The Rundown: Weekend Wrap Up Edition - Start Your Week
Little League World Series
- Undefeated. If you thought global domination was only for the Olympics and Dr. Evil, think again. The United States won the Little League World Series yesterday defeating South Korea. The little league team from New York breezed through the United States bracket undefeated. Sunday, they defeated the winners of the international bracket, South Korea. They are the first American team to win the title since 2011.
NFL (National Football League)
- Bad break. Hopefully you saw this news before you drafted Dallas Cowboys’ quarterback Tony Romo to your fantasy football team. The injury prone quarterback broke a bone in his back during a preseason game. It will not require surgery but he is expected to miss significant time (8-10 weeks). Rookie (i.e. zero NFL experience) quarterback Dak Prescott will be forced to carry the weight of the All-American team while Romo is out. No pressure.
- Stirring up controversy. This weekend San Francisco 49ers quarterback, Colin Kaepernick (pronounced cap-er-nick) did not stand up for the pregame national anthem. He said “I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color." Social media exploded with people expressing their views, but the NFL and the 49ers both said they have to “respect the player’s decision. They are not required to stand.”
F1 Racing (Formula One)
- Waffles anyone? In the beautiful backdrop of Belgium, Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg took the lead on the first lap of the race and never looked back. His teammate and overall points leader, Lewis Hamilton, battled back from 21st place to finishing in third. The next race will be this weekend in Italy. It’s a shame they don’t let them race in better places.
Overtime
- Part of the “Final Five” U.S.A. women’s Olympic gymnastics team stole the show last night at the MTV VMA’s (MTV Video Music Awards). They were without one teammate, Gabby Douglas who was in hospital for a mouth infection. The four presented an award to Beyoncé, for which Laurie “Human Emoji” Hernandez was over the moon with excitement.
Sideline stat
- NASCAR's Kyle Larson, 24, made his first trip to victory lane in Michigan on Sunday. This win is long overdue for the talented racer with 99 career starts under his hood.
Coaches’ corner
- The U.S. Open starts today in New York. The Open is the fourth major of the tennis season. The usual suspects will be there but here’s who everyone is talking about:
- Fresh off her Olympic gold medal win in Rio, Monica Puig looks to carry that momentum into the Open.
- Serena Williams looks to win her record 23rd grand slam title, but an injury to her shoulder that led to her third round loss at the Olympics could make that a challenge.
- Men’s favorite, Novak Djokovic, is also nursing a wrist injury that he suffered playing in the Olympics.
- Roger Federer is sitting out this year’s U.S Open to nurse his bum knee.
The Rundown: Weekend Wrap Up Edition - Gold Medal Monday
As the Olympics came to a close last night and the strength of Team U.S.A. was apparent. They topped the medal leaderboard, winning 121 medals which is the highest count for the Americans in an Olympics held abroad.
The medal charge was lead by Michael Phelps and of course the ladies of the “Final Five,” Katie Ledecky and so many others. Sticking it to the equal pay critics, American women won an impressive 61 of the 121 medals.
Back to your regularly scheduled programming,
The Last Night’s Game Team
Summer Olympics
- World domination. Team U.S.A. men’s and women’s basketball were undefeated, each securing gold medals. It was the sixth consecutive gold for the women and third straight for the men.
- Coming out on top. Claressa Shields became the first American to win back-to-back gold medals in boxing. Shields overcame incredible odds: extreme poverty as a child and even after winning gold in London she struggled financially, as many Olympic athletes do. She is now the most dominant boxer in U.S.A. Olympic history.
- Let me take a selfie. Standout gymnast of the “Final Five,” Simone Biles, was voted by fellow American athletes to carry the U.S.A. flag in the closing ceremonies. The 4’8” star was the hit of the party as she had a receiving line of athletes lining up to take selfies with her. Her smile has taken the world by storm.
- A first time for everything. Helen Maroulis won the first gold ever for U.S.A. women’s wrestling.
- Goals for gold. Known for its soccer culture, host country Brazil won its first ever gold medal in men’s soccer. Brazil beat Germany on penalty kicks in the finals. The final kick was made by team captain and superstar player Neymar (you know you’re a big deal when you only have one name).
- The saga continues. In an NBC interview, swimmer Ryan Lochte said he “over-exaggerated” his robbery story and was “110% sorry.” Read more here.
UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship)
- After their water bottle throwing press conference it appeared that the Nate Diaz-Conor McGregor fight would be one for the ages and they didn’t disappoint. The lead shifted throughout the fight with the two fighters looking strong but in the end Conor McGregor was declared the winner.
OVERTIME
- When he's not competing in the Olympics, American pole vaulter Sam Kendrick is an officer in the United States Army. During competition, as he started his next attempt, he heard the U.S.A. national anthem being played for another American athlete and he stopped mid-run to pay his respects. He ended up bringing home a bronze medal.
Sideline stat
- Pre-season college football rankings have been released. These rankings get fans all riled up over which team is predicted to be the best during the season. This year’s poll is led by defending national champions, the Crimson Tide of Alabama. (FYI – the Crimson Tide is the school’s nickname. Their mascot is actually Big Al, an elephant.) Here are the top five:
- Alabama
- Clemson
- University of Oklahoma
- Florida State
- Louisiana State University (LSU)
Coaches’ corner
- This wasn’t an Olympic version of Magic Mike, but the Mongolian coaches protested a penalty assessed to their wrestler by removing their shirts and pants. The protest: their wrestler began to celebrate his win before the match was over. The referee gave his opponent a penalty point due to the premature celebration, therefore the Mongolian wrestler lost the bronze medal.
The Rundown: Weekend Wrap Up Edition - Monday Already?
Weekends were made for binge watching right? Good because that justifies the indent in our couch from the non-stop Olympic coverage.
In non-Olympic news, preseason football is happening and the start of the season is looming. You know what that means? Fantasy football drafts are starting. Would you be interested in joining a Last Night’s Game fantasy football league complete with coaching and Fantasy Football 101? Let us know on Twitter, Facebook or via email.
Always learning,
The Last Night’s Game Team
NFL (National Football League)
- Get is started. It may have only been a preseason game but the vibes around the L.A. Coliseum were electric. Shattering NFL U.S. preseason attendance records, close to 90,000 fans came out to see the Los Angeles Rams play their first professional game in L.A. since 1994. In the end, the Rams beat the Cowboys. The Rams moved to L.A. from St. Louis this season.
Summer Olympics
- Don’t let it go to your head. Men’s and women’s basketball completed the group stages undefeated. The men’s team has had a few close games while the women have dominated their opponents. The quarterfinals start tomorrow.
- You better sit down for this. In an Olympics full of firsts, we’ve compiled a mind blowing list of Olympic firsts from this weekend.
- With her win in women's tennis singles, Tennis player Monica Puig won Puerto Rico’s first ever gold medal.
- Usain Bolt won the 100m sprint, becoming the first man to accomplish that feat in three straight Olympics.
- American Michelle Carter won gold in the shot put, becoming first American woman to win gold in the sport.
- Simone Biles won again. Yesterday she became the first U.S. woman to win gold on the vault and the first (male or female) to win three Olympic golds in a single Games in gymnastics. If you haven’t seen this girl carry out her craft, do yourself a favor and watch her compete again tonight.
- Justin Rose made Great Britain proud when he won the first gold medal in golf since 1904. American Matt Kuchar won the bronze medal. Golf is slated to be one of the top events in Tokyo 2020. Start practicing your swing.
Overtime
- Thieves in Rio have taken picking on the blue hairs to a new level. American Gold Media swimmer, Ryan Lochte (whose dyed blonde hair turned blue from the Olympic pool's chlorine) and three other swimmers were robbed at gunpoint. Their taxi was pulled over by armed men posing as police officers. No one was injured but their wallets and phones were taken. Notorious for his partying and his enjoyment of Tinder, we're curious what the thieves will find on Lochte’s phone? Jackpot!
Sideline Stat
- Singapore offers $1 million (SGD) as a reward for winning an Olympic gold medal. Until this weekend no Singaporean athlete has brought home a gold medal or any medal for that matter. On Saturday, Singaporean Joseph Schooling defied the odds and beat Michael Phelps in the 100m butterfly, earning Singapore’s first ever Olympic medal. Gold medalist Schooling, who swims for the University of Texas, was met with a hero's welcome when he returned to Singapore, which included a standing ovation in Parliament (first ever for an athlete) and a selfie with the prime minister.
Coaches’ corner
- Phelps won his final race of his career, bringing his career medal total to an unprecedented 28 Olympic medals, 23 of those are gold. He already has his retirement planned - Phelps is set to coach the swim and dive team at Arizona State University.