PanthersATL

On the other hand, there's this thread with comments from gymnasts about "the twisties" being the more likely reason Simone felt it was best for her to withdraw, which sounds a bit more realistic here than the earlier stated generic "medical issue". And if you watched that last vault Simone did, something about it didn't look right at all...

Two sides of the same coin: Billie Jean King famously said and commented on "Pressure is a Privilege" (so much so that it's a title of one of her books AND posted as a plaque at the US Open where the players walk out onto the court to compete at the highest level) She also said this yesterday:

It takes a strong person to willingly pull themselves out of a competition in order to ensure future abilities/mindset.

Agreed. The standard college football season is 12 games. (Fine - some play one or two fewer, some might play one or two more. but let's stick with 12 for the conversation) What's the maximum number of teams that you could reasonably have within a conference and still keep the high profile/high profitable rivalry and meaningful in-conference games? And let's not forget that there are those throwaway games for homecoming or "warmups" (hello, Mercer or GA State vs Alabama) that rely on big paydays for being perennially steamrolled that may lose those beneficial slots because a conference became so large that there was no room for non-division games (or Notre Dame) to be squeezed in. Take an example: which one of these Alabama games would you sacrifice to make room for Michigan in a "required" annual rotation? ('Bama used as an example. Clemson or other major ACC/SEC school would have similar issues)

Oklahoma and Texas officially notified the Big 12 on Monday that they will not be renewing their grants of media rights after their expiration in 2025, according to a joint statement released by both schools. Big 12 sources told ESPN on Monday that the statement leaves some "wiggle room" and doesn't fully guarantee that the flagship schools would remain in the league through 2025. The possibility remains that they will pay the $75-80 million penalty for leaving early, while also giving the required 18 months' notice, per Big 12 bylaws. Some have speculated that this is the first legal maneuver, and the possibility also exists that if the Big 12 dissolves before 2025, OU and Texas would no longer be bound to stay through the duration of the contract. https://www.espn.com/college-sports/story/_/id/31889044/texas-longhorns-oklahoma-sooners-tell-big-12-not-renew-grant-media-rights

Michigan's new motto: We put the "southern" in SEC Ohio's new motto: "We're not in the south, but we're further south than Michigan - so that counts right?"

Jerry did fire two Panthers cheerleaders for having sex with each other in a Tampa nightclub bathroom. "Banana Joes", if that's related to the conversation. https://www.espn.com/nfl/news/story?id=2216124

Texans mgmt: "This will blow over, we're sure" 12-year-olds and Huddlers: "heh, you said blow"

NOW Houston is willing to trade Deshaun? What's changed over the past 6 months?

Ratings overall are down, but that's to be expected for various reasons Generally speaking, people want to watch things live. If you already know the results of an event, how excited are you to tune in to catch the replay during NBC primetime? Watching the opening ceremonies live at 7am was fantastic (other than the horrible constant narration and 2/3 screen advertisements). Watching the replay later that day took some of the joy out of the procession with choppy editing Are people that interested in watching sports that they can see anytime, anywhere else? EX: When the Grand Slam tennis events are happening, they're on constantly on the local TV here (almost literally 24/7). Tuned in to see Olympic Tennis with the same players? Meh. Not interested. After watching the fantastic Euro2021 soccer match, do we need to watch more soccer before the World Cup starts? It's no wonder that the most popular sports are the things that we don't often see -- swimming, gymnastics, synchronized diving. Sat through two different Water Polo matches over the weekend; turned off the 3x3 basketball (and why is it "3 X 3" and not "3 vs 3" or "3 on 3"? Why is the "X" pronounced as "X"? And those commentators were painful to listen to). Watched a bit of skateboarding, but it wasn't as interesting as snowboarding tricks are (probably because it just looked like a bunch of skaters doing some random tricks as opposed to something more choreographed/planned) But for the most part? It's background viewing this year. Happy for all the winners and the competitors for trying their hardest. I don't miss the crowds/crowd noise. Get rid of the professionals, keep it amateurs. And hey, was that a 46 year old gymnast the other day? That's a more interesting human interest story than some of the other crap they've been showing. To answer your original question? Yeah, we're watching it here.

