LAST NIGHT'S GAME 1/5/22 LAST NIGHT'S GAME 1/5/22

Moms Who Made The Sports World Up Their Game

Don’t mess with these mamas.

When being forced to choose between a family and their job, these women picked both and then paved the way for others to do the same.

Started from the bottom, now we’re here,

The Last Night’s Game Team

1. Leading the Arizona Wildcats to the 2021 National Championship Game was former WNBA (Women’s National Basketball Association) player, head coach Adia Barnes. Barnes, who inspired women everywhere in her quest for her dream job, coaches alongside her husband and is a mom to two children. During halftime, she was not only giving a pep talk to her team but also pumping as she was still nursing her six-month-old daughter. Barnes shed light on the NCAA's rules that have stifled working moms. Coaches' children, such as Barnes' six-month-old daughter, counted against a team's limited traveling party numbers, which means she had to choose between her children and a member of her staff. MAKING IT HAPPEN

2. Mom was the word at the 2020 U.S. Open (tennis), with nine moms qualifying for the tournament. Serena Williams, Victoria Azarenka and Tsvetana Pironkova made history as the first trio of mothers to reach the quarterfinals of the same Grand Slam. The WTA (Women's Tennis Association) has stepped up with new policies to support new moms (or expecting), including a new ranking policy and adjusting the dress code. Women on the tour will not be penalized or prohibited from wearing leggings or compression shorts without a skirt, dress or shorts over them at WTA tournaments. REAL HEROES WEAR LEGGINGS

3. We're seeing progress in women's sports in adopting maternity policies for their players. Before these policies were implemented, you had stars like Skylar Diggins-Smith, who played an entire WNBA (Women's National Basketball Association) season while pregnant and didn't tell anyone. It was such a great season for her that she was named to the all-star team. After the birth of her son, she was criticized for taking two months off from the season due to postpartum depression. Because of players like Diggins-Smith, the new collective bargaining agreement features full salary on maternity leave, a childcare accommodation and new, progressive family planning benefits. CUT THE GAL SOME SLACK

4. Olympic track star Allyson Felix made an impact on the track, winning seven Olympic gold medals, but it's what she did off the track that has shaped her legacy. The NIKE-sponsored athlete took on the company, saying that she would be financially penalized for having a child per her contract. (Her daughter was born via emergency c-section in 2018). She was so fed up with their lack of support for female athletes that she left NIKE for Athleta. Felix isn't the only athlete worried about being dropped for having a child – it's a far too common practice. NIKE has since changed its policies, and it will not apply any performance-related reductions for 18 months if an athlete becomes pregnant. A FORCE FOR CHANGE

5. U.S. Women's National Soccer Team co-captain Alex Morgan was one of the few athletes okay with the delay in the Olympics because it gave her more time with her newborn baby. The co-captain isn't slowing down, signing with Tottenham Hotspur in England and then returning home to the Orlando Pride (NWSL – National Women's Soccer League). Players like Morgan will be able to utilize the new maternity policies put in place by FIFA (the governing body of international soccer). IT'S A START

LAST NIGHT'S GAME 1/3/22 LAST NIGHT'S GAME 1/3/22

Heat Waves

Was Antonio Brown’s outburst a stunt for his musical career, karma comes full circle for one medical student and our Bachelor bracket is back.

It's the first Monday of the new year which means, today is the day those resolutions really begin.

Let's do this,
The Last Night's Game Team

NFL (NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE)

It's only three days into the new year, and it's all downhill from here for Antonio Brown. During the Tampa Bay Buccaneers - New York Jets game yesterday, Brown took off his jersey, threw it into the crowd and walked off the field. Bucs head coach Bruce Arians announced after the game that Brown was no longer a member of the team. Brown, who has a long history of trouble in the NFL, didn't seem like he cared as he used the moment to release a new song. AS YOU DO

SHORT AND SWEET

Eagles (NFL) QB Jalen Hurts picked up fans after a bleacher railing collapsed.
Alabama and Georgia will once again face off in the College Football National Championship Game.
'Coke and steroids' - the battle between Jake Paul and Dana White (UFC - Ultimate Fighting Championship) heats up.

BEFORE WE GO

Medical student Nadia Popovici was at a Seattle Kraken game (NHL - National Hockey League) game when she saw a mole on the neck of Vancouver Canucks assistant equipment manager Brian "Red" Hamilton. She banged on the glass and alerted him that the mole looked cancerous. It was. Hamilton used social media to find Popovici so he could thank her. The Canucks and Kraken gave Popovici $10,000 to help pay for her education to thank her for saving a life. SPEAK OUT, SPEAK UP

SO MUCH GOODNESS

If your resolution includes cooking a little more at home (or whipping up a cocktail to fight the cold with), check out our Tailgate Treats. DELISH

THE GOOD LIFE

Finding love on TV is a sport, and Clayton Echard is about to find out when his season as "The Bachelor" starts tonight. Pick your bracket before tonight's episode. CLICK TO PLAY

PS: Keep an eye on former football player Jesse Palmer, who starts his gig as the show's host.

LAST NIGHT'S GAME 12/31/21 LAST NIGHT'S GAME 12/31/21

Make Way For 2022

Patience? What patience? College football playoffs are today, sad news for dog show fans and this week's Tailgate Treat.

Let this year be the year you go after progress over perfection and relish in every victory you make along the way to your goals, however bold they may be.

Brilliance starts here,
The Last Night's Game Team

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

College football saved the best for last, the last day of the year, that is. Today features the two college football playoff games - Alabama (No. 1) vs. Cincinnati (No. 4) and Georgia (No. 3) vs. Michigan (No. 2). The teams are playing for a spot in the National Championship Game on January 10.

When asked if the youth of Nick Saban's Alabama team tests his patience, the seven-time championship coach responded with, "I don't have any patience, so anything that happens is a test of my patience, including sitting in this chair right now." NEW YEAR NEW YOU?

Short and Sweet

It's ruff to be a dog show fan right now.
NFL teams to observe a moment of silence in honor of John Madden.
Why $10,000 to charity is reason enough for a coach to take a mayonnaise bath.
A Rose (Bowl) by any other name would smell as sweet.

Before We Go

Do you love hockey and being cold? If so, the annual NHL (National Hockey League) Winter Classic game is for you. If the forecast holds, the New Year's Day game will boast the title of the coldest game in league history with a high of -3 and a low of -9. The game, traditionally held outdoors, will be played at Target Field, home of the Minneapolis Twins. BRR!

Tailgate Treat

This week's Tailgate Treat, prosecco grapes, combines the Spanish tradition of 12 grapes in the first 12 seconds of the new year with the American tradition of a champagne toast. GRAPES FOR GOOD

PS: Want to submit a recipe? EMAIL US

Wrap It Up

It was a year worth revisiting in our Top Five Sports Moments of 2021. TELL ME MORE