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The Friday 5: April 3rd

By April 3, 2020 No Comments

NFL Playoffs Expands

 

January is going to look a little bit different in the NFL, with the playoff field officially expanding from 12 to 14 teams.

 

Each conference will have an additional Wild Card team, and only two teams will get a first-round bye (the top seed in each conference).

 

Fun fact: Only two sixth seeds have ever won the Super Bowl – the 2005 Pittsburgh Steelers and the 2010 Green Bay Packers. This doesn’t bode well for the incoming seventh-seeds, but that’s why they play the game.

 

Now, About That NFL Start Time…

 

Though the NFL – and this Fangirl, and all Fangirls and all fans – would really, really, really like the 2020 NFL season to start on time, the league’s chief medical officer, Dr. Allen Sills, says it’s not a given.

 

Sills said yesterday that a number of things will have to happen for a September start. Those things include:

 

  • Widespread testing
  • Point-of-Care tests
  • Lifting of gathering restrictions

 

Fingers crossed, Fangirl Nation. Beyond sports, it would mean things are moving in a positive direction all-around if we get a full NFL season.

 

Michael Jordan’s Last Dance Coming Soon

 

In a world without live sporting events, those of us who love sports (so everyone reading this) are going through some serious withdrawal.

 

Cue the wonderful people at ESPN for saving us and releasing the much-anticipated Michael Jordan 30 for 30, The Last Dance, two months early. Originally set to debut in June, the doc will premiere April 19.

 

The 10-part series chronicles Jordan’s final season with the Chicago Bulls. Viewers will get two episodes a week for five weeks. I think I speak for everyone when I say, I, literally, cannot wait.

 

Wimbledon Canceled

 

For the first time since World War II, Wimbledon has been canceled.

 

The All England Club made the announcement on Wednesday, as it was scheduled to take place from June 29-July 12.

 

Wimbledon began in 1877 and though it was also canceled during World War I, this will be the first year it is not being played during a time of peace.

 

Tua Check In

 

With the 2020 NFL Draft three weeks away, Alabama QB Tua Tagovailoa had an encouraging recheck of his hip yesterday.

 

ESPN and NFL Network were told the results “were overwhelmingly positive.” As Tagovailoa has been training in Nashville, the Titans’ team doctor, Thomas Byrd, did the exam, with doctors from all 32 teams able to suggest what they were looking for, per ESPN.

 

Tua’s college career ended in November when he had surgery to repair a posterior wall fracture and dislocated hip. Earlier this week, he told SportsCenter, “I’m 100% right now.”

 

Happy Drafting QB hungry teams!

Tracy Sandler

Tracy Sandler

I created Fangirl Sports Network as a place for female sports fans to follow their favorite teams with content and coverage that speaks directly to females. It started with one and then eight and now 32 NFL Fangirls and 15 NBA Fangirls.