Everybody Dance Now
Let the lack of workplace productivity commence, why the NCAA should be embarrassed and the monumental $110B deal.
Spring is here so break out your shorts (and the legs that could use a little sun), sunglasses and your penchant for killer small talk, thanks to sports.
Next level,
The Last Night’s Game Team
College Basketball
People are upset and disappointed after a post went viral showing the discrepancies in the makeshift weight rooms for the women’s March Madness teams vs. the men’s. One looks like a Gold’s Gym and the other? Your home workout setup might be better. The NCAA came out and said "it's a space issue," but then Sedona Prince from the Oregon women's team posted photos of empty ballrooms with one small rack of weights. DO BETTER
Overtime
Last night’s play-in games gave us a little taste of the March Madness tournament that the nation has waited two years to see. Today is the big day where office productivity goes into the trash and the conversation shifts to bracket busters and Cinderella stories. Put on your helmet; games start at 12:15 pm ET. Make sure to check out our guide for everything you need to know. TAKE A LONG LUNCH
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$110 billion. That’s the value of an 11-year television rights contract that the NFL closed with multiple providers. The deal, which starts with the 2023 season, was made with ESPN/ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX and Amazon and will nearly double the league's media revenue. Amazon will be the first streaming service to have exclusive rights to Thursday night games. Although NFL viewership declined 7% last season, the monumental deal is the largest television rights package in the history of sports. YOU DON’T SAY?
Coaches’ corner
This weekend saved the best for last, with the women’s March Madness tournament starting on Sunday. The overall number one team, Stanford, looks to claim their third national title. A little fun fact for you. Did you know that while the men play two-20-minute halves, the women play four-10-minute quarters? SAME SAME BUT DIFFERENT
Life Is A Highway
The team pretending COVID never happened, Chinese vaccines for Olympians and why it’s the best time of the year to get snipped.
While the spring weather always gives us something to talk about, discussing the weather always seems so lame. That’s why we love starting small talk off with a little about sports and seeing where it goes.
Enjoy the journey,
The Last Night’s Game Team
College Basketball
Did you know that the most popular time to have a vasectomy is during college basketball’s March Madness tournament? Now that we have your attention, yes, everyone’s favorite basketball tournament begins on Thursday, and what better reason to sit on the couch and watch hours of basketball? One team that will also be catching the tourney from their couch is Duke. The Blue Devils haven’t missed out on “the big dance” since 1995, but this year a positive COVID test took them out of their conference championship and out of the tournament. The final bracket will be released Sunday night with a primetime “Selection Sunday” show. Don’t worry; we’ll have all the tips and tricks about America’s favorite tournament and how to pick a respectable bracket in the office pool. (Note we didn’t say winning because it’s all a crapshoot in March Madness). ON THE EDGE OF YOUR SEATS
Overtime
It’s a classic tale of good news, bad news out of the Sunshine State. Good news first. David Beckham, the owner of Inter Miami CF soccer club (MLS - Major League Soccer), surprised students by dropping in on an entrepreneurship class at Florida International University. He talked to the students about how two days after he retired, he flew to Miami to start the process of starting the team, the challenges he’s faced in his career and he posed for selfies (6 ft apart, of course). On the other spectrum, Minnesota Twins (MLB - Major League Baseball) player Byron Buxton had to miss spring training because he cracked a tooth eating a (well done?) steak. He had a root canal and is expected to return to the team shortly. A TALE OF TWO CITIES
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MLB Opening Day is around the corner on April 1, and Texas is literally pulling out all the stops for Opening Day for the Texas Rangers. The team announced yesterday that they would open the stadium for the team’s first home game at 100% capacity, the first team in any sport to do so since the pandemic began. They will require masks for all 40,000+ attendees. After Opening Day, the team will revert to having several "Distanced Seating" sections available. LIKE 2020 NEVER HAPPENED
Coaches’ corner
With the Olympics around the corner this summer, China is stepping up to help Japan ensure athlete safety. China will provide vaccines to all athletes competing in the 2021 Tokyo Summer Games and 2022 Winter Games in Beijing who don't have access to one. We should know within the next month if Japan will be accepting foreign spectators but don’t hold your breath. Newspaper Mainichi reported that a "source close to the government” said, "In the current situation, it is impossible to bring in foreign spectators.” UNDERSTANDABLE
Work It
Why no one is excited about Sunday's NBA All-Star Game, the fastest face on the planet and let's go sailing.
May the Ides of March usher in a weekend for the ages.
Here’s to hoping,
The Last Night’s Game Team
NBA (National Basketball Association)
The Harry and Meghan interview isn’t the only thing happening Sunday night. The NBA All-Star Game is taking over Atlanta, although it’s not a far stretch to say that no one is excited about it. The mayor is nervous people will show up to party amidst COVID restrictions, and the players, who began the season thinking there would be no all-star game, don’t want to tempt the COVID fate either. That being said, team captains, LeBron James and Kevin Durant will try to lead their teams to victory on a beautiful HBCU (historically black colleges and universities)-themed court. Since the party weekend has been consolidated to one day, the slam dunk contest will occur during the game's halftime and the skills competition will take place before the game. OOZING WITH ENTHUSIASM
Overtime
This weekend’s NASCAR (National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing) race in Las Vegas will not only feature fans in the stands but driver Cory LaJoie’s face on this car. That’s right; his car will feature a giant picture of his face on the hood of his car on Sunday. This is not the first time his race car has featured his face. IT’S GONNA BE HUGE
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The competition for the oldest trophy in international sport begins on Saturday with the America’s Cup. The sailboat competition dates back to 1851. It’s older than the modern-day Olympics and features any country with enough money to sail a boat in the race. An American team won for the first 100 years and then things got competitive with Team New Zealand winning the past two years. If that doesn’t convince you to tune in, the title sponsor is Prada. SAIL AWAY
Coaches’ corner
Cleveland Browns (NFL - National Football League) quarterback has had an eye-opening off-season, but not for the reasons you think. He is “almost 100%” sure he saw a UFO on his way home from dinner with his wife. His wife Emily tweeted, "I won't lie... I'm typically not someone who buys into UFO talk. But all I know is... I saw something tonight that I have never seen. And I'm a little thrown off.” The National UFO Reporting Center shows that UFO sightings are up 50 percent since the COVID-19 pandemic began last March. OUTTA THIS WORLD
What to watch
A new docuseries “G.O.A.T.s - Greatest of All Time” airs this weekend on ESPN. Through photos taken by Walter Iooss, the documentary uncovers the challenges and breakthroughs for the world’s best athletes, including this weekend’s focus Tiger Woods. The three-part series also features interviews with athletes like Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant. *GRABS POPCORN, HITS THE COUCH