The Rundown: Weekend Preview Edition - Gridiron from the Land Down Under
It’s almost been a week since the Olympics ended and while we’re still mourning the loss of the most patriotic excuse to sit on the couch for hours at a time. There is a ray of hope as another valid excuse is around the corner. Football season.
College football kicks off tonight. Hold onto your hats, here we go.
Calling the plays,
The Last Night’s Game Team
PS – After learning five things about fantasy football on Wednesday have you decided to take the plunge and start your own fantasy football team? If so, make sure to check out our simple fantasy football 101 before drafting your team.
NFL (National Football League)
- Filed under 'R' for Raiders. The Oakland Raiders have filed a trademark application for the name “Las Vegas Raiders,” which is another step toward their move to Las Vegas from Oakland.
Soccer
- A model athlete. Not only does he look like a male supermodel (look out Derek Zoolander) but he’s a really talented athlete. Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo was named the UEFA best player in Europe, joining Lionel Messi as only player win that distinction twice.
- If you can’t say something nice. U.S.A. women’s goalie Hope Solo’s national team contract has been terminated along with a six-month suspension from U.S. women's soccer team (i.e. would not be eligible for selection to the team but can renegotiate in six months). Solo has a history of getting into trouble but the straw that broke the camel’s back was calling Sweden “cowards” after they beat team U.S.A. in the Olympics.
NASCAR (National Association For Stock Car Auto Racing)
- Vroom. The boys are racing at Michigan International Speedway this weekend. Dale Earnhardt Jr. is out at least two more weeks with concussion-like symptoms. His previous stand in, former driver Jeff Gordon, had already made commitments this weekend so Alex Bowman will be filling in.
UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship)
- No such luck. President Dana White announced that Ronda Rousey will not fight on the much anticipated New York fight card in November. This is a highly touted event because New York was the last state in the U.S.A. to legalize MMA fighting. Rousey has not fought since losing her title last November.
F1 (Formula One Racing)
- Back to work. Back with a nice golden tan from their summer break, the drivers of F1 will be racing in Belgium this Sunday. To recap, Lewis Hamilton is in the lead in the standings, followed closely by teammate Nico Rosberg.
Overtime
- The Arizona Coyotes made history, hiring Dawn Braidas the first ever full-time woman NHL (hockey) coach. She was part-time last year and will now be the team’s full-time skating coach.
Sideline stat
- College football kicks off today with Cal and Hawaii playing their season opener tonight in Sydney, Australia. This is the first American football game, aka "gridiron" to the Aussies, in Australia since 1987. Why Australia you ask? Sbnation.com highlights the chance for the teams to re-introduce the sport to the country (only 7,600 fans attended the 1987 game), make some money, open up the doors to new recruits and for TV rights (see making money).
Coaches’ Corner
- Ryan Lochte may have a new coach. No, it's not swimming but dancing. Ryan Lochte is reportedly the newest member of Dancing with the Stars which will debut on September 12. We hear he does a great tango around the truth.
The Rundown: 5 Things to Know About Fantasy Football
We interrupt your regularly scheduled work day with the ultimate distraction - fantasy football. You’ve heard of it and some of you my have played it but did you know that companies lose more than $16 billion in employee productivity due to fantasy football? With that, let’s learn all about the force that is fantasy football.
Going long,
The Last Night’s Game Team
PS - Have you shared us with your Facebook friends yet? We love a good shout-out!
Five things to know about fantasy football
- The “sport” was originally developed in 1962 but modern fantasy football started in 1999 when Yahoo offered an online league.
- The concept is that a league (i.e. your group of friends all playing together) holds a draft where each general manager (i.e. – you) has a chance to pick the top player available to fill your roster. Leagues are ideally made up of 8-14 teams.
- During the aforementioned draft, general managers will fill their virtual rosters with actual NFL players. During the season, they will gain and lose points based on how the players on their rosters perform. Like a real team’s general manager, the roster is set each week and your team goes up against another team in your league. Trading, researching game day opponents and benching underperforming players are all part of the game (see loss in work productivity above).
- Betting websites Draft King and Fan Duel took in $3 billion in entry fees leading to $280 million in profit in 2015. Online betting such as Draft King and Fan Duel is still illegal in 10 states. Online betting was recently legalized in New York State. Critics say it’s so the government can tax the heck out of their residents’ winnings.
- Naming a team is half the battle. Yes, you can pretty much name it what you want and no, no one is intimidated by the Football Fairy Princesses. Like naming a baby, there are massive lists of names out there to inspire you. This year Pokemon and Game of Thrones themed team names are predicted to be big. Our favorites? Teddy Throwsevelt and Game of Throws.
- Interested in starting your own team? If so, make sure to check out our fantasy football 101 before drafting your team.
Summer Olympics
- Although we may never know exactly what happened that fateful night in Rio with Ryan Lochte, it is clear he handled the situation wrong and sponsors are bailing like he bailed on his teammates in Rio. Four major sponsors (Speedo, Ralph Lauren, Airweave and Gentle Hair Removal) have dropped Lochte due to events surrounding that night.
- The “Final Five” are making their media rounds after returning from Rio. Last night they joined Jimmy Fallon for an entertaining game of “Hungry Humans.”
Overtime
- It was revealed on the HBO show “Hard Knocks,” which follows the L.A. Rams through preseason prep, that defensive lineman William Hayes does not believe in dinosaurs, but he does believe mermaids are real. Tuesday his dreams became a reality when a real-life mermaid showed up to practice. Ariel, is that you? Where's Sebastian?
Sideline stat
- Kobe Bryant was arguably one of the most competitive players in NBA history, so if you thought he was going to sit on his couch all day in retirement, guess again. Bryant rang the opening bell Monday morning at the New York Stock Exchange, then announced he is starting a $100 million investment fund with partner and entrepreneur, Jeff Stibel. They will focus on financing technology, media and data companies. Bryant was quoted saying he’d “rather be known for venture investing than basketball.” Bryant made more than $300 million in his career in salary.
Coaches’ corner
- What is a grand slam in baseball? A grand slam is when a team has bases loaded and the player at bat hits a home run - all players score. It’s usually followed by elation and excitement. For Brandon Thomas of the Gateway Grizzlies (minor league), the post-grand slam excitement waned when he walked to his car after the game. The ball from an awesome grand slam he hit shattered the window of his own car. He said it was “totally worth it.”
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.