The Best Week Ever
It’s a new month Monday and things are getting ‘Messi’ in Spain, plus the Weeknd spent how much of his own money on the Super Bowl halftime show?
Today is the start of the biggest week of the year for sports - it’s Super Bowl week. Of course, we’ll cover the big game in addition to whatever else is causing a stir.
Look at you causing a commotion,
The Last NIght’s Game Team
PS - Make sure to follow us on TikTok or Instagram, where we’ll be releasing a new fun fact about the Super Bowl each day. Make sure to catch our Super Bowl podcast when it’s released tomorrow morning.
Soccer
Things are getting ‘Messi’ in Spain. Someone released the details of soccer superstar Lionel Messi’s contract with FC Barcelona, which had been under wraps until now. Spanish newspaper El Mundo revealed that Messi’s contract with the soccer team is the largest contract for any athlete ever. His four-year deal, signed in 2017, is worth €555 million (approx. $673 million). Messi, who is regarded as one of the best to ever play the game, is pursuing legal action over the release of his contract. There were only four copies ever made of his contract and the team had one, the league, Messi, and the law firm he used to negotiate it. SOMETHING TELLS US THE REWARD MONEY WILL BE WORTH TALKING
Overtime
Super Bowl halftime performers aren’t paid for their performance, but the NFL (National Football League) pays for the halftime show production. The Weeknd wanted to make the halftime show more of what he envisioned, more “cinematic,” so he spent $7 million of his own money to achieve that dream. The league is covering the usual production costs, but this performance is going to be extra. ON THE EDGE OF OUR SEATS
Sideline stat
It’s almost time for the start of baseball’s spring training, but the season might be on hold. The MLB (Major League Baseball) Players Association and the league are at an impasse on their negotiations around the season. The MLBPA is reviewing the league’s proposal. Two of the big sticking points are pushing back the start of spring training to mid-March (vs. mid-February) and a 154-game season that would pay players their full 162-game salaries, according to ESPN. GOING NOWHERE FAST
Coaches’ corner
We’re not even into the off-season for the NFL, and we’ve already had a blockbuster trade. The Detriot Lions have sent their veteran star quarterback Matthew Stafford to the Los Angeles Rams for Rams’ quarterback Jared Goff. The Lions are rebuilding with a new coach and they presumably wanted to give Stafford, 32, a chance to win. Meanwhile, the Rams were unhappy with the performance of Goff, 26. EVERYONE WINS
Ready, Set, Go
The Super Bowl is set, the must-see gymnastics routine that’s blowing up the internet and COVID sniffing dogs = fans in the stands.
When all things seem chaotic, the one thing we can rely on is that sports will always give us something to talk about.
Discuss,
The Last Night’s Game Team
NFL (National Football League)
The Super Bowl is set! The defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs will take on Tom Brady and his new team, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Tom Brady is making a contest for the title of G.O.A.T. (Greatest of all Time). The team he left, the New England Patriots, did not make the playoffs without him and the Bucs haven’t been to the Super Bowl since 2003. Brady has six Super Bowl rings, but all of them are with the Patriots. The Bucs are the first team in NFL history to play the Super Bowl in their home stadium. HATERS GONNA HATE
Overtime
It’s still hard to believe it’s true, but tomorrow will mark the one-year anniversary of the death of Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna and seven others in that fatal helicopter crash. ESPN hosted a one-hour tribute to Bryant last night, while tributes continue to take social media by storm. The Los Angeles Lakers (National Basketball Association) have announced that they will not be doing anything to celebrate Bryant tomorrow, although his former teammates will do so in their own subtle ways. GONE TOO SOON
Sideline stat
The Miami Heat (NBA) are hoping to bring back a limited number of fans on Thursday. One of their tactics to keep everyone in attendance COVID free? Virus sniffing dogs. They’re similar to the drug-sniffing dogs you see at the airport, and they’ll be the first line of defense in Miami. The Heat have the sixth-longest streak in the NBA for sellout crowds (pre-COVID, of course). WHO LET THE DOGS OUT?
Coaches’ corner
Gymnast Nia Dennis from UCLA brought down the house with her now-viral floor routine. Her Tupac-Kendrick Lamar music mashup, which gave a shout out to her school with a little “California Love,” is only part of the wow factor that had gymnastic great Simone Biles and countless others sharing about it on social media. A MUST SEE
Brains vs. Brawn
The big story of the weekend will make your head hurt, why Bills fans will melt your heart and what Pitbull has to do with burning rubber.
Today our nation honors Martin Luther King Jr. what would’ve been his 92nd birthday. Not to mention today kicks off a significant week in our country’s history, so we leave you with a quote from MLK himself, "The time is always right to do what is right."
Be kind to one another,
The Last Night’s Game Team
NFL (National Football League)
This weekend's storyline should be the big playoff wins, but those wins were overshadowed by not one but two starting quarterbacks leaving their respective games with concussions. Both Lamar Jackson (Baltimore Ravens) and Patrick Mahomes (Kansas City Chiefs) were ruled out of the game with concussions, but in Mahomes’ case, his team prevailed and took home the win. Jackson’s team lost to the Buffalo Bills. TOUGH WAY TO LOSE
Overtime
Late last year, a delegation of NBA (National Basketball Association) players met with Pope Francis at his request to discuss their individual and collective efforts addressing social and economic injustice and inequality occurring in their communities. Pope Francis honored them for their work demanding social justice. The Atlanta Hawks made sure to send Pope Francis a custom version of their MLK Nike City Edition Jerseys. With the help of UPS, His Holiness received the jersey, blessed it and signed it. The Hawks will wear those blessed special edition jerseys that honor Martin Luther King Jr. when they take on the Minnesota Timberwolves. BETTER TOGETHER
Sideline stat
The Buffalo Bills may have hardcore fans, but they have big hearts. After their team beat Lamar Jackson, who left the game with a concussion, and his Ravens, donations poured in from Bills fans to Jackson’s favorite charity, Blessings in a Backpack. As of this morning, more than $290,000 has been donated to the organization that provides food to kids over the weekend.
This isn’t the first time Bills fans made donations in honor of an opponent. In 2017, Cincinnati Bengals’ quarterback Andy Dalton made a huge play that sent the Bills to the playoffs for the first time in 17 seasons. The fans donated more than $415,000 for the Andy and Jordan Dalton Foundation as a thank you. The Daltons then paid it forward and made a significant donation to a Buffalo hospital. COLD WEATHER, WARM HEARTS
Coaches’ corner
We’re a few weeks away from the start of the NASCAR (National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing) season and the racing league gave us a little extra surprise to get us excited. Pitbull joins Michael Jordan on the list of big-named celebrities to buy into NASCAR. Armando Perez, aka Pitbull, celebrated his 40th birthday on Friday with the announcement that he joined Trackhouse as a co-owner. Their driver Daniel Suarez will drive the No. 99 car in the NASCAR Cup Series. The season starts with the Daytona 500 on February 14. TIME OF OUR LIVES
What to watch
In the battle between the oldest quarterbacks in the NFL, Tom Brady and his Buccaneers prevailed over Drew Brees and his Saints. Before the game, Brees announced that he was retiring and that the playoff game would be his last in the Saints home stadium. The sweet moment came after the game where there’s a video of Brady and Brees hanging out on the field with Brees family and Brady throws a touchdown pass to one of Brees’ kids. A MUST SEE MOMENT