TL's Sunday Sports Notes | June 15
While We're Young (Ideas) | Takes a Look at Great Sports Promos
By TERRY LYONS, Editor of Digital Sports Desk
BOSTON - As the 2025 NBA Finals and NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs come towards a close, and both series going six, maybe, seven games, Major League Baseball grinds on through the dog days of June. By the 4th of July, it will be “Baseball Season,” but, now, the winter sports are holding on to the interest of sports fans and to loyal, yet dwindling, worldwide television audiences.
For both the NBA Finals and Stanley Cup Final, pundits are criticizing the rise of the small market teams. In the NBA, Oklahoma City (Thunder, the No. 47 TV market) and Indiana (Pacers, the No. 25 TV market) are playing some of the best basketball seen in years, yet talking heads are harping on the size of each city.
In the NHL Cup Final, small market (Sunrise, Florida) representing Miami and South Florida as a whole (the No. 18 TV market in the USA), now 2-2 (going into Saturday night’s Game 5) vs. Edmonton (1.6m people in market, no Nielsen TV ratings info).
Here’s a look at the tremendous NHL Stanley Cup promo from TNT:
To help promote the Finals (NBA)/Final (NHL), each league and its broadcasters created/aired terrific promo teases, with the NHL’s shining brightly.
The NBA went with a solid campaign, underlined by Nat King Cole’s incomparable song, “Unforgettable.” The :30 second spot airs during NBA programming but also popped up elsewhere to promote tune-in to the Indiana vs OKC series, and other playoff matchups earlier this spring.
The concept took a storyline created by Goodby-Berlin during the “I Love This Game” campaign, weaving in everyday acts and tasks by the everyday fan into the glorious highlights of NBA action in the playoffs. Here’s one cut:
The All-Time Greatest Sports Tease
Teasing John Malkovich by CBS Sports
The NBA promos struck a chord of an NFL pre-game tease from years ago, one I’ve highlighted in this space before, for sure.
This aired prior to the 2018 AFC Championship game between the Jacksonville Jaguars and New England Patriots won by the Tom Brady-led Patriots, 24-20.
HERE NOW, THE NOTES: This coming week is one of WWYI’s favorite weeks of the year. It’s PGA TOUR comes to New England week with the Thursday morning tee-off at the TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, Connecticut. Digital Sports Desk (and PGA Tour Brunch) will be on site to cover the tournament.
The Travelers Championship is a TOUR Signature Event and will feature a very strong field, including Scottie Scheffler, the No. 1-ranked player in the world and the tournament’s defending champion. This year’s event will be held June 16-22. In addition to Scheffler, every player in the Top 15 of the current Official World Golf Ranking is eligible to play – and 45 of the Top 50 ranked players – has committed to compete. That includes Rory McIlroy (No. 2), who completed the career Grand Slam by winning the Masters this year and also won THE PLAYERS Championship; Xander Schauffele (No. 3), the 2022 Travelers Championship winner and the reigning Open Championship winner; Collin Morikawa (No. 4); Justin Thomas (No. 5); Ludvig Åberg (No. 6); Russell Henley (No. 7); Sepp Straka (No. 8); and Hideki Matsuyama (No. 9).
“This is an incredible field of world-class PGA TOUR players coming to Connecticut this week, and the competition is going to be something golf fans won’t want to miss,” said Andy Bessette, Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer at Travelers. “Thanks to the dedication and hard work of countless people and the support from the best fans on TOUR, the Travelers Championship has become a premier week in golf that continues to have a significant impact on numerous worthy charities throughout the region. We’re looking forward to another great tournament.”
TIDBITS & NUGGETS: The NBA and the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) today announced the Top 30 boys and 30 girls who will participate in the 15th edition of Basketball Without Borders / Asia, which will be held at the Singapore Basketball Centre in Singapore from Thursday, June 19 – Sunday, June 22. … USA Basketball announced the 2025 USA Men’s and Women’s 3x3 National Teams scheduled to compete at the 2025 FIBA 3x3 World Cup June 23-29 in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. The 2025 USA 3x3 Men’s National Team features Henry Caruso, Mitch Hahn, James Parrott and Dylan Travis, while the 2025 USA 3x3 Women’s National Team includes Morgan Maly, Sarah Strong, Mikaylah Williams and Sahara Williams. On the men’s side, the veteran quartet won the 2024 FIBA 3x3 Men’s AmeriCup last December. … The National Basketball Association, National Basketball Players Association and 2K, a wholly owned label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. and publisher of the leading global basketball video game NBA 2K series, today announced they have agreed in principle to terms for a new multiyear global partnership expansion. In addition, 2K has also agreed in principle to terms to extend its longstanding relationships with the NBA G League and USA Basketball. The agreements will enable 2K to continue creating the most realistic, authentic and engaging NBA video game experiences. … Boston Bruins forward David Pastrnak was selected to the 2024-25 NHL Second All-Star Team. This is Pastrnak’s second nomination to the NHL Second All-Star Team (2023-24). He previously received First Team honors in 2019-20 and 2022-23. … The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame revealed the matchups for the annual 2025 Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-Off. The event will take place on Saturday, November 8, at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut, and will feature a doubleheader: Providence vs. Virginia Tech and George Washington vs. South Florida.
