The Rundown: Weekend Preview Edition - Sack 'em Sunday
It’s the first weekend of NFL football. Whether you’re cheering for the Bears or Eagles or simply here for the beer, we have everything you need to know to show them who’s boss. Oh and don’t forget to set your fantasy football team.
I’ll take a cold one,
The Last Night’s Game Team
PS – It’s our new football Friday tradition and today’s tailgate treat is courtesy of super fan Lindsay. Here's her recipe for slow cooker pulled pork sandwiches with slaw.
NFL (National Football League)
- Rematch. Last night marked the first game of the NFL season and it happened to be a rematch of last season's Super Bowl. The Denver Broncos and their new quarterback Trevor Siemian proved they still have what it takes to win without Peyton Manning, taking home a win against the Carolina Panthers.
- You asked and we delivered the answers to those stubborn football questions that stump you. Click here for our football FAQ.
NCAA Football (College)
- He’s got wheels. ESPN’s College GameDay is heading to Bristol Motor Speedway for Saturday’s broadcast…of a NASCAR race? No, the NASCAR track has been transformed into a football field to host Tennessee vs Virginia Tech. Crews had 19 days to turn the track infield into a quality football field. At the game they’re expecting to host the biggest college football crowd ever - 150,000 people.
- When is your team playing? Find out here.
Soccer
- On Saturday, two crosstown rivals battle in the English Premier League - Manchester City vs Manchester United. This is slated to be the most expensive game in soccer history with player values topping £685 million ($912 million USD).
NBA (National Basketball Association)
- Welcome. 2016 NBA Hall of Fame class will be inducted today. This year’s class is led by Shaquille O’Neal, Yao Ming and Allen Iverson.
Olympics
- The sentencing. The penalties for the swimmers involved in the infamous gas station incident in Rio have been decided. Ryan Lochte has been suspended for 10 months and the other three swimmers have been suspended for four months. It may not sound like a long time considering the Summer Olympics are four years away but here is what they won’t be able to do:
- Not allowed to attend the White House visit with Team U.S.A.
- They will not receive their monthly stipend
- No access to Olympic training centers
- Lochte will forfeit his $100,000 bonus money from winning gold
Tennis
- So long Serena. Serena Williams was hoping to win her 23rd career Grand Slam Championship at the U.S. Open. Those dreams were crushed when Williams was defeated by Karolina Pliskova in the semifinals. Pliskova also knocked out Serena’s sister Venus, becoming just the fourth person to defeat both sisters in the same Grand Slam event. Pliskova will face Angelique Kerber in the finals.
Overtime
- Many said it was a long shot when former NFL quarterback Tim Tebow tried out in front of MLB (Major League Baseball) scouts, but it seems that his hard work has paid off. Tebow signed a minor league deal to play for the New York Mets. Don’t expect him on the Mets roster yet, he’ll start his career off in their instructional league in September.
Sideline stat
- This will be the first time since 1997 that the NFL has a kickoff weekend without Tom Brady or Peyton Manning playing. Manning retired after last season and Brady is suspended for four games for “deflategate.”
Coaches’ corner
- There’s a lot of talk about quarterbacks and wide receivers but there are many players who make up a football team. Today’s unsung hero goes to the long snapper. You may only hear about this position when something goes wrong on a field goal, extra point or punt. This is a specialized player comes in to hike the ball for any kind of kick that requires longer distance snaps. Check out all the backward action here.
The Rundown: 5 Things to Know about the NFL
Are you ready for some football? The NFL regular season starts tomorrow night and we can see the excitement written all over your face. Don’t worry, even if you’re not planning to watch one game, we have you covered so you can still talk shop with the best of them.
Huddle up,
The Last Night’s Game Team
PS – We are working on a football FAQ to answer all of your curious football questions. Stay tuned! Have one you want us to answer? Email us!
Five things to know about the 2016 NFL season
- The season is longer than Taylor Swift’s last relationship - it starts in September and ends with the Super Bowl, which is typically the first Sunday in February. Over 17.6 million fans saw a game in person last season.
- This year, four regular season NFL games will be played outside of the U.S. with three games in Europe and and one in Mexico City. There’s an agreement in place to play a game in China in 2018.
- NFL does not have fully guaranteed contracts like the NBA and MLB where a player’s contracts states they will receive the full amount no matter what. Football players play one of the most demanding sports but they can face a career ending injury and not be paid out the contract balance. Although some players have been able to negotiate in a cushion. For example, Colts quarterback Andrew Luck signed a six-year, $120 million deal; of that $87 million guaranteed.
- The NFL was a tax exempt organization from 1942-2015 despite the fact that television rights fees, licensing agreements, sponsorships, ticket sales and other revenue earned by the 32 teams were all taxed. Dropping this status means that the NFL will no longer have to disclose important financial information such as Commissioner Roger Goodell’s $44 million salary.
