North Korea and South Korea shocked the world by announcing plans to march under a unified flag at the upcoming Winter Olympic Games. FHM's Nick Dimengo joins Cheddar to discuss whether the news will increase interest in the games. Dimengo says the event has historically struggled with TV ratings and will gladly accept any positive press coming its way.
Next, we preview the NFL's Conference Championship weekend. Dimengo walks us through the potential Super Bowl match-ups and reveals which ones he thinks will draw the biggest ratings. Find out why he thinks a Minnesota Vikings vs. New England Patriots Super Bowl would be a dream for the NFL.
Finally, we look ahead to the NBA's All-Star Game. The league is changing up the format of the event this year, with captains drafting teams from a pool voted on by fans, players, and the media. Dimengo says he thinks it's a mistake for the NBA to opt out of televising the inaugural draft.
March Nadness is officially underway, and betting on this year's tournament has the potential to reach record levels. About 45 million Americans are expected to wager a total of $3.1 billion on just the men's tournament alone, according to a new survey from the American Gaming Association. Prince Grimes, Senior Writer for USA Today's sports betting media property, BetFTW, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss how betting could play into this year's tournament and other storylines surrounding March Madness.
March Madness is finally here as everyone is looking for which team to bet on and which teams to fade. Sports betting expert Alex Glaze joins Cheddar Bets to tell you which Cinderella team you should bet on and which teams to avoid for the NCAA Tournament.
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Sean Green, Co-founder of the Sports Gambling Podcast Network, discusses which teams he's leaning towards and away from, who the breakout stars will be, and explains why UCLA, a No. 4 seed, will leave New Orleans with the title.
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BetMGM host Olivia Harlan Dekker gives her plays for some of the NCAA Tournament's biggest storylines, and explains why she is selling on both Coach K and - yes - Sister Jean.
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Erika Nardini, CEO of Barstool Sports, joined Cheddar News senior reporter, Michelle Castillo at South by Southwest to talk about Barstool Sportsbook and the NCAA March Madness tournaments. "What we really believe is that there's going to be the next generation of sports bettor, [who] will follow sports the way Barstool Sports follow sports," she said. "They'll like winners. They'll like losers. They'll like the storylines. They'll like the drama with the fans.”
Amy Purdy, the three-time Paralympic medalist and first double-leg amputee competitive snowboarder, made her debut as a commentator at this year's games, and she joined Cheddar News to recap the event. "I like to challenge myself because I was challenging myself as a Paralympic athlete myself," she said. "But then to be able to be a commentator and be able to, you know, support the game, support the athletes in a completely different way, it was a lot of fun."
College basketball forward for the HBCU Texas Southern University, Mimi O'Neal, daughter of Hall of Famer Shaquille O'Neal, is pushing for more changes in light of gender equity scandals in NCAA college hoops brought to light on social media last year.
It's been an eventful past few weeks for the WNBA. One of the league's top players, Brittney Griner, remains in Russian custody after being detained at an airport last month. The league is also dealing with a scandal after fining a team for providing charter flights to their players. Emily Caron, sports business reporter for Sportico, joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
