SOCCER

The U.S. women’s national team handily beat Vietnam in the World Cup Opener. They will continue the group stage on Wednesday against the Netherlands (the country they beat in the 2019 World Cup Final).

In Hoboken, New Jersey, fans can start drinking alcohol at 5:00 am after the town changed the liquor laws to accommodate fans of the Women’s World Cup.

One of the best soccer players in the world, Lionel Messi, did not disappoint in debut game with Inter Miami. Coming in to the game in the 54th minute, Messi made a free kick which sealed the team’s 2-1 victory over Cruz Azul. After the win, Messi further captured the hearts and minds of his fans by dedicating the game to his new teammate Ian Fray who suffered his third torn ACL.

FOOTBALL

It’s official! The NFL owners unanimously voted to approve the sale of the Washington Commanders to a group led by private equity investor Josh Harris. The Harris group paid $6.05 billion (a record for a North American sport) for the franchise. After the vote, Harris said, “I feel an awesome responsibility to the city of Washington.”

Steve Young, the legendary San Francisco Hall of Fame quarterback, has agreed to be an assistant coach for the Menlo School’s girls flag football team. Young was an analyst at ESPN for over 20 years but was recently laid off in a mass firing. Young’s daughters attend the Menlo School and will be playing on the team.

Speaking of ESPN shakeups, Scott Van Pelt will be the new host of the “Monday Night Countdown”.

Saquon Barkley (NY Giants) is one of the high-profile running backs who had a franchise tag but were unable to agree to a long-term contract before the deadline passed on Monday. If Barkley signs the tag, he will play on a one-year $10.1 million contract, but that number is far below what other players in his elite peer group are making. Barkley is considering sitting out the season. He said, “My leverage is I could say, ‘F–k you’ to the Giants. And be like, ‘You want me to show you how valuable I am to the team? I won’t show up. I won’t play a down.’ That’s a play I could use.”

SOCCER

Megan Rapinoe announced she will retire after this season, ending a successful 17-year career.

BASKETBALL

Victor Wembanyama made his much anticipated debut in the NBA Summer League. Unfortunately his first game was a disappointment scoring only nine points on 2-of-13 shooting attempts. The nineteen year old 7’4” phenom did fare much better in his second game scoring a team high 27 points with 12 rebounds for the Spurs.

FOOTBALL

Northwestern head coach Pat Fitzgerald was suspended for two weeks without pay for allegations of hazing in the football program.

SOCCER

Fans are excited to see Lionel Messi’s Major League Soccer debut next month for Inter Miami and willing to pay an average of $2,600 for a ticket (per SeatGeek).

NASCAR

According to reports, Josh Harris and David Blitzer, owners of Harris Blitzer Sports and Entertainment (HBSE), are making an investment in Joe Gibbs Racing. HBSE will be buying a minority stake in the NASCAR conglomerate.

BASKETBALL

The NBA draft is Thursday night, and the San Antonio Spurs’ #1 pick will undoubtedly be 7’4″ Victor Wembanyama. The French basketball player threw out the first pitch at the Yankees game Tuesday night, but it wasn’t pretty.

SOCCER

Lionel Messi is heading to Miami. One of the greatest soccer superstars in history plans to sign with Major League Soccer’s Inter Miami. He reportedly turned down offers from Barcelona (where he spent most of his career) and a team in Saudi Arabia.

BASKETBALL

History was made Wednesday night in Game 3 of the NBA Finals when Denver’s Nikola Jokić and Jamal Murray each recorded 30-point triple-doubles in Denver’s 109-94 win over the Miami Heat. Jokić also recorded another historical milestone by recording 32 points, 21 rebounds, and 10 assists (the first 30-20-10 game in NBA Finals history). Denver has a 2-1 lead with Game 4 in Miami on Friday. Fun fact- when a Finals has been tied at 1-1, the winner of Game 3 has historically won the series 80% of the time.

HOCKEY

The Chicago Blackhawks secured the first pick in the NHL draft by winning the lottery on Monday night. The likely pick will be Connor Bedard, and according to the team, the excitement helped them sell $2.5 million worth of ticket plans for next season.

BASKETBALL

The LA Lakers grabbed another win over Golden State on Monday thanks to a big performance  from Lonnie Walker IV. The Lakers are up 3-1 with a decisive Game 5 on Wednesday.

The Knicks are also in a jam after losing to the Heat and now face a 3-1 deficit.

SOCCER

Former NFL star defensive end J.J. Watt is serious about his new investment in Burnley, the Premier League football club. In an attempt to understand Burnley’s fan base, he took part in a pub crawl with the locals. When asked about his drinking expedition, he said, “ I’ve learned that the history, tradition and supporters, it’s all about respecting and honouring that. You never want to come in and try and do something that’s not true to who the club is and what we’re trying to do is show people what real Burnley is about.” He continued, “It’s research, I’m doing research and lots of pints of Guinness along the way. But it was a lot of fun and really good to get to know them on a personal level, and hopefully they get to know us as well.”

