Happy New Year SportsBallers!

It’s 2024, Mickey Mouse is public domain, resolutions are still intact, and the sports world is getting spicy.

For the first installment of the year, we have…

• 🍽️ Edible participation trophies

• 🍣 Hockey x Salmon collab

•  🍜 A weak attempt at explaining Bowl Games

And a little bit more. Let’s rip it ⬇️

THIS PAST WEEK ⏮

A new era of mascots 🏈

We talk about the craziness of College Football Bowl games later on, but this week’s newsletter has to start with the Pop Tart Bowl.

There are now 43 bowl games each year, requiring a higher bar for sponsor creativity to get marketing traction. Enter Pop Tart. They decided to create the first-ever edible mascot that the winning team ate after the game.

Do we remember who played in the game? No. Did Pop Tart reportedly make $12 million in brand value through the marketing stunt? Yes.

The stage is set 🏈

Some football games get attention because they have cannibalistic mascots. Others get it the old-fashioned way by having the best teams play each other. Let’s check in on the semifinal games of this past week.

Fish tunnel 🏒🐟

Every year the NHL hosts a slew of outdoor games around the country to get back to the roots of hockey — just some kids playing on a frozen pond. 🌄

The games are always a spectacle and on Monday the Vegas Golden Knights traveled to Seattle to take on the Kraken in the Mariners’ stadium. 🏟️

In each of these games, the league likes to showcase some local culture. Naturally, this led to the Kraken walking through a flying fish tunnel created by the Pikes Place Market fishmongers… 🐟

The Kraken defended home turf and beat the Knights 3-0 in the Winter Classic. If you missed this one, don’t worry — there are two more outdoor games in February.

Since we’re on the topic… 🏒

We’re about halfway through the NHL season so let’s give a quick update on where things stand and which teams are doing well.

Below is a ranked list of the best teams so far this season based on wins, losses, and overtime losses (they still get points for those). Make a mental note of these teams mentioned in case you find yourself talking to some Canadians this week. ⬇️

Despite boasting hockey superstar Connor McDavid (the best player on earth), the Edmonton Oilers remain underperforming. After starting the year as championship contenders, they’ve squabbled along so far, finding themselves in the bottom third of the league.

The most impressive is certainly the Vancouver Canucks. They’ve brought in a new coach who’s whipped them into shape and made them a Stanley Cup contender this year. Sometimes a new boss can flip things around like that. 🤷

Speaking of the Stanley Cup, the NHL has a bit of SEO work to do… When you type that into Google, the Stanley Tumblers are the top result. Not great for the sport.

LEARNING MODULE 💡 

What the heck is a Bowl game? 🏈

Pop Tart Bowl. CheezIt Bowl. Mayonnaise Bowl. These are real games played by athletes? You bet, and there’s some history here.

College football didn’t have a playoff system until 2014; so un-American, right? This begs the question — how was “the best team in the country” decided before that? ⬇️

Nowadays any fringe company with a bag of cash can get their hands on a Bowl Game which makes for some ridiculous headline grabs. Our favorites from this year are:

• 🥑 Avocados from Mexico Cure Bowl - Avocados fighting cancer via football

• 🛩️ Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl - You can imagine the pregame fly-over here

• 🎳 Military Bowl presented by gobowling.com - This sponsor is simply trying to spread the good word of bowling

• 🍯 Duke’s Mayo Bowl - The winning coach gets a 5-gallon jug of mayonnaise poured on their head

• 🍫 Pop Tart Bowl - Our lovely edible mascot

• 🧀 CheezIt Citrus Bowl - Another life-size, albeit inedible, food mascot descending into a giant toaster on the field

ATHLETE OF THE WEEK 🏆

Michael Penix Jr. - University of Washington 🏈

Did we pick Michael because of his stellar performance? You bet. Does it hurt that he plays for my alma mater, UW? It certainly doesn’t. Sports commentary, like life, is biased.

In all seriousness, there's no denying the weight of Washington's victory over the Texas Longhorns this past Monday — and Penix is the guy to thank. 🙏

• Senior QB who previously played 3 years for Indiana University.

• Transferred to Washington and led them to a perfect 14-0 record this season.

• Leading the nation in passing yards this year

• Potential first round NFL Draft pick for 2023

• Seems like a huge sweetheart

SportsBall is thrilled with the win against the Longhorns, especially since it provides a unique Championship experience.

This year will mark a departure from the norm, as a team from the South has been in 12 of the last 13 championships. Even teams just from Alabama and LSU have won 6 of the last 13 titles. 😵‍💫

Now, with Michigan and Washington in the fray, the title game will offer fresh excitement, like a guest celebrity on the Kardashians or Ice Spice featuring in a Taylor Swift song. 🎶

THIS NEXT WEEK ⏭

College Football Championship 🏆

We’re finally here… Undefeated Washington Huskies and Michigan Wolverines will face off for the national championship on Monday. Mark your calendars and go DAWGS!

📅 Monday, January 8th - 4:30 PM PST on ESPN

NFL 🏈 

It’s the final week of the NFL regular season and carries huge implications for playoff position. If you recall from the learning module last time, here’s a list of teams who are technically “on the bubble,” who will be trying their darnedest to get a final playoff spot.

• Houston Texans

• Pittsburgh Steelers

• Seattle Seahawks

• New Orleans Saints

• Minnesota Vikings

• Atlanta Falcons

PWHL 🏒 

A new North American women’s hockey league just started called the PWHL. There are 6 teams to start in Boston, Minnesota, Montreal, New York, Ottowa, and Toronto.

Games are coming up this week (see schedule here) and check out full games on YouTube here.

Thank you all and Happy new year! And don’t forget to share SportsBall and get prizes.

— Riley and Claire

Keywords: Happy New Year, 2024, Mickey Mouse public domain, sports world news, Pop Tart Bowl, College Football Bowl games, Rose Bowl, Cotton Bowl, NHL outdoor games, Stanley Cup, NHL halfway point, College Football Playoff, Bowl game history, unique Bowl game names, Avocado Bowl, Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl, Duke’s Mayo Bowl, CheezIt Citrus Bowl, Michael Penix Jr., University of Washington football, College Football Championship, NFL regular season finale, playoff implications, PWHL, North American women’s hockey league.