Sports Equinox

By TERRY LYONS

BOSTON – When the NBA tipped-off the 2023-24 regular season earlier this week while MLB’s Texas Rangers and Arizona Diamondbacks became unlikely World Series foes and the Boston Bruins began their NHL season at 6-0 before falling to the Anaheim Ducks, 4-3 in overtime, and the NFL hit “Week 8” of a promising season to come, we all looked forward to Sunday, October 29th when all four major sports will be in action of the same day. It’s come to be known as “Sports Equinox.”

If you’d like, you can toss-in the English Premier League and the MLS for a five sport equinox with a tip of the cap to the PGA Tour which is smartly taking a weekend off before returning with the World Wide Technology championship in Los Cabos, Mexico from November 2-5.

Add-in some weekly college football and you have what many believe is the best week of the year for sports fans.

Great? Only great if you prefer a World Series between such unlikely participants Arizona and Texas instead of a Fall Classic with 100-win teams like Atlanta Braves and LA Dodgers vs upstart and extremely likable Baltimore Orioles.

The NFL and NHL are knee-deep in highly competitive and unpredictable seasons ahead. Yes, the Philadelphia Eagles and San Francesco 49ers look good in the NFC while the Kansas City Chiefs look like the team to beat in the AFC. But, don’t be surprised if you’re watching the Miami Dolphins, Buffalo Bills, Jacksonville Jags or Baltimore Ravens rep the AFC this February.

Similarly, the NBA of 2023-24 will be rush to the finish for talented teams that can stay healthy and peak on the 1st of May. In the East, the Milwaukee Bucks and Boston Celtics are getting the most favorable look by Las Vegas oddsmakers while the West is still in the hands of the Denver Nuggets for most observers.

And, they’ll run the first ever “In-Season” tournament to get the ball rolling. It should be interesting as it makes early season game count even more than usual. This columnist likes the idea a lot and loves the NBA promo just as much. If you haven’t seen the spot, it’s entitled, “The Heist” and it’s a take-off of a Sopranos episode meeting Ocean’s 11. I only wish they’d have put some of the players in team uniform and had a cameo by team mascots Rocky or The Coyote. The theme will repeat in additional spots as the In-Season Tournament progresses. Give it a look, knowing the tournament’s finale will be in Sin City:

The full cast of “The Heist” includes:

• The Mastermind: Michael Imperioli (“Goodfellas,” “The Sopranos”)
• The Heavy: Anthony Davis (Los Angeles Lakers)
• The Sly Guy: DeMar DeRozan (Chicago Bulls)
• The Ice Man: Trae Young (Atlanta Hawks)
• The Lookouts: Julius Randle (New York Knicks) and Darius Garland (Cleveland Cavaliers)
• The Vet: Draymond Green (Golden State Warriors)
• The Inside Man: Kawhi Leonard (LA Clippers)

WWYI will do a more in-depth look at the NBA in the next week or two. Preseason predictions are often quite inaccurate, so this columnist will await the 10-game mark of the regular season to make some enlightened observations and predictions.

For the others?

• MLB World Series: Texas is up 1-0 as of column creation, so Texas 4-games-to-1
• NFL: KC Chiefs over the San Francisco 49ers – 27-21.
• NHL: Las Vegas Knights over the Boston Bruins – 4-games-to-2

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: With the start of each pro season, WWYI usually runs Team Valuations calculated by our friends at Sportico, but since my company subscription ran-out a few weeks back, we’ll look to the old standard of Forbes for NBA Team Valuations of 2023-24.

Team, State, Current Value, 1-year change in value (%), debt/value (%), revenue, income

1. Golden State Warriors CA $7.7b 10 14 $765 M $79 M

2. New York Knicks, NY $6.6b 8 4 $504 M $169 M

3. Los Angeles Lakers, CA $6.4b 8 1 $516 M $159 M

4. Boston Celtics, MA $4.7b 18 4 $443 M $88 M

5. Los Angeles Clippers, CA $4.65b 19 2 $425 M $-12 M

6. Chicago Bulls, IL $4.6b 12 4 $372 M $115 M

7. Dallas Mavericks, TX $4.5b 36 3 $429 M $83 M

8. Houston Rockets, TX $4.4b 38 5 $381 M $125 M

9. Philadelphia 76ers, PA $4.3b 37 3 $371 M $120 M

10. Toronto Raptors, 🇨🇦 $4.1b 32 5 $305 M $75 M

NFL FUTURE FANS: A new kids’ game, Future Fans, was born when one of those iconic sports moments happened but for a young Dad watching the game with his young child, there was no one there to really share it with. The specific game was the 2022 AFC Championship game and the Cincinnati Bengals were about to earn their first trip to the Super Bowl in 33 years. Mike Schroder, a lifelong Bengals fan, watched nervously alone, wishing his then five-year-old daughter would watch with him.

