The Rundown: 5 Things to Know About Super Bowl 51
It’s the most wonderful time of the year. No, our iTunes isn’t stuck on our holiday playlist, it’s Super Bowl 51 time. That’s right the biggest day in sports is this Sunday in Houston when the Atlanta Falcons take on the New England Patriots. We have the five fun, factual and fabulous things you need to know for the big day.
Ready to play,
The Last Night's Game Team
PS – Have you been curious about how Last Night’s Game went from an idea to a reality? Check out our latest interview, How to Talk "Super Bowl" Like a Pro, to find out.
FIVE THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT SUPER BOWL 51
- The Falcons have only been to one Super Bowl in franchise history but have never won. The Patriots have won four Super Bowls.
- The game is only part of the reason we watch. First, we have to talk commercials which are $5 million for 30 seconds. Secondly, the broadcast will feature country superstar Luke Bryan performing the national anthem and Lady Gaga will be bringing her A game for the halftime show.
- The Super Bowl is the time of year to place your unconventional bets. This year you can bet on will “Houston we have a problem” be said during the live broadcast? What color will the sports drink be that is dumped on the head coach of the winning team? What color will Lady Gaga’s hair be when she starts her half time show?
- The Falcons come into the game with the best offense in the league and the Patriots have the best defense, which should make for a great game.
- The Falcons’ owner Arthur Blank has certainly made a name for himself over the past few weeks with his postgame celebratory dancing. (He’s no Lady Gaga but he’s having fun). He also petitioned his daughter’s school in Atlanta stating the students should have Monday after the Super Bowl off so they can stay up late and support their team. It worked and school will be closed. This guy is going to be more popular than Santa.
OVERTIME
- Hacking isn’t reserved only for Russia. The St. Louis Cardinals' director of scouting hacked into the Houston Astros database retrieving scouting data for a competitive advantage. (He has since been fired and is serving time in jail). This week MLB (Major League Baseball) penalized the Cardinals even further by ordering them to pay the Astros $2 million and give them their top two draft picks.
SIDELINE STAT
- MLS (Major League Soccer) has announced it will be expanding from 22 teams to 29. The bid submission window for the four franchises up for grab closed yesterday. Did your city apply? Find out here.
COACHES’ CORNER
- Why is the NFL (National Football League) championship, the Super Bowl, such a big day in sports but other championships are not? The NFL is the only major professional sport to decide its champion with one game. The other leagues have a “best of” series of games.
The Rundown: Practice Makes Perfect
It’s Super Bowl week and we have you covered so you can tackle even the toughest conversation at your Super Bowl party. Remember practice makes perfect and if you’re the big game's halftime performer Lady Gaga, you’ve built a replica stage in your backyard to ensure that’s the case.
Won’t you be our neighbor?
The Last Night’s Game Team
NFL (National Football League)
- Take that to the bank. The players on the AFC (American Football Conference) team are $61,000 richer after besting the NFC (National Football Conference) in surprisingly competitive Pro Bowl Game last night in Orlando, FL.
- Let's get it started. Today kicks off Super Bowl week with “Opening Night,” formerly named “Media Day.” This year event will be held during a primetime TV slot and 12,000 fans will be in attendance to watch the media interview members of the Super Bowl teams. The Opening Night interviews are known to include wacky antics and questions.
- We love a good deal. Apparently Falcons and Patriots fans just paid their credit card bills from the holidays because Super Bowl ticket prices have dropped. The demand is so low that it’ll cost you around $2,000 to get into the stadium. (Experts predict the ticket prices will drop even further).
NHL (National Hockey League)
- All-star victory. The Metropolitan Division Team beat the Pacific Division Team to win the $1 million prize in the All-Star Game tournament. The winning team was coached by hockey great Wayne Gretzky after the original coach called in sick.
Tennis
- Atta boy! In his first major tournament since returning from injury, Roger Federer, 35, defeated Rafael Nadal to claim the Australian Open title and his 18th major title.
X Games
- Drive to succeed. Hailey Langland, 16, is barely old enough to drive a car but it was her drive that led her to land a trick that had never been accomplished before by a woman to take home a gold medal in the big air snowboarding competition. No doubt you’ll see Langland again when this event debuts in the Olympics next year.
Overtime
- Girl group Fifth Harmony was set to perform the National Anthem before the NHL All-Star Game but they cancelled last minute due to illness. Courtney Daniels saved the day. Daniels is a member of the Los Angeles Kings Ice Crew and she performed the anthem with only 13 minutes notice.
Sideline stat
- Serena Williams beat her older sister Venus to win a record breaking 23rd major title. To commemorate her win Williams received a custom pair of Jordan shoes from the best athlete to wear #23, the namesake and basketball legend Michael Jordan himself.
Coaches’ corner
- What is a grand slam in tennis? Grand slam is a term used in baseball and in tennis, but they have two completely different meanings. There are four major tournaments in tennis (Wimbledon, Australian Open, U.S. Open and French Open). If you win all of those tournaments you’ve won a grand slam.
The Rundown: City of Stars
As if it being Friday wasn’t reason enough to celebrate, it’s also an all-star weekend in the world of sports.
You’re always an all-star in our eyes,
The Last Night’s Game Team
Tennis
- A family affair. Venus and Serena Williams will take their sibling rivalry to the Australian Open finals early Saturday morning (3:30 am EST). The sisters played each other in the 2003 Australian Open finals and Serena took home the win.
- Old guys rule. Roger Federer claimed his spot in the Australian Open finals on Sunday (also at 3:30 am EST). At age 35 he is the oldest player in the finals since 1974.
NHL (National Hockey League)
- Star struck. The NHL goes Hollywood with their all-star game in Los Angeles this Sunday. The all-stars will play in a three-on-three tournament (there are typically five players on the ice) with teams from the four different NHL divisions - Pacific, Central, Metropolitan and Atlantic. The divisions will play each other to determine which one is the best. The winning team receives $1 million in prize money.
Overtime
- Massachusetts is home to the Super Bowl bound New England Patriots and a Boston Globe reporter who called Atlanta a city with "absolutely zero enthusiasm for professional sports." The Atlanta Falcons are playing the Patriots in the Super Bowl and one of their fans is fighting back with enthusiasm. He will not sell any Boston made Sam Adams in his Georgia gas station until after the Super Bowl. Kick 'em where it counts.
Sideline stat
- Kraft Heinz has decided not to fork out the $5 million for a 30 second Super Bowl ad. Instead they started the “Smunday” campaign, a petition to make the Monday after the Super Bowl a national holiday. They’re putting their money where their mouth is by giving all full-time salaried U.S. employees that Monday off. They claim that 16 million people skip work the day after the Super Bowl anyway, resulting in $1 billion in losses. Care to sign the petition? Here’s the dotted line.
Coaches’ corner
- Is your life feeling incomplete without football? You can get your fix with the Pro Bowl on Sunday. The Pro Bowl is the NFL’s (National Football League) all-star game and takes place in Orlando, FL. The members of the winning team receive a $61,000 bonus and the losing team a mere $30,000. Here's the full roster in case you're interested.