- According to Vegas Insider, these teams are the favorites to win Super Bowl 51 :
- New England Patriots
- Green Bay Packers
- Seattle Seahawks
- Pittsburgh Steelers
- Carolina Panthers
NFL (National Football League)
- Here we go! The NFL season will kick off tomorrow night with a rematch of Super Bowl 50. The Carolina Panthers will take on Denver Broncos in Denver. Tune in to see if Cam Newton will be giving away footballs to kids or if Super Bowl MVP Von Miller will be dancing his way to victory.
- Slap in the face. Hall of Fame Dallas Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman has been an analyst for FOX NFL since 2001. Despite his tenure, FOX signed Aikman’s nemesis Skip Bayless for his own show this fall. Aikman and Bayless have a history of bad blood stemming from the time Bayless claimed in his book that Aikman was gay - without any proof. "To say I’m disappointed in the hiring of Skip Bayless would be an enormous understatement,” Aikman said.
- Quick recovery. Houston Texans standout defensive player JJ Watt has been cleared to play in week one after undergoing back surgery in July.
Overtime
- UFC’s Miesha Tate flexed her muscles for good over the weekend. She was hiking Nevada’s Mt. Charleston when she came across a little girl, Kai, who had broken her arm while hiking with her mom. Mom was struggling to get Kai down the mountain so Tate picked her up and carried her down the rest of the two-mile trail. Afterward, there was no shortage of mutual love going on between the two on social media.
Sideline stat
- Serena Williams won her 308th career tennis match on Monday becoming the winningest player in Grand Slam history. Serena will face Simona Halep tonight in the quarterfinals.
Coaches’ corner
- It takes a strong woman to be the head coach of the house during football season and the NFL has its fair share of celebrity power couples who do just that.
- Singer Ciara and Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson
- New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and model Giselle Bündchen
- TV star and designer Kristin (Cavallari) Cutler and Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler
- New York Jets receiver Eric Decker and singer Jessie James Decker
- Actress Olivia Munn and Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers
The Rundown: Weekend Wrap Up Edition - Labor Day Love
This season's opening weekend of college football was touted as the best ever and unlike Crystal Pepsi, it lived up to the hype. Saturday gave us a mind-blowing (or mind-numbing for some) 21 hours straight of football.
We have the highlights to start your Labor Day. Now you can bring something great to the BBQ besides wine.
Expanding your minds,
The Last Night’s Game Team
NCAA Football (College)
- A game for the ages. Last night’s game between Notre Dame and Texas is already candidate for game of the year. The back and forth battle gave us all we could ask for, eventually being won in double overtime by Texas in front of 102,000 fans.
- Sportsmanship at its finest. In July, Nebraska punter Sam Foltz and Michigan State punter Mike Sadler were killed in a car accident on their way home from a kicking camp in Wisconsin. On the first punt of Saturday’s game, a very emotional Nebraska team sent out 10 of 11 players for the play. In honor of Foltz, they were missing the punter and they received a delay of game penalty. In a classy show of sportsmanship, their opponent Fresno State declined the penalty and let Nebraska punt without a penalty.
- We’re not done yet. There’s still one more game tonight where Florida State (#4) will open their season against Ole Miss (#11).
- Did your team win? Find out here.
MLB (Major League Baseball)
- Welcome back. Los Angeles Dodgers’ star pitcher Clayton Kershaw went on the disabled list with back issues in June and the teams’ season outlook was bleak. Since then, the Dodgers have overcome a huge deficit and are now leading the division by two games over the San Francisco Giants. Kershaw is set to start on Friday and Dodgers fans everywhere are doing their happy dance.
NASCAR (National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing)
- Waving the flag. Martin Truex Jr. took home his first checked flag in Darlington yesterday. Before the race, Dale Earnhardt Jr. discussed his health during a press conference. Earlier his team announced that he would not return to racing this season due to his concussion-like symptoms. During the press conference Earnhardt said, “I definitely don’t belong in a race car today by any stretch of the imagination."
Tennis
- In U.S. Open news, Rafael Nadal lost in the fourth round to Lucas Pouille. For the first time since 2004, Nadal did not reach the quarterfinals at a Grand Slam Tournament in a calendar year.
Overtime
- Lauren Holiday, two-time gold medalist and member of the winning U.S.A. Women’s World Cup team (soccer), has been diagnosed with a benign brain tumor. She and her husband New Orleans Pelicans (basketball) guard Jrue Holiday are expecting a baby next month. He announced yesterday that he will take indefinite leave from his team to be with his family. Doctors will have to wait until six weeks after the birth of Baby Holiday to perform Lauren's surgery, which means Jrue will miss the start of the NBA season.
Sideline stat
- The two-man battle for the overall points lead between F1 (Formula One) drivers Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg became a little more interesting on Sunday. Hamilton’s car failed to move as the race started and Rosberg took advantage and brought home the win. Hamilton battled back to finish second. Rosberg cut the points lead to two points as the teams head east for the Singapore Grand Prix.
Coaches’ Corner
- What’s a delay of game penalty? Delay of game means the offense failed to snap the ball before the play clock expired. Teams are given 40 seconds between plays to set up their guys and if they can’t get their acts together in the allotted time, they receive a five-yard penalty.