’re not planning to watch one game, we have you covered so you can still talk shop with the best of them. 

Huddle up,

The Last Night’s Game Team

PS – We are working on a football FAQ to answer all of your curious football questions. Stay tuned! Have one you want us to answer? Email us!

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Five things to know about the 2016 NFL season

1. The season is longer than Taylor Swift’s last relationship - it starts in September and ends with the Super Bowl, which is typically the first Sunday in February. Over 17.6 million fans saw a game in person last season.   
2. This year, four regular season NFL games will be played outside of the U.S. with three games in Europe and and one in Mexico City. There’s an agreement in place to play a game in China in 2018.  
3. NFL does not have fully guaranteed contracts like the NBA and MLB where a player’s contracts states they will receive the full amount no matter what. Football players play one of the most demanding sports but they can face a career ending injury and not be paid out the contract balance. Although some players have been able to negotiate in a cushion. For example, Colts quarterback Andrew Luck signed a six-year, $120 million deal; of that $87 million guaranteed. 
4. The NFL was a tax exempt organization from 1942-2015 despite the fact that television rights fees, licensing agreements, sponsorships, ticket sales and other revenue earned by the 32 teams were all taxed. Dropping this status means that the NFL will no longer have to disclose important financial information such as Commissioner Roger Goodell’s $44 million salary. 
5. According to Vegas Insider, these teams are the favorites to win Super Bowl 51 :
   1. New England Patriots
   2. Green Bay Packers
   3. Seattle Seahawks
   4. Pittsburgh Steelers
   5. Carolina Panthers

NFL (National Football League)

• Here we go! The NFL season will kick off tomorrow night with a rematch of Super Bowl 50. The Carolina Panthers will take on Denver Broncos in Denver. Tune in to see if Cam Newton will be giving away footballs to kids or if Super Bowl MVP Von Miller will be dancing his way to victory.  
• Slap in the face. Hall of Fame Dallas Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman has been an analyst for FOX NFL since 2001. Despite his tenure, FOX signed Aikman’s nemesis Skip Bayless for his own show this fall. Aikman and Bayless have a history of bad blood stemming from the time Bayless claimed in his book that Aikman was gay - without any proof. "To say I’m disappointed in the hiring of Skip Bayless would be an enormous understatement,” Aikman said. 
• Quick recovery. Houston Texans standout defensive player JJ Watt has been cleared to play in week one after undergoing back surgery in July.

Overtime

• UFC’s Miesha Tate flexed her muscles for good over the weekend. She was hiking Nevada’s Mt. Charleston when she came across a little girl, Kai, who had broken her arm while hiking with her mom. Mom was struggling to get Kai down the mountain so Tate picked her up and carried her down the rest of the two-mile trail. Afterward, there was no shortage of mutual love going on between the two on social media.   

Sideline stat

• Serena Williams won her 308th career tennis match on Monday becoming the winningest player in Grand Slam history. Serena will face Simona Halep tonight in the quarterfinals.

Coaches’ corner

• It takes a strong woman to be the head coach of the house during football season and the NFL has its fair share of celebrity power couples who do just that.
  • Singer Ciara and Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson
  • New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and model Giselle Bündchen
  • TV star and designer Kristin (Cavallari) Cutler and Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler
  • New York Jets receiver Eric Decker and singer Jessie James Decker
  • Actress Olivia Munn and Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers