Big Energy
A country music concert with a side of hockey, women are leading MLS, sporting events pull out of Russia and this week's Tailgate Treat.
May the excitement of the weekend carry you through your last Friday of February.
Make the most of it,
The Last Night's Game Team
MLS (MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER)
MLS kicks off its 27th season this weekend. At the start of the season, the two key talking points are that five women serve as either president or CEO of an MLS club. And at age 14, most of us were in teenage angst but not Axel Kei. In January, Kei officially became the youngest MLS player ever when he signed with Real Salt Lake. CALLING COACH LASSO
Short and Sweet
This morning, UEFA (the Union of European Football Associations) moved the biggest game in European soccer, the Champions League final, out of Russia to Paris after the Ukraine invasion. Will the summer World Cup playoffs be next?
The touching reason golfers and caddies are wearing purple at this weekend's PGA (Professional Golfers Association) tournament.
Ukrainian men aged 18–60 are required to stay as part of the martial law, including the mayor of Kyiv, former heavyweight boxing champion Vitali Klitschko and his boxer brother Wladimir who are preparing to fight. (Wladimir has a child with actress Hayden Panettiere).
Formula 1 (F1) pulls September's Russian Grand Prix off the calendar with support from its drivers.
Before We Go
Hockey is taking it outside this weekend in Nashville when the Nashville Predators play the Tampa Bay Lightning, but the hockey takes a backseat to the entertainment. Country stars Dustin Lynch, Walker Hayes, Jessie James Decker and more will join headliners (and first intermission performers), Dierks Bentley and Miranda Lambert. Managing the talent could be the most challenging job of the weekend unless you're the ice crew in charge of keeping the outdoor rink in pristine condition. They've had to deal with warm temps, then rain and now (finally!) near freezing temps. WORKING FOR THE WEEKEND
Start Your Engines
Food poisoning, private jets and charity.
Race into the week and use today's sports chatter to expand your horizons and your network.
Ready, set, go.
The Last Night's Game Team
NBA (National Basketball Association)
It was a star-studded celebration for the NBA's 75th All-Star Game. Magic Johnson, Shaq and Michael Jordan were a few of the legends recognized at halftime in a game that saw Team LeBron take home the victory, and $450,000 for the team's charity, the Kent State I Promise Scholars program. In the skills competition, Karl Anthony Towns won the three-point contest wearing a chain, which he had to petition the league for permission to wear, which honored his late mother, who died from COVID complications in April 2020. GAME ON
Short and Sweet
Thanks to a private jet, Michael Jordan manages to be in two places at once.
New Zealand defender Meikayla Moore scored three goals against the US Women's National Team. Except the goals were own goals, i.e., goals scored for the US, not New Zealand.
Jesse Diggins won the last medal of the Olympics and Team USA's first-ever Olympic sprint medal in cross-country skiing, days after having food poisoning.
Before We Go
NASCAR (National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing) started the season off in a ball of fire. The Daytona 500 had plenty of crashes that took the favorites out of the race. Enter in Austin Cindric, who took home the famed Daytona 500 checkered flag on his eighth NASCAR start. In overtime, the 23-year-old beat Bubba Wallace to the finish line by .036 seconds. THE NEXT EPISODE
SALUD!
Raise your glass to the five athletes you can thank for your next hangover. CHEERS
HELP WANTED
The Winter Olympics is over, which means it's back to work for many Olympians. But what do they do for their day jobs? BACK TO REALITY
The Gift That Keeps On Giving
The racy bobsled team calendar, the real winners of this weekend's NBA All-Star Game, the Daytona 500 and this week's Tailgate Treat.
Unlike the dreaded jelly of the month club, sports never gets stale - there's always something new to talk about.
Always interesting,
The Last Night's Game Team
NBA (National Basketball Association)
Suit up. It's time for the NBA All-Star Game in Cleveland. While the format is confusing, the outcome isn't. The NBA will donate a total of $750,000 to the two charities selected by the team captains - Team LeBron's charity, Kent State I Promise Scholars Program and Team Durant's charity, the Greater Cleveland Food Bank. Keep an eye out for Saturday night's skills competition and the famed dunk contest. On Sunday, the two teams will face off, and the game MVP will receive the Kobe Bryant MVP Trophy. HOOP DREAMS
Short and Sweet
The "Bob-Spread" - the risqué way the US Bobsled Team financed their way to Beijing.
Kevin Durant went to dramatic lengths not to pick his recent former teammate James Harden for his NBA All-Star team.
From Johnny Weir and Tara Lipinski's silent protest on-air to the outcry about those in her inner circle, the controversy around ROC figure skater Kamila Valieva, who did not place in the individual event, carries on.
The unexpected way Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson appeared at the Olympics.
Before We Go
NASCAR (National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing) kicks off this Sunday with the Daytona 500. The race, which unofficially dates back to 1903 when two men raced on the sand to prove who had the fastest horseless carriage, will feature next-gen cars. A plethora of celebrities have invested in NASCAR including Michael Jordan, Pitbull, boxer Floyd Mayweather and UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) President Dana White. EAT MY DUST
