The Sport Superlatives - Issue No. 39

September 29, 2024

🏆 The Superlatives 🏆

The Supportive Sibling: J.J. Watt

 Former NFL Defensive End and current sports analyst on NFL Today show, JJ Watt, gave his little brother a gift on air during halftime of the Steelers' game last Sunday. To celebrate his youngest brother, T.J. Watt's recent news of becoming a dad, JJ gifted the Pittsburgh Steelers’ linebacker a mini version of his jersey. The two shared a wholesome brotherly moment before TJ headed back to the locker room to get his head back in the game. He must have done just that, because the Steelers went on to win -but more on that later!

The Spot-Light Stealing Sibling: Carson Steele

Kansas City Running Back, Carson Steele, really took Eminem seriously when he said that “you only get one shot”. Carson decided that starting in a game in the NFL definitely trumped attending his sister’s wedding. Not only did he skip out on being a groomsman at his big sister’s wedding, but his family also watched the game on a big screen at the wedding. Luckily his sister seemed excited to share her day with her little bro and was cheering right alongside the rest of her family. What a good big sister!

🏈 Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop: There are 5 teams in the NFL that are still undefeated with a record of 3-0 at the close of week 3 of the regular season.

• Kansas City Chiefs: In week three, the former super bowl champs beat the Atlanta Falcon 22 -17. But Atlanta didn’t just hand it to KC, the Falcons applied some pressure and made them work for that W. This is expected because every team KC plays tries to knock the reigning champs off their pedestal, and if KC isn’t careful… who knows what could happen. So far, they have been getting by by the little hair on Mahomes’ chinny chin chin. Will Jim Harbaugh’s LA Chargers be able to stop them? Probably not, but we will see on Sunday when the two teams play in LA at 4:25pm EST on CBS or Paramount+. 

• Minnesota Vikings: Now… we’re not going to hold you, but the Minnesota Vikings v Houston Texans game had to be one of the biggest upsets of week 3. The Vikings have been winning… but no one outside of the good old state of Minnesota thought they would deliver the Houston Texans their first loss of the season….by a lot. It was borderline embarrassing… actually, wait… it was just flat out embarrassing. They couldn’t be from Beyonce's Houston, Texas playing like that and losing 34-7. Next up, the Vikings face off against the Green Bay Packers… a little midwest rivalry. Let’s see if the Vikings can continue this luck… we mean, hard work… on Sunday, September 29th at 1pm EST on CBS. 

• The Winners Circle: The Buffalo Bills, Seattle Seahawks, and Pittsburgh Steelers (who would have thunk it!) are also all holding down a 3-0 record, as they head into week 4. Will any of the aforementioned teams be kicked out of the circle? They are all up to play some pretty good contenders this upcoming week. Anything can happen, after all, on any given Sunday (or Monday… or Thursday).

  Pittsburgh Steelers v Indianapolis Colts on Sunday, September 29th on CBS at 1pm EST

  Buffalo Bills v Baltimore Ravens on Sunday, September 29th on NBC/Peacock at 8:20PM ET Seattle Seahawks v Detroit Lions on Monday, September 30th on ABC at 8:15pm EST

• The Flip Side: Alas, not everyone is off to as great of a start. There are 3 teams that just cannot seem to get it together and are currently 0-3: Cincinnati Bengals, Tennessee Titans, and the Jacksonville Jaguars. The only real shocker on this list is the Cincinnati Bengals. Has Bengals QB, Joe Burrow, lost his juice? Or are Bengals fans still saying the team is working out their kinks?  👀

Let’s see what goodies week 4 brings us. Check out the NFL Schedule here.

🏀 Going Down in an Earlier Round: The first round (aka quarterfinals) of the WNBA playoffs have ended, and all the better teams (Aces, Liberty, Sun, and Lynx) have devoured their food without chewing…that is to say, they won in straight games. Quick, painless, and on to the semifinals was apparently the collective motto. We’re not complaining, we love a work smarter not harder attitude; why take 3 games to do what you can accomplish in 2? Now, we get to watch the Sun vs Lynx in one semifinal matchup and Aces vs Liberty in the other. And if seeing the league M’VP, A’ja Wilson, do her thing is not enough of a reason to watch, the Aces vs Liberty series will also be a rematch of last year’s WNBA finals…so history will definitely be revisited, and maybe even revised. Play begins Sunday, September 29 on ESPN and ABC.

There was also some good news and some bad news for the other teams (Fever, Mercury, Dream, and Storm) who had to hold back to back L’s, before heading off for vacay (...or a second job, based on their pay). Would you like to know the good part of the first round exits? The racist “Indiana Fever fans” can go back to whatever dust-filled hidey hole they crawled out of. I mean, did y’all see the message Dijonai Carrington received? The bad side (well, other than the obvious season-being-over thing)? This might’ve been the last time we’ll see WNBA vet, and future HOFer, Diana Taurasi on the court. Taurasi fouled out in what was likely her last WNBA game, and received a standing ovation as she bid adieu to the fans, the playoffs, and her amazing career (the last one is still just speculation though).

