The Sport Superlatives – Issue No. 56

Back Like We Never Left

Author

Superlative Staff
April 05, 2025

April 5, 2024

🏆 The Superlatives 🏆

The Retired: Jason Brown

Back in 2012, former St. Louis Rams player Jason Brown retired from the NFL. Much to the dismay of the league, at the age of 29, Jason decided to leave the football field behind for a farm instead. Brown purchased a 1,000 acre farm and began planting and growing crops. He may be retired but he stays very busy with his dedication to giving back to the community by donating the fruit (and veggies!) of his labor. We love a man that gives back!

The (Potentially) Unretired: J.J. Watt

After a 12-year career in the NFL, J.J. Watt retired from the NFL back in 2022. But the former defensive lineman may be dusting off his cleats to uphold a deal he made with English League’s Burnley F.C. goalkeeper, James Trafford. In a dm exchange late last year, James asked J.J. if he would come out of retirement to join the Cincinnati Bengals… To which J.J. told him it was a deal if he didn’t let another goal in for the rest of the season. Since the exchange, Burnley has conceded a goal (but Trafford was the goalkeeper). J.J. said during an interview he would certainly keep his end of the bargain if it happened. Based on last year’s performance… Bengals could use all the help they can get. 

It’s the Final Countdown: Well, it’s more like the countdown to the finals…aka the Final Four. That’s right ladies and gents, March Madness has dwindled down to 4 teams, and while we weren’t there to keep you abreast at the beginning of the tournament, we’re here now…when it actually matters. Just to catch you up, all four #1 seeds made it to the Final Four on the Men’s side: Houston, Duke, Florida, and Auburn. OOH look out the dirty south poppin’ out and showin’...y’all. Cooper Flagg and his minions (aka Duke) will take on Houston while Florida will battle it out with Auburn. This all goes down on Saturday starting at 6pm on CBS.

Ok, now ladies…YEAA! On the Women’s side, three #1 seeds made it to the Final Four (sorry USC…get better, Juju). South Carolina, UCLA, and Texas are all lived up to their hype, along with #2 seed UConn. 

Paige Bueckers and crew (UConn) took on Big Betts and her west coast homies (UCLA) in a matchup that saw UConn come out on top. UConn came out swinging and didn’t stop..we’re talking full on bludgeoning. With big contributions from Azzi Fudd and Sarah Strong, UConn defeated UCLA, 85-51. Meanwhile, the defending champs (South Cackalacky) took on Texas and their well dressed coaches. After being down at halftime, S. Carolina came out with something to prove in the second half…and prove they did. South Carolina defeated Texas, 74-57.

The Women’s Championship game between UConn and South Carolina will go down 4/6 at 3pm on ABC. The Men’s Championship game will be on CBS 4/7 at 8:50pm. Be there or be…off doing some good in this terrible world…isn’t that the saying?

Time Flies When You’re… not writing a newsletter. Can you believe the NBA regular season ends in a little over a week?? As it stands, many teams are still fighting to make the playoffs…in the Western Conference, that is. The Eastern conference is a different story, the top 10 teams are pretty much set, and it’s more of a matter of how they will line up at the end. That being said, the Raptors, Nets, 76ers, Hornets, and Wizards are just playing for funsies and to get more reps in…because their seasons are as good as over.

In the Western Conference, things are a bit more competitive and nothing is set in stone. So if you wanna see a game, those are the teams to look at (cuz they’re likely actually trying). The Thunder are still sitting atop the conference (see, we didn’t miss much) and the Rockets have silently made their way into the 2nd place slot (ok, maybe we missed something…) Everything else is still up in the air with only 4 games separating the 10- 13 seeds. What’s that you’re saying? “Oh Sport Superlatives ladies of leisure, what ever should I watch this weekend?”...we’re glad you asked: 

Kings vs Cavs 4/6 at 6pm: The revamped Kings are still fighting for playoff contention and the Cavs are still sitting atop the Eastern conference…so at least one team has something to prove.

