Starting Five

Five sports topics that will be discussed at water coolers across America

1. College Football’s Wild Endings

The Scoop: The College Football midweek games led the way, with Coastal Carolina beating Appalachian State on a game-winning field goal (and chugging beers on the field), then UTEP upsetting FIU and delivering an iconic celebration. Thursday night we saw a hail-mary last second pass to allow Houston to beat WVU (including this all-time great video edit). Friday night, woeful Stanford came back from 29 points to beat Colorado in double-overtime. Then on Saturday, Colorado State scored 21 points in 4 minutes to beat Boise State on this last second touchdown. Sports fans and non sports fans alike can bond over last-second finishes and the emotional rollercoasters we go through watching 20-year-olds in helmets and shoulder pads.

Conversation Starter: What non-sports example can you think of resembles the feeling of a last-second game winning play?

2. Washington, Last Undefeated in the West

The Scoop: College Football is a sport dominated by teams on the East Coast; the last Champion from west of the Mississippi River was Texas in 2005! #5 Washington looks to change that, as they improved to 6-0, handing Oregon their first loss in the season. The Huskie fans stormed the field after Washington won 36-33 thanks to a missed field goal attempt to keep their undefeated season alive. The other powerhouse in the West, USC took a beating at Notre Dame, taking their first loss by a score of 48-20.

Conversation Starter: Why is there so much regionality in Sports?

3. The Lions Cinderella Story

The Scoop: There are only five teams with five wins right now in the NFL. Four of those teams, the Chiefs, Eagles, 49ers, and Dolphins, all were preseason favorites loaded with talent and expectation. Who’s the fifth? The Detroit Lions. The last time the Lions won a playoff game was in January of 1992. There are fans from Michigan who have been following their team for 30 years and have never seen success like they’re seeing this season. After another great showing taking down the Buccaneers 20-6, Lions fans took to social media, talking about super bowl hopes. Are we ready to go that far? Probably not, but everyone loves an underdog, and the Lions will be this years’ feel-good story.

Conversation Starter: Are “fair-weather fans” who didn’t support the team when they were losing allowed to celebrate them when they win?

4. New NBA Star? 7’4 Victor Wembanyama

The Scoop: The 19-year-old French Phenom was the #1 overall pick for the San Antonio Spurs in last year’s NBA draft, and is quickly proving why. He scored 23 points in an NBA preseason game Friday night. He towers over defenders and is a nightmare to play against with nearly an 8-foot wingspan. This is a name to know, as NBA fans will be talking about him for years to come.

Conversation Starter: How tall would you need to be to play in the NBA?

5. Rangers One Step Closer to World Series

The Scoop: The Texas Rangers won game 1 of a 7-game-series against the Houston Astros 2-0. The Texas teams battle to claim a spot in the World Series to match up against either the Phillies or the Diamondbacks, who begin their series Monday night. Visiting Rangers fans showed up in huge numbers, creating an atmosphere that was loud no matter who had the advantage.

Conversation Starter: How far would you travel to see your favorite team, show, or artist?

“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!

A Broncos fan channeled the horror of watching his favorite team into this NFL themed Halloween yard display

Some lads in 1700s Officer garb got into a tussle during the England vs Fiji Rugby world cup match

Justin Pugh decided to shout out his couch rather than alma mater Syracuse

#71 Trent Williams is the best bodyguard in history

Did… Did they forget to PUT ON PANTS?!

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

• Dallas Cowboys vs LA Chargers: Dallas looks to bounce back from a humiliating defeat last week to the 49ers against the Chargers riding high on a two-game win streak.

MLB Playoffs

League Championship Round (See the live bracket here)

• Texas Rangers vs Houston Astros: The Rangers took game 1 as these two inner-state rivals battle for a spot in the World Series

• Arizona Diamondbacks vs Philadelphia Phillies: The Phila?

WNBA Finals

• New York Liberty vs Las Vegas Aces: The Liberty “took it personal” in game 3 in a 14 point win to close the series to 2-1. What looked like a dominant repeat championship for Vegas is turning into a must-watch competition as the Liberty try to even things up at home Wednesday night.

Subscriber Question of the Week

Do you have a sports topic you want to get smart on? Let us know here.

This week, Katie from New Orleans asked, "I saw on Tik Tok Hannah Ann is moving to Miami after her fiance got moved to a new team? Why would that happen? Is that bad? Does he now get a better contract?"

Hi Katie! Excellent question!

So in this specific case, Miami had 2 injuries at Running Back, so there is a clearer path to playing time for Jake Funk. He will be able to sign for the Miami practice team, with the potential to be activated to the first team roster later in the season. This is beneficial for all parties and we do not need to worry for Hannah Ann.

In terms of contract, these situations are a bit more nuanced, but generally, there is a “league minimum” contract that all practice squad players receive, so financially not much changes. While there are different reasons players move around, in most sports in the USA, this is fairly common, and not a cause for concern. We hope this helps!

Get Others in the Game

Know someone else itching to learn how to "talk sports"? Share this with them! For every referral you send our way, we'll toss your name into our monthly drawing hat. If you win, we'll answer your subscriber question in a future newsletter. So spread the sports love! 🏀⚽🏈🎾

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The Fastbreakk