Tag: FTW Explains

Why Florida Panthers fans throw toy rats on the ice

Panthers fans love their rats!

Welcome to FTW Explains, a guide to catching up on and better understanding stuff going on in the world. Are you wondering why Florida Panthers fans are throwing rats onto the ice? We’re here to help.

Every sports team has their own traditions. Many times, traditions take the form of a victory song, like the Colorado Avalanche with “All the Small Things” and the Philadelphia Phillies with “Dancing on My Own“.

The Florida Panthers, however, have rats as their victory tradition.

No, not real rats! Thankfully, these ones are of the plastic variety and are often seen thrown onto the ice after a Panthers’ win. So, how did the Panthers’ tradition of throwing rats onto the ice begin? Let’s dig in!

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The drama between Willson Contreras and the St. Louis Cardinals, explained

Why are the struggling Cardinals blaming Willson Contreras?

Welcome to FTW Explains, a guide to catching up on and better understanding stuff going on in the world. Are you wondering about why the St. Louis Cardinals are relieving Willson Contreras of catching duties? We’re here to help.

We’re still just over a month into the 2023 MLB season, but it has been far from an ideal start for the St. Louis Cardinals. One season after St. Louis won 93 games and a National League Central title, the Cardinals are sitting at the bottom of the entire National League.

That has the whole organization looking for answers. After all, a team with Paul Goldschmidt, Nolan Arenado and winning pedigree should not be *this* bad. And for manager Oliver Marmol, newly acquired catcher Willson Contreras appears to be the problem.

Let’s break down what’s going on with the Cardinals.

Michigan’s Notice of Allegations and the Jim Harbaugh NFL rumors, explained

There’s been a cloud hanging over the Wolverines since the loss to TCU.

Welcome to FTW Explains, a guide to catching up on and better understanding stuff going on in the world. Are you wondering about the severity of Michigan’s alleged NCAA violations and whether Jim Harbaugh is heading back to the NFL? We’re here to help.

Even after it was eliminated against TCU in the College Football Playoff semifinal on New Year’s Eve, Michigan’s football program has remained in the headlines. Thursday, the Wolverines received a Notice of Allegations from the NCAA accusing the program of multiple Level II violations and one Level I violation.

This news comes amid rumors that Harbaugh could be looking to jump ship to the NFL. Here’s what we know about the whole situation, at this point.

What we know so far about the U.S. Soccer blackmail scandal involving Gregg Berhalter and the Reyna family

That escalated quickly.

Welcome to FTW Explains, a guide to catching up on and better understanding stuff going on in the world. Are you wondering about the drama involving U.S. men’s national team head coach Gregg Berhalter and the Reyna family? We’re here to help.

The USMNT’s run at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar ended with a Round of 16 loss to the Netherlands. And one of the major talking points around the USMNT concerned Berhalter’s usage — or lack thereof — of Gio Reyna. The talented 20-year-old from Borussia Dortmund did not start a single match in Qatar and only appeared in three matches on limited minutes.

The context around that decision took a major turn on Wednesday. Let’s break down what we know so far.

Why are the Arizona Coyotes playing in a college hockey arena?

The Coyotes will share their new home with Arizona State University.

Welcome to FTW Explains, a guide to catching up on and better understanding stuff going on in the world. Are you confused as to why the Arizona Coyotes are playing in a college arena? We’re here to help.

Over the next few years, home games for the Coyotes will be drastically different to anything the NHL has seen before. Starting in the 2022-23 season, the Coyotes will be playing home games at Mullett Arena, a multipurpose arena at Arizona State University.

The decision is one that’s sparked quite a lot of conversation around the hockey world, as this is just another blow for a troubled Coyotes franchise. That being said, how did the Coyotes get here in the first place and what does this temporary arena deal mean for the future? Let’s dive in.

How to watch NASCAR races now that NBC Sports has taken over the broadcasts from FOX

Without NBCSN, here’s what you need to know about watching the rest of the NASCAR season.

Welcome to FTW Explains, a guide to catching up on and better understanding stuff going on in the world. If you’re wondering about how to watch the remainder of the NASCAR season, now that NBC has taken over the broadcasts, but don’t know where to find races, we’re here to help.

The only off-weekend of the NASCAR Cup Series’ 36-race, nine-month season came and went last weekend, and it was perfect timing as the sport switches broadcast networks.

For the Cup Series, FOX Sports handles the first half (give or take) of the schedule, and NBC Sports takes over for the back half. So after the first 16 points races of the Cup season were on FOX’s channels, NBC is now up to bat, starting with Sunday’s Ally 400 at Nashville Superspeedway (5 p.m. ET, NBC).

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Dale Earnhardt Jr., Rick Allen (play-by-play), Jeff Burton and Steve Letarte are returning to NBC’s broadcast team in the booth, while Kyle Petty, Dale Jarrett, Brad Daugherty and Marty Snider are back for studio coverage.

However, things will be a little different for NASCAR fans who are used to switching between the main NBC channel and NBC Sports Network. At the end of 2021, NBCUniversal shut down NBCSN, switching some of its live sports over to USA Network or, in some cases, Peacock.

So what does that mean now that NBC Sports has taken over the NASCAR schedule?

Make sure you know where to find USA Network. The remaining 20 Cup races, along with 19 Xfinity Series races, will be on NBC or USA Network, and sometimes, pre-race and post-race coverage will switch to Peacock.

Cup’s regular-season finale at Daytona International Speedway in August and the championship race at Phoenix Raceway in November will be available on both NBC and Peacock.

For the third-tier Truck Series, races will still remain with FOX on FS1.

