Last Night's Game

For the transcript of this podcast or links to any additional information mentioned today visit: lastnightsgame.com/podcast/2022-Paralympics Sports Curious, presented by Last Night's Game, is here to take the awkward out of the conversation and help you join the sports conversation, even if you don't know the first thing about sports. We break down what's happening in sports in an easy-to-understand, fun way without all of the statistics and jargon, so you never have to exit stage left when the chatter at the office, dinner table or networking event switches to sports. You can always catch us between podcasts at www.lastnightsgame.com or on social media. If you love us, make sure to leave us a review wherever you listen to your podcasts.

March is women’s history month and we’re kicking it off with these legends who have made sports more accessible. For the transcript of this podcast or links to any additional information mentioned today visit: lastnightsgame.com/podcast/2022-women-making-sports-better Sports Curious, presented by Last Night's Game, is here to take the awkward out of the conversation and help you join the sports conversation, even if you don't know the first thing about sports. We break down what's happening in sports in an easy-to-understand, fun way without all of the statistics and jargon, so you never have to exit stage left when the chatter at the office, dinner table or networking event switches to sports. You can always catch us between podcasts at www.lastnightsgame.com or on social media. If you love us, make sure to leave us a review wherever you listen to your podcasts.

After so many of you sent notes were about Remi Lindholm's frozen member during the Beijing Olympics, that got us thinking what other freak accidents and injuries have happened during athletic competitions? The cringe-worthy answers are below. These aren't our typical stories that you can drop into casual conversation, so we're impressed if you can figure that out. --------------------- TRANSCRIPT ------------------------- Finnish cross-country skier Remi Lindholm had a less than gold medal experience at the Beijing Olympics. His race, the men's 50km mass start cross country skiing, was reduced to 30km to accommodate the real feel temp of -26 degrees. Well, his penis froze during the race. He said it was a painful experience but note that this isn't the first time this has happened to him. Paulo Diogo, a member of the Swiss football (i.e., soccer) club, Servette FC, celebrated his goal by jumping into the crowd Lambeau Leap style. On his way, he caught his wedding ring in the fence, and the force ripped off the top of Diogo's finger. The referees gave him a penalty for excessive celebration to make matters worse. Could rugby players be the toughest athletes in the world? Wayne Shelford's story makes a good contest for the title. At the beginning of a game, Shelford was stuck at the bottom of a ruck (essentially a pile on over the ball) where he lost four teeth and, thanks to a competitor's cleat, a large tear to his scrotum that exposed its contents. Shelford was stitched up on the sideline and continued to play until the second half. He was hit in the head and left the game with a concussion. During the Rio Olympics, French race walker Yohann Diniz was 35km into his 50km race when he collapsed. The cause, "intestinal problems" that started midrace. As the cameras showed, Diniz was suffering from a severe case of diarrhea. He eventually got up and completed the race, finishing in eighth place. Slovenian biathlete Jakov Fak, who competed in five different events in Beijing, almost lost his trigger finger. During a World Cup event, Fak suffered third-degree frostbite on his trigger finger, causing it to turn black. He's lucky as fourth-degree frostbite means the finger would be amputated immediately. Thanks to daily treatments in a hyperbaric chamber, he recovered, but not before the finger lost all of its skin.

You'd think being an Olympic-caliber athlete is a full-time job, but that's not the case for most Olympians. With the Olympics wrapping up, here's what your favorite athletes will return home to do. ----------------Transcript------------------ Before we get started, remember US athletes do not get paid to compete in the Olympics. They receive a medal bonus, which maxes out at $37,500 for a gold medal, and can earn money through sponsorships or other benefits, but those latter avenues are not something all athletes can achieve. 1. Hilary Knight plays hockey at the Olympic level and also for her day job. Knight is one of the most accomplished women's hockey players in US history. The four-time Olympian ranks second all-time in Olympic points (26) for Team USA and plays in the PWHPA (Professional Women's Hockey Players Association) when she's not at the Olympics. The league, which has been around since 2019, consists of 125 athletes working together to build a sustainable league that will showcase their talent.   2. If you thought flying down a mountain on skis wearing a helmet and some Lycra sounded hard, try making everyone's favorite food. Ryan Cochran-Siegle won a silver in Beijing, and now he'll return to his family's maple syrup farm in Vermont. But the syrup isn't the only thing that runs in the family. Ryan's mom, Barbara Ann Cochran, took home a gold medal for the women's slalom for Team USA in 1972.   3. They're a force on the ice, but curling vice skips American Nina Roth and Brit Vicky Wright have spent two years battling another enemy, COVID. During the pandemic, the two served as hospital nurses while training for their dream of Olympic gold. 4. Tabitha Peterson had her priorities straight, first pharmacy school and then the Olympics. The pharmacist and curling team member graduated pharmacy school in 2015 and headed to her first Olympic Games in 2018. Peterson said she likes her career because she can work more hours in the summer and less in the winter to focus on curling. 5. A program that serves those who represent the US in more than one way is the World Class Athlete Program. The US Army's program allows top-ranked Soldier-athletes to perform at the international level while also serving their nation in the military. They train with the Olympics and Paralympics in their sights. Look for athletes like Army Sgt. Emily Sweeney (women's luge), Specialist Jasper Good (Nordic Combined), Army Specialist Frank Del Duca (two-person bobsled) and Specialist Benjamin Loomis (Nordic Combined) are all members of the program.