⚾ Spooky Season: October’s approaching and along with the aforementioned NFL season and WNBA Playoffs, you can add in the MLB Playoffs and NBA Preseason. It’s one of the best months in sports! With all this calamity in the [sports] world, it’s hard to stay focused…but we’ll try. First things first: MLB Playoffs. Baseball wildcard games will begin October 1st, and if this newfangled Wild Card format is still confusing you, we’ve got you covered (keep scrolling). For now, we’re just excited to guess what team will win it all. The Yankees and the Dodgers sit atop their respective divisions, (wow, what a shocker), so they’re definitely the teams to beat. While last year’s winners (The Rangers, but of course you knew that) will not be defending their title (they weren’t even close), the 2023 runner ups (the Diamondbacks…duh) are in the wild card round and looking to make a deep playoff run again. Other teams to be on the look out for are the [cheating] Astros, the Brewers, the Phillies, and the [formally racist] Guardians, all of whom won their divisions. YAY for America’s favorite pastime (chillout NRA, we’re talking about sports here).

😷 Sick & Shut In: Not sure what’s in the water, but NFL players are getting hurt left & right. Y’all stay safe out there!

🏀 Kick ‘Em While Their Down: Celtics star and Finals MVP, Jaylen Brown, likely had one of the best summers ever after winning an NBA Championship. Actually, the Celtics in general had the best summers ever when you add in the 3 Olympic gold medals they added to their Larry O’brien trophy (...Aht Aht about Jayson Tatum’s playing time). Point is, this is all in stark contrast to the Detroit Pistons, who came off of one of the worst seasons ever…for them…for anyone…in general. So to throw a little salt on the wound, Jaylen described in an interview how the Celtics basically use teams like the Pistons as extra practice sessions. The bench riders…we mean roll players… use the Pistons to sharpen their skills, and the stars get some much needed rest…all while the Celtics still get a W. So a win, win…win. While statistically Brown’s comments are accurate, just because it’s true doesn’t mean you need to say it out loud! Talk about beating a dead horse. We’re pretty sure these comments will create a bit of friction when these two teams meet in season, and we can’t wait for the drama.

🏠 Million Dollar Listings: Minnesota Timberwolves player, Karl-Anthony Towns, and girlfriend, Jordyn Woods, have taken the next step in their relationship and purchased a $14 million dollar home in LA. The couple closed on the 11,000+ square feet, 7 bedroom, 17 bathroom pad a few months ago. The property sits on a little over 2 acres and has amenities that include a spa pavilion with a pool, a tennis court, a horse stable, a gym… and the list goes on! They even have a nightclub that holds 150 people. Sounds like there may be some parties in the couple’s future. I guess if any of their guests party a little too hard they could stay over in their 2 bedroom guest house or maybe they can camp out in the 17 bathrooms… because what else will they be used for…?

🧡 Love and Basketball…and Hate: Apparently the WNBA’s newly crowned U’nanimous M’VP, A’ja Wilson, has big beef with the cult classic, “Love and Basketball”. Ahhh we can hear Maxwell’s rendition (aka the only rendition) of “This Woman’s Work” just thinking about it. Sigh…Well, apparently that warm, fuzzy nostalgia we get is not at all what A’ja feels when she thinks about the movie, which stars Sanaa Lathan and Omar Epps. In a recent interview, A’ja revealed that she can’t stand the movie and “it’s not giving”. She also said that she doesn’t wanna hear a thing from our old butts about generational differences. Basically, she said the movie is hot garbage, and that’s the black card revoking hill she’s willing to die on. Sorry Ms. Wilson wooo but we were raised to crave a tragic, love story in our day. Play me for my heart? Yes, please…sign me right up! But, hey, maybe we should listen to A’ja. She is rumored to be dating Miami Heat star, Bam Adebayo…in real life. She’s quite literally the foremost subject matter expert at this point.

Your sports term of the week is: Wild Card

IRL Example: Oh you’re a visual learner? Say less…

WNBA team, New York Liberty, has partnered with the Off-White fashion brand. The luxury streetwear fashion brand was founded by late fashion designer, Virgil Abloh, back in 2012 in Milan, Italy. The recently announced collaboration with the WNBA makes this the brand's first partnership with a US sports team. In a multi-year deal, Off-White will be the team’s “official style and culture creator.”

Last Sunday, the first product of the partnership was launched at the team’s first playoff game of the 2024 postseason  their home court. The brand’s super cute take on the classic letterman jacket will be sold in limited quantities at the stadium during playoff games. Get it if you can! 

The brand plans to release new looks each season and engage with the team and fans through community programming and other initiatives. We love that the girlies are getting the attention they deserve! 

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