A Beautiful Mind
Kobe Bryant as the new NBA logo, March Madness mayhem and Spring Training fashion has been, um, memorable?
Knowledge is power and here’s everything you need to power through your weekend.
Bold and beautiful,
The Last Night’s Game Team
College Basketball
We are a little less than three weeks away from the start of the NCAA March Madness Basketball Tournament. The cancellation of last year’s tournament was the COVID reality check for so many across the globe. This year the tournament is back but with new rules. The bottom line - if COVID wipes out your team, too bad. The rules state “once the bracket is finalized and released, teams will not be reseeded, nor will the bracket change.” This could certainly cause mayhem. How might this work when picking your winning bracket? It’s anyone’s guess. But we will have our March Madness guide ready for you so you can reference it when picking your bracket in the office pool. #WINNING
Overtime
Spring training games (MLB - Major League Baseball) start on Sunday and this season’s arrival fashion has been something worth noting. First, we had Boston’s best JD Martinez in his drunk Tom Brady shirt. Now, getting us all excited for the soon-to-be sequel, Francisco Lindor of the New York Mets showed up sporting a “Coming to America” jacket. That’s a way to leave a lasting impression on your new teammates. GREAT MOVIE, QUESTIONABLE FASHION
Sideline stat
Brooklyn Nets (NBA – National Basketball Association) player Kyrie Irving has started a campaign to make the Kobe Bryant part of the NBA logo. The silhouette currently belongs to former Hall of Fame player and Los Angeles Lakers owner Jerry West. Expect this campaign to gain steam as Vanessa Bryant came out and said she approves. As of yesterday afternoon, a petition for a new NBA logo in memory of Bryant has received more than 3.2 million signatures (and counting). LEGENDARY
Coaches’ corner
Tiger Woods won’t face charges in his car crash with police saying it was truly an accident. Woods is awake, responsive and recovering after his emergency surgery following Tuesday’s crash. On Wednesday night he was transferred to Cedars Sinai Hospital, which is known for its patient privacy.
Now the biggest concern for doctors is making sure he doesn’t get an infection since he suffered open fractures on his leg (i.e. the bone break came through the skin) in addition to the ankle and soft tissue damage. It’s too soon to speculate what these injuries mean for his career but if we’ve learned anything about Woods, it’s to not count him out. NEVER SAY NEVER
Onward And Upward
A story about the Iranian ski coach that'll fire you up, a new head of the Olympic Committee and some extra love for Texas.
Dive headfirst into the weekend with the confidence to talk a little sports.
Darn right you can,
The Last Night’s Game Team
Summer Olympics
Former Japanese Olympian Seiko Hashimoto is the new leader of Japan’s Olympic Committee. This appointment comes after the former chief stepped down after inappropriate remarks where he said, "When you increase the number of female executive members, if their speaking time isn’t restricted to a certain extent, they have difficulty finishing, which is annoying.” Needless to say, Hashimoto steps in to lead the Summer Olympics amidst COVID and a year delay. YOU’VE GOT THIS
Overtime
Thanks to Houston Rockets (NBA - National Basketball Association) player John Wall, we have some good news to share this morning. Wall worked with his Instagram followers to find a restaurant that could feed more than 500 people who were sheltered after the Arctic storm that hit Texas. All 500 people received a meal, thanks to Wall and his friends. A HAND UP
Sideline stat
One of her athletes may have finished 25 seconds behind the leader, but Iran skiing coach Samira Zargari is proud of her team, even if she’s cheering them on from afar. Zargari’s husband blocked the Iranian ski coach from traveling to Italy for the world championships. He used a local law to ban her from travel after she refused to grant him a divorce after he started dating her best friend. While she’s sad not to be there with her team, Zargari said she wanted to launch a “campaign” to change the law. CAN’T KEEP A GOOD WOMAN DOWN
Coaches’ corner
We’ve received a handful of questions around the new Fan Controlled Football League, so ask, and you shall receive. The league is the only sports league where the fans control every facet of the game. Every decision from the lineup to the play calling is fan-decided. As of now, the league only has four teams. Still, it is backed by some reasonably notable investors in former NFL (National Football League) stars Richard Sherman and Marshawn Lynch, rapper Quavo, baseball’s Trevor May and more. DIVE IN FURTHER
What to watch
The NHL (National Hockey League) is taking the scenic route for a few of this weekend’s games. There will be two games taking place outdoor, along with a Green Day concert on Lake Tahoe's shores. COULD BE WORSE
Spice Up Your Life
Michael Jordan and Pitbull make their debut in this sport, spectators giving the bird and a new version of home field advantage.
Arctic air taking over your neck of the woods? Heat it up with a side of sports.
Feeling hot, hot, hot,
The Last Night’s Game Team
NASCAR (National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing)
What do you get when you cross Michael Jordan and Pitbull? How many of you said a NASCAR race? The NASCAR season kicks off on Sunday with the famed Daytona 500, and both Michael Jordan and Pitbull are the flashy new owners of a team. You’ll be able to spot Bubba Wallace’s No. 23 car from a mile away in its Chicago Bulls red sporting Jordan’s jersey number (No. 23). Pitbull will be cheering on the No. 99 car of Daniel Suarez. DRIVERS START YOUR ENGINES
Overtime
Nothing makes you appreciate the peace and quiet in the stands like a well-timed insult and a middle finger salute, just ask Rafael Nadal. In his match at the Australian Open (tennis), during his serve, a fan in the stands decided it was a perfect time to shout an insult and then give him and his opponent Michael Mmoh the bird. KEEP IT CLASSY MELBOURNE
Sideline stat
The Western Hockey League’s Red Deer Rebels are taking a home game to a whole new level. The team will be living at their home arena for the entirety of their 24-game schedule to protect themselves from COVID. The team will forgo living with host families and the players will live in the suites at the arena. BONUS: THE LATE NIGHT SNACK RUN
Coaches corner
A follow up to a story we reported earlier in the week about Mark Cuban choosing not to play the national anthem at Dallas Mavericks (NBA - National Basketball Association) games. The NBA has come out and said in a statement that reiterates its long-standing policy that "all teams will play the national anthem.“ The interesting part is the team hasn’t been playing the anthem since November but with no fans in the stands, no one noticed, until now. Cuban said they will begin to play the anthem but originally chose not to because of “ongoing conversations with members of the community who felt the tradition did not fully represent them." OH SAY CAN YOU SEE?
What to watch
Do you have a void in your life now that football is over? Shed that sadness with spring football. There are a handful of college teams that opted out of the fall season for COVID reasons in favor of spring football. Keep an eye out for the McNeese State-Tarleton State game this weekend. LOOKING TO SCORE (SOME RATINGS)