The food, the commercials - oh and the football...here’s everything you need for the Super Bowl. ----------------------------------- transcript ---------------------------------- 1. Let’s talk about This year’s halftime show is every millennial's dream featuring five rap and R&B stars: Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige and Kendrick Lamar. Blige is the only one of these artists who has performed at the Super Bowl before (2001). Did you know that halftime performers are not paid for their performance? The NFL pays the production costs, but there’s no appearance fee. 2. The price of a Super Bowl commercial increased this year with NBC charging $6.5 million for a 30-second spot, up from the $5.5 million CBS fetched for last year’s game. Newcomers to the Super Bowl commercials this year include crypto.com and wholesale chain Sam’s Club, which Wal-Mart owns. Now you just have to be prepared to explain to your Aunt Laudie what cryptocurrency is. 3. After Thanksgiving, the Super Bowl is the second-highest calorie intake day in America. The average person will consume 11,000 calories - more than four and a half times the recommended daily calorie intake. As a country, here’s what we’re eating, by the numbers: -1.3 billion chicken wings (the most popular Super Bowl food) -325 million gallons of beer (Coors Light is the most popular, followed -by Miller Lite and Bud Light) -200 million pounds of avocados -88 million pounds of cheese -2 million pizzas 4. The Super Bowl is known for its fun prop bets, which are bets on individual things that will happen throughout the game. Here are some popular prop bets in Super Bowl: - The over/under of the length of country singer Mickey Guyton’s national anthem - Who will win the opening coin toss? - What color is the Gatorade dumped on the winning coach? 5. What about the teams taking the field? Rams coach Sean McVay and Bengals coach Zac Taylor are the youngest head coaches ever to meet in the Super Bowl. It’s been 33 years since the Bengals played in the Super Bowl. The Rams played in the Super Bowl in 2019 when they lost to the Patriots. Of the last 16 champions, 13 of those teams were wearing white jerseys. The Bengals elected to wear their black jerseys. Did you see that Cincinnati Public Schools will be closed on Monday after Super Bowl so everyone can support their team? Now if we could only get the Super Bowl moved to a Saturday so we didn’t have to get up for work the next day… How to watch: Location: SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, CA, home to the Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Chargers Watch: Sunday, February 13, 2022 - kickoff time for the Super Bowl is 3:30 pm PT/6:30 pm ET. You can watch on NBC, Peacock or with a live TV streaming subscription on services like Hulu and YouTube. With the game kicking off around 6:30 pm ET, you can estimate that halftime will be around 8 pm ET. Links: Sports Betting 101 - https://lastnightsgame.com/sports-101/sports-betting-101