Mike had spent countless hours trying to teach her about football and she knew the players and the fight song, but he couldn’t get her to watch the game. In that moment, he wondered whether there was a better way to get her engaged as a fan, and what that might mean for their future relationship together.

Mike (Schroder) sought out his friend Michael (Gold) and a small business was built on the belief that shared experiences in sports creates and sustains lifelong bonds. Michael (Gold) saw the power of his friend’s idea, reflecting on the central role of sports in the relationships in his life – going to Cincinnati Reds games as a kid with his grandmother, Ohio State college football games with his dad, and now Columbus Crew soccer games with his own kids.

Together, Michael and Mike set out to teach kids the rules of sports in ways they could understand – through stories, games and toys. They built Future Fans with the knowledge that life for parents of youngsters is quite busy – but win or lose, participation as a player or viewer in sports provides an opportunity to spend time together, and maybe, all week long talk about the next big game. Sports adds a bond between people over a shared passion – the experience of life as a true fan. Future Fans exists so everyone can experience a lifetime of great moments with their favorite teams, and enjoy the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat – together.

To get a Future Fans game for yourself or a friend or family member, visit: AMAZON

TIDBITS: The NBA on TNT and its emmy award winning wrap-around show enjoyed its debut this week, and was certainly beyond “mid-season form.” … Amongst the revelry and chaos, Charles Barkley made his viewpoint known when he commented, “Golden State is the fourth-best team in California,” placing the Warriors behind an unnamed order of the Los Angeles Clippers, LA Lakers and Sacramento Kings.

Later on as the “Inside the NBA” stars were enjoying local cuisine, the producers had a little surprise – especially for Shaquille O’Neal and Barkley.

Shaq: “Chuck, if you put him around your neck, I’ll give you 100,000 dollars.”

The BIG NOON (Big 12) game on FOX on Saturday ended at 4:30 (ET). Good game, but a rain (and some lightning) delay from 1:08pm (ET) to 2:02pm (ET). Kansas upset OK, 38-33, to snap an 18-game losing streak. … Saturday, in the FOX studio show before the Clemson vs N.C. State, Steve Smith Jr. said that “N.C. State was a basketball school.” After N.C. State upset Clemson, 24-17, Wolfpack head coach Dave Doeren told the game announcers of CW Network, to tell Steve Smith “he can kiss my ass.” … On Friday night, with the Miami Heat in town to take on the Celtics in Boston’s home opener Celtics all-stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown told guard Derrick White that he had to be more aggressive this season. White responded and was trending on “X,” the artist formerly known as Twitter, all day Saturday after posting a 28 points, six rebounds, three blocked shots and five 3-pointers made line vs the Heat. Celtics opponents can expect – at least – four players to score in double figures, maybe six players. Tatum, Brown, Kristaps Porzingis, Derrick White and toss in Jrue Holiday and Al Horford for the six-some.

WEMBY & WILT: Much was said this week over San Antonio Spurs rookie first overall selection Victor Wembanyama’s NBA debut when he finished with 21 points on 7-of-19 shooting (0-for-6 from deep), 12 rebounds, three blocks and two steals in the Spurs’ 126-122 overtime victory. … Without any doubt, he’ll be fabulous. … But consider this, Wilt Chamberlain’s NBA rookie debut on October 29, 1959 showed a final (hand-written) boxscore of 43 points, 28 rebounds. … Keep in mind, the NBA didn’t track blocked shot until the 1973-74 season. Can you imagine?

While We’re Young (Ideas) continues to grow and is enjoying a whopping, grand, incredible 73% “open rate,” as of last Sunday. FYI (for those not in the business of PR or e-Newsletters, the norm of 27.9% is considered quite good.

LPGA – BOSTON: While the PGA Tour has taken a pass on the Boston market the last few years, the LPGA and Fenway Sports Group are planning a tournament at TPC Boston for 2024.

In a formal announcement this week, which included Massachusetts Governor Maura Healy on the dais, the LPGA Tour and FM Global named TPC Boston in Norton, Mass., as host golf course for the 2024 FM Global Championship. From Aug. 29 to Sept. 1, the newly created tournament will feature a field of 144 players competing for a $3.5 million purse, the largest prize fund on the LPGA Tour outside of the majors and Tour Championship.

The last time the LPGA played in Greater Boston/Mass was 20 years ago and the 2004 U.S. Women’s Open, held at Orchards Golf Club in South Hadley, Mass. It was won by Meg Mallon.