LEARNING MODULE 💡

It’s Just Different 🍁🏒

Who doesn’t love a game 7?

Throw the record books out the window, blank canvas, brand new game, anything can happen. These are all fair statements when it comes to a winner-take-all matchup in a championship series. 🏆

The Florida Panthers won their first Stanley Cup on Monday, defeating the Edmonton Oilers in a nail-biting Game 7.

Unlike the NBA viewership we analyzed last week, the Stanley Cup Finals had a pretty good year. Barring the lackluster ratings in Game 6, the full-series viewership was in line with the average since 2006, drawing 7.66 million viewers for Game 7.

But that’s only in the United States.

Canadian ratings get much more interesting. 🇨🇦 The average viewership for Game 7 in Canada was nearly the same as in the US, with 7.55 million viewers. However, peak viewership in Canada reached 15 million, 📈 compared to only 10.3 million in the US.

Canada has a population of 39 million which means at one point on Monday, 38.6% of the entire country was watching Game 7. 🤯 For reference, an estimated 36% of Americans watched the Super Bowl last year.

What made this game so special that it essentially put a country on pause?

First, Canadians invented the game 🧑‍🔬 and there's an inherent pride they’ll forever have in the sport. Secondly, they’re in a bit of a drought. 🥵

Although it’s "their game," a Canadian hockey team hasn't won the Stanley Cup Finals in 31 years. The nation yearns for a victory, and when a team from the north makes it to the championship, rivalries are set aside in favor of national pride. 🇨🇦

This year, that beacon of hope was the Edmonton Oilers. The whole country rallied behind them, and even though they fell short to a team from the Sunshine State, ☀️ it was a powerful reminder that hockey means just a little bit more to the good people of Canada.

If you need this NHL breakdown in a short-form video 📱 medium, you’re in luck. We put together a video explaining the whole thing on IG and TikTok. Follow us there for more explainers with data.

THIS PAST WEEK ⏮️

Happy Father’s Day 👨🏀

Before the debate last night, there was the James drama.

The Los Angeles Lakers drafted Bronny James to play alongside his dad Lebron and it’s interesting for a few reasons.

First, father/son duos are not uncommon in the NBA - there are more than 25 current players who had dads played as well. But a duo has never played in the same season let alone on the same team. 🧬

Second, it showcases Lebron’s leverage in the Lakers organization. He’s long stated his goal to play alongside his son and the Lakers obliged by picking up Bronny late in the second round.

Other teams also knew about Lebron’s wishes and analysts began speculating that someone would pick him first to demand the Lakers trade players to get him back, like a ransom. 💰

Third, nepotism is so back. Although extremely athletic (good genetics), Bronny wasn’t a star college basketball player. His eyebrow-raising stat line 🤨 is dwarfed by the players drafted around him and people believe he wouldn’t be there if not for his name.

Skepticism aside, there’s surely something special about sharing the court with your son and making history that likely won't repeat itself for decades to come. 📅

Too early to care? 🏟️

Schedule changes and venue decisions for LA28 Olympics were made this week as swimming will trade places with track & field on the schedule to capture the hype of sprinting events. Swimming events will also take place in a football stadium?

Fool me twice, shame on me 🏒🧵

Now that the Stanley Cup has been awarded, the NHL begins its 10-year contract with Fanatics to produce on-ice uniforms. With the MLB pants-ripping extravaganza fresh in their minds, Fanatics was sure to run a campaign on “player approval” and quality for the new NHL threads. Only time will tell…

Summer Solstice done right ☀️⛳️

Golf nuts just added one more thing to their bucket list - the Bandon Solstice. On the longest day of the year, a handful of guests at the fabled Bandon Dunes golf resort set off to play 72 holes of golf in one day, capturing as much daylight as possible. If 18 holes of golf takes me 4.5 hours to play then 72 would take… a lot of time.

A new entry point into the doghouse with your significant other unlocked! 🔓