ViceTV occasionally makes episodes available for free every week/month on their website. No idea is/when this would be one of the choices, but it could happen

The services all care, they're just trying to figure out a way to minimize inappropriate pw sharing while not alienating their paying customers. It's a balancing act. Hulu offers a $2 plan for college students https://www.cnet.com/tech/services-and-software/hulu-unveils-2-plan-for-college-students/ 50% of college students don't pay for their own Netflix account https://www.odt.co.nz/star-news/star-lifestyle/star-entertainment/why-would-we-pay-when-we-can-get-it-free-students-access Sharing of Netflix and other streaming services aren't often discussed as collateral during relationship breakups: https://www.wsj.com/articles/love-is-fleeting-but-netflix-passwords-are-forever-11553697241 and

Just watched the VICE TV episode FANATICS of their Dark Side of Football series. It's a look at various intense rivalries and how over -enthusiastic fans cheer... and fight... for their team I think we can all hope (and be happy) that Panthers fans would never be featured in a show like this. (Panthers-related? Rodney Peete is mentioned in a highlight) https://www.vicetv.com/en_us/video/fanatics/6078b80f0eec0e11a81846c2

Netflix (and other streaming services) are going to start cracking down on password sharing: Password sharing is believed to be done by more than 1/2 of Netflix subscribers (thus cutting into Netflix revenue just a smidge) One method Netflix is using is to prompt a streamer to enter a 2FA code at random times if they believe that the account is being used outside of the primary location. Sharers may not be happy having to field calls from whomever/whenever so they can Netflix & Chill on someone else's schedule or timezone https://www.insidewalessport.co.uk/netflix-reveals-more-about-its-plans-to-stop-password-sharing/ There's also a "service" that has cropped up (reported in the news elsewhere this week), where people who are willing to share their account passwords with strangers can do so - and people who want a shared account just need to pony up a portion of the subscription fee rather than the full $15/month (or whatever the service is charging). One drawback for the account owner -- the stranger that's using the account has the ability to change the password/email address/account information as if the account were their own. You just have to trust that they won't

Future planning: set up a special hotel fund for that eventual away game in Vegas. Early reports are that hotel rates are SUPER ridiculous for every home Raiders game weekend this season. Wouldn't be surprised if that stays the norm for future years - so book early if you can. Some example rates for opening weekend? Excalibur: $300/night + tax Luxor: $350/night + tax Mandalay (two queen beds, standard room): $745/night + tax (a week later, that same Mandalay room will be just $200/night)

no matter what away game I'm at, I find the biggest nearby opposing fan and buy them a beer. Guaranteed friend for the game

Not really "unlimited" in the pure sense of the term. From YouTube: As long as you maintain your membership status, live TV recordings will be saved for 9 months. Other programs will vary based on agreements with our content partners.

It's more about providing a way for CNN to continue to make money as cable subscriptions (and the associated cash inflow) are cut. While the primary CNN news should still be available "for free" on OTT boxes and supported by advertising, CNN+ is looking to provide some sort of in-depth storytelling that they don't have the time/ability to cover on their main news feed. CNN's Headline News with Lynn Russell and the other anchors was fantastic. All the news you needed to hear in 30m chunks. Worked great until local cable companies decided to splice in local news breaks in the final 5 mins where HL would normally be covering lifestyle/entertainment clips that they had been promoting earlier in the 30m clock. Ugh.

Forgot to add: LOKI on Disney+. A look at a different area of the Avengers universe. Its a fun action series that supposedly helps to setup the next phase of the Marvel Universe (kinda like what Wandavision did too). SCHMIGADOON on AppleTV+. If you like Broadway musicals (and who doesn't?), imagine what it could be like if you were literally trapped in one. Think Groundhog Day mixed with some Rogers & Hammerstein production numbers.

