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Starting Five

The five sports topics that will be discussed at water coolers across America

1. Shohei Ohtani’s Record-Breaking Contract

The Scoop: Shohei Ohtani continues to rewrite the record books, securing a staggering $700 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers, making him the highest paid athlete in North America. For perspective, this contract is worth more than the entire payroll of 8 current MLB teams. This deal, surpassing Patrick Mahomes' previous mark by $250 Million, raises questions about the financial landscape of professional sports and the implications for team budgets. The MLB is a league of haves and have-nots, and the Dodgers are able to secure the best player in baseball (potentially baseball history), simply by being willing to outspend the competition. 

Conversation Starter: How do you feel about the escalating contracts in professional sports and should salary caps be established to maintain competitive balance?

2. LeBron Earns Another Ring: Lakers are In-Season Tournament Champs

The Scoop: Anthony Davis’ 41 points and a signature “I’m him” moment pushed the Lakers past the Pacers to win the inaugural In-Season Tournament Trophy. Drama was high after Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton helped his team beat the Bucks (a tournament favorite) and mocked Milwaukee Guard Damian Lillard’s “Dame Time” celebration. Lillard in the post-game warned Haliburton to “be humble… you never know how the tables are going to turn.” And turn they did, as LA celebrated, tossed around the championship hats, and are walking out of Vegas with $500K of prize money per player (a feat Jordan could never manage). Overall, the first In-Season Tournament was a massive success for the league, with higher viewership than other regular season games and story lines fans can get excited about. 

Conversation Starter: What are your thoughts on the In-Season Tournament and do you believe it adds excitement to the NBA regular season?

3. Jayden Daniels Takes Home the Heisman

The Scoop: With 3 undefeated teams, Alabama and Texas back in the playoffs, and a returning Heisman winner leading his team to 42 points-per-game, you’d think surely the trophy would go to a player on one of those teams? That would be wrong, as LSU’s Jayden Daniels secured the award for the best player in College Football. Despite a 9-3 record, Daniel’s individual performance this year included 3,812 passing yards, 40 touchdowns, and only 4 interceptions. In an emotional speech, Daniels spoke about taking a chance on himself, transferring from Arizona State to LSU and thanking those along the way from his head coach to the equipment manager. 

Conversation Starter: Should individual performance or team success carry more weight in awards like the Heisman Trophy?

4. Bronny James Makes USC Debut After Cardiac Arrest

The Scoop: Lebron “Bronny” James Jr. was hospitalized in July with a cardiac arrest. He underwent a procedure to treat a congenital heart defect and has been on a road to recovery since. He was cleared to play in late November, and after a week of practice, was declared fit to play for USC. On Sunday afternoon, he made his debut for the Trojans and scored 4 points off the bench as the team slowly worked him into the rotation. Despite a loss to Long Beach State, the emotional return for the very talented and very famous 19 year old was heartwarming for sports fans, and hopefully a healthy and productive season is ahead of him.  

Conversation Starter: Do you root for the success of children of professional athletes?

5. MetLife Stadium’s Injury Woes Continue

The Scoop: Since 2020, 17 players suffered season-ending injuries at MetLife Stadium, including Aaron Rodgers and Jaelen Phillips suffering torn achilles tendons this season and Nick Bosa and Solomon Thomas tearing ACLs in the same game in 2020. On Sunday a calf injury to Nico Collins, which looks to not be as serious as feared, was just another list to the mounting pile of players added to the IR after a trip to the meadowlands.

So what’s to be done? The Stadium has artificial turf, which according to a Washington University study causes 58% more injuries than grass. The field is home to both the Jets and the Giants, undergoing significant wear and tear over the course of a season, and is often the source of complaints from the NFL Players Association. The League and the NFLPA will be holding talks at the end of the season and a major talking point is converting all fields to grass for player safety reasons. Will progress be made? Time will tell, but for now, we just hope the turf monster doesn’t strike again. 

Conversation Starter: Should all NFL stadiums switch to natural grass despite potential costs associated with the switch?

“Sports” Moments of the Weekend

One thing we love about sports is the funny moments they deliver, here are some rapid fire viral memes, videos, and posts for your enjoyment!

Casuals cheer for touchdowns, real fans cheer for punts

Maybe not the time to pull out the keg stand celebration?

Brittany Mahomes has had enough of the refs

Shohei couldn’t even get the high-res PNG?

Good football team = lower homicide rate; we don’t make the rules, just follow them

Seriously, how does this happen?

Defenders of our country and home field advantage

The NFC South mid-off continues

What We’re Watching this Week

If you're at a bar, they might be showing these games. Here's what you should know:

Monday Night Football

New York Giants (4-8) vs Green Bay Packers (6-6) - (Monday Night at 8:15 ET): The Packers are clawing their way back into the playoff race, and a win at the Giants keeps them in the hunt. MetLife is hosting two games in two days; hopefully the field will not be a talking point once again.

Tennessee Titans (4-8) vs Miami Dolphins (9-3) - (Monday Night at 8:15 ET): The Dolphins have won 3 straight and look to roll again against a struggling Titans offense led by Will Levis, best known for putting Mayonnaise in his coffee. Can the Dolphins take a commanding lead over the Bills in the division or let a game they should win get away from them?

NCAA Volleyball Final Four

Pitt vs Nebraska, Wisconsin vs Texas: All eyes on the National Championship. Texas upset Stanford in the Elite Eight to become the only team not seeding as a #1 to make the Final Four. The other three one seeds handled business and look to earn the top spot in what has been a very competitive season. The games are this week on December 14th and 17th in Tampa, Florida.

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Your Wish is My Command

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Until next week,

The Fastbreakk