Let the games begin! ----------------------- transcript ----------------------- Only six months after the Summer Olympics, the Winter Olympics will kick off on Friday, February 4 and run through February 20. Look for a few events to take place before the Opening Ceremony on the 4th. There will be 3,000 athletes taking over Beijing and surrounding areas to compete in 15 sports in 109 medal events. Beijing is the first city to host both the Winter and Summer Olympics. Like the Summer Olympics, you will see families of the Olympians cheering from their couches just like the rest of us. Thanks to COVID, the only fans able to attend any of the events come from the host nation. One more reason to hit the couch (or throw a party), it's the first time the Super Bowl and the Olympics have run at the same time, and NBC will air both. Ad time is "nearly sold out" for both events, of which the Super Bowl is charging $6.5 million. According to NBC Universal, some sponsors support both events, namely streaming services. Athletes like snowboarders Shaun White and Chloe Kim will be returning to the Winter Games. White will be back for his fourth and final Olympics. Keep an eye on US speed skater Brittany Bowe who gave up her spot in the 500m race after her competitor, who was ranked No. 1, fell during the Olympic qualifier. Bowe will compete in the 1000m, 1500m and even the 500m after the US picked up an extra spot after some countries returned their quota spots for the event. For more on the Team USA athletes to follow, visit: https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/olympics/beijing/2022/01/28/team-usa-athletes-2022-winter-olympics-beijing/9075955002/ Artificial snow is a standard fixture at the Winter Olympics as host countries struggle to get enough natural snowfall to hold the event. Beijing will be the first host to rely entirely on artificial snow. For the first time in the history of the Games, they will also be using carbon dioxide in ice-making at four of their ice sports competition and training venues. By not using the traditional route of Freon, the new process will help reduce carbon emissions equal to 3,900 cars per year and cut emissions from ice-making to nearly zero. Organizers would have to plant about 1.2 million trees to achieve a similar carbon reduction. Athletes on Team USA have been encouraged to use burner phones in China due to cyber security and surveillance risks. Athletes have also been warned about speaking out about China's treatment of the Uyghurs and other Muslim minority groups. These human rights violations caused the US, Japan, Britain and Australia to declare a diplomatic boycott of the games, citing "genocide and crimes against humanity" in Xinjiang. (What does a diplomatic boycott mean?) Athletes were told to stay silent and that they could speak out upon returning home to ensure their safety. FYI: Beijing is 13 hours ahead of the Eastern Time Zone and 16 hours ahead of the Pacific Time Zone. An event that starts at 10:00 a.m. local time Monday will be at 9:00 p.m. EDT Sunday.

It's episode 200! Eating healthy and staying in shape isn’t cheap, and while some professional athletes make millions to be in mint condition, what about our Olympians? Food for thought. ------------------------------------------------------ 1. If you follow LeBron James, 37, on Instagram, you know he loves wine and is in insane shape. There’s no word on his annual wine budget, but he reportedly spends $1.5 million a year staying in shape. The two-time NBA (National Basketball Association) MVP uses cryotherapy and a hyperbaric chamber (amongst other things) to remain in prime condition along with a team that includes a personal chef, masseuse and a trainer. That’s nothing considering, according to Forbes, he’ll make $41.2 million in salary alone for the upcoming 2021-22 season and an estimated $70 million from other business ventures. WORTHY INVESTMENT   2. In an interview, Russell Wilson, one of the highest-paid players in the NFL (National Football League), said he pays close to $1 million a year on recovery. The Seattle Seahawks quarterback has a team that travels everywhere with him and his wife Ciara, including a physical therapist, a “mobile person” who makes sure Wilson is “moving the right way,” a massage therapist and two chefs. DON’T WE ALL?   3. Let’s talk about the ageless Tom Brady. How about shelling out a minimum of $16,000 a year to eat like him? (Chef not included). His diet is legendary, and it has not only inspired his company TB12 and food line Purple Carrot, but it has inspired his fellow players to up their game. Case in point, Odell Beckham Jr. of the Los Angeles Rams. He liked what he saw in the 44-year-old Brady and credits him for the longevity in his own career. OBJ said that he spends around $300,00 a year on doctors, trainers and track coaches who help him train and recover. WHATEVER IT TAKES   4. Sure, that’s great that these prominent athletes can swing the price tag to stay at the top of their game, but what about when it comes to the Olympics? In a sport that doesn’t get much time in the limelight, table tennis athletes train for anywhere between eight to twelve years to reach the Olympic level at the tune of $20,000 a year. Mom of Olympic gymnast Gabby Douglas said the expense of her daughter’s training, which is around $15,000 in just training, was one of the factors in why she had to file for bankruptcy. Remember, athletes aren’t paid to participate in the Olympics, although they receive a financial reward for winning a medal. ALL-IN   5. What happens when you spend all of that money and don’t make it to the big show – the Olympics? Ice dancers, siblings Rachel and Michael Parsons’ family spent over $500,000 during their 12-year career. With their eyes on the Olympics, expenses were mounting up to the tune of $40,000 - $75,000 a year. Sadly, the two never did qualify for the Winter Olympics. For more on anything you heard today, visit lastnightsgame.com/podcast Want to submit a question or provide constructive feedback? Email Amy at [email protected] Shop at: www.lastnightsgame.com promo code SPORTSCURIOUS

It's our birthday, and to celebrate, we're sharing our favorite daily conversation starters from the past year. The one good thing about working in sports is that there's never a dull moment, and that's obvious in this week's podcast. For the full transcript of this week's podcast and links to anything we discussed, head on over to www.lastnightsgame.com/podcast/2022-birthday-celebration Thank you for being so supportive since we launched in 2015!

