Wednesday Wisdom
Making sense of the world's most popular sporting league. Plus today's watercooler topics.
According to Retail Brew, you're about to see Heineken in a sports venue near you as they attempt to dive into the light beer space.
Cheers to happy hour options,
The Last Night's Game
Photo: Instagram/premierleague
The premier league and beyond
We're constantly receiving questions about the Premier League and European soccer, so this week's podcast is for you.
European soccer leagues are structured in tiers such as Premier League (England), La Liga (Spain), Bundesliga (Germany), and Serie A (Italy) are all examples of top-tier soccer federations in their respective countries. The Premier League, in particular, stands out for its immense popularity and worldwide viewership. It's important to note that these top-tier leagues are just the tip of the iceberg—with numerous lower-tier leagues beneath them, like the Championship League - home to Wrexham FC, creating a pyramid of competition that caters to clubs at all levels.
With the start of soccer (or football season if you're talking like a local), dive into this week's podcast, "Unraveling the World of European Soccer: A Beginner's Guide to Premier League and Beyond" for a fun, celeb-filled, insightful look into the world's most popular sports league. LISTEN UP
Short and Sweet
ESPN makes a landmark entry into sports betting. A product of the ESPN/Penn Entertainment betting deal, Dave Portnoy buys back shares and now owns 100% of Barstool Sports.
The new Jacksonville Jaguars (NFL - National Football League) facility is high-tech, with hydration sensors in the urinals.
Despite not winning a Super Bowl since 1996, the Dallas Cowboys (NFL) top the list of the most valuable sports franchise in the world at $9.2B. Golden State Warriors (NBA - National Basketball Association) are second at $7.56B.
Sports announcers everywhere are irate after the announcer for the Baltimore Orioles, Kevin Brown, was suspended by the team owner over his on-air reference to the team's previous poor record against the Tampa Bay Rays.
"3 Years, 8 Months, 2 Kids Later," former world No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki returns to tennis with a win.
Photo: instagram/thesavbananas
Photo by CA Creative on Unsplash
Monday Minute: USWNT Out, Explaining The College Football Conference Mess + Simone Biles Wins
A better start to your day than a cup of coffee.
Photo: Instagram/mls
Remember, you don't need to be an ESPN Sideline reporter. Having a sports conversation starter is just another tool in your tool belt of success.
For today's Monday Minute podcast episode or our podcast exclusive Weekend Preview, subscribe to the podcast or our YouTube channel.
USWNT out of the Women’s World Cup
No country has gone back-to-back-to-back in their wins for the World Cup, and that won't happen this year. The US women's national team lost yesterday to Sweden in penalty kicks. That last penalty kick, it was a goal by just a millimeter. And this loss proves that the world has caught up with the domination that once was a US women's national team. But don't worry; this is not the end of the story. Remember, the US women's national team has the Paris Olympics next summer in 2024, even though Megan Rapinoe will be retiring at the end of the NWSL soccer season, which is in November.
College Football Conference Shakeup
Is money the root of all evil? Some college football fans think that this morning with the shakeup with all these teams leaving the Pac-12 and heading to the Big Ten and the Big 12.
· Leaving the Pac-12 to join the Big Ten are Oregon and Washington – joining USC and UCLA that decided to move last year.
· Arizona, Arizona State and Utah have committed to the Big 12, joining coach Deion Sanders and his Colorado, that decided to leave a few weeks ago.
· The 108-year-old PAC-12 has only four schools – Stanford, Cal, Oregon State and Washington State.
Why the mass exodus? It comes down to money. The Big Ten's old TV deal gave each school $58M. The Pac-12 is working on a deal with Apple. And on the high end, each team could earn up to $30M.
But the grass is not always greener. The Big Ten, they now boast teams coast to coast. So now you're looking at teams traveling from California to the East Coast. And that's like an East Coast team traveling to London. So something to keep in mind, it's not always the bigger, better deal, but for $20M, it might be.
Before WE GO
Simone Biles returned to gymnastics, winning the US Classic.
Will Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg carry out their cage match? Zuckerberg is saying, “I'm not holding my breath.” They have a date on the calendar for August 26th, so stay tuned for that.
Have a great week ahead. If you want more of anything we discussed today, follow us on social media or lastnightsgame.com.
UP your game
Now that the US is out, here’s who else you might want to cheer for. READ ON
Photo: Instagram/newyorkjets
GAME CHANGER
Depicting Athletes' Contracts And Their Weird Inclusions - it’s not all spa treatments and tropical vacations. LISTEN TO THIS WEEK’S PODCAST EPISODE
Weekend Preview: USWNT Win Or Go Home, Dog Surfing Tom Brady's New Gig
It’s getting hot in here.
Photos: Instagram/sportscenter
It’s getting hot in here.
Women’s World Cup
The US Women's National Team advanced to the round of 16, also known as the Knockout Round. They will face Sweden, a tough competitor, on Sunday at 5 am ET. You're going to have to wake up early to watch that game. Sweden is going to be tough. And if the US loses, they're out and will not achieve their goal of a third title in a row.
Keep an eye on underdogs Morocco, South Africa and Nigeria; they are the first three African countries to qualify for a women's World Cup knockout stage. Morocco has already made history as the first team from an Arabic-speaking country to qualify for the Women's World Cup. Then there's Jamaica, whose program folded at one point for lack of funding, and they made it to the World Cup thanks to crowdfunding.
Tom Brady’s New Gig
Tom Brady added another sports team to his portfolio - England Football Club Birmingham City. After Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhnney purchased Wrexham FC, buying a European soccer team has been en vogue. It's also been a trend for recently retired NFL stars because JJ Watt and his professional soccer-playing wife, Kelia, purchased the English soccer club Burnley FC. Tom Brady already has quite a resume of team ownership. He is a minority owner in the Las Vegas Raiders (NFL) and the Las Vegas Aces (WNBA). He has Birmingham City FC, Major League Pickleball team - the Las Vegas Night Owls, and he is also a team owner for the E1 Series or electric boat racing.
Before you go
Watch for ESPN8: the Ocho, the festivities celebrating sports you probably have never heard of. I'm watching dog surfing which is airing Sunday at 1.30 am ET.
The NFL Hall of Fame game was last night. It's the first official game of the season, albeit preseason and no one big played, but still exciting that football season is around the corner.
That's what you need to know for the weekend.
Make sure you catch up with us on social media at @lastnightsgame. We'll see you on your favorite podcast platform every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. If you need anything else, check us out at lastnightsgame.com.
Photo: Instagram/uswnt
A GUIDE TO THE WOMEN’S WORLD CUP
The USWNT makes a historic bid in the southern hemisphere. READ ON
Photo: Unsplash
GAME CHANGER
Place your bets with confidence (or at least be prepared to talk shop) with our sports betting 101. THE MORE YOU KNOW