The Most Invasive Job Interview In Sports
There’s a reason they call it the “Underwear Olympics.”
Ever had the dream where you end up in public nearly naked, feeling oh so exposed? Welcome to the NFL Combine (National Football League) where that is real life. They don’t call it the Underwear Olympics for nothing.
Only just a dream,
The Last Night’s Game Team
1. The NFL Combine (pronounced kɒmbaɪn– like a harvesting tractor) is known as the “Underwear Olympics” because prospects compete in different challenges in small, tight-fitting workout gear all while being scrutinized. It wasn’t long ago that prospects stripped down to their underwear for the “eyeball test” where coaches would make notes about their stature, muscle build, etc. IT’S LIKE PRIZED CATTLE GOING TO MARKET
2. Unlike in the presidential election, hand size matters in the combine. Quarterbacks are especially scrutinized for their grip, which is judged by the distance from the thumb to their pinkie. A previous victim to the ruler is Heisman Trophy winner, national champion and Super Bowl runner-up, Cincinnati Bengals QB Joe Burrow. Burrow measured in at nine inches and joked that “maybe he should just retire from the NFL now.” Burrow was the No. 1 pick in the draft despite his palm size. BUT HE WEARS BIG SOCKS?
3. As if being in your undies isn’t bad enough, teams are known for asking really weird and intrusive questions. The players who have been invited to the tryout will be asked interrogation-style questions in an attempt to evoke the player’s vices (drinking, drugs), ethics, failures, sexual orientation (even though technically this is illegal) or anything to get a rise out of the player. WHERE’S THE HR DEPARTMENT?
4. If you think any dumb jock can make it to the NFL, then you’ve never taken the Wonderlic Test. This year is the first year the NFL will not use the test that challenges players’ problem solving and critical thinking skills. Only one player has ever had a perfect score. Think you can beat it? HARDER THAN IT LOOKS
5. The “sexiest” event in the combine is the 40-yard dash. In the past, the fastest runner has won prizes such as a private island or $1 million. Tom Brady was remarkably slow but he turned out alright. Since 2005 sports reporter Rich Eisen has participated in the dash, while wearing a suit with cleats, to raise money for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. RUN RICH RUN
The Combine runs March 1-7 and the NFL Draft begins on April 28 in Las Vegas
Moms Who Made The Sports World Up Their Game
Don’t mess with these mamas.
Photo: Instagram/Alex Morgan
When being forced to choose between a family and their job, these women picked both and then paved the way for others to do the same.
Started from the bottom, now we’re here,
The Last Night’s Game Team
1. Leading the Arizona Wildcats to the 2021 National Championship Game was former WNBA (Women’s National Basketball Association) player, head coach Adia Barnes. Barnes, who inspired women everywhere in her quest for her dream job, coaches alongside her husband and is a mom to two children. During halftime, she was not only giving a pep talk to her team but also pumping as she was still nursing her six-month-old daughter. Barnes shed light on the NCAA's rules that have stifled working moms. Coaches' children, such as Barnes' six-month-old daughter, counted against a team's limited traveling party numbers, which means she had to choose between her children and a member of her staff. MAKING IT HAPPEN
2. Mom was the word at the 2020 U.S. Open (tennis), with nine moms qualifying for the tournament. Serena Williams, Victoria Azarenka and Tsvetana Pironkova made history as the first trio of mothers to reach the quarterfinals of the same Grand Slam. The WTA (Women's Tennis Association) has stepped up with new policies to support new moms (or expecting), including a new ranking policy and adjusting the dress code. Women on the tour will not be penalized or prohibited from wearing leggings or compression shorts without a skirt, dress or shorts over them at WTA tournaments. REAL HEROES WEAR LEGGINGS
3. We're seeing progress in women's sports in adopting maternity policies for their players. Before these policies were implemented, you had stars like Skylar Diggins-Smith, who played an entire WNBA (Women's National Basketball Association) season while pregnant and didn't tell anyone. It was such a great season for her that she was named to the all-star team. After the birth of her son, she was criticized for taking two months off from the season due to postpartum depression. Because of players like Diggins-Smith, the new collective bargaining agreement features full salary on maternity leave, a childcare accommodation and new, progressive family planning benefits. CUT THE GAL SOME SLACK
4. Olympic track star Allyson Felix made an impact on the track, winning seven Olympic gold medals, but it's what she did off the track that has shaped her legacy. The NIKE-sponsored athlete took on the company, saying that she would be financially penalized for having a child per her contract. (Her daughter was born via emergency c-section in 2018). She was so fed up with their lack of support for female athletes that she left NIKE for Athleta. Felix isn't the only athlete worried about being dropped for having a child – it's a far too common practice. NIKE has since changed its policies, and it will not apply any performance-related reductions for 18 months if an athlete becomes pregnant. A FORCE FOR CHANGE
5. U.S. Women's National Soccer Team co-captain Alex Morgan was one of the few athletes okay with the delay in the Olympics because it gave her more time with her newborn baby. The co-captain isn't slowing down, signing with Tottenham Hotspur in England and then returning home to the Orlando Pride (NWSL – National Women's Soccer League). Players like Morgan will be able to utilize the new maternity policies put in place by FIFA (the governing body of international soccer). IT'S A START
5 Bachelor Athletes Who Searched For Love On TV
Looking for love with home field advantage.
Photo: Instagram/Colton Underwood
What do these five athlete bachelors have in common? They put it all out there for the world to see.
Dating is a sport,
The Last Night’s Game Team
1. The first professional athlete on "The Bachelor" was former New York Giants (NFL - National Football League) quarterback Jesse Palmer. He picked a woman at the end of the show, but instead of giving her a ring, he offered her a ticket to New York. You guessed it - it didn't work out. He continued his zest for love, hosting the show based on first impressions, "The Proposal." He is a college football analyst for ESPN, "The Bachelor" host and is married to model Emely Fardo. AND HE HAS GREAT HAIR
2. Former race car driver and Bachelorette alum turned Bachelor Arie Luyendyk may go down in history as the least favorite bachelor. He proposed to one contestant (Becca) and then had buyer's remorse before the finale aired and wanted to be with the other (Lauren). Now he and Lauren are married and have a daughter. SADLY HER NAME ISN'T ROSE
3. Former professional snowboarder Jessie Csincak may have been chosen as "the one" on DeAnna Pappas' season, but sadly it didn't work out for the two. Although he did find love, marrying Ann Lueders, who was on Jason Mesnick's season of "The Bachelor." He continued to further his five minutes of fame by hosting a net series called "Bachelorette Beatdown with Jesse Csincsak." MAXIMIZE THE OPPORTUNITY
4. Jordan Rodgers has lived his life in the shadow of his brother, Green Bay Packers (NFL) quarterback Aaron Rodgers. While Jordan "won" the show and is getting ready to walk down the aisle with the bachelorette JoJo Fletcher this year, his brother is dating actress Shailene Woodley. The two brothers do not have a good relationship, as Jordan calls out occasionally on his social media. Jordan, a former quarterback, is currently holding down a job as an SEC (a college sports conference) Saturday Sports Commentator. SIBLING RIVALRY
5. Who could forget Colton Underwood's infamous fence jump? When his lady love Cassie quit the show, the former football player put his skills to the test, hurdling the compound fence in Portugal where cameras and everyone's wingman, Chris Harrison, chased him through the dark. It didn't work out with Cassie, but it did in the end. Underwood came out as gay and is now happily dating. ALL'S WELL THAT ENDS WELL