Wellington Paranormal - CW. Three seasons of goofiness have been filmed by the makers behind WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS. Season 1 just started airing a week or so ago, catch up on previously aired episodes on the CW website. Taking place in the WWDitS universe, this show follows a New Zealand police department's various investigations into weird happenings around town. Think X-FILES meets AIRPLANE! and The Office. Speaking of.... What We Do in the Shadows season 3 starts up in September. Season 37 of THE CHALLENGE begins early August on MTV. It's Survivor, but if it was played mostly with the same competitors every season. The rules and setup change from year to year, so the contestants never know what curveballs will be thrown at them. You may not care for the personalities of individual people on the show, but from a production viewpoint, it's turned into one of the best (if not THE best) produced reality competition shows out there. TJ Lavin deserves some recognition for what he brings to the table as host. AMC's KEVIN CAN F* HIMSELF is a black comedy/drama that some may find a bit off on its style. Part cheesy 90's sitcom, part reminiscent of the Sopranos, the show follows the beaten-down wife (Annie Murphy, who played Alexis from the award-winning Schitt's Creek) and her goal of trying to kill her idiot sitcom husband. Early word on the street is that this could be another Emmy nominated turn for Murphy.

Who's this? (Wrong answers only?)

KEM or COPAG playing cards are generally seen as the "best" plastic playing cards. I've also had good experience with the 12-pack of Bicycle cards available at the local Sam's Club or Costco (I prefer the Big Pips because they're a bit more fun and easier to see across the table when the dealer is laying out the community cards, but that's a personal preference. Bonus for using a 12-pack? Once the decks start getting dinged up you have spare decks to swap in as needed. If you're doing tournament - which some folks prefer since it puts everyone on an even $ playing field - then you'll probably want to get some freebie poker timer/blind app to keep track of when the blinds will go up. Some tokens to indicate BB, SB, and Dealer are usually helpful too. Make sure you have enough chips to cover the denominations you're playing. A standard 200-chip poker set may not provide a 12 person, two table NL tournament with adequate chip coverage. Perhaps @Cary Kollins can offer more advice on that front.

No issue inserting/replacing national or regional ads with localized ads. Cable networks and streamers do it all the time. National broadcasts usually reserve the ad spot at the :50 for local ad sales, which generally are used by the local affiliate to pimp their late night news or other specialty programming in addition to any premium local advertisers that are around. Broadcast commercials are pretty much hard-coded to :30 or :60 spots, so it's relatively easy to do a 1:1 replacement. Streaming gets a bit more difficult, as you may end up in a situation where a 1:1 replacement isn't possible based on advertiser fill rules. You could end up replacing a :30 with a :60, resulting in either a late rejoin (where you miss the first :30 of the next segment) *or* the stream itself is then delayed by :30 until the next commercial break where they will make up for that timing overrun by inserting fewer commercials (hopefully) to bring the listener/viewer back closer to live.

*SOMEBODY* is paying for it. And if that somebody is distributing their feed without the express permission of the NFL and its broadcast partners, where any other use of this telecast or any pictures, descriptions, or accounts of the game without the NFL's consent.... then the FBI should come knocking on their door. They won't, but that disclaimer gives the FBI and the NFL the opportunity to do so. They won't necessarily go after the recipients of the feeds, but they *could*. Think back to the Napster/Limewire days of illegal file sharing. Once Apple and other technology leaders (along with the copyright holders) realized that people will pay for a subscription service to listen to "any song in the world", the need to go illegal diminished greatly. The artists are getting screwed over from a royalty payment perspective, but that's for a different thread elsewhere. The NFL is smart - they realize they're leaving money on the table by locking in to the existing Sunday Ticket concept. They want to grow the fanbase, and there are plenty of people who'd be willing to buy a single game each week for $X without it affecting/cannibalizing ticket sales.