The 5 Most Memorable Anthem Performances
For better or for worse…
This isn’t your mama’s karaoke.
Like nails on a chalkboard….
The Last Night’s Game Team
1. College bands were originally called upon to play the Star-Spangled Banner before the Super Bowl. Diana Ross was the first pop star to sing the anthem before the big game in 1982. The longest rendition of the anthem at the Super Bowl? Alicia Keys at two minutes and 35 seconds. Shortest? Jewel at 1 minute 27 seconds. THAT WAS QUICK
2. Roseanne Barr’s performance at a San Diego Padres (MLB – Major League Baseball) game was not music to your ears. Her shrieking of the anthem (and crotch grab afterward) reminded us that she should never quit her day job. THIS IS WHY A MUTE BUTTON WAS INVENTED
3. Another not-so-fan favorite? Fergie’s “outside the box" rendition at the NBA (National Basketball Association) All-Star Game that had even the players trying not to laugh. LISTEN AT YOUR OWN RISK
4. That voice. The headband. The 90s jumpsuit. Whitney Houston’s performance of the anthem at the 1991 Super Bowl goes down as the best in the business. INSTANT CLASSIC
5. Singing the anthem before a sporting event wasn’t always a thing. The tradition started in baseball where the song would be sung on the opening day of a season or for special occasions/holidays. It wasn’t sung every game because the powers that be didn’t want to “cheapen it.” That eventually changed to the tradition we know now. HISTORY
The 4th Of July Tradition That We Love, But Will Also Make You Want To Puke
It’s a tradition unlike any other.
Photo: Unsplash
Nothing says “Happy Birthday America” like sitting on your couch watching people down 75 hot dogs in 10 minutes in the Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest.
Our founding fathers would be so proud…
The Last Night’s Game Team
1. In a tradition unlike any other, our nation will celebrate its birthday with the Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest. Like our country, the contest’s roots run deep. According to Nathan’s, legend has it that on July 4, 1916, four immigrants gathered at the very first Nathan’s Famous hot dog stand on Coney Island and made eating contest history. As the story goes, they were competing to see who was the most patriotic. The winner was determined with a hot dog eating contest. BUT OF COURSE
2. Let’s talk about what everyone is thinking about – vomiting. An eater who has "a Roman incident" or “reversal of fortune,” as it is so delightfully called, will be disqualified if the result of that incident touches the plate or table. After the contest is over, eaters can dispose of the food however they’d like, although some contests have a post-binge wait period. MAKE SURE NOT TO SIT IN THE SPLASH ZONE
3. This isn't college; the competitors don't show up just for the food. The winner out of the dog-downing competitors will take home $10,000. Want to bet on it? That can be done. You can also bet on if PETA will interrupt the contents or not or if there will be a “reversal of fortune.” One thing that’s a sure winner, Nathan’s will continue their annual tradition of donating 100,000 hot dogs to the Food Bank of New York. EATING FOR GOOD
4. After no fans last year (and an awkwardly quiet competition), the crowd might be just what 13-time champion Joey Chestnut needs to beat his record of 75 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes. He is one of 18 men to compete for the belt. Chestnut also holds the record for the most hard-boiled eggs eaten in 10 minutes at 151. IRON STOMACH
5. Don’t worry, this sport isn’t only for the boys. Miki Sudo has won for seven straight years on the women's side, but she will not attend this year as she’s pregnant with her first child. So while the men’s competition is pretty much a lock for Joey Chestnutt, the women’s side is wide open for any of the 10 competitors to win. Only two women, Sudo and Sonya Thomas. have won the competition since it started in 2011. A NEW CHAMPION WILL EMERGE
You can catch the Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest at 11 am EST on July 4 on ESPN. The contest will occur amidst stifling humidity and a massive crowd at Maimonides Park, which is steps away from Nathan’s flagship store on Surf and Stillwell Avenues.
The 5 Things You Need To Know About The Tour De France
Booze, castles and cycling with reckless abandonment - the recipe for the perfect sport that starts June 26.
Revealing more about the Tour de France than the bikers’ spandex.
There’s more where that came from,
The Last Night’s Game Team
1. The average cyclist spends up to six hours a day on a bike and will burn 4,000 – 5,000 calories in each stage. By the end of the race they’ve burned the equivalent of 252 McDonald’s double cheeseburgers. The best diet was from the 1904 winner, Henri Cornet, who drank hot chocolate, champagne, tea and ate rice pudding as his food rations. CHAMPS ON A BIKE? AN AVERAGE SUNDAY FUNDAY
2. While the Peloton is what makes your thighs and buns burn during your home workout, in the Tour a peloton is the pack of lead riders grouped together. (Probably also makes the buns burn). The two riders expected to fight for the top honors are both from Slovenia - defending champion Tadej Pogacar and last race’s runner-up, Primoz Roglic. PLACE YOUR BETS
3. Until the 1960s it was common for participants to drink alcohol to numb the pain. Despite its 'healing power,' alcohol was later banned because it's a stimulant. BOTTOMS UP
4. One of the crazier traditions of the Tour has nothing to do with the guys in the race. It has become an annual thing for mountain bikers to jump over the pack of riders during a stage of the race. Think Jackass meets big air. SAYONARA TEETH
5. To the riders, it’s not all about the Benjamins. After enduring 21 stages of 2,102 miles through France over 23 days with only two days of rest, the winner takes home a check for $500,000 Euros. (For comparison sake, the Wimbledon singles winners will take home $2.37 million). MIGHT WANT TO RAISE THAT HOURLY RATE
Want something a little more interactive or simply to relive what the Tour was like when drinking was allowed? Check out the Tour de Franzia - a drinking game that pays homage to the race with boxed wine. The Tour runs from June 26 - July 18. The women’s race, “La Course,” is on Saturday, June 26 as well.