Goooood morning folks. We started LinkedIn and Twitter (X) accounts to share more bite-sized SportsBall, mostly quick data visualizations and fun explorations that aren’t too intense.

Now, what random assortment of news do we have for you today?

🎂 MLB birthday home runs
😢 Crying hockey dads
🔁 Repeat championships
👙 Shapewear baseball crossover

And so much more. Let’s goooooo ⬇️

THIS PAST WEEK ⏮

Family first

We went to an NHL 🏒 game this week where Sharks player Thomas Bordeleau scored his first career goal 1️⃣. It reminded us of the special moments we often see of family members watching their loved ones in their first games, relishing in the fact they finally made it. Sure, it’s special for the players but it normally hits the parents who sacrificed so much for 18+ years to support and uplift their little athletes a little harder ❤️.

These are the stories that make sports more human and if you want to shed a quick tear, check out the links below.

FIGHT

The mighty have fallen

Who’s the birthday boy

Dawgs > Ducks

Last week we previewed the huge rivalry game in College Football 🏈 between the #7 Washington Huskies and the #8 Oregon Ducks, their first matchup in 107 years where both teams were ranked in the top 10. After the antics of College Gameday in Red Square at UW, the game became an instant classic.

The Huskies prevailed by a score of 36-33, led by their star quarterback Michael Penix Jr. and the Ducks kicker who missed the game-tying kick as time expired. Now the Huskies are ranked #5 and hopefully, we get to see more national coverage of their waterfront stadium in the near future ⬇️.

Baseball butts?

Cardi B is fronting the new SKIMS campaign and since SKIMS just raised a new funding round, we decided to make an animated visualization of the valuation of the shapewear brand vs the valuation of the San Francisco Giants ⚾️ since 2019. Why? Just because.

MLB x SKIMS baseball pants collab?

Back to back

In the WNBA, the Las Vegas Aces won their second straight championship last night after another huge game from A’ja Wilson. We don’t have the numbers in yet but there are whispers that this Finals was the most-watched WNBA Finals in decades, boasting raucous crowds in both venues.

There was also a nice little major league sports crossover (which we love) last night as Darren Waller 🏈 cheered on his wife Kelsey Plum 🏀 as she won the title with the Aces. Talk about good genetics for their future kid.

Congrats to the Aces and you know what they say, two is a good run, three is a dynasty. Crossing our fingers for next season!

LEARNING MODULE 💡

NBA Season Preview 🏀

Fall has arrived. PSLs are back on the menu, the MLB playoffs are well underway, and the drama of the NBA is returning to the big screen.

For those new to sports I can imagine the hockey intro last time may be tough to follow, you’re thinking “I don’t know what a first down is in football you can’t be talking to me about rookie NHL players”. If this is you, basketball season is here to save you.

The NBA unequivocally has the most pop culture crossover, the most drama, the most fashion, and the most divas per capita of any league. It can be your sports soft launch if that’s what you most desire.

The basics

The league structure is simple in the NBA. 1 league and 2 conferences are split into East and West, with 15 teams in each. Each season is 82 games long with the best 8 teams in each conference making the playoffs.

5 players per team play at a time with the positions laid out below ⬇️

Dynamic Duos

The NBA is what people call a “players league”. It’s a complicated concept but at its core, it means that the business negotiations between the players and the owners - which happen every 7 years - favor the players. What this translates to in practice is the players’ ability to demand trades, join forces, and build “super teams” that drive TV ratings and league hype through the roof. Just imagine if your favorite characters in Selling Sunset and the Kardashians joined forces for one mega reality show - that happens every year in the NBA.

The theme of this year is dynamic duos, with more than half a dozen teams sporting a pair of stars hoping to carry their team to a championship. We’ll break down a few of them with names, teams, and a little drama mama tidbit to keep the memory jogged.

Steph Curry and Klay Thompson - Golden State Warriors

Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray - Denver Nuggets 🏆

Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard - Milwaukee Bucks

Kevin Durant and Devin Booker - Phoenix Suns

Victor Wembanyama and himself - San Antonio Spurs

The biggest NBA story coming into this year is 19-year-old, 7’4” Wembenyama. The French youngster has the most hype entering the league as a rookie since Lebron James out of high school, and his pre-season has been thrilling. While players above 7 feet are normally slow and lumber around the court, Victor plays like a point guard, breaking ankles and shooting as well as anyone a foot shorter than him. If you are inclined to watch any basketball this year, make sure you catch some of his games.

ATHLETE OF THE WEEK 🏆

Nick Castellanos and son Liam

To follow the vein of family ties and heart-melting stories, we saw a tear-jerker in Philadelphia this week. The Phillies ⚾️, who are currently winning the MLB “semifinals” series 2-0, have been catapulted by a bevy of cast members, including Nick Castellanos. Nick has three home runs in his last three games thanks to a secret weapon in the stands, his 10-year-old son.

Liam Castellanos has been in school away from his dad for the last three months as the Phillies went on a deep playoff run. When he finally was able to join the team this last week, he was sitting so close in the front row he could even give Nick words of encouragement for his at-bats.

As Castellanos hit home run after home in front of a packed stadium, he pointed directly at Liam and gave a huge fist pump, relishing the moment with his son who could finally be there to see it.

THIS NEXT WEEK ⏭

NHL 🏒 

On Tuesday the 24th, the NHL is introducing its Frozen Frenzy, a TV program that bounces around to all 16 games happening at the same time. ESPN is trying out the new model off the back of NFL RedZone’s success and it will be a great way to be introduced to hockey. You’ll see all the goals, hits, and fights in one place for the first time ever.

College Football 🏈 

Last week we had UW vs Oregon as our top 10 matchup but we have an even better one coming up this Saturday. #7 Penn State will be taking on #3 Ohio State at 9 AM PST Saturday in a game that’s likely to give the winner a shot at the college football playoffs (only the top 4 teams in the country make it). Grab your morning coffee and hit the couch!

NFL 🏈 

There are two big games to keep an eye on this Sunday ⬇️

The Detroit Lions and the Baltimore Ravens are facing off with the Lions trying to cement themselves as one of the top teams in the league. The Ravens are looking to do the same as they sit at 4-2 so far this season. Kickoff is at 10 AM PST

The Philadelphia Eagles are playing the Miami Dolphins, both teams are 5-1 and considered to be in the elite group of teams at the top of the league. The main question is whether the Eagles can slow down Tyreek Hill and the record-setting Dolphins offense. This is the Sunday Night game and starts at 5:20 PM PST.

MLB ⚾️

By this time next week, it’s possible that the MLB World Series (finals) will be underway. Currently, the Texas Rangers are beating the Houston Astros 2-1 in the battle of Texas and the Philadelphia Phillies are up 2-0 against the Diamondbacks. These two play tonight.

NBA 🏀 

Mark your calendars for Tuesday the 24th as the NBA tips off for the first time this year. There are 82 games in a season so don’t be upset if you miss the first one. The two opening night matchups are:

• Suns vs. Warriors

• Lakers vs. Nuggets

Can’t wait for next week already! Don’t forget to share SportsBall with your referral link.

— Riley and Claire