On February 6, 2022, Her Majesty The Queen will become the first British Monarch to celebrate a Platinum Jubilee, marking 70 years of service to the people of the United Kingdom, the Realms and the Commonwealth. Through her 70 years, she has bestowed the highest honor, knighthood or damehood, upon select Brits, some of who are your favorite athletes. 1. One would think one of the most famous British athletes, David Beckham, would be a shoo-in for the honor, but he has never been knighted. He was not on the Queen’s annual New Years honours List despite being cleared of financial issues that threatened his chances. Although Mr. Posh Spice has not received the honor, his former coach Alex Ferguson was knighted in 1999. 2. In 2021, Formula One (F1) driver Lewis Hamilton became the first Grand Prix driver to be knighted while still competing. (He’s the fourth driver overall to receive the honor). Hamilton, 36, had a stellar 2020 where he broke the all-time victory record and secured his seventh world title. No word if his famous pup, Roscoe, received a new title as well. 3. Whether you know tennis player Andy Murray for his on-court domination or his awkward social media posts, the Queen recognized his services to tennis and charity and knighted him in 2019. But this isn’t the only royal award he’s received. After winning his first Wimbledon in 2013, he was given the Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE) medal from Prince William. Murray is a three-time Grand Slam Champion and holds two Olympic gold medals and one silver. 4. Golfer Nick Faldo, who boasts a remarkable career in which he won six majors and captained Europe’s Ryder Cup team, was knighted by Queen Elizabeth in 2009. Sir Nick Faldo is now a broadcaster for many of golf’s biggest tournaments. 5. Ellen Macarthur is the youngest woman ever to be named a dame, the female equivalent of knighthood, at 28. She was honored for her nautical achievements, like sailing around the world in 71 days, 14 hours, 18 minutes and 33 seconds. If you’re wondering, men who are knighted become Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (KBE) and shall be called Sir. In contrast, women become Dame Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (DBE) and get the title Dame.

New year, new you? Well, we’ll let you decide whether or not these rituals are worth adopting in 2022. .................... 1. Who are we to argue with one of the best NBA (National Basketball Association) players ever to play the game when it comes to wine consumption? Wine lover LeBron James believes in drinking wine every day. He said, "Listen, I'm playing the best basketball of my life, and I'm drinking some wine pretty much every day. Whatever it is, I'll take it."  2. Sleep seems like the first thing to go with so much on our plates. Well, that's probably the only reason we're not professional athletes. From skier Lindsey Vonn to tennis player Roger Federer to the world's fastest man, runner Usain Bolt, they all stress the importance of eight-plus hours of sleep to recharge. (Bolt sleeps 8-10 hours a night and takes a nap). Did you know that Tom Brady (NFL) nearly missed a Super Bowl when he fell asleep in front of his locker during the pregame?    3. Exercise is critical in keeping your stress levels low, and no surprise, yoga is a fan favorite for athletes across all sports. Yoga has been a mainstay for athletes from the NFL's Aaron Rodgers to the Seattle Seahawks (NFL) to LeBron James to Kevin Love (NBA). When learning yoga, former Los Angeles Clippers (NBA) player Jordan Farmar said, "I thought it was something that girls did. It couldn't hurt, and if I didn't like it, well, I still got to go on a nice trip and see what Tahiti was like."    4. Serena Williams has a packed schedule between her tennis career, fashion line, multiple businesses, and a family. So how does she keep her sanity? Apps. Her favorite is Toggl, an app that helps track her time, breaking down what percentage of each day goes to the three significant areas in her life: her family, her businesses and tennis. She admits to Fast Company that she has adopted a new appreciation for tech since marrying tech founder Alexis Ohanian. However, she still relies on everyday apps like Zoom and Slack to coordinate her work and Zero to track her eating habits.  5. In the "do not try this at home" category, try a little urine if your hands are worn down from typing on the computer all day. Yes, you read that correctly. Baseball greats like Moises Alou and Jorge Posada made their hands gameday ready by peeing on them.  Honorable mention: Brooklyn Nets (NBA) star Kyrie Irving is known for his abstract ideas, like vehemently defending his theory that the world is flat. But one ritual he does before every game (if the away team allows him to) that you might be able to borrow is that he burns sage or "smudges" the court to clear the energy. That might come in handy when he returns to the court on January 5 after being out since the beginning of the season. He will still only be able to play at away games as the unvaccinated Irving is unable to play at home games in Barclays Center in Brooklyn.