🚨 We’d love your feedback!

Hello, Fastbreakk’r! As you might know, we’re Stanford MBA students who are passionate about making sports more accessible to everyone. We’re just getting started and would love your feedback on how we’re doing here.

We’d also love if you shared this newsletter with your friends. For every friend you refer, we’ll plant a tree. 🌲

🦃 Thanksgiving Sports Talking Points

Find yourself caught up in a sports conversation at Thanksgiving and have no idea what’s going on? Or simply want to redirect the political conversation with your extended family to a less heated topic? Here’s what you need to know.

1. Thanksgiving Day NFL

Green Bay Packers vs Detroit Lions (12:30 ET): The Lions are the underdog story of football. The franchise has not won a playoff game since 1992, but after an 8-2 start, fans in Detroit are, dare we say, delusional about this team. The Lions have been economical with their draft picks in recent years, focusing on players who had successful college careers but who experts don’t think have potential to be superstars. This pragmatic approach has allowed players like Aiden Hutchinson, Sam LaPorta, Jameson Williams, and Kerby Joseph to become cornerstones of this team. Detroit sports fans have not had much to cheer about as of late, so we can give them a pass for thinking Super Bowl thoughts in Week 11.

The Packers on the other hand are struggling to just make the season respectable and finding seemingly new ways to lose each week. Quarterback Jordan Love has gotten better this season, but with limited talent around him, there’s only so much he can do.

Talking Points: As your Turkey heats up, ask questions like:

• Will the Lions finally be able to win a playoff game?

• Do you think the Lions can sustain this success?

• Should the Packers invest in established players to win now?

Washington Commanders vs Dallas Cowboys (4:30 ET): The Cowboys are “America’s Team” and play on Thanksgiving every year. If you ask a Cowboys fan, this is around the point of the season when things fall off the wagon. It’s a cycle: they start hot and collapse during crunch time. At 7-3, they look great, especially on defense led by star edge rusher Micah Parsons. It’s said that defense wins championships, but do they have the offensive horses to put up points? We shall see.

The Commanders have had a wild ride this year. The previous owner (who was widely disliked) sold the team, a new President came in and tried to change the direction of the program, and a string of injuries have left the squad trying to find a new identity. The team is 4-7, but in a rebuilding year, fans are looking for signs of progress. 

Talking Points: As you load up your plate, ask questions like:

• Will the Cowboys be able to keep up this success in the playoffs?

• What should expectations be for the Commanders for the rest of this season?

• Do you like that the Cowboys play on Thanksgiving every year?

San Francisco 49ers vs Seattle Seahawks (8:20 ET): The quest for the 6th Super Bowl in San Francisco is heating up this year. The club has spent money and draft picks to acquire as much talent as possible, potentially sacrificing the future to win now. Running Back Christian McCaffrey is one of the most dynamic players in the league, and receivers Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel have game-breaking speed. Defensive Linemen Chase Young and Nick Bosa terrorize opposing quarterbacks. They have the talent to win it all this year, and games like this will showcase their ambitions for this season.

The Seahawks have been impressive this year as well, but with the next 4 games against the 49ers twice, the Cowboys, and the 9-1 Eagles, they must start finding ways to win if they have a hope of making the playoffs. 

Talking Points: As you sit on the couch in a food coma, ask questions like:

• Do you think it was smart for the 49ers to focus on winning now rather than building for the future?

• Is Christian McCaffrey the best Running Back in the League?

• Do you like the ‘action green’ Seahawk uniforms? (Personally, we think these are the best in the NFL).

2. The Game: Michigan vs Ohio State Preview

The Scoop: In 1968, Ohio State was winning by 5 touchdowns when Coach Woody Hayes decided to run up the score by going for a two-point conversion rather than an extra point. When asked why, Hayes explained, “because I couldn’t go for three.” This sums up the rivalry. For 364 days a year, these two programs prepare for this game. With both teams 11-0, ranked in the top 3, and looking to win a championship, this game looks to be the best game of the year in College Football.

It will be just above freezing in Ann Arbor, but that won’t stop 110,000 fans from creating a wall of noise. After losing 8 straight to OSU, Michigan prevailed in 2021 and 2022 to win the conference both seasons. Tensions are even higher than normal with Michigan fans claiming Ohio State hired private investigators that uncovered the potential cheating, which resulted in the suspension of Michigan Coach Jim Harbaugh. Without Harbaugh on the sidelines, Ohio State may have the advantage, but no one knows what will happen in a rivalry game.