FOOTBALL

The speculation is finally over. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers has a new home with the New York Jets. The Green Bay Packers agreed on Monday to trade Rodgers for a mix of 2023 draft picks and a conditional 2024 pick if Rodgers plays 65% of the plays this season.

BASKETBALL

The Philadelphia 76ers advanced to the next round of the playoffs in a sweep of the Brooklyn Nets, but their star player, Joel Embiid has a knee issue which could sideline him for the start of the second round.

The Miami Heat, after an epic game from Jimmy Butler on Monday night, led the team to a 3-1 advantage over the Milwaukee Bucks.

In the West division, the LA Lakers beat the Grizzlies in overtime to take a 3-1 lead over the Memphis Grizzlies.

SOCCER

In a script that could have been taken out of “Ted Lasso”, actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney’s Wrexham earned a promotion to League Two, ending a 15-year run in the National League. The actors put the team on the world map last year by documenting the club’s history in their first year of ownership in the FX docuseries “Welcome to Wrexham.”

An emotional Reynolds tweeted, “This town and this sport is one of the most romantic things on earth.” Watch this clip with a teary-eyed Reynolds and McElhenney after the win!

FOOTBALL

Tuesday marked the deadline for teams to designate players getting a franchise tag.  Before the deadline there were some noteworthy deals.

The New Orleans Saints agreed to a four-year $150 million ($70 million guaranteed) contract with quarterback Derek Carr.

The Seattle Seahawks and quarterback Geno Smith agreed to a  3-year $105 million extension after a season where he won NFL Comeback Player of the Year.

The New York Giants agreed to a four-year $160 million deal with quarterback Daniel Jones.

Tom Brady went on Twitter to dispel rumors that he is coming out of retirement (again). He wrote, “Anyone who thinks I have time to come back to the NFL has never adopted a 2 month old kitten for their daughter.”

BASKETBALL

The Memphis Grizzlies held a team meeting that centered around proper behavior on the road.  According to The Athletic, the meeting occurred BEFORE Ja Morant got in trouble (and will be out at least two games) for brandishing a gun at a nightclub.

SOCCER

After recently signing a three-year deal, fifteen-year old Chloe Ricketts is the youngest player in National Women’s Soccer League history. The high school sophomore from Michigan signed with the Washington Spirit

FOOTBALL

With an estimated 113 million viewers, Sunday’s Super Bowl between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles was the third most-watched television program in history. Super Bowl XLIX between the Patriots and Seahawks still ranks the highest with 114.4 million viewers. Rihanna’s halftime performance brought the numbers up, however, with 118.7 million viewers tuning in.

As is tradition, the MVP of the Super Bowl goes to Disneyland.  Patrick Mahomes was there with his family on Monday, then made an appearance on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” that evening. Kimmel asked who is the Most Valuable Partier, and Mahomes answered “That’s the easiest. Travis Kelce. Everybody knows that.”

SOCCER

According to reports, Elon Musk is considering making a bid for Manchester United. Musk has referenced in the past that if he were to buy a sports team, he would consider buying United because it was his favorite team as a kid.

BASEBALL

Derek Jeter is joining Fox’s MLB broadcasting team and will reunite with his former teammate Alex Rodriguez.

FOOTBALL

Georgia and TCU will play in the College Football Playoff Championship game on January 9th. Both semifinal games came down to the wire. TCU barely upset Michigan in the Fiesta Bowl in a game with a combined 96 points and over 1000 yards. It was the highest-scoring Fiesta Bowl in history. TCU 51, Michigan 45

Next up at the Peach Bowl, Georgia pulled out a 14-point fourth-quarter comeback and kept everyone on the edge of their seats in a remarkable win over Ohio State. To add to the drama, the Buckeyes missed a potential game-winning 50-yard field goal just as the clock struck 12:00 and we rang in the New Year. Georgia 42, Ohio State 41

In the NFL, the NY Giants clinched a playoff spot (for the first time since 2016) after destroying the Indianapolis Colts 38-10. Tom Brady rallied his Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a playoff spot (his 14th consecutive and 19th career division title) in a win over the Carolina Panthers. For more NFL news, click here.

SOCCER

Cristiano Ronaldo, who left Manchester United in November, has signed with Saudi Arabia’s Al Nassr soccer club. Ronaldo is reported to be making more than $214 million per year, and with advertising incentives, will be the highest-paid athlete in the world.

Soccer icon, Pelé passed away at the age of 82. Pelé won three World Cups and was named Athlete of the Century by the International Olympic Committee