So ahead of NBC’s first NASCAR weekend of the 2022 season, here’s a look at its complete broadcasting schedule:

Friday, June 24 — Xfinity practice
5:30 p.m. ET, USA Network

Friday June 24 — Cup practice
6:30 p.m. ET, USA Network

Saturday, June 25 — Xfinity qualifying
Noon ET, USA Network

Saturday, June 25 — Cup qualifying
1 p.m. ET, USA Network

Saturday, June 25 — Xfinity pre-race/post-race
3 p.m. ET/6 p.m. ET, USA Network

Saturday, June 25 — Xfinity Series’ Tennessee Lottery 250
3:30 p.m. ET, USA Network

Sunday, June 26 — Cup pre-race/post-race
4 p.m. ET/9 p.m. ET, Peacock

Sunday, June 26 — Cup Series’ Ally 400
5 p.m. ET, NBC/Peacock

And here’s the remainder of the Cup Series schedule and what channels are planned for each race broadcast:

  • Sunday, July 3 — Road America, 3 p.m. ET, USA Network
  • Sunday, July 10 — Atlanta, 3 p.m. ET, USA Network
  • Sunday, July 17 — New Hampshire, 3 p.m. ET, USA Network
  • Sunday, July 24 — Pocono, 3 p.m. ET, USA Network
  • Sunday, July 31 — Indianapolis Road Course, 2:30 p.m. ET, NBC
  • Sunday, August 7 — Michigan, 3 p.m. ET, USA Network
  • Sunday, August 14 — Richmond, 3 p.m. ET, USA Network
  • Sunday, August 21 — Watkins Glen, 3 p.m. ET, USA Network
  • Saturday, August 27 — Daytona, 7 p.m. ET, NBC/Peacock
  • Sunday, September 4 — Darlington, 6 p.m. ET, USA Network
  • Sunday, September 11 — Kansas, 3 p.m. ET, USA Network
  • Saturday, September 17 — Bristol, 7:30 p.m. ET, USA Network
  • Sunday, September 25 — Texas, 3:30 p.m. ET, USA Network
  • Sunday, October 2 — Talladega, 2 p.m. ET, NBC
  • Sunday, October 9 — Charlotte Roval, 2 p.m. ET, NBC
  • Sunday, October 16 — Las Vegas, 2:30 p.m. ET, NBC
  • Sunday, October 23 — Homestead-Miami, 2:30 p.m. ET, NBC
  • Sunday, October 30 — Martinsville, 2 p.m. ET, NBC
  • Sunday, November 6 — Phoenix, 3 p.m. ET, NBC/Peacock

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How Avalanche fans singing ‘All the Small Things’ in the third period came about

These Avalanche fans get HYPE in the third period.

Welcome to FTW Explains, a guide to catching up on and better understanding stuff going on in the world. Are you confused as to why Colorado Avalanche fans sing a popular song from the late 1990s during games? We’re here to help.

First, it was the St. Louis Blues and “Gloria”. Now it’s the Colorado Avalanche and… “All the Small Things” by Blink-182?

As the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs continue on through the Conference Finals, you may have noticed a familiar late 1990s and early 2000s song being sung by Avalanche fans during home games. It’s now become a tradition for Avalanche fans to sing “All the Small Things” during the third period, a celebration song for when Colorado is comfortably ahead in games.

But how did this fun tradition start? Let’s take a look!

The Evgenii Dadonov trade debacle between the Golden Knights and Ducks, explained

The Golden Knights messed up big time here with Evgenii Dadonov.

Welcome to FTW Explains, a guide to catching up on and better understanding stuff going on in the world. Are you confused as to why the NHL invalidated a trade featuring Evgenii Dadonov just days after the 2022 deadline? We’re here to help.

The 2022 NHL trade deadline has come and gone, but hockey fans have been witness to a very unusual situation that’s unfolded over the last few days. At the 3 p.m. deadline on Monday, the Vegas Golden Knights traded forward Evgenii Dadonov to the Anaheim Ducks, a seemingly routine move as last call was signaled for deals.

On Wednesday, however, the NHL canceled the trade between the Golden Knights and Ducks, as Dadonov’s contract featured a limited no-trade clause, a list that included Anaheim as one of the teams.

But why did the Golden Knights try to trade a player in Dadonov that couldn’t be traded to the Ducks? Well, it’s a situation a lot more complex — and honestly, quite dumb — than it appears, so let’s dive into it.

The sanctions on Chelsea FC owner Roman Abramovich, explained

What’s happening with Chelsea?

Welcome to FTW Explains, a guide to catching up on and better understanding stuff going on in the world. You may have come here wondering why Chelsea FC is all over the news right now. Wondering what’s up with that? We’re here to help.

The global reaction to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has been far-reaching and swift. We’ve seen sanctions aimed at crippling Russia’s economy. Western companies shuttered businesses in Russia. Sports governing bodies have banned Russia from competitions. And now, Russian oligarchs — the richest, most powerful people from Russia — have been targeted with sanctions due to their ties with Russia’s Vladimir Putin.

That’s where the situation with Chelsea FC took a major turn on Thursday. Let’s break down what happened.

Wordle, the viral word guessing game, explained

Wordle is the new sensation sweeping the internet.

Welcome to FTW Explains, a guide to catching up on and better understanding stuff going on in the world. Are you confused as to why you are seeing your friends on social media post colored squares with no explanation? We’re here to help.

Wordle is set to be 2021’s last viral trend, if Twitter is anything to go by anyway. Over the past few weeks or so, you may have seen your friends on social media posting a bunch of different colored squares and boasting about their limitless vocabulary. That’s because a new game called Wordle has taken social media by storm.

But what is Wordle exactly? How can you play it? And what do those colored squares mean? Here’s everything you need to know about Wordle.