Conversation Starter: What is the bigger advantage, the home field or the Head Coach?

3. Erin Matson: Field Hockey GOAT

The Scoop: As a player at North Carolina, Erin Matson had a laundry list of accolades, including 4x National Champion, 5x ACC Champion, 5x ACC Player of the Year, 3x National Collegiate Women’s Player of the Year (across all women’s sports). But Matson had always set her sights higher than just her playing career. At the beginning of her Senior season in 2022, she marched into the UNC athletic director’s office to suggest a candidate for the school’s next head coach: herself.

Considering the retiring UNC coach was the most decorated in the sport and the vacancy would attract any number of applicants for the top job in Women’s Field Hockey, the athletic director did not make the decision lightly. But after a year of persistence from Matson, during which UNC conducted interviews with 12 candidates, she got the job and, at just 23, became the youngest Head Coach in college sports.

What did she do with that opportunity? Win another National Championship, Carolina’s 5th in 6 years. Matson is an inspiration, the youngest Head Coach to ever win a National Championship, and has accomplished more in college sports at 23 than most in their whole careers.  

Conversation Starter: Should young, talented stars get a quicker pathway to become Head Coaches?

What Else We’re Watching This Week

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

College Football Rivalry Week

#6 Oregon vs #15 Oregon State (Friday Night): Heisman hopeful Bo Nix leads Oregon in the “Civil War.” A win puts them in position for a winner-take-all matchup with Washington in the PAC-12 championship game

#7 Texas vs Texas Tech (Friday Night): Texas needs some help to make the college football playoff, but the 10-1 Longhorns have rattled off impressive wins the last few weeks and look to make their appeal to the committee for a Top-4 ranking. 

#4 Florida State vs Florida (Saturday Night): Florida State lost star quarterback Jordan Travis to injury, but the defense should be good enough to get two more wins and complete the undefeated season

#5 Washington vs Washington State (Saturday Afternoon): Heisman favorite Michael Penix has the Huskies undefeated entering the “Apple Cup,” but the Cougars hope to play spoiler. Washington’s explosive offense keeps finding ways to win, but they will get everything Wazzu has, though it most likely will not be enough

#8 Alabama vs Auburn (Saturday Afternoon): No matter how good or bad either team is, the “Iron Bowl” always impresses. 10-1 Alabama has a match-up with Georgia next week for the SEC Championship, and needs to win both games for a shot at the College Football Playoff. Auburn has underperformed, but an upset here will do a lot to assuage disappointed fans

College Basketball

#3 Arizona vs #21 Michigan State (Thursday Night): Arizona is averaging 100 points per game and is hoping to keep that momentum against a Michigan State team with an explosive offense of their own.

#14 North Carolina vs Villanova (Thursday Afternoon): After a disappointing 2022 season, the Tar Heels are 4-0 and have their first big game of the season against a talented Villanova squad. This game is a rematch of the 2016 National Championship Game, one of the wildest title games of all time. Revisit the final few minutes of the madness here.

NBA In-Season Tournament

• For the first time, the NBA is hosting an in-season tournament. Teams were drawn into 6 groups of 5 and will play 4 games in the group to qualify for an 8-team knockout round. The winning team will get monetary rewards split among players and staff.

• The 4th week of games occurs Friday Night, headlined by the Sacramento Kings and Minnesota Timberwolves facing off for control of Western Conference Group C. Follow the live stan here.

Get Others in the Game

Know someone else itching to up their sports convos easily? Share this with them! For every referral you send our way, we'll:

🌲 Plant a tree in your name! We choose to plant trees in developing nations to not only alleviate climate change, but to help end hunger and poverty by rebuilding local farming ecosystems.

💸Enter your name in for a chance to win a $500 Amazon Gift Card. We guarantee 1 in 1000 people in (and every referral gets you another entry)

Your Wish is My Command

What do you think of today’s email?
As you know, we are just getting started, and your opinion matters to us! Please share feedback, ideas, or insights on how we can make this even more useful for you! Use this link or just respond directly to the email!

Until next week,

The Fastbreakk