From another season with NBA King LeBron James to the return of gymnastics royalty, here's what's happening in entertainment.
The King's Return
The 2023 ESPY Awards went down in Los Angeles last night and, as expected, it was a star-studded affair that paid tribute to the U.S. Women's National Soccer Team, honored Damar Hamlin and the Buffalo Bills medical crew that saved his life, and included a major announcement from LeBron James.
After receiving the award for Best Record-Breaking Performance, honoring the NBA star's rise to all-time leading scorer, he confirmed that he will be returning to the floor for his 21st season.
"I love this game. I love the game of basketball," he said. "I don't care how many more points I score or what I can or cannot do on the floor. The real question for me is 'Can I play without cheating this game?' The day I can't give the game everything on the floor is the day I'll be done. Lucky for you guys, that day is not today."
James confirmed that he has "a lot left" in the tank so we should expect to see him playing for years to come.
Fresh off of her first U.S national title win in the 100 meter final last weekend, Sha'Carri Richardson questioned why she was not invited to this year's ESPY Awards.
"The ESPYS invited me when my life was in shambles as if I was a charity case. The disrespect that track & field receives in the USA alone is nasty. Half of the athletes there now could not do what we do on our WORST day," she said in a tweet.
Richardson was referring to her 2021 season, when she won the 100 meter final to advance to the Tokyo Olympics, but was later disqualified after testing positive for marijuana. In recent weeks, she has been campaigning for track and field sprinters to unionize to address low pay and called for a meeting of athletes ahead of the national competition. It is likely she sought to use the ESPYs platform to bring even more attention to her cause – particularly as she continues to dominate in the sport.
Olympic gold medal gymnast Gabby Douglas has announced she's ready to get back into competition.
Douglas' last competition was the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. After that, she announced she was stepping back to focus on her mental health. In 2017 the world learned about the abuse many top gymnasts, including Douglas, suffered while in the care of USA Gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar.
Former teammates Simone Biles and Suni Lee have also indicated they want to compete in Paris, so a reunion of heavy-hitters could be on the horizon.
Next-gen social sports platform Break the Love recently raised $2.5 million in seed funding. Break the Love's platform and iOS app allows users to discover and book group-based tennis activities, to either learn, train, or compete. The new company has already gotten support from a few big names in the world of tennis, including the coach of Naomi Osaka, as well as the United States Tennis Association and the brand Wilson. Break the Love founder and CEO Trisha Goyal joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Hall of Fame quarterback Troy Aikman joined Cheddar's "Between Bells" to talk about his own brand of organic light beer called Eight (his jersey number with the Dallas Cowboys) and explained that he's had an interest in the industry since his days working for a distributor during college. "These brands that are on the market have been there for a long time and [I] felt that it was time for something fresh, something new, and I thought that we could do it in a way that was a better-for-you beer' and that's what we've done," he said. Aikman also provided some insight into the upcoming NFL playoffs and noted that he doesn't see a clear frontrunner for this year's Vince Lombardi trophy.
It is 'game on' for sports bettors in the state of New York, as mobile betting kicks off on four major betting operating platforms this Saturday. The state, with over 20 million residents, will be the most populous state with legal online sports betting. Max Bichsel, VP of US Business for EmpireStakes.com joins Cheddar News to discuss.
College athletes scored big in 2021 when they were finally allowed to begin earning money based off of their name, image, and likeness, known as NIL. But how can young athletes best manage their money so they can set themselves up for years of success? Nicole Pullen Ross, Head of Goldman Sachs Sports and Entertainment Solutions, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss why financial management for college athletes is important, common pitfalls they could run into, and more.
On Saturday, New York will join neighboring New Jersey and Connecticut in authorizing mobile sports betting. Matt Kalish, president and co-founder of Draftkings North America, joined Cheddar to talk about the landmark change that is estimated to rake in $500 million in annual tax revenue on a potential billion-dollar market. Kalish also addressed the possibility that legalized sports betting in the Empire State could cannibalize his company's revenues in the bordering states. "It's pretty inconvenient, you know, to go across the border to make a bet. And people were doing it, but I think it really stifled a lot of the opportunity," he said. "So while there's some of that going on, I think really a tremendous amount, like a giant percent, of New York will be very incremental."
Desmond Howard, former NFL wide receiver and Modelo college football playoff ambassador, joins Cheddar News to talk about the Modelo sweepstakes honoring the 30th anniversary of his iconic punt return.
The New York Times has acquired sports outlet The Athletic in a $550 million deal. The acquisition brings the Times closer to its 10 million paid subscribers goal by 2025.
Austin Mock, College Football betting contributor for The Athletic, explains his strategy for selecting a winner in the national title game between Georgia and Alabama.
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Michael Jenkins gives his picks for the final week of the NFL regular season while Joe Osborne dishes out his insight for how to approach a week where some teams choose to sit out their star players. Meanwhile, Austin Mock explains his strategy for selecting a winner in the national title game between Georgia and Alabama.
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