The Rundown: 5 Things to Know About the WNBA

Our mission at Last Night’s Game is to not only bring you the latest and greatest in sports news but also to expand your horizons. We learned a lot researching today’s five things to know about the WNBA and we hope you do to.

Always learning,

The Last Night’s Game Team  

PS - Are we talking about what you want to hear? Let us know. We're all ears!

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Five things to know about the WNBA (Women’s National Basketball Association)

1. This year is the 20th season for the WNBA, whose season is May - August. The original eight teams were NBA owned and only located in cities where there was an NBA team. After 2002 the NBA allowed the sale to groups in cities that did not have an NBA team – for a total of 12 teams.   
2. Players, who make an average salary of $76,500 for the five-month season, must be 22 years old to be drafted, as opposed to 19 in the NBA.
3. Many players also play overseas in the off-season to supplement their income. WNBA stars Diana Taurasi and Brittney Griner earn over $1 million in salary to play in Russia.
4. The WNBA is in financial turmoil. Ticket sales in 2015 were at an all-time low; although sellouts are at an all time high at 33 games – up 25 from the season before. Their six-year television deal with ESPN that runs through 2022 is worth $12 million. While that might seem like a lot, for comparison sake the NBA television deal with Disney (ABC, ESPN) and Turner (TNT) is $25 billion for nine years.
5. There is no all-star game this year due to the Olympics. Former Olympian and all-star, Lisa Leslie, was the first WNBA player to dunk the ball during a game.

NBA (National Basketball Association)

• Going where no team has gone before. The NBA approved a trial period (starting in 2017-18 season) for advertisements on team jerseys. No professional sport (NBA, MLB, NHL, NFL) in the U.S. allows for advertising on jerseys until now. The Philadelphia 76ers are the first team to unveil their new look, partnering with StubHub for a reported three years, $15 million deal. Teams can sell to just about anyone except for companies dealing with gambling, alcohol or politics.  
• Champs challenged. The defending NBA champions Golden State Warriors lost game one against Oklahoma City Thunder. The two teams will play again tonight at 9 pm (EST) on TNT.  
• Total domination. Kyrie Irving and his Cleveland Cavaliers dominated the Toronto Raptors last night, winning by 31 points and taking the first game of the series. Cavs are undefeated in this post season.

NFL (National Football League)

• Sticker shock. Atlanta Falcons announced that they will have the cheapest concession prices of any sports team for next season. We’re talking $2 for a bottomless soda and the same price for bottled water and popcorn. More importantly, beer and cheeseburgers will be $5. The team’s attendance numbers were down last year but they say the cheap concessions have nothing to do with an attempt to increase ticket sales. Either way we love a cheap beer. #winning

Overtime

• The fan votes are in and UFC women’s fighter Paige Van Zant will stick around for another spray tan. The Dancing with the Stars finale featuring Van Zant, Ginger Zee - Good Morning America's Meteorologist and Nyle DiMarco - a deaf and devastatingly handsome actor/model, will take place on Monday. Pittsburgh Steelers’ Antonio Brown advanced to the semi-finals but was eliminated before making it to the final round.

Sideline stat

• $1 billion (said in a Dr. Evil voice) - That’s the alleged value of LeBron James’ lifetime deal with Nike, signed earlier this year. James is the first person to sign a lifetime deal with the company. That's a lot of $5 beers.  

Coaches’ Corner

• The NBA draft lottery took place yesterday. This lottery is to determine which team will receive the first pick in the NBA draft (June 23). The worse your team in the previous season, the more chances you have to ‘win’ the first pick. The 76ers took home the right to the first pick followed by Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics. Chomping at the bit to see where your team landed? Click here. 

The Rundown: Weekend Wrap Up - Brawls and Overalls Edition

In the movie industry this weekend featured the fashion and high class of the Cannes Film Festival. In the sports world, not so much. We cover the grit, the brawls and the sweet taste of victory in today’s Rundown.

Although we do look pretty good in a tuxedo,

The Last Night’s Game Team

 PS - Like what you see? Then follow us using the social media links below. 

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F1 Racing (Formula One)

• Record setting. Max Verstappen, 18, won the Spanish Grand Prix becoming youngest driver to ever win. The real drama of the race came courtesy of the Mercedes team. Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg, who had won the previous four races, crashed on the first lap into his teammate Lewis Hamilton to knock them both out of the race. This didn’t help as the two drivers already had a contemptuous relationship. Oh to be a fly on the wall in their team meeting where they were lectured like misbehaving school boys.

MLB (Major League Baseball)

• Put ‘em up. There was a bench clearing brawl between the Texas Rangers and Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday. There has been tension between the teams since the playoffs last year when Blue Jays’ Jose Bautista hit a go ahead home run (means his home run gave his team the lead) and taunted his opponents with an egregious bat flip afterward. Fast forward to yesterday’s game when Bautista slid into second base and into Rangers’ second baseman Rougned Odor. Odor didn’t take to kindly to the slide and punched Bautista in the face. Chaos ensued.

NASCAR (National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing)

• Finally! Matt Kenseth snapped his 17 race winless streak at Dover International Speedway. On a restart race leader Jimmie Johnson’s transmission failed leading to a huge 18 car crash which caused an unprecedented 11-minute stop in the race while crews cleaned up the carnage.  