CWS: Here is your printable bracket for the 2025 College World Series, a double elimination college. baseball tournament ongoing as we type and read: (HERE)
U.S. OPEN and FATHER’S DAY SPECIAL: For WWYI & PGA TOUR Brunch Readers and Subscribers, there’s a new golf training tool that’s making serious strokes on and off the course: XView AI - the first and only markerless app that delivers real-time, full-swing golf analysis using nothing more than your iPhone.
Just like a subscription to PGA TOUR Brunch, it’s the perfect gift for Dads who love their game and their gadgets, as the app is currently being offered in a limited-time promotion through Father’s Day 2025. *Buy 2 months at $49.99 per month for XView AI and get one month free (Offer good now through midnight PT on June 16th).
Enter code: xviewdad25
More Info at: (HERE)
THIS JEST IN: The Houston Chronicle is celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Houston Rockets’ back-to-back titles won in 1994-95. During the ‘95 NBA Playoffs, the Rockets faced the toughest road to a title - maybe of all-time.
Let former Chronicle columnist Fran Blinebury explain: (Click Here for his column)
And, now… let the Chronicle’s great sports editor Reid Laymance take you through the memories, complete with appearances by Matt Bullard, the key reserve Mario Elie (hasn’t gained an ounce) and Hall of Fame coach Rudy Tomjanovich, a WWYI fave.
CAN’T MAKE IT UP: Earlier this week, former NBA All-Star DeMarcus Cousins was suspended by a Puerto Rico basketball league and had his contract rescinded after igniting a brawl earlier this week. The Baloncesto Superior Nacional League also fined Cousins $4,250, and he could be subject to another fine of $5,570, according to the league. The incident occurred Monday when Cousins was playing on the road for the Guaynabo Mets. “As an organization, we strongly condemn any form of violence or provocation, whether on or off the field. Safety, respect, and sportsmanship are non-negotiable values for this franchise,” the Mets said in a news release.
The situation began with Cousins exchanging words with a fan before he grabbed his crotch while walking toward the courtside seats. Cousins then grabbed the fan’s arm as things quickly escalated. Teammates attempted to pull Cousins away and other fans began to hurl insults at Cousins. After being ejected, Cousins was doused by liquids as he left the floor. Security tackled him at one point to hold him back from trying to get into the stands. Cousins, 34, was averaging 18.2 points and 9.0 rebounds while playing in the top pro basketball league in Puerto Rico for the second time. He also played in the league in 2023.
PARTING WORDS & MUSIC: Last Sunday night, the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League staged the 78th annual TONY Awards at Radio City Music Hall in Manhattan and it was - once again - the greatest show of the year. In addition to recognizing the very best dramatic plays and musicals of 2025, the show included a 10-year tribute to Hamilton-The Musical, forever the greatest that the Performing Arts will ever see, hear and experience.
To mark the occasion, the Original Cast and full Company of Hamilton assembled on stage to perform a medley of the musical’s storytelling hits complete with creator, writer and actor Lin-Manuel Miranda playing the lead role of Hamilton, Leslie Odom Jr., playing Aaron Burr, the great Daveed Diggs playing Marquis de Lafayette (in the show he also played Thomas Jefferson), Chistopher Jackson as George Washington,
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While We’re Young (Ideas) is a weekly (every weekend) collection of Sports Notes and News written by Terry Lyons. The posting of each notebook harkens back to the days when you’d walk over to the city news stand on Saturday night around 10:00pm to pick-up a copy of the Sunday papers. Inside, just waiting, was a compilation of interesting sports notes, quotes and quips in a column that always sold a few newspapers.
TL’s Sunday Sports Notes - Brought to you by Digital Sports Desk.
-TL-