Wednesday Wisdom
Women leading sports teams from the C-Suite. Plus today’s watercooler topics.
It's March 1, and we're still writing 2022 on things.
Win some, lose some,
The Last Night's Game Team
Photo: Instagram/cyntgm
View from the top
These women aren't the norm to hold positions in the C-Suite, but they are changing the face of sports.
Cynthia Marshall, CEO of the Dallas Mavericks, became the first Black female CEO in the NBA (National Basketball Association). But being first is nothing new for her. In ninth grade, her mother inspired her to claim her place in school leadership. Later Marshall became the first African American president at her school. "It was historic and the faculty was more emotional than I was. We've been blazing trails ever since then," Marshall said. She became the first African American cheerleader at Berkley and the first Black woman in Delta Gamma at the school.
Learn more about "Women Leading Sports Teams From The C-Suite" in this week's podcast. LISTEN OR READ THE TRANSCRIPT
Short and Sweet
Novak Djokovic breaks Steffi Graf's record for most weeks as the world's No. 1 ranked tennis player (378 weeks).
Taylor Lewan, former offensive tackle for the Tennessee Titans (NFL - National Football League), was recently cut by the team. According to a photo he posted on Twitter, the team dropped off his belongings on his doorstep in trash bags.
Meet the high school cheerleader who performed alone at the state championships after her entire team quit. And she set a team record.
The TV ratings were so low for the season opener for LIV Golf that more people tuned into "World's Funniest Animals" and a rerun of "Masters of Illusion" than golf.
Photo: Unsplash
One In A Million
Support for the youngest victims of the Turkey quakes, Serena and Brittney Griner awarded and making enemies one pitch at a time.
Make this week yours.
Onward and upward,
The Last Night's Game Team
Soccer
Fans of the Turkish soccer club Beşiktaş showered the team's Istanbul sidelines with thousands of toys during Sunday's match to donate to the children affected by the earthquakes that impacted Turkey and Syria earlier in the month. Fans began to throw the toys at the 4:17 mark in the game to signal the time of day that the first earthquake struck the region.
Before kickoff, fans also paid tribute to the more than 50,000 victims, including former Chelsea player Christian Atsu who died due to the earthquakes. HEARTBREAKING
Short and Sweet
The Cavinder twins, women's basketball players from the University of Miami, are two of the most famous faces of the NIL era, with projected earnings at or above $790,000 each. They also received the first-ever infraction in the new college basketball name, image, and likeness era.
Former YouTube personality turned boxer Jake Paul suffered his first career loss to Tommy Fury (brother of heavyweight champion Tyson Fury).
Expansion team St. Louis City FC played its first-ever game, which featured an unlikely player pregnancy announcement, as an MLS (Major League Soccer Team) team when the season opened this weekend.
In an attempt to speed up the game, the new MLB (Major League Baseball) pitch clock is doing its job but making a lot of people mad along the way.
Before We Go
A young fan named Aaliyah attended Thursday's SheBelieves Cup (NWSL - National Women's Soccer LeaSerena Williams (tennis) and Brittney Griner (WNBA - Women's National Basketball Association) were recognized at the NAACP Image Awards. Griner and her wife Cherelle received a standing ovation. Retired NBA (National Basketball Association) player Dwyane Wade pleaded from the stage for LGBTQ rights on the heels of a judge's ruling to allow his daughter Zaya a name change and legal transition. STAND UP
Photo: ABC
Photo: Instagram/lewishamilton
Wednesday Wisdom
In honor of Milan Fashion Week, the most fashionable athletes. Plus today’s watercooler topics.
According to the Financial Times, there are more than four times as many hedge funds globally as there are Taco Bells. While not wholly sports related (although one could argue it's likely that athletes have their money in a hedge fund), certainly a conversation starter.
Thinking outside the bun,
The Last Night's Game Team
Photo: Instagram/lewishamilton
The most fashionable athletes
More athletes are claiming their stake in the fashion industry by starting clothing lines and walking the catwalk. These athletes may be uniform when honing their craft on the court, field or track, but their style is anything but conforming.
F1 (Formula One) driver Lewis Hamilton's clothing line +44 is the number on his race car and his lucky number. (It is also the country code for calling his homeland, the UK). Sir Hamilton (he was knighted by William, the Prince of Wales, in 2021) has been seen in the front row of the Valentino show at Paris Fashion Week, seated next to Zendaya. He was selected as one of the world's most stylish people as part of 2022 The New York Times, "93 most stylish people."
Learn more about "The Most Fashionable Athletes" in this week's podcast. LISTEN OR READ THE TRANSCRIPT
Short and Sweet
JJ Watt may be retired, but he's still receiving texts from the NFL (National Football League) to take drug tests, which warrants the perfect response.
Tuscaloosa police testified Tuesday that star Alabama freshman basketball player Brandon Miller delivered the gun used in a shooting that killed Jamea Harris on January 15.
Ahead of the SheBelieves Cup, the US Postal Service dedicated its new Forever stamp celebrating women's soccer in the United States. You can catch USA vs. Brazil tonight in the SheBelieves Cup at 7 pm ET. The USWNT needs a win or a tie to win the tournament for the fourth consecutive year and the sixth time overall.
NBA (National Basketball Association) legend Charles Barkley encourages corporations to "get off their a--" and endorse WNBA (Women's National Basketball Association) players. Speaking of, Brittney Griner signed a one-year deal with the Phoenix Mercury.
Photo: GOOP