NBA (National Basketball Association)

• Slam dunk. Toronto Raptors beat Miami Heat in seven games to advance to the Eastern Conference finals against Cleveland Cavaliers. Game one of their best-of seven-series will be on Tuesday.
• Here we go. Golden State Warriors and Oklahoma City Thunder compete for the title of Western Conference Champions. Game one in a best-of-seven series is tonight at 9 pm (EST) on TNT.

PGA (Professional Golfers' Association)

• Day-oh.  Jason Day (ranked #1) went “wire-to-wire” (i.e. he held the lead all four days of the tournament) to win the Players Championship.

UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship)

• Sweet taste of victory. Cleveland's last sports championship was in 1964 but that streak is over. Cleveland native Stipe Miocic went into enemy territory in Brazil and won the heavyweight championship with a knockout of a Brazilian fighter, Fabricio Werdum, in front of 45,000 stunned fans. Miocic received support from the Cleveland Cavaliers (NBA), Browns (NFL) and Indians (MLB) for giving the city of Cleveland a taste of victory.  

Overtime

• Blue Jays' starting pitcher Marcus Stroman was out last season with a torn ACL. He used his time off from the game to finish up his sociology degree from Duke University. He walked in the graduation ceremony on Sunday, missing the bench clearing brawl at the game.

Sideline stat

• $1.6 million - that’s how much was raised by Houston Texans’ J.J. Watt during his annual charity softball game. His teammate Vince Wilfork, who weighs 325 pounds, stole the show by wearing nothing but overalls. You can’t erase this image from your mind.   

Coaches’ Corner

• The NBA draft lottery for the first draft pick is Tuesday night. The 14 teams that do not make it into the NBA playoffs go into a lottery to determine picks for draft.  The worse your record, the more balls you have in the Powerball-style lottery; therefore, the odds are in your favorite to get the top pick. The Philadelphia 76ers, Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics have the highest likelihood (i.e. they had a terrible season) to receive the first draft pick. The NBA Draft is June 23rd. Want to read more? Click here.

The Rundown: 5 Things to Know About Lacrosse

You’ve asked and we’ve listened. Today’s five things to know is about lacrosse. Lacrosse is one of the fastest growing youth sports in the U.S. You’ve heard about it, your neighborhood kids are playing it and you’ve told us you want to know more about it.

You’re welcome,

The Last Night’s Game Team

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Five things to know about lacrosse

1. The on-the-field basics: there are 10 players per team – nine players and a goalie. The games are 60 minutes made up of four – 15 minute quarters. The field is the size of a soccer field. It’s played with a ball (that’s solid rubber and really hard) and crosse (aka a lacrosse stick). Players cannot touch the ball with their hands (with exception of the goalie).
2. It’s a contact sport with slashes and intense hits to the stick and body. Lacrosse trails only football in concussion risks.
3. Lacrosse is the fastest growing college sport, with participation in women’s lacrosse up 109% and 95% for the men.  Last year over two million people played lacrosse in the U.S. which is an 11% increase.
4. There is a professional league, Major League Lacrosse, which is made up of nine teams. While its popularity is growing the salaries for players are not. Rookies make about $7,000. The average salary for players is somewhere between $10,000 and $20,000. No quitting your day job.  
5. Lacrosse is the national summer sport of Canada but you won’t see it in this year’s Summer Olympics. (Although golf and Rugby Sevens are new additions to this year’s games).

• The NCAA College Lacrosse Championship for both men and women begins this weekend. (There are two men’s play-in games today). Maryland is the favorite in both the men’s and women’s championships.

NBA (National Basketball Association)

• Curry is the choice. Golden State Warriors’ Steph Curry became the first unanimous MVP in NBA History. He is the 11th player to win back-to-back awards. Curry’s daughter Riley, the real star of the show, was at the press conference and she let the media know she has her eye on them. 
• On the brink. Last night Russell Westbrook of the Oklahoma City Thunder had a big game to lead his team to a win over San Antonio Spurs, taking a 3-2 series lead. The two teams face each other again tomorrow night and a Thunder win will eliminate the Spurs.

NHL (National Hockey League)

• It all comes down to this. There are two game sevens on the horizon which will determine who moves on and who goes home to their mamas - St. Louis Blues vs Dallas Stars (Wednesday) and Nashville Predators vs San Jose Sharks (Thursday).
• Moving on up. Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Washington Capitols in overtime, winning the series and advancing to conference finals to play Tampa Bay Lightning. 

Overtime

• New England Patriots’ Quarterback Tom Brady has been busy in the off-season. No he’s not practicing deflating footballs, but he has written a $200 cookbook. By cookbook we mean a nutritional guide on how to follow the quarterback’s eating plan. It will tell you how to rid your diet of everything (say goodbye to that morning coffee and eggplant. Wait what?) Apparently everyone wants to be like Brady as the book is sold out. Oh and he has also filmed a fancy and slightly awkward mattress commercial.

Sideline stat

• 1990s. Remember when? So do the Minnesota Vikings rookies who took their team pictures with a little 90s flare.

Coaches’ corner

• If you really want to sound like you know what you’re talking about when discussing lacrosse, the ‘X’ is the spot behind the goal where most offensive plays begin. The offense is trying to score by shooting the ball into an opponent's goal - using the lacrosse stick to catch, cradle, and pass the ball. If you want to know even more about lacrosse, click here.