Music To My Ears
The secret to March Madness, the other football star on tonight’s “Bachelor” finale and who’s hanging up their cleats?
Besides scanning the Grammys fashion and performances from last night, here’s the next most exciting way to start your day.
Jumping for joy,
The Last Night’s Game Team
College basketball
The time is now. Yes, time to pour a cup of coffee and then pour over your March Madness bracket (or hit the fan-favorite ‘autofill’ button). Gonzaga, Baylor, Michigan and Illinois have claimed the No. 1 spots. Our guide will help you level the playing field and join the conversation regarding the hottest topic of the week. Need a pointer on picking your bracket? Well, there’s never been a perfect bracket, but the last 15 of 16 champions have had the color blue as part of their uniform color. PUT ON YOUR DANCING SHOES
Overtime
Tonight’s the night where bachelor Matt James picks a lady love or rides off into the sunset solo. Also making a splash tonight is former NFL (National Football League) player and current TV personality Emmanuel Acho, who is replacing Chris Harrison as the host of the post-show “After the Final Rose.” Don’t forget to submit your selection for our “Bachelor” bracket challenge. PICKING A WINNER
Sideline stat
It’s official. What we all suspected has come true. Longtime quarterback for the New Orleans Saints (NFL), Drew Brees, is hanging up his cleats. Brees was one of the oldest players in the league and lost last season in the playoffs to eventual Super Bowl champs, Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Brees holds the all-time record for passing yards and is second only to Tom Brady in career touchdowns. Brees’ retirement announcement featured his four kids breaking the big news. DAD GOALS
Coaches’ corner
Golfer Justin Thomas took home $2.3 million by winning the coveted “The Players Championship” (PGA – Professional Golfers Association) but he couldn’t resist the urge to take a jab at his good friend Tiger Woods. Thomas said, "Part of me wishes he was here so I could rub it in his face a little bit more." Woods is recovering from a single-car accident last month where he sustained significant injuries. WHAT ARE FRIENDS FOR?
Spilling The Tea
Even athletes get their travel plans canceled thanks to COVID, everyone’s favorite nun is back and second chances.
While Meghan and Harry went nuclear on the Royal Family last night, that's not the only thing worth talking about.
On speaking terms,
The Last Night’s Game Team
NBA (National Basketball Association)
The NBA All-Star Game didn’t dominate the TV ratings going up against Oprah’s big interview. If you watched the Royal bombshell instead of the game, you didn’t miss much. Two of the biggest names in the league, Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons, missed the game in Atlanta after their barber tested positive for COVID. Team LeBron took home their fourth win in a row, ousting Team Durant. Now we enter into the second half of the basketball season. LET'S DO THIS
Overtime
The NHL (National Hockey League) has strict COVID protocols that dictate which hotels the teams can stay in when they’re on the road. That became an issue for the Vegas Golden Knights when they were informed that their team hotel, the Fairmont in San Francisco, declared bankruptcy while the VGK were staying there. The team was left without a home. Knights’ player Nick Holden said, "That's a first for probably everybody on our team.” By the time their game ended, a new hotel was sorted and they could rest their weary heads. NOT THE ONLY ONES WHOSE TRAVEL PLANS WERE CANCELLED BY COVID
Sideline stat
You might remember the bright and shining light of the 2018 March Madness Tournament, Sister Jean and her team, Loyola Chicago. Well, the 101-year-old Sister Jean and her team are back, securing their spot in America’s favorite tournament. The “big dance” starts on Thursday, March 18. If you want to try your hand at picking a bracket, we’ll have one with no strings attached. (There’s a prize for last place). PARTY ON
Coaches’ corner
Kyle Larson was recently permitted back into racing this season after being suspended indefinitely from NASCAR (National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing). During the beginning stages of COVID in 2020, he was dismissed by NASCAR and his racing team after uttering a racial slur during a NASCAR iRacing Series race. Larson underwent sensitivity training that involved engaging in straight talk with everyone from pro soccer standout Tony Sanneh and Olympian Jackie Joyner-Kersee to learn about the mission of their foundations within the Black community, to open and honest conversations with Black members of the NASCAR community, to hiring a diversity coach to educate him further. He was permitted to return to the track this season. Yesterday, he won his first race since returning. EYE-OPENING
What to watch
With the start of the MLB (Major League Baseball) season around the corner, New York Yankees manager and former MLB player Aaron Boone, 47, isn’t letting anything stop him. He had a pacemaker put in on Wednesday and joined his team this weekend for Spring Training. SPEEDY RECOVERY
Never Gonna Give You Up, Never Gonna Let You Down
Which athlete is taking over for Chris Harrison, mean girls no more in Atlanta and who picked on LeBron and lost.
Day in and day out, we’ve got your back, making small talk easier and more successful.
Kudos to you for being here today,
The Last Night’s Game Team
WNBA (Women’s National Basketball Association)
Pave the way for the new guard. Controversial Atlanta Dream owner Kelly Loeffler is out as an owner of the team, and an ownership group featuring former Dream player Renee Montgomery is in. Montgomery is the first former WNBA player to be an owner of a team. Loeffler previously served as a Republican Senator in the Georgia Senate. Calls for Loeffler to sell her ownership started after she criticized the Black Lives Matter movement. GET WITH THE PROGRAM
Overtime
By now, you’ve heard that longtime Bachelor host Chris Harrison is stepping aside after controversial comments. Stepping in for him during the “After the Final Rose” episode is former NFL player (National Football League), broadcaster, author and host of the YouTube sensation “Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man,” Emmanuel Acho. The episode will air after “The Bachelor” finale on March 15. CAN I STEAL YOU FOR A MINUTE?
Sideline stat
The love triangle between Shailene Woodley, Jodie Foster and Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (NFL) continues. Last night during the Golden Globe Awards, Foster thanked Rodgers during her Best Supporting Actress acceptance speech for her performance in "The Mauritanian." This is her third Golden Globe Award. A few weeks ago, Rodgers thanked Foster in his acceptance speech for his league MVP award. (It was also the same speech he revealed that he was engaged). So why did Foster return the favor? She's a huge Packers fan. Rodgers' fiancée stars alongside Foster in "The Mauritanian." SO MUCH LOVE
Coaches’ corner
Former L.A. Galaxy player (MLS - Major League Soccer) and current AC Milan star Zlatan Ibrahimovic is known for his big ego and outlandish comments. Well, he decided to go after one of the world’s most popular athletes, LeBron James. Ibrahimovic criticized James for his social justice efforts. James, who founded the iPromise School, responded by saying, "I would never shut up about things that are wrong…There’s no way I would ever just stick to sports, because I understand how powerful this platform and my voice is." ROLE MODEL MATERIAL