Rockets vs Warriors 4/6 at 8:30pm: Steph just had a 50 pt game…and the Rockets just beat the best in the West… So let's see what happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object?

Lakers vs Thunder 4/6 at 3pm: LeBron doing what he does best (not fighting Stephen A) vs the leading lads…crowd pleaser.

My Baseball’s Back and You're Gonna Be In Trouble: No trouble here, just baseball returning at the same time as your fave newsletter (give or take a week). Oh, and would you look at that, Aaron Judge is off to a hot start with 6 HRs already in the books. Now Aaron, where was all this in the World Series?...jk jk, we get it, you’re well rested (but it is more runs than he hit in the entire 2024 postseason). 

Speaking of hot starts…the defending Champs are living up to their name. The Dodgers have gotten out to an 8-0 start for the season. The Braves are kinda like the Dodgers…but in reverse, with their 0-7 start. Working neither harder nor smarter, it would seem. Either way, we can’t wait to enjoy the warmer weather and make it to a few games this season. PLAY BALL!

Autism Acceptance: April 2nd was Autism Acceptance Day and the NFL live crew made it one to remember by giving the set a much needed face lift. The set was redecorated using the beautiful artwork from the beautiful mind of Dan Orlovsky’s autistic son, Madden. Former NFL Quarterback turned NFL Live analyst, Dan Orlovsky, then brought Madden in to see his drawings and get his moment in the spotlight. The broadcast caught the eyes and tear ducts of many fans and the autism community at large. It's giving Diversity It’s giving Equity. It’s giving Inclusion ... .and we love to see it.

No Tushes on the Table: The NFL season may have ended, but the DRAMA is just getting started. The biggest drama in the league right now is whether or not the “tush push” play will be banned. Need a tush push refresher? We’ve got you: the tush push is when the quarterback keeps possession of the ball and is immediately shoved forward by their teammate for a short distance… typically to get the ball across the goal line. Not everyone can pull it off… but the reigning Super Bowl Champs? It’s when they’re in their bag. It may as well be called the Philadelphia Eagles play. When they push that tush, there’s just no stopping them… although, the Washington Commanders certainly (hilariously) tried during last season’s conference championship.

So, what’s the problem? Well… immediately after the season ended the Green Bay Packers proposed that the NFL ban the play… and they're not the only ones. Reportedly, 16 other NFL teams support this proposal. During the annual league meeting, the issue was raised and apparently promptly tabled. Guess the Eagles live to push another tush… for now. 

… And Stay Gone: 81-year old retired basketball coach, Jim Zullo, apparently came out of retirement to coach the Northville High School girls basketball team. The team made it all the way to the state championship game. Unfortunately, the team lost… It's even less fortunate that the coach also appeared to have lost his mind. That’s the only reason we can fathom that he thought it was appropriate to aggressively yank the ponytail of one of his HIGH SCHOOL players. After the clip went viral, the superintendent made it very clear that his time in the program had come to an end. Hopefully this time he stays retired. 

Your sports term of the week is: Time out

❝

In sports, a time out is a brief pause in the game, allowing coaches to communicate with their team, strategize, and potentially make substitutions or adjustments, while also stopping the game clock.

IRL Example:  It’s like when you’re on a roll with your newsletter, and then you take a brief pause, so you can rest and come back better than ever…right?

Speaking of stylish coaches… let’s get into the looks that made us go mad… during March Madness (Ha, get it? You get it.) 

Now, one thing about South Carolina’s women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley: she’s going to wear a matching set… and it’s probably going to be Gucci. Like this Gucci jacquard set she recently rocked. 

… and we cannot talk about stylish coaches & not give (another) nod to Texas Longhorn assistant coach Syd Carter. Heyyy Ms. Carter! Loving this Thom Browne set she rocked courtside:

Do you love sports? Want to find a way to fit more sports into your week? We’ve got you. From keeping up with your work colleagues to impressing hot dates, our newsletter aims to keep you in the know regardless of your fandom level or the reason. That’s your business, sis!

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