From 'The Blind Side' bombshell to an NBA star standoff, here's what's happening in entertainment.
Blind(ed) Side
Michael Oher, former NFL tackle and the focus of the hit 2009 film The Blind Side, has alleged the couple that took him in during his teenage years lied about adopting him. In a Tennessee court filing, Oher said the couple, Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy, did not tell the truth about his adoption status and instead tricked him into signing papers that made them his conservators.
He asked a judge to terminate the conservatorship and to require the couple to turn over a full account of money they made off of his name. Oher also requested the Tuohys face some sort of sanctions and be required to pay compensatory and punitive damages, according to the Associated Press. The filing also revealed that Oher only learned of the status of his adoption this year.
ESPN x NBA
ESPN analyst and color commentator Doris Burke will be making history come the NBA finals. She will become the first woman to serve as TV analyst during a championship final for any of the four major U.S. sports.
The network announced she'll be calling the game along with former Philadelphia 76ers coach Doc Rivers and long-time commentator Mike Breen. The news comes just weeks after the network cleared the house of some of its most tenured analysts, like Jeff Van Gundy and Mark Jackson.
Rivers joins the analyst team after losing his coaching job when the 76ers failed to reach the NBA finals this year.
Harden Drama
Also, in NBA news: what's beef? 76ers star James Harden is in a standoff with the team that he clearly wants to leave. Harden, who headed to Philly in 2022 after his 1-year stint on the Brooklyn Nets, wanted to head to the L.A. Clippers, but talks between the teams didn't pan out.
This weekend, during a promotional even in China, Harden called 76ers owner Daryl Morey a liar. The declaration comes after the 76ers announced that they stopped entertaining trade offers for Harden and would retain him for the upcoming season. It's unclear what happens next with training camps scheduled to start in October.
From the environment to income inequality, many issues can be seen through the lens of our favorite athletes and teams. In this episode, we’re exploring the world of sports.
Ariel Epstein, Sports Betting host & analyst at Yahoo! Sports, joins Cheddar Bets to share her favorite prop bets and her best picks in the NFC Wild Card Round.
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Joe Osborne, Sports Betting Analyst for Odds Shark, dishes out his insight for how to approach a week where some teams choose to sit out their star players.
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Retired gymnast Nia Dennis went viral last year after a video of her gymnastics floor routine highlighting Black excellence gained traction on social media. Now the athlete and UCLA graduate is partnering with juice and plant-based foods company Pressed to promote health and wellness in the new year. "They have helped me start this year off strong and start living a healthier lifestyle," she said.
Apple TV+ is in serious talks for the rights to stream MLB games next season, the first foray into sports content for the platform, according to the New York Post. Lee Berke, president and CEO of LHB Sports, sat down with Cheddar to discuss how such a deal might impact the tech giant and the sports content industry. "Quite often with new media platforms one of the quickest ways to create and implement a programming strategy — and actually one of the most expensive ways — is to offer up sports content," Berke noted. "So, with this package available, it puts Apple literally in the game and gives them an opportunity to demonstrate their skills in offering up a major league sport."
Iain MacMillan, Senior Editor BetSided, joins Cheddar Bets to break down betting underdogs in NCAA Basketball Conference play and the favorites for the Wooden Award.
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COVID-19 continues to impact the world of sports, and most significantly, the NHL. The world's premier hockey league has postponed a total of 104 games so far this season, and a spike in omicron infections has led to a surge in postponements in recent weeks. This comes after the NHL went dark for six days in December because of a COVID-19 outbreak, and after the league decided not to have its players participate in the 2022 Beijing Olympics so it can use the time to reschedule postponed games. Yahoo Sports NHL reporter Justin Cuthbert joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
