The Sport Superlatives - Issue No. 38

🏆 The Superlatives 🏆

The Former Dancer: Derek Carr

New Orleans Saints QB Derek Carr celebrated a touchdown with the signature Michael Jackson move (you know, the one…flailing leg kick followed by a classy crotch grab). During the post-game press conference, Carr said he was a dancer back in his day and went on to say, “Don’t let the four kids fool you. I had to lure their mama in somehow.” While his wife may love his moves, the NFL commissioner was decidedly not impressed and issued Derek a fine of $14k for the suggestive moves that were part of his celebration. Maybe leave the more risqué moves for the bedroom, huh, Der Bear?

The New Dancer: Dwight Howard

Former NBA player, Dwight Howard, has made his debut on Dancing with the Stars (DWTS). Dwight and his dancing partner, Daniella Karagach, were out there getting it because the pair earned second place during the competition that evening. For those overachievers out there saying “two is not a winner”, we say… you’re right, but we will still give him his flowers. 

Howard is among a number of athletes who have joined the cast of DWTS, including our favorite Rugby girl, Ilona Maher. Good luck to all the athletes out there who are just trying to show that they are multi-faceted.

🏈 Why So Upset?: NFL Week 2 was full of surprises and upsets. These games had fans and sports bettors PRESSED.

• Baltimore Ravens v. Las Vegas Raiders

  Now, the Baltimore Ravens have had a slow start… but no one expected the Las Vegas Raiders to beat them last Sunday. But surely enough, the Raiders said it’s not over until it’s over and closed a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter to get a win with a final score of 26 to 23. We still have hope that the Ravens will get it together but… hopefully, it will be soon… because this is not a good look.

• New Orleans Saints v. Dallas Cowboys

  We say this is an upset, but… the Cowboys are always pretty hit or miss. And boyyy, did they miss with this game. The Saints embarrassed them ‘Boys in their own stadium after winning (44-16). We will give QB Dak & Wide Receiver CeeDee Lamb their props for that 65-yard touchdown, but… the Saints wanted to put everyone on notice that their win from week 1 was not a fluke. Alright, Saints, you have our attention. Can’t wait to see what they do this weekend against the Philadelphia Eagles Sunday afternoon on Fox.

• Other Games That Made Us Go 😮

  We also didn’t expect the Minnesota Vikings to beat the San Francisco 49ers, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers win against the Detroit Lions, and certainly didn’t have Green Bay Packers’ backup QB, Malik Willis, leading their team to a victory against QB Anthony Richardson and the Indianapolis Colts on our bingo card… but it’s early days yet. Plenty of time left in the season to see which teams are the real deal and which ones are fools gold.

Week 3 kicked off Thursday night with the NY Jets taking on the NE Patriots. Aaron Rodgers continues to show that ‘age ain’t nothing but a number’ with their win, but… honestly, it was a pretty boring game. Hopefully, Sunday’s slate of games will bring some excitement! Check out the schedule here.

⚾ There’s Only a 50-50 Chance: Showtime Shohei is back like he never left…in the spotlight, that is. Shohei Ohtani has cemented his name in the annals of baseball history by becoming the first person to record 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in one season. 

In Thursday night’s 20-4 (you read that right) win over the Marlins, the Dodgers’ DH completed the highly anticipated feat when he recorded three home runs and two stolen bases. With this [dominant] win, the Dodgers also punched their tickets to the playoffs, which is a first for Ohtani. 

What’s more? (Oh, yes there’s more)...This is all making the case for Shohei as the frontrunner for another MVP award! Now, we hate to bring up old-ish, but is all this overachieving an attempt to distract us from that whole gambling scandal that he started off the season with? If so, it’s working!

🏀 Play It Off, Cuz Everyone’s Watching: The teams have been finalized, and the WNBA playoff picture is framed. Starting Sunday, the top 8 teams will battle their opponents in a 3-game series for a spot in the semifinals. Now, we know y’all’s girl Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever are playing the Connecticut Sun, so that means girlfriends NaLyssa Smith and Dijonai Carrington will have to act like they don’t know each other and hope the battle stays on the court.

Also, A’ja Wilson and the reigning champ LA Aces come into the playoffs ranked 4, but that won’t stop them from trying to 3-peat, and add another championship trophy to their already packed trophy cases. Or maybe Breanna Stewart and the top-ranked NY Liberty will get over that hill they died on in last year’s finals (...and 4 different finals before that) to finally win it all. We’ll all just have to watch and see (in between football games) starting this Sunday, 9/22 on ESPN/ ABC.

🏈 Putting Bryce in the Corner: The Carolina Panthers have officially benched sophomore quarterback, Bryce Young. Veteran quarterback, Andy Dalton, will start on Sunday, September 22, against the Las Vegas Raiders. The 2023 number 1 draft pick has had quite the rocky start in the NFL with a record of 2-16 as a starting QB. Commentators, players in the league, other athletes, couch-letes, and fans have all had plenty to say about the decision and what has led the team to this point.

ESPN’s Mel Kiper had the hottest take (pardon our bias) when he said that while Young’s size makes him an outlier as a QB in the NFL, the Panthers org mishandled his development as a starting QB. This certainly wouldn’t be the first time the org did not develop their QB or give them the infrastructure (read offensive line and coaches) needed to succeed. Former Panthers QB, Baker Mayfield,  who is thriving in Tampa Bay, had some kind words for Young, suggesting that it’s far from over for the kid. Nobody puts Bryce in the corner… just on the bench until further notice. 

🏈 Out of House and Home: Apparently, Detroit Lions’ Head Coach, Dan Campbell, had to put his house up for sale because Lions fans moonlight as stalkers when things don’t go their way. According to Campbell, people found out where he lived and would harass him and his family when the team endured some tough losses. Well, we hope he and his fam have found safety and privacy in their new undisclosed location. PSA:  If you find yourself so invested in sports that it brings you to the brink of trespassing and stalking, help is needed. Perhaps that energy could be channeled into something more constructive?...a sports newsletter, maybe? 

Your sports term of the week is: Fumble.

IRL Example: 

You know the story: you had the guy/girl. You didn’t treat ‘em right. You lost said guy/girl. The fumble.

Remember our fav shooter, Kim Ye-ji, from the Olympics? Add fashionista to her resume because her Vogue Korea and Major League Baseball collab shoot was a home run (ha! get it?).  Kimmy from the block has street style on lock with her styling of NY Yankees apparel.

Honestly, sis is so cool that she could probably make anything look good, but here is our fav look from the shoot:

I mean, how can you go wrong with a classic blue Yankees cap? You can’t.

And we love the pairing of a high gloss puffer with the maxi skirt for a sporty fall look:

Need a cute pair of black booties to complete the look? We are loving the heel on these Steve Maddens:

Maybe if we add these items to our closets, we, too, can look like a cool, Matrix Barbie. (sigh)

Until next time, girlies… 

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